Favorite tools 1

[rhodie]

I have a drawer in my desk that gets opened and closed about 2500% more frequently than any of the multitude of others.

No, I do not keep candy, mints, or the Snap-On tools calendar in that drawer. I do keep my most useful work tools in the drawer. I'll give you a breakdown, in order of ascending value and frequent use:

5. My cheap mechanical pencil set, .7mm lead only (lineweights? feh!)
4. A Hegeman Grind Gauge. (I'm in the paint industry)
3. A set of Mitutoyo Vernier Calipers
2. A roll of toilet paper (for my nose!)
1. My Ti-86 graphing calculator.

I am very curious to read what your most valued tool is.

If you'd like, you can also include the least useful thing in your office! Personally, I'll have to take an audit first!

Thanks!

 

[whyun]

0.7mm Pentel pencil
6" long clear ruler by C-THRU
HP 48GX calculator
Dell Computer
Reference books and codes

I don't need much else besides coffee to perform my duties.

 

[ctopher]

...oh, I also have Machinery's Handbook 10th Edition. (my grandfather's book). He dated it inside, 3-2-41.
-.7 pencil
-earphones
-blank disc's

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP3.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

 

[SomptingGuy]

My Casio FX 180-P calculator.

I got it for Christmas when I was 14 (in 1981) and have used it virtually every day since (through school, University and work). What really, really lights my candle is that it's STILL running on the original batteries that came with it. And unlike most calculators, it spent several years running iterative programs overnight (before I could afford a home computer).

http://os36.grafisis.nl/calculators/pictures/casio-fx180p.jpg

 

[rhodie]

25th ed. Machinery's Handbook

(newbie)

 

[monkeydog]

About 5 PM on a Friday;
A nice cold ale from a local micro-brewery.

 

[whyun]

monkeydog. Which city?

 

[monkeydog]

Denver area, it doesn't matter which micro-brewery.

 

[hydrae]

combo palm-cell phone with spreadsheet program

 

[waskillywabbit]

My big coffee mug.

The pictures of my wife and boys...it is why I bother showing up for work each day to begin with...and it is what keeps me going most days knowing that I get to go home and see them.

The mini fridge behind my desk.

The radio.

All the junk on the computer.



Brian
Pressure Vessels and Autoclave Systems

http://www.mcabeeconstruction.com

The above comments/opinions are solely my own and not those of McAbee Construction.

 

[DanDel]

Why does everyone use a 0.7mm mech pencil and not 0.5mm?

 

[waskillywabbit]

DanDel,

They are getting old and can't see very well any more!

Should I use a bigger font for you old timers?

Brian
Pressure Vessels and Autoclave Systems

http://www.mcabeeconstruction.com

The above comments/opinions are solely my own and not those of McAbee Construction.

 

[IRstuff]

thought it was because they were afraid of poking themselves ;-)

TTFN

 

[whyun]

0.5mm served me well in college, but many moons later, I found myself keep breaking the leads with a 0.5mm. Thicker 0.7mm is more than two and a half times stronger.

waskillywabbit quoted the other reason.

 

[DanDel]

Silly 'wabbit.

 

[NickE]

Hmmm....

10x lense
70x B&L Stereo Scope
Calipers
Mics
Uni-ball Vision Elite Pen (I pretty much quit using pencils after university)
Sharpies
Machinists Scale
Machinery's Hdbk (21st ed. stolen from my boss)
HP-48GX
Computer.....

Least Used:
hmmm.. dont really have anything that I've not used in a while...

 

[rhodie]

What are the differences in lead width for mechanical pencils?

0.3mm ­ extra fine line, ideal for writing in small spaces. Used primarily for drafting and engineering
0.5mm ­ produces a fine line and is the most popular lead size. Ideal for accounting and general writing
0.7mm ­ writes a medium line and is well suited for heavy-handed writers. It’s ideal for sketching, shading and general writing
0.9mm ­ sets down a thick line. This lead is thicker and less prone to breakage and is perfect for first time automatic pencil users.

from:

http://www.liquidpaper.com/sanford/consumer/papermate/jhtml/faq/faqpencil.jhtml

Do we buck the trend, or is this company's information inaccurate!?!

IMHO, Work done with .3 makes the paper look like a punchcard after all the breaks, you reload .5 lead by the truckful to finish your papers, and .9 is like writing with a tree trunk, similar to brain surgery with a machete.

.7 is about the best size for writing, it doesn't break every three seconds, you can bevel the tip and keep it, and you can manipulate pressures to get differing lineweights.

\most attention paid to pencils since Faber, apologies...

 

[IRstuff]

I use 0.3 and 0.5mm.

I give my kid 0.7mm.

TTFN

 

[ctopher]

I always use 0.7, 0.5 breaks too much and is too light.

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP3.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

 

[IRstuff]

But... that's the whole point ;-)

a demonstration of restraint and finesse

TTFN

 

[ScottyUK]

I prefer the 0.5mm; the 0.7 makes my awful writing look even worse. 0.9mm is like writing with a crayon.

Guess I'm just one of the average Joe's liking 0.5mm.



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