What are the underappreciated shop tool/supplies in your shop?

[Jim Koepke]

Kuru Toga pencil perhaps. It has a gear drive that rotates the led so it wears evenly.

In drafting class (spelled draughting back then) we were taught to turn the pencil as we drew a line or lettered to wear the lead evenly.

jtk

[Paul F Franklin]

A lot of my old drafting tools come in handy for layout and when drawing out plans for a complex project.

I often use my old eraser shield when I am filling nail holes, especially on unfinished open grain woods. The shield helps avoid getting filler in the grain surrounding the hole.

[Rob Luter]

I started my career as a board draftsman. I’m glad I kept all my tools. Especially the lead holders aka chuck pencils. They make for very precise layout work.

[Jim Koepke]

I often use my old eraser shield when I am filling nail holes, especially on unfinished open grain woods. The shield helps avoid getting filler in the grain surrounding the hole.

That is great improvising with what is at hand.

Another way to hide the nails is to 'blind nail' them > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?232798

Invisible Nails.jpg

It is a little more work. It looks so much better than filler.

jtk

[Günter VögelBerg]

Paper plates for holding glue and a disposable glue brush

Blue tape

Chalk

[Bob Jones 5443]

Set of precision shims. I have used these for a variety of datum-surface testing:
1) to estimate (along with winding sticks) how many stop shavings might be needed to remove the last bit of wind in a board that's already been run through the jointer, and has then acclimated for a few days.
2) to fine-tune the hardwood shim for band-saw tenons
3) to assess gaps under a precision straight edge for flatness-checking final parts, my bench, and various surfaces in the shop
4) to run along the fence, to fine-tune the setup for certain crucial table saw or router table cuts

The shims aren't cheap: fifty bucks for an accurate set of fourteen (14) 5" x 20" plastic shims, from 0.0005" to 0.030". (If you're interested, I can tell you where to get them.) But I suppose I appreciate them when precision counts, so maybe they aren't really under-appreciated after all.

[john zulu]

Safety glasses

[Mark Daily]

All of the above (except the Biscotti - sorry William) and:

Pro splinter removal kit https://toolsforworkingwood.com/store/item/MS-SPLINT.XX

Surgical tubing for clamping weirdness.

Sandvik metal sander bought 30 years ago and have not put on the replacement pad yet.
Attachment 423041

My office/retreat on the second floor of the shop.
Attachment 423042

Bill, thanks for the link. Had no idea such a thing existed but I’m ordering one now.

[Mark Daily]

My pencil sharpening joy was finding a used hand crank pencil sharpener. My other pencil related tool is an electric eraser from my drafting days. A lot of my old drafting tools come in handy for layout and when drawing out plans for a complex project.

jtk

Thanks Jim. I never knew electric erasers existed, now suddenly I need one lol!

[Mark Daily]

Paper plates for holding glue and a disposable glue brush

Blue tape

Chalk

Speaking of chalk, I recently discovered Hagaromo fulltouch chalk at Amazon. (Reputed to be the best chalk in the world, lol) It is wrapped in plastic to keep your fingers clean and it doesn’t have hard spots that cause cheap chalk to skip. Writes so much better, I threw out my Crayola chalk. Comes in colors too.

$7.00/12 or $19.90/72



11F62744-50B3-4732-8AEF-2337FEC74451.jpg

[Paul F Franklin]

I'm going to try that chalk Mark, thanks!

I'm going to say my veritas stop rule: https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop...607-stop-rules

I find I use the stop rule more often than my rule or square. Anytime I need a precise mark within the range of the tool I use it, especially when making repetitive marks. The edge of the tool guides your marking knife or pencil so there is no issue with a slightly angled tick mark like you can get when you mark using a rule. Also ideal for taking a measurement and then duplicating it elsewhere, like a joint offset or the like, when having multiple things match is more important than an exact measurement. It has a vernier scale so you can read it to a 64th or finer if you need to (admittedly, not often) without the main scale being cluttered with tiny graduations. Of course you can use a combo square in this fashion too, but I find the stop rule easier and faster to use, and it has a wider marking surface.

Incra makes a plastic marking gauge along the same lines that is also very handy as long as the 1/32" stops built into it are good enough, but the stop rule is a much more nicely made and precise tool.

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks Jim. I never knew electric erasers existed, now suddenly I need one lol!

During my first attempt to purchase one at an art supply store, the clerk was a bit taken aback wondering why someone would be too lazy to just use a pink pearl eraser. When it was explained that for drafting one often has to erase a lot of lines, he kind of got it, but it still took a visit to another store to purchase mine.

If you can get one of the old metal ones they are likely a bit better than the modern plastic models. Even if it is only because they are easer to take apart. A wire to the switch broke on mine and it was a pain to take it apart to repair.

jtk

[David Carroll]

I keep a stack of business cards handy, they are useful for a million things.

They are great shims! mine are about 0.015-inches thick, so nearly 1/64th inch. I use them to even-up cabinet door reveals for setting hinges. I put one under a saw blade when flush cutting dowels or through tenons so I don't gall the finished surface, they make great clamping cauls. Of course I can write down measurements and do some quick ciphering on them and pick my teeth too! If a board I'm surfacing is rocking annoyingly they'll wedge it up nicely. There's probably a dozen other uses for them, that I've forgotten. Heck you can even hand them out to people so they remember who you are and how to get in touch with you!

DC

[Jim Koepke]

I keep a stack of business cards handy, they are useful for a million things.
[edited]
DC

Old business cards are great for spreading glue. Mine do not get as much use these days since starting to collect all those plastic credit card sized things that come in the mail.

Those are great for all the things my outdated business cards used to do. They also make a good shoe horn.

jtk

[Mark Daily]

I'm going to try that chalk Mark, thanks!

I'm going to say my veritas stop rule: https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop...607-stop-rules

I find I use the stop rule more often than my rule or square. Anytime I need a precise mark within the range of the tool I use it, especially when making repetitive marks. The edge of the tool guides your marking knife or pencil so there is no issue with a slightly angled tick mark like you can get when you mark using a rule. Also ideal for taking a measurement and then duplicating it elsewhere, like a joint offset or the like, when having multiple things match is more important than an exact measurement. It has a vernier scale so you can read it to a 64th or finer if you need to (admittedly, not often) without the main scale being cluttered with tiny graduations. Of course you can use a combo square in this fashion too, but I find the stop rule easier and faster to use, and it has a wider marking surface.

Incra makes a plastic marking gauge along the same lines that is also very handy as long as the 1/32" stops built into it are good enough, but the stop rule is a much more nicely made and precise tool.

Sure thing Paul! I didn’t know about stop rules- I’ve been using my double square but the stop rule is longer. Something else to buy now...