/diy/ - Do It Yourself

1 Wire stripper. Earliest tool that changed things for the better.
2 Hot air station. Got a cheap Chinese, and it is surprisingly good, helped a lot
3 Yet to be found...

>>1342644
Oh wait, 3. is 3d printer. Print small parts to fix or replace things, or create special tools.

>>1342635
1. Digital calipers for sure. If you dont have them already buy them right now. Buy metal ones, dont buy the plastic ones. They are $20 or less.

They switch between mm and inches and are very quick and easy to use. I use them for 90% of my measuring needs at 6 inches or under.

Its hard to explain, but you dont understand how versatile and easy they are to use until you have them.
I originally put them off because it was just a "weird machinist tool for high tolerances" and I wouldnt use them. I bought them on clearance as an impulse buy and cant be happier. I actually recently upgraded to $100+ mitutoyos I used the cheap ones so much.

2.My milwaukee portable bandsaw on a stand to make it a small vertical metal cutting bandsaw (a full size metal bandsaw would suffice too, but portabands are small as shit and work amazing)

No more hacksaws or the dremel, or the unwieldy angle grinder just to cut a bolt or a small piece of metal again.
Just yesterday I cut the head off of a bolt to make a little stud. It took about 30 seconds to cleanly and quietly cut through it. No throwing a bunch of sparks or making a lot of noise or heating it up real hot.

Ill never be without one again, if it dies ill replace it the next day.

3.Knipex cobras
Seriously are god tier pliers, anything rusty or fucked up you think you want to use vise grips on?
Try the cobras first, itll probably work, especially with how shitty the steel vise grips have nowadays.

1. Knife grade 1hr epoxy. Holy Hanna the things you can repair with this stuff. Knife grade is awesome because it stays put.

2. Dremel with a s-ton of accessories.

3. Booze. Makes working on stuff much more fun!

>>1342635

1. weller wd1 station (any temperature controlled station)
2. fluke 112
3. digital calipers

1-cordless drill
2-hot glue gun
3-soldering + hot air station

1. Dial calipers. Had a Mitutoyo digisomething but it started showing numbers that were clearly unlikely. The Chinesium dial calipers have never failed me and are more than precise enough for electronics work.

2. Electronics pliers. More of a throwaway item but I couldn't scavenge as much without it. Saved me hundreds.

3. Desoldering braid. People will tell you the vacuum pump is the shit but it really doesn't work. Stop trying you will burn yourself and break whatever you are trying to salvage.

Goes without saying: Multimeter, soldering iron, flux

>>1342655
> 1. Digital calipers

I use mine occasionally and every time I reach for them the battery is dead. Is there a brand known not to drain battery when not in use?

1) Digital Calipers - definitely most used tool
2) Milling Machine - self explanatory
3) Multimeter - in case a hammer can't fix it

1: airblow gun
2: Ceratizit 1 inch diameter, 2 inserts, 4 inches long
3: 4lbs softblow hammer

1. 100MHz Oscilloscope: The eyes of an electronics guy.
2. Soldering station: Best 45€ I've ever spent on Chinese stuff, SMD soldering would be impossible without it.
3. Digital calipers: Really useful for translating real components into 3D models or creating PCBs with the right spacing of pins, legs... whatever.

4 would be a 3D printer, I'm hoping to buy one soon, so many possibilities...

>>1342758
>I use mine occasionally and every time I reach for them the battery is dead. Is there a brand known not to drain battery when not in use?

legit mitutoyo

fake mitutoyos and cheap chinese ones eat batteries when 'off'

>>1342768
>4lbs softblow hammer

Never used one. What's so special about it?

>>1342758
I've changed the cell in my Browne&Sharpe once in the past 13 years.

1) adjustable t-square with built in bubble level
2) dremel (with cutting disks)
3) multimeter
3 just as easily could’ve been a nylon hammer or 3d printer, haven’t used it much though despite all the 4-5ams up fine tuning it.

1) Digital calipers. Useful for so many things
2) Pointy tweezers. Gotta poke a hole in something, pick up something tiny, pick up something hot, loop something? These will do it.
3) Hakko flush cutters. They just cut... perfectly.

>>1342758
Buy silver oxide batteries for it.
SR44 / EX76 / 357 / 303 etc etc.

I bought a 10 pack of LR44 akalines at the store and my cheap calipers ate them in short order. A quality silver oxide battery from energizer or duracell will make it last longer.

Ive been going close to 6 months with the duracell 303 and the screen is still bright (it dims badly when it gets low).

The mitutoyos claim in the manual that with "average daily use" should last 3 and a half years.
Everyone else seems to get pretty good battery life out of theirs,especially since a lot dont use them daily like at a job.

