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Ok, so my dad has finally seen the light and is in the market for a new Biscuit Joiner as the Mastercraft he currently owns is incapable of making two cuts the same depth. . . totally defeating the purpose of using a biscuit joiner. Requirements: 1. Can make biscuit joints that are at a consistent depth, consistently. 2. Quality product that isn't going to break/wear out after 10 uses. 3. Doesn't break the bank! We're not looking for any of the $800 ones, so sub $200 would be nice. I use a Biscuit Joiner more than my dad, and probably only 3-5 times a year, usually in hardwood, so it's not like I need a $1200 dewalt that can survive orbital re-entry into reinforced concrete. Also don't try and sell me on the Domino Joiner, looks cool but I've yet to see a place that sells the dominos. Really hoping for first hand experience, as opposed to online reviews or "my friend says only use "X brand" or you're a moron."
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Oct 22, 2012 16:46
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What about a doweling jig? Way more versatile, cheap, can find dowels anywhere or make your own
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Oct 22, 2012 17:14
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Blistex posted:
I have this one and I'm very happy with it. Once you get it calibrated it's accurate and makes consistent cuts. http://amzn.com/B00004YKUO
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Oct 22, 2012 19:11
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Porter Cable is to biscuit joiners what Bosch is to jig saws, basically they set the standard years ago. I've owned the PC for quite a few years and its very well thought out, well built and easy to set up and use. PC started selling some crappy consumer level stuff at hardware stores but the biscuit joiner is still one of their high quality tools.
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Oct 22, 2012 20:27
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Blistex posted:Also don't try and sell me on the Domino Joiner, looks cool but I've yet to see a place that sells the dominos. You can buy them straight from festool. I guess I don't get the hate. The domino does what a biscuit joiner does plus about a million more things. poo poo, I would probably make my own dominos if I had one. The ability to make mortise and floating tenon joints in less than a second is pretty appealing to me.
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Oct 22, 2012 21:30
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mds2 posted:You can buy them straight from festool. I guess I don't get the hate. The domino does what a biscuit joiner does plus about a million more things. poo poo, I would probably make my own dominos if I had one. The ability to make mortise and floating tenon joints in less than a second is pretty appealing to me. I don't hate it, I really see how it could be the best thing ever, but I live in Canada, so availability and price are two huge factors that mean I will never use one. Also $800-1200 for something I will use approx 5 times a year is not worth it. dwoloz posted:What about a doweling jig? Way more versatile, cheap, can find dowels anywhere or make your own I've made my own doweling jigs for custom jobs, and while they are good for some applications, I prefer a biscuit for others. I especially like the few mm's of wiggle room they afford you when they are glued and you want to align the ends of the workpiece just perfect. Well the concensus seems to be PC, which I was sort of leaning towards anyway, so that's a load off my mind. Thanks!
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Oct 23, 2012 13:05
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The Domino looks like a cool tool but youtube videos make it look awkward to use. It seems like a tool for limited audience, either Festophiles or production shops too big for hand made joints but too small for fast production equipment. You could do the same thing with a horizontal router for a lot less money.
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Oct 23, 2012 20:25
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If you're looking to buy a tool soon Home Depot has a $50 off $100 coupon available right now. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3513996
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Oct 27, 2012 03:01
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I just discovered that running a circular saw + shop vac on my duplex's garage outlet blows a fuse/circuit breaker sometimes. Thing is, I think it's blowing a fuse on the other side of the duplex because I couldn't find the blown fuse on my panel and the power mysteriously returned after a few minutes. Haven't had the chance to ask the neighbors yet but I reeeally don't want to be knocking their power out constantly. Looks like I'll either have to forgo dust collection, get a cordless saw, or run 100' extension cord from inside the duplex somewhere. Ugh.
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Nov 8, 2012 19:31
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powderific posted:I just discovered that running a circular saw + shop vac on my duplex's garage outlet blows a fuse/circuit breaker sometimes. Thing is, I think it's blowing a fuse on the other side of the duplex because I couldn't find the blown fuse on my panel and the power mysteriously returned after a few minutes. Haven't had the chance to ask the neighbors yet but I reeeally don't want to be knocking their power out constantly. Looks like I'll either have to forgo dust collection, get a cordless saw, or run 100' extension cord from inside the duplex somewhere. Ugh. I'm guessing you're a renter, but regardless if this is actually what's happening you should get it fixed.
