Gerber Edge.
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Luco gray quills!
Posted by David Wright (Member # 111) on :
DeWalt cordless hammerdrill. I don't believe they make them as good today.
Posted by Kevin Gaffney (Member # 4240) on :
I won't mention my mac in case it starts a fight
Posted by Preston McCall (Member # 351) on :
Nocturna brushes! Cheap, hold up well, always reliable and no equal out there. Second best: SL500.
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
Electro Pounce
Type A1 ladders with a good base flare and stand off's and pole wraps
This little brush for removing gold that John Jordan sent me for a Christmas present
Posted by Dale Feicke (Member # 767) on :
I'd almost have to say my old Arty (4B). Back in those days, I was told that Compugraphic, the company that made the software for Gerber, was given the right to the 4B, under a different cover.....kind of a trade, I guess. The outside cover for it was different; the guts about the same.....except that it would hold 21 fonts, while the 4B would only hold about 8, I think.
Anyway, I bought an Arty....used all the 4B font 'boards'. Never had any trouble, except for one belt, all these years. It still works, though I seldom use it.
The amazing thing to me is how far technology has come in those years....and much farther. We thought that thing was the hottest thing since running water, and now, dinosaur. One board that had only 1 font on it, used to cost $150-220, and it wouldn't do any distortions, shadows, etc. There was another cartridge for that. Today, one CD can contain hundreds of fonts, with unlimited editing potential.
Still, it was a great machine, probably the most dependable I've ever owned.
Posted by Lawrence Armstrong (Member # 8336) on :
Gotta go with my brushes. Some in service for roughly 25 years with very few breakdowns.
Posted by Bernie Lohmeyer (Member # 2076) on :
Do we take the Pen or Pencil for granted???? oh and then comes the eraser.... he he he....
Posted by John Arnott (Member # 215) on :
My ShopBot! Best $10,000 investment I've made. Then my 68 Chevy pick up. Paid $1,800 for it. I've had it for 32 years and it just won't quit! My Little Giant ladder till it got stolen and replaced it with a 22' fold up Wagner.
Posted by Tim Barrow (Member # 576) on :
Bergendorf posting stage here,..made by interstate aluminum works in Pocatello, Idaho. it cost me $1700 in 1985,....I could probably sell it for that now,....the stage and two hangers weigh in at 88lbs and will support the weight of two men,...if I had a dollar for every $1000 I made on it I could rent a limousine to drive me to Danville,....still using it,....can rig a one or two story storefront by my self in about 5 minutes and be painting a wall or doing an install in nothing flat.
edited to add,.... do not try this at home ,...the ground can fly up and hit you in the butt if you don't use safety gear,....don't ask me how I came by this pearl of wisdom,...
[ July 04, 2010, 11:17 AM: Message edited by: Tim Barrow ]
Posted by Carl Wood (Member # 1223) on :
Mimaki 24" Plotter
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
My brain. D'er!!! Posted by Bruce Brickman (Member # 8180) on :
#1)My imagination #2)My eyes #3)My hands I'd be up the creek without them and sometimes I'm up the creek with them but always pulled out by them!
[ July 04, 2010, 01:02 PM: Message edited by: Bruce Brickman ]
Posted by Sonny Franks (Member # 588) on :
My Gerber Sprint ran for 15 years without a hitch. A friend had the same model so we were able to trade fonts when needed.......
Posted by Joe Cieslowski (Member # 2429) on :
My Swiss gouges and my JW2 detail knife made by Warren Cutlery......35 years making new stuff and never an upgrade.
They only come up short when they get too short.
Joe,
Makin Chip$ and Havin Fun!
Posted by William DeBekker (Member # 3848) on :
Shopbot now 11 years old and still runs like a top.(Have done some overhauls though)
After that. Summa D60 Plotter. 16 years old and still works like new.
