What shop tools can you not live without?

[tcartwri]

Cordless 1/2" impact gun.

 

[Bradlyk]

I have a good one...


Vice grips

 

[KennyG]

Metal - 4-1/2" angle grinder

wood - miter saw

 

[whistlepig]

I can honestly say that this is the tool that I use most both at home and at work. I keep it in my pocket.A.G. Russell Knives | SuperKnifeｮ - SK2 Black

 

[boggen]

a little of everything. it all comes in handy. pending on projects. it may not used alot, but boy, when a certain project comes up. some things are nicest thing you could ever had.

cheap light weight corded drill
larger beefer combo hammer drill. (concrete, and for lager sizes bits)
regular bits, paddle bits, whole saw bits for the drills.
quick connect adaptor for drills. to accept straight and philips and box end drill bits for screws ((plus a few extra philips and box end bits))
drill press
grinder
saw zaw
circular saw
table saw
chop saw
dremel
box end wrenchs
sockets of both meteric and us sizes. and for me up to sizes of 1 1/2"
breaker bar, for sockets, impact socks as well
multi size hammers. little thing to regular, to 4lbs hammer, then a sledge hammer
utilty knifes, scissors, regular steak knife, pocket knife.
small, medium pry bars, then extra heavy duty pry bar atleast 4 to 5 feet long. along with couple flat pry bars
a couple wedges. (splitting firewood, but have came in handy a couple other times)
""cheater bar"" oh ya a couple of them.
different sizes straight and philip screw drivers, with atleast one long one of each.
small tape measure, then a couple 25 footers, then a 100 plus footer tape measure.
a couple vices, with a work bench/s to seperate at them and use them.
different types of plyers and channel locks. i should say an assortment. along with vice grips.
air compressor. i would prefer a larger tank and a bigger pump. but them smaller tanks and compressors that can be wheeled around to say a job site can get ya by. though when it comes to impact wrenchs having the 120psi shut off on pump. can be alot better than the 90psi setups.
air gun nailer, impact wrench, standard tire filler and pressure checker.
cement mixer.
2 to 3 calk guns.
12volt greese gun.
30 to 55 gallon drum to deal with old oil form vehicles and tractors.
funnels for gas to oil.
flash lights, both regular hand held, then the ones that strap around your head.
corded clip on work lights.
there cheap but the stinking little telescopic magnets. there not much good for bigger size stuff. but i have not needed one, when i had one, and when i didn't have one, i needed it.
fox tell brush, wire brush.
shop vac
regular broom for like sweeping in house, to a push broom.
pressurized washer with spray gun.
soap with sand in it (to many variations out there on the market)
paper towels and toilet paper.
belt sander to palm sander
fine to course sand papers for sanders and just regular sheets of it.
flat, round, spades, snow shovels.
metal and grass rakes.
sink even if it just have a 5 gallon bucket it empties into.
parts washer
varius types of clamps small to big. including pipe clamps.

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as i said a little bit of everything. its those things you don't have that would make a project go alot quicker. that is top item on the list.

though out of everything, i would have to say. not tool boxes, i really do hate tool boxes. I honestly hate opening up multi drawers to find something. then the worse part is digging down into the drawers to find something.

as i said i hate tool boxes of any kind.

i took one work bench then put plywood up into it. every 1 to 2 feet. kinda like books on a shelf at a library. and then put in lots and lots of screws to hang tools from. and the bottom shelf of bench to hold electrical tools. (drills, saw zaw, circular saw and the like) i can just do a quick scan, to find and grab item. no drawers to mess around with.

one screws holds a couple spar blades for circular saw. i used the plastic staples for eletrical wiring to hold screw drivers. screws to hold pliers. screws to hold hammers, made a little box to hold saw zaw blades in. screws to hold hand saw, pipe wrenchs, etc...

took a couple pieces of plywood with 2" stroyfoam between them. and drilled holes into it to hold the various types of drill bits (wood to metal)

drilling holes into shovel handles, rake handles and like. and putting a rope through them. creating a loop. so i can hang them up on hooks.

ran a wire between a couple of the slots of plywood on the bench to hang paint rollers from.

ya having a concrete floor, and having tool boxes you can move around to project to project in the work shop can be nice. but honestly. i rarely see tool boxes ever get moved. exception maybe a car mechanic shop. but home work shops, hardly ever, once they are loaded down with tools. i rather spend the few extra steps going to get what i need quickly and easily vs. doing the old searching and wasting time thing of what drawer was it now. it also makes it easier to scan over the tools. to see if anything is missing that you might of forgot to put away. or someone else has, and you have not gotten back.

the exception to tool boxes, that is a little tool boxes to hold wrenchs and sockets. and something to carry on tractor to carry a couple things that might be needed.

then having a couple 5 gallon buckets, i can load up with tools and haul off to a given project / area.


