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StormDrain posted:All right I took it apart and it had some grease in the gear reduction area that was clearish. Nothing like any grease I've ever bought. Since it was apart I just wiped it out and put fresh stuff in. I worked some into the bearings too. It seems like a robust enough tool I am sure it'll run as long as I have it. Sounds like the crap I cleaned out of the grinder I bought from HF years ago. Kind of a yellowy-clear junk that smelled terrible. Packed it full of the good red stuff and I've been beating on it ever since. Hasn't let the smoke out yet, but I've gotten my money out of it if it does.
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Apr 19, 2023 01:44
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Any suggestions on a good snap ring plier set? I'm in love with Knipex stuff lately and I am about ready to throw all my cheap convertible crap out. Any opinions on Gearwrench set, it would be significantly cheaper than Knipex, but the older I get the more willing I am to buy once. Trying to get into the inner snap ring on my Suburban a/c compressor and this cheap poo poo just has not real feel to it, although I may have to get it where I can drop it down and see what the hell I am doing.
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Apr 19, 2023 02:51
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My tekton set isn't anything to write home about but so far it's worked for me, except for a few crazy huge ones I had to buy special tools for to rebuild a one ton trucks NV4500 transmission.
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Apr 19, 2023 06:56
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I bought this set to pull the inner clip rings off Mitsubishi turbo housings to rebuild. They've done really well for larger rings, if this is the style you're looking for. Channellock RT-3 Convertible Retaining Ring Plier Set, 3-Piece, Blue https://a.co/d/bY05Tna The retaining rings with the point ends have always been the bane of my existence. A couple flat screwdrivers and plenty of space have been my go to on those.
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Apr 19, 2023 18:59
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I got a cheap craftsman branded set (CMMT14115 I think) and while they do, eventually, work I've had to resist the urge to throw them in the trash each time I've used them. Mostly because I think I might miss the can and damage my freshly painted wall.
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Apr 19, 2023 19:25
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EvellSnoats posted:Any suggestions on a good snap ring plier set? I'm in love with Knipex stuff lately and I am about ready to throw all my cheap convertible crap out. Any opinions on Gearwrench set, it would be significantly cheaper than Knipex, but the older I get the more willing I am to buy once. The knipex ones are indeed nice. I was frustrated with the random collection of convertible ones I had, too. Work was buying, so cost wasn't a huge issue, but after I got them I wound up buying the same ones for home. I did an a/c clutch on my Chevy 2500, and yeah, that is very much a job done solely by feel.
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Apr 19, 2023 19:38
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ThinkFear posted:The knipex ones are indeed nice. I was frustrated with the random collection of convertible ones I had, too. Work was buying, so cost wasn't a huge issue, but after I got them I wound up buying the same ones for home. I did an a/c clutch on my Chevy 2500, and yeah, that is very much a job done solely by feel. I gave up on the feel and just dropped the compressor after not being able to tell if it was locked or just the clutch. Once out, the snap ring was easy. The clutch was going to be $170, I got the compressor, orifice tube, drier and rear expansion valve all for $270 from RA, so I figured it that was a better deal than getting the clutch only to find out one of the other components was bad. I will buy the Knipex kit as a reward if it all works. I have the channelocks, but they were just too big. Thanks all for weighing in. BTW, the last time I posted to this thread was about Wera Joker Wrench warranty, props to Wera, they made it real easy to submit the claim and get a replacement.
