# What is your favorite hand tool?



## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

Thought I'd start a fun post and would love to see your favorite hand tool(s) in your shop. 



A couple of years ago, the only hand tool ever used on a regular basis in my shop was a hammer. Only owned a single block plane, 3 chisels, hammer, and a rubber mallet. I've enjoyed switching over to almost exclusively using hand tools and collecting them. Although I love chisels and they come in a close second, my favorites have to be planes. Especially the Bailey 4 1/2 because it has a nice weight and feels great in big hands. It's the one in the middle.


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## Snowball (Jul 26, 2017)

I have to say my rafter square even though I don't do anything at all with roofing or rafters.


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## AmishElectricCo (Jan 3, 2018)

My Veritas router plane. It has a variety of functions and has amazing precision. Definitely a joy to use!


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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

Snowball said:


> I have to say my rafter square even though I don't do anything at all with roofing or rafters.


Hadn't thought about a rafting square as a hand tool; but sure, use your hands and no motor. Fair game! :grin:


AmishElectricCo said:


> My Veritas router plane. It has a variety of functions and has amazing precision. Definitely a joy to use!


Wow! That is nice. If I had a router plane that nice, it might have been my choice.


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## Catpower (Jan 11, 2016)

All my tools are hand tools, even though they are motorized. You still have to have hands to turn them on and off, to push wood through or pull tool through wood, so they are all hand tools to me LOL


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

Starrett combination square.


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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

Catpower said:


> All my tools are hand tools, even though they are motorized. You still have to have hands to turn them on and off, to push wood through or pull tool through wood, so they are all hand tools to me LOL


Haha. Going with the commonly used meaning of the term, not yours. :vs_laugh:


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## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

Knife of any sort. 


-T


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)




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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

WeebyWoodWorker said:


> Knife of any sort.
> 
> 
> -T


Oh man, I know right. I didn't even think about knives or may have shared that instead of the planes. Have to admit I got it because Paul Sellers used it, but glad I did cause the Stanley 10-049 is a great inexpensive knife. 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=COfAm5vsqN0CFQrIwAodyIsOHQ



Maylar said:


>


No power cords allowed, but I want one. LOL


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)

I was going to post a photo of my modest hand plane collection too, nearly identical to yours other than my smoother being a Footprint with a corrugated sole. They rate as my favorite tools in that I love to fondle them and I smile when I use them. And the Bailey's were bought new by my dad or his dad.

But if I think of most often used or most important to have it'd be my folding Swiss Army knife, followed by a Stanley tape measure, a 12" combination square and my favorite #2 Philips screw driver.


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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

Maylar said:


> I was going to post a photo of my modest hand plane collection too, nearly identical to yours other than my smoother being a Footprint with a corrugated sole. They rate as my favorite tools in that I love to fondle them and I smile when I use them. And the Bailey's were bought new by my dad or his dad.
> 
> But if I think of most often used or most important to have it'd be my folding Swiss Army knife, followed by a Stanley tape measure, a 12" combination square and my favorite #2 Philips screw driver.


Love to see pics so post away. Got a few more planes, but had this picture handy cause I took it to show a friend the different sizes. How do you like your Footprint plane? I've seen them online, but haven't seen one in person. Here's a pic of my favorite square I got "free" cause it was covered in rust and thrown into a batch purchase. Restored it and hope you like it. Old Lufkin 9".


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## davemd1820 (Aug 20, 2017)

The one that plugs in.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

I don't play favorites in my shop, if it does the job that is the tool I use.


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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

Okay, y'all win. Will a mod please delete this thread. Thought it would be a fun thread for those who like hand tools, but has turned into something else.


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)

Don't get your knickers in a knot... we're having fun too.

These babies rank high on my list. The #5 and #6C are Baileys, inherited from my dad. The jointer is a Millers Falls 22 and the smoother is a Footprint. Those I've had for over 20 years and were used by a contractor friend back in the 60's. Footprint gets a bad rap as being a cheap Sears tool, but mine was made in England and it does a superb job.


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## Catpower (Jan 11, 2016)

Maylar said:


> Don't get your knickers in a knot... we're having fun too.
> 
> These babies rank high on my list. The #5 and #6C are Baileys, inherited from my dad. The jointer is a Millers Falls 22 and the smoother is a Footprint. Those I've had for over 20 years and were used by a contractor friend back in the 60's. Footprint gets a bad rap as being a cheap Sears tool, but mine was made in England and it does a superb job.





Nice looking set of planes you have there


One thing that drives me nuts, is our shop teacher used to grille us on laying a plane on it's side when setting it on the table or you could cause damage to the plane


I guess he was right, but nobody does it.....................except me, but I haven't had a hand plane in my hands for 50 years LOL


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## P89DC (Sep 25, 2017)

My favorite hand tool is my workbench. Before I bought it all my hand tools were nearly useless to me. Once I had it the world of hand tools really opened up to me. I debated buying this bench or a table saw and 20 years later I still don't own a dedicated table saw.


