The one tool that saved you so much time.

[Frosty]

Ric's statement about electricity has to be one of THE top improvements to all trades. His comment reminded me of the night we were watching Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. I was one seriously pumped teenager and as we watched him jump the last step I turned to my grandmother (born in 1890 Iowa) and said, "Isn't this the greatest thing you've ever seen?!" Of course it was a rhetorical question, the moon landing WAS the greatest thing ever, everybody knew it and her silence was tacit agreement in my mind.

 

Then maybe 10-15 minutes later she says, "No, no it isn't." The second time she said it I turned around and asked her what she was talking about. I was completely lost in the moment and had no idea what she was talking about. She said, "No, it isn't the greatest thing I've ever seen." I'm sitting there slack jawed wondering if she'd understood what we were watching and then she continued.

 

"Landing on the moon is marvelous but not the most important thing I've seen. I don't know if it was the first electric light or the first telephone." Now Mom had everybody's attention. (We called my maternal grandmother Mom or Suzie. I don't know where Suzie came from her name was Alice. Anyway) After a pause she goes on, "Before the telephone if someone got hurt or sick we'd have to hitch up the buggy drive to town to find out where the doctor was, then drive there and hope he was still at that house if not follow him till we found him. The first telephone went into the doctor's office and a farm somewhere within a mile had one. Any farm kid could run a mile faster than you could hitch the buggy. Then a call to the doctor's office would tell you who's farm to call to get in touch. The doctor always stopped by the closest phone to let the office know where he was and where he was going next." Mom was gazing into the distance of the past and after a moment she continued. "Before the electric light if someone needed an operation on the doctor had to wait till daylight and hope it wasn't cloudy."

 

The family: Mother, Dad, Shannon, my little Sister and I sat there with Mom in revelation and contemplation. Electricity or telephone I don't think any of us could pick and none of us remember much of the rest of the moon landing telecast.

 

 I'm with you Ric. Electricity.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[anvillain]

I agree with all the tools mentioned and especially the organized shop. which I haven't quite achieved that. My favorite power tools are

dewalt 4 1/2" grinder and 14" chop saw.  One I haven't heard mentioned isn't really a tool, Its a sketch pad. I have some training in mechanical drawing and I love to design at the kitchen table with a coffee nearby.  You can prevent quite a bit of frustration with a step by step plan on paper can really keep you from straying. Especially helpful for me because I sometimes am delayed for quite long periods from idea stage to completed project.

[Frosty]

Agreed, drafting and artistic drawing skills are huge benefits. Dad insisted I had to be able to read and draw blueprints or I'd never get a good job so he started me early. I debug designs on paper as much as I can. I love graph paper as my most useful sketch paper, easy to scale.

 

Frosty The Lucky

[teenylittlemetalguy]

For general shop work the free Trimble (formerly google) sketch up provided a massive savings in effort and parts cut to wrong length.working out the details before hand let me easily triple my welded projects and they are much cleaner and stronger and squarer than before. Knowing how long to cut the part before hand lets me do all my cuts at once instead of weld measure cut and repeat.
For blacksmithing it was the large flat face on the back of my rounding hammer. Couple quick blows and a lot of small errors disappear.

[David Edgar]

Thank You Frosty for both of your posts, shop organisation and Grandma's observations. I have such a clutter in my shop it is a bother to clear a space around my Powerhammer/ hydraulic press /gas forge/ironworker, so I can work.

 Re  best tools, apart from my Mig welder, I have found the slim cut-off discs a real boon.

 Re Grandma's observations, every era has its own moments of wonder, my kids take them all for granted as if mankind has always had them. I cannot get them to put their latest "smart" phones down long enough to have a conversation.They have lost the art of "listening"    "C'est la vie".

[windancer]

Induction forge, by far. Have only run the gas forge once or twice in the past year or so. Instant heat, far less expensive and almost no heat build up in the shop.

[kayakersteve]

My hydraulic press made from log splitter
 

[metalmangeler]

   For me of course the electricity is utmost, but I think in the vein of what additional tool, then the power hammer followed closely by a 2nd power hammer, when one goes down it slows production so much I sometimes think that it is not worth working. Getting the hammer back on line is always a priority.

