# What is the most used hand tool in your shop?



## ldl (Dec 4, 2011)

Since my wife bought this for me it has become one of the most used hand tools in my shop.










This is the other most used hand tool in my shop.










It seems lately everything I pickup I drop. By virtue of the floor moving further and further away these tools see almost constant use.

How bout you guys? What's yours?


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

For me, probably a square. Both combo and engineer. If those count.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

Tape measure or pencil! If we were to narrow it down to hand tools with cutters, I'd have to say my block plane.


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

Light switch.


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## AandCstyle (Mar 21, 2012)

tape measure, pencils, clamps, sanding paper and block


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

My glasses.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

#8 jointer, I'd say.


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## doordude (Mar 26, 2010)

tape measure then cheater glasses


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## ldl (Dec 4, 2011)

On a serious note it would be my 8' pocket tape rule. I carry it with me in my pocket everywhere I go except to church. When you think of it what do you do more than most anything else? Measure.


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## bent (May 9, 2008)

combo square, cabinet scraper, and a pencil.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

Tape measure for me.


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## Alongiron (Jan 10, 2011)

Infra micro 1000 table saw miter gauge. Perfect parts everytime!


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

square


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## kizerpea (Dec 2, 2011)

No contest….morning routine come to the woodshop fire up the coffee maker build a fire in winter,turn on the fan in summer…pull my stool up to the table saw open the laptop an sign on to LJS an sip coffee…so i guess coffee cup…or….laptop…..coffee cup would b it yep most used tool…


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## alba (Jul 31, 2010)

Thumb 

jamie


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Hey! I've got one of those "picker-uppers", and you're right about it being a handy device. You can even pick up snakes with it. I know.
Bill


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## KnickKnack (Aug 20, 2008)

The card scraper.


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## jusfine (May 22, 2010)

a little Veritas apron plane


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I don't differ much from other contributors - I'll use an engineer
square quite a lot, things like that.

A few things I really find useful though and wouldn't want to be without:

1. dial caliper (I don't have a digital so I won't say digital isn't better)
2. ice pick. Use it for all sorks of poking, scraping and marking.
3. t-handle ball-end hex wrenches


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## Sylvain (Jul 23, 2011)

without a dedicated shop I would say a broom…


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

My hand. Seriously, those pick-up tools are really handy and take a lot of stress out of my back


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## Oldelm (Jun 11, 2012)

Without a doubt, Swiss army knife. The one with Philips head, a couple of flat blades, small and large knife blades, an awl, scissors, toothpick, and the most used tweezer.


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## greg48 (Nov 7, 2010)

I found a 6" combo flat / half round rasp and file in the $0.99 bin at the local hardware store several years back and it is my constant companion for knocking off nibs, splinters, and light shaping work on tenons, etc. Perhaps I should do a tool review on it.


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## Infernal2 (May 20, 2012)

Square and a pocket knife but I too have one of those "reachy-grabby" tools and it has retrieved many items from behind the "littlest workbench that can't."


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

On a good day, clamps. On a not-so-good day, a hammer… don't ask :]P


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

Layout tools…. A 6" machinist square, 12" combo square, tape measure

Hand tools…. block plane, chisels (mostly for paring), fine tooth pull saw (for quick cuts w/out firing up DC)

Hand held power tools…. A small cordless driver, my 12v cordless drill, 5" ROS


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## tyskkvinna (Mar 23, 2010)

I also use a "picker upper"... it's a magnet on a stick. I love that thing!!


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## TorqNut (Apr 29, 2012)

Tape measure and pencil, followed by the eraser.


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## DanYo (Jun 30, 2007)

pencil, tack hammer, chisels, screw driver, square and glue brush in that order…


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

Probably tape measure followed by hand planes in general.

Outside the shop that magnet you posted is the exact one, and mine is equally as dirty, that I keep and use most often. Recent trip to the junkyard revealed that someone had been playing with my box and the magnet was left out, that meant an unhappy trip to the gravel and glass coated ground. I'm a terrible butter-finger and that thing saves me more crawling then anything else.


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## LepelstatCrafts (Jan 16, 2011)

tape measure, pencil, square, hammer


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## ldl (Dec 4, 2011)

It's interesting how some people use different tools the most and others use the same tools.


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## brianinpa (Mar 16, 2008)

Tape measure followed closely by the square.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

Right now, tissue 'cause I got a kold n runny nodes!


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## DamnYankee (May 21, 2011)

tape measure and pencil


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

Dust pan.


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## knockknock (Jun 13, 2012)

My small bevel up smoother, I use it for shooting and surface planing (it is my only bench-style plane).

I also frequently use a side/batoning chisel for marking, notching for sawing, sharpening my pencil, glue cleanup and chamfering (for shooting end grain).


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## bobsmyuncle (Jan 12, 2011)

I'm almost always with my homemade shop apron. It holds 
- pencils
- 6" ruler/straightedge
- 4" calipers
- 6" engineering square
- utility knife
- tape measure
- multi-tip screwdriver
- chuck key
- eraser
- lots of sawdust

except for the sawdust, that's my most-used tool set

I have a finely-tuned tool tote that I carry to onsite work. I can't imagine how it got to weigh about 50 pounds, since the heaviest thing in there is a 1 lb deadblow hammer.


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## AKSteve (Feb 4, 2012)

7 inch pocket Combo Square. my Favorite tool. and my Pencil of course.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

Used to be a measuring tape, then I went to a 6" and 12" rule and square in MM. And sharp pencils.


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

The past few days it's been my computer, but I'm not sure.. that may be a power tool. I really gotta get back in the shop.. and soon!


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

In order my top 5 "hand tools" are…
#5. #4 hand plane.
#4. Screwdrivers
#3. Digital Caliper
#2. Shop made mallet / adjuster / chisel driver.
#1. Tape measure / pencil.


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

lately an spring loaded center punch has also been very close at hand


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## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

Hmmm… since everything I have been using lately is hand tools, I'm not quite sure… probably my dovetail saw recently, because I've been cutting dovetails and M/T joints (no dedicated tenon saw). Otherwise I'd have to say framing square and marking knife, I suppose. I don't really use a tape measure too many times… I used the tape measure twice for my current project, otherwise everything is marked based on the existing pieces instead of measurements… maybe I'm lazy, maybe I'm not, but it's just a shop fixture


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## EPJartisan (Nov 4, 2009)

like kizerpea… my coffee cup, followed by my pipe as the close second…
Seriously it is my Lie-Nielsen pairing chisels, specifically the 1", 1/2" and 1/8".... I keep them razor sharp everyday and i use them for almost everything woodworking related, and no one else is allowed to touch them, nor do they touch anything but wood.


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## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

I would like to think my brain was the most used tool in my shop, but sometimes I wonder!
The older I get the more I hate making decorative firewood


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## ldl (Dec 4, 2011)

I also have one of the little 4" squares that has replaced my tri-square & framing square for short measurements.


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