1. Flush side cutter from pic related or really any clone of them
2. Knipex Pliers wrench. can be used as wrench or small scale press
3. Bent nose pliers
as far as calipers go, i prefer my mat finish analog over digital

>>1342758
>literally a SparkFun babby project

>>1342635
1.Bench grinder with a wire wheel. My cheap bench grinder sat unused for years till I put a wire wheel on it. Cleans up small stuff so nicely.
2.Duck bill pliers. Their odd shape is really handy at time
3.Vampliers, extremely useful to remove the odd stripped screw

>>1343095
I find this to be an extremely odd top 3. I'm interested in what kind of work you normally do?

My brain....it overcomes all and any adversity

>>1343120
>odd top 3

I do to, but thanks to him, I learned about a new tool!

>>1342788
It's 4 pound... and i've been using it for over 15 years. It's ugly but I have muscle-memory with it; if I want to swivel my vise or a part .004 clockwise, I hit once.

>>1343171
dumb name. i have the japanese version and they're just called screw pliers. they're not very useful at all except in certain circumstances. I used to work in a computer repair shop and for some reason people managed to get their case screws crumbling with rust or somehow air hammered onto the case so removal was impossible without them. anyway, a drill works just as well but i wasnt allowed to run power tools in the office.

>>1343081
>SparkFun babby project

wrf is that?

>>1343177
That's the one... but mine's all black. Round handle, decent lenght = decent swing when needed. And mine now has the handle core broken so I get a bit more swinging action going.
Got me nervous for a minute, couldn't find it on the net and I can't stand the feel of the orange ones, they feel dry and too hard.

>>1343185
Aircraft mechanic here, alloy screws strip out routinely when they get replaced. The pliers are way faster than drilling it out

>>1343200
>SparkFun babby project

My guess?
Attaching an AAA battery holder to a digital calipers.

>>1343120
>what kind of work you normally do?

I'm guessing metal art

>>1342758
>Is there a brand known not to drain battery when not in use?
Yes. I have pic related and I've never had to change the battery.

>>1342635
- TIG Welder
- Angle grinder
- Multi-channel digital oscilloscope.

>>1342758

You use a shitty chinese one, don't you? 'Cause I do, and, yeah, I actually bothered to measure the standby current vs. operating current. 17µA standby, 19µA operating. There's almost no point in it going into sleep mode.

Ended up hacking a switch into it that cuts battery power completely, I managed to fuck something up though, and now the reading likes to jump all over the place and the buttons don't work half the time. Might just be the shittiness of the calipers, since it didn't do that until quite a while after I put the switch in.

>>1343549 has the right idea, IMO. Combination imperial/metric verniers. 100% reliable, no batteries to fuck with, not as expensive as a legit Mitutoyo/Starrett.

>>1342635
>Auto-strippers

don't even get me started. fucking miracle devices.

>Seconding the Stereo Microscope

Tooling inspection , electronics, failure inspection . . . .

>3.an actual micrometer

I consider most digital calipers as rough measurement tools at best now. The one exception is a $300 Mitutoyo I splurged on, and even then, I'll mic a check dimension if it's below .002" before I trust a pair of calipers.

>>1343676
1. shit I forgot about automatic wire strippers!
2. pencil/hot air rework station with fast, precise heating
3. Bus Pirate serial protocol analyzer
didn't quite make the cut:
>cheapy chinky digi-calipers
>3rd 1080p HDMI display
might make the cut when I get them:
>4th 1080p HDMI display
>air powered syringe for solder paste dispensing
>suction pick and place tool for components

>>1343676
When I was an apprentice the old English toolmaker use to call calipers "guessing sticks".

>>1343549
>>1343560
> 100% reliable, no batteries to fuck with, not as expensive as a legit Mitutoyo/Starrett.

It takes away from the convenience of having digital calipers though. Reading a scale isnt hard, but its not convenient at all especially if you are doing rough small measurements that everyday diyers would do. At that point might as well just use a tape measure or ruler which are even cheaper

>>1343835
dont forget you lose the extremely useful and versatile zero option. You need a Dial or Digital caliper for that

1. Spudger opening tool
2. Digital Multimeter
3. Soldering station.

>>1342635
>Cordless Impact Driver (general construction)

This. A lot. Falls in the category "only realized I needed one for years when J got one".

>>1342635
1. Leatherman. Not the best at anything, but always the one nearest when you need it.
2. Dremel. If anything requires material to be removed from it, this does the job!
3. Airbrush. Perfect for painting small crafts, with cheap paints you can mix yourself and in as small quantities as needed.

