Tool belts/aprons in the shop

[Denny Rice]

I have one like this from Bucket Boss and it works very well. But have the model with the straps that cross across your back. A must.I have a magnet sewn behind one slot to hold my square.
The white apron below is from Shopsmith. Also a great option.

Dave,

I like the apron, but if I had to put on that apron with all those tools in my shop I would not have any energy to do any woodworking. Looks very heavy.

[Bill Geyer]

I wear white cotton shop aprons religiously. I don't feel like I'm ready to work without it.
I keep a pencil, scribe and 6 inch end-read rule in the top pockets and a small tape measure, 6 inch comb. square (starrett) and an eraser in the lower pockets. I never have to look for any of those things and it keeps my clothes cleaner, too.
It also serves as a place to wipe the glue off my fingers....

[Gene Howe]

Bib overalls!
Cabelo's are nice.
I have several pair. Two of which are stained and so designated as "shop bibs". The rest are awaiting initiation and still relegated to the rack with my other "Sunday-go-to-meetin'" apparel.

[Jim Becker]

I do not wear an apron or tool belt in my shop. (I use a tool belt only when doing home improvement tasks in and around the house) The pencil du jour goes in my shirt pocket and that's about all I care about carting around the shop. I do have a couple smocks that I use for turning and will also wear one when I'm routing dovetails just to keep cleaner, but otherwise, an apron or tool belt doesn't work for me.

[Jim Fox]

No apron or tool belt here. I bought a simple knee length apron once and hung it on a hook after one use. IMO an Apron just gets in the way of free movement. Who cares if my jeans get dusty and dirty......they are jeans. It's like buyin a truck and only getting groceries with it. Haul some dirt in it!

[Bob Genovesi]

Another apron vote here if I do wear something....

[Tim Thomas]

About a year ago I bought a "Pencil Pull" from Home Depot for $1.98. By far the greatest value of any shop purchase I have ever made, because for less than 2 bucks it saves my sanity. It is just a small clip with a retractable cord wound up in it attached to a rubber cup that fits over the end of a carpenter's pencil. (See picture) I clip that thing to my right-hip belt loop the moment I walk in the shop and then I ALWAYS have my pencil ready when I need it. Before I bought this little gadget I probably spent half of my shop time looking for something to make a mark with. Those days are gone and I don't miss them at all. I've never had a problem with it getting in the way of anything I'm doing, and since it hangs low and at my side I'm not worried about it getting caught on anything.

As for a tool belt, I tried one of those big ole leather jobs that is really better suited for construction, and I used to wear it in the shop, but really it had way more pockets than I needed. It was heavy, bulky, clumsy, would fill up with sawdust, and the pockets were so big that small tools would fall to the bottom and I would have to rummage to find what I needed. Then I switched to using a nail apron (see pic) and that has worked out really well. This was a tip I picked up in one of my New Yankee Workshop books (good ole Norm). It is just a simple two-pocket canvas pouch and you can get these at your local BORG for less than $1.

What I like about the nail apron is that it has just the right amount of capacity for working in the woodshop. I usually keep a tape measure, a small square and notepad in one side, and whatever fasteners I might need in the other side. It is really light, close fitting and comfortable. Also, if you don't overload the pockets they will pretty much stay closed at the top and it won't fill up with sawdust. I still use my large tool belt when I am doing home improvement projects where I need to carry a wider variety of tools and may be up and down a ladder, but around the shop I really like the nail apron.

So there you go, my personal recommendation is to buy a $1 nail apron and a $2 pencil pull. And with Christmas coming up, you may want to get more than one pencil pull to use as stocking stuffers. They work great for all kinds of folks. I gave one to a buddy of mine who is a research scientist. He was always losing his pens in the lab and the pencil pull has saved his sanity the same way it has saved mine.

(By the way, this post is so long because the office is nearly dead today and there isn't much to do. Happy Holidays!! )

[Rod Sheridan]

I wear a Lee Valley apron that holds a 6 inch ruler and a 0.5mm mechanical pencil.

As others have mentioned, I don't feel like it's shop time unless I'm wearing it.

Regards, Rod.

[Chris Padilla]

When Festool came out with an apron, I decided to give it a shot. I have to say that I wish I'd donned one years ago: they rule! No longer do I spend time searching for my 6" steel rule, pencil, and tape measure, among other things that fit nicely in the various pockets.

I'll be an apron wearer from here on out....

[Rick Hubbard]

About a year ago I bought a "Pencil Pull" from Home Depot for $1.98. By far the greatest value of any shop purchase I have ever made

I'll second that! I used to buy pencils by the box-full from the local office supply and those pencil eating critters would get them all in a mtter of days!

I have 3 or 4 of them, in fact I have one clipped near the phone in my shop and another clipped to the wall by my MS. I tried using one at work but gave up after people claimed it was too geeky even for me.

Rick

[Greg Cole]

Tool belt for large construction style jobs like decks etc, but not in the shop.
I keep the necessities on a tool storage chest within arms reach of the bench so I don't wear an apron either.
I wear a baseball hat 99.9% of the time, pencils are easily loacted stuffed inside the rim of the hat as ya can't stick a pencil behind yer ear with a lid on.
Now my wife would be pleased as punch if I'd stop wearing hooded sweatshirts as the front pocket seems to accumulate "stuff".

[Lee Schierer]

I would recommend one of these:
Lee Valley Pouchless Tool Belt

[Dave Cav]

If I'm working outside doing framing, I wear a tool belt with two leather nail pouches and suspenders. I don't do much of that any more.

In the shop both at home and at school I wear an apron 100% of the time. It helps keep the sawdust and other stuff off my clothes, but mostly gives me a place to wipe glue and finish off my fingers instead of my pants. It also helps me keep track of my tape measure and pencils. If you think pencils disappear fast in your shop, try a high school wood shop with 20 kids none of whom seem to be able to grasp the concept of owning a pencil. I spend half my time picking up pencils all over the school and they all will usually be gone by the end of the day. I have made it a habit to pick up really short pieces of pencils, sharpen them with my pocket knife, and keep them in the front lower apron pocket. After a student gets one of those a couple of times they usually remember to bring their own.

[Mick Zelaska]

After trying every apron, belt and pouch known to man I found this vest at Woodcraft and really like it. Lots of conveniently placed pockets for tapes, pencils, rulers and other tools that need to be near at hand and distributes the weight evenly over the shoulders.

http://www.woodcraft.com/search/search.aspx?query=vest

[Peter Quadarella]

I found an apron with back straps that is very light and I use it all the time. One big reason is that it gets dust and chips all over it and I can take it off and not bring all that into the house. The other reason is that I have a few items in there that I use all the time - a pencil, a 3" sliding square, remote control to my radio, a tape measure or folding rule, and a 6" steel rule, and a piece of chalk.