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on another note, i hate them little plastic pull out drawers that have a bunch of them in a single litltle box. ya can't see anything in them. and half the time ya label the little plastic drawers, the label comes off, or the marker you used gets wiped away.

small shelves to hold boxes of different nails, and screws. so the boxes don't have to be stacked upon each other. exception of the junk bin screw / nail / bolt box. that sits down below.

smaller size bins made out of say 1/4" to 1/2" plywood with a 1/4" to 1/2" lip on the front side of the bins, to store various size nuts, bolts, washers in. ((again not old coffee cup containers)) if i can't see it directly without pulling it out or taking off a lid, there be a problem.

 

[troutsqueezer]

Ear plugs, eye protection, breathing mask, welding helmet.

 

[ecoslik]

Along the lines of what boggen wrote, I use an assortment of buckets to carry my tools from project to project when at home/ranch. The tools that I need may change from job to job, but I always need a bucket to carry them. I grab a bucket, eyeball the tool bench, and select the tools that I'll need. when done, I sort the tools from the bucket back to where they belong on the bench. I keep a shelve lined with my bucket selection. In the last week, I have used several 5 gallon pails, a small metal pail, and a small plastic bucket. When it is a complex project, I drive the tractor into the shop, fill the loader bucket with tools, and drive to the worksite. I then stretch extension cords if the project can not done with a closeby outlet or battrey packs.

 

[texasjohn]

I carry two tools,always, each in its separate carry sheath on my belt.

Leatherman .. SURGE model ...use it about 10 times a day, saves much time and many steps. It's always with me and I've been genuinely surprised how handy it is. I have had it only about 2 years now, previously always carried a pocket knife. The quality of the American made Leatherman is superb, has surprised me, particularly how sharp the blades are and how long they hold an edge. also, the screwdrivers are not toys, they take very significant pressure without burring or deforming.

LED flashlight from HFT. It''s so small, light and bright that I use it about 5 times a day....It's amazing how many times a little extra light is just what is needed when doing repairs.

All the tools listed by others are a superb list.... i've found that purchasing each tool as the need comes up is prudent... Without exactly the right tool you end up working too hard and breaking things trying to work around the lack of the right tool.

 

[PILOON]

Well, I'm a tool junkie so I don't qualify.
Probably have 2 of most everything and I have metal and wood lathe, welders, band saw, planers, air tools galore, 3 compressors, and since I worked in aviation have many small specialized tools.
When wood working I like 2 battery drills, one to drill the second set up to screw.
When welding, 2 grinders, one with sanding disk and the second with cut off disks.
Oddly enough my least used power tool is my band saw.
When it comes to precision I am fortunate to have calipers, verniers, micrometers and a handy asst of reamers.
Oh, and I need a larger shop! Stuff literally hangs from every wheres
Also since the stores are far off and I am not the most patient guy I stock fasteners galore and never turn down free stuff.
I do like the right tool for the job and so far have been lucky in my acquisitions.
I do all tractor stuff myself but rarely even touch my car.
Every single nail or screw in my house was placed by me.
Handy,yes clean finger nails, sometimes but then that's me.
Always say, if you don't like the way I look, then don't look!

 

[SixHoeBob]

All of the tools mentioned above.

Some of my favorites;

Porta-band saw for fabricating, money well spent

8 Dewalt 402 4.5" grinders, One for each type of wheel and brush
saves a lot of time

30+ pairs of Vise-grips, Can never have too many

14" Chinese vise-grips, Some times the 10WRs are a little small

Taiwan 4" x 6" band saw, Gets a lot of use, I built a good stand for it

Rolling tool carts, Commonly used tools stay in the carts

Oxy/Act torch, Gas is not cheap, but it is cost effective

Stick and Mig welders, Arc for Penetration, Mig for detail work

Skid-steer Ldr with forks, Welding positioner, materials handler

Heated shop, Not much happens in the rain or when cold

Magnetic drill press - soon, Next big purchase $900.00 +