What is your most hated tool that you use regularly?

[Andy Pratt]

Everyone has got to have one: what's the tool you wish you could put a few bullet holes in but you can't because you begrudgingly admit it is too useful to get rid of and/or you can't afford a replacement.

For me it is my hydraulic lift table. It will lift 700lbs from 14-52" and it is my go-to spot for positioning any piece of work at the height I need to work on it at. I have a turntable I put on it when I am finishing a piece and I can then position the item in the perfect place for different angles of spraying and rotate it to get every angle I need without doing any gymnastics.

That being said: it seems like it weighs 300lbs when I'm rolling it, the casters don't lock even when they are in the locked position and anytime I roll it around it always wants to angle its wheels toward something important that I can't damage. Add in that the ram gradually bleeds off pressure overnight, so I can't count on it to hold anything in position for an extended period, and you have a prime candidate for the shooting range. Problem is, it was only $150 so I'm not going to find another deal like it anytime soon, so I'll somewhat happily go on hating it for another few years.

[Wade Lippman]

That's easy. My drum sander. Very tedious to use and getting the paper to wind properly is a chore; not to mention the paper that self destructs. But it is also a very useful tool; before I had one sand a big panel was dreadful. What did they do 100 years ago when there weren't even power sanders?

[Bruce Page]

My 12v car battery charger.

Edit: I really can’t think of any shop tools that I hate. Over the years I have upgraded almost every tool from entry level to semi-pro/pro level. In doing so, I have greatly reduced or eliminated my frustration level.

I even enjoy using my Woodmaster drum sander.

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[Andy Pratt]

Oh yeah I forgot about my 16-32 drum sander, that is #2 on my list. It would have made #1 before I switched to only 100 grit and lower on it, now it is acceptable.

Pretty boring watching the boards move through at what feels like a foot per minute though.

Dreaming of the day when I get to have a wide belt.

[Joe Kieve]

My old Porter-Cable 503 belt sander (locomotive). Hurts my back because it's so heavy; but it'll remove a lot of material fast. The first few years I worked in a cabinet shop all I was allowed to do was run a belt sander. You guessed it...a 503. Got pretty good at it too. But that was 40 years ago....before I had back problems. Hmmm..maybe that's why I have back problems.

[Craig Behnke]

Oh yeah I forgot about my 16-32 drum sander...Dreaming of the day when I get to have a wide belt.

I second you there. i don't "hate" it, but i would describe as the machine that has the largest gap between my expectations of how it would be to operate it (ease of use, effectiveness, etc) and the reality of operating it. A drum sander is a great concept but IMHO the design of the 16 and 22 inch versions have some compromises that make them less than great tools. Again, just my humble opinion, but I think if Festool designed a drum sander they would have made it better and easier to use. And it would cost 3 times as much...so it's a trade off. I admit part of it is that I'm relatively new to the machine, but i've had it for almost a year now, so i'm not a total noob with it.

[Keith Weber]

I would have to say my crappy HF Folding 2-Ton Engine Hoist. I use it all the time, but the legs always get in the way, requiring me to get creative with 2x4s (both for prying and cribbing) to make it work. The safety clip on the chain hook is cheap and causes a lot of grief when trying to hook it on something. Folding and unfolding it is a PITA because of the design -- I need to lift under the pins with a pry bar to get the holes to line up. But that's not enough because the back corner will lift as well, so I have to contort my leg to force that down while prying with the bar with one hand, and installing/removing the pin with the other. Once I finally do get it off the ground, the casters have a mind of their own and usually track about 40 degree off my push direction. It also leaks, so I can't use it to hold something up overnight. Oh yeah, and the bar to pump the jack has a holding tube for when it's not in use, except there's no holding fixture on the bottom, so it likes to fall out. The icing on the cake is the color. Did they have to make it orange?? I really HATE that thing, but sometimes it's the only thing that will work.

My Veritas Twin-Screw Vise on my bench would get the 2nd place ribbon for my most hated tools.

[Jim Andrew]

You guys make me glad I skipped the drum sanders and went with Grizzly's small wide belt. I have screwed up a couple belts by not getting them positioned right when I installed them. They DO have to be put in just the right position, then they oscillate correctly. If not, they push up against the door and ruin one edge of the belt.

[Bradley Gray]

I upgraded a few years ago from a 22/44 sander to a supermax dual drum 25". The difference is night and day. I just finished a large bookcase in hard maple and the supermax sailed through.

[Shane Copps]

I find it interesting that sanding equipment seems to take the cake in this thread. I for one dislike my palm sander, but it's necessary in my shop. I think it's more along the lines of the fact I really dislike sanding in general.

Thanks

[Chris Parks]

My Bosch impact driver, I absolutely hate the noise but it gets into small spaces.

[Loren Woirhaye]

Routers probably. I dislike the sound they make. Vacuums too. I got rid of the portable planer.

Drum sanders aggravated me enough that I eventually got a stroke sander. It takes up a lot of space so I built a roof for it and left it outdoors. It's dusty anyway, even with dust collection.

[Alan Bienlein]

I can't think of one. If a tool I have to use all the time is that difficult to use then it's replaced with one that will do the job with out all the hassle!

[Steve Rozmiarek]

The pile of junk mobile base under my little bandsaw. One of those Delta things that you add wood too. Would work file on a flat floor, but that quadrant of the garage where that saw is relegated to, isn't. Always shoving it around. Going to knock it over one of these days probably.

[Charles Wiggins]

Shop vac. Hands down. I don't have the ceiling height to do a central DC so I drag that thing all over the shop and trip over the hoses. I hate the loud whine, but it is probably my most used tool.