Any new tools you’ve just started appreciating?

[Mike Allen1010]

Thanks I definitely fall into the “old dog, no new tricks“ category. In fact, embarrassingly enough I’ve been sweeping out my shop for 20 years when my brother-in-law bought me a shop back for Christmas and I discovered it works way better! Who knew!

Despite my lack of outside of the box thinking, recently I’ve come to appreciate several tools I hadn’t really used before that I really like. I would be interested in any other tool discovery ideas from my fellow Creekers?

* superglue. Historically I use this occasionally for small repairs, chips etc., however recently I found it fast and helpful for more fundamental gluing tasks. For example, recent project called for small 4 inch tall bracket feet. Rather than the awkward clamp /tape / glue to secure the 45° miters, I just super glued and held them together for 30 seconds. Worked great and definitely fit with my natural inclination towards impatience.

* 23 gauge electric pin nailer. I mostly use nails to attach moldings and drawer bottoms etc. Trying to pound in the nail almost always resulted in the molding moving and fouling up Alignment. My new pin nailer is magic – works awesome! Just hold the molding in place pull the trigger and it’s nailed. As an added plus, the entry hall is so small a few passes with sandpaper feels it in making their nail invisible. Best new solution to a common problem I found in a long time.

* profiled rubber sanding blocks. Picked up at sat at my localrockler and the round cross section blocks are perfect for sanding moldings curves in OG bracket feet etc. also the hollow section of the blocks is great for a corresponding beads etc.

What about you guys any new tips you want to pass along?

Cheers, Mike

[Mike Henderson]

Can't say I just started appreciating it, but my Festool Domino is a tool that I really appreciate in building things.

Mike

[steven c newman]

Just dusted this thing off the other day..
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have even made a base for it....to clamp either to my tablesaw, ..
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Thinking it might come in handy...
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When doing these sort of projects....
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i can even tilt the table...
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to cut the pins with...

Years ago..picked at a yard sale ( literally, it was sitting in the grass in their yard) for $10.....

[George Yetka]

My brain, usually use it on autopilot in the shop. the other day I had to cut a set of tapered legs on table saw. And in trying to figure out how to cut 2 legs out of 1 3x3 I stared at it for 10 minutes before I finally figured out to just rough it on the bandsaw and then take it to the taper jig.


The domino is always a treat to use.

[ken hatch]

Mike,

This Japanese marking knife has been in the shop for several years.

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It was a gift, I sharpened it but for some reason set it aside. A couple of days ago I was looking for and couldn't fine one of my regular marking knifes in the clutter of the workbench but there was the Japanese knife jumping up and down saying "use me. use me", so I did. Wow, what a nice marking knife. A reminder of a lesson I learned long ago but sometimes forget, while Japanese tools may look primitive they have been distilled down to perfection.

The good news I've found a new goto marking knife, the bad is because I like to have knifes at hand I'll need to buy several more.

ken

[Michael Bulatowicz]

Mike,

For me it’s been a couple of drawknives, both the vintage one pictured here and the Veritas Carver’s Drawknife. As my skill improves, I find myself going ever closer to my baseline straight off the drawknife and using my spokeshave as more of a fine tuning tool. Especially so at the stage of coarse material removal but even at the finer stages the drawknife is a wonderful tool (to which others can attest with greater authority).

I like both drawknives, albeit for different reasons and in different situations; the carver’s drawknife is particularly good for fine work, but isn’t meant for hogging off material the way the vintage one can. I am starting to appreciate their usefulness; no doubt both will continue to see increasing use in my shop.


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[Curt Putnam]

I have found the cute little 1½" layout square from Veritas to really useful. Inexpensive too. https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/marking-and-measuring/squares/110954-veritas-1-1-2-inch-pocket-layout-square?item=05N5410

[Phil Mueller]

I think my new tool this year that I’ve come to appreciate a lot is the disposable scalpel. It’s my go to for cutting veneer.

And although not really a tool, the other item I’m liking a lot are the burn in clear shellac sticks. Fills voids well, dries quickly, planes/sands easily, and is crystal clear.

And lastly, while not a new tool to me, is the LV miniature plane. It’s used on every inlay project. Works great, easy to sharpen, and easy to see what you’re doing on small, delicate work. This is a tool I’d buy in an instant if if were ever lost.

[Laurent Marshall]

I guess there are two tools I've been really happy with recently working on stock prep for my chest of drawers, #1 is definitely new for me, and I'm discovering new possibilities with #2.

1. I recently fixed up a 28in Disston thumbhole rip saw at 4ppi. I still need to adjust the set a bit toward the heel, but it's already an impressive tool. Long rips in 5/4 stock are actually pretty easy, and I don't find it all that tiring. The saw plate is remarkably thin for the overall size of the saw, and it just eats right through the wood at quite a clip without me having to put in too much effort.

