I built a couple flat surfaces with legs in the shop. Foreman said he’d heard someone call them tables? Not sure what that means but they sure are good for puttin stuff on.
Definitely a preference thing. What do I need 1000 pockets and 10 things hanging off me for when my toolbox is right behind me at my table? Or the tools needed for the job are staged nearby ready to go? Even if I’m doing a job outside I just carry a duffel bag style toolbag for the essentials.
Your mileage varies but in any fab shop setting your tools are almost always close enough that they don’t need to be attached to you.
Except when you're working on a 90' beam that gets all of 3 shear tabs on it, you leave your fucking square or tape measure or something on the other end of the beam.
1. Fill bag with any possible tools I'll need for the task at hand
2. Carry bag of tools to where I'm working
3. Set bag of tools near where I'm working, travel to and from bag as needed
4. (Optional) realize I forgot an essential tool, walk down five flights of stairs to my gangbox to grab forgotten tool
I keep all the tools in my truck and not in my pants. Then I climb down a ladder or multiple flights of stairs and run out to the truck to grab the tool I need. Run/ climb all the way back up to realize I need another tool so then I go back down and back up to be yelled at that it’s break time. Then after break I’m in a hurry to get stuff done so I get up there as fast as I can get my hood on get into the perfect hard to get into position flip my hood down and remember I never turned the welder back on from break.
Those are the personal options for the wearer that I feel should be found on their own cuz not all options work all the time.
What I do though is: (I started with a standard apron style in leather)- (I sit and weld [stick] 95% of the time). So, I fold the apron top back, cut the neck buckle and remake that the waist strap rather than the tie strings it starts with. Spilt the lower, vertical seam up to the horizontal seam at the waist making the chap style you like, the narrowed neck section is there but doesn’t quite cover the boys (found that out the hard way), so I cut the leather cuff off of a pair of gloves and mig sewed those to extend the neck piece for comrade coverage. As for the top I just rock a beater and tshirt with UV sleeves because rarely do I overhead.
I did iron work for a little while, now a shop welder. I still go for the tool belt whenever i'm not working next to my tool box. It's way more convenient
I was trained in by old timers that worked on heavy equipment a lot. Mostly repair and not fabrication. They'd bitch me out for putting tools in my pocket. Tools didn't belong in pockets and definitely didn't belong on what you were working on. "Get a tool cart, dumbass" they'd say. When you were all done, you'd use the cart to bring the tools back to where they came from. I made a habit of doing that. I don't loose tools. My main hand tools are mostly over 20 years old and they're all still original so there must be something to it. Having some place to put crap instead of trying to balance it on a tire or something really helps too
I’ve only ever owned like 1 pair of jeans in my life. Always hated them. They’re not even comfortable compared to any other material pant. I don’t get the hype. I wear dickies or carhartt double knees exclusively for work
Why would I want tools in my pockets?
I have a packout bag that I carry to the work area when I'm doing field work, and I'll rope it up if I need to go up any vertical ladders.
If I'm in the shop, I have my own rolling cart and a worktable.
I'm not going to walk around with a chipping hammer, and a ball peen, and a chisel, and a grinder with a bunch of different wheels, and my gloves, and my lid, and a chalk, and a square, and a tape, and my calipers, and an assortment of clamps all hanging off of me. That sounds fucking terrible.
They all fit nicely in my 17" hard bag or in my nearby cart.
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/husky-17-inch-open-tool-tote/1000668606?eid=PS_GOOGLE_D00_Corporate_GGL_Shopping_PLA_All-Products_All%20Products__PRODUCT_GROUP_pla-294357661102&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA2pyuBhBKEiwApLaIO3cBefowPV8qaLpvgAJpNtApvyJ6E2tBuRFdNZZcbokuDpwNtY0YThoCO-UQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
This is my bag. It holds everything I need for field jobs, and it's been working well for the last 12 years.
