My favorite shop product is…

[John Goodin]

Timbermate. Every time I use it I think about how it is a wonderful product. It can be rehydrated, easy to apply, drys fast, sands great.

One day I hope to never need Timbermate but until then it will be the favorite.

Anyone else have an odd favorite shop product or tool.

[Michael Schuch]

I can't live without a can of Kano Kroil in my shop. No other penetrating oil has ever come close to working itself into the crevices between rusty parts like Kroil.

[Michael Burnside]

I can't live without a can of Kano Kroil in my shop. No other penetrating oil has ever come close to working itself into the crevices between rusty parts like Kroil.

Oh, Kroil is a good one, great stuff. I'd say Titebond 1 glue. I reach for it more than any other glue.

[Jeff Roltgen]

Masking tape.
So many ways it helps me. Aligning and seaming veneers, clamping, even to gang up pieces for end-milling at the shapers - the end is listless.
I have a roll hanging on or near almost every machine.
Just got done using some, and I'll bet I use some more before the day is over...

Oh yeah, it's pretty good for use in the finishing room to cover dados/rabbets to avoid sealing in unwanted, targeted areas, in a masking-like fashion.

Best, most versatile bang for the buck for an item that gets almost daily use in the shop.

jeff

[Lee Schierer]

Double sided tape. I use it quite often for making duplicate parts, holding parts to jigs, holding small parts for routing edges, and making temporary jigs.

I also use a lot of painters tape for all the reasons Jeff mentioned and then some. I've used it on inside corners of mitered corner boxes to make glue squeeze out easier to remove.

[Jason Ost]

Paper towels and mechanical pencils

[Michael Schuch]

Paper towels and mechanical pencils

I prefer old fashioned wood pencils which reminds me of one of the best bang for buck shop machines I have ever purchased. An old fashioned Boston office model plug in electric pencil sharpener from a thrift store for $5... it actually has a metal case around it!

If I buy mechanical pencils for the shop they always end up in my daughters back pack. :( It is easier to just buy a 100 pack of Ticonderogas.

[Bruce Page]

3M Stikit sanding blocks. I have several in different grits. I use them on almost every project. Best hand sander I have ever used.
I love Timbermate too, except for the smell..

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Acid brushes and ditto Micheal with the pencil sharpener.

[John Kananis]

My block, #3 and bronze #4 planes. I find myself always reaching for one of those.

[Steve Demuth]

I've got three old Stanley Block Planes. Two 9 1/2 with adjustable throats, one tuned for less than paper-thin cutting (with a polish, unpainted lever cap), the other for maybe .01" shavings (with a fully japaned lever cap). One low angle No. 60 (oddly, painted deep maroon). They are in the front of the top right drawer of my bench. The differences in livery make them instantly recognizable for purpose. I keep them fettled, sharp and ready for action. Rarely do two hours go by in the shop that I don't reach for one of the three.

So those are tools, and maybe you meant consumable products? In that case it's blue painters tape. I use it for masking, of course, both for finishes and glue, but also to set chisel lines, to label pieces, as a clamp for small pieces and shop-sawn veneer, and not infrequently to hold pieces together during dry fits.

[Dave Zellers]

TimberMate for sure. I have maybe 5 colors and it's so easy to custom mix exactly what you're looking for. And as you said, when it starts to get a little dry, just a bit of warm water (and a lot of stirring) and you're back in business.

Next, my dial caliper along with set-up blocks. I can't believe how often I use them.

Also have to include my wood stove. :)

[Jim Becker]

I'm with you, Dave...my digital caliper gets a "yuge" amount of use in my shop.

[Patty Hann]

Ditto on the double sided tape and digital calipers (obviously we have a toss-up situation here :D)

[Stan Calow]

Yes to digital calipers. Mine seem to walk away, so I have several, somewhere.

The not so glamorous tool I find myself using daily on every project is a file.

[Lee Schierer]

Ditto on the double sided tape and digital calipers (obviously we have a toss-up situation here :D)

I also use my digital calipers a great deal and probably more often than double sided tape and painters tape.

