Which tool is Over Rated???

[Dave Lehnert]

For me I have always looked at the high end router tables with lift. I wont say they are useless but for what money they cost you could buy yourself a large tool like a 17/18" bandsaw. My router table I use is 20 years old and not much more than a chunk of MDF with a hole in it.

Biscuit Joiner - Face it, the only reason most of us own one is because Norm used them.

Saw Blades.- Never used a high end blade but never seen the need to use anything else than my $45 Freud.

[bill schmoott]

re: rulers
For the work I do, I routinely hit 1/64" accuracy, and do various parts of my layout with a rule graduated in 1/100s. The standard way of marking that small is to put the edge of an X-Acto blade in the line you want, and pull down to mark the wood.

What I've found is for everyone's useless tool there is someone out there that couldn't function without it!

I am going to have to give JC the big +++1. You can only cut to the accuracy of your measurement. I use 1/64 when possible.

Oh, my vote for the most over rated tool? Random orbital sander. I am beginning to think that the material gets smooth from the hand sanding I perform trying to get out the swirl marks left by the sander, instead of the sander itself.

[keith micinski]

I would have bet my life that no one would put down cordless tools. And yet multiple people did. Humans are very interesting.

[Chip Lindley]

1) Anything INCRA! I find their stuff overly-contrived. Accuracy to .001" is seldom if EVER needed when cutting wood workpieces. My pet peeve of all time is the incra tablesaw fence system with that central arm that takes up the whole TS extension table. No comparison to the simplicity of Bill Biesemeyer's all-steel T-fence! Just my .02.

2) Anything POWERMATIC! Current, imported Chinese PM stuff is what I am referring to. I am a lover of older, made-in-McMinnville PM machinery, BUT, the premium price charged for mustard-yellow cannot be justified, IMO.

[Cary Falk]

Starrett, Powermatic, Festool, Fein, OWWM, oh and Sawstop. Did I miss anybody?

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

Biesmeyer fence, which has already been mentioned. Also worse than 1/64 divisions, 1/100 divisions. Bridge City Tools for the most part. I have a shop full of tools that looked good in theory, but fail to be very useful, or convenient.