Favorite tools-any odd tools you find really usefull?

[Sherweld]

I've really gotten fond of these newer folding "box cutters" with the disposable blades.

I now have several because at my age I keep forgetting where I set the last one down. I finally found a nice one to carry with me.

I like them because I don't have to worry about abusing the blade.

Sherweld

 

[3RRL]

OH, how about "reading glasses"?
I can't go anywhere anymore without them.
I can see what I'm about to hammer.

 

[bx23barry]

The 4" angle grinder may be my favorite tool but the torch & stick welders I got 25+ years have made a huge difference in what I can do. And my grandpa's old 24" proto "crescent" wrench and 36" crow bar that live in the jeep have been indispensable.

 

[Ken_CT]

OH, how about "reading glasses"?
I can't go anywhere anymore without them.
I can see what I'm about to hammer.

I buy my cheap reading glasses at the dollar store. Different strengths for different tasks. At $1 a pair I must have about 25 of them scattered everywhere. I keep a pair on every piece of machinery in the basement, and with all those glasses around I still can't find one when I need one.
For those who are Hammer lovers, you will like the show "Orange County Choppers". If a part doesn't fit on a $100,000+ bike, they get a bigger hammer.
The other tool I can't live without is my old trusty Swiss army knife. I misplace it and buy another, then find the lost one. I must have 4 or 5 by now. Anyone else with ADD knows what I mean.

 

[RalphVa]

Handiest tool is probably channel locks. Keep a pair in a tool belt on my FEL tower, in tool box in garage and in pool equipment area.

I've also one of those short handled hammers, approximately 2#. Keep it in any old leather briefcase attached to the FEL guard grill in front.

Another handy tool is the big scissor-like tin snips. I've several pair of them, including one in that tool belt on my tractor. These aren't those crummy "tin snips" but true big, heavy duty scissors. I use them to cut many things and even use them for pruning vines and stuff that get in my way while on the tractor. They're better for tin snipping that those other things some hardware stores call tin snips.

Ralph

 

[Runner]

1. Craftsman 19.2 volt cordless drill - can't seem to kill it...

2. channel locks

3. 1968 model or so, magnetic screwdriver with interchangeable bits and bit
storage in the handle.

4. cheap plastic box cutters

5. cheap giveaway scissors my wife (nurse) gets from work

 

[jwstewar]

My new favorite tool - other than my tractor - is my 18V DeWalt Impact Driver. I know how it works, but I don't understand how it works. What I mean is, it drives screws/bolts so much easier/faster than a cordless drill without slipping off the head of the screw. I initially thought it would be useless, but now I would be lost without it. I know longer use my cordless drills to drive screws. Instead of a drill driver they are back to being just a drill.

 

[stowester]

I'll add my vote to a cordless drill. Never use a philips screw driver anymore.

 

[actionaj]

I would have to go with the cordless drills. I don't think I could build anything with out a box of screws and a cordless drill. But I think I would be really lost without lathe and welders.

 

[davitk]

For you cordless drill guys, if you have not tried an impact driver like jwstewar suggests, you are in for an eye opening. The impact feature removes the need to keep pressure on the drill, it is soooooo nice

 

[PINGG2BLUE]

My vote also goes to the cordless drill. Dewalt drill/driver- 3 of them. 2nd place would go to the compund miter saw.

 

[Wheatland KB]

I'm with the cordless drill as well. If that doesn't work I have a 20# sledge hammer named "Monday"!

 

[EddieWalker]

Reading the replies got me to wondering what tool that I use the most. It's not my favorite tool, or one that I particularly care for, but I have three of them in my toolbox, one in my clipboard, two in my truck box, three in my workshop and one outside with some yard tools.

The Steel Tape is my most used tool.

