Show Us Your Favorite Tool

"Only Vespas..." (64allstate) 07/01/2020 at 16:41 • Filed to: None

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Just a flathead screwdriver with a wooden handle. It makes me smile every time I use it. If you look at the collar just below the end of the blade shaft there’s a melty spot. The tip used to have one as well, but I ground it flat again.

Kids learn things the hard way. With my dad out of town on business and a summer thunderstorm somehow knocking out our house power, I went to the main fuse box on the back of the house. I didn’t know anything about electricity, but knew that occasionally the big cartridge fuses in this box would blow when lightning hit down the line. There had been plenty of that this particular afternoon. So with this screwdriver in my hand, and the box was about chin level, I unsuccessfully tried to pried the fuse out. No joy. So I gave it a little more push and touched the side of the box….An explosion of sparks. Me flying backward into the wet grass. I all happened so fast I didn’t even have time to be scared, just bounce up and have that sinking feeling that one gets when you know that could have been it. When my mother asked about me through the patio door she got a squeaky “I’m fine.” When I picked up this driver from the flower bed it was still smoking. When the Oppotorium opens in 2030, perhaps we can put this in the Auto Darwinism Hall of Fame.

E90M3 > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 16:49

2

I have a flat head screw diver that I found in a junkyard someone named Jeff . Well, I assumed they named it Jeff otherwise why would Jeff be engraved in it. Anyways, that, for some reason, is my favorite tool.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 16:53

2

I got a couple pairs of knipex pliers couple months ago and have been using them all the time. Box Wrench still best for breaking rusted nut  loose, but I love not having to look for the correct size wrench.

MonkeePuzzle > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 16:54

1

could we get a NSFW title or something, coz...

my fave tool

facw > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 16:54

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Not, mine (and actually my parents just sold it, as they are moving to an apartment), but they had a massive straight-ended metal pry-bar thing. Probably 48" long, and an inch thick, and quite heavy. Great for anything that needed to be ended.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 16:56

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NSFW was outlawed here I thought?

sony1492 > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 16:56

1

just-a-scratch > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 16:56

4

It’s really not glamorous or storied. The utility knife on key chain is just so darn convenient and useful. They’re cheap and if I have to go through security, I just hand over the blade/toss it in the trash, to be easily replaced later. Meanwhile I always have a sharp knife that is hardly any bigger than my car key.

Future next gen S2000 owner > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 16:58

3

I have an axe. It’s particularly special or unique but man, it is amazing chopping your own damn wood for a fire. A drink and a cigarette at a campfire you made from tree to heat is so damn good.

On the plus side, if it doesn’t get a job done I can just point it at someone and they get said job done. It’s a miracle tool.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 17:00

2

wallet.jpg

I don’t know how to do shit with my hands. Have neither the time nor patience to learn. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > just-a-scratch 07/01/2020 at 17:02

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Fantastic - just bought two!

TheRealBicycleBuck > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 17:04

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I loved the antique plane that I inherited from my mom. I took it apart to clean it up a bit and one of the frog screws broke off in the sole. As I searched for more information about it and learned more about planes in general, I discovered that at the time it was new, it was the equivalent of a Harbor Freight tool. No wonder it has problems. Now I’m just torn. What once was a favorite has now lost my favor.

lone_liberal > just-a-scratch 07/01/2020 at 17:05

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I have some thing similar, but it’s a folding miniature utility knife. I use that more than any tool I own. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/01/2020 at 17:07

2

Can still be a favored possession sitting on a shelf. =)

Only Vespas... > just-a-scratch 07/01/2020 at 17:08

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That’s cool! Weightless and flat.

Only Vespas... > Future next gen S2000 owner 07/01/2020 at 17:09

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Hand ax, or big ass ax?

Only Vespas... > MonkeePuzzle 07/01/2020 at 17:11

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Nice!  The classics never get old...

Only Vespas... > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/01/2020 at 17:12

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It’s pretty handsome, and it has a history.  Who cares where it comes from?

Only Vespas... > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 07/01/2020 at 17:14

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Only family oriented posts: Madame Thumb and her four daughters.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 17:14

3

Sonofabitch got me again.......

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 17:15

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I sadly don’t have many tools. A simple socket set, but I like it a lot. Black powder coated, toggle for L/R (labeled).

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 17:15

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I sadly don’t have many tools. A simple socket set, but I like it a lot. Black powder coated, toggle for L/R (labeled).

TheRealBicycleBuck > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 17:16

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It’s not so much about where it comes from, it’s that it was an inexpensive tool that is now broken and may not be repairable.

