4 Tools that I love, and 1 that I hate

Layout tools that rock, and a vacuum hose that genuinely sucks

I’ve been using these layout tools from Veritas/Lee Valley for many years. They are great, and worth the investment.

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I hate tool reviews, primarily because when I worked at Fine Woodworking I oversaw far too many of them. Also, I am rarely in the market for a new tool these days. I pretty much have everything I need, so I just don’t care. That’s probably not a good thing for someone like me. I should keep up to date with what’s happening. Companies ask if they can send me a tool or a sample of their products often enough these days, but I rarely say yes. I don’t want the pressure of “reviewing” a tool hanging over my head, and I am not interested in the social media “exchange” that’s expected: They send you a tool and you talk about it on Instagram or whatever. What if I think it sucks? Who am I kidding? I would just say it sucks, but I would feel bad about it.

However, I understand that many of you are still in the market for tools, and that it can be difficult to figure out what you need and what to get. So, I am going to share with you some “reviews” of tools that I personally own. That means I paid for them with my own money. Also, these are tools that I have been using in the shop for quite a while, many years in some cases. It’s probably better not to call these posts reviews. Rather, they are short explanations of what I like about a specific tool, and they are all tools that I’d buy again if I lost or broke one of them. I am not going to link to them or tell you the price. That’s what Google is for. Finally, occasionally I’ll tell you about a tool that I bought and discovered to be horrible. I wouldn’t recommend anyone buy them. Of course, others might love those particular tools, but everyone is entitled to be wrong from time to time.

Today, I’ll discuss four lay out tools from Lee Valley, and a vacuum hose from Rockler, all below the paywall break.