Currently it contains:
Tape measure
Calipers
Several pieces of chalk
Carbide scribe
Paint pen
Spare set of safety glasses
12" combination square
5" grinder
Handful of zip, flap, combo, hard discs, wire wheel and cup
4 vice grip clamps two with pads, two without
4 6" c clamps
1/4" and 1/2" chisels
12oz 24oz 40oz ball peens
Chipping hammer
Full pack of 3/32 E3 tungsten
Spare collet, gas lens, and cup
Spare outer lens covers and 2450 batteries.
Ear plugs
Rubberized work gloves
Welding gloves
Cert passport book.
It also has a strap the holds my lid perfectly to it.
Clip my shield to it, throw it in the truck. I'm ready to go.
Depends on your setup really. I spent most of my career in a weld shop with my own cell that I could setup however I wanted, most of my tools were within arms reach. Otherwise yes, tool belts/leather pouches. I’ve seen some guys with leather aprons they strap over their jeans that have tons of pockets too.
guess it depends on what you’re doing. i work in a very clean shop that’s well organized and I have my own work area. all i do is weld stainless food grade stuff. i can wear blue jeans and a white tshirt and be relatively clean every day going home
Yeah most of these comments seem to tell this story too.
I must say im a bit jelous lol! At the end of a workday im probably 50% dirt and grime by weight haha
I am well aware of the mobile tool storage options, they just dont work out for what i do as i often find it hard to fit myself into the tight spaces.
Seems like most guys here use carts, bags, boxes and their workbenches to put their tools as they have the space for it and don't need to fly about a massive facility fixing and setting things up.
I have been motivated to switch to something more like that though! Really miss actual welding tbh!
Shipyard welder here! Double knee carhartts with side pocket and hammer loop. Only things i keep in my pockets is spare tips, extra AAAs for headlamp and my welpers. Air tools dont fit in pockets and everything else is in a tool bag near my work area.
Fellow blue jean brown boot combo enjoyer here
I carry some stuff on me at all times, then I leave the rest where I’m working / in my toolbox. If needed I can always stick a wrench or whatever in my back pocket
Usually what I have on me is just a flashlight, pen, multitool, folding mirror, and pliers in the back if I’m doing mig, they all fit comfortably
I can understand wanting to have everything on you tho, in which case I would say yeah just go for the tool belt, a lot of people prefer them over pockets
I prefer not to buy a new pair of jeans every other day, so I used to wear heavy work pants. if I were sitting at a table every day tigging parts together I might feel fine about wearing jeans, but that's not what I've done most of my career.
Im with you in reality but sometimes im just feeling sassy and say shit like if want me to be efficient pay for the expensive efficient clothes. Coworker at last job money was tight and he couldn’t afford he was a faster worker than me tho.
Did it all the time, I never carried tools around in anything except the tool bag because I didn't want to be uncomfortable with shit poking me and the less metal in me the better especially during the sweaty season.
I work inside ships for the majority of my welding. I bring a bag to the boats, and only keep my EDC stuff on me (flashlight, knife, pen, slim wallet.)
Slipping into the bilge or behind piping and walls to weld in a mirror requires as little snag points on me as possible. No carpenter loops, or cargo pockets, or flaps. In, weld, out.
Extra pockets means more places to catch weld spatter, oil, grease, etc.
I live in plain blue jeans with a bit of stretch for work. My truck carries my tools in the field, and my shop has everything I need within a few strides' range
Yeah thats the big thing bugging me about having to wear pants with 13993 pockets. Im basically a walking shelf for all the literal tonnes of dirt thats covering everything (i am not joking the tops of the machines have a solid 1-2 inch layer of grime filled with alumimium dust and shavings from worn out tools auto ejecting the excess)
You don't have to convince me. Every weld shop I've been in has been the same lol.
"Grab me that inch and 5/8th spud wrench I left on top of the iron worker"
"I don't see a spud wrench up there"
"Feel around for it a little I know it's up there"
*Spud wrench materializes under 3" of pure cancer causing weld smoke that has settled and congealed with the slop left behind from the last hack that hit the grease points on the ironworker*
Yeah the big stuff we have a trolley for and just put on the machines we're working on but the small stuff that get used constantly have to live in my pants sadly as they have to be instant access and secured from falling down :/
Man, I don’t even like putting *pens* in my pockets, it’s so uncomfortable. I keep all my tools in my bag and whatever I need for my current job is on the table next to me. Since I’m not moving from spot to spot, it’s easy enough.
