I would not have expected it, but 2021 was a pretty fantastic project year for me. I built a fairly complicated workbench. I did my first ever project made from rough sawn lumber. I did my first TIG welding in about a decade, took a router to a bunch of 12 mm plexiglass, made a bunch of nice fine shavings with a bench plane, and bought my 4 year old her first knife. Each of these projects presented its own frustrations, but in the end I (usually) prevailed.

Below is a record of the tools that enabled this weird collection of mostly extracurricular activities. Perhaps the whole thing is self indulgent, but it’s something I look forward to every year - and anyway I promise you that it’s deeply, nerdily sincere. Whatever your line of work, please send in your favorite tools too; I’d love to try them out :)

-Spencer Wright

Ironically, the most clicked link from last week's issue (~6% of opens) was the entry on Kaizen Foam from our 2019 Tool Guide - something I have recently soured on due to the way it stubbornly refuses to be adapted over time. The thread on the Members' Slack that I've been most keen on, therefore, was a scheme to develop our own (probably open source, definitely TPS friendly) tool chest organization system. Join us, won't you?

Planning & Strategy.

• The tool that I used more than any other thing this year - and the one that contributed most to my overall productivity - was my lab notebook. It makes my daily work tangible; it helps me extract satisfaction from otherwise unsatisfying tasks; it serves as a record of all the mundane emails I’ve reminded myself to send, and the many grand plans I’ve considered.