Need a circular saw? A St. John's man looks to open city's first tool library

A St. John's man who couldn't afford the tools he needed to build a greenhouse is now trying to establish the city's first tool library.

"Just like a book library works," said Ian Froude. "You walk into a space, there's tools on supply, you have a membership to the library, and you're able to borrow the tools, go home and do your projects." 

And when you're done, bring them back for someone else to borrow. 

Froude told CBC's On the Go that he hopes the public will help out by donating tools for the library.

The annual membership fee, which he said would be less than $100, would cover the cost of space, tool repair and staff — although he hopes to use volunteers as well.

The tool library concept is already in place in Toronto, Halifax and Ottawa. But Froude's interest in bringing the library to St. John's came from his own experience.

"I built a greenhouse in my back yard last year, but to be able to do that I needed a mitre saw. I needed a circular saw. I needed a power drill," he said.

"And the cost for those tools, on top of the materials for the greenhouse, was out of my range."

Froude said he's not the only handyman who wants to borrow rather than buy. He's had a lot of reaction, since floating the idea for a tool lending library in March.

"Its been fantastic," he said. "It's only been a couple of weeks that I've been...public about the idea. And there's a lot of interest in the community. It's been really great."

Froude is now looking for a place to set up shop.

"Not everyone has a group of friends that has the tools in the shed that they'll lend out," he said. "So what I'm trying to do is make all those tools accessible."