Not a great picture but you get the idea:


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

Catpower said:


> Nice looking set of planes you have there. One thing that drives me nuts, is our shop teacher used to grille us on laying a plane on it's side when setting it on the table or you could cause damage to the plane. I guess he was right, but nobody does it.....................except me, but I haven't had a hand plane in my hands for 50 years LOL


If you look at the photo, all of the hand planes are resting on a wood surface, which is acceptable.

There are multiple schools of thought regarding how to rest hand planes. Like you, I put mine on their sides, but people do not always agree that this is the correct thing to do.

Some people argue that resting the hand plane on its side may change the angle of the blade, from gravity and slippage. When you pick it up again, it may not plane the same way as when you rested it. They argue that you should rest the plane blade down on a sacrificial piece of wood.

I am in the "rest hand planes on their sides" camp. I feel that if the hand plane is set up correctly, the blade should not move if you gently rest the plane on its side. All bets are off if you bang the plane around. 

I always retract the blade when I am done with using the hand plane. Blades are supposed to be sharp!


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## Catpower (Jan 11, 2016)

He got testy about it even on wood, but I think he was just doing that to keep out 12 year old brains on the right track all the time


It was about the time when young brains become useless because of puberty LOL


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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

P89DC said:


> My favorite hand tool is my workbench. Before I bought it all my hand tools were nearly useless to me. Once I had it the world of hand tools really opened up to me. I debated buying this bench or a table saw and 20 years later I still don't own a dedicated table saw.
> 
> 
> Not a great picture but you get the idea:


Very nice bench. A heavy, rigid bench makes using hand tools a lot more fun.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Catpower said:


> Nice looking set of planes you have there
> 
> 
> One thing that drives me nuts, is our shop teacher used to grille us on laying a plane on it's side when setting it on the table or you could cause damage to the plane
> ...


It was obviously a set up for a photo shot, how many photos of planes do you see laying on their sides?


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## Catpower (Jan 11, 2016)

FrankC said:


> It was obviously a set up for a photo shot, how many photos of planes do you see laying on their sides?


 Really very seldom, that is why I brought it up, guess Mr Anderson was the only one who didn't like it and I did it because I believed him


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## Saw Dust Rules (Jul 21, 2018)

*My Choice...*

Interesting question. I assume you are referring to hand tools and not corded power tools. That narrows down the list. There are so many great choices from planes to chisels to measuring and marking tools... so not to offend any of the shop tools I'm going with the one hand tool that works great in or out of the shop, hot or cold weather and all year round... It's the zip up beer cozy from Barbados with a James Boag's beer inside! See photo. And it works great in either the left or right hand!

P.S. Use power tools responsibility.


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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

Saw Dust Rules said:


> Interesting question. I assume you are referring to hand tools and not corded power tools. That narrows down the list. There are so many great choices from planes to chisels to measuring and marking tools... so not to offend any of the shop tools I'm going with the one hand tool that works great in or out of the shop, hot or cold weather and all year round... It's the zip up beer cozy from Barbados with a James Boag's beer inside! See photo. And it works great in either the left or right hand!
> 
> P.S. Use power tools responsibility.


:vs_laugh::vs_laugh::vs_laugh::vs_OMG::vs_OMG::vs_OMG::laugh2::laugh2::laugh2: Now that's a hand tool!


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Catpower said:


> Really very seldom, that is why I brought it up, guess Mr Anderson was the only one who didn't like it and I did it because I believed him


Think you missed the point, stand them up for photos, lay them on the side when not using them.


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)

FrankC said:


> It was obviously a set up for a photo shot, how many photos of planes do you see laying on their sides?


Photo shot, correct. My planes live on a shelf with a thin Styrofoam sheet under them when not in use. I don't retract the blades.

I was taught to lay them on their sides too, and would never have them upright on a metal surface.

The 6C was my grandfather's and could well be 100 years in my family. I think dad would be proud that I still use them.










A recent need arose to shave a door in my house that was sticking from swelling in the humid summer air. Could have broke out a sander but that would've made a mess of dust that'd need a vacuum. A few strokes with the smoother and job done. Swept up shavings with a dustpan and broom.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

I built some simplistic furniture over the years. Mostly benches and desks with power tools. 
Time seemed to be of the essence. I'm still content with the results.

I've been doing wood carving for quite a while, moreso since I retired 12 years ago.
Pretty much all carving in the round and mostly western red cedar, some yellow and some birch.
I'm sure that you all know what mallets and gouges look like, I have a good selection of those.

Maybe 5? years ago, I began to explore the carving tools common and popular among the Pacific Northwest 
First Nations carving community. True, you can make your own blades from older truck leaf spring.
Youcan start with various brands of farrier's hoof knives and make up your own crooked knives. 
I have done a couple dozen of those. They are all a quiet pleasure to use.

