‘Fixing stuff and helping people’: After uncertain times, Tool Library of Lake County thrives at 5

You never know when a wet tile saw with a diamond blade will come in handy.

Max Feinendegen found that out when he brought a rock called a geode to the Tool Library of Lake County, which occupies the end space of Mundelein’s Hawley Commons.

“I found it in Kentucky,” Feinendegen said of the unusual rock that can contain minerals, including crystals. “I didn't want to hit it with a hammer.”

Feinendegen’s dad, Jeff, told him about the tool library and suggested he take the geode there for help.

Sam Barlow, a finish carpenter who recently joined the tool library's roster of volunteers, hauled the tile saw outside the storefront, dealt with a water flow issue and made a clean cut of the rock.

Feinendegen is now among thousands of satisfied clients of the all-volunteer nonprofit tool library, where the slogan is “Caring Through Sharing.”

Five years after its humble beginnings, the library has endured a renaming, rebranding and relocation to become a go-to resource for suburban fixer uppers.

The library offers about 2,300 tools to borrow at no charge, though it is supported in part by 705 dues-paying members. In May, 94 patrons checked out 494 tools from the facility.

“And (June) will be a busier month,” said Van Miller, a Mundelein resident and retired physical education teacher who, after seeing a similar operation in Portland, Oregon, championed what became the first-of-its-kind tool library in Lake County.

Getting this far hasn’t been smooth or easy. Funding has been an ongoing concern. Had it not been for a generous benefactor, the five-year anniversary might never have been reached.

“While we have reinvented ourselves successfully, we’re still relying on donor help,” Miller said. “We would love to have some type of grant support from various organizations, large businesses and federal monies.”

Nonetheless, the operation has evolved. It now offers free repair nights, classes held in partnership with the College of Lake County, and refurbished tools and other items for sale. An automotive repair class will start July, and the library now has more volunteers and expanded hours.

The heart and strength of the operation has been its volunteers, who bring a wide range of expertise and can fix almost anything. They happily share their knowledge, teach a variety of hands-on classes, assist customers, work on the website and handle other aspects of running an organization.

The roster includes Bruce Arndt and Arlen Converse, retired jacks-of-all-trades who have been there since the beginning. Among other things, they hold sessions on two- and four-cylinder engine repair.

“This is what we like to do,” said Arndt, who walked over during the grand opening in 2021 and has been a mainstay since. “It’s a combination between fixing stuff and helping people.”

Patrons can get either get something fixed, “Or you can fix it and we’ll tell you what to do if you want to learn,” Converse explained.

Miller says volunteers stepped up to not only save the tool lending library but expand its outreach.

“I was a coach and if I had the guys who volunteer here, we’d have a championship team for sure,” he said.

The name change in late 2024 coincided with the relocation and reflected a commitment to the entire county rather than a single town.

But the goal has remain unchanged: To help people maintain and beautify their homes and neighborhoods, and to serve needs by sharing community resources.