|
Hed posted:Is picking up a couple of these to use as sawhorses a bad idea? I didn't like the reviews of a lot of the plastic ones and even some of the higher end sawhorses complained about construction quite a bit. I'm not going to be holding up a house with them or anything but I don't ever want to have to think about sawhorses again. Is compactness when storing or transportability important? If so then that style is good. Otherwise you should save some money and make your own out of wood, like the super sturdy woodgears design.
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 01:12
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 23:25 |
|
|
Zuph posted:One of these things? http://kk.org/cooltools/clamptite/ I own one of these. I don't use it that often. but If I was stuck in the middle of the african bush instead of having 4 hardware stores within 10 mins of driving (lol midwest  ), I would use it a helluva lot.The advantage is all you need is a coil of wire (galvanized if you are cheap, stainless if you need it), and you have any size band clamp you want. Including ridiculous sizes that don't exist. just make sure you figure out how to use it before you actually need it. can be a little tricky to get the hang of.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 01:57
|
|
|
Cpt.Wacky posted:Is compactness when storing or transportability important? If so then that style is good. Otherwise you should save some money and make your own out of wood, like the super sturdy woodgears design. Yeah, unless you really want them to fold and/or be portable, you can make about a dozen 2x4 ones for the price of a pair of those. And do stuff like run your circular saw right through them while cutting on them because fuckit. I vastly underestimated how useful that last feature was until I moved from the metal folding kind to home made wood ones.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 02:09
|
|
|
japan makes some cool lightweight tools http://www.themechanicstoolbox.com/lobster-tools-by-lobtex-um24-6-150mm-adjustable-wrench/ http://www.asahi-tool.co.jp/product/lightool.html
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 04:26
|
|
|
MrPete posted:japan makes some cool lightweight tools Japan makes some cool tools. My favorite is the hori hori. Imagine a combat garden trowel. You can dig, pry, cut and saw all with one tool. They're great if you have lots of rocks or roots in your garden.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 05:00
|
|
|
Zuph posted:One of these things? http://kk.org/cooltools/clamptite/ Even just having good quality tie wire of a few sizes is incredibly helpful. I had to lace a v-belt back together a while back and if I didn't have tie wire, I'd have been hiking a few miles to get back to the truck.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 18:18
|
|
|
MRC48B posted:I own one of these. I don't use it that often. but If I was stuck in the middle of the african bush instead of having 4 hardware stores within 10 mins of driving (lol midwest That Clamptite looks hella cool, like it's the ultimate ziptie substitute. I wish the website explained the weight of each model, but I'm guessing that the 4" version can't weigh too much. Not to get all geeky about weight, but for real I'm traveling with just one pack, and the tools are just an incidental part of my kit and not my main feature, so I do have to keep it reasonable. And also I do need to put a little thought as to what tools can go in carry-on luggage and which ones an airline would make me put in checked baggage, though that's a tertiary concern. Aside from the Clamptite, I'm thinking a small pair of diagonal pliers would be good for snipping wire, and snipping stuff in general. Positively an adjustable spanner, though not sure exactly which size(s) I should get. Would a 200mm or 300mm be good for large stuff (Lobster Tools looks cool), and a little 100mm mini for tight spaces? I don't really see myself needing a hammer/mallet especially given weight/size constraints, and I figure I can always find a crude object to hammer things with? Or is there some optimal, small hammerable-item to pack? I'm not yet so sold on channel locks, locking pliers, vice grips, etc since I need to keep it pretty minimal. But one regular size and one mini multi-head screwdriver sounds key, and one of those government surplus foot-long titanium prybar/widgy that TFR goons like. Along those lines, the best cheap pocket tool I've ever found was the Gerber Shard (which is a pretty blatant $4 ripoff of the $75+ Atwood Prybaby XL I once