Official Contest Thread - Vote for your favorite homemade tool!

To Our HomemadeTools.net Community,

We've been amazed (and pleased!) to see how many people love homemade tools as much as we do, so we thought you'd appreciate a good excuse to spend more time perusing the site - and the opportunity to win some prizes in the process!

Toward that end, we're announcing the first monthly HomemadeTools.net Contest. Eligible forum members may nominate entries as replies to this thread. Nominations should include both the name of the tool and its HomemadeTools.net link.

We've chosen a broad theme for this first Contest: Best Homemade Tool

The official rules:

• Forum members with at least five (5) posts or who've been members for at least 30 days may nominate and vote
• A member may not nominate his own tool, but he may vote for it should it be nominated by someone else

Prize structure:

• 1st = $100 hardware-related gift card (winner's choice of several) + HomemadeTools.net T-shirt
• 2nd = $50 hardware-related gift card (winner's choice of several) + HomemadeTools.net T-shirt
• 3rd = HomemadeTools.net T-shirt
• Bonus = The nominator of the 1st prize winner will also receive a HomemadeTools.net T-shirt

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The Contest's nomination phase will last for two weeks, followed by a ten day voting period conducted via forum poll. The three tool entries garnering the most votes will be declared the winners and announced on Monday, November 11.

OK, tool fans: get to it!! Reply directly in this thread with your nominations.

I would like to nominate Frank Ford's Cap Screw Holders. It's an original idea, and one that I need to make.

Homemade Cap Screw Holders

I'll nominate Rick Sparber's Lathe Electronic Edge Finder. An extremely useful device very thoroughly presented and explained.

Lathe Electronic Edge Finder

I'd like to nominate more than just one tool...I have lots of favorites. The ones that make me say to myself, "WOW!" are always fun to find. I'll nominate thetree's Bronze Bench Dogs because they are both art and a tool in one.

Bronze Bench Dogs

I've got a list of favorites too, but one that sprang to mind when this contest came up was born loser's Onboard Air System. So that's what I'm nominating.

Homemade Onboard Air System

Indeed. Lots of great tools to choose from. What amazes me are multipurpose tools that are easy to make. Therefore, I would like to nominate mikesworkshop's Spark Erosion Machine.

I nominate Dean Williams' Miniature 4 Jaw Chuck the build log is very detailed and also includes other tools he made to make this such as a t-slot milling cutter.

I would like to nominate asailorsleather for his Oct 13 Leather Gouge. I am now off to my workshop to replicate his design for my use! I own three commercially-made leather gouges (all made by different companies) plus one of my own design, but asailorsleather takes the cake for me! And no, I do not know him!

Thanks to all those who submitted nominations for the Best Homemade Tool contest. Nominations (and this thread) are now closed.

Please cast your votes in the Final Voting Poll

Don't forget to keep an eye out for the next contest...