2. My Millers Falls #22 with a Veritas PMV-11 blade. I've jointed lots of stuff straight before, mostly just checking with a long straight edge and stopping when I felt things were straight enough. But for the chest of drawers, I decided to do rub joints with hot hide glue, and I have discovered a new realm of capabilities with my jointer plane - the tolerances achievable with a finely set jointer plane are astounding. I guess I knew in theory that making a gapless glue joint over 42" without clamps was possible, but doing it and seeing it for myself has been quite an experience.

[Scott Winners]

Sharpening station. I recently had to move everything in the shop to make room for my new lathe. I made little graph paper cutouts to scale and was able to create a dedicated area for sharpening at the same time. It's awesome.

[Andrew Seemann]

Mine would probably be a tool that I originally thought was a dumb DYI-beginner-scam tool that I ended up really liking. The Freud 1/4" / 3/8" box joint blade set that the old man bought and I later inherited. Having a stacked dado blade already I thought, "who would need a special dado blade to cut box joints? This is the dumbest thing ever!"

Well, it turns out that the two most common dados sizes I use are, get this, 1/4" and 3/8". I actually use it more than my regular stacked dado, probably two or three times more. It is just two blades. Put them together one way and they are 1/4", do it the other side to the other side and they are 3/8". Because they have way more teeth than my stacked dado, they cut smoother. It is the second most used blade I have after my Forrest WW2 blades, go figure:)

[Jim Koepke]

Mine would be the Lee Valley Small Double Square. It has been very helpful in improving my dovetailing:

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An important aspect of joinery is starting with things being square.

A 4" Double Square is nice:

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It gets used more than my expectations were when it was acquired.

jtk

[Frederick Skelly]

And lastly, while not a new tool to me, is the LV miniature plane. ....... Works great, easy to sharpen, and easy to see what you’re doing on small, delicate work. This is a tool I’d buy in an instant if if were ever lost.

I definitely agree with you Phil. I just discovered that I can use my "toy" block plane to cut small camphers in places a normal block plane cant't reach.

I recently rediscovered what a fine tool is my LV small plow plane. What a joy to use.

And while it isnt new, I use my LV shhoting plane on nearly every project.

[steven c newman]

Hmmm..starting to sound like one of those old Toyota Sell-a-thons , except using LV instead......


Got to using my rhabbed STANLEY No.3, Type 11, to smooth out some Aromatic Red Cedar.....
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[Mike Allen1010]

Mike what do you like about the Domino and when do you use it? Thanks




Can't say I just started appreciating it, but my Festool Domino is a tool that I really appreciate in building things.

Mike

[Jack Frederick]

A few months ago during a cleaning I stuck the Langdon up on a top shelf. In trying to finish up a small remodel, I have had to cut up some trim and molding. Old reliable, the Hitachi C8FB was ready, but it is noisy and dusty and the Langdon kinda called me. It really is a joy to use

[Mike Henderson]

Mike what do you like about the Domino and when do you use it? Thanks

When I'm doing a project and need to join two pieces of wood - and it's not a panel glue-up or dovetails, I use the Domino to provide strength. What I like about the Domino is that it's pretty easy to use to make the mortises and fast.

For sure, anywhere you'd use a M&T I'll use the Domino. One somewhat odd application recently was that I needed to put a 1/2+ inch border on a square game board. No problem on the long grain sides - just glue it. But on the end grain I was concerned that the border would not glue well and would come off if someone got excited during the game. So I put three of the small dominoes across the end grain side. The mortise went into the border 10mm so it didn't go through the border. Then I glued the border to the edge of the game board.

It's hard to think back on all the places I've used it but I find that I wind up grabbing it for almost all my projects.

I used it yesterday to make a longer board out of some scrap that I'm using to make a Christmas present. Dominoes into the end of the two boards and glue up. Yes, it left a line but the recipient will enjoy the gift and I used some scrap. I only mention this because it was current - not a common use.

Mike

[I'm sure other Domino users could give more examples. Almost everyone I know who has one finds a lot of uses for it.]

[You can also use the Domino where other people might use dowels. The domino is easier to align with multiple dominos across a surface (than dowels) and the dominos create a stronger join than dowels.]

[John Powers]

Tools For Working Wood makes a little bitty drawknife. For spoon carving. Made in Brooklyn, NY. It’s very nice. Also, I just had to have Lee Valleys little squirrel tail plane. They’re both cute and useful.

[steven c newman]

And...the "Usual Suspects"....
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[Jim Koepke]

That reminds me, until recently my dividers were mostly used on drawings.

It may have been a few posts here or one of Roy Underhill's programs that led me to using them on the lathe. After that a few layouts of dovetails and now they are getting used quite often. It is like measuring without having to work with numbers.

jtk