Discussion That One Tool You Never Expected to Love… But Now Can’t Live Without it!

[MThomas]

I've been using this tool for over 60 years. It's very handy for lots of odd, delicate tasks... including the cleaning out of the ol' 'air-intakes' when needed!

 

[rtwpsom2]

Mark I Booger Hook

 

[HughLo]

I work in 2 workshops; one in Colorado and the other in Puerto Vallarta. I don’t have everything duplicated in both, except for most of the inexpensive and highly used tools.

I recently came back to my Colorado workshop and found an item that needs to be upgraded… tweezers. Sure I have a couple that I’ve been using here for a while without too many complaints. Until I got used to the set of tweezers I have in Mexico.

So my add to this thread is a good (and inexpensive) set of tweezers. $8 on Amazon.

 

[AllanKP69]

the other in Puerto Vallarta

If I was in Puerto Vallarta I would be in the bay of Banderas fishing for dorado, marlin, snapper and more and never get any model work done.

One tool I can't live without......my library of reference books. I don't read these books for pleasure like a novel, but I do use them as much or more than any tool in the shop.

Allan

 

[HughLo]

If I was in Puerto Vallarta I would be in the bay of Banderas fishing for dorado, marlin, snapper and more and never get any model work done.

One tool I can't live without......my library of reference books. I don't read these books for pleasure like a novel, but I do use them as much or more than any tool in the shop.

Allan

I generally don't go fishing too often, but when I go, it's more for the social aspect than the fishing part. Although I guarantee you, I catch something EVERYTIME - ok, it is a buzz, but I do catch something.

Another saying that I use a lot... There's only so much beer (or tequila) you can drink in a day/night - and trust me, I've found my limit. I'm at the Malecon or actually in the Bay of Banderas multiple times a day (our condo is only a block away), but when it's your 2nd home, and you're spending multiple months there, you need multiple hobbies.

 

[MThomas]

A cheap screwdriver/drill from Amazon. I use this for drilling tiny holes, like for trunneling, which I'm doing now on a launch. It holds 1/8" bits and smaller, it's easy to hold and I can put my drill bits into the pre-punched hole layouts and 'then' push the button to turn it on. No more drill bits skittering around and missing their intended targets. It's not fast, only about 420rpm, but that seems to work just fine for drilling small holes. I like it much better than a Foredom for what I use it for. No long flex-cable or foot-pedal to deal with. Great little tool if all you want it to do is drill small holes.

 

[Bobby K.]

This needle threader is my best rigging tool , It so easy to use, no stiffing of lines with CA. Its a keeper

Bobby K

 

[RickNoyes]

After following this for a while I've come to the conclusion that "The one tool you can't do without is the one your currently using for the task at hand". Until you stumble across something better. Thanks for the many (low cost and no so low cost) suggestions.

 

[Mwentling]

Japanese Micro-planner, Hozo Digital Caliper (this is a great tool, as it can evenly divide a measurement into any number of parts specified, great for planking), Japanese Micro-chisels (1-4mm), and an Ultrasonic knife (it goes through tabs like butter)

 

[Retribution]

When I started out on my Syren build I wanted to be as accurate as possible in the general construction. I purchased a caliper to help with the accuracy I wanted but also found, more and more, that I was using the scaled readout by switching between fraction inches, decimal inches and mm. I found it helped since the kit was designed in the imperial system and I am used to primarily working in mm. It is a fast way to convert between scales and again it satisfied my need for personal accuracy.

As I progressed with the build I found myself changing out the kit wood to pear and AYC because I preferred working with it rather than the basswood. That meant obtaining billets of the replacement wood, milling, cutting and sanding to various sizes and checking constantly for repeat accuracy. Further build progression saw me scratch build more and more parts, including brass work, and discarding kit supplied wood and fittings. I did that to learn new skills and most importantly because I was enjoying challenging myself. The smaller the replacements became the more I needed and used the caliper. So much so it is beside me on the workbench constantly.

Initially this “tool” was a “nice to have”. Now it has become a necessary “cannot do without”.

(Edit: changed word micrometer to caliper - thanks Phil @Philski )

View attachment 523992

Hi, not wishing to be pedantic. I think, technically it is a “Vernier”.

 

[RickNoyes]

As an old millwright (fitter/turner to those Antipodeans and Poms) and not wishing to be pedantic but the correct term is vernier calliper. I still have an old school version which relied on much better eyesight to read than the modern LCD readout. I might add the LCD versions are a much better option to the aged such as most of us in this forum.
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6740...S5jb20vYmlvZ3JhcGh5L1BpZXJyZS1WZXJuaWVy&ntb=1

 

[Kurt Konrath]

After following this for a while I've come to the conclusion that "The one tool you can't do without is the one your currently using for the task at hand". Until you stumble across something better. Thanks for the many (low cost and no so low cost) suggestions.

My luck seems to be the one tool I can't do without, was the one dropped on the floor and rolled under some benchwork never to be see again, as you didn't know when you last used and dropped it!

