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Bought one of the $7 harbor freight rotary tools today and did some testing with it. The first thing I tried was using it to polish aluminum. It did a good job of this and its small size allowed me to easily get it around the inside of holes. Next I tried sanding the chatter out of some aluminum. It did a good job with this too and made quick work of it. For both polishing and sanding it does ok because you use very light pressure. Next I tried to use the included drill bits to drill with it. I used a center punch on a piece of 6061-T6 aluminum to make a pilot hole, then used the drill bit to drill with it. It would not drill past the tip of the drill bit. It is completely useless as a drill even on soft metals like aluminum. Lastly I decided to try the cutoff wheel. I put a small (between 1/8 and 1/4" OD) stainless steel screw in my vise and tried to cut it off. It took forever and required very light pressure but it eventually did it. To put in perspective how long it took, the screw was not particularly hot when I finished. Verdict: If you only need a tool for very light sanding and polishing of holes and small surfaces, this is not a bad buy for $7. HOWEVER If you will EVER even one time need it to do what a normal Dremel can do, it will likely not work. If you need a Dremel, buy a Dremel. Don't waste $7 on this. Maybe that black and decker one would work too I don't know. But for $35 brand new its probably worth it to save your pennies.
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Jul 13, 2008 22:14
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 Those electronic earmuffs are extremely useful for griding and shooting and at $11 are an untouchable deal. I have had mine for almost a year and they're great.
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Aug 1, 2008 10:12
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I want this clock. And now its on sale!
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Aug 14, 2008 21:35
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Buy good 3/8, 1/4, and 1/2 ratchets. They all wear out eventually but the ones that come in like wal mart sets and even those blackhawk ones I have worn out very very quickly. Craftsman wear out too but generally hold up much better than those previously mentioned and when they wear out you just get a free replacement.
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Sep 6, 2008 20:13
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two_beer_bishes posted:My parents are getting me a new air compressor for my birthday and I've picked this one. I will be getting a nice assortment of air tools including an impact wrench. I talked to a guy at Northern Tool today and he said it would be fine for tools but I would "need to do one wheel at a time before letting the compressor refill". I don't ever plan on taking an impact wrench to my wheels, but will I seriously only have a few seconds at a time that I could use an impact wrench? That guy is an idiot and Campbell Hausfeld is an entry level brand. Just get whatever is cheapest, you wont be using it much compared to a real shop. I can take all four wheels off with a 20 gallon before refilling. Also why would you never use an impact gun on your wheels?
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Dec 7, 2008 00:45
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sharkytm posted:oilless are loud as gently caress. My Craftsman is oilless, and its awful to work around. This is true from experience. My craftsman is put-outside-and-run-a-long-hose-in-the-garage loud.
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Dec 9, 2008 00:44
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I am going to post up a big review of a bunch of HF tools after xmas but I am sorta curious, would anyone be interested if I started a tool deal watching thread in coupons? I tend to watch sales pretty closely and would add some instructions for how patient people can find great deals on stuff.
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Dec 24, 2008 05:01
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I started it. It will take a bit to get finished. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3040563
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Dec 24, 2008 23:08
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A Dial test indicator will probably be my next purchase and I can see why you'd buy that new but god drat did you seriously pay $90 for that mitutoyo mic? I see staretts all the time on ebay for very reasonable prices and in fact got one with some other SPI and american branded measuring stuff with a tool case I bought from an older welder on craigslist. Also HF sells a magnetic base for like $15 - 20% off. I just bought one and one of their 1" travel dial indicators. It doesn't have the resolution I want but it will do for now. I am cheap as hell when it comes to tools unless its something, like a test indicator, that you need ot be very accurate and have a high degree of resolution. Are you buying all new brand name stuff from MSC? EDIT: And yea a full set of carbide twist drills is going to be really really expensive. I've been thinking about buying some from overseas like pakistan of china as I want a set. What exactly are you using all this stuff for? EDIT2: haha holy loving poo poo http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=2045246&PMT4NO=55683038 EDIT3 and the last one: I just checked on ebay you could put together that same set of carbide jobber length drill bits for around $200 if you contacted the seller and combined shipping. AnomalousBoners fucked around with this message at 09:51 on Dec 26, 2008 |
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Dec 26, 2008 09:40
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Ive honestly yet to see a mic that cant measure to whatever the resolution on it is accurately unless it was one of those $15 chinese ones trying to measure tenths and it had been dropped. I have only been measuring things for about 3 years though. Also stop by the metalworking megathread and say hi. Machinists are largely overshadowed by fat guys with hammers making roses and katanas out of railroad spikes.
