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Originally Posted by Dan Petrovic
Are you sick of crooked cuts in your pneumatic tubing leading to pesky leaks?
There are so many connections! It could take hours to find that last one!
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"There has to be a better way!"
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Well, look no further! Introducing the TC-12 pneumatic tubing cutter! It cuts all of your pneumatic tubing clean and square so you never have to worry about pneumatic leaks again! |
That tool looks great, but $4.25 is a lot to pay at one time! Can I get that split into four easy payments of just $1.0625? Is there a 30-day risk-free trial?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Metalcrafters
An especially strong magnet, for that screw that fell into the chassis rail...
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If you have a lot of steel on your robot, good luck getting that magnet where you want it...
Quote:
Originally Posted by scaryone
Dremel Tool
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Dremels are great for rivet mandrels that refuse to break, and probably deburring, among many other things. I've seen an endmill for Dremels, and people even make their own attachments!
Quote:
Originally Posted by IronicDeadBird
Cellphones.
Download the flashlight app, for a small lightsource. Take pictures and rely information to people on the team, play music, calculator. I know I'm not the only one that downloads the most up to date manual on my cellphone...
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iPhones have flashlight software built in, at least since iOS 7(8?).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Everett33
Flush cutting side cutters. Nothing worse than dragging your arm or hand over a sharp zip-tie.
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This. Easy to think you've cut a zip tie all the way down when there's still a very sharp point.
As for my list of undervalued tools...
Drill press. Having only used a power drill for non-precision stuff, I thought it seemed unnecessary. What can this machine do that can't be done with a cordless(or corded) handheld drill? Then I used one to make some brackets. Not only can it drill perfectly straight, but it eliminates hand/arm fatigue if you need to drill a lot of holes or drill one hole through something long.
Angle grinder. May not get a lot of use, but great for heavy deburring, screw shortening, and in place of a file for steel. Must have if you build a lot with wood. Bench grinders are also good.
Bench top belt(and disc) sander. If you have something big to file, a lot faster and much less effort than filing by hand.
Reciprocating saw(Sawzall). Vibrations can make cutting straight difficult, but once you get going in a cut, it's good. Can cut just about anything quickly, and there are attachments for other things. Much faster and easier than a hacksaw.
If you do a lot of screw shortening and cutting small parts or fairly thin pipes, portable bandsaws are surprisingly useful!
TL;DR: Drill press, angle grinder, belt sander, Sawzall, portable bandsaw.