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Nov 8, 2012 19:53
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Yeah, renting. Already had the electrician out for several hours tracking down a shorted wire in the wall somewhere. I guess the place has really strange wiring and the junction box for a huge portion of the duplex was hidden in a wall outlet. I'm going to ask my neighbors if their power went down to see if that is indeed what's going on, but I don't know if my landlord will want to pay for that to be rerouted or whatever. I suppose he really should since that'd also mean they're paying for the electricity we use in there.
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Nov 8, 2012 20:42
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powderific posted:I just discovered that running a circular saw + shop vac on my duplex's garage outlet blows a fuse/circuit breaker sometimes. Thing is, I think it's blowing a fuse on the other side of the duplex because I couldn't find the blown fuse on my panel and the power mysteriously returned after a few minutes. Haven't had the chance to ask the neighbors yet but I reeeally don't want to be knocking their power out constantly. Looks like I'll either have to forgo dust collection, get a cordless saw, or run 100' extension cord from inside the duplex somewhere. Ugh. Probably a 15A circuit; having both a vac and saw running would probably trip it. Seems like if you want to do it, your best option would be to run an extension cord (sufficiently large gauge) from a separate circuit and plug one into each
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Nov 9, 2012 05:52
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powderific posted:I'm going to ask my neighbors if their power went down to see if that is indeed what's going on, but I don't know if my landlord will want to pay for that to be rerouted or whatever. I suppose he really should since that'd also mean they're paying for the electricity we use in there. I was thinking more from the perspective of having control over the circuits in your own home, but this is an excellent point as well. I have no idea what tenant laws are like where you live, but I bet if your neighbor raises a big enough stink you could get this addressed. Unfortunately, if one circuit's going across the units then it's pretty likely others are as well.
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Nov 9, 2012 19:44
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It's actually a detached garage so I wonder if the side he gave us is actually supposed to be for the other half of the duplex. Moving our stuff over to the other side wouldn't be a big deal except for the fact that there are no outlets at all, and we use the garage as a workshop pretty much every night and need power. How much does it cost to rewire something like that? I'd feel bad about having to make that change when he could just as easily "fix" it for the next tenant by reassigning the garage sides.
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Nov 9, 2012 20:22
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Anyone have experience with pressure washer surface spreaders? We got this one yesterday: http://answers.lowes.com/answers/0534/product/3306786/questions.htm?sort=recenta It worked in a test run last night, today tried it and it stopped spinning. Odd because it spins fine by hand
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Nov 11, 2012 23:39
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I just found an awesome nutdriver last night. I bought it today. The problem when you use the multi screw drivers is they strip out if you use them a ton for a nut driver http://www.klenktools.com/main/products/NutDriversNew.asp#DA86420 This I picked up for at a decent price and I love it so far. edit: tool specs 4-in-1 POCKET SOCKET® Replaces the four most common nut drivers with one tough, yet compact, tool. Telescoping action provides two socket sizes at each end. High-torque grip has textured, non-slip surface. Tough, high quality industrial steel construction. SAE socket sizes are: 1/4", 3/8", 5/16", 7/16. NOW AVAILABLE IN METRIC! Socket sizes - 7mm, 8mm, 10mm and 13mm Turd Herder fucked around with this message at 01:25 on Nov 16, 2012 |
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Nov 16, 2012 01:19
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Just emptied to the truck and shed, trying to re-structure the organization of all my tools. While they are all out and about, I was wanting to give them all a cosmetic wipe down. Is paint thinner or lacquer thinner a good idea, or just warm water?
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Dec 2, 2012 19:19
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Reggie Died posted:Just emptied to the truck and shed, trying to re-structure the organization of all my tools. While they are all out and about, I was wanting to give them all a cosmetic wipe down. Is paint thinner or lacquer thinner a good idea, or just warm water? I use WD40 and a rag.
