/diy/ - Do It Yourself

I'm a radio technician.
My most important tools:
Brain
Multimeter
Side cutters
Soldering Iron

Most important:
Might Mustache Straw kit
For when you've just been helicoptered to a repeater site at a mountain, there is bad weather coming in, and you have 2 hours to solve an intermittent problem that isn't happening. (Or similar)
Make em' laugh. Keep em' sane.

>>540005

>>539999
that brass thing a valve core removal tool?

...i gots to pick one up for my car

Yeah its a valve core tool that one has a ball valve to allow for core replacement without losing refridgerant. they are kinda pricey roughly 50.00 usd.

Yeah the meter is another of my favorites

The other flap on my bag

>>540016
>>540006
hnnng dat tool kit porn

My calipers.
They are fun to play with

Aerospace engineer

>>540012
Neat tool

Lindstrom TL 7A SA high precision tweezers
Lindstrom 8160 side cutters
Luna OBR 4600 optical backscatter reflectometer
Schleuniger Fiberstrip 7035
Fibertron curing oven
Domaille APM 5200 polisher

My favourite has to be the Schleuniger. It's just so satisfying to watch it go about its business, smooth and precise as a swiss watch

>>539999
can i see all your pliers from the other side, i dont have a fucking idea of why you have so many. you have like 12, also only 1 wrench,

also, only 1 wrench? i think i see other one, but is too small,
what kind of jobs you do. or what equipments?

Those brushes are good, i hope you never, ever, ever use them, since straightening that stuff is a pain.

from the strange category: tap extractors. used for backing off a tap after it's been broken

>>540016
FUCK YEAH FIELDPIECE!

appliance repair fag here. I have one of those 76's. pretty much bomb proof, I don't have the tubing temp clamp though.. don't have a real use for it on fridges.. recently got one of their wireless charging scales, gotten to use it a couple of times and rather like it.


your fin combs seen better days ...

>>540037
I have 3 different sets of snips for making differently angled cuts in ductwork, needlenose, crimping pliers, small and large gauge wire strippers, pump pliers, cable cutters, dikes, a piercing tool, and some vice grips.

Really I don't use much for wrenches I have a couple adjustables and a service wrench...mostly just use impact sockets or nutdrivers

My primary jobs include rooftop air conditioners, chillers , large heat pumps, and boilers...

>>540064
I usually only use 1 set of snips, any other cut is the old screwdriver and hammer.

needlenose, ok
crimping pliers, show off
small and large gauge wire strippers,you dont have teeths?
pump pliers,ok
cable cutters,knife
dikes,ok
piercing tool, i dont know wich one.
vise grip, a must

you have a really good set, jelly guy here, but we do not use really that many, but 2 adjustable wrenches is a must. different work, we dont do the electrical conections most of the time,

we mostly do industrial AC stuff, and lots of ductwork.

>> 540016

YESSSS!! The fieldpiece is awesome ! I have a few of the attatchments as well I love em. I would like to try that scale I'm still using the refco one

>>540066

I worm primarily in the hospitality industry so a lot of hotels and resteraunts...one day I might be swapping a compressor and the next its troubleshooting a control issue. Its kinda all over the place...will post more pics when I get home.

Front pouches contents...I guess I could lose a few pairs of pliers lol

>>540114
Very respectable

I still say that buying a single pair of Klien dikes almost ten years ago is my best purchase, ever, besides my set of Makitas.

I've done so many things with those dikes. They've never let me down, and are STILL sharp enough to strip small wires with.

Doesn't look like any work actually gets done with those tools. Your bag looks brand new.

Why carry around a tool for putting on wire nuts...if you really need them that tight just use your kleins...

>>540180
actually the bag is pretty new. but as for the tools i just like to keep them clean and nice if your gonna shell out the money may as well wipe em down and oil them from time to time...oh and btw that isa cable stripping tool for cleanly pulling outer jackets off of romex...

>>540178
Klein dykes are my favorite of all time. I might sometimes buy other cheap tools, but I never buy cheap dykes. Klein isn;t the best for everything, but their dykes are.

>>540114
quite respectable

Altho I should slap you for buying Southwire tools.

>>540280
lol yeah i just wanted to try them out...they actually do strip pretty well. They do have a very cheap feeling to them though I will probably go back to my Klein Kurve strippers pretty soon

Contents of the back side of my bag

>>540033
>Schleuniger Fiberstrip 7035

DO YOU MAKE FIBER OPTIC CABLE?