1. allen keys, metric, use them every day at home and all day at work
2. flashlight
3. tweezers. this kind. queue the old guy comment about roach clips

>>1342635
#1. Cordless drill (or corded impact drill, dunno)
#2. Soldering Iron
#3. Multimeter.

>>1342635
>calliper
>wrench set
>allen set

>>1342635
knife gun calipers

-air compressor, 26 gal, 125 psi, portable
-table saw, 10" dia., portable
-razor knife, refillable & snap for sharp, highly portable

>>1345938
>knife gun calipers

You just had me Google this, looking for a tool called ”knife gun calipers". Then I realized it was your three tools... :/

>>1342655
FYI: I know of no self-respecting machinist that uses digital calipers, there's a certain je ne sais quoi about analogs and lathe work.

I did campground maint for a few seasons
1)knipex mini cobras - always came in handy
2)good sharp knife - no explanation needed
3)cordless recip saw - cut everything from branches to rebar

also impact driver for muh picnic tables

>>1346069
fuck em. I do CAD and 3D printing and I like being able to type in the numbers that I see. It makes prototyping so much easier.

>>1346069
Fuck off.

>>1346229
Why are you triggered? He said machinist not soyboy level engineering like CAD and 3DP

>>1346052
i was about to do the same thing until i saw this reply so at least we're both retarded

>>1346297
>specifically says "lathe work"
>implying any "self-respecting" machinist on the lathe is using calipers in the first place

We all know his stupid generalization is probably based off of one old man he knows.
Maybe I should shoehorn some buzzwords into this reply, speak your language.

>>1343540
Hvac

>>1343540
1.Bench grinder with a wire wheel. My cheap bench grinder sat unused for years till I put a wire wheel on it. Cleans up small stuff so nicely.

What's with the bench grinder wire wheel if yet an HVAC guy?

1. Cordless grinder
2. Wera Tang through beater screw driver
3. Knipex Cobras

>>1343549
i bought starret ones and the scale is smaller than this one (harder to read). name brand isn't worth it

>>1343171
Looks like mini forging tongs

>>1342635
Love that stereo microscope. Used the same one myself.

Anyone got tips for how i can get my hands to stop shaking?
>23y

There is so much shit i want to build but i if i cant keep my hand still for long enough i am just going to waste the components.

>3d printer
>regular set of screw drivers
>strips

dial calipers
centering punch
8oz brass hammer

>>1346899
Get some wrist rests.

Stop drinking coffee, or drink more coffee if you get caffeine withdrawal.

Similarly stop smoking or smoke more.

>>1346987
>Get some wrist rests.

This i will get. Dont smoke but i will cut down on the caffeine

>>1342635
1: Stainless steel, analog, dial calipers with both SAE and metric graduations, with depth gauge. (plus a plastic version for glass and stuff I don't want to scratch.)
2: Dremel
3: Drill press

>>1342764
This

>>1343839
Or you can use basic math and your eyes... Jesus

>>1346899
>Rest your palm, wrist, forearm, or elbow on something solid. This is a pro-tip that applies to all trades and crafts that require fine motor skills.

Watch this guy do calligraphy. He's made a custom rest for his wrist:
https://youtu.be/F4165Pp8uns

>>1347081

I should really learn how to green text properly.... Brain fart there....

>>1346052
>>1346487
Same here boys

>>1342635
#1 lathe
#2 mill
#3 surface grinder

alternatively,

#1 noga indicator mount with fine adjust at the base + mitutoyo indicator

#2 dynafile, sometimes that fucker is just plain handy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJNbTe0GLQs

#3 small kant-twist clamps with the round knob
https://www.amazon.com/Kant-Twist-401-1-Universal-Capacity/dp/B019RBI838/

>>1347974
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLBTSrlUhj4

>>1347081
>drops of paint arent flicking everywhere when he moves his hand quickly
>paint isnt running at all despite being blobbed on like that
this is fake

I really do pity any DIYer who doesn't have a good set of calipers.

>>1348997
>>drops of paint arent flicking everywhere when he moves his hand quickly
>paint isnt running at all despite being blobbed on like that
this is fake

You can't be serious you bonehead.
The paint is just thick and he's not moving his hand that fast...
The cup closer to the camera is water that he's using to thin the thick paint.

>>1347081
Thank you. Im going to make something similar if i cant stop the coffe consumption this year.

>>1342635
CNC Router table 48x96
3D Printer
Dremel

>>1342635
>tools we couldn't live without!
>No boundaries on trade, profession or hobby.

Pocket Screwdriver
Flashlight
Condom

>>1346069

Yeah and I use a slide rule to scare the postdocs. That doesn't mean it's actually better.

