What are the most important attributes for a tool builder?

[knoba]

I begged & pleaded to help my father when he was building his workshop, he helped me lay my first brick, I was 4. What a terrific guy!

As a species we are all inherently born to engineer just like a new bee knows how to fly. One could not say of God (or nature), that He/She is a great; politician, doctor or a manager, but one could definitely say that they are both magnificent engineers!

"The most important attributes for a tool builder?"

Sharp senses, dexterity, practice, adventure, investing in oneself, experience & able to accept being an apprentice through one's entire life.

[DIYer]

... to accept being an apprentice through one's entire life.

That's exactly my attitude. I'm always glad to learn something new, and teaching willing people what I know.

[PJs]

That's exactly my attitude. I'm always glad to learn something new, and teaching willing people what I know.

Knoba's last statement made me pause too and totally agree with both of you. I've always had a hunger to learn as long as I can remember and a realization that we are still practicing through out our lives. Sometimes it seems we go through the same processes or tests but really every one is a little different. The trick is to recognize the subtle differences and consciously not follow the same path to the end, necessarily...which adds to the skill set and the adventure of it...being in the hunt so to speak.

I had a saying I used to tell my kids when they got stuck growing up. "Three Things: Never stop learning, Never say Never, and your dad always loves you." After a year or so of it, all I had to say was...3 things and they would get a grin and off to the hunt they went or ask some question and if I didn't know...off to the hunt we went!

Also agree with you, DIYer about kids and educational toys. My wife and I work diligently to find or make just the thing for kids and grand kids that gets their particular juices flowing and drop a spark for them to follow. I still think my kids had more fun with cardboard boxes than Nintendo. Two years ago the kids wanted to do a White Elephant...not a big one for me...but out voted, so my wife and I fabricated a good sized white elephant out of cardboard, paper and whatever we found that fit the need and put the gift inside...a lot of fun, creative and the kids and grand kids had such a hoot & played with it for months after Christmas...and was obviously better than the gift inside~~> and the following year they put their gift inside. Personally I wanted to make a Purple Gorilla...love those guys...what was it JT said in his song...hands on his feet... ~¿@

So - Still Practicing and continuous learning should be added to the list IMHO.
~PJ

[Altair]

Problem solving skills, a lot of creativity, and a ton of patience.