What is your most hated tool that you use regularly?

[Andy Pratt]

Everyone has got to have one: what's the tool you wish you could put a few bullet holes in but you can't because you begrudgingly admit it is too useful to get rid of and/or you can't afford a replacement.

For me it is my hydraulic lift table. It will lift 700lbs from 14-52" and it is my go-to spot for positioning any piece of work at the height I need to work on it at. I have a turntable I put on it when I am finishing a piece and I can then position the item in the perfect place for different angles of spraying and rotate it to get every angle I need without doing any gymnastics.

That being said: it seems like it weighs 300lbs when I'm rolling it, the casters don't lock even when they are in the locked position and anytime I roll it around it always wants to angle its wheels toward something important that I can't damage. Add in that the ram gradually bleeds off pressure overnight, so I can't count on it to hold anything in position for an extended period, and you have a prime candidate for the shooting range. Problem is, it was only $150 so I'm not going to find another deal like it anytime soon, so I'll somewhat happily go on hating it for another few years.

[Wade Lippman]

That's easy. My drum sander. Very tedious to use and getting the paper to wind properly is a chore; not to mention the paper that self destructs. But it is also a very useful tool; before I had one sand a big panel was dreadful. What did they do 100 years ago when there weren't even power sanders?

[Bruce Page]

My 12v car battery charger.

Edit: I really can’t think of any shop tools that I hate. Over the years I have upgraded almost every tool from entry level to semi-pro/pro level. In doing so, I have greatly reduced or eliminated my frustration level.

I even enjoy using my Woodmaster drum sander.

.

[Andy Pratt]

Oh yeah I forgot about my 16-32 drum sander, that is #2 on my list. It would have made #1 before I switched to only 100 grit and lower on it, now it is acceptable.

Pretty boring watching the boards move through at what feels like a foot per minute though.

Dreaming of the day when I get to have a wide belt.

[Joe Kieve]

My old Porter-Cable 503 belt sander (locomotive). Hurts my back because it's so heavy; but it'll remove a lot of material fast. The first few years I worked in a cabinet shop all I was allowed to do was run a belt sander. You guessed it...a 503. Got pretty good at it too. But that was 40 years ago....before I had back problems. Hmmm..maybe that's why I have back problems.

[Craig Behnke]

Oh yeah I forgot about my 16-32 drum sander...Dreaming of the day when I get to have a wide belt.

I second you there. i don't "hate" it, but i would describe as the machine that has the largest gap between my expectations of how it would be to operate it (ease of use, effectiveness, etc) and the reality of operating it. A drum sander is a great concept but IMHO the design of the 16 and 22 inch versions have some compromises that make them less than great tools. Again, just my humble opinion, but I think if Festool designed a drum sander they would have made it better and easier to use. And it would cost 3 times as much...so it's a trade off. I admit part of it is that I'm relatively new to the machine, but i've had it for almost a year now, so i'm not a total noob with it.

[Keith Weber]

I would have to say my crappy HF Folding 2-Ton Engine Hoist. I use it all the time, but the legs always get in the way, requiring me to get creative with 2x4s (both for prying and cribbing) to make it work. The safety clip on the chain hook is cheap and causes a lot of grief when trying to hook it on something. Folding and unfolding it is a PITA because of the design -- I need to lift under the pins with a pry bar to get the holes to line up. But that's not enough because the back corner will lift as well, so I have to contort my leg to force that down while prying with the bar with one hand, and installing/removing the pin with the other. Once I finally do get it off the ground, the casters have a mind of their own and usually track about 40 degree off my push direction. It also leaks, so I can't use it to hold something up overnight. Oh yeah, and the bar to pump the jack has a holding tube for when it's not in use, except there's no holding fixture on the bottom, so it likes to fall out. The icing on the cake is the color. Did they have to make it orange?? I really HATE that thing, but sometimes it's the only thing that will work.

My Veritas Twin-Screw Vise on my bench would get the 2nd place ribbon for my most hated tools.

[Jim Andrew]

You guys make me glad I skipped the drum sanders and went with Grizzly's small wide belt. I have screwed up a couple belts by not getting them positioned right when I installed them. They DO have to be put in just the right position, then they oscillate correctly. If not, they push up against the door and ruin one edge of the belt.

[Bradley Gray]

I upgraded a few years ago from a 22/44 sander to a supermax dual drum 25". The difference is night and day. I just finished a large bookcase in hard maple and the supermax sailed through.

