What are your most used "secondary" tools ?

Bart Thomas(deceased)

As I look through my tool bag, I am amazed at just how much I use some tools that are not part of the basic "kit" (Shears, concave cutters, wire cutters, pliers, etc).

These seem to fall into two categories:

Larger sizes of the basics, which make the work much easier.

"Special" tools.

In the latter category, I place a pair of wire cutters with the opening just slightly offset, which make them invaluable for removing wire. Also the curved tip wiring pliers that I mentioned in the Tools - are they that special thread

What tools do you find far more useful than you had imagined?

Advertisement

Adam_MA

For me... Wire shears!
I watched a demo with Colin Lewis once at Bonsai West and I was watching him using what looked like bud shears to cut hire as he was working. Someone finally asked him if he was using an old pair of shears to cut the wire. He showed them to us and said that he had gotten them and not realized exactly how much he would end up using them....
So I got myself a pair of these and I gotta tell you.. When I am wiring a tree I find them much faster, more accurate, and a hell of a lot easier to grab off the turntable and snip the wire. You can't use it on larger sized wire, but for the majority of the wire used they work no problem.

Adam

rowan57

I havent got these but one of my sensei uses them they are like a small pair of pliers that do everything, they cut wire, twigs etc etc. and they fit in the palm of the hand on one finger, i think they are called demonstration shears, quite expensive because they have very hard edges to make cutting different materials ok.

Regards
Rowan

__________________
In literary and art criticism there are two criteria, the political and the artistic....

Words and actions should help to unite, and not divide, the people of our various nationalities

I often talk to myself because i am the only one who truly understands me.

Adam_MA

Rowan,
I haven't seen these before... Do know where I can see a picture?
They sound pretty cool!


Adam

JohnQuinn

Sounds like you guys are talking about the same thing.

Scalpels are nice, and dental picks are good for picking out decay and bugs from small openings. A good magnifying glass.

Bart Thomas(deceased)

John Quinn noted the usefulness of a good magnifying glass.

For my aged eyes, I use a pair of those "reading glasses" sold in pharmacies (Chemists (?) to you Brits). However, since I can read all of their test print without glasses, I test these in the store on the very fine print on my watch dial.

They work great, but it's a little unnerving when I look up in the middle of doing that close work - can't see a thing!

BrianBay9

Swiss army knife

Brian

midwestbonsai

my most used tool is a common Felco pruner, can cut anything.

__________________