>>1342635
>rock
>bigger rock
>40 pound sledhammer

1. Cordless impact driver. First tool I ever got that was outside of the basic homeowner stuff. Learned that there was a better way than stripping screw heads with a cordless drill or fucking around with a screwdriver.
2. Automatic wire strippers. Crappy one I got at walmart on a lark. Love it.
3. Plastic automotive trim removal tools. Stopped marring the hell out of my car with screwdrivers.

>>1346069
Machinists use micrometers on lathe work

>>1350349
>40 pound sledge
Biggest rock is best rock.

>>1342635
1. Xiaomi Vacuum Robot
2. Temperature gun
3. 4chan

>chisel mortiser
>router
>oscillating tool

Flush cuts
Dykes
Crimper

>>1342635
1) My head
2) My dad
3) 4chan
"Always think before you act." (see #2 - Thanks, dad.)

>>1346069
Proper machinists use micrometers

Mitutoyo digital calipers
8" bench grinder/polisher
18v cordless drill, teal coloured

Closely followed by TCT saw, angle grinder, wood lathe

>>1342635
1.Micrometers
2.Granite surface
3.Height gauge

>>1351564
>2.Granite surface

What's with the granite? I've seen these before in scientific labs. Why not a big slab of steel?

>>1351586
I think it's because steel can corrode and is more thermally reactive, more prone to deform. But steel surfaces are also used.

>>1351586
>>1351587
From wikipedia
>Granite is also inherently stable, non-magnetic, has excellent vibration damping characteristics, and will not rust.

You do get big slabs of cast iron for surface plates.

Surface plates with the right tools are so fucking handy for precise work.

>>1351586
I also have cast iron one
Cast iron surface plate needs more care and you have to oil it every time you finished using it. Also my parts are magnetized from the surface grinder chuck which make it hard to maneuver them around on an cast iron surface plate

>>1351564
>2.Granite surface

Damn this! Just forgot about it but i use my surface plate all the time. I guess it's also the only thing which comes close to a "standard" in my shop.

1) Soldering+hot air station (Yaxun 881D)
2) Philips screwdriver
3) Knife

#1 "California Exotics" egg-shaped vibrator
#2 Bridgeport-knockoff milling machine
#3 Raspberry Pi

>>1342635
1. Triple Beam scale
2. A fork
3. A hot plate

1) Chainsaw
2) Winch
3) Pickaroon

>>1353706
>#1 "California Exotics" egg-shaped vibrator

Wait a second..........

"Tool" noun
1.a device or implement, especially one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function.

Damnit, you won!

>>1354732
you're not funny

>>1354744
Maybe if babby tells us what he finds amusing we can tailor our post to be just for his enjoyment.

>double-sided sticky tape
>self-centring drill bit
>cordless tools

Multimeter, wire strippers & multi screwdriver

1. Torpedo level with pitch marks on it
2: cordless sawzall
3: cordless sds drill

t. plumber

1) My Makita 1300lb breakaway 1/2 drive electric impact
Fuck me why havent I been using one of these. Want a smol one now to fit in tighter spaces.
2) Permatex "Right Stuff" RTV silicone sealant.
You have no idea how handy some baller ass silicone comes in
3) Knipex tin snips
I am never buying cheap hand tools for general use ever again.

>>1346069
>je ne sais quoi
Bad French.

1. Wobble sockets. There are repairs that are almost impossible to do in frame without them.
2.flex magnet. Because I don't feel like sipping apart an engine or transmission everytime I drop a nut during a repair.
3. Airline release pliers. Because sometimes it's impossible to get both hands on a fitting.

>>1346899
Beta blockers

>>1342635
Any decent cordless tool
My DPS5015 Programmable Buck converter
google

BT3000 Ryobi table saw
6 inch combo square
1/4 inch chisel

2x72 belt grinder
stick welder
angle grinder

A stout axe, I can and have used that as both a hammer and a knife
Zippo lighter, because matches get scattered everywhere and fuck starting fires with frozen hands with a firestriker when /out/
Forge, if that counts as a tool and not machinery, otherwise mah dremel, that shit is just plain useful.

>>1351224
Am forging a 100 pound

>>1359070

Rope, 50 ft
11 ft pole
Chalk

1. My hands
2. My dick
3. My industrial can crusher

>3D printer
>CNC Router
>120W laser cutter

>>1359256
Nice, mine's similar. I just don't have the laser cutter

>>1359256
>120W

Why not just save your money and get a water jet at that point?