[Shane Copps]

I find it interesting that sanding equipment seems to take the cake in this thread. I for one dislike my palm sander, but it's necessary in my shop. I think it's more along the lines of the fact I really dislike sanding in general.

Thanks

[Chris Parks]

My Bosch impact driver, I absolutely hate the noise but it gets into small spaces.

[Loren Woirhaye]

Routers probably. I dislike the sound they make. Vacuums too. I got rid of the portable planer.

Drum sanders aggravated me enough that I eventually got a stroke sander. It takes up a lot of space so I built a roof for it and left it outdoors. It's dusty anyway, even with dust collection.

[Alan Bienlein]

I can't think of one. If a tool I have to use all the time is that difficult to use then it's replaced with one that will do the job with out all the hassle!

[Steve Rozmiarek]

The pile of junk mobile base under my little bandsaw. One of those Delta things that you add wood too. Would work file on a flat floor, but that quadrant of the garage where that saw is relegated to, isn't. Always shoving it around. Going to knock it over one of these days probably.

[Charles Wiggins]

Shop vac. Hands down. I don't have the ceiling height to do a central DC so I drag that thing all over the shop and trip over the hoses. I hate the loud whine, but it is probably my most used tool.

[Greg Hines, MD]

My garage. I cannot wait to build a free standing workshop, and have all of my tools in one place, set out where they need to be, and able to work at odd hours. Right now, in a garage, where your workshop is the driveway, you are limited by weather, size, etc. I cannot wait to replace it. And, as a side effect, it will get me someplace to put my cars.

[Joe Kaufman]

Performax drum sander - no hesitation for #1.

[Rick Potter]

I will keep it simple. My paint brush. I hate finishing.

Rick P

[Sam Murdoch]

Simple for me too - my collection of straight steel edges - 1) my card scraper and 2) my drywall taping knives.

[John TenEyck]

My Ryobi plunge router takes the cake as the tool I hate most. It is louder than loud. More importantly, the danged bit will slip in the collet at precisely the least opportune time and has sometimes resulted in irreparable damage to the piece I was working on. I guess I'm just too cheap to replace it though and I keep using it, with my breath held every time.

Unlike a lot of folks I love my Delta 18 x 36 drum sander. I just finished sanding some glue-ups that many would think far to massive to run through one of them. They were about 23 x 76" x 1" white oak. Lord they were heavy. I opened the outboard end a few thousandths and ran them through with no support on either end other than me. It took about 2 hours to do the 4 or 5 passes per side on all four panels, but they are far flatter and of consistent thickness than I ever would have gotten them by hand. Paper changes on this thing is child's play and I have yet to have a strip loosen or break. I have burned a few however, usually on white oak and especially cherry.

John

[David Hostetler]

My Chicago Electric 4x24 belt sander... I keep trying to use it on projects that need more finesse. ..

Non wood tools? My Goodwrench floor jack. Too puny for my truck...

[Ron Humphrey]

Every power sanding device, stationary or hand held that I have.

[Michael Peet]

Shop vac. Hands down. I don't have the ceiling height to do a central DC so I drag that thing all over the shop and trip over the hoses. I hate the loud whine, but it is probably my most used tool.

A thousand times this. I trip over the hose, the vac trips over the cord... very frustrating.

Also, any router but I don't use them much.

Mike

[Peter Quinn]

Asian shaper, green, has a bear on it. Can't name it or I'll be accused of blasphemy and have my post stricken. Might anyway. Not mine, work machine, biggest junk I've ever encountered. Sits next to a beautiful scmi which makes it seem just that much more pathetic. Not one good thing I can say about it. I'm honestly very happy at this point with every piece of equipment I own for the home shop.

Funny all the hate for drum sanders, I love my performax 22/44. It's not a wide belt, but it works on house power, takes off .010" per pass at near full width, goes down to .032" thickness and does 7" long parts. Meets my needs in the home shop, would go insane if I had to use one at work.

[Brian Kent]

My $59 electric chain saw that would throw a chain every 2 minutes. Replaced with a good gas Husky.

[joseph f merz]

my older 10" milwaukee circular saw .crappy base that moves and tweaks out of line .screwed up an important cut on a large thick table i was making .had to go with it the way it was .caught me again recently in the shop with a bad cut. will take a bunch $ to upgrade ,but not something i use often .

[Don Roberson II]

Craftsman Belt/Disc sander. It needs help everytime I turn it on, been that way since day one

[Charles Coolidge]

Any tool that reaches hated status gets dropped kicked out of the shop never to return.

[Andrew Joiner]

I won't use a tool I hate. If a tool doesn't work as good as I'd like it to, I modify it or (rarely) buy another.