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Dec 3, 2012 02:54
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I'm looking for a table saw, but I didn't want to spend a grand, or get one of those cheapo plastic ones. Is this decent? http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/tls/3468493451.html
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Dec 12, 2012 17:58
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Daggerpants posted:I'm looking for a table saw, but I didn't want to spend a grand, or get one of those cheapo plastic ones. Is this decent? That's basically the same table saw I have and it works great after some cleaning and tune up. Plus you get a bunch of blades, including a dado set, and what looks a free 4" jointer! I paid about $100 for mine and got none of those extras.
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Dec 12, 2012 18:31
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Daggerpants posted:I'm looking for a table saw, but I didn't want to spend a grand, or get one of those cheapo plastic ones. Is this decent? Check it out in person but I think so. For anything beyond rough carpentry you'll want to replace that fence. Barely used Delta Unifences are not uncommon and and can be had fairly inexpensive. They are fantasticly built, extremely strong and precise. The only downside is the design which doesn't allow you to use shop built jigs that ride the fence (not a big deal) but they have other advantages instead, like being able to easily build custom fences. Rockwell and Delta are the same company so it may bolt right up.
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Dec 12, 2012 20:30
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Daggerpants posted:I'm looking for a table saw, but I didn't want to spend a grand, or get one of those cheapo plastic ones. Is this decent? I'd get it for the price; it's cheaper and better than the plastic portable saws. Once home, adjust everything so it's square and tuned up and you're good to go
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Dec 12, 2012 22:08
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wormil posted:Check it out in person but I think so. For anything beyond rough carpentry you'll want to replace that fence. Barely used Delta Unifences are not uncommon and and can be had fairly inexpensive. They are fantasticly built, extremely strong and precise. The only downside is the design which doesn't allow you to use shop built jigs that ride the fence (not a big deal) but they have other advantages instead, like being able to easily build custom fences. Rockwell and Delta are the same company so it may bolt right up. Guy sold it already :\ I'll keep looking I guess. Are there any good brands that are solid like that for a few hundred new?
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Dec 13, 2012 01:16
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Daggerpants posted:Are there any good brands that are solid like that for a few hundred new? No. For rough carpentry maybe, but not really. Anything below $600 new is just a circular saw turned upside down with a crude fence. How close is this to you? http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/tls/3455813444.html Needs some TLC and eventually a different fence but you might want to check into it.
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Dec 13, 2012 04:37
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Keep on searching CL. Might be able to find an old Craftsman for around $50 and can then get a good fence for it
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Dec 13, 2012 06:39
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Is there a general consensus on the best electric impact gun? Harbor freight one any good?
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Dec 16, 2012 06:13
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Early Christmas present to myself. An old George H Bishop rip saw, dates to between 1887-1899. 28" blade, 5.5 teeth per inch. It may not look like much but these are drat fine saws. This one has no real collector value as the original horn was broken and replaced and it is also missing two teeth but it's very sharp and should be a good user saw. Tomorrow I'll test drive it.
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Dec 18, 2012 09:50
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Man, I have no idea how carpenters did their jobs before circular saws became common. My arm would fall off before I even built one wall, let alone an entire house!
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Dec 18, 2012 16:32
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kid sinister posted:Man, I have no idea how carpenters did their jobs before circular saws became common. My arm would fall off before I even built one wall, let alone an entire house! A lot of it was that they had much better quality saws. Hand tools took a general decline after 1930ish. I cut some 1x pine today and it only took a couple strokes to cut the width of the saw, or a little over 7". But yeah, it would kill me to use just a hand saw building a house.
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Dec 18, 2012 23:53
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But if you were building a house using only a hand saw, you'd be used to a little hard work. Plus you would know every trick there is to cutting ( ) down on the amount of cutting you'd have to do. We build stick frame houses the way we do because of the tools we have available to us, much like how you can build a timber-frame barn with not much more than a few chisels, a saw, an axe, and a drill.
