Tools you bought, but realized later you didn’t need?
I’m thinking along the lines of “Gee, those Veritas® Bar Gauge Heads sure look nifty. They are only $14.50. I want them.” Later you realize your fingers will work quite nicely. Or the Veritas ruler stop. Guess what, a combination square does the same thing. BTW: I really like the design and construction of several Lee Valley / Veritas tools. They are useful art.
I’m not thinking of poorly designed or poor quality tools. Just the tools you didn’t need. What have you bought that you later realized wasn’t needed?
Replies
the unneeded tool
Actually, I can't think of anything. But, I usually do a lot of mental self-wrestling before I buy.
Christopher,
"Later you
Christopher,
"Later you realize your fingers will work quite nicely" in relation ship to bar guages. Don't quite follow. How do you lock down yours down and leave them in a locked position?
thanks
BB
Here is how I do it.
Keeping the pieces of wood parallel...
1) Extend them so that the ends are tight to the corners of one diagonal.
2) Pinch them together using my thumb on one side and index and forefinger on the other
3) Lift up so that the sticks are free of the workpiece
4) Rotate them and attempt to place them in the other diagonal.
They should slide in with the same force required to lift them from the workpiece.
If this doesn't work for you, take some flat jawed vice grips and use them instead of your fingers to squeeze the pieces together. This is a more reliable method than using your fingers because the pieces will be less prone to slip lengthwise or become skewed..
"How do you lock down yours down and leave them in a locked position?" I only need to keep them in the locked position until I check the other diagonal.
Christopher,
Thanks for your take on them.
Been using them for years. My preferences for accurate sizing has always been locked sticks as first option.
In my mind, sticks are more accurate than tape -- period.
My experiences started with nailed wall length on site story boards in cabinet work then in the late 70's I used to use some thumbs screws/tapped boxes I made and then later and sometimes even now, on a out of range piece, two (or more) of the very large document spring clips (the black kind with fold over handles) you can get at office supply places. You can get similar thumb/boxes at loom/quilt supply places. Those clamps and the grips always got in the way when I was moving quickly and going back and forth "squaring". A single grip wasn't reliable enough and occasionally the sticks would "hinge" on me. I was always looking for something better.
Then I got 4 sets of the LVs when they first came out long time back (maybe early mid 80s) and made up overlapping Q/S 1/4" Oak in lengths from inside a drawer at minimum ext. 12", to large carcass at maximum ext. 66". I can check an inside square at 66" to minus 1/ 16th. Two pieces of hardware for lateral stability. No "hingeing". I use them all the time. For diagonals and parallels. Diagonal leg assembly, etc. The sticks are sharply beveled on opposite sides opposing for good pinpoint placement. I didn't know about the pins for outside measuring that they have now but I wouldn't use that aspect of them. Didn't know they were up to $14 + but vise grips cost just about the same for a single grip so that might be a wash there. Got tired of loosing good milled sticks and these are always ready on the wall. Used and abused and the accuracy can never change.
For me they are a well thought out product and it's something I would recommend without hesitation. I consider them as much of a tool as my smoothers or chisels. Different strokes.
Have to agree with the ruler stop. Not that it's bad but I would never use it enough to warrant such a specialized little unit. tape works ok
I do regret a Porter-Cable Detail sander/kit. Doo doo. Too fast, no real control and outrageous cost of replacement sanding paper. Little custom wood blocks and a brew work better. I use the round shape of the bottle for curved surfaces, and if it wasn't curved before -- well it was a design change.
Then there's that P-C power drywall sander on a stick. You know what you can do with the stick...
For years I regret buying the Tormek. An early one but now...
lets just say we share space, are non aggressive and speak rarely.
There might be a few others. Much like Ralph... lot of mental self-wrestling first.
Regards
BB
Interesting discussion.
My opinion, perhaps because of the way I was trained, has always been exactly the opposite, tapes first, all else second.
You can't glance at a set of sticks and see if it's slipped, but everyone has the same marks on their tapes, and the marks don't slip.
"Cutting an inch / foot" was one of the first things I learned, and I still use it.
Jammer,
I agree with the tape for actual numerical measuring but the tab (and the tape case) always interferes with the accuracy for inside diagonals and there are many times when I can't read an outside diagonal. The cases themselves are not consistent, for example, my Starretts are an exact number of inches from the "read" point to the back of the case but the Stanley's vary in both directions. Always trying to back judge the case distance or play with parallax on the tape itself doesn't give me a sense of accurately rating the diagonal. In addition, for me, tapes are a little loopy (they bow) on anything beyond 30 inches. Also, I don't know about others but I have a little trouble reading the tape when I have it stretched out 60+ inches in both directions and I'm in the middle. :)
As to actual measurement of materials, once I learned how to adjust the tape tab so it read the same on both push and hook I was happier but I still tend to measure from the 1" mark rather than the tab. For measuring materials, I use a tape but only sticks when dealing with assemblies and for repetitive stock cuts when not using stops. In judging parallelism, the tape either floats or buckles if it meets a variance whereas the sticks are a simple go-no go.
of course I have been known to use string and the technique for that.......
BB
Good point
"Got tired of loosing good milled sticks and these are always ready on the wall. Used and abused and the accuracy can never change." This is an excellent point which I hadn't considered. Hmm... I think I'll drag them out of the drawer and give
themme a second chance.My List
My list consist almost exclusively of tools I forgot I had, mainly Tormek guides, and disposable tools like hacksaws, pliers and screwdrivers.
Very good point
If a tool is squirreled away, I sometimes forget I have it. This is the worst... You spend money, don't use it and it takes up space.
This is another good reason for me to do a semi-annual shop clean out and review of my storage systems. The older I get the more I need to stay organized in order to be efficient.
The older I get..
The older I get the more I need to stay organized in order to be efficient. The older I GET I THINK I NEED A NEW WOMAN! But I see some and never like my lady so I just pass buy.. Not that she was not worth looking forward.. My wife put up with all of my faults. Hardly any woman would do that. I WAS NEVER a hurtfull man to her.. Ever.. Just a stupid man with no class for a lady!
I never thought of her as a tool!
I have given away some very expensive tools I hardly ever used. None were not useable tools... I thought a nice tool should be used by those that thought they wanted at the time.. Maybe they were sold to others for money, for profit???
All I can say is I tried to be a nice guy,, Guess who gets killed on a CHICAGO STREET TRYING TO BE FRIENDS WITH THEIR ATTACKER? Me?
finding stuff
Yep, that's my big challenge, as well. Although I've labeled drawers and cabinets, it's the odd little things that get put away in some nook or crannie that I often forget about. Then, its the old "I think I have one of those, but where would I have put it?" sort of exercise. When my father died in 2006, and I inherited all of his tools, the problem became much worse. ;-)
and disposable tools like hacksaws,
I wonder! A hacksaw is a tool that is littled used unless you need it.. Sort of like a wine cork remover and you never drink wine.. And then a woman comes along that loves wine!
Guess what, a combination square does the same thing.
Could I say that the new ones we common folks get at a small price are crap! The scales seem OK (from old stamps or from old roller dies... The 45 degre angle is always off a bit when you tighten the clamp knob, AND the clamping mechanism only works if you have the grip of a 22 year old jungle male gorilla?
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