The tool you just had to have

[dbhost]

Hard to pick...

Probably...

#1. General Tools Doweling Jig. Supposed to be able to set up accurate, repeatable holes. These things do anything but line up! Use it once, threw it accross the room.

#2. Not a WW tool, but... Coil Spring Compressor. Used it on my ex wife's Chevy to replace the struts. This was before I knew Auto Zone had the Loan A Tool program...

[RAFlorida]

Worthless tools?

A hammer; use a brick to drive your nails. Prybar, well you DO have a big screwdriver right? Sandpaper, ah the double use for that brick to drive nails. Tape measure; use my fingers, hand, arms and that famous hair we refer to sometimes. Enough of that nonsense, I was only being light hearted about the thread. The one and only useless tool(s) was a screwdriver set that loml bought for me many years back. It was on sale at wally world and the price seemed right, (her thought). The screwdrivers had the shank go ALL the way through the handle and had a knock cap on top of the handle. Not too bad an idea if you want to use the driver as a chisel, you know what I mean. Well, I was an electrician who worked on lots of jobs that were hot, live circuits. Told loml those screwdrivers were really great to have/use; I just didn’t have the heart to tell her that type of drivers would get me hurt or electrocuted. . In the course of many months I was able to throw each of those screwdrivers in the trash can at work, one at a time.

[BobSch]

...The screwdrivers had the shank go ALL the way through the handle and had a knock cap on top of the handle. Not too bad an idea if you want to use the driver as a chisel, you know what I mean. Well, I was an electrician who worked on lots of jobs that were hot, live circuits. Told loml those screwdrivers were really great to have/use; I just didn’t have the heart to tell her that type of drivers would get me hurt or electrocuted. . In the course of many months I was able to throw each of those screwdrivers in the trash can at work, one at a time.

Didn't have pesty co-worker to give them to, huh?

[jovani]

Roto zip, is my got it have it. I have never been able to work it. I often wonder, how they make these gadgets work so well in TV or in the ww shows?

[p8ntblr]

undercut/Jamb saw. I saw it in a garage sale and for some unknown reason thought I just had to have it. It's still in the case, never opened.

Also an craftsman impact driver. I believe it was listed here a while back. The major problem with it is it doesn't have variable speed so when you press the trigger it goes on full speed. When it would catch the screw it did a nice job of driving it in but catching the screw became a hit and miss situation.

I also have a rotozip but I used that one quite a bit, albeit 90% for drywall work. It saves time having to take a bunch of measurements for gang boxes and lights. And often times because the walls I'd have to cut them a little bigger. But I also used it to cut some curves in a sub floor I put in for my bathroom.

[Bill in Buena Park]

Top ten useless in my collection (no order)

1. Ryobi detail sander. Designed to numb the hand within one minute of operation. Hoping it will be handy for something someday.
2. Rotozip. Not bad for grout removal. But I've got some drywall work coming up!
3. B&D 1/3 sheet sander. Between my palm sander and ROS, I never think to use this, and still wonder what its proper application is.
4. HF Scrollsaw. Most of my stuff I can do on my BS with a 1/8in blade, but still waiting to see if I can come up with something that requires this.
5. HF 5in Disk / 1in Belt Sander combo. With an OSS and 12" disk, this might be useful for miniature applications (which I rarely have.)
6. Sanding drums (spindles) for my DP. Tried before I picked up the OSS - they were the reason I did so.
7. Cman set of HSS routerbits - contains several cutter heads that thread onto one shank. Never touched again after high incidence of wood burn educated me on the need for carbide bits.
8. 24T rip blade for my RAS. Used quite a bit before seeing the virtues of getting a TS.
9. Small collection of non-carbide blades for CS and RAS.
10. One of these types of hole cutters, only without the nifty plastic guard: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=97194

[p8ntblr]

Woodworking shows...gotta love 'em. I was at one in the 70's and saw a demo of a Zyliss Vise and imagined all the uses I could have for it and bought it on the spot with all the attachments. I still have it and use it quite often. One of the better impulse purchases I made.
.

One like this? That about what you paid for it?

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/tls/757960783.html

[Pappy]

I had to buy a doweling jig. Figured it was a "must have". Yep it still sits in the original box. Wonder why we still keep all this "wonderful stuff".

My first one was a Craftsman turret style that was cast aluminim. The 1/4 and 3/8 holes went south real quickly. It was replaced with a Dowel-It that is still sitting in the box, along with some dowel center points. It sees service occasionally.