And I have to say I still use my Badger Single Action Airbrush that I got for Christmas in 1976. (Although I did just buy a T&C Onmi 4000)
[ July 04, 2010, 03:04 PM: Message edited by: William DeBekker ]
Posted by Russ McMullin (Member # 5617) on :
I have quite a few tools that I've been glad to own:
Fluke multimeter I bought it in 1984 when I was 18. It still works like a champ, and looks great for its age.
Dewalt 9.6v drill It's not a powerhouse like some of the drills these days, but it just keeps going and going. I think I got it around 1990. The batteries don't last long anymore, but if I could get them refurbished, I would. I have an 18v Dewalt and often times it's too big to lug around.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
We have a shop full of great tools that have served us well for many years. The key is to not try and save money when I buy them. I do my research and then happily invest in the very best I can find.
My Miller welders and plasma cutter have worked as they should for many years. We have three tall cabinets of quality hand tools I use daily.
Our MultiCam router has changed the way we make much of what we produce. We are in the planning stage of an upgrade simply to acquire a fourth axis. The rest of the new machine will be identical to the first purchased almost five years ago.
EnRoute software has allowed me to take my ideas and easily transform them into routable files.
And while many complain about how computers have changed their businesses for the worse here we have found it to make our work easier and more efficient - both in the design phase and through its completion. Changing to a Mac based system has made it more user friendly than ever. Did I mention I LOVE my Macs?
-grampa dan
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
my newly upgraded cnc router my 12 yr old anagraph cutter my 9 year old encad printer All operated by my FREE PC computer that was given to me by a neighbor,, using Mach 3 that was written by average guys and cost less than $150 bux,, and corel draw with cocut pro that cost about $220 bux.
Its good to be me with my PC's...
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
The custom built PC computer I bought in 1999. At the time it was state of the art and it served me well until it died a few weeks ago at age 11.
In recent years it was relegated to back-up duty but it did that job well too.
It's memory will live on however. I took out every useable component to take down to Mexico so that they can be used to replace ailing parts in computers in the local school.
Posted by bruce ward (Member # 1289) on :
1999 vinyl express plotter from signwarehouse. no problems. runs and plots great. $3200.00
3 stages of scaffolding! love having my own scaffolding
my old transparent overhead projector. still works. its nasty, rusty and its about 20 years old
Posted by Jillbeans (Member # 1912) on :
My work platform Also my projector, if Bill Berberich would ever bring it back. And I plan on hooking my 4E back up in the garage for pounce patterns. Bought it used in 2003 for $400, it was almost 20 years old then. No longer cuts vinyl well but I bet it would pounce just fine. Love....Jill
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
Boy, after reading all this, I am so glad I'm not dependent on high tech
My best piece of equipment has to be my "convertible" ladder. I bought it at Sears almost forty years ago. Aluminum, it makes into a step ladder and a short extension ladder....sooooooooo handy. It will also work on stairs although that need has never arisen
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
Roland 54" Printer, it works beautifully even after 5 years of printing everyday.
Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :
I have to second the Gerber Edge. not to mention ALL my gerber equipment.
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Pencil Paper The ability to pull an idea out of someone's brain and translate it into something tangible.
All the other tools are useless without a plan. Rapid
Posted by Bruce Brickman (Member # 8180) on :
"Pencil Paper The ability to pull an idea out of someone's brain and translate it into something tangible."
Well said Ray!
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
My old Gerber Signmaker IV-A ranks up there. It ran for a quarter century on fourteen dollars worth of maintenance, which it didn't need-a screw was overtightened. Its replacement, a SignWarehouse Q-160, is a pretty sweet plotter. When I'm 83, I'll let you know if it outlasted the Goober.
Posted by John Byrd (Member # 825) on :
Gerber 4B. Bought it used in 1987 and it still is my go to for sandblast rubber and quick pounce patterns. Wish I had one of the old 30" 750s from those days for wider stuff.
My Makita plunge router from 1994. Same 3 1/4 HP motor as the 12" planer.
