So I told the boss....

[jack duren]

Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of tools. I'm looking for odds and ends to comlete this area to make it more efficient.

[jack duren]

You should be supplying basic hand tools, and a cordless drill in my shop. (And any shop I've worked in for that matter.) Chisels, squares, hammers, putty knife, etc. The rest is either because you don't want any of the cretins you work with screwing it up, or you just like having your own stuff.

If you came to me and wanted a dollar an hour raise just for tools, I'd probably laugh at you though.

. Nobody is laughing here. Both formans thought it was a great ideal.

[Martin Wasner]

. Nobody is laughing here. Both formans thought it was a great ideal.

To me, asking for a tool allowance just sounds like an excuse for wanting more pay, but you don't feel you're justified in asking for a raise. I'd just ask for a raise, and when somebody in charge makes a comment about a new widget, your response should be that you're putting your raise to good work. THAT, would impress the snot out of me anyways.

[Pat Barry]

For a business I can't think of any reason for them to just buy a bunch of tools that may or may not get used in any planned fashion. Most businesses would want to justify each expenditure - charge it to a customer as an NRE charge or tooling cost for their order. No one wants to inflate their overhead just because there are a few cool / nice to have tools. If you think you NEED them then you should be able to JUSTIFY why

[John Vernier]

To me, asking for a tool allowance just sounds like an excuse for wanting more pay, but you don't feel you're justified in asking for a raise.

One employer offered me a tool allowance as an alternative to a raise. It was an idea he had encountered in his early employment, and I'm doubtful of the legality of it: the idea being that the company would occasionally buy me tools, based on a budget commensurate with a pay raise, and the expense would be a business misc expense and not be part of my pay for tax purposes. This would have been a small cost benefit to him and to me. We never implemented the idea, though, and as I say, I don't think it would be entirely above-board, but I wonder if it's a practice others have encountered.

[jack duren]

Never mind....Ask for a list,but most seem lost on the question...

[Martin Wasner]

One employer offered me a tool allowance as an alternative to a raise. It was an idea he had encountered in his early employment, and I'm doubtful of the legality of it: the idea being that the company would occasionally buy me tools, based on a budget commensurate with a pay raise, and the expense would be a business misc expense and not be part of my pay for tax purposes. This would have been a small cost benefit to him and to me. We never implemented the idea, though, and as I say, I don't think it would be entirely above-board, but I wonder if it's a practice others have encountered.

I think that's legal. It's barter. Dave would know for sure.
You gave him time, he gave you tools. You saved 30(ish) percent in taxes, he saved 7.65% in payroll taxes, plus he wrote off the expenditure. When I was a first year apprentice I bought a ton of stuff that way.

[Dave Sabo]

For a business I can't think of any reason for them to just buy a bunch of tools that may or may not get used in any planned fashion. Most businesses would want to justify each expenditure - charge it to a customer as an NRE charge or tooling cost for their order. No one wants to inflate their overhead just because there are a few cool / nice to have tools. If you think you NEED them then you should be able to JUSTIFY why

So, what if I'm your lucky customer that gets to pay for new seals in your nailers, new pads on your sanders, a motor on your air compressor, battery for the drill all because they decided to go tits up while you were working on my project ?

Certainly you're not replacing those on regular intervals as a preventive measure and applying that to general overhead are you?

I think the OP was just looking for control of some of the overhead expenditures that directly affected him.

Sounds like too many around here manage with the plantation mentality system. To each his own.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

Never mind....Ask for a list,but most seem lost on the question...

I suggested the Colt Maxi-cut Forstners. Ive bought a lot of american and even Euro made bits. But these German made ones just work so much better. And last. Butm if you looked at the link, they are not inexpensive...

Its hard to suggest tools when (A) I have no idea what your job is, and (B) I have no idea what you already have.

Do you do a fair bit of hand work? I have probably 20 Lee Valley and Lie Nielsen hand planes in our shop, a ton of measuiring and layout tools, several hand saws etc. Are you more looking for power hand tool suggestions or pure hand tools?

I hate to say it (again due to the cost) but I find the Festool drill bits the absolute best for wood. I used to think our two kits of Lee Valley brad points (a kit they resharpen from a quality twist drill kit) were it, but after a few sets of the Festool ones, I think they cut better and leave an even cleaner entry (and more importantly, exit) hole.

Give a bit of guidance and Ill suggest more.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

I have a couple of lumberyards.. if you supply free gloves, tapes, knives and snips, you will go through thousands of dollars worth each year.. if you supply an allowance once a year or twice a year.. you will save thousands..

Lumberyard VS small custom woodworking shop = two entirely different worlds. I understand my way of working wont work for everyone else and certainly not in a larger place with varying people of varying degrees of care.

[Jim Becker]

Never mind....Ask for a list,but most seem lost on the question...

Jack, providing a list to you from "our" point of view is difficult because we don't know what you have, what you do and what you might need. I know you work professionally, but the details are not there, at least for me.

The rest of the discussion has been somewhat interesting about what employers might or might not provide and there's no harm in that. The different points of view clearly show that there's a broad spectrum of what happens and what folks might consider appropriate or advantageous.

