Sometimes viewers ask me about my tools and video equipment, so here is a list of what I use, categorized by tool type (stationary, handheld, etc). Some items that I’ve used in videos I no longer have, so those are denoted “(OLD)” and listed at the bottom of each category.

By each tool is a star rating and my abbreviated review. All opinions are my own. None of these tools are part of a sponsorship unless otherwise noted. Some of the tools have been modified — these ratings refer to the tool in its current form.

I will try to keep this list up to date as I get new tools & equipment, but if you see a tool in a video that isn’t on this list, let me know.

Stationary & benchtop power tools

• Table saw: Sawstop PCS-175 10″ Professional Cabinet Saw, 1.75 hp, with 36″ T-glide fence. Purchased new in 2022. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (very fine piece of equipment. I had the same one in my AZ shop, except with my homemade fence. Sawstop’s T-glide fence is very disappointing by comparison, so I’ll probably build a fence for this saw as well)
• Bandsaw:  Homemade from plans by Matthias Wandel. 16″ wheels, 105″ blade, 1hp motor. Find more about it on Matthias’ site. Built in 2014. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (hard to use blade guides, otherwise great and inexpensive)
• Drill press:  Rockwell, unknown model number.  15″ swing, 3 speed. Upgraded with the same motor that the Belt Grinder uses, so I can use the Belt Grinder’s VFD to run it, giving me variable speed & reverse. Purchased used in 2014, built in the ’40s or ’50s, likely. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (good quality. VFD upgrade was so worth it)
• Metal lathe:  South Bend model 9A, 1/2hp, 9″ swing, ~18″ between centers. Purchased used in 2012, built in 1947. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (it is perfect for my use case)
• Belt grinder: Homemade. I’m using my prototype of the Gen 2 Tilting Belt Grinder. 2hp variable speed, uses 2×72″ belts, serves as both a vertical & horizontal grinder. Made in 2020. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (I built it the way I wanted it, and it’s working great)
• Shaper:  Rockwell/Delta 43-340. 9,750 RPM on the spindle. Set up with a router collet so it serves as a router table. Purchased used in 2016, unknown date of mfg. New Leeson 1.5hp motor installed in 2016. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (not too noisy, plenty of power, table top is the flattest surface in my shop)
• Drum sander:  Performax 16-32 Plus, 1.5hp, manual feed control. Purchased used in 2016, made in 2004. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (decent, but snipes a little)
• 3D printer: Prusa i3 mk3s+. Purchased new in 2021. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (it. just. works. Feels a little light-duty, but I haven’t seen this impact the prints so far)
• Radial arm saw (OLD):  Craftsman 113.29401, 10″, 3/4hp, ~14″ crosscut capacity. Purchased used in 2014, built in ~1964. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (unsafe, but good quality)
• 2nd Table saw (OLD):  Craftsman 113.29992 10″ contractor’s saw, 1hp. Purchased used in 2013, built in march 1963. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (unsafe, but ok quality)
• CNC machine (OLD):  Next Wave Automation CNC Shark Pro Plus, modified with homemade gantry. Roughly 26″ square cutting area, uses a Bosch 1617 2-1/4hp router. Purchased new in 2013, rebuilt in 2014. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (not super accurate, even after the rebuild)
• Dust collector (OLD):  Laguna 1.5hp cyclone dust collector. Purchased new in 2015. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (cyclone is only 84% efficient, i.e. 16% of the dust, by weight, goes in the filter. It is very quiet and fairly powerful though)
• Scroll saw (OLD):  Ryobi SC163VS. Unknown purchase date; my dad had it for years. ⭐︎ (low quality)
• Wood lathe (OLD):  Delta/Rockwell, I don’t remember the model number. 12″ swing. Purchased used in 2016, sold in 2020. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (it’s heavy, which is really good. A bit noisy and slightly underpowered, but overall I was happy with it)
• Vise (OLD):  Wilton 600S. 6″ wide jaws, 10″ opening. Purchased new in 2018, sold in 2020. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (by far the best vise I’ve ever used. Like, 10x better than the next best. But for $1500, I would have liked the jaws to be more parallel than they were)
• CNC machine (OLD):  Inventables X-carve. I reviewed it in this video. Received for free from Inventables in 2015, donated to a FIRST Robotics team in 2020. (no review, because I received it for free and that could influence my opinion)
• Welding table (OLD):  Homemade, in this video. 58″ diameter round 3/4″ steel top. About 900lbs. Built in 2019, sold in 2020. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (Heavy tables are awesome. Round wasn’t the ideal shape, but I got the round plate really cheap. It was not as sturdy as it looked, I should have put more structure between the legs)
• Drill press (OLD): Craftsman 137.229150, 15″, 12 speeds, 250-3100rpm. Owned by my dad. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (from the factory it was terrible, but I made some parts and fixed it. Noisy, but works fine now)
• Table saw (OLD):  Sawstop PCS-175 10″ Professional Cabinet Saw, 1.75 hp, with my homemade incremental fence set up for 48″ rip capacity. Upgraded with overarm dust collection. Purchased new in 2015, Sold in 2021. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (very fine piece of equipment. I bought an identical one for my WA shop)
• Belt grinder (OLD):  Homemade, Gen 1 design, built in this video. 1.5hp variable speed, uses 2×72″ belts, serves as both a vertical & horizontal grinder. Made in 2017, sold in 2020. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (I’ve designed a better one, but this one still worked really well)
• 2nd belt grinder (OLD):  Homemade, Gen 2 design, built in this video. It’s identical to the one I kept for myself, I just built this one for the video. Made & sold in 2021. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (I built it the way I wanted it, and it worked great)
• Air compressor (OLD):  Bostitch OL197. 2.8CFM at 90PSI. Owned by my dad. ⭐︎ (very slow, unbearably noisy)
• Miter saw (OLD): Dewalt 716 12″ double bevel. Purchased new in 2017, left with my dad when I moved. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (well made except for the pivot bushings, which I replaced in this video)
• Metal bandsaw (OLD): Jet HVBS-7MW. 3/4hp motor, 7×12″ cutting capacity. Owned by my dad. ⭐︎⭐︎ (I’m not a huge fan of bandsaws, and this one is particularly poor quality. But it does cut stuff)
• Welder (OLD): Miller 211 MIG. Older style, a little bulkier than the new generation. Capable of welding up to 3/8″ steel. Owned by my dad. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (works exactly as it should)
• 3D printer (OLD): Creality Ender 3 Pro. Purchased new in 2019, donated to makerspace in 2022. ⭐︎⭐︎ (I paid less than $200 for this, and I was surprised how good it was. But, after ~1000 hours of printing, it was having a lot of issues and I wasted a lot of time trying to make it work)