owned and lost), so I'll probably get a handful of those next time I get a package shipped over. Also in Afghanistan I got really into the Niteize S-biner, inexpensive but durable little polymer carabiners for hoooking gear together. Those have been amazing for making my backpack more tamper-proof in a crowd, or linking my pack to a chair when I set it down so a guy can't grab-and-run without taking a whole chair with it. Dang, silicon diffuser; one of those came with my Fenix LED flashlight I've had since Afghanistan, but it's sitting in my spare-parts box back in the US since I didn't think to bring it. drat. And I keep insisting that with a good flashlight I don't need a headlamp... and then I repeatedly get a cramped jaw from trying to hold an LED flashlight in my teeth to keep my hands free.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 19:04
|
|
|
Any time I use my headlamp I'm glad I have it. Blackburn's Spot and Storm are really nice as they have a bright spotlight for distance, extremely broad flood for close work, and dim red flood that preserve night vision. They also work with regular AAA's. I have the Spot since I don't need it to be waterproof, but the Storm might be better for you: http://www.rei.com/product/866384/black-diamond-storm-headlamp I'd still argue for locking pliers of some sort since they can grab a lot of things you wouldn't be able to with an adjustable wrench. They are a bit heavy though.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 21:39
|
|
|
Are there any power screwdrivers you guys would recommend? I'm talking like a compact light duty thing, I have a bunch of small M3 and M5 socket head bolts I need to assemble, i think a little motorized driver would speed things up a bit. Preferably something that runs on rechargeable lithium batteries.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 23:47
|
|
|
TapTheForwardAssist posted:That Clamptite looks hella cool, like it's the ultimate ziptie substitute. I wish the website explained the weight of each model, but I'm guessing that the 4" version can't weigh too much. Not to get all geeky about weight, but for real I'm traveling with just one pack, and the tools are just an incidental part of my kit and not my main feature, so I do have to keep it reasonable. And also I do need to put a little thought as to what tools can go in carry-on luggage and which ones an airline would make me put in checked baggage, though that's a tertiary concern. Knipex is a german company who makes a mean plier. I'd go for a medium sized pair. The smaller ones are usually designed for precision electronics work, which means the cutting edges aren't as tough, not good for when you use them to cut bolts or nails or whatever. There's also the "Mini bolt cutter" style, which gives you more cutting force, but you lose cut depth and precision. Another good general purpose idea would be a pair of EMT shears.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 00:54
|
|
|
TapTheForwardAssist posted:Also in Afghanistan I got really into the Niteize S-biner, inexpensive but durable little polymer carabiners for hoooking gear together. Those have been amazing for making my backpack more tamper-proof in a crowd, or linking my pack to a chair when I set it down so a guy can't grab-and-run without taking a whole chair with it. TapTheForwardAssist posted:Dang, silicon diffuser; one of those came with my Fenix LED flashlight I've had since Afghanistan, but it's sitting in my spare-parts box back in the US since I didn't think to bring it. drat. And I keep insisting that with a good flashlight I don't need a headlamp... and then I repeatedly get a cramped jaw from trying to hold an LED flashlight in my teeth to keep my hands free.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 01:46
|
|
|
peepsalot posted:Are there any power screwdrivers you guys would recommend? I'm talking like a compact light duty thing, I have a bunch of small M3 and M5 socket head bolts I need to assemble, i think a little motorized driver would speed things up a bit. Preferably something that runs on rechargeable lithium batteries. There are the various 3V cordless systems with the hinged handle. We have these at work and I don't like them. They arn't that powerful, fast and arn't that compact either. Black and decker makes a bunch of cheap drivers. I bought a AA powered one to keep on my boat (because I stock AA there for other things). IKEA sells the "fixa" lithium driver for $10 which I bought to replace that AA black and decker which broke (I think I can get it to charge from USB).
