Tools! - Crimpin ain't easy but it is necessary.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Tools! - Crimpin ain't easy but it is necessary.

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Brain Issues posted:

Is this at the fort wayne store? Are they still on clearance? I'm going to have to go there today.

I stopped in to the store in Dayton OH to see if I could buy a couple SAE sets to go along with the metric sets I bought a few weeks ago. Everything was on clearance and they only had the metric sets left

# ¿ Dec 27, 2010 23:24

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 17:54

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

eddiewalker posted:

Just snagged a bunch of HF pact sets, impact wobbles and impact extensions on clearance.

The biggest surprise was seeing the 1/2 and 3/4 drive breaker bars for like $4 down from $20ish.

Thanks for posting this, I didn't notice the breaker bars were on clearance when I went the other day looking for SAE impact socket sets (which they didn't have). Bought a 25" breaker bar for $6, and was happy to find they had restocked the SAE sockets, so I bought a couple of those. The extensions and wobble sets weren't on clearance.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2010 16:56

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

DefaultPeanut posted:

I am in the market for a small lathe, and checked the first bit of the thread but was not able to much. I'm in the market for something around 180mm X 250mm. Never having owned a lathe before, and only using one briefly, I am not too educated on the subject.

Where would be some good places to look (in Canada) for lathes, and a general overview of metal lathes?

I've been quite happy with my harbor freight 8x12/14 benchtop lathe. It's got quite a bit of weight (250lbs) for the amount I paid ($360+tooling)

# ¿ Jan 16, 2011 15:51

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

meatsneakers posted:

Can anyone give me some guidance on this: I need to press fit two thin metal tubes together. I'll be using 1/4" and 3/8" dia aluminum and brass. I need something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Ridgid-34152-Tube-Expander-Kit/dp/B001HWLRXO but $400 way out of my price range. Basically I need an exhaust expander but tiny. Does something like this exist (for not $400)?

edit -

I can't hammer this poo poo and the press fit will be + a few mm from 3/8" so a swaging tool isn't possible.

Freeze the inside tube and torch the outside tube?

# ¿ May 8, 2011 03:35

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I have one of these: http://www.harborfreight.com/3-8-eighth-inch-quick-release-swivel-head-ratchet-96782.html

The head swivels and if you set it on axis with the handle you can use it as a driver. They have a stubby version too.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2011 17:11

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

sharkytm posted:

Thrdedededed. I got a Makita LXT set as a wedding present... best wedding present ever.

My uncle got my wife and I a fein multimaster :cool:

# ¿ Oct 28, 2011 00:39

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I've been very happy with this ratchet: http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-quick-release-swivel-head-ratchet-96783.html and I have a set of 1/2" 6 pt impact sockets from harbor freight as well that I'm very happy with. They're currently going on it's second engine removal and they're holding up just fine.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2011 19:54

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I've had the flex head gearwrench set for the past couple years and I've been pretty happy with them overall. The flex head is bit annoying at times but works okay for the most part. If I had the non-flex versions I would probably use those most of the time. They've taken light beatings with my 16oz hammer without breaking so they seem durable enough.

# ¿ Dec 17, 2011 16:56

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I just bought a zebralight h51fw headlamp and love it. It's small, lightweight, well made, uses 1 AA battery, and very bright. A bit pricey, but definitely worth it.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2011 17:10

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

At the very least there should be a garage wall

# ¿ Apr 26, 2012 19:31

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Timmy Cruise posted:

Really? Why not? (serious question - thinking back on anodized items and they've all been aluminum)

Anodizing steel would make it rust.

# ¿ May 21, 2012 07:00

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Well if we're posting our favorite ratchets, here's mine. It's held up great on a couple engine swaps and dismantling a wrecked wrx. Being able to angle the head a little bit helps quite a bit in fitting the ratchet into tricky spots.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2012 06:07

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

ASSTASTIC posted:

Posted this on the DIY tools thread, but is there a general concensus on a good electric impact gun? Is the Harbor Freight one poo poo?

I've had one for a year or so and it's worked okay. My only problem is that it's pretty huge so it can't be used in tight places.

# ¿ Dec 17, 2012 00:58

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Splizwarf posted:

Fixed that for you. The non-lockers are frankly a bag of poo poo for a lot of jobs.