My favorite, at an earlier coarser rough out stage, has to be a D-adze.
Coarse and fine chopping, surface texturing and I can turn it around to shave surfaces.
This is a Kestrel blade. All up, about 14 oz on my handle, you strike at your heart rate, no faster.


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## damnfool woodworks (Mar 18, 2018)

*Router*

My favorite tool would be a router plane. I just got my Walke Moore 2500 last night after years of waiting. I told my wife "this is the last tool I need to buy". We'll see how long that last.


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## smitty10101 (Apr 1, 2017)

Hammer(s) I use it on everything--left handed & right handed---er---thumbs to be correct.

If it don't fit get a bigger hammer----always enjoyed that truism


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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

damnfool woodworks said:


> My favorite tool would be a router plane. I just got my Walke Moore 2500 last night after years of waiting. I told my wife "this is the last tool I need to buy". We'll see how long that last.


Didn't know about Walke Moores. Really like their design. Love router planes, but only have my home made poor man's plane. Guess you could say it's kinda like a poor man's Walke Moore. lol 



smitty10101 said:


> Hammer(s) I use it on everything--left handed & right handed---er---thumbs to be correct.
> 
> If it don't fit get a bigger hammer----always enjoyed that truism


LOL. Do like a good hammer. Would like it a lot more if it would stop hitting my thumbs.


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## AmishElectricCo (Jan 3, 2018)

RE: Hand planes

I'll defer to Paul Sellers on this debate. In one of his videos, he gives a bit of a scolding lecture. Paul never puts his planes down on their sides, and there were a lot of comments about it being "wrong."

According to Paul, laying planes on their sides came from school-taught courses. Kids would roughly set the plane down or drop them on metal surfaces, so they started being taught to lay planes on their sides to preserve the blade. We are not children - we are craftsmen, and adults. We're not going to treat our tools improperly, so there's no point in laying planes on their sides. 

That said, this reminds me of a debate Freemasons have about wearing their ring: points in or points out. It literally makes no difference, but gives us something to argue about on the internet.


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## P89DC (Sep 25, 2017)

AmishElectricCo said:


> ...It literally makes no difference, but gives us something to argue about on the internet.


It's too bad the thread got hijacked for such a petty dispute. Could have been a good one....


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## JohnTC (Mar 1, 2018)

P89DC said:


> It's too bad the thread got hijacked for such a petty dispute. Could have been a good one....


I don't mind too much. Think this is the most activity any of my posts have gotten. :vs_laugh:


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## Packard (Jul 27, 2018)

By usage, my hammer. It also makes a dandy weapon.

Years ago, a young and attractive woman I knew had a risky practice of running alone when she got home from work. Depending upon the season that meant she was running at dusk or in the dark. 

She used to run carrying "heavy hands". http://www.weightedhands.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Media-publishing-banner.jpg

I made her a pair of my custom "heavy hands". I started with a pair of light claw hammers (probably 12 ounce, I don't recall exactly). 

I drilled a hole across the base of each handle and added a leather shoelace wrist strap. 

She carried these on her runs. 

Unlike other weapons, these required no training. Everyone knows how to use a hammer. It has a long reach (longer than a knife) and with one in each hand they come at you in two directions. 

I don't know how well they would have worked. No one ever attacked her. Perhaps because she carried two claw hammers.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Bikers used hammers*

Back in the day, bikers usually "club members" carried a ball peen hammer, a padlock on a chain or cable and a bunch of ball bearings which could be thrown over their shoulder to ward off a tailgater or other threat.
Hammers are not illegal to carry and can be an effective weapon.

As far as a favorite single handtool, I find that impossible to select. 

Crank angle chisel
60 1/2 block plane

A Vaughn pull saw

Tri-square for measuring and layout

Speed square for construction layout and cross cut saw guide

Sand devil sanding block:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milescraft-3-in-x-21-in-SandDevil3-0-Hand-Sander-with-80-Grit-Sandpaper-Belt-1605/300534191?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CBase%7CD25T%7C25-7_POWER+TOOL+ACCESSORIES%7CNA%7CPLA%7c71700000034127227%7c58700003933021549%7c92700031755124871&gclid=CjwKCAjwo_HdBRBjEiwAiPPXpMrZ3Hcyqj7epLc_lz5Qy4ZG-PqyE_wMw0bS6ew37psgRF7YtxGHQxoCxxIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CIPo8Jjd-d0CFUStTwod9FME8w


Nail Claw:
https://www.zoro.com/dewalt-claw-ba...R7KJdY5VjLTbe4VtehNmhSw6BF0YAFTxoCFHgQAvD_BwE


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## Lidor Amrani (Nov 12, 2018)

No favorite in here.

If it does the job - i love it.


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