Thread: Tools you love the most (gift ideas for milestone birthday)

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Veritas router plane blades do fit in Record router planes, you just have to invert the height adjustment nut

MA,
thanks for this

Question for Derek
What is the trick to locking the cutter orientation on Veritas's small router plane?

Originally Posted by ian

Question for Derek
What is the trick to locking the cutter orientation on Veritas's small router plane?

Ian, the shaft is round and vulnerable to turning in use. You can crank it down, but a better fix is to grind a V on the back of the shaft, where it seats. This can be shallow - in retrospect, the blade I converted was ground quite a bit deeper than necessary, but that works as well.

Details here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMad...uterPlane.html




Regards from Perth

Derek

Coming at this from another angle - I've had the good/bittersweet fortune of inheriting some of those keep-forever tools and the stuff that feels special to hold is the measuring/machinist gear. Old gauges, micrometers, calipers etc. from brands like Starrett, Moore & Wright, Mitutoyo, Brown and Sharpe. I have a B&S combination square that must be at least half a century old and it eats for breakfast anything you find in a big box store. Smooth, accurate, heavy, secure. Also anything Australian made - old P&N and Sutton drills, taps, etc. feel significant, especially given the decline in Australian manufacturing.
So there are a couple of ideas that aren't already on your list - a nice combination square, or maybe something from Vesper Tools

precise known-tolerance measuring stuff is a wonderful idea. Nobody likes to pay for it themselves, but especially things like squares and straight edges, it's nice to have at least one of each that's definitive that doesn't get used for anything other than checking other tools or only really precise things.

Originally Posted by rogerwilco

Heya, I'm fast approaching a milestone birthday, and my wonderful friends, family, and loved ones are asking (via my wife) what I might want. This is a premium opportunity to acquire tools that wouldn't buy normally.Have at it at - what would be on your list?Since it's a milestone, I'm thinking 'keep forever' tools. Power tools are out. I'm a hybrid guy, and have the big stuff I need. I'm finding that I want more and better hand tools for finessing things. Especially for furniture joinery and also finer work, like little hardwood boxes, and maybe kumiko later.Here's my starter list:

• Henry Eckert Low Angle Jack. You might have seen I grabbed a stanley #62 recently, but returned it because it wasn't quite right. The HE should be very, very right! Also a nice keepsake, since these are made not far from where I grew up in SA. I might even take a trip to do the half day sharpening workshop when borders open again.
• Medium shoulder plane. The Lie Nielsen looks grand.
• Medium router plane. Veritas?
• Bridge City Chopstick Master. It's frivolous and silly - perfect as a gift. As it turns good chopsticks are hard to buy, and comes a great mini block plane. So it's not all that silly, really.
• Fret saw. What's good?
• Paolini pocket rule.
• Nice winding sticks. I know... I can just use angle iron, levels, or some scrap. But it's nice to have nice things sometimes.

I quite like learning too. I want to do the Bern Chandley class one day. Melbourne Guild of Fine Woodworking and Victoria School of Woodcraft also have some nice options.What are some tools things you've been given and have loved?

Years ago when I was shopping a lot for tools I made it easy on everyone who wanted to buy me tools. Went to Lee Valley and set up a wish list they could access. Gives them good food for thought, and with todays shipping woes the wish list can help them shop within Australia for alternatives...