Favorite "new" tool of 2010?

[Bob Jones]

The popular woodworking bunch started this topic on their blogs. I thought it was kinda goofy at first, but then I liked the idea.

My favorite "new" tool of the year is egg-beater drills. I bought my first this year (I now own 4). I had no idea they were so fun, accurate, and easy to use. My 6 year old daughter can drill a vertical hole with hers! I wish I would have bought one years ago. Using it makes me wonder what else am I missing out on in the hand tool world?????

Please post your favorites so we can all be tempted to buy more tools!

[Roy Lindberry]

The scratch stock has got to be my favorite of the year. The versatility and economy of this tool is pretty amazing. Turning an old, bent saw blade into profiling bits is fairly quick and easy. I had no idea that these existed a year ago.

[Jim Koepke]

This has to be my favorite and most used tool bought in 2010…

174933

A Lie-Nielsen #62 Low Angle Bevel Up Jack plane.

Also bought a couple of Auriou rasps.

The second most used tool bought in 2010 would be my Stanley #102.

174934

It cost me all of $2.56 with tax and is a great little utility plane.

jtk

[Bill Houghton]

Most used, so far, of the tools I was thrilled to find in 2010: 4" double square. Neat little thing, very useful.

[Gary Hodgin]

Tie between LV rip carcass saw and LV cross-cut carcass saw. Bought them both about a month ago and I think they were the only new tools of 2010 for me.

[Casey Gooding]

For me it's also the Lie-Nielsen 62. It's quickly become my favorite plane.

[John Fabre]

Doug's 1-14 SRG

[Gil Knowles]

For myself it was the Veritas LA block plane. Compared to the cheap block plane I have their is no
comparison. It is just a joy to use.
Gil

[John Coloccia]

Iwasaki carving files. I don't know how new they are, but they're new to me and they absolutely ROCK. I have practically a complete set and would sooner give you one of my LN planes than let you have one of my files! I don't even like calling them files as they behave like nothing of the sort. There's definitely a technique to using them but the surface they leave is remarkable.

[Russell Sansom]

I might think this over, but for me it's been a large LN shoulder plane. Nothing else in my arsenal can trim a tenon like this guy. Its great power it's easy adjustability. I can take off a lot of wood and then crank the blade back and take off a hair-thin shaving. Sometimes going back and forth every couple minutes. This is much harder with the tap-tap kind of plane adjustment.

[Jim R Edwards]

Lie Nielsen 212 scraping plane. I had reservations about buying it but now I wouldnt be with out it.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Difficult to answer: I'm finding that although I have enough toys, I mean tools for 10 Galoots, I seem focused on using a limited number. A few that really earn their keep would be TFFW's dovetail saw (just love the feel), my Starrett combo square, LV shoulder square, my LN bronze 102 and so forth.

But if the point of this thread is to name a tool acquired this past year that has surprised you with it's usefulness? I would answer my Stanley 82 scraper. Sweetheart era, and I took the blade, put a bit of a convex edge on it, re-did the 45 degree bevel and honed to perfection. These are supposed to be floor scrapers or glueline/paint scrapers, but the control is great, permitting very easy prep scraping of any surface. Try one, you like it and they're cheap.

[Jeff Wittrock]

Small infill plane I made earlier in the year. Its the only plane I have right now that I can use without worrying so much about reversing grain direction.

[Jon Toebbe]

I'll go with my Lee Valley Low-Angle Jack Plane. Versatile, precise, and so easy to adjust that it feels like cheating. :) I've got two irons with 25 deg primary bevels. A 27 deg secondary for one makes a nice end-grain shooter. The plane is easy to hold and has just the right amount of heft. A 35 deg secondary with a bit of camber and I'm set for jointing and smoothing the sizes of project I've been working on lately. Since the iron is set farther back from the toe than on a comparable Bailey, you get tremendous registration area when starting a shaving. I'll probably pick up another iron for high-angle smoothing once I get my hands on some figured wood.

First runner up: the Veritas MkII sharpening jig with camber roller that makes touching up these irons quick and easy. I prefer to freehand sharpen when I can, but Derek Cohen's advice to use 25 degree primary bevels and specialize your iron with a higher secondary is spot on.

[Larry Fox]

Tough one for me as I bought quite a few hand tools this year. I think it might be my LN #9 though - bought it used and it is a really nice piece and makes shooting very easy and fun. It has both the knob and a hot-dog so it is really versitile.