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Apr 20, 2023 03:13
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I avoid Canadian Tire whenever possible. Mastercraft is "OK" - imho it's glorified mediocre off-shore stuff like most of the "decent" Princess auto stuff but maybe with a slightly better warranty which they might/might not stand by (be it tools or auto parts). BUT they wrap themselves in the Canadian flag and charge a premium for it as they have to pay for the feel good support Canada advertising, even though virtually nothing in store is Canadian other than the minimum wage workers. Their sale prices are not bad, but regular prices on tools are insane. You can can legit buy quality Williams/Snap-on industrial cheaper than their stuff. Going back to thermal camera chat, before I went on holidays almost 3 weeks ago I ordered one of those HK Micro cameras. Went with the stand alone, no frills B10 units. It had a $50 off coupon on Amazon the day before I left so I pulled bought it and it was waiting for me when I returned. Reason I went with that one specifically is that I actively don't want Wifi or any "smart" stuff, but thought that the higher resolution would be nice. Only downsides that I've noticed so far is that the memory is built in instead of a removable SD card (not a biggie) and it only goes to -20C - BUT - it seems to work well, picture is miles better than the couple of phone-add on units and it seems to be actively supported with recent firmware updates. USB-C charging/transfer. Other issue is that it is not automatically detected as a USB drive with Win10. Need to download their windows app which seems to install the drivers. But to use the app you need to create an account with them, so no thanks. I just downloaded the program and won't actually use it. Any ideas for having this thing recognized via standard USB drivers so I don't need this program? I tried uninstalling the program afterwards, but it was no longer recognized after that either. Attached is a sample. I have yet to really get into it and play with the settings and image options. You can see the max temp (heat vent at bottom), min (window) and center temp (kitty)
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Apr 21, 2023 14:57
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In the age of cordless drills and tool less chucks it's been a while since I had to do this!
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Apr 21, 2023 19:02
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StormDrain posted:In the age of cordless drills and tool less chucks it's been a while since I had to do this! I have been buying nothing but air drills with keyless chucks at work to replace the slightly cheaper keyed chuck ones as they wear out. Eventually I'll be able to trash the cup full of half-work-out chuck keys, and it'll make my workday that slight bit easier. Plus the keyless chuck Speedaire ones are significantly quieter than the lovely generic ones they're replacing.
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Apr 22, 2023 03:11
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Thoughts on solar trickle chargers?
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Apr 22, 2023 19:36
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slidebite posted:I avoid Canadian Tire whenever possible. Mastercraft is "OK" - imho it's glorified mediocre off-shore stuff like most of the "decent" Princess auto stuff but maybe with a slightly better warranty which they might/might not stand by (be it tools or auto parts). Now now, show us on the doll where the Canadian Tire touched you.
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Apr 23, 2023 20:23
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LOL, nah, nothing like that although I did work at one for a few years as a teenager. They're just a cross between Princess and a wanna be Wal-Mart, but basically the worst of both.
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Apr 23, 2023 20:50
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Bought myself a Makita brushless drill/driver, but also bought a 5 Ah battery from Aldi a while ago when they had a 25% off sale. Did the natural thing and spent a few days designing connectors for both Makita and "Active Energy" and made a universal adapter between the two. Just 3D printing the last piece again now for a better fit on the spade terminals.
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Apr 25, 2023 18:44
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I have some fairly new Skil 12V tools. For the most part they work fine, and they have some neat features: Stellar illumination. The drill and driver type tools have big-rear end ring lights around the tip that cast a ton of light at the target from basically all angles. Better yet, the lights turn on BEFORE you have pulled the trigger far enough to get the tip turning. Turbo bonus: the lights stay on for a few seconds after trigger release. I hate hate hate tools with integrated lights that are stingy with the light. The battery chargers AND the batteries all have USB ports on them natively with no adapters that you won't have with you when you need them. A small feature, but it is pretty handy. The really wild thing that I can't believe every drill doesn't do: the "bottom" of the drill chuck has a 1/4" female hex pattern. This means you can jab any bit with a 1/4" hex drive into the drill and start drilling or driving without even tightening up the chuck. It also means any bit with a 1/4" drive will chuck up true every time. This simple thing has made the Skil drill my #1 favorite and second place isn't even close. I have more powerful drills, but this one is just so convenient. It is so much easier to swap bits when I'm in a hurry or I'm trying to hold something in place while prepping fasteners at the same time. This design also ensures the bit cannot come loose from the chuck. I checked, and even the Skil 20V drills aren't made this way. None of my other drills are either. I'm way late to this game, but 3D printers are absolutely loving titties. I have been having a blast making accessories for my tools, little organizers, and wall mounts for loving everything. My wife hates it, but our daughter things its great when I make her little toys and accessories. I made her day when I printed some little crutches for her Barbie. Are there replacement chucks I can put in a drill press that allow keyed or keyless operation? I use the drill press for a lot of tasks where I'm really just using it for its repeatability/accuracy and not all that torque. It is kind of a pain in the rear end to use the keyed chuck when doing this kind of stuff. On the other hand, I do want to be able to crank down on the chuck with the key when I'm using a giant Forstner bit.
