Tools in your shop
- Thread starter Adrian427
- Start date
I love tools.
When my wife has a go at me all I say is shoes and handbags.
That seems to fix it.
Favorite would be everything in my machine room and my cad.
Jim
When my wife has a go at me all I say is shoes and handbags.
That seems to fix it.
Favorite would be everything in my machine room and my cad.
Jim
Dimi Terleckyj
Lifetime Supporter
Whenever I get any flack about being in the workshop I only have one answer.
" You decide, I'm either in the workshop or down the pub with the mates or the girls, Your choice.
I get a lot of time in the workshop.
Dimi
" You decide, I'm either in the workshop or down the pub with the mates or the girls, Your choice.
I get a lot of time in the workshop.
Dimi
flatchat(Chris)
Supporter
1 HopSing Cordless Sawzall wannabe (POS from Harbor Freight :laugh::laugh::cry:
Yeah! Randy I can relate to that--laughed so much -the tears ran down me legs.
Have to say my favourite "tool" is --- uh,uh! --- the Milwaukee cordless drill ,variable speed ,forward/reverse, torque control,hex drive ,square drive and best of all turns POS phillips heads into security screws in three extra rotations.
Next favourite is the 4" Ozito (Ho Hum) POS angle grinder with a thin cut off wheel -- the things that you can cut with that is just pure art.
The rest of the kit comprises of only 3 tools -- small, medium and large any more than this is done with mirrors and a magic wand.
Good thread otherwise:thumbsup:
Yeah! Randy I can relate to that--laughed so much -the tears ran down me legs.
Have to say my favourite "tool" is --- uh,uh! --- the Milwaukee cordless drill ,variable speed ,forward/reverse, torque control,hex drive ,square drive and best of all turns POS phillips heads into security screws in three extra rotations.
Next favourite is the 4" Ozito (Ho Hum) POS angle grinder with a thin cut off wheel -- the things that you can cut with that is just pure art.
The rest of the kit comprises of only 3 tools -- small, medium and large any more than this is done with mirrors and a magic wand.
Good thread otherwise:thumbsup:
flatchat(Chris)
Supporter
I had the misfortune of buying a cheap tap and die set --from a reputable Co. here - REPCO (Rip Every Poor C--- Off ) thinking at least they may be good enough to follow damaged threads for a tidy up. (not that I actually have damaged threads-- more for my racing friends who have them --you understand) Well , not so -they wouldn't even cut plastic, the so called tools appeared to be no more than blackened bog iron (mild steel)-- POS!
I feel better now that I've mentioned this , as normally I would too embarrased to talk about it and quietly slipped them in the garbage bin :idea: but now I can turn them into an "art " piece --mount them onto a framed board coated with a clear resin--voila :worried:
I feel better now that I've mentioned this , as normally I would too embarrased to talk about it and quietly slipped them in the garbage bin :idea: but now I can turn them into an "art " piece --mount them onto a framed board coated with a clear resin--voila :worried:
Hard to point to just one critical tool, but if I had to, I'd say it's my Dewalt cordless 3/8" variable speed drill. Drilling holes (and countersinking too) has got to be one of the most frequently performed tasks during a build. To keep my cordless drill company, I also have a cordless Makita, a corded Makita, a corded Dewalt, a Bosh right-angle drill, a Bosch 1/2" hammer drill, a couple pneumatic drills, a Dremel, and a really nice set of bits I got a few years ago at Oshkosh.
In the winter one of my favorite tools is my Reddy 55,000-btu propane heater - couldn't stay out in the garage without it.
In the body work stage of my build I have a few favorite tools, the most useful of which is probably something I bought for about $15 at the auto body supply store - a pad of vellum mixing sheets attached to a piece of MDF used for mixing body filler. Mix up a batch, spread it on, rip off that sheet to expose a clean sheet underneath and repeat. Huge time and mess saver and much easier than looking around for pieces of cardboard to mix body filler on.
Other useful body prep and paint tools are my set of adjustable flexible sanding blocks and the 3M PPS stuff I use for spraying.
In the winter one of my favorite tools is my Reddy 55,000-btu propane heater - couldn't stay out in the garage without it.
In the body work stage of my build I have a few favorite tools, the most useful of which is probably something I bought for about $15 at the auto body supply store - a pad of vellum mixing sheets attached to a piece of MDF used for mixing body filler. Mix up a batch, spread it on, rip off that sheet to expose a clean sheet underneath and repeat. Huge time and mess saver and much easier than looking around for pieces of cardboard to mix body filler on.
