I’d wager most people here have a hammer or two, a set of sockets and ratchet wrench, straight and Phillips screwdrivers, pliers, etc. (Strangely, I don’t have a set of open-end wrenches.) But what about ‘special tools’? Have any of those? Do you want any? (I have a couple of Yankee screwdrivers; but really, they’re just screwdrivers so they don’t count.)
I’m the “tool guy”. All of my friends know to ask me first before renting a special tool.
Plasma cutter? Yep.
Mig Welder. Uh huh.
Biscuit joiner. Sure.
Demolition saw. Of course.
My husband is a Craftsman whore.
He’s got it all, I think…planer, scroll saw, drill press, band saw, table saw, etc…
More hammers than I can count. All in assorted sizes, there are claw hammers, ball peen, rubber mallets, etc.
The ‘specialty’ tools I have no idea.
Wrenches out the ass, I swear. All sorts of other gadgets I have no idea what they’re for. Allen wrenches, too. A blue-million, all different sizes.
Assorted drills, assorted saws (my favorite saw is the reciprocating saw), bits and blades galore.
My husband has tons of tools, for every need imaginable.
In standard AND metric versions.
A couple of the local mechanics come here to borrow what they need, if they’re in a pinch.
Plus, he’s got all sorts of cabinets (all Craftsman tool cabinets, of course) to keep them in.
We have a 3 car garage, and can only put one car into it. Too many pedestal mounted power tools, and too many tool cabinets in there!
Not to mention that the bench space is VERY limited, because of all the power tools he’s got mounted on that, too.
I can recall one of his latest, thankfully cheaper, purchases were for a screwdriver set and a bit set, that had ‘star heads’. Whatever that means.
He already had some, but they were ‘not the ones he wanted’.
If it’s not Phillips or standard, I’m pretty much lost.
Torx.
Dad had Craftsman, so that’s what I have too.
In getting the link for the Torx, I noticed that they have an illustration of a ‘spanner head’. That reminds me: I need some ‘spanner heads’, though not with the two holes as illustrated. You know those bezels on toggle and ignition switches? (I have two '60s cars.) I need a socket that will engage the slots on either side. And I need a smaller one for a couple of camera motors I have. (I can make one out of a cheap screwdriver.)
Well, I’ll be damned, Johnny L.A.…That’s the ones he ended up getting!
Torx.
All I know is that they were kind of neat looking.
I had no idea what a ‘spanner head’ was until now.
You’ve fought ignorance.
We both won.
Imagine that.
Dopers are a special breed, aren’t they?!
I still have a few special tools lingering from my days as a machinist almost twenty years ago:
Digital caliper
Micrometers
Some fancy taps in a few key sizes (including bottoming taps, standard taps, and gun taps)
A special bar I made for helping true the head on a Bridgeport mill.
A box full of lathe tool bits, each one ground for a different type of job.
A box full of many random drill bits, most of them very tiny.
A couple of milling machine cutters — totally useless without the machine.
Small brass hammer with knurled stainless-steel hammer that I made on a slow day.
The remainder of my tools are all standard macho tool guy Home Depot stuff, such as the air powered nailers and drywall tools.
The only “special” tool I have is a Security Torx driver that I needed to rectify a parking situation a few years ago.
I do have a Craftsman 7-In-1 Torx key set. I think I’ve used it once.
From what I gather from my husband (and several other men), is that you really don’t need to use the tools you have.
You just need to have them available, close at hand, if the situation should arise that you might need them at some point in the future.
Am I correct?
EDIT: Tools are my husband’s only ‘vise’, so to speak (and he has an assortment of vises and vise grips, too)…pardon the pun…so, I don’t complain to him about buying them.
Yes, you are.
Did I lose Man-points for admitting that? Sorry, guys.
I have a large assortment of tools. Rarely do I find myself without a tool for any home project. Except a biscuit jointer I refuse to buy one for one specific project. I’m waiting till I run into a friend that owns one.
I have many specialized tools for doing work on wells and water pumps. Many are 30-50 years old from my grandfather and father and I’d have a hell of a time trying to find modern equivalents. Some where custom made for the business. elevators, t-handles, specialty pieces for pulling pipes through conduits, 60 inch Stilson wrenches, larger pipe cutters for 8" well casings.
Mr Geek has basically every standard tool under the sun; screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers and ratchets/sockets in all types and sizes, hammers galore, a drill press, a band saw that can easily cut a solid steel 4x4, a bench grinder, power drills, air tools, power saws in different varieties a rivet gun and a metalworking lathe… just to name a few. He is definitely a “tool whore” but he uses all of them just not all of the time. His new want is a plasma cutter ya know… to go with the acetylene torch and the welder.
I have my own small tool box that consists of some screwdrivers, pliers, a hammer, a tape measure, ratchet and sockets etc for around the house and sometimes work.
