Your favorite hand tool? Your favorite people may never have used/heard of?

Justin,

My block plane lives in the hammer loop, too, something I picked up from Jim Chestnutt. Funny it never occurred to me to put it there...

Yesterday I had a bottle of 2P-10 spill into my bags in the truck. It glued the plane to the leather hammer loop and glued my utility knife shut. Rrrrrr. I had to pry it out of there with my little Japanese pry bar. Yes, the same one Per posted!

Love that little bar, too. I've about worn it out from so many clean up grindings. I've had it at least 10 years.

- Kit
 
Michael Kellough said:
Mirko said:
I cant start my day until I have the A. Richard 9 in 1 tool in my back pocket.
I assure you it has more than 9 uses

It Scrapes, wedges, pries, chisels, spreads, cuts..... I could go on and on

Mirko

Thanks for the tip Mirko. This looks like quite an improvement over the old styles. I especially like the addition of the screw/nail puller. It makes removing those drywall screws that missed the stud a lot easier. The sharpened cove profile on the side is interesting. Have you used it for anything?

Michael,

The cove is for removing paint from a  paint roller.
I lied, I use the older 6 in 1 tool... whatever, it still has dozens of uses to me :)

Mirko

 
Per Swenson said:
Dang it!

Two things, this flippin thread is gonna cost me a lot of money I really don't have.

And second.

[attachimg=#]

Per

Some more prying devices.

SmallPryBars.jpg


The Sharkgrip is 200mm long.

The Armorflex #35 is stainless steel and has a long very pry end. I use these two tools to get enough of a gap under something to slip the Air Wedge in and then I can pump it up enough for chocks, a sled, or wheels.

AirWedgeFlat.jpg

AirWedgeFat.jpg


This is made for prying open car doors in order to slip a lock jimmy in place but it can also lift a refrigerator straight up if it is braced.

In collapsed form it is only 2mm thin.

In the puffed up form it is 2 3/4" high, about 70mm.

There is a release button on the stem of the pump bulb.
 
I have that small prying Iron, the original, it is super! For removing nails and adjusting stuff it has proven itself time and time again.

I'll try and snap a few shots of the small invaluables I have. Fun thread, for sure!
 
My most irreplacable tool is a hammer.  When I was in construction, i used all sorts of hammers from 10oz ball peen to 8lb spalling (stone) hammers that were used with either one or two hands.  Those 8pounders were, naturally used with two hands mostly.  Once in a while it was used for a swing or two with one hand.  Hey, I'm only a little guy.  I also used long handled hammers with 8lb to as much as 20 lb heads.  While growing up on my uncle's farm, my uncle had a 25pound post maul that he woud drive 7 ft wooden fence posts into the ground holding the post with his right hand while driving post with that 25 pound monster in his left hand.

When I first got int carpentry work, I used many different brands of claw hammers, the brands or mostly out of my head by now.  Eventually, i met up with Plumb.  Their old wood handled claw hammers had a special shape.  The taper part of the handle was sortt of a hex shape with uneven sides flatter than the top and bottom sides.  From the hex part of the handle, there was a long taper flaring slightly at the very end f the handle.  Even tho I used stone hammers more often than claw hammers, I have very small hands for somebody who does that sort of work.  For driving nails, i need a hammer I can hang onto.  For trim work (in the winter, i often worked as a carpenter when it was too cold to work with morter outside) I used a 16 oz plumb.  for framing, I used the 20 oz.  As more and more companies went into steel handles (estwing) and fiberglass, I stuck with my Plumbs with the wood handles for most work.  If I got into demolitin work, I went to the plumb fiberglass.  They were comfortable for me, but a little more tiring to use for long periods of time.  I still have a sizable collection of those old Plumbs in my shop.  I do not let anybody borrow >>> not ever.

Today, I can appreciate that taper to those plumbs so much more, as when i swing at a nail larger than 6 or 8 penny, I never know where the hammer will end up.  If I am lucky, I hit the nail.  If I am not so lucky, the hammer flies across the room.  Somehow, that doesn't happen quite so often with those old wood handled plumbs with their very comfortable taper.
Tinker

 
My Bahco scraper.....indexable carbide blade, very tough and handy.
From scraping dried glue to removing paint or scraping a small area smooth it does it all.