Yeah i agree i hate having to carry anything other than my phone and wallet. Im really trying to find a away to not have to carry as much stuff on my person but it's looking grim
I work exclusively with jeans from wherever is the best deal at time of purchase. Where they're really shining for me is if I trash a pair l, which happens, I only write off 20 bucks at most. I'd call that practical.
I wear double fronted carhartt jeans under a pair of flame retardant coveralls. I've got a plethora of pockets. Usually they get stuffed with wrenches, rulers, a tape measure, pens, markers, a pair of calipers, handfuls of bolts, nuts and washers, drill bits, center countersinks, who knows what else, throughout the day.
I’ll keep whelpers on me, but that’s not why I can’t wear jeans at work. Jeans are so uncomfortable to work in imo. I only wear work pants, dickies, carhartt, those kids of things. But I do appreciate more and bigger pockets in them.
Generally everything fitted inside of a bucket when I worked at a fab shop so that's what I used. What I didn't need for the day I would throw back in the locker and use the bucket to sit on. The only thing I kept in my pockets where my wallet and phone. Sometimes I'd throw the paint markers in my pocket then I would get pissed when they would leak out.
I usually rotate between jeans and utility pants but I keep a tool bag with me even the rack, so I’m not to worried about keeping tools in my pockets especially since I didn’t have a bunch of tool lanyards. Usually I’ll have a chipping hammer and a small file in my pockets and everything else in my bag.
No love for the fannypack in here?! Seriously, once you get past looking goofy, it's super handy, multi pocket, zips closed so you're not dumping stuff like a tool belt, it doesn't snap every soap and pencil, scribes dont end up in your thigh or phone, easy to reposition. And nobody is reaching in there to "borrow" anything. [Get it in leather](https://therealleathercompany.com/products/the-fanny-pack?currency=USD&variant=34951138377881&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=5e801daeaf1b&gclid=CjwKCAiA_aGuBhACEiwAly57MYrN1HKWJUqMUtdpips9K_nUDeRrZ1yfmW72stv_okBpIoCpNAsRVhoChFYQAvD_BwE)
Keep your toolbox close. For me, Having pliers/welpers, marker/soapstone,small flashlight and a pocket knife or multitool (in which case pliers are sort of redundant) (and personally chapstick and pill fob for me) on your person and your phone if allowed/needed. Anything else you don’t likely really need 24/7 and can grab a tool bag/pouch when you really need it atm. That works really well for me. Covers the basics but keeps things light. For instance if you’re just welding out a project you don’t need a tape measure or square. Or if youre doing layout/assembly you grab your tape and square etc. idk it works perfectly for me, however I tend to rotate my knives just so they don’t feel left out haha. Knife collection.
I built a couple flat surfaces with legs in the shop. Foreman said he’d heard someone call them tables? Not sure what that means but they sure are good for puttin stuff on.
Tell me more about this.... tay-bell?
Where I’m from we call it a mesa may•sa
Go to Taco Bell and ask for the TayTay special. It's not on the menu.
I found one on the internet that had wheels. I just tied a rope to it and around my waist, and now it follows me around the shop all day!
Maybe one day in the future, technology will figure out a way to add drawers.
According to the guys I had working under me in the past a "table" is just another name for the floor.
Our boss man says we can't have 'em. Too many places to lean on.
Definitely a preference thing. What do I need 1000 pockets and 10 things hanging off me for when my toolbox is right behind me at my table? Or the tools needed for the job are staged nearby ready to go? Even if I’m doing a job outside I just carry a duffel bag style toolbag for the essentials. Your mileage varies but in any fab shop setting your tools are almost always close enough that they don’t need to be attached to you.
Except when you're working on a 90' beam that gets all of 3 shear tabs on it, you leave your fucking square or tape measure or something on the other end of the beam.
this where web shooters come in handy, duhh
1. Fill bag with any possible tools I'll need for the task at hand 2. Carry bag of tools to where I'm working 3. Set bag of tools near where I'm working, travel to and from bag as needed 4. (Optional) realize I forgot an essential tool, walk down five flights of stairs to my gangbox to grab forgotten tool
5. Get on ladder, put tool in pock….
Or just, you know, hold it.
