We've done this before, but for the benefit of our newer members, let's launch a Favorite Home Improvement Products thread. And this time, we're going to have rules! Rule number one: You gotta think of ten products. Rule number two: No listing duct tape because everyone already knows about that. I shall start...in no particular order... 1. Sikaflex Construction Sealant. This is a polyurethane caulk invented in Switzerland, and it has multiple uses. It makes a decent household glue. You can make great rubber motor mounts out of it. And you can use it as caulk. I used to go through a case of silicone caulk a year; I'm on my sixth tube of Sikaflex out of the case I bought in March and it's only July. 2. Hanger iron. This is a roll of inch-wide sheet steel with holes an inch apart all the way down the strip. It's great for quickie bracing. 3. A quarter-inch-drive ratchet. Any bolt you can turn with a 1/4" drive socket is likely to have real small threading on it. So what do we do? Throw an adaptor onto a 3/8" drive ratchet and proceed to strip the threads right off the sides of the bolts. With a 1/4" drive ratchet in your toolbox, a tool that's only about six inches long, you're not going to do that. 4. Square-drive screws. In Canada they're called Robertson screws and are a source of national pride. The slick thing about a Robertson screw is that the driver doesn't cam-out of the recess like it does on a cross-tip or flat-tip screw. 5. A rubber hammer. Sometimes one must "motivate" an assembly by whacking it with a hammer. Rubber hammers do not leave dents in the work. 6. Japanese handsaws. The Japanese handsaw cuts on the pull stroke, which allows it to be thinner than a Western saw. It's also easier to cut straight with a Japanese handsaw. 7. Combination squares. The combination square is that funky little square that has the sliding metal block. This is so handy for setting the cut depth on a tablesaw--set the depth on the combination square, put the square on the saw table with the block over the highest point on the blade, and crank the blade up until it touches the bottom of the square. Fast and accurate. 8. A digital multimeter. You can get one of these for about ten bucks and it can save you from a horrific death. It can also save you money and time. Say you've got a light that won't come on when you flip the switch. The first thing to do is change the bulb. If that doesn't work, the next thing to do is to change the switch. But if you have a multimeter, you can test that switch first. It may not be bad. The fixture itself may be bad. 9. Autobody sandpaper. This comes in really fine grits--1500 and 2000 are what I keep around. I love 2000-grit sandpaper for sharpening chisels and kitchen knives. 10. Shellac. This is good for two things in the workshop. First is furniture finishing--you get the very best gloss with this product. It makes polyurethane look sick. It is also good for stain/odor coverage; if you are attempting to renovate a rental property where the last renter loved to smoke cheap cigars, just wash the walls good with spic-and-span, let them dry, brush on a coat of shellac and the stench of Phillies and White Owls will trouble you no more. -- --jmowreader