Favorite tools

[Mark Singer]

I had an idea to post some of my favorite tools with pics....I will post the pics soon:rolleyes: now I just wanted to get the idea down...The favorite tools can be anything....a cheap mallet, I have a plastic Stanley that is covered with glue...especially the handle. The weight is perfect and it is always on my bench or work table...I'd be lost without it. Another is my digital caliper...inexpensive and dead on accurate...It transfers dimensions from a piece to the bandsaw or other tool and again, I could not live without them.
My Panasonic 12 volt cordless...perfect weight, great torque...the best chuck...wonderful... My other drills don't get the call that often

Same is true of my double square...that and my 12" combination Starrett are always used...I trust them

Then I have a bunch of colored Prisma pencils...just great to mark on lumber..."Top" ..."Cut Here"...."No I Meant here Dummy!" :confused:

Sometimes you can't put a value on these tools...even if they are cheap or pricey they are worth their weight in gold...
I have these little Insta Bits that drill and countersink at the same time

I have a great ratchiting screw driver from LV that is wonderful for hardware
I can go on and on...now where are the pics you say? well I am going out with friends for dinner and by the time I get back I hope to see some nice pics....from all of you....of your favorites ...and I will get around to my pics too:rolleyes:

[Corey Hallagan]

No pics but one of my favorites... my little 6 inch metal rule I keep in my overalls or shirt pocket when I am working. Cost about 3.00 at local Menards and has metric conversion stuff on the back. Constantly using it and while I can easily replace it.... everybody knows don't take my rule from it's storage space! Probably a close second... My Incra Guaranteed 6 inch square... I love it! Good thread Mark!

Corey

[Roy McQuay]

I seem to make a lot of outdoor furniture, and I like to use a 3/8 round over bit on most edges. Though I have 3 routers and a shaper, I always reach for my PC laminate trimmer that I keep a round over bit in. It just feels like I have more control with it. I also can't imagine life without my Starret 12" combo square.

[Gary Keedwell]

I seem to make a lot of outdoor furniture, and I like to use a 3/8 round over bit on most edges. Though I have 3 routers and a shaper, I always reach for my PC laminate trimmer that I keep a round over bit in. It just feels like I have more control with it. I also can't imagine life without my Starret 12" combo square.

I second the Starrett square. It is in my hands....only second to a pencil.

Gary K.

[John Schreiber]

A 3/4 inch chisel. I really feel at one with that tool and when I work wood with it, I feel at one with the wood.

It's also the one tool which with I could do the most if I had to give up all the others.

[Peter Pedisich]

Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencil!

Still made in the U.S. of A.:eek: :D

Pete

[Terry Fogarty]

Easy one for me. My Domino and Frontline engineering bandsaw jig. As individual items they are awsom, but as a combination they give me woodworking wet dreams:D

[Tom Majewski]

The ones my dad gave me. Some were top rate, some not the most accurate or smoothest, they've been, and will be suplimented, but not replaced.

[Dennis O'Leary]

Easy one for me. My Domino and Frontline engineering bandsaw jig. As individual items they are awsom, but as a combination they give me woodworking wet dreams:D

Terry

I spoke to that bloke, but never found out if the kit includes roller guides for the saw?

Also, how efficient is the setup for straight cuts?

[Don Bullock]

Mine is most likely a little strange for most of you. One of my favorite tools is my Craftsman sander that my dad bought back in the '60s. I can't begin to remember how many hours I have spent with it in my hand sanding wood. It has truly been a workhorse and it's still going strong. I was using it on Sunday (see picture below) to sand some cherry I'm using for a trophy base for our basset hound club. Yes, it has a metal casing. The only plastic is the knob on the side. And, that is an original B & D Workmate I'm using as a "bench.":D

http://img.clubphoto.com/jerboa/206262617/512/null/image.jpg

[Philip Duffy]

A travisher made by a friend of mine who is a toolmaker in another era. It is the finest tool I have ever used for any purpose. It will take the wood out of a Windsor seat blank with such little effort and with such precision that I need no other tool. He made me promise that I would never reveal his name, nor tell anyone else that he would make them a tool since his real love is gunmaking.

[Per Swenson]

Collins Bunny plane.

