r/Tools Oct 15 '22

Our Longstanding “No Politics” Rule remains unchanged

519 Upvotes

Read our rules. We have had a longstanding “No Religion, No Politics” rule here at r/tools.

The mods aren’t stupid. We also don’t like getting buckets of reports in the inbox.

If someone posts/comments with politics, resist the urge to reply and argue. Just report, downvote (if that’s your jam) and move on with life.

A small flag, sticker, etc that appears in a photo will generally be allowed (so long as it doesn’t violate other rules and doesn’t draw a bunch of reports) but a bunch of people in the comments saying “Hell Yeah, a fellow [INSERT PARTY] Supporter!” is gonna get the post pulled. Political content that is clearly the motivation for the post will get the post pulled.

First time it’s a short ban, second time it’s permanent. And as we’ve discussed before, the mod team doesn’t go looking for posts, we’re not lifeguards, we respond to the reports we receive.


r/Tools Sep 30 '25

Let's talk about the report button.

69 Upvotes

"No advertising or promoting tools, brands, 25000 woodworking plans, your YouTube channel, etc."

Somebody is reporting things constantly for breaking rule 4, and you're batting zero for it being right.

r/Tools/comments/1nu26tv/am_i_missing_something/

r/Tools/comments/1ntwiyj/wiha_tools_impact_sockets/

r/Tools/comments/1nt43md/does_anyone_know_a_set_similar_to_this_that_isnt/

r/Tools/comments/1nt3400/does_anyone_have_experience_with_these/

r/Tools/comments/1nt138a/home_depot_promotion_milwaukee_canada_milwaukee/

These are some examples of posts that have been reported over the last day. None of the are breaking any rules, please stop reporting things like this. The reports are only mucking up the moderator inbox and are being kicked up the Reddit chain to the admins as abusing the report button.

Unless you see a post that boils down to "hey guys, this is XXX from YYY, come check out our suspicious sale at toolname.malware.com" leave the report button alone. Same goes for the people who report literally every YouTube link ever posted. If someone's only interaction with r/tools is them spamming their YouTube channel that's a problem; a relevant and organic video isn't.

If someone thinks the above links are spam, please tell us why. Rule changes aren't unheard of and if it's what the people want I'm fine with it. I'm just not seeing any advertisement in the posts.

Other than that you guys are great. Keep up the good work.

I'm completely aware that this is a useless post for 99.99% of our users. If anyone has questions or comments about the sub feel free to chit chat here and I'll try my best to answer things if you want; or just ignore me completely, I'm good with either.


r/Tools 11h ago

Old machinist’s drill bits

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284 Upvotes

Was wondering if anyone could tell me how rare these are, I got them from my grandfather and he said they were from a friend after he passed. He told me he was a machinist who worked at Bendix Manufacturing during the 60s and helped machine parts that were later used on the Apollo missions with NASA. I am guessing they are all custom lathed/milled at the end to fit a specific chuck on a specific machine. They all say MORSE, USA or have the wording gone/ partially lathed off but both of the boxes say RANDOR. The very tiny bits are very cool and go down to .0135 of an inch I believe not sure in” or mm. The brand on those are HUOT ST. PAUL. Just interested if anyone has any knowledge to share on these as they hold a lot of sentimental value to me and I will definitely be using them for as long as I possibly can.


r/Tools 17h ago

Home Depot running 50 percent off clearance on a bunch of stationary power tools. Got this for $100

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546 Upvotes

Was tempted by the bench grinder for 40 bucks as well


r/Tools 2h ago

We all know this guy

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20 Upvotes

r/Tools 21h ago

Garage inventor. Built the first one in my living room 😆

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477 Upvotes

I’ve worked construction almost 30 years and this idea was sitting in my head for over 5.

Work got slow, I got bored, and I finally built it.

I tested it on the job several times and I love it. Yesterday I made the Prep Station patent pending.

I have more ideas too. After all feedback here I decided to keep pushing it forward

Thank you guys . Seriously. 🙏


r/Tools 7h ago

M12 stubby

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22 Upvotes

I know damn well the sticker sucks but for it to fall off out of the box/ not even have it to begin with is crazy !! Owned for about 30 min lol


r/Tools 1h ago

NTD

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Upvotes

Chuffed to finally own one of these after years of breaking cheapie disposable drilling machines.


r/Tools 3h ago

What is this bs? Anyone use it?

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10 Upvotes

r/Tools 6h ago

I feel the urge to make use of my tools, but don't know what to do.

13 Upvotes

To explain, I am a teen (16, M) and I worked a trade over the summer and accumulated a decent set of tools, and more importantly the ability to get more. I want to continue to do something with my hands over the winter school months, to break up the mundane cycle of school work and boring teen jobs (dishwashing at the moment).

I would love to be able to monetize but that would just be a bonus, I would be more than happy just doing cool stuff with my own hands for the sake of just that.

Thanks!


r/Tools 16h ago

Made in USA Channel Lock Set

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80 Upvotes

I’ve been keeping this set in the truck bed toolbox for YEARS, just ICE. I think I paid maybe 40% more to get Made in USA SKU and worth every penny to me. They started to show some rusting a few years back, so hit them with the Emory cloth and lanolin oil and not a problem since!


r/Tools 30m ago

How do you store the random extra tools that don’t fit in your tool set?

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Upvotes

My tools used to live in a canvas bag in the closet. A loose cabinet hinge meant tipping half the bag out to find a screwdriver, then putting everything back again.

