Useful tools

[Mick Bailey]

I used to visit a superb tool shop and they were stuffed with high-quality Japanese woodworking tools alongside the best tools you could buy from around the world. I bought plenty of stuff from them over the years, but they sadly closed their doors. When I asked the guy who owned it, he said he made 6% profit and the banks were paying 7.5%, so it wasn't worth the trouble. That was the first time I saw Japanese pull saws, as well as the laminated chisels that had their funky sharpening technique - some cost a week's wages at the time, just for a single chisel.

[Steve A.]

Most of the useful tools mentioned here so far are ones that we might use around the house, the garage or the shop, which is great. However, I like to bring along a small go-to bag filled with the essential tools to work on my guitars, etc., wherever I might be.

For starters I've been a big fan of the CLC clip-on bags for at least 20 years. They come in 3 sizes:* 9" x 7", 7" x 6" and 6" x 5".



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002YVBC0/

Picquic is a Canadian company and they make some really great screwdrivers and bits. Their Teeny Turner comes with 7 tiny bits:* Phillips (00, 0), Slotted (2mm, 3mm), Torx (T5, T6, T8). Unlike precision screwdrivers* you can deliver quite a bit of torque with the bigger handle.



https://www.amazon.com/Picquic-06102.../dp/B001QVPHBO

Picquic makes a larger version —the 91102 Stubby— with 6 bits: 1/4" flat, 3/16" flat, #1 Phillips, #2 Phillips, #3 Phillips, and a Torx T15. (Yes, if you get these two drivers you do not get a T10 bit, something that you will just need to live with. Get over it... * )



https://www.amazon.com/Picquic-91102...dp/B00QC21LEE/

Steve A.

EDIT: Looking in my bag I find 4 hex key sets from Bondhus (Gorilla Grip), both metric and SAE, both fold-up and long handles (no ball end! I hate ball end wrenches for working on guitars...)



https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ywords=bondhus

BTW although all of the links in this post are to Amazon that is *only* for reference... you can usually find better prices elsewhere.
One more must-have-with-me-at-all-times item, the Stanley FatMax 6 Foot Keychain Tape Measure. This is a *real* tape measure that will fit in the "penny pocket" in your jeans...

[Steve A.]

Using a quality model (made in Japan?) I've seen carpenters cut the bottoms of door casings to match a floor profile ALL DAY and then put the saw back in their tool box for the next service. Super sharp and made of quality steel that should stay sharp for many uses. Likely impossible to re sharpen effectively, so you just buy a new one (after a couple of years?). Again, spooky sharp. Be careful.

Yes, you can't resharpen the ones I've seen but some of them do have replaceable blades...

[Gnobuddy]

Picquic is a Canadian company and they make some really great screwdrivers and bits. Their Teeny Turner comes with 7 tiny bits
<snip>

Agreed! I discovered Picquic when I moved to BC a few years ago, and a Teeny Turner has been in the little box of goodies I take to every guitar jam, along with things like a Snark tuner, spare picks, strings, 9V batteries, AA cells, et cetera. Like the Snark, the Teeny Turner looks deceptively like other similar products, but when you use it, you find it's exceptionally well made and really good at what it's designed to do.

I have two progressively larger sizes of Picquics in the home tool-box as well.

-Gnobuddy

[Steve A.]

I have two progressively larger sizes of Picquics in the home tool-box as well.

Me, too! My favorite is the Picquic X-7 SixPac Plus because you can use the heavy duty bits in a cordless screwdriver. In fact I was first looking at the Picquic bit sets at Fry's when I figured out that I could get the X-7 for not that much more.



https://www.amazon.com/Picquic-X-7-M.../dp/B0018IV8WM

Today's challenge: Say "Picquic bit sets" very quickly 6 times in a row.
Tomorrow's challenge: Say "Picquic bit sets very quickly 6 times in a row" very quickly 6 times in a row.
Tuesday's challenge... forget it!!!

Speaking of bits I found some 3-1/2" and 6" long power bits from Enkay Products at Fry's awhile back and found them to be very useful for getting at those screws that are buried WAY back, where you might use a 6" screwdriver but just can't torque it enough...

Here is a list of their power bits from Page 22 of their catalog (attached below). The stock #'s listed are for 10 packs in bulk. You need to add "-2C" for the carded 2-packs for retail sale. BTW on Page 15 of their catalog you can find their 2" cut-off blade kits with heavy duty mandrels (eat yer heart out, Mr. Dremel!)

