A wireless foot pedal and a spud wrench

Josh Welton and his spud wrench

The equipment used in a shop varies wildly from one to another. Obviously, much of the variation has to do with what the shop specializes in, the scale in which it works, and its budget. But there’s another factor—which tools workers are comfortable using.

In the millwright shop at Chrysler we had a “seasoned” orange hydraulic ironworker, and man, did I put it to use! Only the gods know how many holes were punched and angle ends notched in my seven years there. So often I’d be deep into a project and think, “Man, what would I do without the ironworker?” I just kind of assumed most shops had one.

But I was spoiled. That’s the only shop I’ve worked in that had one. From then on out it was drilling, torching, and cutting to get the holes and edges I needed. To be fair, fabricating as a millwright to tolerances within ⅛ in. is a little different than building prototype military parts to within a half-mil or tighter.

We also had a big old Syncrowave 350 to do all the TIG welding. That and similar transformer-based machines at the training center were all I knew for four or five years. Then one day, a tinsmith brought a little Dynasty 200 in and cranked up the frequency for some thin aluminum. That opened my eyes to what else was out there and where welding tech was; I soon bought one of my own, and that’s what I’ve been operating since!

Speaking of the 200, one of its newer accessories sparks a common question: Is the wireless foot pedal worth the extra money?

Sometimes a thing’s usefulness doesn’t reveal itself immediately. When I got my Dynasty 280 it came with a wireless pedal. I’d heard about them but wasn’t necessarily excited about getting one. Then after a few days went by, it dawned on me that I hadn’t tripped over a wire in a while. I was cursing so much less! It doesn’t sound like a big thing, but now I can’t imagine going back to a pedal with a cord. Working around a fixture table or under a vehicle has forever changed.

I love my spud wrench too. It looks like something you’d use to hang iron while keeping an eye out for vampires. It’s something I had as a millwright but have put to even more use as a driver/mechanic at General Dynamics. The wrench is perfect for lining up and then bolting down heavy armor plates on tanks. Everyone who sees it either wonders why they’ve never heard of it, or smiles because they know what a great tool it is.

What’s your favorite tool that’s sneaky good? Or that you didn’t know you needed until you happened to possess it? I’m usually good with using whatever is within my reach, but having the right tool for the job sure does make life easier.

All images courtesy of Josh Welton, Brown Dog Welding.

Josh Welton and his wireless foot pedal