Other useful body prep and paint tools are my set of adjustable flexible sanding blocks and the 3M PPS stuff I use for spraying.
No one has mentioned the mini-fridge that holds the beer?
My 2nd favorite tool (after the fridge) is my manual 3/8" impact driver. Usually found in motorcycle shops (and admittedly not much good for anything larger than 1/4"), you fit the smart end with the bit of choice for the fastener you're loosening or tightening, set the tool on the fastener, and give the dumb end a good wallop with a mallet, and voila. Works fantastic for frozen screws in aluminum, which is probably why they're so popular in motorcycle shops.
It's the one tool that has never let me down, and what a satisfying feeling to wallop a fastener and actually accomplish something. :thumbsup:
My 2nd favorite tool (after the fridge) is my manual 3/8" impact driver. Usually found in motorcycle shops (and admittedly not much good for anything larger than 1/4"), you fit the smart end with the bit of choice for the fastener you're loosening or tightening, set the tool on the fastener, and give the dumb end a good wallop with a mallet, and voila. Works fantastic for frozen screws in aluminum, which is probably why they're so popular in motorcycle shops.
It's the one tool that has never let me down, and what a satisfying feeling to wallop a fastener and actually accomplish something. :thumbsup:
Ron Earp
Admin
Rotary two post car lift. Hands down has saved me more time and work in the last six months I've owned it than most of my other tools combined. Suspension work is fun now, exhaust stuff a pleasure, and engine installs are even easier with the ability to quickly alter height in small increments. Using it this morning - turns the usual 1.5hr diff out and re-install into a 25 min job.
Having the lift has also greatly cleaned up my language, a side effect the wife feels is a great improvement.
Having the lift has also greatly cleaned up my language, a side effect the wife feels is a great improvement.
My motto would be "If its cheap, its cheap".
Being a fabricator I probably have lots of tools that may seem useless, but when I need it that one time its priceless. I stopped buying cheap tools a long time ago, especially the electrical and pnuematic stuff from Harbor Freight Et Al, but sometimes so called good tools are offshore items, and I have seen some Snap On items from China, mostly the plastic gimmick items and abrasives.
I would say I could not do without my Bridgeport, lathes, and Tig welders, and a good tube bender with quality dies. These are high dollar items, but so much can be accomplished with a lathe and mill, and right now used equipment is inexpensive..it may cost more to move it, and the bigger cost is tooling.
A good compressor and good pneumatic tools are a great investment. Good carbide cutters for your die grinder cost more, but last incredibly long. Good quality abrasives will outlast the cheapie ones three to one, and there are some interesting types available that produce really nice results.
I would guess, judging by the posts, most of us on the forum have had experience with the cheap stuff, myself included. Not being independently wealthy I try to buy good tools that I really need, and I can depend on to actually work as they should.
I have found that cheap tools and accesories tend to produce poor results, and a lot of the time they are pushed beyond their limits which unfortunately causes a lot of injuries.
I intend on keeping my tools for a long time, so for me its an investment.
More than my 2c, but a subject I enjoy.
Still have all ten digits!
Cheers
Phil
Being a fabricator I probably have lots of tools that may seem useless, but when I need it that one time its priceless. I stopped buying cheap tools a long time ago, especially the electrical and pnuematic stuff from Harbor Freight Et Al, but sometimes so called good tools are offshore items, and I have seen some Snap On items from China, mostly the plastic gimmick items and abrasives.
I would say I could not do without my Bridgeport, lathes, and Tig welders, and a good tube bender with quality dies. These are high dollar items, but so much can be accomplished with a lathe and mill, and right now used equipment is inexpensive..it may cost more to move it, and the bigger cost is tooling.
A good compressor and good pneumatic tools are a great investment. Good carbide cutters for your die grinder cost more, but last incredibly long. Good quality abrasives will outlast the cheapie ones three to one, and there are some interesting types available that produce really nice results.
I would guess, judging by the posts, most of us on the forum have had experience with the cheap stuff, myself included. Not being independently wealthy I try to buy good tools that I really need, and I can depend on to actually work as they should.
I have found that cheap tools and accesories tend to produce poor results, and a lot of the time they are pushed beyond their limits which unfortunately causes a lot of injuries.
I intend on keeping my tools for a long time, so for me its an investment.
More than my 2c, but a subject I enjoy.
Still have all ten digits!
Cheers
Phil