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Dec 26, 2008 09:54
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 This will be updated many times before its finished EDIT: I think I might do this on my Machine Shop Blog so I can get some traffic there as well as add all the other items I have already done in this thread. I've bought a bunch of poo poo from harbor freight and seen almost everything they've got. You can ask me if it sucks or is good about just about anything. Countersink Deburring set: If you need to deburr anything more than aluminum, this isn't really for you. Magnetic Machinist Base: Works just as good as any other but costs $15 - coupons 1" Travel Indicator: Frequently on sale for about $8 this is a decent, cheap indicator. That is if a resolution/accuracy of .001" is acceptable for you. The nice thing is though if you drop it you can just throw it out. Magnetic light: I have this on my lathe, it is awesome. Didnt need to fabricate anything and seems like it would stick in most places/semi flar surfaces like, for exmaple, under a car when a hanging light won't do. 3W LED Maglite: This works ok, I have not tried their red and blue 2 pack but usually those lights are pretty terrible. This one is ok as $20 flashlights go but cant even compare to a nice $50-60 one. If you wanted one for concealed carry, this is not it. If you wanted just a small white LED flashlight that you dont have to worry about if it breaks, its a decent investment especially witht he recent 20% off coupons. Electrical connectors/heatshrink tubing: They have the best deals on ellectrical connectors. Really very very good. Youre getting ripped off if you go to auto zone. They even sell those vampire/quick connectors cheaply in Red/Blue/Yellow. AnomalousBoners fucked around with this message at 07:45 on Dec 27, 2008 |
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Dec 27, 2008 07:42
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I too have gotten the super cheap ones Complaints: No auto off feature so the battery tends to run out. Plastic breaks really easily, one of my probed has the plastic slot is slides into it broke off inside it. Worth the money though. Never needed one with more features so I haven't tried those.
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Dec 27, 2008 14:29
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Lando posted:Eh, HF had a pretty decent wrench package on sale the other day. Metric/Standard combo, pretty much every size you could want, 25 wrench? for $13. I needed metrics too. Philadelphia brand. I got two boxes of their pegboard holders and they do make your tools look beautiful. I have two almost 3 complete sets of standard and at least two sets of metrics. I keep one in my tool box but its pretty much pointless because those pegs are so much better. I never did do my big tool review.... :/ Ill get around to it, just been busy.
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Dec 30, 2008 00:53
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Even my wife was happy, so she could take stuff and not put it back 
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WD40 is awesome at fixing stuck up air ratchets FYI.
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Dec 30, 2008 05:47
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This should go without saying but HF's plain/bright finish, TiN, and Al/Black Oxide coated HSS (M2) drillbits are crap for drilling anything even sorta (Over 100 brinell). Haven't tried their cobalt but I use a Rigid Cobalt set for drilling anything that's stainless or mild steel.
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Dec 30, 2008 11:59
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Stick welding sucks rear end, if youre going to be doing automotive stuff get a MIG and an argon bottle. Also if you look in coupons at the cheap tool tracking thread you'll see how to save a couple % with live search.
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Dec 31, 2008 06:58
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Would a 110 mig be enough? It says up to 3/16 cold steel on one of the mig welders .... I guess that would be frame territory on that size. I have used alot of stick welding though, guess its time to make the switch to MIG and get with the times. I've seen 130A 110V MIGs advertising a max material thickness of 1/4"
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Dec 31, 2008 19:04
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frozenphil posted:Pegboard is pegboard is pegboard. It's just a piece of MDF with holes in it; buy whatever is cheapest. Agreed. Used, cheap, whatever. I really like the cheap HF hanging kit. I bought two and have a bit left over.