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 02:07
|
|
|
Hed posted:Is picking up a couple of these to use as sawhorses a bad idea? I didn't like the reviews of a lot of the plastic ones and even some of the higher end sawhorses complained about construction quite a bit. I'm not going to be holding up a house with them or anything but I don't ever want to have to think about sawhorses again. I would say no. That's not a sawhorse, it's a relatively heavy (compact) miter saw stand. I have the HD (full-size) version, it's very durable and sturdy but for the money you can do way better for less. Locally at Canadian Tire they sell this on sale for $10 all the time and it's basically doing the same job for 80% less money. 12 lbs versus 20 lbs. I'd also recommend homemade wooden sawhorses, but if you want something durable and metal look for something similar to the Mastercraft one I posted, you shouldn't be paying any more than $20 a piece. They even have a version with individually telescoping legs for another $10. Unless you're going to be mounting a miter saw on the thing don't waste $150+ on two sawhorses, that's crazy. You don't want a 20lb sawhorse.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 06:00
|
|
|
peepsalot posted:Are there any power screwdrivers you guys would recommend? I'm talking like a compact light duty thing, I have a bunch of small M3 and M5 socket head bolts I need to assemble, i think a little motorized driver would speed things up a bit. Preferably something that runs on rechargeable lithium batteries. My brother got me this for Christmas and while it's not going to replace my Milwaukee M12 1/4" driver, it is surprisingly nice. It doesn't have a variable speed trigger, but it is a lot cheaper than the Milawukee, and charges on USB. Out of curiosity, what are you assembling these bolts into? Something that small, I might still go for the M12 instead because of the variable trigger and the clutch setup - set it to the loosest setting and you can run stuff home really quickly without worrying about over-torquing it, and finish it by hand.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 18:21
|
|
|
asdf32 posted:There are the various 3V cordless systems with the hinged handle. We have these at work and I don't like them. They arn't that powerful, fast and arn't that compact either. We have one of the hinged handle milwakee power screwdrivers at work, and I agree with asdf's assesment. Slow, weak, and not that small. We have a little bosch cordless drill that I like to use and it fits in most of the same spots.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 20:07
|
|
|
peepsalot posted:Are there any power screwdrivers you guys would recommend? I'm talking like a compact light duty thing, I have a bunch of small M3 and M5 socket head bolts I need to assemble, i think a little motorized driver would speed things up a bit. Preferably something that runs on rechargeable lithium batteries. I have an older, cheaper, crappier version of this http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-...er+power+driver that my dad got me 10 years ago. Mine's lithium ion. Never ever expect it to do the job of an actual drill, but besides that, it's been awesome. When not powered, it locks up so you can use it as a regular screw driver with a giant grip. Can go years without being used\charged and still work\take a charge.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 20:53
|
|
|
peepsalot posted:Are there any power screwdrivers you guys would recommend? I'm talking like a compact light duty thing, I have a bunch of small M3 and M5 socket head bolts I need to assemble, i think a little motorized driver would speed things up a bit. Preferably something that runs on rechargeable lithium batteries. I use the crap outta this little guy at work, but only for disassembling stuff like laptops, hard drives, and cellphones. Anything bigger than P1 Phillips, I just use a power drill with adjustable chuck and set it to ~1 and it'll stop when it's tight enough. I used a drill chuck to socket adapter to assemble a rotating parts bin with a crap ton of screws/nuts and the low torque of the adjustable clutch on my makita 18v drill worked perfectly. powderific posted:I have the Spot since I don't need it to be waterproof, but the Storm might be better for you: http://www.rei.com/product/866384/black-diamond-storm-headlamp Can confirm, the spot is the best headlamp I've ever owned--it's like staring into the surface of the sun. The battery indicator is handy, as well as the lock function so it doesn't turn on inside your pack and self drain during the day. There is absolutely no excuse to use a flashlight in lieu of a headlamp in TYOOL 2015, get yourself a freaking headlamp. Nearly any headlamp is better than just about every flashlight. Hed posted:Is picking up a couple of these to use as sawhorses a bad idea? I didn't like the reviews of a lot of the plastic ones and even some of the higher end sawhorses complained about construction quite a bit. I'm not going to be holding up a house with them or anything but I don't ever want to have to think about sawhorses again. Have you ever used a plastic sawhorse set? Because I think you're seriously underestimating their utility and durability. Two of those under a piece of plywood reinforced with 2x4 along the edge makes a freaking awesome portable workbench. I use mine all the time to hammer poo poo on, set up a miter saw plus pancake air compressor, hold heavy tools while I'm doing stuff outside, or paint on and not once have I noticed any weakness or felt they were lacking in any way. Plus they're light, portable, and easy to store out of the way. I wouldn't walk on top of a plastic sawhorse set, but that's what my multi position ladder is for anyways. Hell, I'm still using a cheap ten dollar set I picked up from ace hardware on black Friday about four years ago. I've got metal brackets to quickly assemble 2x4 wood sawhorses, never once had a need to use them.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 22:44
|
|
|
IOwnCalculus posted:Out of curiosity, what are you assembling these bolts into? Something that small, I might still go for the M12 instead because of the variable trigger and the clutch setup - set it to the loosest setting and you can run stuff home really quickly without worrying about over-torquing it, and finish it by hand. Its for assembling a bunch of 3d printers.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 23:06
|
|
|
peepsalot posted:Its for assembling a bunch of 3d printers. The lowest setting on an adjustable clutch power drill should be absolutely perfect for this, without having to buy new tools (Not that I would ever discourage anyone from buying new tools, of course  )
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 23:32
|
|
|
Yeah I have an old 14.4V Makita drill with a clutch but it uses old NiMH batteries which are always dead, and the drill is a little bulky in some cases where it needs to fit in a corner or something. e: man, I just looked up my purchase history, and that drill is nearly 10yrs old now, purchased March 2006. I've bought a couple replacement batteries for it in the past but its really not worth getting more. peepsalot fucked around with this message at 23:55 on Dec 31, 2015 |
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 23:49
|
|
|
OSU_Matthew posted:
I bought some big heavy duty saw horses because of the plastic = poo poo mindset and I've hated them for 10 years. Heavy, kinda a mess to setup, tougher to store, etc. I'd trade them for some plastic ones in a heartbeat.