Available from collins tools.

Per

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
While it's uses for woodworking are pretty limited, my favorite tool is a set of Vice Grips - the real thing, not the cheap copies.

[scott spencer]

Isn't this kinda like choosing your favorite child?! :D


My Grampa's Stanley 220 6" block plane. Useful, nice... very cool.

One of my other favorites is the DC remote that Tom Pritchard made for me! :)

Last, but not least, is a maple mallet that I made...use it all the time.


p.s. Kreg pocket Rocket! ..and my Grr-Ripper (more gifts from a friend!) , and my shop made router table, and my shopbuilt workbench, and my laze susan for the DP, mortiser, and sander, and my cordless drill, and my engineers square, and my.... :rolleyes: ... guess I just miss being out there!

Between family, friend's, and God given interest, I'm all set!

Gripper review (http://www.epinions.com/content_281804181124)

[David Cramer]

Mark,

As silly as this is going to sound, my favorite tool is my humble shop. Everything in it is a bi-product of the shop itself. The joy of opening up my shop doors and walking in will still be a "joy" to me for a long, long time. I wish I had one favorite of an actual tool, but I honestly don't. For me, it's my shop. Nothing trumps it!

Dave

[Glenn Clabo]

Depends on what I'm doing at the moment...the last few weekends it's this. We are redoing our bathroom...

[Mike Heidrick]

Mine is my lowly 3'X6' laminated top bench/assembly table with vise. It is simple construction, made to support a ton of weight and still be mobile, can be used as an outfeed for all my tools (I keep them the same height), and an be cleaned with any multipurpose cleaner. I have used this from detailed WW project drawing to disassembling motors and soldering to working on the tractor and the Jeeps. I love that bench. Still formulating plans for a true WW bench but I will always keep this bench as well.

It and a stool or my office chair and the Dewalt Radio alone can keep me in the shop for the evening.

[Mike Cutler]

Favorite tool is my 6 foot Starrett machine rule. I pulled it out of a scrap metal pile at work after it lost it's cert's. It's always in use when I'm in the shop.

[Tom Hamilton]

My fav is the Sears 8000 BTU window air conditioner. With it there would be no shop or shop time in hot humid Houston. :D

[Michael Sloan]

Very hard to prioritize. But the tools that make me smile at when I pick them up include:
starrett 12" combination
Festool drill
LN Block Plane

[Rich Torino]

I guess I have two. One is a small 2" square (no name) I keep in my shop apron and use frequently to check machine setups and the second is an old Stanley Rabbit Plane that belonged to my father. The fence and depth guage are missing but its just great for making adjusting cuts. Its probably 60 years old. I've spent some time cleaning, adjusting, shapening.. work like a champ..

[Larry D. Wagner]

My favorite tool is probably a 6 ft. folding ruler(I use it for 90-95% of my measurements) and it's a habit I picked up form my Dad. I feel it is always more accurate than a tape. I also like both my homemade router tables and 1/4" chiesel I use for squaring and trimming mortises and the like.

Larry:) :) :)

[Rick de Roque]

I love alot of tools in my shop but one of the simplest yet productive is these contour sanding pads. Everytime I get to the part where I need to sand the trim and molding I am thankful I bought these.

Rick

[Barry Beech]

I have a 4in double square from LV that is used almost as much as a pencil.

I have a LN 102 plane that I adore.

I just got the new Bosch pocket drive that has already been used more than any other tool in my shop.

probably my favorite though is my Tablesaw. It is a used Unisaw that is one of my prized possessions.

[Jeff Weight]

My tool pouch ranks at the top of my list. I always wear it while working in shop. It holds my most used tools, namely my tape measure, 6” ruler, Bridge City Tool works square, pencils, center punch, etc. I’d feel naked without it.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Hands down it's a Stanley #3 smoothing plane which was purchased new by James Anderson Jr who was my Great-great-great Grandfather. It has never had any rust on it, still has the original blade in it, and planes like a dream. Tools that have been in the family for generations have a special cachet. It is very special for me to take this tool off its display shelf and produce some curlies knowing that 6 generations of Andersons have used and cared for it.