I'M SO CONFUSED/HIGH

>>540332

BEAUTIFUL.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePuA4ysIzhM&feature=player_detailpage#t=60

>>539999
I'm an around-the-house putterer and I've been finding that my oscillating multi-tool is fucking awesome. It flush-cuts through practically everything, will descale and remove paint from whatever you got, will be an okay sander or spot buffer...it doesn't a lot of stuff at about a c- efficiency, but I'm not worried about speed. The cuts it makes are nice and smooth too. Love it.

engineer i work with has a van full of pliers,screwdrivers and allen and hex keys, he doesnt find it weird that he carries 200 keys of varying sizes

fucks me right off, i understand having spares but it's getting stupid

a spare oxyacetylene tank set, thats an extra 50kg in the van for no fucking reason

>>540037
yeah adjustables are a good idea but i hate it when i see someone with adjustables of differing sizes and then wrenches as well..no point in them what so ever

>>540080
how long did it take you to learn refrigeration and AC, ive been doing it for a year and im still kinda lost, at work they have me shadowing two engineers but they don't explain anything properly and won't let me practice anything but expect me to be able to know what's wrong with things when we turn up to sites.

literally i've brazed 3 times on practise pieces of copper and other people in my college are being sent by themselves and are doing full installs and i feel like i know nothing compared to them and im supposed to be finishing next july..

>>540114
>I guess I could lose a few pairs of pliers lol

Why would you say such a thing? A man can NEVER have enough pliers.

None of my tools are particularly exciting, but my hobby is model railways, but my *favourite* tools are therefore my burnishing brush and soldering iron.

>>540033
What the hell are you /diy/ing?

>>540365
It takes a while to learn how to do it right and with the way stuff is so over-engineered your always learning.I'd say it took 3 or so years of field training with lots of hands on stuff for me to become comfortable.

>>540361
About 95% of the time they go straight for adjustables anyways so idk why you would bother with an abundance of wrenches. Especially because it adds a ton of weight to your bag.

This is my pride and joy at the moment, absolute beast of a machine.

>>540462
I keep an adjustable in my bag, but I also keep 2 open end wrenches in my bag, one for gas and water hookups and one for the larger braided style waterlines, it's especially helpfull on dishwashers where half the time your trying to disconnect the water with no clearance around it... as far as odd tools I have a couple of machine specific tools, like a spanner for the tub nut on whirlpools, also I have a 1 1/4 inch open end wrench for the nut on the bottom of cabrio washers, and a 1 1/5 inch deepwell socket for the tub nut on lg high efficiency top loaders... both are in places that you can't easily get any other tool, or in the case of the cabrio having the angled wrench saves you from skinning your knuckles on the bottom of the tub when you break the nut free...

forgot my pic, this is that spanner wrench, the insert pictured with it is for a GE washer. it's possible to get the nut off of a whirlpool without one of these, but it's much more difficult since you have to grab it with pump pliers, and the pliers have to fit inside the wash basket...

>>540313
can you scan that superheat calculator, and can you share your knowledge about 410a, i live in mexico and there isn't alot to learn from 410a here, can i use r22 instead of 410a? how much pressure? tell me brah

>>540114
Copper pipe cutter? What's that in there for?

>>540536
Cutting copper pipes, he's a HVAC tech, he likely needs to run copper refrigerant pipes to and from compressors and such.

>>540536
not hvac guy.. but would guess it's for cutting copper tubing?... seems likely

>>540514
R410a is a pain if u ask me it runs at much higher pressure than R22 snd is a lot more sensitive to under or overcharging. When a 410a system leaks it leaks out fast becsuse of the aforementioned higher discharge pressure. Do Not usr R22 on a 410a system they don't mix well together and will definately mess it up. In fact you wsnna have a cometely different set if gauges that are designed for 410a and csn handle a highet suction snd discharge pressure. I will try snd see if I csn upload a superheat/subcool calc. For u though

>>540568
fun fact.... when we started switching to 410a in residential systems most major manufacturers started advertising as "quieter"... while it is quieter, it's not due to it being designed with that in mind.. it's due to the thicker tubing needed for the higher pressures deadening the sound more than the older thinner stuff....

>>540514
http://www.amazon.com/R410a-Superheat-Subcooling-Calculator-Charging/dp/B001U59X6Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382244523&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=copeland+410a+chart

can't really scan the one i have its a sliding scale type calculator. but here is a link on where u can pick one up.

>>540572
Haha whatever sells the product i guess...personally i hate the stuff and the fact that R-22 prices are through the roof makes it hard to give a fair price to costumers..

>>540536
You would be surprised the amount of "plumbing" it takes sometimes...

>>540572
Also there is no "getting away with" using the non-refrigeration grade copper with 410. Personally in a pinch ihave used bits and pieces of plumbing grade tubing on some r22 jobs and never had any problems but I wouldn't dare try it with that shit

Pic unrelated a decatron unit i had the pleasure of working on earlier this week.

I just found out that my dad has 12 pounds of R-22 Freon that has been sitting around for years without while prices skyrocketed.

I recently found out that my dad has 22 pounds of R-22 Freon that has been sitting around for years. Feels good because prices skyrocketed.

>>540603
In the mid-west it is worth about 12dollars per lb. and we charge 15 dollars per lb. when doing service...good find anon

On the subject of tools

It's my drill or impact for that matter

>>540606
>pic
who can't americans criticize?

