Portland is the most amazing place in the world.  Seriously.  Obviously I love the amount of weirdness (like the guy who rides a unicycle and plays bagpipes dressed as Santa and Darth Vader,) the fact that brunch is an art form (bacon Bloody Mary, anyone?) and the constant electricity of people actually *doing* things (after a couple bacon Bloody Mary’s, of course.)  But, the Tool Library is a very special breed of place that can only exist in a town that is dedicated to activism, volunteerism, community, and general cheapskatery.

I need a saw to make my daybed and I don’t want to buy one just to use on the rare occasion that I decide to make something that cannot be cut with sharp scissors.  So, I decide to check it out.

The Tool Library is a backroom with no windows in the side of a church that also hosts yoga classes and organ lessons in their respective backrooms.  It’s open for two hours on Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings.  You have to provide an ID and mail that proves that you live in the area.  This gives you rights to borrow anything you want for a week.  If you don’t bring it back within that 7 days, you pay a fine of $1-$2 depending on the tool you borrow. Uh, awesome!  They have tools for gardening, automotive, contracting, and general home maintenance.  I choose a miter saw and a long extension cord.