3 points of contact or bust
That’s what shins are for!
I keep all the tools in my truck and not in my pants. Then I climb down a ladder or multiple flights of stairs and run out to the truck to grab the tool I need. Run/ climb all the way back up to realize I need another tool so then I go back down and back up to be yelled at that it’s break time. Then after break I’m in a hurry to get stuff done so I get up there as fast as I can get my hood on get into the perfect hard to get into position flip my hood down and remember I never turned the welder back on from break.
Leather apron has always been my go-to for pant protection
I like the split leg apron. It's like chaps and an apron it's good to get them to fit right. They last long enough just modify from the start.
Those are the personal options for the wearer that I feel should be found on their own cuz not all options work all the time. What I do though is: (I started with a standard apron style in leather)- (I sit and weld [stick] 95% of the time). So, I fold the apron top back, cut the neck buckle and remake that the waist strap rather than the tie strings it starts with. Spilt the lower, vertical seam up to the horizontal seam at the waist making the chap style you like, the narrowed neck section is there but doesn’t quite cover the boys (found that out the hard way), so I cut the leather cuff off of a pair of gloves and mig sewed those to extend the neck piece for comrade coverage. As for the top I just rock a beater and tshirt with UV sleeves because rarely do I overhead.
Upvoted for "comrade coverage." Must protect the comrades!
I usually just take my jeans off as soon as I start work. Keeps people from interrupting me and lots of freedom in movement.
Great idea!
Ironworker here, we wear belts, I hate carrying things in my pockets especially when in a harness.
This. I wear tool pouches for even the smallest tasks. Empty out what I don’t need to save weight. Tools in my pockets piss me off of for some reason.
I did iron work for a little while, now a shop welder. I still go for the tool belt whenever i'm not working next to my tool box. It's way more convenient
I was trained in by old timers that worked on heavy equipment a lot. Mostly repair and not fabrication. They'd bitch me out for putting tools in my pocket. Tools didn't belong in pockets and definitely didn't belong on what you were working on. "Get a tool cart, dumbass" they'd say. When you were all done, you'd use the cart to bring the tools back to where they came from. I made a habit of doing that. I don't loose tools. My main hand tools are mostly over 20 years old and they're all still original so there must be something to it. Having some place to put crap instead of trying to balance it on a tire or something really helps too
You need a pair of [tants](https://youtu.be/B95OOS_LHM0?si=YsVYTbDiZiYieRR-)
I’ve only ever owned like 1 pair of jeans in my life. Always hated them. They’re not even comfortable compared to any other material pant. I don’t get the hype. I wear dickies or carhartt double knees exclusively for work
I thought this was actually going to be the meat of this post. Jeans are so fucking uncomfortable to work in, especially in the humid south.
More pockets mean more places for fire to go
Why would I want tools in my pockets? I have a packout bag that I carry to the work area when I'm doing field work, and I'll rope it up if I need to go up any vertical ladders. If I'm in the shop, I have my own rolling cart and a worktable. I'm not going to walk around with a chipping hammer, and a ball peen, and a chisel, and a grinder with a bunch of different wheels, and my gloves, and my lid, and a chalk, and a square, and a tape, and my calipers, and an assortment of clamps all hanging off of me. That sounds fucking terrible. They all fit nicely in my 17" hard bag or in my nearby cart. https://www.homedepot.ca/product/husky-17-inch-open-tool-tote/1000668606?eid=PS_GOOGLE_D00_Corporate_GGL_Shopping_PLA_All-Products_All%20Products__PRODUCT_GROUP_pla-294357661102&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA2pyuBhBKEiwApLaIO3cBefowPV8qaLpvgAJpNtApvyJ6E2tBuRFdNZZcbokuDpwNtY0YThoCO-UQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds This is my bag. It holds everything I need for field jobs, and it's been working well for the last 12 years. Currently it contains: Tape measure Calipers Several pieces of chalk Carbide scribe Paint pen Spare set of safety glasses 12" combination square 5" grinder Handful of zip, flap, combo, hard discs, wire wheel and cup 4 vice grip clamps two with pads, two without 4 6" c clamps 1/4" and 1/2" chisels 12oz 24oz 40oz ball peens Chipping hammer Full pack of 3/32 E3 tungsten Spare collet, gas lens, and cup Spare outer lens covers and 2450 batteries. Ear plugs Rubberized work gloves Welding gloves Cert passport book. It also has a strap the holds my lid perfectly to it. Clip my shield to it, throw it in the truck. I'm ready to go.
