Go-to tools

[surfcraft]

I'm just finishing a job where I had to add a false beam between two existing beams. It's hollow; a pull-down movie screen is hidden inside.

I bought a couple of tools especially for this one: a Multimaster, because the new beam intersected several molding bands into which I'm butting the square profile pieces and coping the more complex profiles. It's a great tool---one that I don't know how I did without all this time. The dreaded job of cutting-back baseboard for cabinet installation or new door casing will dog me no more. I don't know if it's true for anyone else, but I couldn't resist testing its limits. I think I can truly say "There are bold Multimaster blades and old Multimaster blades, but no old, bold Multimaster blades.

I also want to give a shout-out to Collins Tools for their "bunny planes". I can't even recall how many times these little beauties have shaved me out of a jam in situations where I would have had to pare with a chisel. I was working on a scaffold board in a situation where I couldn't risk dumping the contents of nail bags as I climbed around. Instead of climbing back down, I just slipped the little plane into my pocket, something I couldn't do with a block plane and didn't dare do with a chisel.

I'm just wondering what other tools that I had thought of as frivolous purchases I might be missing out on.

JW

[Ottoman]

Here's my list of (seemingly) overpriced (must have) tools.

Lamello biscuit joiner. Absolute perfect joints with such ease, I've trained a chimp to do it.

Lamello lipping planer. If you ever have to do any amount of hardwood edging this is a tremendous time saver.

Domino. Because the Lamello bisquit joiner doesn't go small enough.

Track Saw. I don't think the brand matters. It will change how you work.

23 gauge pinner. Never worry about shooting yourself with an brad nail again.

Multimaster. If for no other reason than cutting of shims. I like the bi-metal blades/E-cut. They cut forever.

Rali Block Plane. Because sometimes I am to lazy to sharpen the blades.

Laser Level. I like the PLS.

Laser Measure. Too fast and too accurate to not have.

[Kent Brobeck]

Here's my list of (seemingly) overpriced (must have) tools.

Lamello biscuit joiner. Absolute perfect joints with such ease, I've trained a chimp to do it.

Lamello lipping planer. If you ever have to do any amount of hardwood edging this is a tremendous time saver.

Domino. Because the Lamello bisquit joiner doesn't go small enough.

Track Saw. I don't think the brand matters. It will change how you work.

23 gauge pinner. Never worry about shooting yourself with an brad nail again.

Multimaster. If for no other reason than cutting of shims. I like the bi-metal blades/E-cut. They cut forever.

Rali Block Plane. Because sometimes I am to lazy to sharpen the blades.

Laser Level. I like the PLS.

Laser Measure. Too fast and too accurate to not have.

Otto, great list a few I'd add...

Laser plumb

Japanese hand saws

Pattern bits

One of the trick I use with a Multimaster when cutting tall base etc I'll tack on a straight edge to guide the cut. I usually use either a 23 or 18 gauge gun

[joseph]

well my little box truck is a big ticket item but relative to the price of it i had a positrac installed .small change compared to the price of van but this last week it has rained ,without it i would not of been able to get to the jobsight on some days and certainly not to the actual project .that locking rearend has saved me my a#$@ big several times .so important with the trailer behind .
Sawhelper -it was a big expense the day i bought it . With in two weeks of using the automatic stop and not having to pull my tape out for every measurement that price I paid seemed so much smaller.
trac saw has become so valuable .
things that come to mind today

[pablodomingo]

hilti pd30 laser rangefinder (expensive but reliably accurate)
multimaster (and recyclable blades that are only $7 ea when you turn in the old one)

[coopercustom]

Ottoman, thank you for throwing that little tidbit in about using the multimaster for cutting back shims. I hit myself the moment I read that, why didn't I ever think of that? you just made my life a little easier.

Josh

[Ottoman]

Glad it helped. Hate cutting back shims with a knife or chisel. To me a MM is worth the cost if only for shims.

[magna111]

I like the MM for sanding nail filler too.

[jobercian]

GPS- thought it was an extravagant purchase 3 years ago

Probably saved $900 in gas in that time by not getting lost

[Jim Baldwin]

ottoman

"23 gauge pinner. Never worry about shooting yourself with an brad nail again".
I don't think I understand this statement. Shooting yourself with a pin nail definitely hurts

[Jim Baldwin]

How about the new/old Yankee (German) screwdriver? No cord, no battery. I only have a couple of ancient models but I think these great old tools are generally be discarded in favor of various mufti-gigawatt units (with perpetual dead batteries)

[Ottoman]

ottoman

"23 gauge pinner. Never worry about shooting yourself with an brad nail again".
I don't think I understand this statement. Shooting yourself with a pin nail definitely hurts

It was meant as a joke, certainly they do hurt, but not as bad as an 18 gauge. Somehow I'm just less apprehensive about the pins and I've never had good luck with the 2P10 type adhesives.

[dave_k]

How about the new/old Yankee (German) screwdriver? No cord, no battery. I only have a couple of ancient models but I think these great old tools are generally be discarded in favor of various mufti-gigawatt units (with perpetual dead batteries)

I second that. I have my own and I inherited two from my dad. I used to use them all the time before cordless drills became popular. They are especially useful for door hardware. They're light to carry around in an apron and just about as fast as a cordless and in some cases a lot less awkward. I ground a bit holder to fit the chuck to make use of better bits in all the modern heads.

[m beezo]

one that gets used somewhere on every job is the 5 in 1 tool. I use it a lot for scraping stuff, prying off trim or at least starting to loosen it. Keep it sharp enough that I can do a somewhat of a chisel job in a pinch. I even use it to clean paint rollers on occasion.

Another is the famous Hyde flat pry bar, often called a bee keepers tool. Used on almost every job at one time or another.

[Overbuilders]

Forgot about the Yankees. I'm looking at my Yankee 41Y chrome push drill as I type. Still have all the original bits plus some packaged replacements.