The useless & unused tool thread

[227bhp]

I bought a set of these years ago thinking I would find multiple uses for them, I don't think i've ever used one.
Should be in the 'Frivolous purchases' thread really.

Unbreakable drills: http://www.drillalldrillbits.com/

Broke the first one I used, burned out the second, CBA to send them back.....

You live and learn.

[colin_p]

Bought a set of three balljoint splitters, the vertical type.

They don't seem to fit anything I've ever tried them on so the trusty old, really old, sealy one still get used, it is not ideal but at least fits.



Those crows foots look very fine indeed.... d'you wanna flog em, I'll give you a fiver

[hidetheelephants]

I was induced to buy a year's sub of Kit Car by the offer of a free device for forcing oil into bowden cables; utterly useless, it gathers dust in a drawer somewhere. I rediscover it periodically when looking for something else and think 'what a piece of ste that is'.

[fatjon]

[quote=227bhp]

I bought a set of these years ago thinking I would find multiple uses for them, I don't think i've ever used one.
Should be in the 'Frivolous purchases' thread really.


Absolutely essential for the front cylinder head nuts on a TVR AJP8 engine. Apart from that one task mine have never seen the light of day again.

[227bhp]

fatjon]27bhp said:

I bought a set of these years ago thinking I would find multiple uses for them, I don't think i've ever used one.
Should be in the 'Frivolous purchases' thread really.


Absolutely essential for the front cylinder head nuts on a TVR AJP8 engine. Apart from that one task mine have never seen the light of day again.

I'll remember that next time I get one in (never)
How the heck to you apply the correct torque to something like that? The answer must be 'you don't'....

[227bhp]

colin_p said:

Those crows foots look very fine indeed.... d'you wanna flog em, I'll give you a fiver

Tempting though your offer is, you do know as soon as I let them go I'll find a use for them?

[SamR380]

MX5 alternator change! What a needlessly horrible job. That's the only use I've found for them so far.

[hidetheelephants]

227bhp said:

I'll remember that next time I get one in (never)
How the heck to you apply the correct torque to something like that? The answer must be 'you don't'....

Book answer; a crow's foot and a slimline torque wrench.
Real answer; a ring spanner and a spring balance or the 'armstrong method'.

[Doofus]

227bhp said:

I bought a set of these years ago thinking I would find multiple uses for them, I don't think i've ever used one.
Should be in the 'Frivolous purchases' thread really.

I thought they'd be useful, but I didn't know for what, or which ones I'd need, so I bought a single asjustable crows foot. It's an absolute piece of st, even though it's by Sealey.

I did find a single use for it though, and It was indispensible for that, although I doubt I'll ever need to use it again.

[227bhp]

This is supposed to be a useless tool thread, not 101 uses for crows feet spanners
I have to laugh, my neighbour (at work) has just borrowed the 17mm from me, apparently he needs it to get an EGT sensor from a Polo TDI

[finishing touch]

A birthday gift from my brother, 15 years ago.

Never been used. ( Note the protective layer of dirt )

[Doofus]

finishing touch said:

A birthday gift from my brother, 15 years ago.

Never been used. ( Note the protective layer of dirt )

What is it?

ETA: It's not a torque wrench, is it?

[hidetheelephants]

I think they were/are called sidewinders, you turn the red handle and the ratchet drive turns.

[colin_p]

I've got a slide hammer I thought would have been useful for such tasks as popping drive shafts out of gearboxes and the like.

Every single time I've attempted to use it, it has failed. If I've got a job now that might involve the use of it I think, "I won't ever bother with the slide hammer as it will fail, so i'll struggle on via other means".

It looks good though, quite a purposful thing when sat it its box.

[Doofus]

hidetheelephants said:

I think they were/are called sidewinders, you turn the red handle and the ratchet drive turns.

Cool! Now, if I'd had one of those, I wouldn't have needed that stty adjustable crows foot

[finishing touch]

Doofus said:

hidetheelephants said:

I think they were/are called sidewinders, you turn the red handle and the ratchet drive turns.

Cool! Now, if I'd had one of those, I wouldn't have needed that stty adjustable crows foot

I don't think you realise how huge it is. Basically its a 3/8" ratst, but look how big the head is. To use it on a car engine
you first need to remove the bonnet and both front wings.

[Doofus]

finishing touch said:

I don't think you realise how huge it is. Basically its a 3/8" ratst, but look how big the head is. To use it on a car engine
you first need to remove the bonnet and both front wings.

Fair enough the 3/8 wouldn't have been a problem, and I was coming from underneath, tight against the oil cooler, so it might have worked for me, but at least my crows foot thing fits in the dustbin more easily.

[thebraketester]

227bhp said:

I bought a set of these years ago thinking I would find multiple uses for them, I don't think i've ever used one.
Should be in the 'Frivolous purchases' thread really.

Unbreakable drills: http://www.drillalldrillbits.com/

Broke the first one I used, burned out the second, CBA to send them back.....

You live and learn.

I bought a metric set of these last year off a lad on a forum. Thought Id never use them, until i couldn't get a kitchen tap box wrench on the bloody nut... these worked a treat.

[Toaster Pilot]

Crows feet are one of those things that you'll never use for what seems like an eternity but when you need them you really need them!

Cheap circlip pliers (the type with interchangeable heads) are my most useless/unused - more because they're terrible quality than not required though!

[Adam32]

I really disagree about the crows foot. They are one of the most useful tools I have. There is no way I could have done the injector lines on a mercedes om602 without them. Why do you think they are useless?