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Dec 31, 2008 20:49
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I want to organize all my nuts and bolts, right now I have a bunch just sorta thrown in with everything else. Mostly old metric bolts from my 4.6 and previous 302s but some SAE stuff as well.
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Jan 4, 2009 06:26
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Uthor posted:I'm totally getting something like this once I get enough stuff to warrant the cost and space: I could certainly justify the cost as that would pay for itself in not having to buy 20 bolts or if I needed higher strength grade 5 or 8 bolts not having to buy 10 bolts. However, a lot of my bolts are considerably longer than 4-5/8. The plastic parts bins are awesome but very expensive for holding bolts. I don't really want to spend $40 for 40 storage places.
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Jan 4, 2009 08:20
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Ya know that might not be a bad solution in the mean time. I could pick up a set of those sticky labels and print them out for easy identification.
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Jan 5, 2009 19:53
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Lighting are tools too! I have two 2 bulb flourescents haning in my garage and find that they are night bright enough for my two car garage. (One is in the middle, one is over my work bench.) I also don't like the white light near as much as the standard light bulbs and they are not near as bright as the standard 60 or 100W bulbs that are in the garage door motor.
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Jan 6, 2009 15:35
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EvilCrayon posted:I'm looking for tools to start working on cars again. I used to use my friend's tool's or my dad's tools when I lived at home but now that my friend is in another state, I need some tools! I'm on a pretty low budget but I still want tools that last. I've been looking at getting a couple small pieces from snap-on or matco. Not too much but the bare minimum for working on cars. Craftsman are fine. In 4-5 years of working on cars/other things casually I have only broken one socket and my craftsman set is used from a garage sale. I've worn out 2-3 ratchets over that time but I keep like 3-4 of each kind around so it was never a problem, I just returned them later. They're of decent quality again mine were used so who knows how long they've lasted. The nice thing about craftsman is every moving sale has a set for sale and if you offer to just buy all their tools you can get killer deals and any rusty sockets or worn out wrenches you can return. Air tools and stuff you can get from harbor freight although you might need a better air ratchet than theirs. I don't have theirs but I have a cheap one and I only bust it ou8t if I am doing a longer job because its kinda clunky and doesn't fit places that well. I also have a retarded loud compressor.
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Jan 15, 2009 11:08
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I should probably add tat I think craftsman is a bit overpriced for what you get and wouldn't consider buying a new set. NT has decent, super cheap swivel sockets. It is likely you will need them at some point.
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Jan 15, 2009 17:14
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HF ratchets are awful, I have their thumb ratchets and swivel heads as just-in-case-I-need-them type tools and they are not near loose enough to be useful. They will stop ratcheting before the bolts can be unscrewed with their fingers. Craftsmans are way way better about this and I'd say that that quality is as or more important than durability.
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Jan 15, 2009 20:03
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sharkytm posted:Have you lubed them up? I've got a set of the stubby flex's, and they used to be too tight. I soaked them in ATF, and they dropped a bunch of metal grinds into the can I had them soaking in. Now they are much better. I have one of HF's supersonic cleaners Ill give it a couple cycles in ATF and see how they do. Thanks.
