got a tool that you just cant do without?

[toplessHO]

many years of cutting and buffing old lacquer paint jobs with a 1/2" drill motor
and a borrowed CP air buffer,I bought a Makita 9227C variable speed buffer.
Those guys did their homework in designing this one.
Ive spent hundreds of hours with this one and it still going strong.
My secret weapon is the airway buffs stacked and extended.

 

[lardy1]

Table saw.

 

[toplessHO]

my table saw is stored in a conex out back.
I use a compound sliding miter saw for about everything now

 

[GE45]

SO tech angle tq wrench

 

[engineer2]

An impact driver. Use it for lug nuts and for disassembling tiny electronic devices using a #0 Phillips bit.
Makita user, but other brands work the same. Liked it so much I bought a second one in addition to my 12 year old one.
Wife who knows nothing about tools says "Don't you already have one of those?" Yes, but I can lend the old one out to the kids.
A gutter crew was working on my house and their DeWalt impact drivers sounded identical to my Makita.

 

[PopcornSutton]

Aside from a battery drill, my Portaband saw is one I wouldn't want to be without. I HATE a hacksaw!

 

[NUTTSGT]

My DeWalt 20V impact driver.

 

[woody 73]

I have the following tool, that I use 24/7, now I realize that you can make one for free out of a block of wood, but I bought the following plastic guide for around $10.00dollars.

EZ Match Bit & Screw Guide

I know it’s tempting drive wood screws without a pilot hole, but this lazy approach to woodworking can cause more problems than it’s worth. Of course the real trick is making sure the pilot hole you drill is the right size for the screw you want to use. If a pilot hole is too large, a screw can...

ezwoodshoptools.com

 

[Callelle]

Honestly, my M12 stubby. Mine took a dunk in a bucket of coolant a few weeks ago, ordered the new version but work has been noticeably more difficult without it.

 

[CGarage]

An impact driver. Use it for lug nuts and for disassembling tiny electronic devices using a #0 Phillips bit.
Makita user, but other brands work the same. Liked it so much I bought a second one in addition to my 12 year old one.
Wife who knows nothing about tools says "Don't you already have one of those?" Yes, but I can lend the old one out to the kids.
A gutter crew was working on my house and their DeWalt impact drivers sounded identical to my Makita.

Is this post supposed to be a joke?

 

[mreisner]

Induction heater for rusted nuts and bolts. In addition to hardly ever using assembly torch anymore that also could get into a lot of places where the torch would have been quite a liability.

 

[Ultradog MN]

My pick would have to be an ordinary dinner spoon.
I use one nearly 3 times every day.

 

[jayemm]

My pick would have to be an ordinary dinner spoon.
I use one nearly 3 times every day.

I was going to say money. Not easy to do too much without it.

 

[seber]

Pocketknife. I couldn't get out of the bedroom without it.

 

[danielbuck]

hard to pick just one tool that you "can't do with out", but I guess that would be a 6-in-1 screwdriver.

 

[ste6168]

Now that I have a CNC machine, I am really not sure how I did without for so long. I often have to make custom plastic parts and couldn’t ever get near the perfection or edge finish doing them manually.

Hand tool related, I use the pliers wrench, a 4140 skin wedge, Fluke DMM, and a Leatherman everyday, multiple times a day.

 

[tncatadjuster]

Bosch jig saw, Milwaukee 3” cut off. It’s a tie.

 

[Sumboodie]

My purse. Aka a 3lb mini sledge.

 

[tiredoldironworker]

Leatherman Surge been in my front left pocket for about 15 years.

 

[lolaetype]

Do shop manuals count as tools? If so,. . . . .

 

[engineer2]

Is this post supposed to be a joke?

No. Why do you say that?

 

[CGarage]

No. Why do you say that?

Using an impact driver to disassemble tiny electrical devices ???


The revelation that the DeWalt and Makita impact drivers “sound the same”?

All okay upstairs ?

 

[engineer2]

CGarage, What brand/model do you use?

Yes. I use mine all the time for electronics work on the lowest setting and lug nuts on the higher setting.
Very versatile tool I use almost daily!

Use a model with multiple speed settings. It works like a low speed drill, and then as demand increases, it goes into impact mode.

Yes, Makita and DeWalt sound the same. Probably Milwaukee too. I suspect these all have a similar mechanical design.

 

[rust in the eye]

Pocketknife. I couldn't get out of the bedroom without it.

 

[CGarage]

CGarage, What brand/model do you use?

Yes. I use mine all the time for electronics work on the lowest setting and lug nuts on the higher setting.
Very versatile tool I use almost daily!

Use a model with multiple speed settings. It works like a low speed drill, and then as demand increases, it goes into impact mode.

Yes, Makita and DeWalt sound the same. Probably Milwaukee too. I suspect these all have a similar mechanical design.

I have Bosch but I would never consider using an impact driver for tiny and delicate electronics work.

 

[Beerhippie]

Being of an age where I recall a time before man set foot on the moon, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that my computer with internet connection is the one tool I'd have trouble doing without. While I still have a good reference library, I mostly "Just Google It".

 

[Nick Rivers]

A computer.

 

[CGarage]

Being of an age where I recall a time before man set foot on the moon, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that my computer with internet connection is the one tool I'd have trouble doing without. While I still have a good reference library, I mostly "Just Google It".

Plenty of good info that isn’t on Google, but the youngsters no longer want to read.

 

[darkzero]

I would like to say pliers. Never realiized it up until a couple of yrs ago but pliers are my most favorite type of tool, especially as arthritis has started to kick in. But there are so many different types of pliers I will consider that as "vague" for this subject.

So my favorite tool that I would hope to never live without is a lathe.... more than a mill but I need one of those too.

 

[engineer2]

I have Bosch but I would never consider using an impact driver for tiny and delicate electronics work.

I recently used it to completely disassemble my robovac to clean the dust out and lube the motors.

You piqued my curiosity so I just checked, and my impact's slowest speed. It is 142 RPM. Very controllable for delicate work. It also has a mode to prevent stripping screws. Just used it today to open the case on my DVOM so I could change the battery and then put it back together.

A friend has an older brushed Bosch. I'll see how his works on low settings.
I read a review that the Bosch 12V is a good tool for delicate work.

 

[CGarage]

It might work fine for delicate work, but that doesn’t mean you should use it for that.

Electronics, sensitive to impact, shock and vibration, should be coddled. You won’t catch me using an impact driver to disassemble anything that is electronic.

The Bosch 12V line is excellent, I think.

 

[engineer2]

Just to be clear, at low speed and low torque settings, it doesn't go into impact mode, nor do you let it. It is like a low speed screwdriver. You have to have a feel for it too. I've seen some guys blast things apart because they don't have the touch.
Just checked my cordless drill and it's min speed is about 20 RPM, but it weighs several pounds.

 

[MovingAlong]

Closest I could come to naming "a" tool - M12 1/4" Hex Impact Driver.

I've got many saws that all cut wood, many hammers that all drive nails, many sockets/wrenches that all turn nuts & bolts.

But there is only one tool that I drive or remove screws with.

If it ever dies on me someday, there will be no shopping or hesitation in ordering the exact same one. I'm sure all brands of small impacts are wonderful to use. But I'm bought into the Milwaukee battery "ecosystem" now and not looking to expand.