Must have Tools, Jigs, and Gadgets?

[Mark W Pugh]

OK, I'm always trying to stock my small shop with things that make a woodworking episode easier. Not considering large machines/power tools, what is your favorite, most go to gadget/s? And where did you get it?

I seem to always be buying something from a thread on here. Please feel free to input your your favorite tool/s.

Oh, if you built the jig, how about a pix and some how to's!!

[Myk Rian]

My 2 Grrr-Rippers. Use them all the time.

[Lee Schierer]

Two things come to mind.

First are my Grip Tite Magnetic Feather boards299366

Second is my home made cross cut table made from a 2 x 4' piece of plywood and a red oak 2 x 2

Third is my height adjustable stool made from plans from Wood Magazine.299367 I can use it as a stool or as a helper when cutting sheets of plywood or when drilling holes in long pieces on my drill press. I can raise or lower the center section of the seat to match my saw table height or the height of my drill press table.

[Art Mann]

Several years ago, I bought a DowelMax doweling jig and it transformed my woodworking joinery techniques. This device makes it very easy to drill holes that are precise enough that you don't even have to sand the joints flat on pieces that are assembled at right angles. It is just a super fast and easy way to make joints for all but the most demanding applications. I suppose that the Domino has pretty much replaced doweling for a lot of people these days but it is a cheaper solution that can be stronger than dominoes in some applications.

Edit: Hey Lee, would you mind posting the issue of "Wood" that had that plan in it. That looks like a nice project to build on a CNC router. Thanks!

[Lee Schierer]

Edit: Hey Lee, would you mind posting the issue of "Wood" that had that plan in it. That looks like a nice project to build on a CNC router. Thanks!

Sorry, I no longer have the magazine. I could post more detailed photos and some measurements if there is interest.

[Dave Zellers]

Table saw crosscut sled for sure. I built 2, one with 24" capacity and a huge one with 50" capacity.

I fell so in love with the concept, I bought the Incra Miter 5000 for precise angles. I loved that so much, I recently bought the 1000HD and at some point I'll put it on a MiterExpress. I'm wondering if it could serve dual duty on the table saw and the router table.

So for me, it's all 'bout the sled, 'bout the sled...

[Rich Engelhardt]

Harbor Freight digital fractional caliper - about $20 on sale.

Kreg pocket hole jig. The mini at about $20 is fine for once in a while use.

Check out the tips thread that Ole started at the top of this forum. Lot's of good ideas there.

Feather boards. Easy to make and cheap. Just like ZCI's for your table saw, once you get setup to make one, make a bunch.

Rockler 3/8" dowling jig.
http://www.rockler.com/rockler-3-8-dowel-drilling-jig-kit
They added a drill bit and stop collar since I bought mine for $11. I'm not sure those are worth the extra $8, but, the jig is spot on and does a good job if you only use dowels once in a while.

Starrett combination square. About $75 on sale or cheaper for used on Ebay.
I bought mine at Hartville Tools during one of their 20% off sales of anything you could fit in a bag.
Yeah - it's expensive but - so what? It's one of those small things in life you owe it to yourself to indulge in.
You use it for your lifetime, then pass it along to someone else that can appreciate it.

Pencils - pencils - pencils - pencils and more pencils.

[Jim Finn]

299387299388299389299390I made my own tapering jig/sled for my table saw. I use it whenever I make tapered legs , containers or decorative stars like the one 28" one pictured. I made the jig of "T" track and MDF.

[Bill Huber]

Not much different then most but here is my list, not in any order.

Table saw crosscut sled, one is 90° and one is 45°.
Digital fractional calipers, use them all the time.
Jessem feather boards.
Saddle square
Steel ruler with the centering on it.
Irwin drill bit gauge.
Bench cookies
Irwin quick clamps
6" combo square
Wixey digital depth gauge
Johnson paste wax
Wixey digital readout on the table saw
Hand Guard push blocks
Jessem doweling jig, Paralign, the big one.
I-Box, box joint jig.
Rockler box joint cauls

[Prashun Patel]

I think a couple good bench planes like a block, a smoother, a jack, and a jointer are great to have.

