Buy These Tools If You're a New Maker (per Adam Savage)

Published 2023-09-08
Which tools does Adam Savage recommend for new makers? Does Adam have a favorite EDC knife or folding ruler? What would Adam change about his tattoo? And ... PUPPETS???!!! In this livestream excerpt, Adam answers questions from Tested members Christopher DiNunno Jr, George Farren, DGMA, Austin B and John England, whom we thank for their support!

IRWIN QUICK-GRIP Bar Clamps: amzn.to/42r2FGB
RWIN Tools VISE-GRIP Pliers: amzn.to/41mjPEB
IRWIN Marples Forstner Bit Set: amzn.to/3Lzl8Km
Fiskars Heavy Duty Die Cast, Exacto: amzn.to/3HGyfs0
X-ACTO #2 Knife: amzn.to/426Zcxg
Adam's Temporary Tattoo: tested-store.com/products/adam-savages-temporary-r…
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Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman

Thanks for watching!

All Comments (21)
  • @tested
    IRWIN QUICK-GRIP Bar Clamps: amzn.to/42r2FGB RWIN Tools VISE-GRIP Pliers: amzn.to/41mjPEB IRWIN Marples Forstner Bit Set: amzn.to/3Lzl8Km Fiskars Heavy Duty Die Cast, Exacto: amzn.to/3HGyfs0 X-ACTO #2 Knife: amzn.to/426Zcxg Adam's Temporary Tattoo: tested-store.com/products/adam-savages-temporary-r… With thanks to Tested members Christopher DiNunno Jr, George Farren, DGMA, Austin B and John England, for questions and support! Disclaimer: Tested may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through the links here.
  • @Anguisette
    my addition to this list, a vise. it's incredibly useful to be able to securely hold something while working on it
  • @jublywubly
    1:40 Another YouTuber showed a fantastic use for speed clamps, by using them for mixing the paint in those tiny tins of paint, that are made for model makers. He grabbed one of the smallest size speed clamps and screwed it into a jigsaw, where the blade normally goes. Then he clamped the paint tin into place and turned on the jigsaw for a few seconds. The paint was mixed! I was able to re-mix paint that had been sitting there for over a year. I just had to mix it for a longer time. I like to tape the tin in place, just to be sure. Also, it doesn't work for the little glass jars, because they'll just fly out and make a mess.
  • I use forstner bits a lot in my shop, I highly recommend hex shank ones over round shank. Less slip and easier to quickly swap in/out.
  • @MrFvasconcellos
    In case anyone else was wondering, the mat knife is the SDI GZ-GB GLANZ Extreme Cutter. It's also available from the same manufacturer (SDI Corporation) as model SDI 3006C.
  • @StodaGryph
    One of the greatest (and little-known) things about Quick-Grip clamps is... you can reverse them, and turn them from squeezers to stretchers. SO USEFUL sometimes, and I don't know of anything else that does this.
  • @johnblair8146
    Mr. Irwin invented the Twist Drill. In fairly recent times, his cimpany took over the Petersen Mfg. Co. Petersen invented Vise Grips.
  • @jughead8988
    I can attest to the Erwin vice grips. I worked in a underground coal mine for a few years. Every miner carried a pair and a adjustable wrench. Those tools where put through hell and back on a daily basis and very rarely would you'd ever see the vice grips fail.
  • @TMan2DMax
    For those wondering about improvements to his tattoo a while ago he mentioned that he should have had it start a exact distance from one of his finger tips so that he could have a longer ruler built in
  • @gussnarp
    It's funny to hear you say a Forstner bit is a tool you have to be told about. I still remember when I was told about them. They weren't in my dad's tool collection and I was a teenager when a friend of mine (who is now an awesome woodworker) had moved away and he had found a woodworking mentor who introduced him to the Forstner bit. He was so excited to call me up and tell me about them and thne to show them to me the next time I visited.
  • @jontallman
    I used to live near DeWitt, Nebraska, where vice grips were originally manufactured. They had a store there where you could pick up factory seconds that had small cosmetic defects but worked fine. U.S. made vice grips are stamped with DeWitt, NE on the side of them.
  • @RodRombauer
    I seem to recall you once mentioning that you were very mildly upset that the distance from the end of the ruler to the tip of your middle finger was not a nice even number, and you had thought of placement only after you got the tattoo done. So, those of you out there thinking about getting this sort of tat done, keep this in mind.
  • @stanfordcoffee
    Adam commented earlier, that the ruler was placed on his arm without reference to anything else. He said that if he had to do it over, he would place it exactly a certain distance from end of his middle finger, effectively lengthening the ruler.
  • @matheighway
    The Vise-Grip (TM) was invented in the US by William S. Peterson in 1924. They were later invented again (independently) by Thomas Couchrie in the UK, whose patent was granted in 1955 and became known as Mole Grips because they were made by Mole and Sons.
  • @SomeGuysGarage
    Beginner Tool Kit: - Screwdrivers (flat in a couple sizes, phillips in #0, #1, #2, and #3, robertson in #1, #2, #3) - Pliers (needle, side cutters, linemans, slip joint aka channellocks, wire cutter/strippers, combo, vise grip or two) - Hammers (ball peen, framing/claw, rubber mallet) - Combo wrenches (or an adjustable, or even better knipex pliers wrenches) - Small socket set (1/4" and 3/8" drive in metric and standard) - Prybar, Chisel - Level, Square, Tape Measure, Marking tools - Multimeter - Files (a course/fine flat file at least) - SAFETY EQUIPMENT - gloves, eyes, ears, and breathing protection at minimum Then separately add in a drill and impact driver with the necessary bits. Go watch my tool bag tour video, I put together a single bag of tools I can grab when I'm going somewhere and have all the basics.
  • @S.A.S.H.
    It is a great joy just to watch you think. The way you edit between thought and spoken word is priceless. And something I do all the time as well.
  • @hampopper3150
    It depends on what you are working on. I can't live without a digital caliper for sure.
  • @ph11p3540
    Every modeler needs a set of stainlesss steel rulers. Some should have a no slip grippy side to act as a hobby knife cutting guide. A vernier caliper is also handy for ultra precise depth and thickness reading. You can get better, faster results with a dial vernier caliper.