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Dec 19, 2012 01:11
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Cutting by hand doesn't take much longer really with a good sharp waxed saw. I think there were more carpenters working on site also An interesting option Sears (and others) offered for their catalog homes in the early 20th century was that you could have all your lumber numbered and machine pre-cut to size then delivered by rail. Pretty neat. Was not very expensive either, about $8000 (inflation adjusted) for a small home; even included paint and nails dwoloz fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Dec 19, 2012 |
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Dec 19, 2012 01:29
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What's a good place to find replacement carbon brushes? My band saw needs a pair of.25 x.25 x 5/8 (1.25 free length) brushes. McMaster Carr has them for $14 which seems a bit steep for a simple wear part.
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Dec 19, 2012 02:07
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One Legged Ninja posted:much like how you can build a timber-frame barn with not much more than a few chisels, a saw, an axe, and a drill. A hand drill, at that.
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Dec 19, 2012 04:50
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dwoloz posted:Cutting by hand doesn't take much longer really with a good sharp waxed saw. I think there were more carpenters working on site also Today it's typical to see independent contractor crews of 3-4 guys putting up a frame, doing the walls and roof, and getting the siding on in just as many days (assuming the foundation is already finished). When a crew of 4 put my grandfather's new house up this summer they had all that done in 3 days, and cleaned up the jobsite on the 4th. He said there were nearly 10 people working on his previous house 60 years earlier, and it took nearly half a summer to finish what they did. Chop/skill saws, cordless tools, power drills, air-nailers, and pre-made building materials like aspenite and plywood are incredible time savers, and building codes help speed things up as well since contractors know what has to be done and how, no matter the design of the house they are working on. dwoloz posted:An interesting option Sears (and others) offered for their catalog homes in the early 20th century was that you could have all your lumber numbered and machine pre-cut to size then delivered by rail. Pretty neat. Was not very expensive either, about $8000 (inflation adjusted) for a small home; even included paint and nails. A guy I know lives in a 2 floor ~2000 sq ft sears house and it's pretty amazing the variety of designs that they used to have and the complexity of them as well. Some of them were standard bungalows, but his had a little bit of character to it. He managed to copy a page from a catalogue that featured his house and the price (I can't remember a number) was incredibly cheap. I wish i knew it so I could adjust for inflation like you did. Google Maps Picture: no additions have been made, that covered porch/deck was part of the plans) 
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Dec 19, 2012 14:20
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I break down sheets of plywood using a hand saw. My co-worker here thinks I am crazy, but it really doesn't take that much longer. As a bonus I get practice sawing a straight line and a bit of a workout in the process. My circular saw just makes too much of a mess and I HATE sawdust.
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Dec 19, 2012 15:33
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I use a circular saw and it takes me longer to measure and mark than it does to cut. I started doing the roof decking on my house hand-nailing it with 16d twist shank nails every 6" but quickly decided a framing nailer was in my best interest. I got enough of a workout hauling an entire roof worth of 3/4 ply, ice/water shield, tarpaper, and architectural shingles up to the roof alone, didn't need to make it any worse by nailing it by hand too.
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Dec 19, 2012 19:28
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I picked up a circular saw with a laser a few years back and WOW, it makes a huge difference in being able to make a great-quality straight cut. Definitely worth paying an extra $10 or $20.
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Dec 19, 2012 19:57
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Ok, still trolling craigslist in my area - emailed a few people last week but one was sold and the others all never got back to me. Which of these would be the best relative to price: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/tls/3488659039.html http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/tls/3489071126.html http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/tls/3488004016.html http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/tls/3483185028.html
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Dec 19, 2012 20:22
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Daggerpants posted:Ok, still trolling craigslist in my area - emailed a few people last week but one was sold and the others all never got back to me. Which of these would be the best relative to price: Anything with a cast iron top is best. If the saw has that, you can upgrade from there until you have an amazing saw. Those link belts are really good at taking the wobble out of your blade, and if the motor is kaput and cannot be repaired, it's pretty easy to find a replacement for cheap. You can also get aftermarket fences, and a lot of other stuff that will make a $50 find, with another $100-$200 worth of parts cut like a $1000 saw.
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Dec 20, 2012 02:55
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Daggerpants posted:Ok, still trolling craigslist in my area - emailed a few people last week but one was sold and the others all never got back to me. Which of these would be the best relative to price: First one. Leaves you plenty of money to buy a better fence
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Dec 20, 2012 04:09
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