Most treasured hand tool.

[derekcohen]

I cannot say that I have one treasured tool - rather, there are several tools, one from each category, that I will use first: my favourite dovetail saw, the chisels I like using most, favourite smoothing plane, and so on ..

But, choosing one tool that is used on every project, it must be the Stanley #52 shooting board and Veritas shooting plane. I do all my joinery with hand tools, and this combination squares boards, prepares the parts for dovetailing drawers, and a piston fit is made easier ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Lemwise]

Another tool I treasure is the Record #3 from the 1950's I picked up a few months ago. It's light and nimble with a great crucible cast tungsten steel blade. The seller said it was used maybe once or twice and it showed. It still has all of the original paint and it's completely rust free. Whoever owned it before me took very good care of it. I'll take on old light bench plane with a thin blade over a new heavy bench plane with a thick blade any day of the week.

 

[Holmz]

First boss in construction told me to get a tool belt, hammer, utility knife, and tape measure.
I was renting a house and the only thing in the whole house was a hammer in the kitchen drawer. Plumb fiberglass finish hammer. That was in 1985 and I still use it everyday. It pretty much looks exactly the same now as then. Lost it once but found it under an ( installed) cabinet after an hour of head scratching. When I lose it I'll retire!!

I imaged this in my mind:

 

[Rob-GB]

Whichever one gets me out of trouble on a project or brings a smile to my face as I use it. [big grin]
I am fortunate to have inherited some nice hand tools from my Grandfather, Father and Father-in-law that always remind me of them as I use them and I smile. To pick just one is impossible.

Rob.

 

[ear3]

I'very been thinking about this for a while, and the basic problem in deciding is that my serious use of hand tools is too recent to have any things be a true treasure. And my basic tool kit of hammers, screwdrivers, etc. is all pretty generic.

But I was sharpening and adjusting my planes today, and I realized how much I love my small Japanese hammer that I use for fine adjustments of my bevel up blades. It was a freebee given to me by a guy named Dane, who is the proprietor of this amazing Japanese antique furniture store in Brooklyn called Shibui. He also sells tools and fixtures/hardware, and so gave me the hammer on top of some antique iron drawer pulls I bought from him a couple of years ago.

It's the perfect size for blade adjustments. A tap that seems like the equivalent of a finger flick is usually enough to set the blade parallel with this hammer.

 

[rustym]

Mine would have to be the Stanley #95 plane my father gave me many years ago.

 

[HowardH]

My 20 oz Craftsman framing hammer I got almost 40 years ago.  It has been through a lot with me.  It's got a slightly curved claw which is now about 1/2" shorter from years of banging concrete away from fence posts.  It was my very first "professional" tool when a friend, I had just met days before in our new neighborhood, and I started a summer job working for a home builder helping him frame a house.  Learned about almost every trade that summer building that house, just the 3 of us.  Thought I was making a killing at $3.25 an hour.  It has smashed my thumb a few times showing me who is the boss.