>>540576
>>540606
wtf, really?

fucking r22 is cheap here, like 100 bucks, the 22 lbs tank. can i trafic this thing to the USA, be the HVAC heisenberg?

Over 400 for a 30 lb tank its nuts ... they are trying to get everyone to retrofit to 410a or isceon 099 due to epa restrictions. Also 20, 000 dollar fine for intentionally discharging R22 into the atmosphere per occurence

Pic unrelated ...new pump on a BAC cooling tower I installed

>>540623
all I see on fridges is 134a, and occasionally we retrofit older r-12 stuff with 409a.... although the idiots at samsung have a new french door style fridge thats dual compressor and uses r-600 (which is pure butane)... It'll be interesting to see how long it is before some craigslist special repair company goes out on one of these and tries to swap out a compressor or evaporator.. doesn't recover well, and gets pressurized butane blown through the joint they're trying to debraze... although granted they set the retail price at 4k.. so probably won't be tons of them floating around...

Lol I know right? I work at a lot of hotels Hiltons, marriots, even hampton and holiday inns. These maintenance guys just go to town and start tearing this equpment apart ... I wonder how many of them get a blast of freon in the face?

>>540634
you should see some of the appliances I get called out on where the homeowners tried to fix it themselves first.....

I can only imagine it involes a lot of RTV silicone and stripped screws and bolts...lol speaking of appliances what do u repairfriends know about scotsman ice machines and a weak ice thickness switch? Should I replace it or is there a way to adjust?

>>540647
scotsman is god tier for icemachines... mostly because they conveniently leave ALL of their product manuals online .... and don't charge for access... http://www.scotsman-ice.com/service-support/service-library/ I don't know offhand if it's adjustable.. depends on the model... but if it is... they'll have the way to do it in there

Paslode cordless framing & trim guns. So fucking awesome.

>>540668
Also, festool track saw. Will never go back to standard circular saws. This thing cuts like a fucking laser.

>>540648
Ill have to check out the website thanks

>>540568
>>540572
>>540589
thanks bro

>>540606
>>540603
>>540619
fun fact here i pay 12$ for 1 kg of r22

>>539999
op when is your first day on the job? Those tools look hardly used.

5 years ago ... I just like to take good care of my stuff

>>540606

>>540462
sorry i didnt explain myself very well, i meant the wrenches were pointless not the adjustables

>>540461
guess im in for the long haul.
i got told to pump down a system today it went terrible, couldnt have gone worse.
i pumped all my 404A refrigerant down into my liquid receiver whilst isolating my suction valve, then removed my discharge gauge line from the compressor discharge head and i have no idea what went wrong with the valve it mustnt have been back-seated properly but vapour exploded out and i couldnt get the nut and bonnet back on so i had to fuck around with my valve key and shut the discharge pipe as fast as i could.

however i was then told in order to start vacing out the liquid refrigerant i would need to place a line on the liquid receiver which id already shut which i now had to backseat thus releasing all my refrigerant back into my suction pipe.

its supposed to take minutes for it to pump down and trip out on low pressure switch and then force the rest of the liquid through by manually altering the PD switch

just pissed me off, normally when i arrive on site i can identify all the correct pipes valves etc but i admit sometimes im a little slow

>>540628
only accidents ive heard of is when someone has mistaken an oxygen tank for nitrogen and tried to pressure test with it.

oh actually i did hear one tale of a guy whose guage sight glass blew out and went through his cheek, not much blood though as he got a face full of refrigerant as well

>>540648
after working on ice machines in pubs and clubs i make a point of refusing ice in my drinks

Worst tool ever made.

>>541322
And here is my personal favorite

>>541322
With two of those you can replace an entire tool chest of box end wrenches.

>>541334
And strip everything you touch...

>>541337
Why? You do know those are adjustable...right If you are having trouble keeping them tight, there's something wrong. Either you have a cheap pair or they are worn out.

If you really can't get any to work then get yourself a pair of locking crescent wrenches. They work like vice grips.

>>541337
And here's another kind that locks adjustment. I've not used this type before.

>>541342
>If you really can't get any to work then get yourself a pair of locking crescent wrenches. They work like vice grips.
Totally different tool. That one is actually god-tier while normal adjustables are crap-tier.

>>541346
Uhhh, yeah I already implied 100% that it is a different tool if you can't get a good crescent wrench or you suck at using them.

I've never had a slippage problem with crescent wrenches.

>>540044
dude, fuck broken taps, i still have nightmares

>>540044
>>541520
How do broken taps even happen? Not enough lubricant or going to fast?

>>541574
I think it's a function of being a tap

>>541337
well correct tools for the job and all that, pisses me off when people round valves off with them, just buy a valve key.

>>540617

women, illegal immigrants (especially muslims and monkeys)

my DMU 60 e
simple cnc milling machine
my profession: tool and die maker

>>541344
thats not an adjustment lock. thats a ratcheting crescent wrench and that turns the ratchet on and off.

Square drive is best drive.

