Leave a comment below! Or click on an individual tool to see more or leave a comment about that tool.

• The great saw at the T.A. Foley lumber company had been in operation for over a hundred years before it was switched off for the last time in the mid 1990s. These blades will never again face off against an ancient log in the belly of a great machine. I keep them, slowly rusting, in hopes that maybe someday they will find a place somewhere, perhaps in a work of art, or perhaps as the world’s most painful stair railing.

• I’ve been asked several times to name my favorite tools, and this one is very high on my list. It’s a hand-held metal-cutting bandsaw. The blade is exactly like a manual hacksaw blade, but the continuous circular motion makes this saw an absolute joy to use.

• In a standard bandsaw with just two wheels the depth behind the blade (the throat) is equal to the diameter of the wheels. By adding two more wheels you can make a much shorter, more compact tool that still has a deep throat.

• Bandsaws for cutting metal are often mounted horizontally on a hinge. Their own weight pulls them slowly down, cutting through thick steel bars, rods, and pipes. A switch at the bottom automatically shuts the saw off when it finishes the cut.

Do you have a better example of this kind of tool? Let me know by leaving a comment, and include a picture of it if you can so everyone can see!