|
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2016 01:18
|
|
|
Yeah then I'd lean towards a M12 driver with the clutch if you can swing the cost.
|
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2016 01:26
|
|
|
peepsalot posted:Yeah I have an old 14.4V Makita drill with a clutch but it uses old NiMH batteries which are always dead, and the drill is a little bulky in some cases where it needs to fit in a corner or something. Last year I upgraded from an old drill with NICad batteries to a makita brushless lithium ion set, and holy crap I still can't believe the difference. Never thought I'd be able to run a circular saw, shop floodlight, grass trimmer, impact wrench, and angle grinder all off the same battery. Too bad your tools are 14.4v, otherwise you could either get a battery adapter or just swap in new lithium batteries to give your tools a second life.
|
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2016 15:21
|
|
|
Hopefully I'm posting this in the right place, but I was wondering what this thing is I found in an old box and what it is for. The case for it says it is a "Pocket Comparator." From what I recall this used to be my grandfather's that was a millwright. There are a few more pictures of it here including what the reticle looks like.
|
|
#
?
Jan 2, 2016 21:34
|
|
|
Obsoletely Fabulous posted:Hopefully I'm posting this in the right place, but I was wondering what this thing is I found in an old box and what it is for. The case for it says it is a "Pocket Comparator." From what I recall this used to be my grandfather's that was a millwright. Looks to me like it's a combination magnifying glass/protractor/ruler -- you position it on top of whatever you're trying to measure and it gives you the tools to measure distances, angles, and radii.
|
|
#
?
Jan 2, 2016 21:49
|
|
|
Obsoletely Fabulous posted:I was wondering what this thing is It has a wikipedia article. I'm guessing it is a general tool for measuring and comparing very small things.
|
|
#
?
Jan 2, 2016 21:56
|
|
|
TooMuchAbstraction posted:Looks to me like it's a combination magnifying glass/protractor/ruler -- you position it on top of whatever you're trying to measure and it gives you the tools to measure distances, angles, and radii. wormil posted:It has a wikipedia article. I'm guessing it is a general tool for measuring and comparing very small things. Thanks. Wikipedia just didn't even occur to me. I was probably thinking about what it was too hard and missed the obviousness of it.
|
|
#
?
Jan 2, 2016 22:02
|
|
|
FWIW, my Still MS 250 was not really running right at all, it would die as soon as throttle was applied. I messed with the carb adjustments and had no luck. Hoping to avoid a carb rebuild I bought a new plug and air filter and some of that super $$ stihl gas oil mix in the can. Set the carb to the default settings and she runs like a top.
|
|
#
?
Jan 3, 2016 23:31
|
|
|
So, new years resolution is to learn some basic welding skills. I'm leaning towards TIG (willing to listen if that's a mistake) and want to be able to do both steel and aluminum. Any recommendations on decent quality home equipment? (try and keep me all in on the machine under a grand) I got a 220v line and 110v so no worries if that's an issue. Thanks guys.
