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The Strangest Tools Machinists Actually Use
by Morning Machinist
Jon House
November 23, 2025
🧰 Feature Question of the Week
“What is an odd or unique tool you keep in your toolbox that every machinist should have?”
The question was asked in the MACHINIST Facebook Group… and the community absolutely delivered.
Below are our favorite real answers from machinists across the industry — a mix of clever, practical & chaotic.
🔧 The Unexpected Essentials
• Toilet paper
“The stuff in the bathroom could be used for a file.”
• Pain reliever (Extra Strength)
Self-explanatory.
• A good book
“While I wait for Haas technicians to come fix their garbage machines.”
• Tweezers
For chips, splinters, sanity.
• Rubber bands
“Absorbs vibration on old machines.”
• Rolling papers
No explanation given. None needed.
• Pennies (1982 and earlier)
Copper, malleable, multi-use:
– Shims in a four-jaw
– Prevent rust
– Balancing parts
– Protecting parts under clamps
Truly the machinist’s most chaotic multi-tool.
• Jeweler’s loupe / magnifier
Plus loupes, microscopes, and measuring microscopes.
Because sometimes 10x isn’t enough.
• “Alcohol, cigarettes, bad choices, and zero fucks to give”
A complete emotional support kit.
• Silly Putty
Yes — Silly Putty. A ton of likes on this one.
• Back scratcher 😎
“Mandatory.”
🔩 Actual Legit Tools (that you may not have… but should)
• Doming set from Harbor Freight
“The best $35 you can spend.”
Used to “help” tapped holes gage correctly. 👀
• Magnetic corner zero hole pickup
For dead-accurate corner locating.
• Cut-up coat hanger
A masterpiece of versatility:
– Pulling chips from under the vise
– Reaching levers from a safe distance
– Can hit coworkers with it…
Beautiful.
• Locking crescent wrench
“Just tight enough to spin it without holding it. Great for chasing threads when a tap handle won’t fit.”
• Soda can shims
Protects your parts in the chuck. Cheap, effective, machinist-approved.
• Fingernail clipper
Have to have it.
• Pin vise + micro drill bits
For the tiny stuff.
• Feeler gauge, tape measure, telescoping magnet, inspection light
The holy quadrinity.
• Band-Aids
Mandatory.
• Dental picks
10/10 for chip extraction.
• Super glue
Many uses, including sticking skin back together.
“A good bead stops bleeding fast”
• The Machinery’s Handbook
The one true bible.
• Spare underwear
This was a real answer.
We don’t ask questions here.
• A squeegee
“Your best friend for cleaning the table.”
🎤 Closing Thoughts
As always, machinists continue to prove that:
Every object is a tool,
Every tool has a purpose, and
That purpose may or may not be OSHA-approved.
🧢🔥New Drop: The Camo ±0.0001 Dad Hat
New drop: Camo ±0.0001 Dad Hat. Made for machinists who run tight tolerances with a clean camo aesthetic.
Newsletter-only discount: 10% off everything with code morningmachinist
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