Best Stocking Stuffers $20 or Under
forestgirl
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
Well, the “Tool Regrets” thread is going great guns. How about a thread on the best $20 (or less) you’ve spent — something we can show our LOMLs as a subtle hint for stocking stuffers!
My picks:
My $20 Harbor Freight-bought digital calipers. Use ’em every day.
A $15 Incra Marking Gauge — not fancy, made of plastic, but very very handy. http://www.incra.com/IG.html
Incra 6″ bend rule. http://www.incra.com/b_rule.html Would also like to have the saddle square from Lee Valley Veritas
Lee Valley Blind Man’s tape measure. 12′ long, 1″ wide, bright as day, L-to-R or R-to-L $5.50
forestgirl Another proud member of the “I Rocked With ToolDoc Club” …. :>) you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Replies
High-quality try square, Veritas marking knife, any individual Marples chisel, Bear super-fine (.13mm!) flush-cut saw. Stihl ear muffs (from my chainsaw days). GuildCraft Forstner bits from Rockler (12.99, set of 5), antique MIller's Falls combintation square ($1, estate sale), crank neck chisel for cleaning the bottoms of mortises.
That was more fun than complaining.
Charlie
1) a scraper. First time I used it my reaction was wow, wish I had spent 10 bucks on one of these before.
2) a really good ruler that you can read (12 or 24" both are helpful)
3) an electric pencil sharpener for the shop -- I hate going all the way upstairs to use my wife's!
4) leather strope and jewlers rouge
5) another blast gate for my dust collector -- I just always seem to need one more -- and don't forget the clamps.
6) free pass for me to spend one entire weekend in shop without complaining I spend "too much time doing that stupid woodworking" :-)
wide belt sander?
edit: oops, didn't see the "under $20". Oh well, it was a thought.
Edited 12/11/2003 1:27:59 PM ET by PeterDurand
Just about any type of clamp. Clamps are like pencils and tape measures...you can never have too many.
My favorites are those little spring operated hand clamps and Bessy "I" beam screw clamps.
I usually get one or two of each every year.
Dave
Although parenthethically mentioned by FG, I can say that my favoirte and most used inexpensive tool is the LV Saddle Square.
Without a doubt i'd say the lee valley saddle square as well!
Don't know if it's still under $20, but the veritas marking gauge is an excellent tool. They now have one with a graduated bar, but I can't imagine ever needing that.
Lots and lots of JIG stuff!
For $20.00 you could just about fill my stocking :)
Knobs and handles and lexan and acrylic; cam clamps and extruded aluminum tracks.
FG
A industrial-grade pencil sharpener with a hand-crank, rotating size guide and a removeable waste container like I used in grade school back in the 50's.
A box of pencils Made in the U.S.A. that the first 1/2" of lead does not fall off when you make the first mark just after sharpening! I won't name the brand. It took years to find them. ha.. ha...
sarge..jt
Proud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Edited 12/11/2003 11:51:26 PM ET by SARGE
Edited 12/11/2003 11:52:28 PM ET by SARGE
Edited 12/11/2003 11:53:39 PM ET by SARGE
A bag of cheap practice tennis balls for my two dogs. They ask for so little, but they add so much to my shop. They think a new tennis ball is a present and they will mouth it for an hour at least.
FG,
Is this restricted to only good things? I'd sure like to stuff PBS in a stocking for taking the month of December to whine at us every five minutes about how needy they are.....I'll bet those poor PBS people have been forced to limit the imported brie from France given the fall in the dollar value...
Prudy Brushes....like them better than the Badger...take up little room in the stocking...
Four inch collaspable magnifing glass with built in stand (woodcraft $5.00)
Let me know when or if you swap out the stocking for panty hose...I really need a bandsaw..
"Let me know when or if you swap out the stocking for panty hose...I really need a bandsaw." ROFL!!!forestgirl Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Here's my list of weird shop stuff under $20 that makes life in America grand:
1.cheap steam iron for removing dings and dents
2.super heavy duty double stick tape for pattern routing
3.good pencils....ticondera 1388s
4 exacto knife for everyday marking
5. box o' cotton rags from Home Depot
6. 4" lee valley square
7. Plochman's mustard bottle for glue
8 100 pack of stanley sheetrock knife blades...great mini-mini scrapers
a bit higher on the foodchain and price scale ...but heavy hitters also... are a PC laminate trimmer with a supply of 1/4 inch router bits for detail hand routing and a Accuset micropinner...........cheers! mark
One of those special little tweezers for removing splinters , used to find them at hardwood suppliers or tool stores . I lost mine . dusty
Hi All,
>> To Dusty: Check out Highland Hardware for the tweezers: http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2767
Perhaps for your 'next' Christmas list:
My LV Saddle Square deserves mention (again too -- a very popular item)...
LV Veritas marking knives...
Starrett 6" rule w/end graduations...
Duluth shop apron...
Last but not the least: a freshly filled (dust/chip free) mug of coffee!Kind regards - Fred
Wow, a blast from the past! We'll have to remember to bring it back again around October or so.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
OCTOBER! Please kick it to the top of the list around December 20th for me. :o)
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