David Prince
01-23-2011, 12:37 PM
Okay, most of us started out with the basics: Circular saw, drill, hammer, tape measure, etc.
From there we worked up to a shop environment and that brought: Tablesaw, drill press, jointer, planer, shaper, router table, etc.
Most of the time we can justify a tool purchase because we are building something that needs that tool to perform a certain task. I would have to classify the majority of these as necessary tools.
A year or so ago I was at HF and picked up a 6" digital caliper for around $10. I thought maybe I would find a use for it around the shop. Now, I have three of them and keep one within reach at different areas of my shop. I use it a lot! I would have never thought of it as a necessary tool. Maybe a person could get by without it, but I constantly find new uses for it and find it handy to have around.
I recently purchase a Oneway multi-gauge after reading positive reviews and watching a video on the WoodWhisperer for setting up a jointer. I am impressed! I would have never thought of it as a necessary tool, but it is handy. My jointer is in better shape along with the insert on my tablesaw. It also works great for setting the height of the blade for Dado cuts. (HF has a cheaper similar type dial gauge. I have not used their version, but it doesn't seem as user friendly as the Oneway for moving around and getting quick measurements.) I can also see uses for shaper and router bit heights.
Are there other non-typical tools out there that you have found that you would consider a necessary tool that never seemed like a necessary tool at the time?
From there we worked up to a shop environment and that brought: Tablesaw, drill press, jointer, planer, shaper, router table, etc.
Most of the time we can justify a tool purchase because we are building something that needs that tool to perform a certain task. I would have to classify the majority of these as necessary tools.
A year or so ago I was at HF and picked up a 6" digital caliper for around $10. I thought maybe I would find a use for it around the shop. Now, I have three of them and keep one within reach at different areas of my shop. I use it a lot! I would have never thought of it as a necessary tool. Maybe a person could get by without it, but I constantly find new uses for it and find it handy to have around.
I recently purchase a Oneway multi-gauge after reading positive reviews and watching a video on the WoodWhisperer for setting up a jointer. I am impressed! I would have never thought of it as a necessary tool, but it is handy. My jointer is in better shape along with the insert on my tablesaw. It also works great for setting the height of the blade for Dado cuts. (HF has a cheaper similar type dial gauge. I have not used their version, but it doesn't seem as user friendly as the Oneway for moving around and getting quick measurements.) I can also see uses for shaper and router bit heights.
Are there other non-typical tools out there that you have found that you would consider a necessary tool that never seemed like a necessary tool at the time?