>>1359248
Backpack
Hammer
Knife
Crowbar
Handaxe
10 Torches
10 Candles
10 sticks of chalk
10 1 pint jars of oil
10 pitons
Bag of 1000 ball bearings
Tinderbox
Hemp Sack
Cloth Sheet
10 Empty Bottle (filled with water to begin with)
10m of string
Bell
Bullseye lantern
Ink
Quill
Paper
Bag of Sand
Grappling Hook
Steel Mirror
2 Extra Waterskins
Net

>>1346052
I was thinking it was going to be a knife that you throw then some sort of gun that shoots for accurate distance.

As I was constructing my new carpenter bee trap last night, I realized what my top 3 tools are atm.

1. cordless power drill
2. cordless circular saw
3. Swanson speed square

1. Proper full size T shaped allen wrenches
2. Digital angle gauge for setting angle on saws.
3. Handheld electric planer (mainly because i don't own and don't have space for a jointer and thickness planer).

>>1360568
Bonus entry: not a tool but a Ron Poulk inspired portable work bench i built.

>>1342635
Fence pliers
Buck 500 pocket knife
Led flashlight.

>>1346069
>>1351191
>>1351561
not using a comparator.

Okay /diy/ you've convinced me on the merits of a dial caliper. I have a digital but, like all of the cheapo chinese ones, it drains battery when not in use so I have to take the battery out when i'm finished with it, sometimes avoid using it because then I've have to take a second to put battery back in, etc.

>>1361016
You'd think some sort of switch technology would fix that battery drain problem.

>>1361016
>>1361082
Post PCB, we can fix this together.

1 Cordless rotor hammer
2 KN-8603180
3 Stripax 10

>>1361016
Half of the usefulness of the digital caliper in everyday life is the zero function

>>1361692
But can you make a zeroable dial calliper?

>>1361726
>rotate dial
zero'd

Cordless impact
Hand drivers
Brad nailer


t. Cabinet guy

>>1342635
>power probe
>pic related except it was from matco, no idea original manufacturer
>idk, those were the only two that came to mind

>>1342635
>Name your top 3 life changing tools
Jeff, Howard, and Steven.

1. cordless impact
2. table saw
3. clamps

tool belts aren't tools but they make life so much better

>>1342635

1.) CNC Router
2.) 3D printer
3.) Welder

With these, I can rebuild the world.

>>1361100
>>1361082

I've actually done this. Not difficult, but be careful when you put it back together. I'm not even sure what I did wrong with mine, but it now likes to skip around in 5mm increments, and it just gets worse over time. Barely usable at this point, I finally broke down and got a Mitutoyo in/mm vernier.

Fuck batteries. Dials a shit.

>>1342755
serious? solder suckers work great. as does wick. Keep both on hand.

>>1342635
3d printer
Cheap set of digital callipers
Impact driver

>>1362480
Are there ANY tangible reasons to buy a vernier over a dial indicator?

>>1365053
Mechanical reliability.

>>1365053
yes, no rack and pinion for particles to get stuck in, and this does happen even if you're super careful and only use it moderately.
chink digital calipers suck, they drain batteries way too quickly.

>>1362476
>Anvil
>Hammer
>Bellows

Same here anon, same here. Just give me some time.

>>1365053
You got these two the wrong way around anon, but of course the answer is no, dial is gay.

usb-serial bridge
pocket oszilloscope
screwdriver set

these are atleast the ones I seem to use most often

>>1365249
>dial is gay.

Its inherently more useful

>>1365053
More reliable of course. Maybe cheaper? Never bought one.

>>1365953
How? Really don't understand why anyone would think so.

>>1365962
>How? Really don't understand why anyone would think so.

Zero function.
Its like saying "I dont understand why having zero dials on the lathe handwheels is more useful than just having straight handwheels, just do the math!"

6" Metabo angle grinder with cutting discs
Welder
Cordless tools

1. Welder
2. Channel locks with hammer head welded on back side
3. Cordless drill

Do you even need other tools?

>>1346069
You're a fag, I've worked at about 6 different engineering companies as a machinist and everyone used/uses digital calipers, they don't care about "je ne sais quoi", they care about what's quick and easy, fuck messing with analogue if you can just have it big and bold saying 2.212mm

>Ratchet
>Soldering iron
>Dremel
Soon as I got those 3 I was able to do so much shit.

>>1343171
Looks like half assed gas and burner pliers

1. Lenox bi-metal utility blades
2. Abrasive rubber
3. Probes

>>1342758
>I use mine occasionally and every time I reach for them the battery is dead
Common problem as it's always on. You need to mod them by adding a power switch, something that most digital calipers lack for some reason.

>>1368405
>Abrasive rubber

What do you use that for??