What's in your apron?

[Brad Swanson]

Santa brought me the Veritas cloth woodworking apron for Christmas, in addition to several other Veritas items. I tgot me thinking, what are the typical things woodworkers keep in their apron. I'll start with shat I've loaded into the new apron

Pica Pencil
Veritas Precision Square
Tape Measure
Marking Gauge
Marking Knife
Safety Glasses (storage when not in use)

All of the above are of course subject to change...

[Pat Barry]

Mostly sawdust.

[Brian Hale]

I don't have an apron but rather a small pouch that clips onto my belt.

6-8 pencils, always sharp
Chip carving knife / marking knife
Short wide blade screwdriver
Birdcage awl
6 inch Miller Falls combo square
2 inch Starrett double square
A bunch of 3x5 index cards for notes

And of course sawdust

[Chris Griggs]

I have that apron...I really like when I actually remember that I own it and put it on...which is unfortunately not very often.

Anyway, when I do remember that I have it and wear it, I pretty much keep some variation of stuff similar to what you listed plus my Little Victor.

[lowell holmes]

A Lee Valley apron plane, LV 4" double square, safety glasses, pencil, four fold ruler, and saw dust.

[Jeff Ranck]

Sometimes a pencil (when I remember to put it back and not leave it laying around) and always sawdust. I don't seem to clean it out very often. Sometimes I'll drop a tape in there if I'm doing a series of rough measurements, but it aways comes out as soon as possible. I don't like the weight.

[ken hatch]

Mostly sawdust.

pretty much....., plus blood on the front.

[Terry Beadle]

pretty much too..., plus all the paint/stain/glue spots !! Hoot!

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I lucked up and got a really nice leather apron on eBay that was custom made for a gin producer, but the logo didn't stamp very well, so it was sold as a second. It's very thick leather and has nice pockets. I usually have some sort of small plane-either a LN 9 1/2 or 102, or the Veritas skewed block planes- my go-to planes. I always have a small combo squre, pencil, marking gauge, and usually a folding razor knife.

I really love the Pica pencils, especially with the white lead for marking dark woods like mahogany and walnut. I also like their fine tip markers, except that I keep leaving the cap off and drying them out.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...36,43509,71121

[Jason Beam]

6" Starrett Rule
1 Sharpie
1 Sharp Pencil
Lapel Microphone (i record a lot of video for youtube)
10' tape measure
Hankerchief

I've only recently started wearing an apron in the last 6 or so months but I'm finding it amazingly handy not having to run around looking for these things. I'll likely be adding to it as i get more and more used to wearing one.

[Jim Koepke]

My wife gave me a shop apron years ago and it never felt right.

A couple of days ago I thought about wearing it while turning a piece for a friend. Realized I haven't seen it in the 6 years since we moved to Washington.

Most of the time the only things in my pockets related to woodworking are a pocket knife and a tape measure. They are in my pocket all the time anyway. I found the tape measure about 25 years ago in the parking lot of an orange borg. It has been in my pocket ever since. Various pocket knives have had a home in my pocket since about age 10.

jtk

[Tom M King]

Right side: Estwing 16 oz. straight claw carried high on the belt, modified face, 2 Berol Mirado no.4 pencils, Lennox utility knife, custom pocket with old style Stanley block plane, above that pocket a small custom pocket with pencil sharpener, in big pocket that the block plane pocket is in end cutting nippers and small Chanellocks. Modified cheap leather-can't remember the brand name.

Left side: 12" combination square, two nail sets, 3/4" blue handled Marples chisel damn sharp, two nail pockets, on the belt in front of that pocket a pocket that holds a Stanley powerlock 25' tape with the belt hook taken off, two nail pockets in main bag, holder for cat's paw that only gets carried when it might be needed. Modified Occidental

Both sides are custom shortened so that when I squat down, nothing touches the floor. Belt is padded Cordura with quick snap buckle on front.

[Jim Koepke]

Both sides are custom shortened so that when I squat down, nothing touches the floor.

Don't you hate it when you squat and part of your apron gets stuck under your heal and you feel your age is what's keeping you from returning to a standing position?

When you get older you will understand why old men don't squat.

jtk

[Tom M King]

I'm 64. I have a maintenance lifting routine that I've done for over 20 years. Friday is squat day, and last set is 12 with 365, only to parallel though. I don't go deep with heavy. Every other day, but Friday evenings, my legs fit fine in regular jeans.

The hard part with the apron was getting the hammer holder to keep the hammer high enough that the handle didn't hit the floor, and get it sideways, half out of the loop.

[Winton Applegate]

What do I carry in my apron ?
A magic wand (only just now the batteries are flat).

Truth be told . . . in the wood shop I don’t wear an apron for hand tool work. I have small trays on the bench or at arms reach with all the stuff I use all the time that would be in an apron.

For power tool work same deal but I wear an apron I made out of a side of black smith's leather with no pockets and a slick front so the router poop etc., just slides off.
Queenmasteroftheuniverseandbabybunnytrainer has it on in the photo. (she was about to help me feed a long length of work side ways across a wide stacked dado blade. When it comes to many many identical cuts the table saw comes out of moth balls. )

No pockets so no saw dust in pockets.

This is the best apron I have found any where.
I need black though.
At my day job I have all manner of wrenches and bit drivers in this apron and it works hard.

What I want as far as improvements :
Deeper lower pockets
Kevlar or ballistics cordura cloth (the Park is cotton duck).
Riveted corners on the pocket stitching though mine holds up fine.

In addition I wear at least two small belt pouches (one is an electrician’s meter pouch I can not seem to find any more but would like another).
The latest pouch (see photo) holds my team of modified Swiss Army knives that I have posted here in the past about (left and right angled marking knives etc.,)

And my LATEST, LATEST addition to the EDC (every day carry) is the small Knipex pliers near the quarter.

Took me months to find a decent price on the damed thing. Can any one tell me why the next size up 150 mm pliers just above in the photo is like $45 American and the smallest one next to the quarter (120mm) regularly runs in the $100 plus range ? ? ? ?

I finally felt BLESSED to find one for $69. THANK YOU Big Red Tool Box in the UK ! ! !

Any way those pliers are with me every where I go now. The jaws grip without marking, jaws move parallel, is a stellar adjustable wrench up to 20 mm (3/4”) but can handle the smallest nuts on the tips of the tool, has narrow jaws similar to a hefty set of needle nose pliers, goes from full open to closed at the touch of a button.

. . . well you asked . . .