[Robert Tarr]

My current favorite is a propane infrared heater! Dang it is cold here.

I have a couple tools I absolutely love. The little LV 4 inch double square is always on the bench and I have a piece of a broken hacksaw blade that I ground the teeth off of and it is the best marking knife I have found. I also like to sharpen stuff (including homemade tools) so, I have a wheeled sharpening station I made, with every method on it (shaptons, Tormek, Scary Sharp, Diamond paste, valve lapping compound, oil stones, diamond stones, dry grinder, hand grinder, drill doctor, and I am sure there are others...) I find I spend a lot of time there tinkering with things.

Love the Noden adjust-a-bench!!!

Robert

[Bob Rufener]

This may seem rather strange but this little hammer is the first tool I ever remember using. My grandfather was a cheesemaker and had a workbench where he hammered together cheese boxes. When I was young, my first memory of doing something with a hammer and nails was with my grandfather. He'd give me a few pieces of wood and some nails and I'd pound away. This was the hammer I used. The handle has a crack in it from a time I tried to pull a nail out that was too big for this little guy. Somehow, I can't get myself to replace the handle. It just wouldn't feel right. I still use it occasionally for pounding small nails and brads. Every time I use it I am reminded of my grandfather.

[Al Willits]

Probably have to be the table top mill I used to have, or the metal lathe I still have, but lately it seems my first aid kit is number one..
Being a newb, I have a whole shop full of new tools that I enjoy using, so I'd say them all.
Each tool is a learning experience for me, and I enjoy the challenge.
Had to pick one, probably be the TS, I'm just now learning to be cautious but comfortable with it, thanks btw.

Al

[Rod Sheridan]

It's funny how many people mentioned tools that were handed down from their ancestors. My father was an Electrician, beginning in the thirties. He never had many woodworking tools, a smooth plane, some auger bits and a brace, and an assortment of socket chisels which no longer have any handles. (Typical trades use, the handle broke, you then continued to pound on the chisel to cut flooring or whatever else was in the way).

I still have those tools, rarely used, but very appreciated.

My favourite tools in the shop are an apron with a 6 inch Starret ruler and a mechanical pencil in the pocket.

Next in order, is the floor model drill press, where I put my mug of tea. Note that it's only in the favourite list due to its mug holding capability.

When I put on the apron, and put the mug of tea on the drill press, I'm in the shop mentally and physically.

Kind of a silly list, however...........

Regards, Rod.

[lou sansone]

the starrett double t

[Mike Seals]

Well I have so many that I sometimes forget they are there, even when I need them. I've ventured of into the speaker building world and with all the test equipment I have the one I love the best is my PC. I purchased some software for it that allows me to do in 5 minutes what used to take hours and hours. My PC is so many things, a source of information, an assistant, relaxation, plays my music and streams my radio stations. As some one said before, once they are in the shop, they are in the zone, that's me.

[Bob Marino]

Besides some crazy German tools I happen to own;) I would have to say, it's my Starret 12" combination square.

Bob

[Mike Waddell]

I have two that I'd rank as my most favorite. My father handed down an old hand saw that I de-rusted, cleaned and polished. It cuts straight and true to this day and causes me to do by hand what I could easily do on a my slider. As many have said, every time I use it I think of him and how he is truly what a man is supposed to be in my mind.

The other is a LN 102 block plane. It is the first nice hand tool that I purchased, and it is the first tool that my son used when he first came into the shop and started the process of becoming a man.

Holy cow! Am I a sap or what? It is amazing how much of our lives has revolved around these little objects and what they have come to mean to us.

This is a great thread, Mark.

Mike

[Justin McCurdy]

I am going to speak for my dad on this one as he is still learning the internet. He has fine tuned more kitchen cabinetry and countertops using a 1960's era Rockwell Belt sander than I have driven screws and the thing just keeps on kicking. Recently it made light work of my uncle's kitchen countertop when the wall was found to be not so square.

My favorite tool has to be my new Steel City table saw. I just feel safer ripping larger stock than I did with the old Craftsman.

[Bert Johansen]

The Veritas Sliding Square has replaced my combo square for all-around usefulness. It has markings on three edges, and is perfect for marking mortises or hinge layout. I also use it as a depth guage for setting router bit and table saw blade heights.

