What are your must have work tools, your fav./cheapest boots, gloves etc.
 

Are there any particular things you could not work well without? Your favorite saw, your most perfect weight hammer? What works well for you, and what do you look at and chuckle over that others have that you think is junk?

My Estwing framing hammer, Stanley Fatmax tape, Empire speed square, Makita circular saw, chalkline, pencil, chisel, utility knife, torpedo level, cat's paw, and my toolbelt and I am good to go.

felko pruners

4WD tractor with loader/pallet forks.

An 8 inch serrated bagel knife from the dollar store. New, I use the for harvesting. As they dull I use them for opening feed bags, cutting baling twine and for cutting out stubborn weeds.

Husky chainsaws
Ford tractor
power washer
cant hook
pneumatic nailers
roto tiller
gas powered log splitter
fence stretcher
various ladders

and.....two teenage sons!

No doubt there are some I'm not thinking of right now

Leather Boots are one thing I don't buy cheap. Cheap boots are worth exactly what you pay for them. I do like cheap rubber boots for working in the slop.

I wear deerskin leather gloves that I buy from a local store for 14 bux a pair. They last pretty well unless I use them fencing.

Leather gloves, (not deer skin though!) I also like a good bungie net to cover the pick up bed. Keeps things from flying out.

Always buy the best boots, gloves, clothes that you can afford.
Carhart/Walls work clothes, Danner or Lacrosse boots (although Lacrosse are being made in China lately)

Milwaukee power tools
Craftsman hand tools ( not saying the best, but they do have a warranty and you don't have to wait for the truck)

In pockets or on belt:
Swiss army knife.
Mini mag flashlight.
Starrett 8 ft tape.
particle roll of black elect tape.
2 Bic lighters.
2 pens, 1 marker, fine tip, mini screw driver, notebook w/ band aids.
wallet, money clip (also Swiss army)
Metal match box with aspirins/Tums

i have all top of the line tools and i love them sometimes if i have to work with junk may be a little harder but a good mech. never blames his the tool

Most outdoor work clothing is Carhartt. In the shop I have a 10'' Unisaw and a heavy duty Delta spindle shaper, jointer, band saw, and assorted other machines that I use for most of my woodworking. A couple of Estwing hammers, Stanley tapes, Starrett combination square. Most of my small hand tools, wrenches etc. are Craftsman. Also use my wire welder quite a bit and of course a torch. I have a 9'' South Bend lathe and tooling and a small horizontal mill that come in handy once in a while. I don't need them very often but when I do they are sure nice to have. The tool is use every day is my Polaris ATV.

At this time of year - my Carhatt bibs and jacket - insulated long johns, and wool gloves are things I can not live without!! As far as tools there is no way I could live without my cordless drill, the jackknife that was my grandfather's and don't laugh - but duck tape and zip ties!! You wouldn't believe all the things I have able to put together with zip ties!

prairie

steel toed boots, estwing hammer(big framer) cordless drill, spiker and finish gun, compound miter, and tool belt.

Most Danners are made in China now too.

That's kind of sad. Back in the 70's Danners were on par with White boots. I bought a pair of Danner smoke jumpers back then and wore them every day for years. They aren't like that now.

I like my Eastwing hammer, Makita circular and reciprocating saws, Paslode cordless framing and finishing nail guns, Craftsman 19.2v cordless drills, Sachs-Dolmar chain saw and Craftsman hand tools (ratcheting wrenches and screwdrivers, etc.).

I usually use the best leather gloves I can get, but while I've been logging I started buying the $2.50 gloves at the store up the road because I knew they would be covered in pine sap. I throw them in the wash along with the work clothes I've been wearing. I was very surprised to find that they have been holding up great.

Stihl chainsaw, buck folding knife, wrecking bar and a nine pound sledge with a fiberglass handle (found along the road)

I am loving this thread. Loving it. Homesteaders and their tools. It warms my heart like crazy. Thank you.

I love my timberland titanium steel toe boots. I have to have my carhart bibbs this time of the year, my eastwing hammer, buck pocket knife, and my leather gloves.

dk

etox carries a reall good pair of leather gloves for 6$, fits really nice. good leather boots. dewalt cordless kit. good tape measure. troybilt tiller. gallon jug of sun tea. lotsa scrap lumber stacked by the shed. lotsa ideas in ur head that u gotta work on come weekend.

"Found Along the Road" is one of my favorite brands of tools.

Yes, right along with "bought at a garage sale" and "inheireted"

tools
 

Prarrie Comforts we think along the same lines......Zip ties and Duct tape. Baling Twine and (some old baling wire) are right up their too! :)

I was a rural carrier for 25+ years with a 100+ mile route. You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff I picked up along the roads. All sorts of small hand tools, hammers, hand saws, screw drivers, ratchets. Several log chains, 3 chain saws, 1 rifle, rolls of barbed wire, lunch boxes, a suitcase full of clothing, even found a surveyors transit once. A lot of the stuff I was able to return. I kept it at the PO for awhile and most folks knew that and would call if they had lost something. The transit had the owners name, address, and phone number inside of the box. When I called him he accused me of stealing it....go figure.

As far as tools such as shovels, matocs, picks, axes and things, forget about buying them new. They are not worth the price they would bring for scrap metal. Buy old ones at yard sales and auctions. I bought a brand new mattoc for around $40 and bent it the first time I used it. Who ever heard of bending a mattoc? Get the old ones now while you can.
My favorite buy: I bought two axe heads at an auction for $10. The are hand forged, and had never had a handle put in them. One is a broad axe for hewing logs, and the other is just a single bit axe. They are works of art! They are razor sharp, and they ring like crystal bells! I wouldn't take $100 for either one of them. No one else wanted them. :shrug:

Gosh Denise - you are right - I can't believe I forgot about bailing twine!! Like I said - you wouldn't believe the things I have put together with those three things!

CaseXX three blade pocket knife and a diamond embedded sharpening stone. With those I can get by. That doesn't mean that the other ten thousand dollars in tools aren't essential to me as well :rolleyes:

Doug

Ryobi cordless screwdriver and flashlight that came with it.
Tamping bar with a crowbar type chisel on the other end.

Expensive, but my very favorite: Marmot work gloves. They're insulated and waterproof. I can pull a skim of ice off a water container and my hands never even feel it. Warm and dry, no matter what.

Ames shovel --made before Ames True Temper--much better blade than anything you can buy now.

Carhartt coveralls.

Rototiller with all cast-iron engine cylinders and head.

Pants with a hammer loop.

Ducks for insect control.

Baler Wire
Pliers
Adjustable 10" Wrench
Hand Pruner

As many have already pointed out of this thread, buying a quailty product is often times the cheapest route to take. Or conversely, buying "cheap" is often times the most expensive route to take.

carharrt coveralls
Geier leather work gloves and insulated ones for winter
RedWing boots

I do love my insulated coveralls, actually mine have zip out liners so I can wear them all year!

My very favourite 'work item' though would have to be my work gloves. I got them at Home Depot, and paid what I thought was a crazy amount of money for them ... close to $20 if I remember rightly. They fit perfectly and have no fingertips on the thumb and first two fingers, so you can always grab a screw, or a small nail or whatever and not drop it - but your hands are protected. I have worn them hard for over a year now and they show no signs of dying any time soon, they're just nicely broken in.

If you go looking for them, they are a gray/black with leather palms and a velcro closure over the back of the hand that helps them fit snugly. :)

Essential tools for when I walk through the door at the end of the day-
Kids meeting me at the door.
Dogs meeting me at the door.
Tonya meeting me in the kitchen...
With a kiss, a shot of Jose and a beer :D

Doug