What Tool (Power or Manual) is your most valuable and which could you not do without?

[Bill Whig]

I often credit my ShopVac credit for giving me the "most bang for the buck". Besides speedily helping me to keep my shop neat, it sucks up drywall dust, vacuums eaves, and it makes quick work of cleaning the carpet in the car. The model I have seconds as a leaf blower. A joy to have around! ; )

[Jeff Duncan]

If I was in a bind I could build things without a square or a bench. I can build things without a jointer or planer or bandsaw or shaper or dust collector. I guess I could really build without any power tools if needed, but the one that unquestionably is the most important for me is the table saw. It offers the most flexibility of any of the tools in my shop. I can straighten an edge with it, I can make two surfaces parallel with it, I can rip, crosscut, dado, groove and bevel with it. In short, it can do more than any other tool I can think of. If I had a shop with a jointer planer and bandsaw I would be less productive than in a shop with just a table saw, so for me....the table saw is king

JeffD

[Brad Cambell]

Jeff, I have remodeled two houses and used the table saw all the time. I could rip a 2x to whatever I needed. I can straighten a piece of wood pretty nicely by ripping it and then flipping it and ripping the other side. If I did this a couple times I could get a piece of wood pretty straight. Not as good as a jointer, but serviceable.

The table saw is king IMHO.

[Brad Cambell]

I can build things without it, but I bought a Mitutoyo digital caliper and now I can make adjustments in one try instead of adjusting and test cut, and repeat over and over again.... Not absolutely necessary but a great tool.

[johnny means]

+1 on the table saw. Specifically, a slider. I can build a square, cleanly joined cabinet without any measuring devices. I can make due with whatever dimensional lumber is available. I absolutely could not do what a table saw does, cut clean, straight, square fast enough to make it worth doing.

[Mark Wooden]

Tablesaw, but man! I'd miss my jointer!

[Rod Sheridan]

Shaper..................So many uses and capabilities............Rod.

[John TenEyck]

That's interesting, Rod, my shaper is my least used machine and I'm seriously thinking of getting rid of it and getting a higher HP router and lift. For my needs that would probably offer more versatility - and get more use. What tool could I not live without? Most all the others, actually. Jointer, planer, TS, BS, drum sander, I need the all.

John

[Jim Andrew]

These last couple years I have been involved mostly in shop improvements. My addition is nearing completion, at least It is enclosed, siding is on and the doors are installed. Next comes wiring, then some insulation and plan to use waferboard instead of wallboard like the rest of the shop has. Before winter I want to get a 4' leanto hung on the rear to house my firewood and keep it dry. Last year I built a small steel building to house a wood furnace. So I guess I'd say my shop is my most important possession.

[Lori Kleinberg]

This may sound corny but, my computer(or laptop) and membership in Sawmillcreek.org. When I first started I had no background in woodworking and the only family that could help at all were my son's and their school shop experience. I learned so much just from reading the creek, technique, tools (especially ones on sale) and if I had a question, there was always someone to answer it. If I needed inspiration, I just checked out the creek.
I have a shop full of tools now, but without the help of creekers, I wouldn't know half of what I do now.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi John, as always, it depends upon what you make and how.

I use the shaper for the following

- cutting profiles (obviously)

- cutting rebates

- cutting tenons

- slotting

- sawing thin strips

- edge bevelling

- spindle sander using a sanding drum for shapers.

-edge jointing if I have lots to do

- template copying

Regards, Rod.

[Larry Browning]

It's the one needed to get the job done at the moment. This is actually an impossible question to answer. Some projects require me to use every tool in my shop, while others require nothing more than a hammer and a couple of nails. It also sort of depends on your point of view. Where I work, everyone thinks theirs is the the most important job in the company. Whether it is engineering, manufacturing, sales or finance, everyone can rightly say that without them the company could not function. The truth is that it takes everyone for the company to function properly. I think the same is true when it comes to which tool is the most important. Everything is important, if you need it and don't have it, you are stuck. One could argue that without a pencil you could not get the project done, so that is the most valuable tool in the shop.

[Brad Cambell]

One could argue that without a pencil you could not get the project done, so that is the most valuable tool in the shop.

Larry, I have used a nail to mark a cut line, so a pencil is not a make or break instrument.

[Brad Cambell]

That's interesting, Rod, my shaper is my least used machine and I'm seriously thinking of getting rid of it.

That is exactly what got me thinking of this conundrum. One person never uses a certain tool, while another uses it all the time.

WHY????????

[Jamie Lynch]

There are so many tools that help a project come together. But my MVP is my table saw. I started woodworking when I was 13. At that time the Ryobi Bt2000 was the central tool in my dad's shop. When I got married I was given a little delta benchtop TS, I found a deal on CL for a slightly larger almost contractor saw and used it till the smoke came out (smoke is what really keeps motors and electronics running, let it out and you are SOL). I'm now on saw no. 4 a unisaw w/unifence, I hope to use this one for a long time.