tools

[Chad Fabry]

I have a few tools that I just love. Heavy equipment aside, a few of my favorites:

1) stiletto titanium hammer. Looks like a 28oz. framing hammer but weighs 14oz. The lack of mass has no affect on driving a 16 nail in three licks. It has a really nice nail starter built in the head which makes me effectively 8 feet tall. 80 bucks for the wood handle, 160 bucks for all titanium. Worth every cent.

2) Little Wizard metal detector for finding studs. This is the most fool proof way I've ever found to locate studs, and I use it to clean salvaged lumber before I send it through the planer. 30 bucks

3) Senco 14.4 volt cordless screw gun w/ free cordless rotozip tool. This thing is a screw shooting machine and there's just no faster way to put up drywall. Screws come collated on plastic strips and you can drive them about as fast as you can pull the trigger. I got it for Christmas but it costs about 120 dollars and w/ the free roto zip it's a great value. The only downside is the screw gun is really fun to use and I have to finish about a hundred screws per sheet of drywall as a result.

My intent in this post is I want to know what you folks have and love, in case there's something I have to have that I don't know about.

Inspection, construction, HVAC, plumbing anything that's really nice.

[n/a27]

Chad,

How we're talkin'!! I am a tool nut. That hammer sounds ideal for freeing stuck EGR valves..lol.

I was a remodeler for 12 yrs. before the back gave out and have a lot of tools..am now into woodworking. Of all the cordless drills I have had my fav. is a Porter Cable 9.6v that I bought reconditioned for 50 bucks. I have had the 19.2, have two 14.4's (one is hammerdrill) and this drill, volt for volt, is fantastic. Light weight, runs forever, small and powerful. With it and my PC 14.4v circ. saw, I can do just about anything. I think pneumatic brad and finish nailers are absolute necessities too.

[charlieb]

Well boys,

As long as we are talking toys; I must throw in my vote. Porter Cable is second only to Bosch. Most of the toys I use are PC but I find when I opt for the Bosch there are never any regrets. By far my favorite is a 13.2 volt drill. It has more torque and stamina than any other tool less than 24 volt. The design and balance fit my hand better than any other tool I have found. I have 3 of these, (1) 14.4, in addition to the 24 volt combo kit.

The last research I did on cordless Bosch revealed they had developed an 18 volt drill. It was so tough it could withstand a fall from a roof with no damage. Most are vulnerable to damage at the point the clutch attaches to the body of the drill.

I have also found that the Ryobi, yes Ryobi, BT3000 is a wonderful table saw for field millwork use. It can be quickly set up for small jobs. The out feed, side table and dust collection ability make it a joy to use even indoors.

On a more current note; Porter Cable has a great little screwdriver for all those deadfronts!

Ebay is a great source if your careful. And do you ever wonder why pawn shops have all those new tools but no cases?

Tools are not an addiction[:-eyebrows]