I have never thought about a favorite tool until this thread. I guess I would have to say that the one that gets the current job done, is my favorite tool. (at the moment at least) There is that old Estwing 20oz. straight claw framing hammer, made my living for a few years...
Whatever hammer I have in my hand, be it a Snap-On body hammer or Estwing framing hammer, they have helped me make money. Bob
Ok someone is going to tell me what some of these abbreviations lol what does bump to the top mean? Also Ttt I'm kind if new here so the letter terminology is new to me, thanks hotrod harry Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app HotRod Harry
Bump to the top brings the thread back to the top of the thread page. Something people do to keep it from getting lost in the 100 billion pages of threads here. Ttt = to the top, same thing. Favorite tool would have to be the blue wrench. The oxy-acetylene torch to the rest of the world. With a nod to the humble screwdriver/pry bar/chisel/light hammer/ back scratcher/ poker.
I have a similar model, but I have the deluxe version, mine is also for left and right use. Being serious, the rachet box wrench set gets used a lot and the light that fits on your head is very handy for me.
My 3/8 Snap On racket that turns into a speed wrench, 3/8 speed wrench and 1/2 speed wrench. I find I don't over tighten gaskets much easier using a speed wrench over a racket. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Mine is a old Craftsman 1/2-9/16 offset boxend wrench that was my Dad's. Seems like that was the tool I remember him using most of the time when I was a kid. Wouldn't take a truck load of snap ons for it!
My j.h. Williams long handle fine toothed 1/2 drive ratchet. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Oh good, they did make more than one, Love mine. I wonder why no other companies jumped on the fine tooth bandwagon every time I use it. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Favorite tool ? That's easy - it's the HAMBer that is always there to to suggest a solution I hadn't thought of before.
I've never seen a double ended adjustable wrench like The37kid posted.; very odd! I used to have a left hand threaded adjustable wrench; I got so tired of trying to adjust it the "wrong" way when using it, I gave it to a left handed friend. My favorite tool was/is my OLD Craftsman clicker torque wrench; the last time I sent it in to be repaired, they could't do anything for it, no parts available. I bought two of the same torque wrenches off that auction site we all know and love, to replace my broken one with. The other favorite tool in the box, is the box itself; keeps everything organized, and ready to use. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
I've got a very old Starrett one-inch micrometer that was my grandfather's. He had his own machine shop in Denver around 1910-1920, and I'm sure he used it back then. I use it a lot, and I think of him each time.
Guess I'm not too original but a 1/2 by 9/16 offset box (even though the pic in that post is a 5/8.. maybe he should've said "cheater glasses" and the wrench). has been my favorite since I was 15 and found out most of my Chevy could be tended to with it. Now I pick them up at shop/estate sales so I leave one in each car and a few sprinkled around the shop. I have one of those double ended crescent wrenches that 37kid posted. Pops thought it was so funny he framed it- it's hanging in my shop now. Every "Cliff Claven" type character that happens to see it will have a long explanation as to why that was made but I haven't heard a story yet that I fully believe. Anyone know what it's real purpose was/is? Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Fovorite tools? All the hand tools I inherited from my dad, a member of the Greatest Generation. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Hello, There is not just one tool that is a favorite, but I still have most of my original Craftsman tools from 1960 in my tool drawers. They have all served me well throughout the years. Under the lifetime guarantee from Sears, I have replaced several screwdrivers and one spark plug adapter. Too many set of plug exchanges over the years, too. Plus, we exchanged an old worn out ½ inch socket. The torque wrench and strong arm lever bar attachments are long gone to a neighbor, as well as my old socket/ratchet set. Even the larger box and open end wrenches went by the wayside. But, those certain size box end and open end wrenches still play a big part in my garage. These are the workhorses of daily living, plus, throw in a needle nose set of pliers, etc. Jnaki But, going back to the tools I have kept over the car crazy 60+ years…if it was just one? It would have to be the unusual knife given to me by my dad. It looks like it was hand crafted somewhere in the past century and had a blade that sliced through just about anything. I used it to cut perfect slices through rubber tubing and plastic strips. It made perfect 45 degree cuts as long as I could move through in one sweep. On our model building days, this knife (about 6 inches long) did the great job of cutting plastic rods and tubes. It has seen its days of service. The knife proudly sits on a shelf in my garage, basking in all of its glory from days gone past. What was the intended purpose? My best guess was that it was a wood carver’s knife. In those old, old days, the blades were so sharp they could cut paper thrown in the air with a single slice. This one looks like it could do intricate work on various things, from fish, blocks of wood, to material, and people?
^^^---hahahahah !!! "kamisori" IOW, you have an antique Japanese straight razor. So yeah, it'd been sharp alright.
Hey CJ, Thanks for the info...all of these years, I never knew what it was or was called. I actually never inquired... My dad never used it shaving, but I did watch him use a double sided razor on his face when I was a little kid. That was scary enough. This small blade was the perfect size for model building and fit into our small model car tool boxes. I did also watch the neighborhood barber shave older guys with a straight edge blade, but those flipped out. (a more modern version...) Jnaki We are never too old to learn something new... or our memory cells just don't snap to it like they used to back in those days...
Yeah, I didn't know either until just now, when I got it in my head that it looked like a razor. So Google did all the legwork. I did have one of gramps old razors for model car work & such. Damned things were scary.
Don't know about favorite - maybe the blue flame fitzall? Most used hands down was self-evident - the 3/8" drive SnapOn standard ratchet & the 9/16" combination wrench & 9/16" socket. Most used, most borrowed, most wore out, most "lost" (see "borrowing" for explanation).
Hey CJ, Ok, a flashback... How could I forget this one: When we were getting ready to get married in 1968, I was given the ultimate command of ..."Get a haircut and not a butch top job"... "Don't make it look like you just got a haircut" was the command addition. So, I called a couple of friends and they recommended a place near the old Hody's Drive-in Restaurant on PCH and Anaheim St in Long Beach. This guy who owned the place was a craftsman in his own right. He only used a straight edge razor and he was excellent. His tool of choice was not one of those flip out ones, but a white bone handle, super shiny, blade for his hair...styling, not cutting. He was a stylist and not a barber or so the quote was given to me. But the motion and sound of the blade cutting was like a mild scraping. When I went in to the place, it looked like a nightclub with shiny black floors. He asked what kind of cut I wanted and then brought out his white boned, shiny, cutting blade. With a chrome comb and his blade, he started cutting and styling my hair. Now, remember, the usual hair cut place just cuts with a scissors and a buzzer tool. This place did not have any kinds of buzzer cutters. Everything was done with his trusty blade and that chrome comb. Layering was what he called it and boy did it layer down. At the end of the session, he did his thing with spray and shiny chrome comb. Now, nothing against that particular style, but when he showed me the hand held mirror, I looked like Glen Campbell ! GAWD! But, as nice as I was, I gave him a big tip and walked to my car. As soon as I got inside, I mussed up my hair so it looked natural and not like a stylized Elvis pompadour cut. Jnaki Every time I needed a hair cut, I went back to this place for years. But, immediately leaving the front door, I mussed up my stylized hair and looked natural. Those razor cuts made every hair lay down and when the wind blew it around, it fell right back in place. Now, that is a great hair cut....err styling... As an aside, one time I went to meet my wife at a restaurant in the Long Beach Harbor after one of these haircuts. My hair was all mussed up and looking good. In walks the stylist for his lunch and waves at me. But the look I got was an unusual stare that said....What the $%$#? It was the best cut ever, after the mussing up process and I haven't found a stylist who could duplicate that cut anywhere. Well, my hair is weird anyway.
The Jalopy Journal