TheRealBicycleBuck > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/01/2020 at 17:18

1

At this point, that’s all it can be. If I can figure out how to get the screw out without ruining the sole, I might be able to put it back to work. I’ve already tried dremeling a slot into the screw. The next step will be to try to drill it out without ruining the threads. I may have to go big, then insert a helicoil.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/01/2020 at 17:23

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Does it work very well, when it’s working?

Future next gen S2000 owner > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 17:23

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Normal ax.... hand axe, 36" I think. 6-8 lbs or so.

Only Vespas... > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 07/01/2020 at 17:27

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Expo 86?   Is that the New Orleans World’s Fair?

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 17:29

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No! BC World’s Fair!

It transformed our city and my parents went there after their wedding the same year.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 07/01/2020 at 17:46

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LOL

Only Vespas... > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 07/01/2020 at 17:47

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I did not know about the BCWF! Other than the geodesic dome what else did they have? Syrup themed rides?  

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 17:50

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They built our rapid transit system which is now the longest in the world. Elevated highways, a gondola, a....floating mcdonalds....

Only Vespas... > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 07/01/2020 at 17:58

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Wow.  One could gondola up and get a McFish!

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 18:00

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The floating Mcdonalds is still floating around here somewhere. Unused since 1986, it just has sat in a river nearby...

just-a-scratch > just-a-scratch 07/01/2020 at 18:03

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If anyone  is interested in getting one:

https://screwpoptool.com/screwpop-rons-utility-knife-2

Brickman > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 18:04

1

Hook and pick set is my #1 tool.

Use it to clean small parts and crevices , remove tiny bits of stuck gaskets, remove snap rings, open packages, release lock tabs on wiring harnesses, retrieve small parts and so much more. . I once dropped a socket between a radiator and used the hook one to grab the edge of the socket and pull it up. Also use the hook one to fish wiring.

TheRealBicycleBuck > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/01/2020 at 18:05

1

It does a decent job. The shavings in the pic I posted were from that plane. I’m learning more about planes and I’ve discovered that this particular plane tends to fall out of adjustment and can be difficult to set up in the first place. It’s not a great tool for someone learning the basics (like me). Larger planes use a cast iron “frog” to hold the blade. The mounting surfaces on cheap planes aren’t big and may not be machined well. That makes it difficult to adjust the frog, which makes it difficult to adjust the blade.

On my plane, one of the two screws that holds the frog in place broke off just above the top of the hole in the sole. That means the frog can move around as the tool is being used and that leads to uneven cuts.

It’s going to be tough to get the screw out without causing more damage. The plane is only worth about $30 right now. It was in my mom’s stuff and I think it might have been my grandfather’s but I don’t really know for sure. None of my grandfathers were woodworkers, so this might be one of theirs, but it might not. I don’t have any memories of it when I was young.  

Only Vespas... > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 07/01/2020 at 19:11

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Opposaurium on water!  

gettingoldercarguy > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 19:11

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Boxer_4 > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 19:20

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It’s hard to pick a favorite - I like very many of them. I will choose two though:

First: this Jawco 3/8" drive spinner handle. I love the stubby square drive end as it makes it easy to build your own nut driver to the size you need. Also, it’s supposedly from Reading, PA, which is local-ish.

Second: this ridiculously long screw driver. It was left behind from the service technician who replaced the motherboard of my company provided workstation.  That’s a AA battery for scale.  

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/01/2020 at 19:53

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Yeah, I’d  give it a few more minutes/dollars, and then hang it up.

Only Vespas... > Boxer_4 07/01/2020 at 21:36

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Beauty! I have a similar Phillips that can reach New  J ersey from here.  Oddly, I use it more often than one might expect.

Urambo Tauro > Only Vespas... 07/01/2020 at 23:35

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First thing that comes to mind is my test lamp. I removed the lame alligator clip and soldered the wire to a small pair of locking pliers. Much easier to grab a good ground point with!

pip bip - choose Corrour > Only Vespas... 07/02/2020 at 07:12

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i don’t want the ban hammer to come down on me

;)

Only Vespas... > Urambo Tauro 07/02/2020 at 10:01

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That’s a sweet hack!  I’m going to run with your idea only smaller...

Urambo Tauro > Only Vespas... 07/02/2020 at 18:46

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Yeah I think slightly s maller would be better.. . When I decided to do that modification, the c heapest small pliers I was able to find locally at the time was about $4 for a 5-inch one . If I had to do it over again, I’d look for a needle-nose version.

Jayvincent > Only Vespas... 07/05/2020 at 20:09

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Pretty sure I have that screw driver’s cousin in my toolbox... those square crimp indents on the ferrule are unique and my handle is exactly the same color these days...