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Jan 15, 2009 20:30
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Kynetx posted:Huh. I'm surprised everyone has had such bad luck. I've never had a socket split on me. The only time I've had trouble with a ratchet was when I had to loosen a lug bolt with one by standing on it and jumping. We're talking 300+ lbs of torque on a 10" 3/8 ratchet. Same thing here, only time I have cracked a socket is doing that. I also got a bolt basically pressure welded to a cheapo socket one time. EDIT: Just filled my little ultrasonic with ATF and put all my cheap ratchets in it. The ATF is too think for the vibrator to get any cleaning action going but I'll let them soak a while. How long should I leave them in there for? AnomalousBoners fucked around with this message at 22:12 on Jan 15, 2009 |
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Jan 15, 2009 22:01
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http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=17742722&PMT4NO=0 ER32 Collet chuck: $123 http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=17742678&PMT4NO=0 ER32 Collet Set: $357 Price on ebay for both from an American seller but made in china? $122 shipped. Got them both today and will be ordering some more collet chucks. I freaking love buying tooling on ebay. gently caress ever using a drill chuck or hand making a tap holder to power tap poo poo. Collets rule and since I am not even milling with them (although I have heard they're good enough that I could provided I am not running RPMs that require balancing) I really don't have poo poo to worry about. Also should be here next week: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=200094179608 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=200296096557 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=200296512600 Total: $50.73 Price at MSC: $27 + $71 (For smaller but comparable boring bar) + $345 (69 * 5pcs) Total: $443 I am seriously about to go broke from all the good deals I've been getting. Not even joking here though you need so much poo poo you dont immediately think about just for simple lathe jobs. Just trying to tap and thread a few hundred steel aprts is going to cost me big $$. AnomalousBoners fucked around with this message at 22:07 on Jan 17, 2009 |
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Jan 17, 2009 22:04
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truckramrod posted:Who needs a Geiger counter?!? Who doesn't?! Awesome. Apparently working ones for for $25-30 shipped on ebay for the nuclear disaster type. AnomalousBoners fucked around with this message at 14:35 on Jan 19, 2009 |
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Jan 19, 2009 14:32
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I have the blue one and am very happy with mine.
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Jan 21, 2009 17:06
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HF 20% off coupon again! http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa...44&keycode=0000 AnomalousBoners fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Jan 22, 2009 |
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Jan 22, 2009 23:37
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I will be adding this to my assortment of machining related equipment very soon. 20% off of $250? gently caress yea.  It says it can cut up to 4.5" round which is pretty much the biggest I can handle in my machine. AnomalousBoners fucked around with this message at 00:50 on Jan 23, 2009 |
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Jan 23, 2009 00:46
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The band saw? here I was worried it might be too small and crappy although I guess the blade would have a lot to do with that.
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Jan 23, 2009 02:21
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devnull420 posted:Goddamn, 2 days after I spend a couple hundred at HF - 20% off is a great deal. I know how you feel, I am trying to figure out what all I'll need.
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Jan 23, 2009 03:59
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Yea I am going to rig up a coolant system for it since it probably doesnt have one. gently caress using anything becides water soluble oil. I use cutting oil a lot cause I use a lot of HSS tooling on my lathe and at the end of the day theres just a very fine mist of it everywhere.
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Jan 23, 2009 04:39
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Chauncey posted:A cheap pump, 5 gallon bucket, and a few feet of tubing is easy to do and having used both, I'd rig the coolant system up any day. It makes a difference in blade life and also keeps the piece you're cutting cool and carries chips away from the cutting surface. All of this x2 If I was cutting soft materials with this that'd be one thing but I'll be cutting mild and stainless mostly starting out.
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Jan 23, 2009 16:31
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I saw the "Vacula" brake fluid changer, would I be able to hook up like a shop vac to a cup and suck brake fluid out that way and then just pour in new fluid until what comes out is clear, close and repeat? I guess I am asking what the fastest way to change brake fluid is without a $150 Vacula that I will sue twice. Is there a good, quick, harbor freight alternative? It is definitely past time for my Mark VIII.
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Jan 23, 2009 20:00
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IOwnCalculus posted:Get a MityVac at HF for $30. I picked one up to do the clutch master on my Miata and I'm never doing anything with hydraulics any other way ever again. I saw that, isnt it just a hand pump unit?
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Jan 24, 2009 00:11
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I bought mine but haven't assembled it yet. It was on sale for $199 then I got 20% off that. Hell of a deal. Got it, tape, two blades for it, and a soda for less than $200 after tax 
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Jan 27, 2009 04:08
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$29 for a hammer that's just going to get hosed up? I'll take a rubber coated dead blow for $8 at HF thank you.
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Feb 1, 2009 02:20
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