[jack duren]

Jack, providing a list to you from "our" point of view is difficult because we don't know what you have, what you do and what you might need. I know you work professionally, but the details are not there, at least for me.

The rest of the discussion has been somewhat interesting about what employers might or might not provide and there's no harm in that. The different points of view clearly show that there's a broad spectrum of what happens and what folks might consider appropriate or advantageous.

It's not difficult. There are a lot of small tooling that gets lost out there. I'm looking at Bow Clamps,Forstner bit sets,miter/spring clamps,Brad point bit sets,etc. The little things that get pieced out over years and I just want to get the whole sets.

I never know if I'll need metric drill bits or standard because it changes daily. So I'm looking at sets.. But what sets?

Suggestions help. A lot of things get missed until a topic comes up..I just never thought to take notes...

I know about every tool in a cabinet and commercial shop used. So it's more towards furniture and veneering...

[Jim Becker]

You have some good examples there that sound like things that you personally perceive as being helpful in the work you do, but not currently available "off the rack" in the shop. I have a set of BowClamps...they are really nice, although I haven't used them a large amount of time because many of "my" projects haven't needed them. Even as a small time hobbyist, I find having a ton of small ~4" F-clamps handy for many things and I use four ~8" give or take Quick Clamps regularly, too. You mention things like miter/spring clamps. While I don't have any of what I think you mean, for folks do do work that can benefit from them, by all means have them on "the list"! I like my bench hold-downs and may buy a couple more because of how handy and quick they are to use...sometimes only two available is constraining to me because I don't just use them to hold down a workpiece; sometimes they get active use in assembly. For me, at least.

Drill bits present a conundrum...do you buy reasonably priced sets so you have general utility across a broad range or buy the really good ones. My approach has been a combination. For those few sizes of bits I use a lot, I try to buy much higher quality so they stay sharp and cut clean with repeated use. For the rest, the more budget version has worked out well. Right now, I need to acquire a few better quality brad-point bits because I buggered the budget ones I've had for a bit (pardon the expression...) and feel a great loss not having that type available. Lee Valley has some interesting offerings in sets, but there are many sources from retail to industrial for that kind of tooling.

In my mind, a furniture/cabinetmaker who works for others can be well served by having some "personally chosen" hand tools where the design and feel is fitted to the user. Things I would include in that are a quality low-angle block plane, a set of quality chisels that feel good in one's hand (they all feel and handle different as each of us have hands that are different), the type of marking tool you prefer, etc. Basic stuff that's also easy to transport to and from work to protect the investment. Having personally chosen versions of these things can help with quality of work because any tool that's being employed for precision that is uncomfortable to use will not meet the goal. While my shop has a nice sliding table saw and J/P, etc., my Low Angle block plane gets a lot of use. And lately, I've identified that I'd like to get a few butt chisels to compliment my regular sized chisels in close quarters situations. They have to feel comfortable in my hand, however, so it's something I'm going to be very careful about with identifying the right ones for my use.

A lot of this revolves around how you work now and how you would like to work better. Get the things that will improve your situation. Think about what's missing from the kit available to you now that you feel would kick things up a notch, either (or both) for quality and efficiency. Aside from the "personal comfort" aspect that I've mentioned, try to fill in the gaps where you perceive that something is missing specifically for the work you are being asked to do.

[Pat Barry]

So, what if I'm your lucky customer that gets to pay for new seals in your nailers, new pads on your sanders, a motor on your air compressor, battery for the drill all because they decided to go tits up while you were working on my project ?

Certainly you're not replacing those on regular intervals as a preventive measure and applying that to general overhead are you?

I think the OP was just looking for control of some of the overhead expenditures that directly affected him.

Sounds like too many around here manage with the plantation mentality system. To each his own.

Right - maintenance items are a different story but thats not what the OP was asking about. He was asking for a tool budget. No need for the "plantation mentality" references. Thats just a weak way of undermining someones point without much thought involved.

[Dave Sabo]

Right - maintenance items are a different story but thats not what the OP was asking about. He was asking for a tool budget. No need for the "plantation mentality" references. Thats just a weak way of undermining someones point without much thought involved.

Well..............he kinda did :

"I wanted a $40 a week tool allowance to maintain tools and purchase things as time goes on."


And I the the ref. was totally warranted. Some of the comments on here were just veiled variants of "I'm the boss , you should be thankful you have a job " or "no way you're getting any more money". And none of us have any idea about the OP's skill level , commitment to the company , or pay level.

Keeping a skilled worker happy, motivated and more productive for an xtra $2k a year is pretty cheap in my book. Are you "bosses" out there saying you're more adept at deciding what tools need maintaining or buying for all the workers ? How could you possibly know that if you're doing your job - running and growing the business. Micromanaging little details like whether to change out the sanding pad , or use brand X discs instead of Y , or purchase a rabbet plane because you're the boss is exactly a plantation mentality.

Heck; even if you went $20/week and gave him something he wanted you'd still maintain that boss control because you won the negation. Perhaps I'm just in a market where workers have mobility because there's plenty of work and not enough talent to fill the slots. Dissatisfied guys will leave but will also drag down morale before they do.