What do you wear around your waist while in the shop?
Toolfanatic (a.k.a. The man formerly known as “Toolfreak”)
Discussion Forum
Get It All!
UNLIMITED Membership is like taking a master class in woodworking for less than $10 a month.
Start Your Free TrialCategories
Discussion Forum
Digital Plans Library
Member exclusive! – Plans for everyone – from beginners to experts – right at your fingertips.
Highlights
-
Shape Your Skills
when you sign up for our emails
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. -
Shop Talk Live Podcast -
Our favorite articles and videos -
E-Learning Courses from Fine Woodworking
-
-
Replies
While I'm on a job site, often I'll wear my tool belt. But if I'm only in the shop or if I'm assembling something onsite, I often wear my Skiller's vest, see http://www.skillers.com/cgi-bin/store/store.cgi?&shop=skillers&cart=64413682x25403&session=43b88816633bdff2&L=eng&P=4603-10
A lot of my coworkers think it looks dorky but I never go looking for the tools I need!
I never liked the apron.
Tim
Re: the Skillers vestSomeone gave me one of these years ago, and I pulled it out after seeing your post, and wore it for a couple of days.Didn't Skillers make some smallish tool pouches, hammer loops, etc. that could be attached to this vest? If so, do you use any of them, or just use the vest as is?********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Yes, they did and Duluth Trading company used to sell them, but I don't think they sell them any more. There are two places on that vest for using those add-ons.
You might want to check Cabellas or Gemplers to see if they sell these things. I'm pretty sure they sell the vest, but not sure about the accessories.
Good luck...
Tim
http://www.skillers.com They sell directly to the public via their website.--------------------------
It's only satisfying if you eat it.
I know them well.................. been buying their pants for 20 some years.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
I wear my apron cause I am too fat for a tool belt!
I wear a tool belt. I put suspenders on it so it is more comfortable.
I wear an apron for cabinet & furniture making. I need to have basic tools at hand while I wander from classroom to classroom, so my school apron contains a lot more stuff than my "personal" apron. There are pockets and attachment points for all of the tools I routinely use at school:
At home, I only carry a fraction of the junk I lug around in my apron at school - the remainder lives in drawers until needed.
For outdoor work like framing and rough carpentry I wear a tool belt, carrying only what I need for the job at hand.
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
I don't wear an apron or tool belt. A pencil on my ear, a tape on my hip is about it. The rest I keep on a cart that I can wheel near where I'm working. I'll occasionally use a clip on nail pouch for screws at an installation.
-Paul
I wear an apron. Got one of those canvas ones with pockets and have used it for years. I don't really carry that much in it but when I go in the shop and put it on I have everything I need. Pencils, tape, 6" combo, couple of pieces of sandpaper, remote for dust collection, marking knive - thats about it. I have a set of safty glasses on a string that I wear around and have 4 pair of earmuffs spread out around the shop.
I think the apron does 2 things.
1. puts everything I need in a handy spot.
2. protects my clothing - mine is covered in spots from finishes & glues.
I do have a tool belt and use it when doing carpentry.
An apron - it keeps my clothes clean and allows me to carry, and find, critical items without even looking. For years I used a longer cloth apro and still use that one for finishing. Two years ago I switched to a leather apron which gives me greater kick-back protection. (I hope I never need that feature!)
Jerry
I have used an apron in the shop for a couple of years. Now I think that I will switch to a belt (that is what I use for carpintry and installation). I am tired of my expensive tools falling out of the pockets when I bend over, a problem I never have with a belt.
Mike
The only thing around my waist is my jeans....................and they keep wanting to slide down. I've never really had much of a waist and SWMBO says I have noassatall (that statement addresses my physical characteristics, not the state of my marriage - lol).