BTW the typical prices at Amazon and eBay for these bits are OUTRAGEOUS! Like $12 for two bits that cost me $3 or $4 at Fry's. Last I checked they were not made of gold....



http://music-electronics-forum.com/a...p;d=1505033511

EDIT I found an on-line store that handles a lot of Enkay items but not the aforementioned bits. I could not get the shipping charges using my tablet (I clicked but it did not respond. )

Enkay Products : Micro Center

[Steve A.]

Atlantic Folding Stool with Handle #38436095

While not exactly a tool I have found these folding stools to be very useful. I picked up a red one from Fry's for $9.99 and it worked out so well that I bought a blue one to keep in my car.



The label says that it is good for up to 250 lbs but I'd be careful if I weighed over 200 lbs (just be ready to jump off if you feel the chair collapsing!) Actually it feels more secure than some of the cheaper folding chairs.

I am slowly regaining the strength in my back and hips from my grueling ordeal with chemotherapy last year so I try to do as much work as I can sitting down to save my strength for the tasks that require standing.

The seat is 11.5"×12" and 18" off the ground. The legs made of 3/4" tubing are crossbraced with 5/8" tubing 8.75" and 10.75" apart, with the two pair of legs 12" apart when open and locked. When closed the seat is 28" high, 12" wide and with a maximum thickness of 3".

Although Fry's sells them individually you can only get 4 packs from Amazon, Home Depot or Walmart. You might want to get them locally to make it easier to return them if they don't work for you. BTW the seat attachs to the folding legs with 6 phillips head screws so you could remove the seat and attach a piece of wood for a small folding table.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F7PNVRC...ter_B00I2N764A

Atlantic Black Folding Stool (Set of 4)-38435923 - The Home Depot

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Atlantic-...olors/36023587

Steve A.

BONUS ITEM for your small travel bag or box: Guitar Tech Wrench Set from StewMac for $10.45 (item # 3691)
Very flat but strong open end wrenchs (3 of 'em) with SAE on one end and metric on the other: 3/8",7/16" & 1/2", 10mm, 12mm & 14mm



Guitar Tech Wrench Set | stewmac.com

6 sizes guitar techs use all the time
These three double-ended wrenches fit jacks, pots, switches, bridge studs, stompboxes… Just about every wrench you need for guitars and amps.

Quality hard-plated steel
Slim enough to slide under control knobs, and into tight spaces, but tough enough for professional repair shops.

Inches on one end, metric on the other
1/2" + 14mm: output jacks on acoustics and electrics; DC input jacks on effects pedals; our flush-mount jack
7/16" + 12mm: control pots and TonePros™ Locking Studs
3/8" + 10mm: amp chassis and speaker nuts; threaded tuner bushings

6" long (152mm)
1.5 - 1.7mm thick

I wish I knew about these when I installed the TonePros locking studs for a wraparound bridge a few years ago! The cheap wrench that comes with the studs spread apart the first time I tried to use it so I got a cheap 12mm wrench from Home Depot and used my grinder to make it thinner. I could only get it so thin and it was useless if the studs were close to the body.

I needed an open end wrench the other night and these were the only ones I could find — I was surprised at how strong they were! Yes, if you really need to torque it down get a regular wrench but for anything else these should work fine. Especially handy for tightening loose guitar pots without having to remove the knob first!

As always with StewMac wait until you are ordering enough to justify their minimum shipping charge which just went up a dollar to $9.95 (ouch!) Well, StewMAX membership with free shipping is still only $39.99/year.

I placed a big order a few months ago when I was getting a lot of needed items that they had on super clearance but otherwise for small orders I look for other luthier supply houses on eBay with more reasonable shipping charges and have even tried some of the items from China at ridiculously low prices with free or nominal shipping charges for packet deliveries. (I guess that they load boxes with these small packets and eventually ship them out when there is room in a container on one of the big ships, hence the estimated delivery time of 2 to 6 weeks. What the heck, it works for me!)

[Chuck H]

Tip for the stool... The thin vinyl feet often break down in short order and can mark up finished floors. You can get heavy rubber slip on feet at any Ace Hardware store. This also reduces sliding on hard, slick surfaces.