No mention yet of Robertson screwdrivers and screws? (Hey, if someone can mention a Torx driver as a “special tool” then Robertson screws and screwdrivers certainly qualify.) For those unfamiliar with these handy little fasteners, the screws are a recessed square and the screwdrivers have square heads. According to the Wikipedia entry on Robertson screwdrivers:
I also have an assortment of specialized tools I used when I’d work on pinball games, but a number of these were self-designed and homebuilt, so I’m unsure if they qualify for the purpose of the OP. Still, if they do, then I have, among other weird pinball tools, a “Drop Target Reset Spring Hook.”
Hadn’t thought about it. But I do have several Robertson bits and a bag of screws. (And I use them.)
I like wood working and working on old wooden boats. I have a lot of tools and some oddball ones.
I have a two person wood saw that is about 6 feet long. I have old iron packing tools. I have a radial arm saw, band saw, chop saw, two routers, 3 cordless drills, 3 corded drills, 3 shop vaccs, a dremel, an engraver, a portable band saw, 7 different power sanders, 100’s of standard hand tools, a scroll saw, a jig saw, a corder and cordless reciprocating saw, chainsaws, pitchforks, hay rakes, a variety of hand saws, circular saw, electric stapler, 2 hand staplers, a drill press, etc.
I am jonesing for a decent lathe next.
I need to find or make a good seam ripping tool to pull the old packing out of a boat next spring. It should be a large cast iron or tool steel hook like device.
I also keep a large amount of hardware and a decent amount of wood in my basement shop.
Jim
Let’s see-all the standard and pneumatic automotive tools from my motorhead days, everything for a general contractor in the woodworking department, including routers from 3 HP plunge on down, and the standard floor power tools. A manual die crimper for electrical fittings from #8 through 350kcmil. Hilti DX451 .29 cal PAT. Three pipe threading sets with cutter, reamer, and tristand, 36" Ridgid pipe wrench, 13’ Van Mark siding brake. Airless paint rig with 100’ of hose, 3 gallon pressure pot and convertible siphon gun. Arc welder, oxy/acetylene rig. Sandblasting kit for the medium compressor. Big Mo compressor stays in the shop-little pancake goes out with all of the pneumatic fastening guns. A key duplicator, depth sets, 3 pin kits, safe deposit door puller, and assortment of vault lock change keys. Cement and concrete finishing tools, drywall texture shooter with hopper, a wet tile saw, tile and carpet installation tools. Gasoline powered pressure washer.
Yeah-I’m a tool whore. 
This is largely true. I cannot disagree with it. However, I have used almost 85% of my tools, much more than once. The Steam Wall Paper Remover is one of the exception. I have even used the heat gun, dozens of times. The two man saw was an old relic I picked up for 3 dollars, so I am not sure if that counts. I have never used it.
Silenus, no man-points loss. All wives at least suspect that what nonacetone posted is true anyway.
Jim
I had a tool custom made once. (Johnny L.A. should be able to appreciate this one.)
I needed to replace the wheel bearings on the front of my MG. This car has wire wheels, which are held on by one large nut in the center, and when you take them off you’re looking at a six-inch-long pipe, about two inches across. (Exploded view here.) To get the hub off, you’ve got to get down in that pipe and pull out the grease cap (BTC392 in the drawing). There’s a little threaded stud on the end, but I didn’t have anything that could reach far enough into such a tight space. I checked a couple of hardware stores looking for long needle-nose pliers or Vice Grips that might have a long enough reach. No joy.
So what I did was get a nut that would fit on the stud, a piece of metal pipe about the same diameter as the nut, and a piece of metal rod. I took it to a welding shop. I had them cut the pipe about eight inches long, weld the nut on one end, and drill a hole in the other end to put the rod through as a T handle. I took it home, stuck it in the hub and screwed it onto the grease cap, pulled, and it popped right out.
Ever do the wheel hubs on your B, Johnny?
“Pops” Mercotan worked for Snap-On Tools for over 3 decades. I inherited sooooo many tools, lots of which I have no idea what they do. Some of which even my dad didn’t know what they did.
I have about 4 torque wrenches, 7 impact wrenches, and an amazing variety of sockets and socket handles (some of which are gold plated!)
Yep, got much of whats been mentioned so far. I also have a few things unique to the aircraft assembly I do as a living. Plus some that I have no idea why I have.
3/4" and 1" drive socket sets. Rarely used.
British standard socket set. Got a 50’s Jaguar? I got a socket that will fit most of the nuts and bolts. Bought it at a garage sale years ago from a guy that worked at Jaguar in the 50’s.
Rivet-nut installer. I can install a threaded insert in just about anything.
Lester tool. One end fits in a rivet gun, the other holds a quarter in hex bit of your choice. You can remove the tightest screw or bolt with ease.
Rod bolt stretch guage. Just a fancy dial caliper.
The oddest is a 3/4" Craftsman combination wrench made in Japan. Found it at a Goodwill years ago, apparently Sears tried to slip in some Japanese made tools in the early 70’s, they didn’t sell very well so they went back to those made in the US exclusively.