What is the best tool you have in your arsenal

[davidbrac]

I have a friend who lives in the USA and has his own local cable TV show on woodworking. One of the episodes is his top ten tools and when watching this l named my number one tool and we both got almost the same.

Got me thinking what tool is the best you have and why?

Mine is my festool RO90 sander and extractor unit, expensive but very versatile with its three modes. The festool extraction unit makes using the sander as near to dust free as you can get.

My friend (Jace) top tool was the festool RO50 sander and extractor

 

[88v8]

Woodwork?

This
http://www.axminster.co.uk/axcaliber-fineline-pull-saws

A lot more companies making pullsaws now
http://www.axminster.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=Pull+saws

I have a pair of Disstons, but rarely use them now unless it's for heavy ripping.

And I use an electric screwdriver, which has pretty well cured my tennis elbow. Just a very basic one
http://www.uktoolcentre.co.uk/Shop/p~66504~IXO-3.6V-Lithium-Cordless-Screwdriver.html?Refid=googlePLA&gclid=CLqhk--Fpr0CFazHtAodYQIARQ

Ivor

 

[vicky whitworth]

Is this a cunningly disguised advert?

 

[davidbrac]

Is this a cunningly disguised advert?

I have no link with any company l just thought it would be an interesting topic

just to show where the idea came from here is my friend Jace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W5sN0Msokg

 

[Lime]

The best tool?

One of my first expensive tools and one that has saved me many days of struggle over the years.
A Churchill ball joint puller, built like a tank and cost a fortune in 1967.
It has never failed me.
Its strength puts modern versions in the shade.

 

[Flyfisher]

'Best' tool is difficult to choose as it rather depends on the job in question. I would probably nominate my cordless drill/driver as it seems to be used for almost every job I tackle or my Fein Multimaster for its innovation and flexibility. Having said that, my most recent job was to fabricate a framework of angle iron to support a register and blanking plates in a large inglenook fireplace, for which my MIG welder was pretty indispensible. So horses for courses really.

 

[Feltwell]

Indeed - depends on the job in hand.

Makita cordless impact driver comes high on the list though - so useful, so much better than putting screws in with a drill/driver or a cordless screwdriver, wish I'd bought one years earlier!

Close second is my slide mitre saw, I wore out my first cheapo one eventually and replaced it with a decent Axminster one following advice on here, it's great and is in use pretty much every weekend.

 

[skier-hughes]

Chelsea?

 

[vicky whitworth]

Hoof pick.

 

[Feltwell]

What selection of hooves is available to pick from?

 

[Keithj]

My Leatherman Charge. It lives on my belt all the time, and has a very busy life. It's too convenient - I use it when I should probably go to the workshop and get the "right" tool. Over the years, it's done many jobs in situations where there were no other tools to hand. The list would get long and boring, but includes fixing a brake cable end stop on a Jodel D119 so that I could fly back home. It's had a charmed life, surviving several airport security checks.

 

[philpjuk100]

Big hammer! it does most things! but sometimes not too well. (you could hammer screws in)

 

[davidbrac]

Big hammer! it does most things! but sometimes not too well. (you could hammer screws in)

lol l've come across some of the screws you have put in

 

[Keith Bowman]

Colchester Chipmaster lathe, but not much use around the house

 

[DJH]

Mrs DJH... :shock:

 

[Penners]

Mrs DJH...

Creep!

I agree with FF that my favourite tool changes according to what I need the tool to do. My battery drill is poor at hammering in nails - its balance is all wrong. My router is pretty hopeless at cross-cutting a stud. And my claw-hammer makes a lousy job of sanding down a window-sill.

Horses for courses.

I must confess, however, to a deep and abiding affection for my De Walt radial arm cross-cut saw. It's about 30 years old, and apart from one motor rebuild it's still in perfect original condition.

 

[malcolm]

I like tools. Shiny things. My favourite is normally the latest one and I had to limit myself with a tool budget a few years ago. That's all gone to pot as I need new tools to work with brick and wood rather than metal. Though I did just buy a new AC/DC TIG welder to replace the old period (1970s) one which was too big to fit into my new workshop. I have no use for it at the moment but enjoy the technique.

 

[Penners]

When I was an engineering apprentice, the favourite practical joke in the welding department was to weld a guy's steel heel-tips to the earth plate that he was standing on. If he was deeply engrossed in a welding job he wouldn't notice until he tried to walk away.

My, how we laughed....

 

[philpjuk100]

I remember folks sat at assembly benches having their toe caps painted white with "tippex" by someone crawling under the bench!

 

[davidbrac]

thanks everyone l have enjoyed this post