Anubis fucked around with this message at 14:41 on Jan 5, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2016 00:46
|
|
|
Anubis posted:So, new years resolution is to learn some basic welding skills. I'm leaning towards TIG (willing to listen if that's a mistake) and want to be able to do both steel and aluminum. Any recommendations on decent quality home equipment? (try and keep me all in under a grand) I got a 220v line and 110v so no worries if that's an issue. Thanks guys. What country do you live in and what other tools do you already have (do you need to purchase fabrication stuff along with welding gear)? Clamps, saws, grinders, sanders, etc.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2016 03:45
|
|
|
Wandering Orange posted:What country do you live in and what other tools do you already have (do you need to purchase fabrication stuff along with welding gear)? Clamps, saws, grinders, sanders, etc. US. Just from the carryover from my wood shop and general tool collection habit I own; a drill press, a few basic pneumatic cutoff tools, high speed grinders, vices, most of your standard clamps, various saws of power and hand varieties, couple metal snips, basic tap sets, files, and I recently started messing about with backyard foundries for bronze and aluminum casting. My main shop addition that I know I'll need (besides the machine itself) is a welders table, so I got a bit of dedicated welding space away from the sawdust. I don't plan on working on anything too large anytime soon, maybe 2-3 foot long max.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2016 05:20
|
|
|
Anubis posted:US. Just from the carryover from my wood shop and general tool collection habit I own; a drill press, a few basic pneumatic cutoff tools, high speed grinders, vices, most of your standard clamps, various saws of power and hand varieties, couple metal snips, basic tap sets, files, and I recently started messing about with backyard foundries for bronze and aluminum casting. My main shop addition that I know I'll need (besides the machine itself) is a welders table, so I got a bit of dedicated welding space away from the sawdust. I don't plan on working on anything too large anytime soon, maybe 2-3 foot long max. If you're just dicking around to see whether you'd like it, you can pretty much pick up everything you need at harbor freight for around two hundred and fifty bucks. Their 90 amp gasless mig welder doesn't have a very long duty cycle, but it's perfectly adequate for anything you'd probably want to tackle--I've used it for several projects such as making a new shifter for my motorcycle after the old one got boogered in an accident. Their bundled wire is kinda poo poo, but the spools they sell separately are pretty good, and so is their auto darkening welding helmet. Only thing I would absolutely recommend not skimping on is your respirator. And for the love of god don't touch any galvanized metals. E: Just noticed you mentioned aluminum casting. I've never used TIG, but I think the general consensus is that MIG is easier to start out on. I'll let others with more experience chime in here Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 06:10 on Jan 4, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2016 06:03
|
|
|
How useful is a thermal camera around the house? I have an iphone 5 I'm not using right now, so I was thinking about trying to pick up a first-gen flir one for cheap. We bought a house recently and I guess I'm mostly interested in confirming the spots we need to add insulation.
|
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2016 21:20
|
|
|
Captain Cool posted:How useful is a thermal camera around the house? I have an iphone 5 I'm not using right now, so I was thinking about trying to pick up a first-gen flir one for cheap. We bought a house recently and I guess I'm mostly interested in confirming the spots we need to add insulation. Depending on how much home improvement stuff you plan on doing, it can also be useful for tracing wires/circuits (plug in a toaster and see which wires get hot)
|
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2016 21:57
|
|
|
Captain Cool posted:How useful is a thermal camera around the house? I have an iphone 5 I'm not using right now, so I was thinking about trying to pick up a first-gen flir one for cheap. We bought a house recently and I guess I'm mostly interested in confirming the spots we need to add insulation. Some home depot locations will rent nicer FLIR cameras for 75/day, if you won't really use it much its probably a better use of your money to rent once.
|
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2016 23:11
|
|
|
Based on my experiences with the Seek Thermal (which has relatively comparable capabilities, although MSX would be rather nice), it's not hugely useful but it's probably worth it in the $100-150 range. The capabilities pale in comparison to the real professional tools that you can rent, but they're good enough for at least basic air sealing and identifying problems with insulation. They're not generally useful for identifying things like insulation that's thinner than ideal, but something like a missing batt or settled cellulose in a wall will be plainly obvious. It helps to have a good understanding of emissivity. To make the best use of one, you also need a blower door (or blower window). Zhentar fucked around with this message at 01:38 on Jan 6, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jan 6, 2016 00:37
|
|
|
Captain Cool posted:How useful is a thermal camera around the house? I have an iphone 5 I'm not using right now, so I was thinking about trying to pick up a first-gen flir one for cheap. We bought a house recently and I guess I'm mostly interested in confirming the spots we need to add insulation. I have the android model, its pretty useful, and also great fun.    
|
|
#
?
Jan 6, 2016 01:28
|
|
|
Is the cordless Hitachi drill recommendation on the first page still accurate, or is there something better to look at now? I have a decent corded drill but for little things it takes 4x as much time to get it unpacked and re-packed than it does to actually do my drilling.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2016 18:08
|
|
|
I bought a £3 3.6v cordless screwdriver on clearout, due to the red and black colour scheme I have named it Milwonky. The 'charger' puts out 5v and the charge electronics are in the handle so I'm going to put a usb socket in it and charge it on usb 
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2016 18:20
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 23:25 |
|
|
Have you managed to find that "Diamond in the Rough" yet?
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2016 19:11
|
|
