Your favourite tools

[William Bloke]

I was wondering about your favourite tools.

Not really your most used, and certainly not necessarily you most expensive. Just that one tool that you really like, and has that little Je ne sais quoi that you'd miss if you had to replace it.

 

As an example, here are two of mine.

First is an ancient No2 edge strip. It was given to me by a retiring friend after I had a load of my tools stolen. I use it every day, it stays sharp and feels nice In my hand. But more than that, it reminds me of a man who knew me 25 years ago and the bloke who bought the tool 100 before that. All three of us doing the same job and probably saying the same bad words at the same irritations.

 

The other tool is this little stubby knife. I don't know where it came from, don't think I bought it, but it's wicked sharp and whenever I have to cut stitches on a repair, or the tape on a delivery, its what I reach for.  It's not fancy or desirable, but it's just the knife I reach for when I want a knife.

Edited June 23, 2020 by William Bloke

[battlemunky]

Mine would have to be my round awl. I got it in a lot several years ago. It's sharp as hell and I use it probably more than any other tool in my shop. I poke holes with it, trace with it, score with it, prick with it, stir paint with it, apply paint with it...I just like it and use it way more than I ever expected. Just a lowly round awl.

Edited June 23, 2020 by battlemunky
added a pic

[William Bloke]

7 minutes ago, battlemunky said:

Mine would have to be my round awl. I got it in a lot several years ago. It's sharp as hell and I use it probably more than any other tool in my shop. I poke holes with it, trace with it, score with it, prick with it, stir paint with it, apply paint with it...I just like it and use it way more than I ever expected. Just a lowly round awl.

I know what you mean. I've got a big seat awl that I do the same with.

[jcuk]

Mine is a old H Brindley martingale groover which i mostly use for my rolled work, its a lovely Tool to use or even just pick up and waste  a bit of scrap leather.

 

 

[jcuk]

This should  get a mention too, brought it in a tool souq in the middle east many years ago it is what all my strap widths buckle turns hole spacing are measured with and any other measurements under 6''

Edited June 25, 2020 by jcuk

[Spyros]

^^^ this is a machinist square, I have 2-3 of them for woodworking but I couldn't use them on leather because they won't lay flat. 

I ended up getting a simple steel square from the hardware store, put some anti-slip tape on the back instead of cork, works great.

 

My favourite tool by far is an OLFA 60mm rotary cutter, I don't know for some reason it really suits my hand and gives me confidence I can cut anything with it.   I even use it for curves although I know I shouldn't.

I have some KS blades arriving any day now, I'm hoping they will become my new favourite.   Well they better anyway considering how much they cost.

 

 

[jcuk]

6 hours ago, Spyros said:

^^^ this is a machinist square, I have 2-3 of them for woodworking but I couldn't use them on leather because they won't lay flat. 

I ended up getting a simple steel square from the hardware store, put some anti-slip tape on the back instead of cork, works great.

 

My favourite tool by far is an OLFA 60mm rotary cutter, I don't know for some reason it really suits my hand and gives me confidence I can cut anything with it.   I even use it for curves although I know I shouldn't.

I have some KS blades arriving any day now, I'm hoping they will become my new favourite.   Well they better anyway considering how much they cost.

 

 

I have been using it 25 + years no problems but the weight of leather i work with in the main it does lie flat on, with  lighter leathers i use the edge of my bench to make it lie flat mainly though its mainly used for setting my Plough Gauge and Strap Cutter widths don't trust the gauges on them if you use the same tool for all your measurements it helps to keep all your work in unison as far as the measurements are concerned.By the way i also use a engineers scribe for a lot of my marking.  

 

Hope this helps

JCUK

 

Edited June 25, 2020 by jcuk

[YinTx]

On 6/23/2020 at 2:31 PM, William Bloke said:

Je ne sais quoi

I was sitting there stitching and really thinking about this question.  There are a lot of tools I really like, some I really really like, some I use a lot, but how to choose that one with the "Je ne sais quoi" the others don't have?  Then it dawned on me.  I was sitting on it.  Using it to stitch!  Thats right, my stitching horse.  It has been through a lot.  Was in some saddler's shop in Tyler, rescued and renovated, moved half a dozen times since I've had it, been through a fire since I've had it, now it is 3 different kinds of wood, requires a cushion on top so you don't get an uncomfortable sensation in the derrière, is pretty finicky and once you get to know how to use it, works  flawlessly and holds pretty much everything I have to stitch.  It's pretty much become a partner in the process for me with some history, and if it was gone, I'd be unable to find an adequate replacement.  Sure, I'd find a new stitching horse, but it just wouldn't be the same.

YinTx

 

[Hardrada]

Half-moon (round) knife. They were right: once you use it you won't want to use anything else.

My Barry King mallet.

My Kyoshin Elle skiving knife.

My Kyoshin Elle #1 edger.

My ProEdge cocobolo burnisher.

Last, but not least, my Schärf-Fix paring machine.

 

[Hardrada]

8 hours ago, Spyros said:

I have some KS blades arriving any day now, I'm hoping they will become my new favourite.   Well they better anyway considering how much they cost.

Ditto here.