Overhead projector I bought in 1986 when I first went out on my own.
My Grumbacher 1 1/4" flat from 1984. Still the best brush I ever bought.
Posted by Bernie Lohmeyer (Member # 2076) on :
Do we take the Pen or Pencil for granted???? oh and then comes the eraser.... he he he.... great minds think alike..........posted early'er
Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :
I wouldn't put the pencil, paper and eraser in the same catagory as equipment though.
Posted by Patrick Whatley (Member # 2008) on :
Summa D60 plotters. After years of fighting Roland plotters and thinking their problems were the nature of the beast the switch to Summa has been BEAUTIFUL. One is in the process of dying (after running 4-5 hours a day for 8 years) and I haven't even considered replacing it with anything else.
The equipment that makes me happiest is the rubber stamp that says "FOR DEPOSIT ONLY".
Posted by Michael Boone (Member # 308) on :
left hand.... and...Fenwick fly rods...
Posted by Len Mort (Member # 7030) on :
French Masters and Mack swords.
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
quote:Originally posted by Michael Boone: left hand.... and...Fenwick fly rods...
Mexican backhoe for excavation work (garlic). Stiff brush for removing obstacles from shoes. New prescription glasses for avoiding obstacles.
Posted by Mark M. Kottwitz (Member # 1764) on :
quote:Originally posted by Patrick Whatley: Summa D60 plotters.
+1. Years ago, I was in charge of purchasing a plotter for a company that I was working for. We checked them all out, and we got a 48" Summa with tangential cutter head.
In the years following, I worked for a guy that had a Summa D60 (2 of them actually), and then worked for a guy that had a Roland.
When it came time to purchase a plotter for my own company, I called Summa without any other thought.
Posted by Steve Luck (Member # 5292) on :
1. my trusty 24" Graphtec vinyl cutter going strong for 13 years!
2. My panel saw. Used almost every day and has helped cut up a forest of MDO for over 12 years!
3. My Bosch jig saw. Amazing tool.
4. The Roland VersaCamm 30" digital printer.
Other tools such as a corner rounder, Edge ruler, Heat gun, coroplast flute cutter, and anything that makes our jobs more efficent and more accurate around the shop are priceless.
Not to mention my 12' Stanley power lock 1/2" wide tape measure which I use every day. Being only 1/2" wide, it's great for leveling out vinyl on truck doors.
Sign-cerely grateful, Steve
Posted by Rick Beisiegel (Member # 3723) on :
All things Gerber that I have!
My Graphtec 30" plotter is a close second
Posted by Pat Welter (Member # 785) on :
I'm with Joe on this one, My swiss made chisels and my brushes... I design on paper before it ever goes to the CPU so maybe the pencil and paper are a tool at least for me.
Posted by Donna in BC (Member # 130) on :
Don't throw rotten tomatoes my way, but I have to truthfully say, to date, it would have to be the Mac MONITOR. I've never seen clarity like this before on any computer. The brightness,tone and sharpness is incredible for photos. My new PC $300 LED screen looks like mud in comparison. I'm going to price out a Mac monitor for my PC dinosaurs downstairs.
But my now ancient Roland PNC 1000A plotter is still hummin' along like it's new. (knock on wood!) Gotta love that!
Posted by Russ McMullin (Member # 5617) on :
Donna, you're such a trouble maker! Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
Dan must have told you to say that!
Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
This is hard to answer. For the past couple weeks, every day I've had a "favorite tool of the day". One day last week it was the attachment for the panel saw to cut coro, another day it was the 12" clear plastic completely bendable ruler. I also don't know how I survived without a 2' T-square.
As for $ making equipment, it's hands-down the Edge.
And Jill, a friend that helped me get the house & shop ready for move-in day gives me a hard time about my lack of height. He calls the work platforms pigmy adapters. I'm gonna cut that out of vinyl & sneak it onto his.