I wear out at least two of them a year, and always replace them with another as soon as possible. Right now, I'm liking the Kobalt brand tapes from Lowes. I wont' buy anything that says Stanley on it again, but they wont complain with all the money I've given them over the years. The three 25ft Kobalt tapes in my tool box all come out when I'm working. One with my saws where I'm cutting, one were I'm working and one in my tool belt.

After that, I would think my flat penciils are the most used. Maybe more. I always have at least one in my pocket and sometimes will have three or four.

Then it's a toss up between a pry bar, hammer, chisel, sheetrock knife, multi screwdriver and cordless drill.

Eddie

 

[Taylortractornut]

Tractor skid steer and excavators are my favorite machines but my favorite hand tool is PBblaster and my Porter Cable Porta band. My favorite tool in the welding shop is a toss up between my big lathe and my pattern torch. I just used it last night to cut out a 3 inch thick plate fore a ripper.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

My favorite was my old minimag flashlight. I had it with me constantly and used it enough that I changed batteries about twice a month. It finally wore out after a decade of constant abuse. The newer minimags just don't hold up, and I haven't found anything that works as well.

My current favorite is my Leatherman Micra. It's just tiny, but it's still got the essentials: phillips and flat screwdriver, cutting blade, file, tweezers. The best part is that the scissors are the nicest, heaftiest scissors I've ever seen on a pocket tool. I've cut tooling leather with them before. It's small enough to fit comfortably in my pocket (even in my sunday best), and half the time I can get it through security at airports.

The "odd" tool that I use a lot is a leather fid. Mine is homemade, but you can find them in craft shops. It's like an awl, but with a rounded tip. It's one of those things that when you need it, nothing else will do. It's great for untying knots, lining up things in blind holes (i.e. motor brushes), etc. Think of everything you use a screwdriver for when it's not driving screws.

 

[davitk]

I can't imagine life this far nort without a key chain flashlight.

 

[cjputzier]

I have several fencing pliers/hammer around. This is a tool that everyone should have. It could even be a weapon of mass distruction. Good for finish work or caveman work covers it all. Chris Putzier

 

[Egon]

The 2 ton bottle jack and the 1/2 in. breaker bar came in pretty handy today when a trailer tire went flat.

 

[JRobyn]

This thread came to mind last weekend when I grabbed one of my several 4-tine rakes to use as an apple and pear picker. Them things are about one of the most useful "garden" tools around (as long as they are forged and not the cheapo welded mild steel kind) - nothing better for smoothing modest-sized areas of gravel or dirt - much better than a shovel IMHO. I keep one stuck though the FEL frame tubes at all times.

- Jay

 

[IMCA38]

I have a lot of very useful tools, including my DeWalt sawzall, my 18V cordless drills and my Ryobi 14" chop saw. I also got a ton of use out of my Century mig welder until it died. I replaced it with a Hobart Handler 180, and like it just as well. I'm also on my second 4 ton "porta-power". Those things are really handy, especially around a race car.
As far as odd tools, I have two. Ironically enough, both have a medical basis.
Several years ago I picked up a patient lift at an auction for about $10. I wasn't sure what I'd use it for, but it seemed too good to pass up.
I heard several guys ridiculing it because it wouldn't be stout enough to use as an engine hoist. Turns out I did use it as an engine hoist when I overhauled the Kohler on my JD garden tractor. It was just perfect for that. I've also used it to hang the snowblower on the JD, or move it in and out of storage. I've also used it to hold up the mower deck for cleaning or repair and used it to hang the mower deck on some heavy hooks I put on my shed wall. It also makes a handy stand to hang things on for painting. The large swivel casters make it very easy to move around, even under a load.
The second thing is a uterine aspirator. I picked this up for $3 when a local vet auctioned off his practice. My original intent was to just use the stand and table for my race car scales. However, when I discovered it worked and worked well, I decided it would make an awesome vacuum pump, especially for bleeding brakes, so thats what it gets used for. Quite a bargain when a hand vacuum pump is $40 or so and you get worn out using it.