>>541690
Worst tool ever! I bought one to tighten some flex-lines that were in close quarters, Never worked right , constantly slipped, and the locking mechanism was really easy to accidentally hit with your finger mid-turn.

>>541254
How do you mistake an oxy tank for nitrogen?

>>541692
>square drive
>not calling it robertson
gtfo

>>541690
Well, I'd never used it before since I've no trouble with normal crescent wrenches I own (all Craftsman brand).

>>540668
nice piece, ya hurrd!

This shit is my best friend working with cables. Does the work of 3 other tools combined in one simple one. And it's useful for various other shit too. Its only designed for cutting cables originally, so you have to be careful so you don't damage the cables when using it.

>>542030
Robertson is the brand name. Faggot

>>542151
Who makes that? Seen that cutter head before but never one with the crimper in it too.

>>542000
try one of these if your in a pinch

My messy office

>>542414
posted in the wrong thread whoops

>>540623
>dat motor stand
wow i hope nothing ever blocks that pump.

>>542903
The stand is just there to keep the pump from sagging over time it doesn't actuslly support it. The previous one had fsiled after sagging down for 7 years eventually to a 25 degree angle causing to high of an amp draw resulting in tripped disconnects.

sup nigras

Clamp collection; but more importantly - European-style woodbench handmade by my grandfather.

>>543017
Love it.
What are you making in the pic by the way?

>>543040
New arcade stick for a guy I'm sponsoring in SoCal Guilty Gear/BlazBlue tournaments. Just got the buttons, choosing artwork at the moment.

>>542914
>there to keep it from sagging
>doesn't actually support it

>>543045
>blast city layout

>>543172
Pretty much player 2, slightly rotated for ergonomics. Here's the artwork we're using.

>>539999
cool hammer bro

>>543193
Go back to shit posting on /k/

>>543112
95percent of the weight on the pump is supported by the volute whic is bolted onto the tower basin its just there for insurance

>>543193
I don't see any hammer.

Just my little collection of tools i have.

>>543265
Forgot text
This is pretty much all I use plus a hammer,chisel and another lever

>>543266
Professional burglar?

Every time I see OP pic I think it's a suitcase full of dildos.

Every time I'm a little disappointed that it's not.

>Multimeter
>Vise grips
>Wood rasp
>Hot chisel
>Krab

>>543291
Tyre fitter haha

>>543293
lol i could see that

>>543259
That's the joke. Pretty shitty joke huh?

>>540668
Aw yiss. Use these a lot at work. Only complaint is that ours are poorly treated and occasionally don't want to fire due to being full of shit.

>>543045
Thought that looked familiar I just commented in the other thread you posted.

Automotive Mechanic here. I probably get paid less than all the trades posted in here but I have the most fucking tools and never have enough. My favourite tool would have to be my 3/8" Snapon Electric Impact Gun or my Digital Torque Wrench that does degree measurements and shows how much torque you are applying (ex. if you want to torque something to 30lb.ft it will count from 5ft.lb as you apply torque and beep/vibrate when you hit 29-31lb-ft) and an LED strip lights up as you get closer to the exact torque. I have a whole bunch of other tools that are unique to one vehicle or one engine that are pretty cool. I've got a valve spring compressor tool that allows you to remove the Pushrods from a GM engine when doing the intake gasket so you don't have to pull the rockers apart. I have a VW strut spreader tool that opens the steering knuckle up so the shock can just drop out.

Any other mechanics here able to post tool boxes? This is my top drawer with my Torque wrench and gun.

>>544026
o god, im cuming, that picture, everything looks so neat and clean, but it also looks used, grease spots, on the handles and plastic stuff. perfection!

Here's the deal. Got laid off from my factory job. I've done other jobs, all inside or office type jobs, but I needed a job quick since I was ass out of money. Friend hooked me up with a job at a construction site, mostly labor and punch out type stuff, patching sheetrock, minor carpentry, touch up painting, etc. Done a little woodwork before, but not a lot. Turns out, I am enjoying it. Turns out, I'm half ass decent at it. I've got some basic tools, what I need is some advice for this field. When this job is done, how do I present myself at the next job site to get hired (this is contracted by a company that is 8 hours away, I won't be traveling around following them from site to site, I'm staying local)? What are some trades that I could look at transitioning to with minimum investment/learning curve but enough demand to turn this into a long term career?

Thanks for any legit help /diy/!

>>544058
I feel that way every friday when I clean my box but by mid day monday it's all over the place and I tell myself I won't let it get messy again and it always does.

I like to keep my tool load pretty light. Instead of lugging a box around, I can just grab my toolbag and pickup whatever special tools I might be missing.

>>544108
Yessir, I've got my hammer, tongs, tape measure, pliers, bolt, egg whisker, edge, and saw all ready to go at a moment's notice.

>>544110
black and Decker plebe toils in a Klein bag. Do you even GTE surplus?