Posted by david drane (Member # 507) on :
quote:Originally posted by John Byrd: Gerber 4B. Bought it used in 1987 and it still is my go to for sandblast rubber and quick pounce patterns. Wish I had one of the old 30" 750s from those days for wider stuff.
My Makita plunge router from 1994. Same 3 1/4 HP motor as the 12" planer.
Overhead projector I bought in 1986 when I first went out on my own.
My Grumbacher 1 1/4" flat from 1984. Still the best brush I ever bought.
I bought a set of those flats called "truck writers". Them and the extra long script brushes were the best investment I ever made. I still use them but the 1" flat did eventually crows foot on me. And my old Gerber 4A is still used for pounce patterns, cutting scotchlite, and sandblast rubber.
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
Working in the heat yesterday (106f), the best equipment I had was a 2.5 gallon thermos of Gatorade and a fan.
Posted by Michael Gene Adkins (Member # 882) on :
My first pentium 586.
With Winplot and Corel5, it was a flawlessly perfect machine.
Then the hard-drive died and new, memory hungry versions of corel came out and after 15 years--well, it was like losing an old friend.
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Okay, if I gotta pick a technical one...
Adobe Streamline 3.0 For a decade plus, I've used it to trace designs and it ran flawlessly through every version of Windows without needing updates, upgrades, drivers or any of the other junk we deal with today. Quick, clean...a rare program that does just one thing and does it well.
I can't get it to run on Windows 7, but I've set up an older computer with Vista JUST so I can keep it going. Rapid
Posted by Donna in BC (Member # 130) on :
Glenn, I may have to side with you today. I think I need to buy some new equipment... it's called an air conditioner. Dying here at 9AM... Posted by Rusty Bradley (Member # 6938) on :
Sweet Pig (my dog) in his own special way has been my favorite piece of equipment...he has provided companionship on some very long trips to install signs...and has sat by during those installations...patiently observing...making sure things were done right...then often has posed along side the finished sign for some pics...last year glaucoma took his vision...he has adapted well to his "blind dog protection vest"...and because he is blind he is unaware of the plastic hoop...since getting the vest Pig's nose is feeling alot better.
[ July 08, 2010, 04:42 PM: Message edited by: Rusty Bradley ]
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
WOW,, what a great idea. I am willing to wager that he has adapted an over came and uses that hoop as his sonar.
Posted by Michael Gene Adkins (Member # 882) on :
I should have said my vinyl cutters.
Especially my ZETA 30" friction/sprocket--it is the coolest design ever for a plotter. The ability to cut friction up to 30" as well as 15" and 30" sprocket feed is an act of sheer genius. Couldn't live without it.
Why no one makes a machine like this anymore is beyond me.
Posted by Lynda Yoder (Member # 7340) on :
Lots of good equip....but I have to say my brushes & paint. The power was out for several days a while back & I had a horse parade wagon in the shop to letter...thought I couldn't do it since we didn't have power...silly me...I could hand letter it!...don' EVEN think you can get a day off that way! That job warrented hand lettering anyway.
Posted by jack wills (Member # 521) on :
A 1942 Ford Business coupe that I bought in 1957. Dropped a 53 ab Merc block in it,bored .030 over, domed pistons, 5/8ths cam shaved heads reworked carb,relieved intake and exhaust, dropped front axle,5-50/15's front,8-50/15's rear (tires) and off to the races... What a fun car.
Posted by DianeBalch (Member # 1301) on :
My Edge 2 My Festools: Circular saw. and sander Little Giant ladder Heat press made by Stahls
Diane
Posted by Kent Smith (Member # 251) on :
Toss up: 1940's vintage French Masters 00 quill for office door gold backup, 1 1/2" Super Greyhound flat for trucks and banners, 4" Harrison double thick cutter for walls and bulletins. The technical equipment is fine but those really turned out a lot of finished product for a relatively small investment.
Posted by Kelly Thorson (Member # 2958) on :
My Nikon D80. It has provided me with countless hours of pleasure!