I love my rockler bench dogs too.

I also value dust and debris collection. To that end, i love my dust deputy and cv mini cyclones. For hose, i like the orange hose from hd. Its more flexible than the black stock hose, wont collapse, and doesnt contract under suction like many expandable hoses. It also comes with a few different make up connectors and is relativel inexpensive.

I find having multiple shop vacs is preferable for me than having complicated ducting.

I like the cheap hvlp sprayer from rockler or woodcraft or hf. They spray shellac, lacquer, and dye very easily.

if you want to some money, i think the mirka ceros ros and festool domino are worthy of their price.

for flat blade sharpening, i think the worksharp 3000 with cheap, diamond lapidary discs purchased from ebay are a secret weapon.

[Ted Reischl]

Wixey digital angle gage.

Makes setting up machines a lot easier. And it is not very expensive!

[Stan Calow]

little things I use more than I thought I would:
floats and files
engineer's squares
calipers
flush cut saws
block planes
big push sticks
sanding block

[jack forsberg]

knife setting gauge. and i do believe Powermatic had the rights to make it in the USA. Its can be used on its side for setting spindle moulder knifes as well

http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad111/tool613/wadkin/agift005_zps9750d5b2.jpg


http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad111/tool613/wadkin/agift006_zps9e13cae8.jpg

[James Tibbetts]

4" double square has become one of favorite and most used items. Engineeers square are high on the list too.

[richard poitras]

Sorry, I no longer have the magazine. I could post more detailed photos and some measurements if there is interest.

Please Do....

[Rick Potter]

2" squeeze clamps, and 4" F clamps. I seem to use them all the time.

Hey Jack, nice Wadkin clothes. Stylin' man.

[Terry Beadle]

hand made squares, cheap, handy, accurate
4 in double square
two foot fold out rule
japanese small awl
All my chisels....hoot!

[Max Neu]

Tape dispensers, I have 3 I bought from Uline, I use a lot of painters tape for all sorts of things. I also use one for veneer tape.Having packing tape around is also handy when you don't want glue sticking to something.

[Stan Krupowies]

Sorry, I no longer have the magazine. I could post more detailed photos and some measurements if there is interest.

I'm definitely interested in this! Looks like a cool multi purpose tool to have around

[M Toupin]

I was American Woodworker. Very handy!

http://www.americanwoodworker.com/blogs/projects/archive/2009/11/18/double-duty-shop-stool.aspx

Mike

[Moses Yoder]

I suppose a workbench is a big tool, mine is the most used tool in the shop. Little tools I use often is my collection of Stanley knives, a 12" adjustable square, a 2-1/2" Purdy angled sash brush, and a good dado set.

[Brian Tymchak]

4" double square has become one of favorite and most used items. Engineeers square are high on the list too.

+1. Love my 4" double squares. When I am in the shop (which ain't much these days..) I use them all the time. Set them for a particular offset and leave 'em for the duration of the project.

[Viking Mountain Tool Works]

I use my Kreg jig's quite a bit.
Eureka zone track saw
carpenters square

[Kevin Womer]

My 4" double square, use it all the time. Grippers on the TS. Tilt box angle finder, bought it from the guy locally who makes them in Newark, Ohio, no affiliation just a really nice guy and I wanted to support a local fella, but I do use that thing more than I thought I would when I bought it. Those are the things I seem to have to put away after just about every project, other than a good old pencil, in that case I use an old Boston hand sharpener for every project, does that count?

[Jim Rimmer]

Worksharp 3000
Wixey digital angle gage
dado set (surprised how much I use it)
cross cut sled(s)
12" quick grip clamps (extra hands)

[Mike Wilkins]

6 inch metal ruler that I got from Woodcraft. Feel lost without it. That and a 4" double square that gets used a lot on every project.