[James Pallas]

Rattle can Bullseye and mineral oil are always at hand. Masonry string and Lufkin folding rule for tools.
Jim

[Patty Hann]

I also use my digital calipers a great deal and probably more often than double sided tape and painters tape.

I use the calipers lots and lots, the DS tape not so often; but when you DO need it, it really fills the bill.

[Bill Carey]

Drafting brush - one by each machine - and my 6" Starrett square. And I use the bench horses on every project just about.

[Alan Lightstone]

+3 or +4 for digital calipers. I use them a ton.

Veritas saddle marker would be high on the list too.

[Bill Dufour]

The door knob. I use it everytime I go into the shop. Also the door and really the doorframe where I walk through. the wall.
Bill D

[Frederick Skelly]

One of my favorites are these Utilitas Hook Rules from LV. LINK (https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/marking-and-measuring/rules/72020-utilitas-hook-rules?item=15N0410) They are graduated in 16ths, which suits me. On one side, the scale starts (from zero) at the hook. On the other side, the scale starts at the other end. It's astonishing to me how useful that feature is for the work I do.

Another favorite are my double squares, especially the 4". Someone here on SMC recommended that I try one - now I have several.

Finally, another surprisingly useful gadget is my LV miniature block plane. This thing is about an inch long and is very handy. LINK (https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/miniature-tools/planes/70138-veritas-miniature-block-plane?item=05P8220) (At $44 it's pricey though.)

[michael langman]

I would have to say my optivisor. But as I get older I seem to use it more out of the shop then in the shop.

[Ron Citerone]

Waterlox original!

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Floor sanding abrasive rolls made in Sweden. 80, 120, 180, and 220 grit.494834

[Tom Bain]

494839 :d

[Ken Fitzgerald]

494839 :d

I thought I was the only one who was required to sacrifice blood to the woodworking gods for each and every project!:confused::eek:;)

[John Kananis]

Bandaid? What did electrical tape go out of style? Or duct tape for the big stuff lol.

[Jim Becker]

Bandaid? What did electrical tape go out of style? Or duct tape for the big stuff lol.

Yes, those are perennial favorites for fixing, um...boo-boos. That said, the latest generation of elastic bandages includes some that actually stay stuck around a wound as well as some specifically designed to work around "finger joinery", if you catch my drift. I have the former in my shop first aid kit and will have some of the latter as soon as local pharmacies are restocked...they all have been out of those suckers. (Not that I need them often, fortunately)

[John Kananis]

Almost forgot ca glue. Works even better than duct tape haha.

[Gordon Stump]

Digital Calipers. I use metric for the lathe and SAE for most everything else. Switching modes makes that easy. A close second is buying and using another gallon of Titebond II

[Rick Potter]

I am with Fredrick on that Utilitas 6" hook rule. Use it all the time. The only problem is that it seems to have legs. I have lost two of them in the last year.

Band Aids are a close second. It seems I cannot avoid using one almost every day. I now only buy genuine, flex fabric Band Aids, because they stay on much longer than cheap ones. Big cuts/scrapes get a Bounty paper towel and masking tape fix.

[Jonathan Jung]

Wood.



[more characters to be allowed to post]

[Robert Tarr]

Blue shop paper towels...

[John Kananis]

Blue shop paper towels...

I feel these tear a little easier than they used to.

[Rich Engelhardt]

My 6" Woodpecker's Paolini ruler.
It's amazing how much I use it.

[Roger Feeley]

Probably my dewalt cordless driver. That and a case full of driver bits. It gets used so much that the driver and case don’t really have a designated storage spot.

maybe another way to look at the question is what do I keep in my shop apron?
- remote for the dust collector.
- Veritas saddle square
- woodpeckers 3” triangle square.
- about 6 wooden pencils and a sharpie
- utility knife
plus
the Swiss Army knife in my pants pocket

[Dave Zellers]

I can't live without a can of Kano Kroil in my shop. No other penetrating oil has ever come close to working itself into the crevices between rusty parts like Kroil.

Whoa babies that stuff is expensive!

[glenn bradley]

Dust collection. Due to giving this less attention early on than it deserved I am on medication for the rest of my life. All hail collecting dust at the source.