[DOUG ANGEL]

My LN 60 1/2 is my favorite for this year. The difference between it and my Stanley is a revelation. The Stanley took forever to get flat and sharp, the LN just required a touch up on the blade and performed flawlessly. It's a pleasure to use.

[Bruce Haugen]

The one that surprises me each time I pick it up (which is becoming nearly every project) is the 2" Shark Lite Berg chisel that my good friend Bill Houghton gave me. It pretends it is a plane, striking knife, trimming chisel, all those and much more. If you don't keep a big, wide chisel on your bench, you don't know what you're missing.

[Rick Markham]

Well my favorite of this year I just got which is why I have been somewhat absent from this forum recently is my Powermatic 3520b lathe, and all of my Thompson Turning tools, I'll tell ya, that's a man that knows how to make some really fine gouges/skews etc, worth every pennie!

On the neanderthal side, my favorite tool this year, is my infill smoother I have been building from scratch and with the exception of my drill press entirely neander, It works beautifully... but it isn't finished, and it is FAR from beautiful at this point... but it will be as soon as I can walk away from my lathe for a bit to work on it.

Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah to you all, may they be exceptionally blessed and spent merrily with your loved ones!!!!!

[Ted Martens]

+1 on eggbeater drills - I picked up a Millers Falls #5 this summer and finally tried it to drill for the hinges in the little gift boxes I'm making. Elf stuff... So much more control over that little 1/16" bit, I don't dread installing the hinges now.

[Andrew Gibson]

I can't pick one.
Millers Falle #5
Stanley 60 1/2 with LV O1 iron.
Stanley #4c with LV A2 iron
Disston #7 26" hand saw 6ppi rip 1880-1890
The little making gauge I made
There are just to many to pick

[Dave Beauchesne]

In 2010, I did not get anything too dramatic ( except see the end of this entry ) though I broke out a LN 102 in white bronze I bought a couple years ago, but was NIB
till this year. I had been using my LV LA block with great results, but the 102 has earned its place in my heart to be sure.

The delivery lady, not two hours ago ( on Christmas eve to boot ) just delivered the saw I ordered from Bad Axe - crosscut, blued back, blued split nuts and a walnut handle - too busy to even open it yet - that will cap off 2010 for me; I know it will not dissapoint.

Merry Christmas to all, a prosperous new year, and all the best for the people at SMC - I truly enjoy my daily foray - what a great group of people.

Dave Beauchesne

[Gary Herrmann]

I finally filled out my set of Greenlee firmer chisels. I was using the 2" to finesse a joint last week. It sure is nice having a chisel that fits the size of a joint. I may have to start looking for a set of paring chisels next.

[lowell holmes]

Santa stopped by and left 1/4" and 3/8" Ray Iles mortice chisels on my bench. I never had picked one up or seen one for that matter. The heft of them is remarkable. I will have to chop a couple of mortices tomorrow.

[Dave Cav]

+1 on that. Best $25 I have ever spent. I use mine all the time now. Lives in the left apron pocket.


Most used, so far, of the tools I was thrilled to find in 2010: 4" double square. Neat little thing, very useful.

[Archie England]

files and rasps are the huge surprise tools of 2010!!!

[David Weaver]

I couldn't limit myself to one, so:

Two infills that I finished this year, and a bunch of saws.

It took dumping the TS to get head-long into western saws (the japanese saws are great for precision, but not so great for dimensioning lumber). My favorite of the saws is probably a big full-plate 5 1/2 point stamped 28" ripper disston #12 with perfect breasting that clint jones sold me for more reasonable than he ever should've probably. It is a joy to use.

[harry strasil]

My Favorie Tool of 2011, is not new, but the same one I have been getting for the last several Years, Access to Sawmill Creek! Its used every day at least once and sometimes more.

[Tony Shea]

My Favorie Tool of 2011, is not new, but the same one I have been getting for the last several Years, Access to Sawmill Creek! Its used every day at least once and sometimes more.

Couldn't have said it better. It is actually new to me this year and boy what an incredible tool it has been. Haven't been doing the WWing for very long but not until I visited this site has my work truely come into its' own. Thanks to all that contribute.

But my most recent actual purchase/ New tool for me is my LN #7 Jointer. What a beast and an absolute joy to use. Truely puts my Stanley #7 to shame.

[Mark Baldwin III]

Most of my tools are new this year, seeing as how I only got into this within the last year or so. But this lot takes the cake. If you wouldn't be excited to find a full set of Veritas back saws under the tree, you should check your pulse!