Toe Eye Thread Tap

Ed,
I have a tool in circulation right now, the Toe Eye Thread Tap. It was made by John Pitman in Australia and he forwarded it to me for distribution to owners in need in the USA. This has been going well and John has agreed to eventually permanently loan the tool to the OC as long as it is made available for owners to use for a nominal use fee.

I do note your proposed tool loaner terms and I have to say based on my experience you should consider extending the rental period. I know the shorter the period the more available the tool is, however most rentals of the tow eye tap have taken approx 3 weeks round trip from the time I send to the time I receive back, sometimes almost four weeks and only occasionally less than 2 weeks. My policy has been to request a fast turn around, check someone on the waiting list is ready to use it before I propose to send it and to charge extra (out of deposit) after 1 calendar month (ship out date to receive back date).

So I do think 1 week is too short - however it is somewhat based on the tool complexity.

But consider possible scenarios - a popular tool has a waiting list, so you don't know when you will actually get it - it shows up on a Friday and you planned to be away for the whole weekend - its due back next Friday... Not so reasonable...

Another consideration - I have been promoting having local/regional group get togethers for the tool use. To do this takes extra set up time for the recipient/host BUT for the OC it would get visibility for the organization generally, and for the specific tool on loan. I think this should be encouraged too (though clearly NOT any secondary loaning).

Alan Moore

Alan, I have been reading about this tool and its usefullness. I appreciate what John and yourself are doing for the 928 community by making it available to owners. I believe it would be a welcome addition to our club members if you both decide to donate it to the club.
The one week turn around time came from Gary Knox who started with the fender rolling tool. It is certainly a subject that needs discussion if it seems unreasonable. I believe the idea behind it is to make sure it is available to more people in a shorter time but to also prevent "tool hoarding" and to be able to keep the tools in good service for the next person. This is a group and we should certainly visit this and any other concerns so that we can continue to grow as a community.
Thank you for posting this and I hope it brings more people to the forum to discuss.
Ed

Just my opinion, but I can see Alan's point. Maybe we should consider allowing a longer rental period. I don't think our tools would ever be real high demand. Having them available, when needed, is DEFINITELY a value for our members. And as we increase the inventory, we add to the value. Thank you to those who have volunteered their tools.

I think we also need to use a better term than the word "renting" or "rental" as I have been the receiver of some e-mails with people who think we "charge" to use the tools. We DO NOT Charge for the use of the tool. We only ask the borrower to pay for the shipping fees. The "fee" for keeping the tool longer was called "rental" for lack of a better term at the time and I just copied it over from Gary's original write up. Again I think that the original intent was to keep the tool from being misused or misplaced and to keep it in good repair for the next guy.
As far as the loan time, I understand how you would feel it short but honestly, how long should it take to roll a fender or drill and tap a toe eye hole? I'm not trying to be difficult, just trying to understand why someone would need 4 weeks to tap a tow eye thread or roll 2 or 4 fenders. I will agree tool complexity would certainly justify longer loan terms such as a Sharktuner or timing belt tools etc. as there are unforseen issues that could occur during the job requiring time to get parts etc.
Ed

Well explained, Ed. We are obviously lucky to have you overseeing the program.

Another suggestion for tool rental is that the OC sponsor the rental of any tool that is used in a group session. If it's anything like the Tow Thread event happening in the PNW next Saturday (with a pre-event breakfast), the attendees will be a mix of OC members and non-members. Knowing that it's sponsored by the OC could help gain/regain/retain members. Maybe bundle a banner up with the tool and/or some goodies.