Dama Tools & Dies

You can find us at 183 Talawade Road. It’s a straight shot once you get onto the main stretch, and Dama Tools & Dies is right there in the middle of everything. The shop is filled with the scent of cutting oil and the sound of lathes turning. I spend most of my day standing at a bench, working on small parts that have to be just right. It’s funny how you get used to the noise after a few years; I barely notice it anymore. The walls are lined with tool racks that we built ourselves. Nothing in here is new or shiny, but everything works. We aren't much for talking when we’re in the middle of a job. Precision takes focus, so it’s usually pretty quiet except for the equipment. We get a lot of locals dropping by with sketches on bits of paper, asking if we can make a die for them. We sit down, look at the drawing, and figure out how to do it. There’s no computer system for tracking things—just a big ledger on the desk where we write everything down by hand. It works for us. In the afternoons, the sun hits the front of the shop and makes it a bit bright, so we pull the shades down a bit. When the clock hits five, we start the cleanup. It’s a slow process, making sure every tool is back in its place for tomorrow. We aren't fancy, just hard working.