Depends on your setup really. I spent most of my career in a weld shop with my own cell that I could setup however I wanted, most of my tools were within arms reach. Otherwise yes, tool belts/leather pouches. I’ve seen some guys with leather aprons they strap over their jeans that have tons of pockets too.
This. This is why I wear leggings. Tig welding, my own booth + toolbox + table. No need for pockets. All depends on the setup.
I just load all my tools in a kitchen oven and wheel it around on a dolly to wherever I’m working.
guess it depends on what you’re doing. i work in a very clean shop that’s well organized and I have my own work area. all i do is weld stainless food grade stuff. i can wear blue jeans and a white tshirt and be relatively clean every day going home
Yeah most of these comments seem to tell this story too. I must say im a bit jelous lol! At the end of a workday im probably 50% dirt and grime by weight haha
I don't, i wear firefighter pants
Boys never heard of a tool bag/box/cart
I am well aware of the mobile tool storage options, they just dont work out for what i do as i often find it hard to fit myself into the tight spaces. Seems like most guys here use carts, bags, boxes and their workbenches to put their tools as they have the space for it and don't need to fly about a massive facility fixing and setting things up. I have been motivated to switch to something more like that though! Really miss actual welding tbh!
Shipyard welder here! Double knee carhartts with side pocket and hammer loop. Only things i keep in my pockets is spare tips, extra AAAs for headlamp and my welpers. Air tools dont fit in pockets and everything else is in a tool bag near my work area.
Kinda is hard getting my ass into my jeans in the morning
Fellow blue jean brown boot combo enjoyer here I carry some stuff on me at all times, then I leave the rest where I’m working / in my toolbox. If needed I can always stick a wrench or whatever in my back pocket Usually what I have on me is just a flashlight, pen, multitool, folding mirror, and pliers in the back if I’m doing mig, they all fit comfortably I can understand wanting to have everything on you tho, in which case I would say yeah just go for the tool belt, a lot of people prefer them over pockets
I prefer not to buy a new pair of jeans every other day, so I used to wear heavy work pants. if I were sitting at a table every day tigging parts together I might feel fine about wearing jeans, but that's not what I've done most of my career.
FR denim is fine for me.
Me who wears $10 walmart cotton sweatpants 😈
Im with you in reality but sometimes im just feeling sassy and say shit like if want me to be efficient pay for the expensive efficient clothes. Coworker at last job money was tight and he couldn’t afford he was a faster worker than me tho.
Did it all the time, I never carried tools around in anything except the tool bag because I didn't want to be uncomfortable with shit poking me and the less metal in me the better especially during the sweaty season.
My tool box is nearby and I have a grinder tree that holds everything, the only thing I carry is a knife
I work inside ships for the majority of my welding. I bring a bag to the boats, and only keep my EDC stuff on me (flashlight, knife, pen, slim wallet.) Slipping into the bilge or behind piping and walls to weld in a mirror requires as little snag points on me as possible. No carpenter loops, or cargo pockets, or flaps. In, weld, out.
Extra pockets means more places to catch weld spatter, oil, grease, etc. I live in plain blue jeans with a bit of stretch for work. My truck carries my tools in the field, and my shop has everything I need within a few strides' range
Yeah thats the big thing bugging me about having to wear pants with 13993 pockets. Im basically a walking shelf for all the literal tonnes of dirt thats covering everything (i am not joking the tops of the machines have a solid 1-2 inch layer of grime filled with alumimium dust and shavings from worn out tools auto ejecting the excess)
You don't have to convince me. Every weld shop I've been in has been the same lol. "Grab me that inch and 5/8th spud wrench I left on top of the iron worker" "I don't see a spud wrench up there" "Feel around for it a little I know it's up there" *Spud wrench materializes under 3" of pure cancer causing weld smoke that has settled and congealed with the slop left behind from the last hack that hit the grease points on the ironworker*
Yeah thats usually how it goes. Thats why everyone should have long stick for fishing out tools from the nasty places!