[Jerry Olexa]

I just like being in the shop working on something. The tools are the means for me them to actually accomplish something so there is no #1 favorite. But I do really love all 4 of my routers and the router table, as well as the Kreg system, as well as the PC Biscuit joiner, as well as my new 12" CMS Delta w twin lasers, as well as....You get the idea:)

[Larry Fox]

Wow - tough one.

I would have to say that in the small tool category it would go

1) My stanley #4 smoother
2) My Klien 9" lineman's pliers - If I can't find these the first place I go is to ask my wife as she uses them also for cutting flowers and such.
3) A Craftsman medium-sized straight-blade screwdriver. I do quite a bit of electrical work and they just got this one right for that application.

In the big-tool side

Without a doubt my 8" DJ-20 jointer. I bought it used and it is the best money I have spent in the shop.

[Dan Clark]

No question. It's a rare day in the "shop" (wherever I'm workin') that it isn't used. High quality, quick-release chuck set, light weight and great torque for a 12V.

Dan.

[David G Baker]

The tool I use the most is my computer the next in line is a speed square. The speed square has spoiled me. I have one in each work area.
David B

[Brad Trent]

Gosh, the list is long.

- The stack of sharpened #3 pencils that I keep everywhere
- A 4" engineers square that is used for almost every setup
- 4 1/2 smooth plane that felt like it was made just for my hands when I first picked it up, and has gotten better ever since
- Virtually every "good" tool that has replaced a "make-do" tool. You really appreciate the better tool after working with, and around, the limitations of some of the budget choices made previously.

I could go on ...

[Luciano Burtini]

OKAY, I don't actually know if it is, or will be, my favorite but it is something that I have waited a long time to acquire. Actually, I have been acquiring individual pieces for the last several years, but stumbled across this set recently. At about $18 each with a free case, I was pretty happy. Contains 6 pieces from 1/4" to 1-1/4" all appear to be little used with the possible exception of the 1-1/4" one. Genuine E.A. Berg Shark Brand socket chisels.

Thank You ePay$ :D Patience does sometimes pay off....

[Reg Mitchell]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d99/male_man/myrtelwoodtbltop110.jpg
If I have a lot of tenons to make this is the tool I love to use
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d99/male_man/sharp009.jpg
Its a real fun machine to use and i look forward to makeing them
Reg

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Mark,

As silly as this is going to sound, my favorite tool is my humble shop. Everything in it is a bi-product of the shop itself. The joy of opening up my shop doors and walking in will still be a "joy" to me for a long, long time. I wish I had one favorite of an actual tool, but I honestly don't. For me, it's my shop. Nothing trumps it!

Dave

Ditto......

[Doug Shepard]

I guess my favorites would include a Bridge City 6" Combo square, Incra 3" Tiny-T marking rule, LN Adjustable Mouth Block Planes, LN LA Jack, Stanley UK Bevel Gauge (locking knob on the end), 4" Engineers Square, 10' LV RH Rule Tape, 0.5mm mechanical pencils, and a small chip carving knife used for marking lines. Those ones always seem to get a lot of use.

[Wayne Ashing]

Like a few others have said, 1st my shop, after a long stressfull 12hr day/night, I can go out there with a cup of coffee and sit and listen to the cd player (Nora Jones) and/or look at my small collection of old wooden planes and other old hand tools, muse about all the stories they could tell... let the troubles of the day wash away..... AHHHH!
But, I digress, I treated myself last year to my first Cabnet Saw. A JET left tilt. It can Shave the fuzz off a peach and never break the skin. I just thought my Delta CS was a delight (After the craftsman well you know the rest). Then my PC Twin Laser 12" Miter saw, EZ Guide and PC Saw combo, all my other PC Drills, Routers, nailers, and other good quality tools that do what they are supposed to do, the only thing lacking is the Guy useing them "ME" Afterall the remodeling,shop and house, I really appecieate my Air Nailer I will wait to roll out the hose, turn on the compressor ect. just to drive a couple of nails rather than get the hammer (one of many) hanging on the wall to do the job. I'm not lazey, it's just any chance to use one of my toys/ tools. Do I hear Nora calling?
Great Thread!