   This talk of a clean shop I am not sure what that is, I have had people in my shop "help me" by putting tongs back on the rack I assumed they had taken them as I could not find them for a couple weeks. So I do have some organization, just almost no one would know by looking.

[Fe-Wood]

All the tools you guys have mentioned are great. They save lots of time and get the job done way faster than working simply by hand. For me, the best and most simple to modify tool has been the portaband bandsaw. I was at a demo with Darrell Nelson and he had one set up in holder with an Aluminum Table screwed in place of the guide and clamped in his vice. The best part was the foot switch. I made one up a couple years ago and use it ALL the time as a table top bandsaw. I clamp mine in a post vice so it is nice and tall. Makes it easy to see the line. They are great for trimming small parts and things you might otherwise use a zip wheel for. Speaking of foot switches, I have one on my drill press. Way handy!

[SpankySmith]

My not so portable band saw, hands down. I have mine mounted to a post in my shop, it's the one tool I use the most and will go get a replacement for the very hour it ever goes out.

[Jim Coke]

Greetings All,

 

I probably have more tools than any man alive..  It is hard to pick just one that saves the most time or is the handiest.  I guess if I had to pick one that would be hard to live without it would be my porta-ban saws...  I thought I would post a handy lil tool that I use a lot and is easy to make ..  The design is for a multi-position jig for welding  small parts ...  The cut out is handy for free space welds ..   It works excellent for TIG welding as it allows a place for a hand rest... Basically its just a T made from 1/4 plate that you position in the vise...  I guess this will qualify for one of my famous " WHY DID'T I THINK OF THAT '' tools.

 

Forge on and make beautiful things

Jim

[teenylittlemetalguy]

Great idea jim! Thanks, I will be making one soon.

[LawnJockey]

The "Thinking Chair".  A chair, stool or whatever to sit upon and mentally walk through the steps of the project.  I like mine to be located near the shop wood burner.  Taking a few moments to think the process through almost always pays big dividends in material costs and time saved, often by not having to do the job twice.

[Frank Turley]

Not a tool but a little tip for bottom blast coal forgers. On my forges, I have weld/extended the clinker shaker handle shank on the back side of the firepot with a downward bend and a weight. My cast, triangular tuyere connections are now self centering.

[Borntoolate]

This one...   Or one similar.   Similar to a Guilotine I guess.

[nuge]

Induction heat, Tig welding is a close second.

[Borntoolate]

Induction heat, Tig welding is a close second.

I have looked at induction heat and have thought that it would be awesome.   Clean, focused, fast, etc.   But have always thought that the cost would be fairly high for someone who is just a hobbyist.   Does that sound right?

 

Others have mentioned tools such as:

Mig Welder - yeah, I agree.  Everyone should have a welding machine.  They pay for themselves.   Mig is easiest.   Point and shoot.  But u do need to understand welding basics, controlling the puddle, tieing in to the base metal...

 

Various sanders - Burr King - Yeah I love mine.   But you got to learn about belts and be ready to spend some change on them.   And with all the metal dust you need a respirator (P100). 

 

As for my meager post I was trying to keep it old school.   However, I do believe that if the blacksmith of old had access to modern tool he would have used them.   In other words he would have used whatever is available.    If that were a rock and a stone...  then there it is.    If it were a power hammer and a welding machine then so be it.

[pike3e]

I make blades. 40 durometer contact wheel, no question. I just finished a damascus Chinese style cleaver 4.5 inches tall and just short of nine inches long, not counting the tang. Never touched it with hand sanding paper. 

[windancer]

Pike3e could we see how it came out? I guess I don't get the difference in the wheel making a diference in the finish? This is not any kind of challeng to what you said, and I believe you. Honest I do. Man, anything that cuts down on hand sanding is the next tool on my list :) Don't think I ever gave a softer (?) wheel any thought.
Can you explain for me? And tell us where you bought it?
Thanks,
Dave