Handheld power tools

• Router:  DeWalt DWP611, 1.25hp, 16,000-25,000 RPM. Purchased new in 2013. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (quite, smooth, powerful. The threaded body is the best height adjustment system of any router I know of. One of my favorite tools)
• Random orbit sander:  Milwaukee 6021-21, 5″ hook & loop pad. Purchased new in 2014. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (good value, decent dust collection. Discontinued, unfortunately)
• Drill:  Milwaukee 2407-20, M12 cordless. Purchased new in 2015. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (works fine. Underpowered, and only a 3/8″ chuck)
• Impact driver:  Milwaukee 2462-20, M12 cordless. Purchased new in 2015. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (underpowered)
• Non-impact driver:  Milwaukee 2401-20, M12 cordless. Purchased new in 2015. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (exceptionally good driver)
• Oscillating tool:  Milwaukee 2426-20, M12 cordless. Purchased new in 2015. ⭐︎⭐︎ (noisy, shaky, very underpowered. The worst Milwaukee product I’ve seen)
• Rotary tool:  Milwaukee 2460-20, M12 cordless. Purchased new in 2015. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (too much vibration)
• Right angle impact driver:  Milwaukee 2467-20, M12 cordless. Purchased new in 2016. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (super handy when you need it)
• Portable bandsaw: Milwaukee 2729-20 cordless, 5×5″ throat, uses M18 batteries. Purchased new in 2019. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (expensive, but invaluable for steel work. Glad I went cordless)
• Circular Saw: Milwaukee 2732-20 cordless, 7.25″ blade, uses M18 batteries. Purchased new in 2019. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (plenty of power and good ergonomics)
• Jigsaw:  Milwaukee 2737-20  cordless, uses M18 batteries. Purchased new in 2021. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (Blade wanders a bit, but otherwise great. I love that it stops instantly when you release the trigger)
• Brad nailer: Milwaukee 2746-20 cordless, uses M18 batteries. Purchased new in 2021. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (works great, and it is soooo nice to have no hose & compressor)
• Hot glue gun: Arrow TR550. 40W, 380°F, takes 1/2″ glue sticks. Bought new at least ten years ago. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (works well enough, but the little flip-out stand is to small to be stable, and breaks easily)
• Shop vac (OLD):  Ridgid HD12000. Purchased new in 2020, sold in 2020. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (Noisy and annoying like most cheap shop vacs, but good suction)
• Finish nailer (OLD):  Bostitch SB-1664FN, 16ga air nailer. Owned by my dad. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (low quality)
• Brad nailer (OLD):  Bostitch SB-1850BN, 18ga air nailer. Owned by my dad. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (good, but doesn’t always set nails fully)
• Stapler (OLD):  Bostitch SB-150SX, 18ga air stapler. Uses 7/32″ crown staples. Owned by my dad. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (good, but doesn’t always set staples fully)
• Angle grinder (OLD): Metabo WP-9-115 Quick, 4.5″, 8.5A, with paddle switch. Owned by my dad. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (lower vibration than any other grinder I’ve used, but very loud. Wish it was cordless)

