Been here and at Techimo for quite a while now, jsut don't post often. I usually use all my dad's tools for any mods I do...but i decided to get my own... So whats in your toolbox? And what (within reasonable price) do you wish you had? Thanks skotter + bittech =
ok lets see a metal tools=grinder,dremel tool with attachments,a set of files,a set of clamps,some bench vices wood tools=table saw,jigsaw,skillsaw stuff to get if you can afford= cnc machine,lathe,lathe type roughter,welder "wire fed mig",
for everything: drill press, belt sander, a couple of "handheld" power sanders, ****loads of mixed sandpaper grit dremel , dremel is a must, be sure to include a variety of accessories, if you you'll find good lists of nice attachments to have. good set of screwdrivers & pliers, good set of mixed sized drill bits, ranging from extremely small to extremely big, jigsaw, table saw, files, clamps, 2 good bench vices, vice grips (i use these constantly...), bench grinder. its all the little things you dont think about that you need, like pliers are commonly overlooked, having wicked-huge drill bits, which when i bought i said "jesus god i'll never need these" and i've ended up using them as much as mid-sized bits. a good handheld belt sander is always nice to have, because you cant haul a huge belt sander on a stand around and sand down the deck you just built (i know, i know, not comp. modding, but it gets the point across)... erm...i think thats it, just...remember the small things. what i did was walked through Sears (or your hardware store of preference, just i dont have many near me and Sears has good comprimises on price and quality) and thought through mods and what i would need. plus, tools are one of my addictions, so.... . EDIT: just read "within a reasonable cost"...and realized my list was a ton. first, lemme say its taken 13 years and a lot of hand-me-down tools to collect all the tools i even use on a regular basis, not even the tools i wish i had...old tools, as long as they're in decent condition, are usually a good way to go. as awesome and sparkly as a new drill press looks in your garage, an old, decent power one will do the same thing, just without that new-tool smell. as far as screwdrivers and such go? its fine to comprimise quality for price, as long as it feels comfortable and looks semi-well made. but, with drill bits and bench vices, i would go with a slightly higher quality, because if you go cheap, itll show in about 3 years.
Man I love this place Thanks for the already written replies, much help, and there were many things I had overlooked... Keep 'em comin!
Besides some of things mentioned above, I also have in my "workshop": -wire in a variety of gauges - mainly between 18 and 24 -storage racks and bins for all the little stuff - screws, bolts, nuts, washers, standoffs, etc desk light with built-in magnifying lens -cable ties and rubberbands -masking tape, duct tape, electrical tape, scotch tape, double-sided tape -a separate PSU for testing fans, LEDs, and other gadgets -a mult-positional vise - invaluable -disposable rubber gloves -cans of air -pencils, sharpie's -lots of shelf space for excess building materials, wire, computer magazines, computer parts, and all the retail boxes that most of those computer parts come in (I like to save that stuff)
A good quality soldering iron, don’t be tempted to skimp on this imo, because I did once and in the end just had to bit the bullet and buy a decent wattage non "cheap" iron because it took so long to heat up components I was burning my hands sometimes and also damaging components, but mostly just not being able to solder some things.
i feel everyone should have 2 soldering devices - a 25-40w pencil for fine electronic/breadboard work and a 100-130w gun for wire joints & large non-delicate work. 3rd hand w/ magnifying glass is a must. personally i use rosin-core 97/3 solder - no paste, no mess, great conductivity - and no breathing in lead fumes. PROPER VENTILATION. nuff sed. LIGHT. if you try to work in the dark, you WILL hurt yourself or the piece you are working on. hand nibbler. a must for quick fix on holes, and removing those horrible stamped out fan grills. best 8$ i ever spent. dremel accessories - #426 wheels, various shaped carbide cutters, sanding drums, polishing wheels. (i never had luck with the stones, ALU just tends to clog them for me) either a drill with a cord, or a cordless of 18-24v range. any less is wasting your time. crafstman or makita quick-change bits are very nice, especially when you dont have a lot of time for modding. waist-high, level, solid working surface. preferrably with a vice or 2. no more back strain. and keep it clean, for gods sake. for nuts&bolts and screws n stuff, I use a fishing tackle box with 3 pull-out trays w/ adjustable dividers. nice big section on top fits soldering gun, dremel, hand tools, and a couple fans and misc. bits. http://www.basspro.com/servlet/cata...rClassCode=11&hvarSubCode=9&hvarTarget=browse ------------------------------------------ things i want/need: pillar drill (drill press) compuond mitre saw w/ laser guidance table saw convertable plunge / table router more holesaws industrial rotary tool (bench mount kind) with flex shaft/ 90deg. attachment team of monkeys in diapers to do my wet sanding home paint booth big enough to spray a large-ish dresser / bedframe/ headboard (not bloody likely, but it's nice to have dreams) --------------------------------------------------------- baz: nice to see more and more ohioans on the forums, even if you are from the boonies.
The boonies?? I don't know about that. I figure since Wal*Mart is less than a minute away, I'm pretty much safe from being in the boonies. Isn't that the rule?
something simple i overlooked for a long time, a long steel ruler. I dont know how I got along without it for so long.
sorry baz: i live exactly 1/2 way between cinci and dayton ... so marysville is pretty out there for me
oh, dont forget a pair of safety glasses and a good pair of gloves. go to stretchy, rubber-or whatever dipped on the palms and fingers, trust me. one of my favorite tools are my gloves, basically have saved my hands for the everliving hell some of this stuff can deliver. *takes note* hmm...high-speed spinning device, not good for body! trust me. was holding a 1-inch hinge and attempting to grind it down to about 3/4 inches (me being cheap again), and ended up practically fusing the hinge to my fingers. sucker got hot fast, i tell you what. [/storytelling] anyway, good gloves and decent safety glasses. plus, a good measuring tape/long straightedge. this is a bit more on the costly side, but i just thought about how much i use my air compressor. handy for everything from cleaning up parts to cleaning up the garage to inflating the tires on that car
awesome guys! much thanks. i think i'm going to start with a dremel...and maybe a jigsaw....I'm not sure yet, i cant wait to get started on my next project... i live in dayton........ ....washington...now THAT is the boonies...
You need a little of this And that loll there's a lot more, these are old pics This is also very useful It's like a giant dremel with attachments And this does not hurt either
My God! Look at all those floppy drives. You should make a computer that's just made up of floppy drives. It'd take 8 hours just to boot up
hell its not the floppies, its the ****load of NIC cards, the millions of CD-ROM drives, and everything together really. wow...
This is a more recent pic of that shelf, cards are small video and 10/100 networking ones some old sound cards etc.There's some SCSI baracudas small ATA's most of the PS are at's.
I would recommend two things that just might help you in your pursuit of organizational bliss: ebay or a fire barrel. I'm sure they'd both work wonders.
I used to have a collection like that, but I got rid of a lot of it, especially the old AT cases. Scrapped anything good and threw the rest away. Except for hard drives, I still have more hard drives than god.
