Number of Tools still in Boxes?

[leehljp]

Question 1:
How many of you have tools you bought for a project and never got started?

Question 2:
How many tools do you have in your shop(s) that you have not yet used?

I have 5 that I can count - that I can SEE! These are not PARTS but TOOLS!

Anyone else like this?

[sweensdv]

I can't think of a single tool that I have that I haven't used. Their may be a few hand tools that have only been used once or twice but that's about it.

[LCHIEN]

I have to confess to owning an Incra router fence I have never used. I bought it and a Woodpecker router table top one year at a Woodowrking show. I intended to use it . Some day I will make one of those double dovetail that they are famous for.



I have used the table a lot. I got by all of my router projects to date using two home made DIY router fences. I installed my Bosch 1617 in a Jessem Router lift. One day...


While we are confessing, I have a Delta 1x42 belt sander/8" disc sander still in the box. model SA180
Pretty much got by with the existing sanders (1x42 belt and 4x36 belt/6" disk combo) and had no bench space to set this one up.

[twistsol]

I buy a tool when I need it so I have nothing that has never been used. That said, I may have gone overboard on my lifetime quest for the perfect dovetail jig.



The Porter Cable jig up front enhanced with better clamps from Rockler does half blind dovetails at a fixed spacing. It is a one trick pony that does its one trick exceedingly well and the fastest way to get a dovetail drawer built. I have a dedicated Metabo router for it so there is no setup and it cuts both pieces at once. Dust collection is non existent and it makes a colossal mess.

The Fast-Joint system is inappropriately named and is painfully slow to use, but is the most flexible in the number of joints and whimsical patterns you can create. This is the least used of my joinery systems. Like the Porter Cable, dust collection is abysmal.

The Katie Jig on the right, also modified with Rockler clamps, is my go to for through dovetails. It does any spacing you want and setup is reasonably simple. With downdraft on my router table and keeping the fence near the the cut, dust collection is decent, but not great.

Finally I also have the Incra Joinery system. I bought this for a kitchen project I have coming up for my brother's house. I already had the Incra TS/LS Fence so I thought this may be worth a try. I literally received the final parts of this setup last night close to 11:00 so technically it hasn't been used yet , but that will change today.

[twistsol]

Shopsmith was brilliant at marketing the dream of woodworking. The first one I bought was nearly twenty years old at the time and the owner had made a single project on it and used it for some sanding and then it sat, unused in a garage. Most of the accessories were still in the original packaging. This is purely anecdotal, but s a brand, I'd bet Shopsmith probably has the highest percentage of never or rarely used tools sold.

By contrast, my 1951 Shopsmith 10 ER came with a log book of every project the guy made, what materials were used with costs, and how much it sold for. The first entry is in the attached .PDF.

[leehljp]

in the PDF: "White Lead" - I haven't seen that in a long time!
AS to the PDF - That sure brings back memories of carpenters/craftsmen often writing down itemized parts, costs and labor. Some people were very meticulous, and I could read their lists and almost visualize their finished product.

[LCHIEN]

Wow, what a legacy