Where did your team get its machine tools?

[EricH]

The only tools that are readily available to us are grinders and a drill press that needs a tuneup. However, we also have hand tools-- drills, hacksaw, mini hacksaw, wrenches, and the like (but we need more of some of them)--and we are sponsored by a machine shop. If we have something small, we do it with hand tools, but if it's a big job, we usually tell the shop what we need done. I think we once thought about getting more tools, but that didn't happen (yet).

That said, I think there are auction houses. If you need a tool, you could try going to one and getting it there. (We were interested in a tool that was at one of these places, but we had almost no warning, so nothing came of it. Bummer.) The tools may be old or used, but if they work, who really cares how they look?