Nifty Tools.

Everyone has their favourite tools but not everyone knows exactly what's out there and how much time/trouble/effort they possibly save.
Let's see your tools.

 

heya

i just had to do this because its used mostly in my backyard:shock:

 

Dunno if that exactly qualifies as a Nifty Tool....it's more like a Universal Persuader.

 

I really like these old adjustable 'F' spanners. Very good for working around ancient bicycles :grin:

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/4030/fspannerwu2.jpg

 

Closed end racheting wrenches. So freaking handy all over the bike, but especially on bolts where there's just not enough clearance to get even an adjustable wrench in there. One example are the bolts that attach the GEBE engine to the GEBE lower mount strap. With the closed end ratcheting wrenches you can make sure those bolts are nice and tight during your bike inspection without removing the wheel.

-Sam

 

Those are really great spanners, - I have a couple of them and I wish I had more :grin:

 

I've seen them.Their rather expensive but unfortunately the ones i saw were only for tightening....yours are better because they look to have forward and reverse.....nice. :smile:

 

Three of my (current) favorite flashlights:

1. Economy 9v pak-lite. $10 from CyberGuys (http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/SearchDetail.asp?productID=9822).
Is this the cutest little thing you've ever seen or what? The plastic cap that is the entire light comes off and can be put on any 9v battery. 50 hour burn time. The light output is really amazing. It may look teeny, but it is a seriously functional light. They have a fancier one, but it's $20. Believe it or not, the plastic cap is made of that stuff that absorbs light, so it glows green in the dark for about 15 minutes after you turn it off! As John Belushi used to say, it's the most fun you can have with your pants on.

2. "Flat" lantern. Got it for about $15 from an electronics store about 7 years ago. It basically gives off the same light as the old 9v camping lanterns, but because it uses 4D batteries, it's only 1.5" thick! So handy for tight spaces.

3. Pelican MityLite. About $20 from local camping stores. A really tough, bright light that replaced my old mini-mag light. It has a good burn time and is *completely* waterproof.

 

If they don't have a switch for on and off, you only have to flip the wrench (spanner) over to reverse the direction.

 

LOL....geez i didn't think of that...how obvious.:roll:
I'll go back to that shop where i saw them cos their on special at the mo.
Thanks man. :smile:

 

I thought it was a 'brain-fart' when I saw your first post :lol: (momentary lapse only !!!)
that said, I have seen ratcheting wrenches with a lever to reverse them, which I assume, is what you were referring to

 

The wrenches in smapadatha's pic have a switch. Actually they're the only ones I've seen with a switch. It seems unnecessary.

 

Heres a picture of a couple of hole punches I made out of tubing. The small one is 1/4 inch. The large one is one inch. Used over wood backing. They can be made from rectangular tube as well. An easy way to make gaskets.

 

Now I'll show you a picture of one of my favorite tools. It's called a "treadle hammer" (in England they call it an "oliver"). It's not the sort of thing you take with you, it weighs about four hundred pounds, with about an eighty pound head weight. Operated by foot power. It's very useful for a variety of tasks, pretty much any thing you might be able to make tooling for. This is what I use to drive the punches.

 

Darn, I was going to offer the use of mine. They only loosen. :grin:

 

lol...very good.
So that means i'll have the complete 2 sets,one for forwards and one for backwards.I might even tape them together and be really smart about it. :grin:

 

Also without a reverse switch one can get that ratchet stuck on a nut where you can't get the tool off cause the #$%^&# nut won't go the other way then you have to take apart a hacksaw cause it's too &*()%$#@ big to get in there then your spending an entire afternoon hacksawing the bolt in half so you can salvage your $#%@^! tool.
..not like I ever did this or anything...

 

Spent bullet shells make awesome holes in gaskets as well.

 

Clever.

 

ditto!