I am, as im sure many of you are as well, faced with the difficulty of trying to find a capable multi tool for the robotics season that complies with all of the rules of school and city laws on what are deemed as weapona in the hands of a minor. The biggest issue is that although knives are the most “Multi” tools of them all, I cant have one on me at all times as i would like, restricting me from using the traditional leatherman or Swiss army options. Due to this ive searched far and wide for useful multi-tools without blades and i am wondering if any of you have found something i have not.
Or use a slotted Torx bit and dissasemble and then reassemble the tool without the blade, but im afraid that taking either of those methods might affect how smoothly the other tools open out or risk it opening in my pocket
Personally, i usually carry a Multi-tool with a knife on it, and I use the knife almost as much as i use the phillips head on it. I never have had any problems with any administration or rules, but i generally don’t wave it around. Depending on the way you school is run you may or may not be able to do the same thing.
A bike tool is a good idea, because knifes are not too useful in the fixing of bikes, so they are less likley to have one.
and i have to add: A chain break on a multi tool? Awesome!
Metal detectors tend to thwart that strategy. (Unless, of course, you have a plastic/ceramic tool which is unlikely) Personally I try to avoid taking anything metal and at all pointed (like a screwdriver) to school since so much of what a “weapon” is is open to interpretation. I always found it rather ironic that (at least in my area) a plastic knife for spreading butter, cutting sandwiches, etc. is considered a weapon with an automatic 365 day suspension and police notification whereas my bookbag is not and it weighs well over 20lbs and could easily break bones/cause other serious harm. (BTW, I agree, the chain breaker is sweet)
There are no metal detectors at my school, or at any i have ever heard of.
Do other schools in other ares have metal detectors? They seem like they would be an enourmoulsy expensive hassle.
I see it to be a great reflection of the current state of affairs in the US when a student trying to innovate the future must worry about being suspended by doing just that.
I’ll get off my soap-box now, the other two options look more appealing.
I carry several tools in my backpack, so I have to make sure that anything I am carrying at any one time is “school safe” and does not have a knife blade on it. This sometimes involves modifying tools to make them legal. Just remove the blade and replace the gap with a proper thickness washer. Every multitool can be disassembled by carefully punching the rivet that holds stuff together and replacing it with a stainless steel screw for reassembly.
Personally i carry a Gerber clutch on my keyring at all times but im aware that doesnt help you. Depending on where you do work on the bot (at school or at a sponsor shop) you may be able to just keep it in your car until you may need it. If you have an understanding teacher you may be able to ask them if you can keep it in their room during the day and only use it during meetings
You have laws and policies where an object is automatically considered a weapon in the hands of a minor, but not necessarily in the hands of an adult? Are you sure that that’s how the laws and policies work?
If your account of the policy is accurate, you have idiots for legislators/school board trustees. Taking a student out of school for a year is a ridiculous way to ensure that he learns not to bring utensils to school.
I have a Gerber multi-tool. Ive removed the blade by way of dremel. On mine the parts are abit rough to pull out, and also they face inwards. Sorta like a sandwich. See link. Thats the one I have. Or model anyways… http://www.gerberstore.com/index.php?xpage=itempage&xid=744
As for why the heck i took out Gerber blade on a multi-tool.
For during build season, we have all the cutters, tools, and everything else you’d need in the shop. However, at competions, I sometimes need to slice a wire, a piece of tape, or rope, or cut something faster, so I just carry my lockblade. So far I’ve never had any trouble with it, but if a venue had an issue, I would be glad to take it out to a car in the lot, and not bring it inside.
As for a multi-tool, one of our members uses a leatherman with it’s blade, but keeps it either inside the shop, or off campus. The school has never had a problem, even though the principal has come in with him using it.
A good strategy to find out about the upper limit that you can use is to go and ask the school admin’s what they would let you carry/use for robotics, but keep in mind you need to tell them what you’ll be using it for. This only really works if your team has a good impression on the admins though… good luck!
This is not a good idea. When I was in high school, the way the rules were worded, your car could be searched with or without your consent anytime it was on school property, and the penalty for having a weapon in your car was just as severe as having one on your person, regardless of whether you had opened it, or threatened someone.
It’s a stupid rulem but be careful that you don’t accidentally put yourself in a sticky situation.
I know. I just don’t carry a knife. For school, anyways. When I ride my bike, I carry a multitool with three hex wrenches and a flathead and Phillips screwdriver.
What really got me was that for a while, there was no knife policy at my school. Then a student lit a couple cherry bombs and they banned pretty much anything that could be used as a weapon (knives included.) For the next year or so: “Hey, does anyone have a knife?” “Eric, got a knife?” as I was the main person to have one on me. Response: “Didn’t you hear about the new rule? Can’t carry one anymore. Ask an adult.” What was really bad was that these were adults asking…
Hah, I guess I am the last of the breed where we were allowed to have weapons in our vehicles on campus as long as they were on your gunrack ('course that was 11+ years ago). My school was also one where the teachers would ask who had a knife and 3/4 of the room would pull out something that could field dress a deer without a problem. I know, I know, Jeff Foxworthy sometimes hit a little too close to home.
There are dangerous tools in your shop. There are dangerous tools in your toolbox. What you need to do is find an appropriate tool and keep it in the shop and use it. Obviously the tools in your shop have been approved by someone with authority, it should be there that the tool goes, is approved, and stays. If you need to go somewhere, take a toolbox with you. I know a lot of people want to have personal multi-tools, but sometimes you just have to deal with not having one.
i have solve dthe problem, what i do is keep my knife or leatherman in MY shop toolbox during the build season, (our shop i9s at the school) and when it is in the shopp or being used on the robot thusley it is totally allowed. but just remember to take it with you on the trip. remember it is a “tool” not a weapon.(not that i carry a knife anyway.)
I carry a Swiss Army at all times, except during school hours. I know there’s next to no chance of getting caught, but I don’t like the consequences if I do. (Suspension, police involvement, and a nice black mark on my transcript)
It’d be really nice to be able to carry a knifeless tool. Thanks for the links!
I recently (yesterday) purchased a leatherman, then cut off and ground smooth where the blade was. This is now my at school/competition tool. This’ll also be good, because the knife I used to use as a tool is a combat lockblade… so I can’t carry it too easily. (for those who are curiou, the reason it classifies as combat is because it’s a cold steel USMC knife, with the studded hammer on the butt of the blade…)
