Thread: Please suggest a tool for a birthday present

Without knowing what tools he already has this is really difficult to answer.
Second hand tools are lucky dip - you could end up with complete rubbish.
Also we'd need to know what sort of budget you are dealing with.

It's not very personal but I just tell all my family to give me vouchers for Xmas and Birthday pressies and then I get the fun of selecting something that appeals and is useful to me.

Hi - I know it's really hard - sorry. He's got drills, triton workbench, a few power saws of different kinds, welder, angle grinder, belt sander, router, socket set, huge screwdriver set, the basics like hammers and so forth - pretty much any job he needs to do, he has a tool for it. But I'm looking for really specific tools - and I have no idea what even exists, not being a technical person myself. Something that would go along with the sweetheart range. Budget - up to a couple of hundred?

I know it would make sense to let him choose himself, but it's just not quite the same as opening a box with a fabulous tool on your birthday.

It sounds like he has the basics so in that case I'd suggest something classy from an Australian tool maker like

HNT Gordon
eg The 3/4" shoulder plane on this page (the wood in use is gidgee - a highly prized desert acacia)
https://www.hntgordon.com.au/gidgee-...er-planes.html
or the shoulder planes on this page
https://www.hntgordon.com.au/gidgee-block-planes.html

Or

Colin Clenton
The adjustable squares on this page are truly exquisite
https://www.hntgordon.com.au/colen-c...out-tools.html
These marking out gauges are a bit more expensive but also outstanding bits of kit
https://www.hntgordon.com.au/colen-c...on-gauges.html

Thanks - this is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. Will check them out. Still open to other ideas if anyone else has suggestions.

Lots of projects turn out only as good as the measurements to begin with.
I suggest you visit the Lee Valley website catalog and look at the Starrett Premium Combination Squares.
The full set can be searched as #30N31.32

Lee Valley Tools

Originally Posted by BobL

It sounds like he has the basics so in that case I'd suggest something classy from an Australian tool maker like

HNT Gordon............

Or

Colin Clenton..........

Excellent advice, Bob.

I call these aspirational tools; when you are looking for inspiration you can just look at and feel the tools and think of the embodied expertise.

I would add Chris Vesper to that list.
https://www.vespertools.com.au/


Cheers

Graeme

Clamps. You never can have too many.

A good set of chisels? https://www.lie-nielsen.com/nodes/40...l-edge-chisels

A lot of other things to suit any woodworking need on their site too.

Agree with DavidG - clamps... long bar style clamps like these: https://www.bunnings.com.au/irwin-60...clamp_p5860119 (maybe in different lengths, as appropriate). They aren't necessarily woodwork specific, but will let him do some macro-jobs that are very useful... tables, outdoor chairs/dining, repairs, holding things to a workbench, doing jobs outside...

Perhaps a B+D Workmate? I've found mine pretty damned useful, even as a woodworker-only focused guy. The workmates are incredibly versatile... it will work in a LOT of other household situations too.

I think we're pretty covered as far as chisels go with the sweethearts, but he did love when when I got them. Clamps - maybe, but I'm not sure how exciting they would be? I like the sound of measuring tools - I think he's got some basics, but nothing fancy - so this might be the way I go. Thanks so much everyone - really appreciated

I know this suggestion is probably NOT what you want to hear, but tools for woodworkers tend to involve a fair degree of personal choice. By this I mean that in most cases, there's more than one model of tool that could do any given job, and it'll come down to a very personal choice on the part of the craftsman as to exactly which one they might prefer.

It is for this reason that I would suggest selecting a nice store (you have suggestions above, you could include others), and then purchasing some gift cards to let them select *exactly* what they want.

I know gift certificates tend to be seen as very impersonal, but in this case, delivered with the right message, they can be one of the nicest gifts - it's a license to go hit that store for the item you've been secretly wishing for for quite some time, with no "guilt" involved.

Just my humble opinion here - but if you buy him something, and it's not quite exactly what he's looking for, he might not want to swap it on the basis it would offend you, and it might end up being one of those tools that sits in the shop, unused, and gathering dust.

Originally Posted by Midnight Man

I know this suggestion is probably NOT what you want to hear, but tools for woodworkers tend to involve a fair degree of personal choice. By this I mean that in most cases, there's more than one model of tool that could do any given job, and it'll come down to a very personal choice on the part of the craftsman as to exactly which one they might prefer.

It is for this reason that I would suggest selecting a nice store (you have suggestions above, you could include others), and then purchasing some gift cards to let them select *exactly* what they want.

I know gift certificates tend to be seen as very impersonal, but in this case, delivered with the right message, they can be one of the nicest gifts - it's a license to go hit that store for the item you've been secretly wishing for for quite some time, with no "guilt" involved.

Thanks for your reply. I know where you're coming from, and you have a good point - but my husband would probably do something responsible with a gift voucher, and I want to do something nice for him, so I'll take the risk. Of course I want to increase my chances of success - which is why I came here to ask for better ideas than I would have on my own

Chris Vesper, of Vesper Tools, has a very nice range of premium usable toys/tools.

Clamps! extremely useful but that's bit like giving a partner a vacuum cleaner for a present, but probably not as bad as an exhaust/muffler.

Originally Posted by meredith

Thanks for your reply. I know where you're coming from, and you have a good point - but my husband would probably do something responsible with a gift voucher, . . . . .

My last 2 birthdays and Xmas hardware vouchers have been spent on house paint and painting gear - but don't worry too much about that, I have the mental figures firmly fixed in my head and when the times comes I will be fully recompensed.