# Cool shop tools you cannot do without...



## downtownjr

What kind of cool tools have you found that you would like to share...


----------



## JD4755

Found a few neat tools for big balers, one is a gib key puller, the other one lifts the plunger up so you can replace the plunger roller bearings..really saves on pinched fingers!


----------



## downtownjr

JD4755,

Do you have a picture of the gib key puller you use?

Thanks.


----------



## JD4755

Not off hand i dont, i'll try to snap a picture of it when i can


----------



## farmboy9510

The arc welder is definitly a tool in the shop I would not be able to do with out


----------



## HALLSHAY

One tool that we use all the time is our bridgeport mill with DRO. The other tools that are great are flex head ratchet wrenches!!! We bought them to reach a few pan bolts on a tractor, and the first one I loosened I backed the bolt down against a vent tube and couldn't get the wrench out. I had to fight the rest of the bolts with other wrenches until the pan dropped enough to let the ratchet wrench come off. Lesson learned.


----------



## farmboy9510

Another tool i could not do without would be the cell phone its not a shop tool but it is a great tool


----------



## 4020man

A good quality air compressor. We had some electrical problems in the shop a few moths ago and you don't realize how much you use it until you don't have it for a few days.


----------



## BCFENCE

I could post several, the ones that come to mind would be bandsaw, migwelder, plasma cutter and the bathroom. (lol)
THOMAS


----------



## wheatridgefarmMD

This is a very interesting thread for someone who just might be in the design process of a new shop/machine shed. Keep the ideas coming guys.


----------



## JD4755

Gas powered air compressor, toss it in the back of a pickup, very very well worth the money


----------



## 4020man

Gas powered welder too. You may not use it very much but its sure handy to have.


----------



## wildseed

I am totally new to the Hay Scene so it's good to know what you Guys have as your firm favorites. I will be watching this thread with interest.







I need to get as much information as possible before I even can get started.


----------



## combinedmf

Bandsaw and 1/2" cordless impact wrench


----------



## mlappin

Definitely a complete set of cordless tools. Skillsaw, impact, drill, sawzall and various cordless flashlights are ones that I use all the time. I have the 18 volt Dewalt ones now.

I also find having various ends made up for my slide hammer is well worth the time it takes to make em.

A hydraulic press with various arbors can prove to be priceless.

A quality 3/4 impact and a minimun of a 21cfm at 175 psi air compressor as well.


----------



## nwfarmer

Here is one. A grease gun with one side of the fitting ground flat so it can fit over the NH575 grease fittings where bolts are in the way on a misdesigned baler. On the right end of the knotter shaft. Makes you wonder who designs these things.


----------



## Grateful11

We have two hydraulic lift tables on wheels and they come in handy at times. We're currently trying 
to organize all our tools, my wife and father never really tried to organize them, I have a hard time 
working in that kind of mess not knowing anything is at. On my reg. job I know where nearly everything is at.


----------



## Ridgerunner

I couldn't do without my oxy-acetelene torch. Red hot bolts will always come loose.


----------



## Mike120

Electric grease gun with a pile of end fittings, WD-40, and a 3' piece of pipe for a cheater bar (there's a lot of places you can't use a torch).


----------



## mlappin

mlappin said:


> Definitely a complete set of cordless tools. Skillsaw, impact, drill, sawzall and various cordless flashlights are ones that I use all the time. I have the 18 volt Dewalt ones now.
> 
> I also find having various ends made up for my slide hammer is well worth the time it takes to make em.
> 
> A hydraulic press with various arbors can prove to be priceless.
> 
> A quality 3/4 impact and a minimun of a 21cfm at 175 psi air compressor as well.


Okay, priorities have changed. Been playing with a new toy the last couple of days rebuilding a grain bed. Absolutely, positively _must_ have a plasma cutter in the shop. With the right tip, they can easily replace a torch. I spent 20 minutes farting around washing the welds out of the left hinge plate then grinding what was left on this bed, put a gouging tip in the plas cutter, and washed the welds out of the right hinge plate in 5 minutes, and did a better job of it to the point grinding was barely required.

Its my new favorite toy atm, have the bear traps strategically placed around it so every body else keeps their greasy little fingers off it.


----------



## bigsfarm

My favorite would have to be the 110 volt mig welder with portable generator, I use it all over the farm.Even when I cant get the equip to the shop.


----------



## chief-fan

I would have to say the "Gear Wrench" every time I open the chest for a wrench the Gear Wrench is the first one in my hand. I have two sets, standard and metric. Stanley makes a good set also with the advantage of a little flipper to change directions rather than removing the wrench and putting it back on again.


----------



## hay hauler

ESAB Mig-welder (caulking gun), Torch (hot wrench), plasma cutter, and ¾” impact


----------



## steve IN

I would have to nominate my Snap-On dealer as the most useful tool I have. If the tool I want wont do the job he will tell me. Hes here every week and if I need something in between hes only a few miles away. These tools are a little pricey but I feel they are worth every penny. He also sells enough sidelines that you can save a few bucks when needed.


----------



## Building guy

My shop building has a mig welder, grinding wheel, portable hand grinder, chop saw, and maybe the most important garage tools is the portable cordless drill. These are just a few of my most important garage and shop tools.


----------

