What's your favorite build?

Of all the tools and projects you've completed…

What's your favorite build? Post a photo if you've got one!

Hi Ken,
That is the question !
It depends how you see it, wether it is the one you preferred to build or the one your prefer to use.
Personally, I could say the one I preferred to build is my OWT / router plane, and I like to use it also, but that's quite rare.

One of the tools I am the most pleased to use, because it's really efficient and makes the difference, and I use it nearly every day when I'm doing woodwork, it is my Japanese style hammer, in conjunction with Japanese chisels.
This one:
Homemade Japanese-Style Hammer

I must admit I built it more for the fun, for the look, etc ... and it turned out to be one of the most useful and efficient tools.
But it is also forgetting my bench, which I use even more frequently (some in my family would say I even sleep on it, but that's not true !)

Ken,

I think my most favorite tool project is still all the various improvements I made to an old 3" swing Unimat SL 1000 lathe I bought new in 1970, but about two years ago, I "rediscovered" its usefulness after starting to make the improvements. I own three lathes (3", 7" and 12" swings) but the old Unimat has become the lathe and milling machine for making small parts. Despite its mechanical shortcomings, this lathe has proven to be very accurate and produces extremely fine finishes. I have posted at HomemadeTools.net several of the lathe improvement projects and an updated version of the original posting can be seen at:

Homemade Lathe Modifications


I am planning to make more improvements and will post as these are completed.

Paul