Tools You Should Have, Get, or Desperately Want

OfficePants

OfficePants

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Everyone should have a compound mitre saw. I have one of these beasts (Bosch 4410):

Bosch-4410L-Miter-Saw.jpg
 
No, you can't. You can saw relatively small pieces of wood but if you need to do anything with any length or width it won't work. I think the max extension of the blade is about 10" or so.
 
I do a lot of gunsmithng work with my little Dremel tool, believe it or not.
 
My New Year's resolution was to learn to weld and rivet this year. I've made no progress on that, but I did build a home parkerizing tank.

Other useful tools:

Studfinder
Quality screw drivers
Electric drill
Wrenches/spanners
Clamps
Hammers
Hand saws
A good work bench
Breakfree CLP
Locktite thread glue
Superglue
 
Dropbear said:
My New Year's resolution was to learn to weld and rivet this year. I've made no progress on that, but I did build a home parkerizing tank.
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In case anyone else, much like myself, has no idea what the fuck parkerizing is:

Parkerizing, bonderizing, phosphating, or phosphatizing is a method of protecting a steel surface from corrosion and increasing its resistance to wear through the application of an electrochemical phosphate conversion coating. Parkerizing is usually considered to be an improved zinc or manganese phosphating process, and not to be an improved iron phosphating process, although some use the term parkerizing as a generic term for applying phosphating (or phosphatizing) coatings that does include the iron phosphating process.
Parkerizing is commonly used on firearms as a more effective alternative to bluing, which is another electrochemical conversion coating that was developed earlier. It's also used extensively on automobiles to protect unfinished metal parts from corrosion.
The Parkerizing process cannot be used on non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, brass, or copper. It similarly cannot be applied to steels containing a large amount of nickel, or on stainless steel. Passivation can be used for protecting other metals.
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On the tool front, two things that I've run into lately that have been absolutely ESSENTIAL:

Fog-free goggles. Run you about $15. Especially essential if you're going to be working anywhere hot.

Gloves with sticky fingers. Its almost impossible to pick up screws and nails with regular gloves because the seams are always on the tips of the fingers. These make it a snap.
 
I have a cheapo router I bought at short notice for a quick job a while back. It always surprises me the things it comes in handy for, things which no other tool could do half as easily.

I have a compound mitre saw too, it's pretty cool, but not sure I get quite enough use out of it to justify the cost/amount of space it takes up.

acidboy said:
I do find it handy to have welding machines and cutting torches available at my disposal.
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Something about the way you phrased that made it sound ... sinister.
 
I spent a stupid amount of time in my teens getting wasted with my step brother and watching crappy cable tv, very often repeats of This Old House with Bob Vila. Bob was like the father I never had. I remember, fuzzily, the router was one of our favourite tools to watch Bob use- we'd give a cheer whenever he did. When, years later, I finally had reason to buy one myself, I felt like I had finally become a man.
 
ETF said:
I spent a stupid amount of time in my teens getting wasted with my step brother and watching crappy cable tv, very often repeats of This Old House with Bob Vila. Bob was like the father I never had. I remember, fuzzily, the router was one of our favourite tools to watch Bob use- we'd give a cheer whenever he did. When, years later, I finally had reason to buy one myself, I felt like I had finally become a man.
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This may be the greatest story ever told.
 
ETF said:
I spent a stupid amount of time in my teens getting wasted with my step brother and watching crappy cable tv, very often repeats of This Old House with Bob Vila. Bob was like the father I never had. I remember, fuzzily, the router was one of our favourite tools to watch Bob use- we'd give a cheer whenever he did. When, years later, I finally had reason to buy one myself, I felt like I had finally become a man.
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My grandfather loved his tools but told me after I purchased my first router that he really dislike them. Feared them, even. I never touched that router again (but years later I picked up a better Dewalt Plunge router with a deadman switch)

Incidentally, good block planes are SO indispensible. I recently dropped a Miller Falls No. 16 block plane and I am despondent beyond all belief. I have a replacement bottom on the bench now, but even then I'm still grieving the dropped plane. It was so perfect.
 
The tool I desperately want is a large volume compressor so I can run things like pneumatic sanders, drills or buffers.

I have a small one which is good for nail guns, etc but runs out of pressure with anything sustained.

Problem is I rarely need those tools but its just so compelling to run stuff pneumatically.
 
1312413787280-1794288919.jpeg

Not just because the name Nut-Flex is funny, because it provides leverage and the ability to spin quickly once loose.

Also, those telescoping things with the magnet at the end and the little cable with the remote grabbing jaws for picking up the nonmagnetic bit that fell in some inaccessible niche.
 
MFDoom said:
My grandfather loved his tools but told me after I purchased my first router that he really dislike them. Feared them, even. I never touched that router again (but years later I picked up a better Dewalt Plunge router with a deadman switch)
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I have 2 routers. One attached to a router table (a simple Porter Cable) and this DW625, 3 HP.

dewalt-dw625ek-1-2-router-IMG610735_l.jpg
 
There are belt sanders where I work. These are every useful at times. The itty bitty one can even be used to smooth out a broken fingernail.
 
Thruth said:
but i can't change blades. and one day soon it will be dull. and i will be lost
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sure you can. If worst comes to worst you can always put a clamp on the blade, rotate it to where the clamp hits the guard, and then presto et voila, the blade is locked.
 
I wish I had that Bosch right about now. Been doing crown molding with this shitty Craftsman for a couple weeks. Agony.
 
doghouse said:
That thing is the hotness.
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The thought that goes into Festool stuff is amazing. They really make it so you benefit from the entire ecosystem of their stuff. But they'll bankrupt you.

The plunge cutting/track saw/circular saw is a case in point. Just look at it.

ts-55-r-fs-1.jpg


Look at this pup in action... I mean whoa. But $1200. Again, whoa.

But when you watch this, you again realize how thoughtful they are.





 
OfficePants said:
The thought that goes into Festool stuff is amazing. They really make it so you benefit from the entire ecosystem of their stuff. But they'll bankrupt you.

The plunge cutting/track saw/circular saw is a case in point. Just look at it.

ts-55-r-fs-1.jpg


Look at this pup in action... I mean whoa. But $1200. Again, whoa.

But when you watch this, you again realize how thoughtful they are.






Click to expand...


240619.gif
 
Craftsman sold to Stanley Black & Decker. New warranty says "limited" instead of "satisfaction based", which means they're going to fuck you on the tool replacements now.
 
Rambo said:
Craftsman sold to Stanley Black & Decker. New warranty says "limited" instead of "satisfaction based", which means they're going to fuck you on the tool replacements now.
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RIP Craftsman. First casualty of 2017.
 
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