well...
your 4th group is questionable. Certain kinds of smarts are more important than other kinds. Some kinds of smarts will be just plain useless.
Same goes for your 3rd group. When people are very busy killing each other, there quickly becomes a surplus of non-perishable stuff. People, food, fuel, and ammo become the most important but not necessarily in that order. Fixing things isn’t so important when its easier to kill someone and take his things.
Besides, how many people REALLY know how to fix things? I do. But in a SHTF scenario, lots of the things I can fix won’t be of use. What good is welding, wiring, and pipefitting skills when there’s no water, gas, or electricity? My old fashioned rigger’s skills may come in handy. Maybe. I can repair pumps and electric motors till the cows come home but I don’t see any value in that in SHTF.
That leaves basic carpentry skills. Hammer, nails, measuring&cutting, etc. Those are not rare skills. But what is rare is people who still know how to do these things without the use of electricity, pneumatics, hydraulics, and heavy equipment.
Who still has a collection of saws and planes and braces and bits? Who even knows the difference between a rip saw, back saw, cross cut saw, and a veneer saw? When’s the last time anyone used a saw set to adjust the pitch of saw teeth? or used a file or stone to sharpen a saw? Who knows how to build a scaffold out of nailed 2x4s? Or lift objects with block and tackle? Or even OWNS a damn rope for that matter much less knows any knots? People used to know how to figure the angles without using math. No one knows that stuff anymore.
These people are sufficiently rare that I would say they are irrelevant and will still be irrelevant in SHTF also.
I’ve been stocking up on non-electric tools. I’ve got a crosscut and a hacksa. I’ve got a set of chisels, a plane and bits up to 1”. Braces are difficult to find. Any made in Red China are worthless.
I’ve been stocking up on non-electric tools. I’ve got a crosscut and a hacksaw. I’ve got a set of chisels, a plane and bits up to 1”. Braces are difficult to find. Any made in Red China are worthless.
I’ve been stocking up on non-electric tools. I’ve got a crosscut and a hacksaw. I’ve got a set of chisels, a plane and bits up to 1”. Braces are difficult to find. Any made in Red China are worthless.