[Jim Becker]

My brain. With it, the world is my shop. Of course, I much prefer the shop just outside the back door and all the tools in it!

Some favorites in that last catagory include my sharp pencils, LN low angle, adjustable mouth block plane, my AI chisels, my Gramercy hold-downs, Starett squares and my Adjust-a-Bench. I know that sounds strange, but all these things contribute more and more to my projects 'cause it's the little things that make or break the effort to take raw wood and make nice things. And my favorite woodworking tools outside of the shop include SketchUp! and SMC!

[joseph j shields]

My favorite tools are a 6" steel rule and a hotel key (the credit card style ones) :confused:

They are very handy in the shop... They work great for scraping soft glue, as shims, a straight edge, as a square... and they easily fit in your pocket. Plus they are free!


-jj

[Mitchell Andrus]

MY DUST COLLECTOR! Makes everything else possible.

[Lars Thomas]

Mark, nice thread. My favortie tools to reach for are some that I made. If I hade to pick only one, it would be my Cocobolo block plane.

Details here - http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=36090)

[Charlie Barnes]

Like several others, I love my 12" Starrett square. I've had several (inferior) others over the years which makes me appreciate this precision instrument even more. However, I would put a 6" stainless steel rule I inherited from my wife's grandfather right there with it. (It is from the Barrett-Christie Company in Chicago, IL which I think it was a machine tool company a long time ago and must be out of business now. I've tried to research it and can't find anything about it. There is a street address printed on the rule along with the phone number, "Franklin 2-9540". Must be ancient.) Anyway, the front has 16ths on one edge and 32nds on the other. The back has fraction to decimal equivalents from 1/64" to 1" by 64ths. It has to be the most used tool I have period. Sorry for the poor quality photos.

[Stan Welborn]

I have a ratcheting Snap-on screwdriver that's the smoothest operation of it's kind I've ever seen. Bit's store in the handle. I'm always reaching for that thing. Lately, a telescoping magnetic p/u tool has received lots of attention too. The Ms has one of the screwdrivers the tool truck driver gave her (since she was the one he dropped off my order to and received the funds from). It's even pink! I'd hate to be the one who tried to take it away from her. :D

[Mark Singer]

It is as I was thinking when the idea of this thread poped into my head....the Favorite Tools are very often , not the biggest or most expensive, but often the smaller, often used and trusted tools that we rely on. Any hand tool for marking, measuring, or trimming is often near the top of the list.....those handed down by ones father are always special....I have many of these too. When I start a project I try to start with an organized shop...(you would never know by the picture:rolleyes: ) and only a few measuring and marking tools are out....these seem to be among the favorites ......when I am finishing a project ...a lot of stuff is out and I can't recognize my favorites from my least favorites...at that point the project has hopefully become a favortite and the trust and care I place in my tools has manifsted in the piece.....from the thought......to the hand...through the tool.....the embodiment of the idea .....is manifested in the work.....this is the process by which we create

[Steve Hayes]

First my hands, best tools that only one person made and second is a tie my Dewalt 788 scroll saw and my Jet mini lathe.

[Jim Becker]

First my hands, best tools that only one person made

Technically...umm...two, regardless of "active" participation or not... LOL! But an excellent point.

[Glenn Johnson]

Gosh, the list is long.

- The stack of sharpened #3 pencils that I keep everywhere
- ...

I could go on ...

Funny, I always thought you were a Dixon-Ticonderoga #2 kinda guy!

[Earl Reid]

My favorite tool is still my rawhide mallet over 50 yrs old
Earl:)

[Brian Clevenger]

I would have to list my Bosch 12v Impactor. My wife liked it so well that mine quickly found an identical friend.
JET vs mini lathe. It changed the way I think of what I can make when I only have an hour or so of shop time.
Jessem Mite-R-Excel. It changed the way I use my table saw, for the better.
Jessem FX router lift. Probably one of the biggest time-savers I've ever had.

[Keith Webster]

I think for me it will be my cordless drill. I say this because it is the one tool I use every day. I went crazy the one time I did not have one on a job. I have 3 now. One in the truck, one in the work trailer, and one in the wood shop.