Measuring tools

• Calipers: Insize 1311-6. 6″ opening dial caliper. Purchased new in 2012. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (Cheap, but works pretty well)
• 2nd calipers: Pittsburgh (Harbor Freight) 6″ travel digital. Unknown model number. Purchased new in 2014. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (flexes a lot under light pressure, but not that bad for $12 lol)
• Micrometer: Insize 3203-1. 1″ opening, 0.0001″ graduations. Purchased new in 2012. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (cheap, but works pretty well)
• Dial indicator: Pittsburgh (Harbor Freight) 1″ travel, dial. Unknown model number. Came with magnetic base. Purchased new in 2012. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (works just fine)
• Precision ruler: Woodcraft WR-24. Has scales in 64ths, 32nds, 1mm, and 0.5mm. 24″ / 600mm length. Purchased new in 2022. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (I had to check several in the store to find on where the scale actually starts at the end of the ruler, that was inconsistent. But I found one that does and I’m very happy with it)
• Combination square: Starrett C434-12-16R. 12″ ruler with 16r graduations, no.490 protractor head, center finder, and regular square head. Purchased used in 2016. ⭐︎⭐︎ (blade is slightly crooked side-to-side. 90% of the time that doesn’t matter, but it’s unacceptable at this price)
• 2nd combination square: Empire E255 6″ “pocket square”. Purchased new in 2014. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (very handy since it’s tiny. Amazing for $8)
• Square: Woodpeckers 1281 aluminum square. Woodpeckers sent this to me for free in 2016. (no review, because I received it for free and that could influence my opinion)
• Depth gauge (OLD): iGaging brand, unknown model. 5″ travel. Purchased new in 2014. ⭐︎⭐︎ (good concept, but plastic construction makes it unreliable) 
• Height gauge (OLD): Starrett 254 12″ vernier. Purchased used in 2016, sold in 2021. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (exceptionally well made, but not super useful to me)
• Calipers (OLD): Starrett 123 vernier, 6″ opening, 0.001″ graduations. Purchased used in 2016, unknown mfg. date. Sold in 2022. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (great caliper, but it was my least used because of being harder to read)

Video equipment, electronics, & software

• Main camera: Apple iPhone XS, 64gb, using default camera app & built-in mic. Purchased new in 2018. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (easy to use, acceptable video quality, acceptable audio)
• Tripod: Homemade rolling camera rig, similar to this one. The new one simply has two arms connected by ball joints instead of parallelograms. Built in 2022. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (I still see room for improvement, but this is infinitely better than a regular tripod, because it can reach over stuff, and the camera can be positioned much faster)
• Computer: Apple 2015 13″ retina MacBook Pro with 2.7 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3 memory, Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB graphics, and 256GB solid state drive. Purchased new in 2015. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (over 9 years later, still the best computer I’ve ever used. The MagSafe charge port failed (repaired myself for $25), and the bluetooth card failed (haven’t repaired yet), otherwise it has been trouble-free and still works like new)
• 2nd computer: Apple 2012 13″ MacBook Pro with 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 memory, Intel HD Graphics 4000, and 500GB hard drive. Running Windows 10 Bootcamp. I bought this to use as a dedicated CNC computer. Purchased used in 2015. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (was a great computer when running macOS, but is nearly useless when running Windows. I’m planning to sell it soon)
• Headphones: Sony WH-1000X M3 noise-cancelling wireless headphones. Purchased new in 2019. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (poor microphone, and no way to pair to two devices at once, but fantastic where it counts: comfortable, great audio, and great noise cancellation)
• Editing software: Apple iMovie. I’ve been using iMovie since 2014. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (good, especially for free)
• 3D CAD software: Trimble SketchUp Pro. I’ve been using SketchUp since 2014. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (I love the simplicity. Recent versions have become more laggy on my 2015 Mac, but even so, it’s still the smoothest & most stable CAD I’ve used)
• Software used to make plans: Apple Pages. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (not as capable as other software, but I like the clean, simple, intuitive UI)
• GoPro (OLD): GoPro Hero 7 Black. Purchased new in 2018, sold in 2021. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (decent image quality and great stabilization, but not useful to me)
• Camera (OLD): Canon EOS rebel T6i (750D outside of the USA) with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. Purchased new in 2016, sold in 2021. ⭐︎ (clumsy to use, autofocus was useless. Used it mostly for still photos. Only used it for a couple years, then it sat in storage till I sold it, and the buyer told me it failed shortly thereafter. Garbage camera, one of my worst purchases)
• Camera (OLD): Apple iPhone 7, using default camera app & built-in mic. Purchased new in 2016, recycled in 2022. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (easy to use, good video quality, but no optical zoom & bad audio)
• Tripod (OLD): homemade rolling camera stand (see it here). I used it in conjunction with my homemade wall mounted arm (see it here). Built in 2016, dismantled in 2021. ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (much better than an actual tripod, because the camera can be positioned so quickly. But I built a better one)