>>544110
man looks like your set to go to work their bro. have fun with that saw

>>544110
Jesus I feel like a retard for not realizing until >>544151 pointed out the saw that they're toys

>>544170
don't feel bad man... I have difficulty distinguishing between a black and decker saw and a kids toy myself... they cut about the same

Machinist here. Bought one of these the other day. Only dial caliper I could find with 0.01mm divisions. Swiss made too.

Fu-King Plasma Cutters Man!
They are the SHIZZNIT if you're ever working with metals. I must have spent a small fortune on cutting discs/wheels before I bought a plasma cutter.

>>544203
I would love that I bet it cost a bomb

>>544480
http://www.longislandindicator.com/p97.html

>>543262
Mostly cheap junk and tools still on their hanger cards.

Nice Crescent screwdrivers tho

>>544026
I am so hard right now. all dem sockets

Also, I am an entertainment technician. I"m pretty sure you make a little more than me. I spend all my cash on Klein.

>>544026
That is a sick tool chest man love the lime green! very organized as well. 9/10 would have a beer with

The generic Phillips screwdriver has been my friend since forever.

Tool kit for a typical day. Took the pic just for you /diy/

>>544593
...captcha

Figured you guys might enjoy my collection.

Slowly building it up as i can afford it.

>>544628
>all those safety glasses

Do you even remember to wear them?

>>544637
Only time i tend to wear them is when i'm crawling around under cars. Shit tends to fall in my eyes.

>>544641
Same here. Even when I'm just walking around the shop I get shit in my eyes. I now wear my glasses 99% of the time and I still get maybe 3 or 4 pieces in my eye in a given week. Of course this is only possible because I clean them regularly so they are crystal clear and replace them when they are all scratched up. I also have a hat with the brim cut off so I probly look like a total retard but i feel invincible when working on things hahaha.

>These are my metric wrenches as of a few months ago

>>544644
Holy fuck.

MOAR!

>>544700
I'll take more tomorrow of my drawers. This is the only other photo I have. My box is never this clean but I needed a reference photo for a work station I am building for it.

>>544594
I like the little "Code Blue" wrench by Channel Lock they open super wide which is nice. Oversized handle kinda sucks but besides that those are good little wrenches. Also cheers on the klein kurves those are god tier wire strippers indeed!

>>541574
I work in a shitty (pronounced "poorly managed") machine shops. #1 reason for broken taps there is running them long after they should've been thrown away

>>541322
I had to borrow my bosses c clamp the other day and it sucked worse than any crescent wrench i've ever used. I couldn't get it to stay tight for anything

>>544860
Did you tighten it enough?
I hope you banged it with a hammer

>>540332
>>540457
I build, terminate and test fiber optic assemblies for the telecoms and oil/gas industries

Pic related: Quick and dirty shot of a 24-way FVA assembly which failed under testing. These suckers sell for ~£2k each.

>>544767
When its tools I use every day, all day, I don't skimp.

Nice Fuel impact, I have the M12 Fuel myself.

>>544860
I hope it wasn't the one in the pic because thats a micrometer

>>544936
my sides.

>>544910
Love my fuel!

>>544976
Me too man, me too. And I used to bleed yellow and black too.

>>544714
snap on guy must love you

>>544976
How durable are these electric impact guns, I've only used pneumatic, but would like something when I'm out of the shop

>>544860
>dat filename
Nice Starrett.

>>545075
>>545093
I use mine every day and never had an issue besides aesthetic stuff. I love how the Milwaukee has a 3 speed control switched from Dewalt myself.

The ONLY nice tool i own is a klein lineman i 'stole' from my store before it was shut down. It was in such shitty condition that my boss didnt even care. Soaked the bitch in some vinegar overnight, blasted the pivot with WD40 and added some mineral oil and the thing looks nearly brand new if not for a bit of pitting on the head, and scuffs on the rubber handle.

Everything else i own is crap i took from my dad when he retired, and was required to do through clean ups. Some of it is higher end old stuff(Like some 50's or 60's Snap-on tools that have the old artsy logo and no rubber grips) but most is just craftsman quality crap that has rusted over the years.

Only exception to this is my multitools. Since i do a lot of camping, i buy higher-end shit and baby it. Out in the wild, they dont come in nearly as handy as a fixed blade or an axe though, so a *LOT* of the tools in them have never even been used... I mean its not like you run into a lot of philips screws in a forest.

does anyone know if theres a /diy/ pic of recommended tools?

Hi DIY

first legitimate post here

Everything I use on a daily basis, I carry into fits on or in my bucket.

