Tools of the Decade

[Smudger]

How about Abranet? New this decade and dead good.

 

[Nick Gibbs]

Yes, Abranet has been mentioned, but not as often as you might expect. Some well-known planes are doing well in the survey, as is a brand of pale green and grey power tools! Actually I've been really surprised how wide ranging are the choices people have made, which seems to indicate woodworkers are an interesting, and non-conformist bunch.

I'm glad we didn't offer a list to choose from. This is much more fun!

Keep your ideas coming.

Nick

 

[Ironballs]

Thinking on a bit I think the most useful tool for me in expanding my knowledge and skills as a woodworker is the internet

 

[wizer]

I'll go with Abranet, love that stuff.

 

[wizer]

What about Lithium Ion technology or Impact Drivers?

 

[Nick Gibbs]

Blogs/forums, Abranet and Lithium-Ion have all had a fair few mentions already. I agree with them all. You might say that it's been a pretty revolutionary decade for woodworkers, with some significant leaps forward.

Nick

 

[Doctor]

I can't believe it hasn't been suggested all ready but how about "tools of the decade"----- Ant and Dec

 

[petermillard]

The Domino's been a game-changer for me, as I have zero investment in 'heavy iron' workshop machinery. The Festool 'system' (and particularly dust extraction of hand-held power tools) has changed how I work, and how I undertake the work I do for clients.

Good point about impact drivers - pretty much unheard of ten years ago, now everyone has one - or two!

Anyone else prepared to 'fess up to using Rali handplanes? I know they're not particularly popular here (in the UK, not just this forum lol!) but they've been a real boon for my carpentry/handyman business; TBH I rarely use them (hand planes in general) but I know it's always going to be sharp when I reach for one

If we're thinking laterally here, how about Sketchup or the iPhone? One of my most useful 'tools' is having a portfolio of work available at all times to show potential customers what I've done previously, and it's probably earned me ten times in commissions what it costs in fees. And ten years ago real-time rendering of 3-D models was the domain of high-end PCs running software that was way beyond the reach of ordinary one-man-band outfits. Interesting times!

Cheers, Pete.

 

[Harbo]

My P/T - it opened up a vast range of projects for me especially as I like to use locally sourced sawn hardwoods.

Rod

 

[Boz62]

Two things for me.

1) The first is this forum. Without it I wouldn't have even contemplated going from bodging DIY'er to bodging woodworker. So forums, blogs and online support in general. Although they were around in the nineties they have become so much more widespread this decade.

2) I'd second (third?) small Li-ion drill/drivers. Definitely this decade. I bought the small Metabo 7.2V one a couple of years ago and it was such a step forward. It has been used for much larger jobs than I ever envisaged for such a small device, and it's so much more manageable than full size ones.

Boz

 

[devonwoody]

I haven't had a glue failure in the last 10 years (touch wood) so they must be high on the list of the noughties.

 

[Nick Gibbs]

My P/T - it opened up a vast range of projects for me especially as I like to use locally sourced sawn hardwoods.

Rod

A planer thicknesser may not sound exciting, but I think the use of locally sourced timber is perhaps the most important trend we should be encouraging for the next decade. Our woodlands desperately need a demand for local timber to stimulate management and harvesting.

Technology in glues has certainly improved hugely in the last 10 years, though I never cease to be be surprised that many professionals I meet seem use good old white glue a lot of the time. Perhaps it's the expense.

Nick

 

[Vormulac]

Top of my list would be Kreg pocket hole gear, second would be the EurekaZone cutting system.
In more general terms it would have to be David Charlesworth's DVDs for teaching me how to dimension pieces and use tools properly.

 

[frugal]

Technology in glues has certainly improved hugely in the last 10 years, though I never cease to be be surprised that many professionals I meet seem use good old white glue a lot of the time. Perhaps it's the expense.

Green bottled Evo-Stick was good enough for my dad and it's good enough for me

I keep wondering if I should try Titebond or Polymite, but to be honest I have not had a joint fail (that was not a result of being badly made), so I see no reason to change.

 

[yetloh]

I've got three:

1. Abranet for me too.

2. That set of little brass discs of varying thicknesses that Axminster sell. I bought it to make up the value so as to avoid paying postage (I wonder how much more money Axminster make by people doing that), but it's an absolute boon for accurately setting depth stops.

3. A number of people have mentioned planer thicknessers, but which one? For me the hands down winner is the Moretens H410. OK it's not cheap but as far as I know it is the only one which needs no conversion process to change from planing to thicknessing, so you can change over to planing without losing the thickness setting. That's a huge time and aggravation saver and it is very well built.

Jim

 

[Nick Gibbs]

There have been some steps backwards in the last few years, and one of them is the lack of a planer-thicknesser on which you don't have to move the tables. The Swedish Moretens H410 is rare in that regard, but costs £2430+VAT from Moretens UK (www.moretens.co.uk). I hate having to move the table to change from planing to thicknessing. Instead I use an old Elektra Beckum p-t as a planer, and also have a Delta benchtop thicknesser that can be moved around.

Does anyone have a better solution?

Nick

 

[MikeG.]

There seems to be a trend in this thread to only submit tools which are new to the market in the last 10 years.........and that isn't what I understand to be what Nick asked.

We've been asking readers which is the best bit of new kit (tools or machines) they've bought in the 'Noughties so that we can make a Reader Award of the Tools of the Decade.

My reading of that is "which is the best non-second-hand tool that you have bought in the first decade of the millenium?" not "which tool brought to market for the first time in the last 9 years would be your favourite?"

If the latter, then the whole survey just becomes a fashion thing ("what is the best of the current trends in tools?") rather than a practical survey of what people find most useful.

Mike

 

[Nick Gibbs]

Actually, I was after a bit of both. Initially my plan was to find new tools and developments, in a fashionista way, but readers have interpreted my request both ways (old and new) and we've come away with some really interesting suggestions as a result. The result may end up being a bit of a mix, but I think it will prove to be more interesting for it.

I'm very glad we didn't just make a list of the top five new tools/items and ask people to vote on those.

Cheers

Nick

 

[LocalOak]

My most useful tool is my Makita 14.4V cordless drill. I've been wracking my brains for something more exciting but this is in my hand more than any other and is huge improvement over the corded versions I've used before. Bought one with three NiMH batteries about 3 years ago and carefully rotate them, all going strong still.

I'm pretty new to woodworking, 3 years or so, and like most of my tools (including my fantastic LV LAJ) but its the drill that is involved in almost everything I do so my vote is for generic good quality cordless drill/drivers

Toby

 

[wizer]

Oh, well in that case. The best tools I've bought in the last ten years are er all of them. As I've only been doing this for 5 :lol:

But my faves are:

Jet JPT260 (The absolute best P/T in it's class)
Bosch GTS 10 SCMS (A very good saw which is used a lot in my workshop for rough cuts)
Veritas LAS (Great entry level smoothing plane, will tidy up the cockiest of woods and will also shoot end grain whilst sniggering to iteself).
Brian Boggs Spokeshaves (It's like PC & Mac, some people like the LV Spokes, these are the dogs danglies IMHO)
EZ Smart Track system with Hitachi C7BU2 braked circular saw (Love this thing, it's a joy to use with perfect results when knocking down sheet stock. Absolutely zero chip our on melamine and veneer.)
Scary Sharp with Veritas MKII honing guide. (Very new to my workshop, but impressive results on a shoe string)

EDIT: I guess I should really sum up how much I appreciate those tools by saying that I'd never sell them. :lol: