Most useful tool in your shop ?

[DHVidrine]

My $15 hook rule.

 

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

For general everyday projects I’d say Portable work lights are a must have for the shop!!

also I don’t think I’ve seen someone mentioned an air compressor but that’s pretty indispensable too! 

and an overhead crane with a chain hoist comes in handy pretty regularly 

but the two things I use almost daily are my 1000 pound shop table and 8” ridgid bench vise bolted to it,

I use both of those for practically every project that rolls through the shop

and I agree with Steve ya gotta have a radio!

[BillyBones]

Funnel. 

[Malleus]

TWISTEDWILLOW, that's a nice looking vise.  That thing sure opens up wide.  Does it lock in at that point?

[Daswulf]

49 minutes ago, BillyBones said:

Funnel

Lol, you are not the only one with that. 

Tho my shop is out the door and to the right. If you are more shy take a second right at the corner. If you are super shy there is a room in the house. In any weather. 

[Frosty]

On 3/10/2022 at 4:12 PM, Malleus said:

Hate that the old feller could no longer work, but glad you got a good deal and the vise went to a good home.

That should have read he sold me my Wilton for $40. 

It's a sad time when someone gets too old to be able to safely do the things they loved but sometimes it's the only thing you can do to keep them safe. We had to do the same thing for my Father, he was starting to hurt himself seriously like cutting himself on the table saw.

Dad finally did for himself by standing on a chair to change a light bulb. He fell and broke his shoulder which put him in bed long enough for pneumonia to set in which made his COPD flare up and finally killed him. Lack of oxygen finally started shutting his organs down. I was able to fly down to say our final farewells, he passed while I was in the air coming home to Alaska. 

His last words to me were touching, "Gather all the fencing and move to Oregon." I repeated it back as a question and he said, "Yes, that's what you should do. It would be best." 

Well our very last words were, "I love you Dad." his were, "I love you Butch, Go, I'm going to rest now."

Anyway, there comes a time when we all must lay down our tools and the things that bring us joy for the end of the trail. I've told Deb that if I haven't sold my shop stuff before I can't use it to pass the word and throw a shop sale party. Sort of a shop wake. My shop and tools make me too happy for them to go in sadness. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Malleus]

It's a sad thing, becoming too old/feeble/disoriented to do the things we love.  I find myself hoping more and more that some form of reincarnation is real.  A lot of my tools and equipment have come from estate sales, and I get a small amount of satisfaction know that they have found a good home (albeit temporary), and that the previous owner might approve of the care their tools are given.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

12 hours ago, Malleus said:

Does it lock in at that point?

Yes it locks in and stops at that point

it’s been years since I’ve had it apart but if I recall correctly you have to remove a keeper to bring it out farther and remove the slide,

6 hours ago, Frosty said:

His last words to me were touching, "Gather all the fencing and move to Oregon

Jerry that’s a sad story, is that why you headed north all those years ago?

[Frosty]

No, I'd lived here a good 30 years by then or I would've helped my Sister take care of them when they couldn't take care of themselves well enough to be on their own. 

I moved here in 71, during the Pipeline years and never left. I didn't get a job building the pipeline but there was lots of work here at the time, even entry level wages were about double what I made in S. Cal. cost of living was maybe 20-25% higher, shipping is a killer but wages are about double so it's a net gain. 

That and I just like it here. It's not the wild west like so many folks outside want to believe but it's not tame and fringe loonies can't keep anything going long enough to do too much damage. It costs so much  to ship stuff up you might as well ship up the best and newest, I have to pay attention to avoid buying state of the art stuff. I like it to mature a little before buying, state of the art doesn't stand the test sometimes.

Frosty The Lucky.

[anvil]

I made my Greatest of Life's Choice in '71. 24 years old, just out of the service. I had two passions, the ocean and the rocky mountains. Sitting on a beach on a little island called Isla Mujeres. CanCun was being built.  Christmas of '71. Stay here and get involved in a Diving business or head back to the Colorado Rockies To become a farrier to become a blacksmith. Never looked back and only been to the ocean once.

Most useful tools. It is a tossup between scribe, center punch or my 6' metal folding ruler. Gotta go for the ruler.

[ThomasPowers]

Today it was a fish tape, a ladder and a friend!

[bluerooster]

It just dawned on me; The most useful tool in the shop is the one that's there when I need it.  I have many tools that see very little use. But when I have a need for it, it is the most useful tool at that time.

[Scott NC]

  Imagination.

[sfDuck]

On 7/31/2019 at 1:52 AM, Glenn said:

This little tree frog is small but has a voice like the horn on a Mac truck.  

My hammer and power hammer by sfduck.

Hey Glen long time ago since talking.

[Glenn]

Duck, Check your PM

[SmoothBore]

Every job eventually winds up on the belt sander, wire wheel or bandsaw.

[M.J.Lampert]

bench grinder with a 80grit 10" wheel to clean out coldshuts (kept about 4 paces from anvil), a tape measure, soapstone, and a wire-brush