 

[rtwpsom2]

As an old millwright (fitter/turner to those Antipodeans and Poms) and not wishing to be pedantic but the correct term is vernier calliper. I still have an old school version which relied on much better eyesight to read than the modern LCD readout. I might add the LCD versions are a much better option to the aged such as most of us in this forum.
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6740...S5jb20vYmlvZ3JhcGh5L1BpZXJyZS1WZXJuaWVy&ntb=1

View attachment 534668

As far as I understand it, the term vernier relates to the printed scale itself on the caliper (6 or 7 in Rick's image). A digital caliper doesn't have the scale thus it wouldn't be as accurate to call it a vernier caliper.

For instance, this is a vernier micrometer:

While this is simply a micrometer:


Though, honestly, English is a very cagey language and typically allows for anything as long as it gets the message across. If you point at some calipers and say, "Hand me the micrometer." People will understand what you mean and that's really the litmus test.

 

[RickNoyes]

Now Im being a little pedantic.

Standard callipers are typically bought in sets of 3, Inside, outside and dividers. They do not generally have any means of measurment themselves and you would use tools such as a rule, inside or outside micrometers or verniers callipers to obtain your measurements by of the gap of the calliper used to size the workpiece. The scale used for both micrometers and vernier calipers was invented by Pierre Vernier and he also invented the callipers themselves. Subsequently Joseph Rogers Brown (born Jan. 26, 1810, Warren, R.I., U.S.—died July 23, 1876, Isles of Shoals, N.H.) was an American inventor and manufacturer who went on and perfected and produced a highly accurate linear dividing engine in 1850, and in the succeeding two years he developed a vernier caliper reading to thousandths of an inch and also applied vernier methods to the protractor. Think Brown and Sharpe tools. (Now called hexigon)

As for micrometers they are similarily named for thier function. I.e. Inside, outside, depth, tube etc. whether they are digital or use a vernier scale.

Encyclopedia Britannica; Pierre Vernier (born August 19, 1584, Ornans, France—died September 14, 1638, Ornans) was a French mathematician and government official who is best remembered for his invention of the vernier caliper, an instrument for making accurate linear measurements.

 

[rtwpsom2]

So this surprised me. I have been relying on these for magnification for the last few years.


The LED lamps gave out in only a couple of months, but the glasses work pretty well overall. It came with 5 lenses for varying magnification but I have only ever used the strongest (3.5X). The biggest problem is that they are extremely heavy on the brow and nose and I can only wear them for a limited time. Ever since I have started needing reading glasses I have wondered if higher magnification reading glasses would be fine for modeling. I finally decided to put them to the test and bought a selection of about $50 worth of reading glasses from Amazon.

The result is they are about 200% better. They are so much lighter and give a much wider field of vision than the little magnifier lens does. My go to pairs have been 2.5X for general modeling and 5X for really intricate work. They were between $6-10 each. Since I have worn glasses my entire life I have no problem wearing them for long periods, so they have just been an all around better solution. BTW the 7.5Xs were funny for their poindexter effect but I don't recommend them for modeling.

 

[CarlosEcheverria]

For me, it’s the vernier caliper. I wasn’t expecting to use it so much, but it quickly became indispensable. I eventually upgraded to a digital one, which makes things even easier..

 

[Y.T.]

I have so many tools I have hard time to remember. And I love them all. Ones I do not like I get rid of. All tool types so far presented by the members I own . Sometimes they are of better quality and value.

 

[Philski]

So this surprised me. I have been relying on these for magnification for the last few years.
View attachment 541521
View attachment 541522
The LED lamps gave out in only a couple of months, but the glasses work pretty well overall. It came with 5 lenses for varying magnification but I have only ever used the strongest (3.5X). The biggest problem is that they are extremely heavy on the brow and nose and I can only wear them for a limited time. Ever since I have started needing reading glasses I have wondered if higher magnification reading glasses would be fine for modeling. I finally decided to put them to the test and bought a selection of about $50 worth of reading glasses from Amazon.
View attachment 541520
The result is they are about 200% better. They are so much lighter and give a much wider field of vision than the little magnifier lens does. My go to pairs have been 2.5X for general modeling and 5X for really intricate work. They were between $6-10 each. Since I have worn glasses my entire life I have no problem wearing them for long periods, so they have just been an all around better solution. BTW the 7.5Xs were funny for their poindexter effect but I don't recommend them for modeling.

I also use a headband magnifier. The version I bought from Amazon uses one or two lens in combination to get strong magnification. Its a full headband version that is adjustable so it doesn't have much in the way of fatigue that the earpiece models have. But still, I only put them on when I really need the magnifucation for very small parts. Otherwise its either my bifocals or readers. I had cataract surgery that returned my nearsightedness to 20/20 but these 79 year-old eyes still need all the help they can get.

 

[Y.T.]

As far as magnifier glass go today I use only OptiVisor and am recommending it to all. All other types I tried did not prove being reliable. I do not drive a nail unless wearing these.

 

[Roger Pellett]

I have an Optivisor and it has never worked for me. I like the idea of the magnifying glasses that Ron posted above. I believe that these are available from Drug Stores but I would like ones with shatterproof glass
Roger