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Apr 28, 2023 04:47
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PBCrunch posted:Are there replacement chucks I can put in a drill press that allow keyed or keyless operation? I use the drill press for a lot of tasks where I'm really just using it for its repeatability/accuracy and not all that torque. It is kind of a pain in the rear end to use the keyed chuck when doing this kind of stuff. On the other hand, I do want to be able to crank down on the chuck with the key when I'm using a giant Forstner bit. Drill presses only turn one way, so the keyless chucks designed for drill presses are designed to self-tighten from the torque on the bit.
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Apr 29, 2023 00:19
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Any chuck is a keyless chuck if you grab it hard enough.
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Apr 29, 2023 00:35
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c355n4 posted:Thoughts on solar trickle chargers? Little old, but whatever cheap one from amazon or your other favorite online place. Useful if you're leaving your car for a while but make sure you're either hooking directly to the battery or you're hooking to something that will send the juice to the battery even when switched off.
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Apr 29, 2023 02:33
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LightRailTycoon posted:Drill presses only turn one way, so the keyless chucks designed for drill presses are designed to self-tighten from the torque on the bit. They don't all only turn one way. Mine is a 3 phase and has an instant spindle reverse switch. I use it for tapping and left hand bits pretty regularly.
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Apr 29, 2023 16:18
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I wish left handed bits were more common. I have 2 massive dc brushless motors from a dead 80v snowblower, and making a crazy drill press is one of my ideas for one of them.
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Apr 29, 2023 20:31
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LightRailTycoon posted:I wish left handed bits were more common. I've been wanting to make a jet drive for my kayak for no good reason and I'm adding broken cordless snowblower to my list of possible donor machines. If the pedals move it a jet assist would get it up on plane.
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Apr 30, 2023 15:45
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A while back I got a dead 80v snowblower with the intention of salvaging the motors for a project but then got the handle from an electric lawnmower, wired the two together, and just made a working snowblower instead 
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Apr 30, 2023 16:05
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All the mosfets on the driver board exploded, it was real exciting.
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Apr 30, 2023 17:05
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LightRailTycoon posted:All the mosfets on the driver board exploded, it was real exciting. I'll bet that made a noise. Did they explode while you were relocating snow or while tinkering with it afterwards?
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Apr 30, 2023 17:09
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I was happily snowblow in along, and then got to hear 2 two 40v, 5 ah batteries dump through the control board. Each battery was fused, thankfully, by a large soldered on fuse. The chassis had no attempt at waterproofing the control board, and relied solely on conformal coating. I’m torn between using them to repower shop tools or to make a 2 motor lawn tractor. Either way, the price of motor controllers in that size class holds me back.
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Apr 30, 2023 17:21
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SpeedFreek posted:I've been wanting to make a jet drive for my kayak for no good reason and I'm adding broken cordless snowblower to my list of possible donor machines. If the pedals move it a jet assist would get it up on plane. Just find a totaled jet ski.
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Apr 30, 2023 23:21
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PBCrunch posted:The really wild thing that I can't believe every drill doesn't do: the "bottom" of the drill chuck has a 1/4" female hex pattern. This means you can jab any bit with a 1/4" hex drive into the drill and start drilling or driving without even tightening up the chuck. It also means any bit with a 1/4" drive will chuck up true every time. This simple thing has made the Skil drill my #1 favorite and second place isn't even close. I have more powerful drills, but this one is just so convenient. It is so much easier to swap bits when I'm in a hurry or I'm trying to hold something in place while prepping fasteners at the same time. This design also ensures the bit cannot come loose from the chuck. I'd make sure that 1/4" hex at the bottom of your chuck isn't the bolt that holds the chuck to the drill. You might not run into issues with it during normal use, but it'd be a bit of a pain if you accidentally unscrew your chuck while working on something else.
