Everyone has a favorite go-to tool. This is the tool that you reach for early and often to solve all manner of issues. For some woodworkers, this is a block plane; for others, it’s a favorite chisel. I’m sure there is someone out there that even considers their router to be their favorite go-to tool. Here’s mine; I call it The Persuader:
Yes, my favorite tool is an old beat-up dead blow mallet. I’ve had this tool for so long that I don’t even remember buying it. It’s like it just magically appeared one day and I haven’t put it down since. I use this mallet to knock joints apart, pound carcasses together, pound dovetail joints together, adjust my Unisaw’s table, close paint cans, kill spiders, crush beer cans, and it even served as an improvised weapon one night when I thought someone was breaking into my house (the noises I heard ended up just being some dishes that fell over in the kitchen drainboard… how embarrassing). It’s not pretty or elegant, but I would be very sad if I lost it.
So what’s your favorite go-to tool?
My shooting board, hands down. I use it as a bench hook, as a mini assembly surface (because my bench was crap), and oh yeah, occasionally as a shooting board.
An awl that I made at the lathe.
I use it to scratch layout lines, “drill” pilot holes, mark the center of spindles before putting them on the lathe, pick out splinters, etc.