Tool belt contents
>left:
2 mini pry bars
Woodglue
metal quick square
Cheap ass Torpedo level (cause if I'm leveling with that, it doesn't have to be that nice)
6" metal ruler
Channel lock pliers
>Middle:
16' tape measure
framing pencil
regular pencil
pencil sharpener that sharpen both styles (cause i dont want to walk all the way to miter stand every damn time I need sharpen a pencil)
>Right:
nails sets
razor blade
block plane
Paint scraper(cause the mudders leave crap everywhere)
1/2" chisel
Some form of sand paper
Stud finder (hurr durr, I use on a rare occasion)

>Nailers
Senco 5/8" to 2" brad nailer with skyhook
Hitachi 1-1/4" to 2-1/2" finish nailer with skyhook( yes thats the brotherhood of steel emblem that I stenciled on with spray paint)

>Other crap in bucket:
Hammer
Coping saw and blades
Oil for pneumatic tools (I care, but only once a week)
Screwdrivers
Needle nose pliers
Angle divisors (inside and outside corners)
Drill and Driver bits
Extra pencils
Gloves
Allergy medicine
Extra Razor blades

>Other crap I haul around in my vehicle:
18 volt Dewalt drill with 2 batteries and charger
corded Bosch orbital sander
5 varying widiths of purdy brushes
small paint mixing tub
mudder's trough and 5 inch metal mud knife
Small propane torch (for that occasional solder and when you need to burn shit)

Trim carpenter for a custom home builder.
Always busy doing something be it new builds or off painting/staining, soldering shit, and anything else in-between.

jack of all trades master of none

My favorite recent addition has been the skyhooks a metal hook that attaches through the fitting on a pneumatic tool. With custom (i use that sparingly) spray paint.
Shit is so handy to just hang your nailer on your belt when you're on a ladder or some other inconvenient time.

>>545116
Nothing wrong with old Craftsman. A lot of it was American made. Craftsman is and was a private label company, with their tools often made by other big name makers.

>>545122
Welcome aboard.
Did you get into construction before the housing collapse?

My drawer of Imperial wrenches. I don't have a lot of them so I also put my Steering wheel puller kit and my 2 jaw puller in there.

>>545091
Actually I felt kind of bad when I bought most of this stuff. Snapon has a 30% discount for apprentices because they have no money while they are working and I didn't know about this. But what I did was saved all my money while living at home so I could buy a 10,000$ box so when I had like 8,000$ and I had passed my license exam and the snap on guy came in I told him I was looking for boxes. He goes "Oh you know you can use the 30% discount for up to 15,000$ worth of stuff right?" and I said that I was just waiting on my papers to come in the mail. He goes "Well they aren't here yet so you aren't technically licensed, make a list of every tool you would buy in the next year or so and I'll put the order in with the discount and you can pay it off throughout the year"

So I made a list of every box add-on (my vertical drawer slides were like 1,100$ normally) and tool I would buy that would be expensive on their own (like impact guns and air hammers) and bought most of my tools with the discount. Right after he put the order through I got my papers and was a licensed tech so I was making more money and doing great as all these tools are being delivered in the next couples weeks. My total bill was 8,400$ and I got a lot of stuff including my box, side cabinet, vertical drawers, air hammer and a pry bar set.

>pic is one of my vertical drawers that were empty for the better part of a year while I filled up my box with tools

>>545175
My set of allen keys

>>545140
no, about a year ago. job fell into my lap and turns out I'm good at it.

/diy/'s grandpa was here.

pic related

>>544594
Missing the ground on that stagepin ;)

>>545223
That is what I want my pull out vertical drawers to look like. Just full with tools that are so secure they won't rattle around when I slam the doors shut.

First half of my screwdriver drawer. I need a better way to secure them because after one hard close of the drawer they are all over the place.

>>540668
those things are cool, but kinda slow, im always pushing the nose down to fire
then waiting for the green light to go, its annoying, or imidoingitwrong?

>>545231
It's a test lamp in a rubber socket. There's no need (or provision) for a ground. :P

>>545223
I would be lying if I said this picture didn't stir something primal in me.

>>545232
Show me pliers!

>>544875
how can i do what you do?

what qualifications do i need?

currently working in oil and gas myself as a labourer, but i'd lvoe to do something more technical

>>545501
I need a better way to organize my pliers, I also just bought 3 new "Pistol Grip" pliers today from the MAC truck. A lot of people use a wire rack so they stand up on there edges but my drawer is too shallow for it and my other deep drawer is being used by my air tools. I'm hoping to relocate my screwdrivers to another drawer and have the double wide drawer just for pliers.

>>545571
>Interesting Tools

That greet cube with the rectangle and half circle openings is a Magnetizer/Demagnetizer for screwdrivers. Just slide it into the Rectangle hole and the tip becomes magnetic and through the other to de-magnetize.

So I may be entering a tool-related field soon, and if I do I'll need a cordless hammer drill.

While I could go down to Harbl Freight and get one for $50, I'd prefer something that won't shit-out on me in the middle of a job.

Any suggestions on hammer drills that will only have to be bought once?

>>545589
Hilti. Always. Corded if you can.

>>545571
oh you got those snap on compound leverage gripping pliers ive been drooling over

>>545591
Corded isn't an option.

>>545593
Hilti or Milwaukee

and boo if its a big job you want corded

>>545595
Milwaukee?

I don't know if I can trust anything from Milwaukee. I've had their beer and seen their baseball team.