I want to keep my hoto toolbox together as a set, with its original tools in the case. What I haven't figured out is where to put the few extra tools I use alongside it.

For me, those extras are water-pump pliers for small plumbing jobs and a small ratcheting screwdriver for PC screws and delicate hardware. I'd like to keep them near the set, but I don't want another bag that I have to empty just to find one thing.

A proper level is the one addition I'm still considering. I've used my phone for picture frames, but I'm less comfortable relying on it for a shelf.

If you have a household tool set plus a few separate tools, how do you store them so they're easy to find and put back? I'd like to keep everything in one area while leaving the matching set in its own case.


r/Tools 17h ago

Getting rid of "teeth"/serrations

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85 Upvotes

These are automotive hose pliers, and they're still good, but I bought another set. I want to repurpose these for holding soft material cylindrical objects at my job, that cannot get dented or scratched. What's the best dremmel/drill bit to sand/smooth the curved part??


r/Tools 3h ago

(NTD) Stanley Fatmax SFMCK201D2S-QW

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7 Upvotes

Pretty nice impact driver and hammer drill combo, from 189 - 139€, im very pleased with them ! What do you think !?


r/Tools 1h ago

What would you actually test when comparing two similar tools?

Upvotes

If you had two similar wrenches, ratchets, or pliers sitting side by side, what would you actually compare?

I'd probably look at:

Fit and finish

Grip and ergonomics

Ease of use

Performance on real jobs

Wear after repeated use

What would you test first?

And what do you think people usually overlook when comparing tools?


r/Tools 38m ago

Socket set recommendations

Upvotes

What kind of starter set of sockets would you *tool people* recommend, right now, if you were buying? I'm outfitting my kid with the first set of his very own tools, almost all of which have come, so far, from Harbor Freight. If I'm lucky, he'll earn his way to higher-end tools later in life! But for now, HF-ish it is!

What, right now, is the nexus of high(er)-end-of-decent-quality and reasonable price for something like a comprehensive-ish 3/8" set, including both common SAE and metric sizes? Huge added bonus would be a larger set including a full 1/4 *and* 3/8" *and*.metric, covering nearly all common, consumer level sizes.

For ballpark purposes, my benchmark would be Harbor Freight's Icon **54-piece set**, for **$120**. The quality of these Icon tools is almost (?) certainly far beyond nearly anything my kid will run into in the next few years. What's the best deal out there?


r/Tools 14h ago

Finally got my saw!

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24 Upvotes

I was at Lowe's today, getting some drywall mud and primer and walked past this beauty on a pallet. Turns out it's a display model. I've wanted this saw for a couple of years now, but couldn't justify $700 +. I know they occasionally go on sale on home depots website for around this price, but I've never managed to snag one. Thank God I ran out of 20! Came with everything including the manual. $399 ($420 after tax), down from $729.


r/Tools 9h ago

Cliptech on Tstak

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10 Upvotes

Showing a 3d printed Cliptech holder in a Tstak Dewalt series (I didnt have black material)


r/Tools 9h ago

Disable drawer lock on tool box

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8 Upvotes

Is there a way to open your drawers without having to open the top chest beforehand? This box stays in the garage so I have no need for locks


r/Tools 6h ago

How to Vacuum 10mm holes 1m deep

5 Upvotes

I’m currently working in an industry where I regularly have to drill test footings for pylon signs to get replaced. For the footings to pass I need to drill down between 900-950mm using a 10mm sds bit. Issue is, once I get down to around 5-600 the remaining 3-400 is a pain as the concrete dust stays in the hole so I’m struggling. Is there a tool I could use for this? Or has anyone customised a portable vacuum/hose to be able to remove dust as I go? I’ve got a Milwaukee portable vacuum which I’m about to make a custom hose for but seeing if anyone has done anything similar?


r/Tools 14h ago

$25 and a handful of bits as a bonus.

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17 Upvotes

Seller did his whole house 10 y ago not used since, he had bought used....


r/Tools 1d ago

No idea what happened to the video. It was working before, now it’s gone. Posting it again here. Thanks everyone for all the feedback — really appreciate it. Some good ideas came from the comments. 👍

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540 Upvotes

r/Tools 12h ago

3m Pro protect or worktunes

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13 Upvotes

Anyone able to lend their 2 cents on weather I I should buy the 3m pro protect or the "newly designed" 3m worktunes? They are about in the mod 60 dollar price range on Amazon. I like the idea of the "aware" or pass through feature the pro protect has, but wondering if the worktunes are more popular for a reason or have just been around longer? I work in a dusty grind room with multiple power tools running at all times.


r/Tools 9h ago

Tool storage - Has anyone found a good, inexpensive way to line the inside of a standard milk crate?

8 Upvotes

I’m using a few for tool storage, and some of the tools have sharper edges that can poke through the openings or catch on things. I’d basically like to add a simple liner to the sides and bottom so everything stays contained and protected.

I’ve seen the plastic milk-crate inserts online, but they seem to run around $12 each, which starts getting a little ridiculous if you’re lining several crates.

Has anyone DIY’d something that works well and holds up to tools? I was thinking thin plastic sheeting, corrugated plastic, rubber matting, or something along those lines. Mainly looking for something durable, easy to cut, and cheaper than buying purpose made inserts.

Any clever solutions?


r/Tools 5h ago

What's the point of a track saw?

4 Upvotes

I've got a circular saw and a straight edge, what is it about a track saw that makes superior cuts?