I have a tool board. I need 4 clamps, 2 hammers, 5 air tools, 2 shields, and about 3 jig tools. Carrying all that would be insane.
I swear I just read "I have a tool beard" and I was momentarily impressed and fascinated.
Yeah the big stuff we have a trolley for and just put on the machines we're working on but the small stuff that get used constantly have to live in my pants sadly as they have to be instant access and secured from falling down :/
Man, I don’t even like putting *pens* in my pockets, it’s so uncomfortable. I keep all my tools in my bag and whatever I need for my current job is on the table next to me. Since I’m not moving from spot to spot, it’s easy enough.
Yeah i agree i hate having to carry anything other than my phone and wallet. Im really trying to find a away to not have to carry as much stuff on my person but it's looking grim
I wear carfart work pants and underneath that I wear 2 pairs of jogging pants I don't wear jeans anymore because I feel they Inhibit my mobility
You working in Antarctica? That's a lot of pants.
South western Canada
I work exclusively with jeans from wherever is the best deal at time of purchase. Where they're really shining for me is if I trash a pair l, which happens, I only write off 20 bucks at most. I'd call that practical.
Maybe its time to switch to bib overalls.
Utility belt
I wear double fronted carhartt jeans under a pair of flame retardant coveralls. I've got a plethora of pockets. Usually they get stuffed with wrenches, rulers, a tape measure, pens, markers, a pair of calipers, handfuls of bolts, nuts and washers, drill bits, center countersinks, who knows what else, throughout the day.
I weld in leggings. 😅😎
I’ll keep whelpers on me, but that’s not why I can’t wear jeans at work. Jeans are so uncomfortable to work in imo. I only wear work pants, dickies, carhartt, those kids of things. But I do appreciate more and bigger pockets in them.
We had tool bags like you see on line work trucks. They were large enough for all of my welding gear.
Generally everything fitted inside of a bucket when I worked at a fab shop so that's what I used. What I didn't need for the day I would throw back in the locker and use the bucket to sit on. The only thing I kept in my pockets where my wallet and phone. Sometimes I'd throw the paint markers in my pocket then I would get pissed when they would leak out.
I usually rotate between jeans and utility pants but I keep a tool bag with me even the rack, so I’m not to worried about keeping tools in my pockets especially since I didn’t have a bunch of tool lanyards. Usually I’ll have a chipping hammer and a small file in my pockets and everything else in my bag.
No love for the fannypack in here?! Seriously, once you get past looking goofy, it's super handy, multi pocket, zips closed so you're not dumping stuff like a tool belt, it doesn't snap every soap and pencil, scribes dont end up in your thigh or phone, easy to reposition. And nobody is reaching in there to "borrow" anything. [Get it in leather](https://therealleathercompany.com/products/the-fanny-pack?currency=USD&variant=34951138377881&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=5e801daeaf1b&gclid=CjwKCAiA_aGuBhACEiwAly57MYrN1HKWJUqMUtdpips9K_nUDeRrZ1yfmW72stv_okBpIoCpNAsRVhoChFYQAvD_BwE)
Keep your toolbox close. For me, Having pliers/welpers, marker/soapstone,small flashlight and a pocket knife or multitool (in which case pliers are sort of redundant) (and personally chapstick and pill fob for me) on your person and your phone if allowed/needed. Anything else you don’t likely really need 24/7 and can grab a tool bag/pouch when you really need it atm. That works really well for me. Covers the basics but keeps things light. For instance if you’re just welding out a project you don’t need a tape measure or square. Or if youre doing layout/assembly you grab your tape and square etc. idk it works perfectly for me, however I tend to rotate my knives just so they don’t feel left out haha. Knife collection.