What’s your favourite tool?

Most people have a preferred tool, certainly. Oh, he may claim he likes them all equally, just like they were his children, but also just like they were his children, he actually likes one of them more than the others. No need to play favourites. There is an actual favourite.

Long ago, before I started doing any significant amount of woodworking, I asked someone what the best woodworking tool was. He tried to be all profound and said the measuring tape. Yes, yes, we all know measurement is important, but really, truly, who holds a measuring tape and feels that strong sense of dependence that comes with truly relying on something. He may as well have said a pencil.

So, guaranteed, most people will say table saw. That’s what truly makes sense. After all, when you start an episode of New Yankee Workshop, what tool does Norm have dead centre of the shop? Why, the table saw, of course. Even on those episodes where he chooses to do something using only hand tools or something ridiculous like that, he probably ate his lunch at the table saw.

Then, lot of people will say the router. And you know that many many people truly love that tool. And there guy from Router Workshop will tell you it’s the best thing, and silently curse under his breath whenever he uses it for something you could easier do with a table saw. But, if you have a strong desire to breathe in huge clouds of dust, the router is definitely for you.

Most of the people who favour neither the table saw nor the router will be claiming the lathe as the best. And I can appreciate that, because it is just plain fun. If you have a big chunk of wood and some chisels, you can stand there cutting away until all that’s left is a toothpick and a pile of wood shavings. And everyone who knows about David Marks from the tv show Woodworks, knows that he is a lathe specialist. He’s also very very zen. I’d rather not use that expression, but it really fits. Anyway, it must have pained him to not use the lathe very much for that television show.

Now, I have a hard time imaging what anyone would say that is not one of these three. I have a radial arm saw but will not claim it is my favourite tool. Perhaps someone would like using the mitre saw, but I cannot picture it being anyone’s preferred tool. A favourite tool should have a certain amount of versatility, in my opinion. That’s why I could never pick the lathe. It turns things and your cut grooves in with chisels. There’s a hard limit on what is available to do with it. A radial arm saw is much more versatile. You could even use it to slice ham.

And people like hammers, hand saws, chisels, planes, prybars, sledgehammers, and any other number of hand tools. People who say a hand tool is their favourite have obviously never used a table saw.

Some people really like scroll saws. They make all kinds of highly detailed and fancy-looking stuff on them. And I applaud that work, I truly do. But I am always in too much of a hurry to use my scroll saw. I would always jump to the jig saw or band saw, and you can’t use one of those to make a portrait of someone.

Who likes the band saw? Lots of people. They are exceptional tools, useful for making lots and lots of scorched and crooked cuts. The smaller ones are great, if you’re a fan of replacing the blade often. The big ones are super at taking up a lot of space in the shop and not getting much use. But I’m sure the band saw is someone’s special tool.

I am truly certain, however, that the broom is no one’s favourite.