Flat-bladed screwdrivers are the only thing I can think of. I hate having to use them on screws. Makes using a Phillips or torx a pleasure.

[Bruce Wrenn]

POST HOLE DIGGERS! They make me break out in a sweat, put blisters on my hands, make back, arms and shoulders sore! Yet people who borrow them tend to keep them. Why?

[Charles Coolidge]

POST HOLE DIGGERS! They make me break out in a sweat, put blisters on my hands, make back, arms and shoulders sore! Yet people who borrow them tend to keep them. Why?

I love my post hole digger! My neighbor was trying to dig holes with some gas powered auger bit thing, the roots defeated him after like 2 holes. I dug about 22 holes for him in under 2 hours, this baby will chew apart a 6" diameter tree root.

285995

[Bruce Page]

I love my post hole digger! My neighbor was trying to dig holes with some gas powered auger bit thing, the roots defeated him after like 2 holes. I dug about 22 holes for him in under 2 hours, this baby will chew apart a 6" diameter tree root.


There's phd's and then there's PHD'S!

[keith micinski]

I will keep it simple. My paint brush. I hate finishing.

Rick P

You beat me to it. I have bought every gadget to try and make painting better and have finally broke down and am outsourcing as much painting as I can possibly afford. Although one of my favorite things to use oddly is my paintstick. It's one of if not the best as seen on tv inventions ever.

[Loren Woirhaye]

I would drive around and dig post holes all day with that thing.

Later I intend to become more crotchety, wear overalls and have a huge collection of machinery scattered on a big weedy lot. I'll have creaky screen door I never get around to fixing and black under my fingernails every day. Sometimes I'll putter around with machinery that doesn't need fixing and make some furniture. The rest of the time I'll be banging around with old, massive junk nobody cares about anymore, trying to get it working right.

[Ed Edwards]

I have the same mindset as Alan and Charles who needs the ag...

Ed

[mreza Salav]

I upgraded a few years ago from a 22/44 sander to a supermax dual drum 25". The difference is night and day. I just finished a large bookcase in hard maple and the supermax sailed through.

I have a supermax dual 37" and it is much worse than my previous home made drum sander. I have sanded full size doors with it but a couple of things have broken on it so far and one of them I strongly think was a design flaw (both I fixed myself).

[John Sanford]

I would have to say it's my soon to be yard saled or given to a friend Craftsman Professional motorcycle lift. There's actually nothing wrong with it, it's better than most of it's breed, but... whenever I used it I had to cobble up some blocking so my motorcycle would sit on it properly. I never got comfortable with the stability of my bike on the thing... so when I had an opportunity to pick up a Handy Lift I jumped on it. So now I've found that yup, the grass actually ain't greener on the other side... Using the Handy Lift is great, but getting my bike on and off it is a lot more trouble than doing so with the Craftsman lift...

If it ain't one thing, tis another...

[Matthew Hills]

Dust Mask -- hate wearing it… but just hate the alternative more. (I've got a 3M one that is less bad than some others, but still…)

Dust Collector -- this would be the tool that currently annoys me for its unfantasticness. It's a jet with canister filter. Modestly successful at chip collection, but end up with airborne fines when running, hence the dust mask above.


Matt

[Charles Coolidge]

There's phd's and then there's PHD'S!

29HP Diesel baby, roots, clay, get some!

[Shawn Pixley]

The router. I hate them...

[Charles Coolidge]

The router. I hate them...

A Milwaukee D handle will change your mind.

[Brian Kent]

All of he Ryobi's I used to have. Most of all my flexible Ryobi Table saw and screaming Ryobi router. I did not inflict them on anyone at a yard sale. Straight into the trash.

[Robert Parent]

It would have to be the 5 inch orbital sander..... Everyone I have owned has been a piece of junk after about 6 months. The drawer is filled with every color under the sun. I need a new one but not sure what color to try this time.

Robert

[Bruce Page]

I need a new one but not sure what color to try this time.

Robert
Give the green one a try. Likely be the last one you'll buy.

[David Nelson1]

Might not be a tool from the shop but a tool none the less. Stupid CPAP machine!

[John Schweikert]

Give the green one a try. Likely be the last one you'll buy.

Yellow one is better, and I'm not talking about Dewalt ;)

[Lee Reep]

Black &b Decker cordless reciprocating saw. Bought it thinking it would be handy to trim tree branches. By 2nd year, neither battery would charge. Maybe just as well. I think it actually saws better without running it, and just dragging it forward and backward to saw thru a branch. Cannot decide if it out to go to Goodwill, or just toss in the trash. I'll probably donate it and some B&D expert may know how to make it work for them.