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May 1, 2023 15:54
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https://www.lislecorp.com/specialty-tools/37960-electrical-disconnect-pliers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SDywH5sS6I Where have these been all my (vehicle owning) life?
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May 3, 2023 03:03
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GM? Cannot be that easy, definitely not VAG or my rear end is in. Even then, plastic gonna plastic (especially German plastic).
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May 3, 2023 03:23
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Yeah that's gonna shatter so many old electrical connectors.
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May 3, 2023 11:21
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I am going to reach out to my Fluke rep to see if I can get hands on one of these units. https://www.fluke.com/en-ca/product/industrial-imaging/sonic-industrial-imager-ii900 Compressed air leaks is a huge thing in industry so this is cool as hell (I'm familiar with the auditory ones), but I'm curious if it can also spot vacuum leaks on/around an IC.
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May 3, 2023 14:30
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Whoa, that’s super neat! I assume it will cost several thousand?
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May 3, 2023 19:15
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Frank Dillinger posted:Whoa, that’s super neat! I assume it will cost several thousand? Or $22k.  Cool toy, though!
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May 3, 2023 20:17
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EVERYWHERE 
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Problem: Car with 5 foot overhangs front and rear Solution: Jack-e-chan     Long reach, 22" lift, 5 ton capacity, foot pump. I can get to the front crossmember or diff without climbing under the car, or even get to them from the side. It has barely been used, retails at $1600 and i got it for $130. around 50 cents a pound.
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May 5, 2023 22:17
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kastein posted:Yeah that's gonna shatter so many old electrical connectors. On one hand, probably, on the other hand, gently caress it I'm adding it to the wishlist. Speaking of useful pliers, I had to deal with this hose clamp while tearing into the Canyon, and my usual hose clamp pliers with the end on a cable wouldn't work - there was basically no access around the clamp itself, but great access parallel to the length of the hose.  These pliers from HF got that job done quick: 
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May 5, 2023 22:42
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I'm starting to need more tool box space. I have an older Mastercraft (Canadian Tire brand) roller cabinet and top box/chest from around the late 90s style. So skinny and somewhat tall vs the more modern types that are wider and much shorter and may or may not have a "work bench" style top to them. I have zero intention of ditching this box and getting a new one, so I'm looking for an add on type box that hangs off the side of the roller cabinet. I've found a couple that may suit the my needs at places like Grainger and so on, but goddam they're expensive. Is there anything specifically I should be looking for in one of these? Do they typically just hang off the side attached at the top? I doubt I'll find a matching one at Canadian Tire as they don't even seem to sell my style of box anymore let alone acessories for it, but if there is more to it than just "hang new box off side of old box" thats fine, just curious as to how these things work. I don't mind having to drill a few holes if necessary to nut and bolt things together if necessary.
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May 18, 2023 23:04
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Cruise garage sales. Or, I know you said you don't plan on ditching it, but Costco has "decent" stuff on for really good deals time to time on nice chest sets. If I had the budget, I'd to a totally custom Williams workstation with lighting, removable rolling cabinets. Similar to this (we did this one for a client of mine) but with a different and removable chest on the side. Maybe one on both sides.
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May 18, 2023 23:17
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wesleywillis posted:I'm starting to need more tool box space. I have an older Mastercraft (Canadian Tire brand) roller cabinet and top box/chest from around the late 90s style. So skinny and somewhat tall vs the more modern types that are wider and much shorter and may or may not have a "work bench" style top to them. I’d just keep an eye on FB marketplace/Kijiji for a second box to expand. Way easier to find and easier to move around.
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May 19, 2023 03:07
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what's the coolest air hammer accessory out there? I just got a rat a tat and I need more excuses to rat n tat with it lol
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May 21, 2023 15:50
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Mayhew makes a bolt breaker that lets you rattle fasteners while turning to loosen them. There’s also pickle forks for stuck ball joints if you don’t care about the boots and hammer ends for anything you wanna hammer on real loudly.
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May 21, 2023 17:00
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