Posted by David Wright (Member # 111) on :
For a Detroiter, I didn't understand anything Jack wrote except 1942 Ford and car.
Posted by jack wills (Member # 521) on :
David,Ya had to be around in the 50's. Or ask Joey.
Posted by Donna in BC (Member # 130) on :
Ohhhhh Kelly! That's next on my list! Posted by Terry Baird (Member # 3495) on :
My Langnickle Quills. I treated them better than my kids, lol. I got 20+ yrs out of them. They lasted until I started letting my apprentice use them in the shop. He didn't care for them like they were his own....sad.
Posted by Brad Ferguson (Member # 33) on :
Pump Jacks Similar to the setup in Tim Barrows' picture, but not as nice. Mine were made to climb square wood posts, foot-operated. It got kind of wiggly when you were near the top of 24-foot posts. And working them alone meant pumping one side for a ways, then walking downhill on the pick to the other jack to pump it up to the same height. I learned not to raise one side too high. But they were still a pleasure to use.
Heavy Knife Blade It looked like a number #11 Xacto blade, and fit the same handle, but was beefier. It might have been a #24 but I can't remember. We hand cut a fair amount of vinyl lettering in the years prior to the first computer cutters. We taped vinyl sheets down and then taped paper patterns on top of them, cutting through both paper and vinyl. Then weed and mask as usual. A rubbing provided a pattern for the next cutting if you needed a second reading of the same copy. But it was easy to break the tips off the blades. So when Mack Thompson of Fort Smith, Arkansas, discovered a heavier blade, he found he could cut through two layers of vinyl at the same time without breaking the end of the blade. And eventually, by taping everything down tightly, he could skillfully cut through four layers of vinyl at once, enough to letter two trucks. Obviously, the top three layers of vinyl were cut all the way through their backing papers. Masking had to be done carefully, and backing paper had to be pulled off letter by letter. When the first Gerber machine was acquired, no one missed the calloused fingers from bearing down on the knife handle.
Rope Ratchet It said on the package it was only for tie-down, "not for lifting." Lifting is mainly what I used it for. Tied to the top rung of an extension ladder, and by replacing the short rope in the package with a long one, the Rope Ratchet allowed me to install countless 4x8s and other lightweight signs onto walls by myself. During my other life, in Arkansas, I built two 10x20 highway bulletins. On the first one I had a helper. The second one I built by myself, using Rope Ratchets hooked to the top of the utility poles to haul up stringers and MDO. I also used a pair of Rope Ratchets to suspend my pick while I climbed the ladders to hook ladder jacks in place. I could set up my pick and ladders very quickly this way. The hardest part of building the bulletins was setting the 25-foot utility poles. I did this by pushing the bottom end of each pole off the back of my ladder rack, wedging it into the top of the hole in the ground, then slowly backing up, raising the pole with the back bar of the rack. Though I never had a pole come down on top of the cab, this was a foolish risk.
The Rope Ratchet has a one way pulley with a release mechanism. The inside walls of the pulley have treads to grip the rope. I used the Ratchets for lifting for many years and they only failed if I used the wrong rope. I learned to always match the rope that was in the package, which was solid-braided nylon. Never use hollow rope. And I never, ever walked under the load. Needless to say, I would be busted by OSHA if I were caught doing this today. Pick and ladders aren't even allowed in my area.
......
I can think of many other tools that were my favorites for awhile: A welding jig for making angle-iron frames; the already-mentioned 18-volt DeWalt hammer drill when it first came out, which I called my 5-pound beast; a boat winch bolted to the end of my bucket truck, turning it into a crude crane. Then there was this yellow calculator that would add and subtract in fractions. And I remember the first center-finding tape measure I had. I bought it through SignCraft Magazine. I thought it was so cool. Perhaps I'm easily impressed.
Brad in Kansas City
Posted by Rick Beisiegel (Member # 3723) on :
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