I've never liked wearing a tool belt and when I do, it has suspenders or it's around my knees in a heartbeat. When I'm on a job site, I use a 5 gal bucket with a bucket buddy. In the shop, things stay on the bench until I start losing track of the tools. Then, I go into a cleaning frenzy and put everything away so I can start dragging it out again. SWMBO and the kids (when they still lived here) have all been told that they're free to use any tools in the shop as long as they put them back where they found them!! If they put things back where they belong, I'd never find anything.
My buddy got me a Duluth Trading long tail tee shirt for Xmas and I think I'm gonna like it. If nothing else, it keeps my lower back warm............and that little bucket will come in handy, too.
Hope you all have a good new year. I'm finishing up the bookwork for '05 (Gawd, Quickbooks is kewl) and it looks like '05 was much better than '04. I'm starting '06 with a small backlog on the books and at least two potential big cabinet jobs on the radar, so life is good.
What do you wear around your waist while in the shop?
Just my Levies if I remember to put them on!
I have been wearing an apron but I am trying to find one with flaps over the pockets. The pockets of the one I hve keep getting filled with sawdust.
Dick Durbin
Tallahassee
http://home.comcast.net/~olebiker/
Lee valley tools sells one.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32078&cat=1,43413,45989&ap=1
I have used it for 2 years and it works pretty good
Derek
What do you wear around your waist while in the shop?
Nothing. Thank goodness for sawstop... ;)
I have an apron but usually only wear it when I'm gluing up, sanding, or finishing.
I wear a leather apron that I have customized. It is time well spent. I have the kind that does not go around the back ofthe neck but crosses over the back of the shoulders. I think I got it from Rockler maybe. But then I cut off the hammer loop and made cusom leather pockets for my tape, marking knife, general purpose knife (for carving details), place for my 6 inch ruler. The design is such that there is no way that they fall out if I lean over and they are just where I want them to be. Use heavy waxed twine used in leather work. Also, if you do work close to your chest (like carve a detail on a latch) don't place anything in the chest area so you can use your chest area to steady the cut. So buy a good leather apron and cut off anything tha isn't exactly the way you ant it and add what you wnt exactly where and how you like it.
Peter
I have been using a plain old bib type carpenters apron. Holds a pencil, tape and a couple types of fasteners. But I am open to change.
I use one of those canvas waist type aprons. It's all I need and I find it more comfortable than a full apron or strapping on heavy leather bags which ultimately just get in my way and is little overkill for me.
For carpentry I use my tool belt. For woodworking I wear my apron.
I use the tool belt for carpentry/building and the apron for woodworking. The apron has cross straps that keep the load on my shoulders as well as my waist.
My problem is that the tool belt tends to slide down after a while. A Suspender would be nice. Does anyone know of a wide, heavy duty suspender (about 3" wide) for this purpose that attaches to a wide belt?
I think the Bucket Boss super bib is pretty nice for the money.
Duluth Trading Co has a nice set of tool belt suspenders on sale right now:
http://www.duluthtrading.com/search/searchresults/95333.aspx
I have the Duluth apron and like it a lot1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go 4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?DeptID=5028&FamilyID=7002
http://www.azwoodman.com/work-wear-tool-belts.html
http://www.unclejoes.com/tool_aprons_pouches_belts.htm
http://www.houseoftools.com/subgrouping.htm?cat=1484&orderfield=
Suspenders ----
Alan - planesaw
Tool Belt!?... Tools belong on a bench not in your pockets.
I wear cheap denim aprons. Within a year they're nasty - covered in hand wipes of paints, various finishes and globs of glue. At some point, I chuck it and get a new one.
"$10 apron cheaper than $50 pants."
Trojans dry or lubricated?
Neither.
When using machinery, I prefer no extraneous gear. Later on, all hand tools should be close at hand. We're not doing carpentry three stories high.....
Umm...thong!
Donkey
Shopcoat, the guys with the forklift leave the door open too long! Lots of pockets for tools and you won't believe where stain and glue gets.
I wear nail bags in the field. In the shop just:
5007- Tape & Tool Holder
It also serves as an excellent holder for chalk lines.
--------------------------
It's only satisfying if you eat it.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled