machinist gift ideas?

[LA1Z24]

id like to get my dad something from snap on. hes a life long machinist...aircraft parts and gun parts. snap on does not have a snap on branded dial caliper that i can find. does one exist ? also whats the quality on those snap on feeler gauge that comes in the wood box?

any other ideas appreciated!

jay

 

[larry_g]

A good soft faced hammer. I have this one and use it a lot for seating items in the vise. I also have a couple of the snap-on compocast ones.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Dieselbutterfly]

show him the snap on catalog and see what he likes,then he will get what he wants and needs.it will be used more too.maybe have a jeweler or trophy shop or machinist engrave an inscription on it.he will always think of you when handling it.the engraving would still be a suprise,the tool too ,if your clever about it.tell him you got the catalog for a tool you want,but see what he points out that he likes.in the future the tool would be a real family heirloom

 

[Trucky]

I know you might be set on SO, but please look into the more traditional machining tool companies like Mitutoyo and Starrett. A hint from him would really help out, there's a ton of very useful tools for machining. I think Larry has a great idea in a hammer, and Snappy is known to make great hammers for any purpose so that's always a choice there.

 

[LA1Z24]

thanks for the replys guys. dad lives in florida, and im on long island. we dont see each other much but this year hes coming up for the holidays. since he moved to florida he took a huge pay cut and is barely getting by. so i figured a nice new toy was in order. i will look into some starret and Mat...the japanese name later thus week. i wonder how useful that hammer would be to him. thanks guys any m8re suggestions are welcome!

 

[larry_g]

thanks for the replys guys. dad lives in florida, and im on long island. we dont see each other much but this year hes coming up for the holidays. since he moved to florida he took a huge pay cut and is barely getting by. so i figured a nice new toy was in order. i will look into some starret and Mat...the japanese name later thus week. i wonder how useful that hammer would be to him. thanks guys any m8re suggestions are welcome!

A couple of reasons I suggested that hammer. If your father is a lifelong machinist he has the tools he needs. Those soft faced hammers get used a lot and they do wear out so you can be assured that he will use it and you'll not get something that is not up to his standards.

Have a Merry Christmas

lg
no neat sig line

 

[justanengineer]

I know of very few machinists who dont have an indicator or two that could use some service or repair. Being that youre on Long Island I would contact these folks about getting some of his done up and maybe inquiring about a shop tour as well. Not sure if there is anything to see there, but Ive done a lot of bonding over the years with my Dad on different plant and shop tours.

http://longislandindicator.com/

 

[Trucky]

+2 on Long Island Indicator. They know exactly what they're doing. Check out their page, it's got some great information on it.

 

[Matt018]

If hes a life long machinist, he most likely has all the dial calipers, and feeler gauges he needs. A Snap on soft faced hammer is a good idea, we use dead blows for everything at the machine shop i work at. What machining does he do? Production with CNC or just custom milling?

 

[Gabastone]

Machinists spend a lot of time standing. What about a pair of boots??

Thorogood American Heritage Boots are USA made and really comfortable - everything you need. I got mine on Amazon for around $100.

 

[Nosferatu]

Machinists spend a lot of time standing. What about a pair of boots??

Thorogood American Heritage Boots are USA made and really comfortable - everything you need. I got mine on Amazon for around $100.

+1 on this!

He has all the tools he needs and some Snap-On or other mechanics tool would just be a gimmick to him, most likely.

Getting his current measuring tools recalibrated may actually be of use to him.

 

[Matt018]

+1 on this!

He has all the tools he needs and some Snap-On or other mechanics tool would just be a gimmick to him, most likely.

Getting his current measuring tools recalibrated may actually be of use to him.

Yes, good point, As a machine operator my feet take a beating, Plus you need good steel toes in a machine shop.

 

[Davefr]

id like to get my dad something from snap on. hes a life long machinist...aircraft parts and gun parts. snap on does not have a snap on branded dial caliper that i can find. does one exist ? also whats the quality on those snap on feeler gauge that comes in the wood box?

any other ideas appreciated!

jay

I think a machinist would place more value on Starrett, Mitutoyo and Brown and Sharpe then SO!!

How about a really nice shop coat/apron with his name embroidered on it?

 

[bdamico]

The Machinist with Christian Bale. 76% on rottentomatoes

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/machinist/

 

[Trucky]

Another alternative is the very popular Lixie dead blow hammers. Very versatile and with cheap replaceable faces, what's not to love? Better value than SO IMO. I have one of their sf-2 powerdrive dead blows (metal and rubber face) ($25) and a Lixie 1.5" dead blow with soft and hard rubber ends. Been using them hard for about 5 years now, still on the first set of tips. Made in USA as well.