Different shaped blades are also available.

Ed

[attachimg=#]
 
Bob Marino said:
I guess mine would be my Starrett 12" combo square and LN block plane.

Bob

I was going to respond with the exact same answer, but thought it was too boring  ;D ;D ;D

Actually, one of my other favorite tools is an old blade from a #4 handplane.  I use it as a large chisel, glue scraper, and general purpose knife.  I use it more than the handplane it came out of (that now has a Hock).
 
As Cannuck has already said, it's definitely a Red Robertson screw driver.  I have about a half a dozen of them so that I can always find at least one.
 
This post is starting to cost.  I already have some of the suggested items and agree with all the entries, but now need to add several more that will be very useful.

I don't think anyone has suggested a saddle square.  Great from marking around corners.

For those of us with more money than brains, try this:

http://www.bridgecitytools.com/pop_zoom.php?img=1101-098.jpg&dir=products&id=255&prefix=zoom

Veritas has one for those with more brains than money, but I can't find it.
 
rwdawson said:
This post is starting to cost.  I already have some of the suggested items and agree with all the entries, but now need to add several more that will be very useful.

I don't think anyone has suggested a saddle square.  Great from marking around corners.

If you have more money than brains, try this:

http://www.bridgecitytools.com/pop_zoom.php?img=1101-098.jpg&dir=products&id=255&prefix=zoom

Veritas has one for those with more brains than money, but I can't find it.

Here are the Veritas versions,

http://www.leevalley.com/home/Search.aspx?c=2&action=n
 
rwdawson said:
This post is starting to cost.  I already have some of the suggested items and agree with all the entries, but now need to add several more that will be very useful.

I don't think anyone has suggested a saddle square.  Great from marking around corners.

For those of us with more money than brains, try this:

http://www.bridgecitytools.com/pop_zoom.php?img=1101-098.jpg&dir=products&id=255&prefix=zoom

Veritas has one for those with more brains than money, but I can't find it.
A tight door hinge is a cheap/free replacement for a saddle square. 
 
MY favorite hand tool is my Sigma Technica  25" tile cutter.  It is the best cutter out there and has over the last few years spawned a whole host of copys www.europeantilemasters.com http://www.tools4tile.com/servlet/the-5/sigma-2D3-dsh-Technica%2C-italian-tile/Detail The diamond scoring wheel makes all the difference.  also the angle ruler is a life saver say I need a diagonal that is 6" point to base  just set the gauge to 45 deg  and the corner of the tile to 6" on the upper angle ruler and you have the cut no math.
Craig
 
I'm paraphrasing from a cabinetmaker I met a few times, but a pencil is still one of the most useful tools for so many things. Without one, a lot of the other tools become less useful.

I feel vastly outnumbered in here...  I'm a furniture guy, not a carpenter, so I guess my vintage #4c stanley plane, and a good, sharp 1" chisel are the tools that spring to hand most often. Starrett square is also a must-have. (I have several, of varying lengths... I keep a 6" with me in the machine room at all times.

Most recent purchase, btw, for a one inch chisel, is one of the bevel sided japanese versions that are known here as 'dovetail chisels.' There's a 45 degree bevel on the sides that I also keep sharpened up, which makes a great scraper... so it's sort of like two tools in one.

There are much more affordable versions out there, but this is the one I bought:

http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&pf_id=06.307.100&dept_id=12781

 
This is a great thread. 

My favorite tool(s) that fit this category would be my set of Narex Chisels, from Highland Woodworking.  They cost about the same as a set of "big box" chisels, but are of equal or similar quality to the best brands you can think of. 

My job allows me to travel pretty extensively (especially in the Southeast), and whenever I am in the Atlanta area, I try to stop by Highland.  It is a great store, with a great staff. 

Another tool that I really think falls into this category is the Festool Sanding Block.  I was actually given one as a "comp" for my Festool purchases, and I have since purchased two more as gifts and another for myself.  It is evidence that the great Festool engineering doesn't only apply to power tools.
 
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