Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Dad gift idea?

Hey, what's a really cool hand tool or measuring tool that I can get for my dad for Christmas? He likes being handy, and I'm fairly oblivious to that kind of stuff. I know, I'm asking very late in the game. If I can buy it on Amazon.com, all the better. I can still get it in time if I order through them. So if you have any ideas for cool little tools that he may not have, I would appreciate your input. Thanks!

I left out power tools simply because I don't think I have it in the budget. I think I can get away with up to $100, but that's stretching it. Okay, so I'm a cheap son, but I still plan on getting my parents a nice TV at some point next year.

Poke around leevalley.com. They have some awesome stuff. I don't know if they'll ship in time, though.

Nice site. I like that long-handled spider catcher. Even if they can't ship in time, thanks for the link.

No problem. I've never actually looked at the site, and I'm not allowed to look at the catalogs. But my wife has bought me some pretty cool stuff from them!

Cordless drill? ; multimeter? .

Hey, nice finds--great prices--but I think my dad is already pretty happy with his current cordless drill(s) and multimeter(s). I think at this point I'll have to find him more obscure kinds of tools.

Something small and I think quite handy, tape measure maybe a laser level or perhaps a cordless dremel

Don't know how much time he spends in dark places but an led worklight might be useful. During a recent power outage I used mine to avoid showering in the dark. They're as handy as a flashlight and give you more light if you're trying to operate.

Along the same line a Duckmans suggestion I have a Headlamp that I find very useful.

This is getting very difficult. You've all had good ideas, but I think he's pretty much covered on all of the suggestions so far. I also have an email in to my sister, but if it comes down to it I can always resort to the thoughtless gift card.

Charles, if he's so well-covered in the tool area, doesn't that indicate that you should try something else? For example, does he appreciate music, and if so, why not a selection of discs? That's what I uniformly give as gifts(classical CDs in my case, of course)regardless of the recipient.

Japanese saws are awesome (opposite direction of cut from American style). I wonder if he has one of those? Does he have a table saw? If so, does he have a dado blade set? How about a pocket hole joint kit?

I think he actually does have a Japanese saw, and yes, he has a table saw. I'm not sure about a dado blade set or pocket hole joint kit. I think this is the problem. Buying him tools is like my parents buying me electronics. They shouldn't even try. Ha ha. JohnK might be on the right track of getting him something that may be uncommon for him.

As far as music, however, his tastes are very narrow. He mostly seems to like old old country, like singing cowboy type stuff.

He's a fan of audiobooks.... He loves Patrick F. McManus, Tom Bodett, and Garrison Keillor. Does anyone have any recommendations on authors who might resemble that kind of writing? He doesn't take the time to read, but he likes listening while driving.

Hmm. I may have to drag my mom out with me, and maybe she knows something specific he's had his eye on.

Thanks for all of the suggestions, everyone. I hope you're all having good luck with your gift purchases.

Does he have a dovetail jig? A biscuit joiner? Norm Abram as his personal shopmaster?

That reminds me I wouldn't mind purchasing some of his shows if they're on dvd. I usually enjoy watching it, though I'm not really a wood worker.