This was the last bargain tool I bought, including almost any Harbor Freight tool. Life is too short to buy junk.

[Jerome Hanby]

I would have to say my crappy HF Folding 2-Ton Engine Hoist. I use it all the time, but the legs always get in the way, requiring me to get creative with 2x4s (both for prying and cribbing) to make it work. The safety clip on the chain hook is cheap and causes a lot of grief when trying to hook it on something. Folding and unfolding it is a PITA because of the design -- I need to lift under the pins with a pry bar to get the holes to line up. But that's not enough because the back corner will lift as well, so I have to contort my leg to force that down while prying with the bar with one hand, and installing/removing the pin with the other. Once I finally do get it off the ground, the casters have a mind of their own and usually track about 40 degree off my push direction. It also leaks, so I can't use it to hold something up overnight. Oh yeah, and the bar to pump the jack has a holding tube for when it's not in use, except there's no holding fixture on the bottom, so it likes to fall out. The icing on the cake is the color. Did they have to make it orange?? I really HATE that thing, but sometimes it's the only thing that will work.

I agree. Hate to live with it, but can't live without it. At least mine is red <g>.

[Rich Riddle]

Easy. The Troy Bilt 10 HP Chipper/Shredder. You have to be at the top of your game with this tool. It can literally rip branches right out of your hand. It's a monster and must be used when your mind stays sharp. Wouldn't even think of using it when tired or out of sorts.

286146

[Jim German]

I might take some flak for this, but I'm gonna say my Domino. It never seems to align the boards as well as I would like, forcing me to do more planing or sanding. Its tiring on my back and my wrist to use, and I frequently seem to wreck a board when I accidentally have it set wrong.

[Alan Lightstone]

My Laguna jointer/planer. I hate having to set the fence on the jointer to 90 degrees every time I changeover. Plus it's just a pain to changeover, and the chip collection in jointer mode is a joke.

Couldn't live without a jointer and a planer, but I wish I had rooms for separates.

[Jim Andrew]

I used to hate my phd too, had one on 3 point that mounted on the back of my tractor, and was one direction only. Couple times I got it stuck in the ground, it just sort of screwed itself into the ground, and I had to take a shovel and dig it out. Now I have a hydraulic drive phd on my skidsteer, and if I get it stuck, just reverse the hydraulics and it screws right back out. Haven't found any ground hard enough I can't dig a hole in either, used to have to carry water and pour in the holes to get them deeper. Life is good.

[Shawn Pixley]

Easy. The Troy Bilt 10 HP Chipper/Shredder. You have to be at the top of your game with this tool. It can literally rip branches right out of your hand. It's a monster and must be used when your mind stays sharp. Wouldn't even think of using it when tired or out of sorts.

286146

why do I think of Fargo when I see this?

[Frank Martin]

I am not going to say what it was as I already sold it and replaced with a European combo machine. Given woodworking is a hobby for me, when I "hate" something I regularly use, they don't last long and get replaced with something nicer that I actually enjoy using.

[Huck Schwee]

I'm gonna have to say my router. The main reason I hate using it is because I don't have good dust collection for it and I end up making a huge mess in the garage/shop. I like to think that if I had a better solution, I probably wouldn't mind using it as much. It's one of those things that I could solve once I finally put some effort into it...

[Larry Fox]

The router. I hate them...

+1. Can't stand a router.

[Michael Shoffner]

Cheaply made screws that strip out and break more often than they function correctly

[David Hostetler]

If you need CPAP using beats not hands down...

[Dave Cullen]

An old Craftsman router, currently mounted in a DIY table. Every time I change the bit depth the center point changes too. Someday it will be replaced, but for as often as I use a router table it's something I can suffer with.

[William C Rogers]

I am going to say my dust collector. It is loud and doesn't make any chips and hate emptying it. However I can't be without it and use it every day. I have two, 3hp and 1.5hp Jets with Wynn filters.

[Gary Kvasnicka]

I will keep it simple. My paint brush. I hate finishing.

Rick P

+1 I hate cleaning it as much as using it!

[Bud Ackerman]

Agree with William... Dust Collector... It wobbles,is loud, hate emptying it.... hose is a PITA... but it sure does collect dust... Need it but hate it.....

[Rick Fisher]

Biggest regret for me is my shop compressor .. Its a 5hp x 80 Gallon. My shop is small and its so loud, it sounds like a train through the shop.