Tool I never knew I needed...join in

[Brad Schmid]

My 2 most used hand planes: Low angle block plane (trimming end grain on dovetailed drawers), shoulder plane (tenons)
Set of socket handled bench chisels (mine are a very old set of TH Witherby's)
Other unexpected but extremely useful tools as others mentioned: Grex pinner, track saw
And last but not least, SuperMax Combo brush/drum sander. I originally thought I would mostly use the drum, but the brush saves me time sanding mouldings or other profiled surfaces, and allows me to sand veneered plywood without sanding through the veneer.

[Charles Wiggins]

Flush cut saw. I've had one for a few years now, but before I learned of them I had some very frustrating bouts with cutting and sanding dowels, splines, etc. I did 17 frames for a friend having an art show and every single one had 8 screw plugs that had to be sawn off and sanded flush. My old solution to avoid scratching the surface was to tape it off. Time consuming, but better than sanding the plugs down from 1/8" inch. Now, I just lay the saw down on the surface and cut away, a couple swipes with the sandpaper and I'm done.

[Erik Christensen]

domino - got it because i am a tool junkie and I just wanted it - have had it for years now and it is used as often as a drill - it has been an even bigger game changer for me than the discovery of hand planes - to be able to put a loose tenon pretty much anywhere with absolute precision makes previously difficult/impossible designs a snap to build

track saw & matching work table - at 63 I can break down 20 sheets of 3/4" solo in a day with zero scary moments; it cuts a square 90 on the table as quick as a cross-cut sled but more important - if you need to cut to a line it does that just as accurately so fitting inset cabinet doors is almost goof-proof

rail system which controls more than just the track saw but also routers so things like shelf-pin holes & tapered dados/sliding dovetails are not only easy but safe

[Robert Engel]

Router plane.

Followed by benchtop elevated moxon vise (haven't built it yet but know I'll need it )

[Jim Dwight]

I didn't think back long enough in my first post. I also thought at one time I didn't need a cordless drill. I still have a big yankee driver I used to use to drive screws and I still have bits for my brace to drive screws with. But then I got a cordless drill, then another, etc..

I have a short track saw answer too. I used to use a "shoot board" too - the guide illustrated. But it only works if you push the saw into the guide a little. The base of a track saw goes over a raised rib so it is captured. So you can't wander off the guide. The bearings of the saw also seem to be better, it doesn't chew up the edge of the guide. My wooden guides lost accuracy but that happens much slower if at all with the track saw. And they are readily replaceable. Track saws are also often used with parallel guides (repeat ripping to same size and has scale so you can set it like a stop for a CMS) and workstations with a crosscut setup on them. A shoot board was good for cutting pieces to size for a final cut on the table saw. A track saw makes final size cuts at least as accurately as a table saw.

[Mike Henderson]

Two for me - the Domino and an 8" jointer. I used to do M&T by cutting the tenon and drilling out the mortise. The Domino is so much faster - I use it for almost every project.

The second was an 8" jointer. I used to flatten stock by hand, and while that works fine, a jointer is soooo much faster. I just didn't have the space, or money, for a jointer. But then a miracle happened and I was able to get a deal on a very good jointer. I found space for it and love it.

Mike

[paul cottingham]

Jack plane. Bought it cause I kept hearing that "serious woodworkers need one." Use the crap out of it, on every project. I also use my shave horse for all kinds of stuff, it's great for clamping objects to work on quickly, effieciently, and close to my eyes so it's easy to see. The other two thing thing I use way more than I thought I would are a stool for sitting at my bench, and a bench hook for everything from cutting to shooting.

[Kevin Bourque]

Scraper plane & card scrapers

So much faster than hand sanding.

[John Sanford]

Good rasps. The difference between a good rasp (Microplane / Auriou / Liogier) and the junk rasps available at hardware stores is night and day.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Good rasps. The difference between a good rasp (Microplane / Auriou / Liogier) and the junk rasps available at hardware stores is night and day.

I was gonna say:

Auriou rasps
LN Face and cheek floats.

Those two changed a lot of what I was doing...............

[Tom Deutsch]

Compact impact driver. Just seemed like a noisy drill until I tried one.

[Justin Ludwig]

Pneumatic face frame and clamping table. Building cabinets since '08 without one until I found a steal of deal on an auction site. I dove in against the wife's advice. MAN! Wish I had it from the get go. Ritter R-275 Mini Framer. I have a long list, but that one tops the most recent.

[Thomas Canfield]

Battery operated circular saw. Great for breaking down material on truck before unloading and handy to grab and not need power/extension cord.

[Rich Engelhardt]

There have been a few mentions of a track saw now. For sheet goods I've been using my circular saw with a homemade straightedge guide (like this one:http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/ma...-circular-saw/). It's a pretty quick setup and I get clean cuts. Pardon my ignorance, but is a track saw any different than this, or is there more to it that I don't know about since I've never seen it used? I'm legitimately curious since so many people seem to like it.

I could clamp a 2x4 to my table saw and say it's the same thing as putting a Biesemeyer fence on it ....

Seriously, a top quality track saw, like a DeWalt, Makita, Festool or the EZ system is about the same thing as comparing a 2x4 to a top quality table saw fence.
However - - be that as it may, a track saw is just one part of the larger system. Festool for instance, integrates all their tools into that larger system. While it functions just fine as a standalone, the Festool TS55/75 really shines when it's coup[led with the MFT (Multifunction table), the Festool router(s), the Festool dust collection, etc,etc.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Compact impact driver. Just seemed like a noisy drill until I tried one.

Oh yeah, completely agree!