>>542414
Trane water source heat pumps on the bench those things fucking blow so much cock!!!!

>>545589
hate to say it at a 450$ to 600 price but the Hilti is where its at if your serious about a hammer drill

>>545573
Does this work?

>>540669
>festool
MUH NUGGUH

Also if you have the money I highly recommend the shop vac system and the router. The miter saw is bretty good, but the routher should be your next tool if you already have a miter. Also youtube search ron paulk and watch his videos. His mobile workshop is a work of art and motivated me to be a better carpenter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnNi6Tpp-ac

>>545589
>>545624

Do you want a "Cordless Hammer Drill", or a "Rotary Hammer Drill", also known as a Dynadrill or a Masonry Drill? Names can be confusing.

What are you going to be drilling?

>>545624
I still think he should go Hilti,

He is also kinda sounding like an ass

I buy only at boot sales and flea markets for 15 years now. only top class products. i won´t touch cheap tools anymore, once you learn how fine even a simple spanner can work if perfect quality.
for electric tools only hilti, fein, makita.
avoid adjustable spanners if possible.
and don´t forget to mark your tools, they tend to walk away..

>>545344
Ah, appeared to be a stage pin to edison from the way its' sitting. Not quite the most useful tool to do the job then.

>>545766
Actually its quite useful.

muh watch wrench

jeweler

>>545592
They grip very tight and with very little force. I love them. I wish I got the other pliers in the high leverage series but I don't really need doubles at the moment.

>>545604
Milwaukee is a very good brand especially the new stuff they have. Very powerful and every kit comes with 2 batteries and a charger so in my shop we have a huge wall of maybe 10 or 11 chargers which is really handy.

>>545764
Mark all of your tools. I spray paint my blue or put 2 grinded notches into them. I used to engrave my name but it's really hard to see on some tools. And on the subject of only top quality tools, this is a must. I bought a 10mm double box end offset wrench for 5$ and it barely fits a 10mm nut or bolt. It's more of a 10.6mm and since it's a 12 point it just rounds everything.

>>546018
I use a small dremel to put my initials in an inconspicuous place caught a couple ppl. Saying "oh, I have the same tool"...this is especially true with batteries for power tools ths y tend to get lifted the most often it seems

>>544502
Dowidat
Bahco
Stanley
Beta
Bondhus

>Cheap Junk

>>546431
stanley IS cheap junk

>>546421
yeah I just use a paint marker or carve my name into the handles of the tools. I'm glad I work in a small shop with 3 people and we all know each other and which tools belong to each other. I've heard so many horror stories of my friends buying brand new drills and having their names carved into them and phone numbers and people just take them anyways the second you take a break or go do something else.

Are hand tools from Harbor Freight decent enough for light professional use?

>>545819
Not really, can only test stagepin connections, so if you're using it to test if power is running down the line, a voltage tic tester would be a much smarter investment as it's smaller and you could easily identify any circuit if it was hot or not. And you couldn't be using it to test if the circuit is correct wired into the connector since the lamp will work with H/N reversed. Get one of the little $3 outlet testers at that point and a stagepin to edison adapter and then you can also identify if hot/neutral/ground are out of order at all as well.

>>545690

Thank you for this.

>>547748
Sometimes.

Got a flush cut japanese saw from them that was okay. Got some open end wrenches that are okay. Got a torque wrench that.... sort of works. Wouldn't buy again. It is too faint to feel reliably at lower torque.

>>547748
If you're selective and do your homework you can get some decent stuff at harbor freight, especially with consumables.

Hand tools in particular though, I'd be apprehensive about in regards to any sort of professional use. I'm just not sure they'd hold up.

I know reviews are not always the best to go by and sometimes are outright made up but I do tend to pull out my phone and do a quick check online before I buy something that caught my eye. More often than not, sticking to things that where in the 4 to 5 star range has served me well. Conversely, when just saying fuck it and getting lower rated stuff its almost always failed in some grand way.

>>539999
invest in a cordless impact
>so many unnecessary screwdrivers and nut drivers in that bag

I made this 1 and 19/64 inch wrench today. It doubles as a tuning fork! (the frequency of which I do not know)

We needed it to repair a drum sander in our shop (robotics team at a school) which requires a wrench of a rather oddball size. Safe to say, it's my favorite tool right at this moment.

>>549369
Followed by this, which I used to make the wrench.

I'm looking to buy an adjustable wrench and Bahco is a name which cropping up.

Are they worth the not inconsiderable outlay? I'm sick of sloppy chinese crap and use Lindstrom in my fiber optics job so know that the swedes know a thing or two about quality toolmaking.

>>545540
Oh shit you're probably long gone by now but here goes anyhow.

I don't really have any qualifications besides GCSEs as I left education at 16. Worked for a decade in the photographic industry developing film and selling cameras then later as a technician for a very well known digital photography review website. After that I changed direction completely and went into manufacturing, silicone rubber and Kapton-based heating modules if you're interested. The fiber place took me on as a senior test technician due to my background in photography and optics.