[Tony Haukap]

OK, I'm always trying to stock my small shop with things that make a woodworking episode easier. I modeled my shop on what Norm Abram use in the New Yankee Workshop. There's a webpage that list all the tools he used here... http://www.normstools.com/normstools.shtml
http://i58.tinypic.com/2s7xdhc.gif Although, a lot of the model numbers are no longer valid and some of the manufactures aren't quite the quality they used to be (Delta and Porter-Cable, are two examples of that) it gives you a good start of what a well equipped shop should have.
http://i58.tinypic.com/2s7xdhc.gif And one of the most useful things I ever bought because I saw Norm use it (and I probably wouldn't have found it on my own otherwise) is the Jack Rabbit Driver (http://www.jackrabbittool.com/) - if you have never tried it or seen it, I suggest you give it a look. Norm used it all the time in the NYW and it truly is a great way to drill/drive screws. http://i62.tinypic.com/2iitpgy.jpg

[John Sanford]

Nupla 2lb Deadblow Hammer, one face steel.
Quick-Grip Clamps
Veritas Saddle Square
12v Compact Drill/Driver
Blue Spruce Marking Knife
Popular Mechanics (Vermont American made 'em for Wally World) Scratch Awl

[Paul Hingco]

Festool Domino

[Kent A Bathurst]

favorite, most go to gadget/s?

The tools that I most often grab for, in order of importance:

1. Starrett 4" double square
2. Starrett analog/fractional dial calipers
3. Starrett 12" combo square
4. Lee Valley corner square
5. Mid-grade quality 9" and 6" squares

Cannot even start a project without these for layout. Then:

6. Tite-Mark guage
7. LN LA block plane
8. Chisels. The best you can afford. Better quality and fewer sizes trumps lower quality and more sizes. Do you best.
9. Quality backsaws: Dovetail [rip] and crosscut. The best you can afford. Since I have never schooled myself on saw sharpening, I give points to LN, because of their lifetime sharpening thing.
10. LN #3 Brass bench plane. A real treasure.

I am not a neander - I burn as many electrons as I can. But - that only gets you so far. This list is invaluable to me.

I should have bought, much earlier, the 4" double-square, and the Starrett calipers. The calipers ones I had before were pathetic - but I did not realize how pathetic until I had the Starrett. I do not like the digital - the fractional ones have "tick marks" that correspond exactly to the tick marks on my TS fence and my CMS fence.

[Brian W Smith]

Was using this fixture today.It's been around here for 10 years or so?It's used for finishing(spraying) rifle stocks.This is a T/C forend that'll be "spider-webbed" black over....base colour olive.Looked for some other pics of it with whole stocks mounted and simply can't find'm.

Anyway,it is so easy,and so fast to use.Not a whole lot of machining,could easily put it together with nuthin more than a vise and a DP and some hand threading tools.But study the design,it rotates in 360 degrees in all directions.Reason for post is to show that there's no limit to what one can "come up with" regarding jigs/fixtures.For us,most of the stuff we have simply dosen't exist commercially.We have a "need",no one makes it......what to do?

[Mike Nolan]

One thing I would add to the others is the Harbor Freight transfer punch set, 3/32" to 1/2" punches (by 64ths). I don't use these a punches very often but I find many other uses for metal rods of known sizes.

[David Nelson1]

3m respirator, visor mounted LED flashlight, prescription close work glass IAW bifocals strength for main part of the glasses and then trifocals where the bifocals would be. and a dime store pencil sharpener.

[Tony Haukap]

Sometimes circular saw guides come in handy... http://i61.tinypic.com/2ztaf60.jpg
http://i58.tinypic.com/2s7xdhc.gif
This Old House: How to Make a Circular Saw Guide:: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,20808204,00.html.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Do a search here for the user name:

Nissim Avrahami


The late Niki was a true creative genius when it came to making jigs and fixtures.
It's a shame that he only uploaded a portion of his pictures to the SMC server since the site he hosted a lot of his pictures on is no longer online.