If you want to get your foot in the door as a build technician you don't really need any qualifications or experience, at least where I work. They look for qualities such as steady hands, attention to detail and ability to concentrate on repetitive tasks for extended periods. The basic pay isn't that great but there are ample opportunities to progress up the ladder if you have the ability and enthusiasm and there's usually plenty of overtime available.

>>541574
I broke a tap once by going too many turns before backing off to clean the crud, and another time I was going by hand and someone opened a door and i looked over and just tweaked my hand enough to snap it off. Needless to say you're pretty well fucked if you don't have an extractor. I had to drill out the tap and the threads were maybe 40% afterwards.

Also for tools I'm nominating this bad boy. The smaller version not the big ugly piece of shit. It's super compact and strong. Gives you reversible ratchet on either end, one side for bits, one side for sockets. I stripped the teeth on a snap-on ratchet once trying to undo a seized 6mm allen, broke out the old husky and it worked fine. It looks flimsy but it's good to go. can't beat the low profile

>>539999
Well, if the painting is no good again, I know what to do with it.

>>549369
its probably a metric fastener, hench, oddball

>>549516

Buy an adjustable from either Klein or Channellock. Channellocks adjustables are made by Irega in Spain and are IMHO the best in the world. Craftsman adjustables are decent being made by Western Forge.

If you can find an old Crescent or Diamond brand adjustable, those are golden.

New Crescents are made in china and suck.

>>545354
the H. O. Studley tool chest is truly legendary--there are other tool chest that looked nice, and others that packed a lot of tools into a tiny space, but there is none that look so nice and pack as many tools so tightly as it does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cGNT-RSkEU
http://www.finewoodworking.com/woodworking-plans/article/the-ho-studley-tool-chest.aspx

>>549617
Those look great but I'm in the UK and they're not going to be easy to get hold of

Any britbros got a good source for quality tools?

>>549587
nice paper cutter brah

>>549638
Look around, you might find Irega or Irega rebranded as something else.

Bahco is good too tho.

These wire strippers are very handy

Hobby: Making metal shavings.

>>542000
>bought one to tighten some flex-lines that were in close quarters

For a second there I thought you were talking about your pic and using code for getting a hard-on

>>540615
I have one of those bad boys. Bought it for 30 bucks brand new.

>>549834
>Shavings.
>Not Chips.

>Tiny lathe and mill.

icwatudidthar.jpeg

You know you can get full on Heavy 10's and used Atlas lathes all day for what that minilathe costs right? Shit I saw a 16x57 Southbend for 1,100 with two chucks and an Aloris post with some tool holders. The bed and ways were ate up a bit but nothing one couldn't rescrape if they were a true DIY eh?

>>549959
$1100 16x57? that's a ridiculous deal that comes around what, once a year?

>>549834
>Professional Swarfer

>>549959
it is true that you can find used old big machines for what the new little ones cost..... but then again a lot of people who buy the little machines simply don't have room for any big ones, even if they could gt them for free.

or people who buy the little ones have to put them somewhere you can't move a big one very easily. or at all....

also,,,, a lot of the big machines have problems that a newbie would not know how to detect beforehand, and would have difficulties repairing. the classic example is a shop that is selling an old milling machine that they were "still using as a drill press"....
if they knew it was damaged and didn't work well for milling, then they would know that it would still probably work as a drill press.
the simple fact that they're still using it at all doesn't mean it isn't undamaged.

,,,,,,,,,

clean machines make me feel guilty, my shop room is a dump. i only scrape the piles of chips (mostly) out when they interfere with something. it is very cramped with stuff though and I can't easily clean everywhere anyway

>>548864
I use the milwaukee fuel impact daily but for 80% of the stuff i do its far to large

>>548864
Its fuckers like you that over torque screws and strip them out.

Part of being a professional is knowing when an impact driver is appropriate, and when a hand tool will do.

Plus we all have our own styles. Sometimes a dedicated screwdriver or nutdriver IS the best tool for the job. Nothing like a 6" long nutdriver with a fully hollow shaft.

>>549373
Haha you are overthinking it. When we run into an oddball size for something really big we just get a spare slab of steel and cut notches into it at the desired width, so one guy in our shop has a drawer just full of these big as chunks of metal for certain jobs that we rarely run into anymore. I should take a pic of his box some time, he has two drawers of regular tools like wrenches and screwdrivers and the rest is all things he made.

>>549754 These are very handy for tagging into a wire for an alarm system or other addon.

>>551320
I always considered nut drivers to be pointless when you can have a drill with interchangeable bits. That is until I realized the time it takes me to find the correct bit and load it into a magnetic screwdriver and all that hassle. It is a lot easier just to have 3 drivers for 6mm 7mm and 8mm (automotive clamps) and grab them super quick, especially when it's in a tight space(I've had a few bits get jammed on something and drop off the end of the screwdriver)

>>551412
>>551320

THANK YOU!! finally some people who "get it"