You guys know you can tighten them.....right? Mine are nice and stiff and take a little effort to flex.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2013 05:36

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Splizwarf posted:

I didn't, the ones I've used have been loaners. I own lockers, so I didn't look too deeply into the matter. How are they tightened?

My gearwrench set uses a small hex socket head screw at the pivot

# ¿ Apr 15, 2013 00:10

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I use this for my driver bits, and it works great

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-6-Compartment-Medium-Tough-Case-DW2190/202248657

# ¿ Dec 18, 2013 04:07

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

InitialDave posted:

They're a wall-drive design, so it shouldn't be a major issue - and with it being a breaker and tommy bar rather than a ratchet, the smaller angle between potential fits does have an advantage.

What do you mean by a wall drive design?

# ¿ Jan 20, 2014 01:26

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Nice, how much? I've been wanting a 7.25" slider as my ridgid 12" is a bear to move even with the stand.

In other news, apparently harbor freight has started enforcing the requirement of have a receipt for warranty exchange of their hand tools. My 1/2" swivel ratchet crapped out on me and the manager at my local store wouldn't exchange it without some arguing.

# ¿ Mar 15, 2014 04:40

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Motronic posted:

I would normally not suggest buying anything that plugs in from Harbor Freight, but 3 or 4 years later my $23 angle grinder is still going.

It doesn't have the power of a nicer one, but it does all the cutting and grinding I need just fine. Need to go a little slower on heavy stuff.

I agree, I've been abusing my $15 4.5" HF angle grinder and it's held up better than I was expecting

# ¿ Jul 26, 2014 18:59

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I don't understand, what are they trying to accomplish?

# ¿ Sep 27, 2014 18:50

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

PitViper posted:

I have the same 3-jaw one posted above, and it has never failed. If you can get straight at the end of the filter, it'll crush the end to get a grip and then spin it right off. I've used the strap-and-handle type, and it's rare that there's space around the filter on most vehicles. Definitely not on anything I own, except the bike.

I have one from HF and have never really had good luck with it. It just slips before it bites in.

# ¿ Dec 7, 2014 09:30

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Sentient Data posted:

Sounds like I should combine everything, I'll tape a hacksaw blade to a vibrator then heat it up with a blowtorch

In seriousness the hacksaw method is probably what I'll go with, it might not end the prettiest but it's cheap and I can always just sand the result. I like the hot knife idea, but nowhere around here rents them and I don't see using it more than once

You could also probably debulk with a pair of tin snips and clean it up with a dremel and sanding drum. Tin snips would probably be a lot easier than a hacksaw blade

# ¿ Mar 25, 2015 16:30

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

revmoo posted:

Finally broke down and bought a new tire inflator:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002PUTC0M

This thing is pretty badass. My favorite is how it clips on to the valve stem so you don't have to hold it in place. To deflate, simply pull the trigger halfway, pull fully to inflate. Build quality isn't _quite_ what I'd expect for 60 bucks, but I'm sure it will hold up just fine for home use.

I have a similar one made by cambell hausfeld, just with an analog gauge. Its great. Harbor freight also sells one.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2015 23:48

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

sharkytm posted:

They're badged with a dozen or more names. Grizzly, etc sell them too. There's two sizes, the 7x and the 9x.
The 7x has more issues, but is a lot smaller. http://www.7xlathes.com/
http://www.mini-lathe.com/
http://www.micro-machine-shop.com/

These sites have a wealth of information. They're functional lathes. LittleMachineShop has some upgrade parts too.

There's more than just 2, I have the 8x12(14) in my basement.

# ¿ Mar 29, 2016 03:07

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I think it probably depends on what you're planning on using the tools for. I do a lot of my own home remodeling stuff. I initially went with 12v tools first and there were a lot of instances where I needed bigger tools and had to pull out my corded stuff. I subsequently bought 18v tools and use those nearly exclusively.

# ¿ May 20, 2016 15:39

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I might be the only guy here with ridgid tools but I got their new 3 panel work light for Christmas. The light quality is great and it's very bright (it's variable and goes up to 2500 lumens). I'm currently changing my steering rack and it fits pretty nicely under the car.

Ferremit posted:

Its like god mode for retaining rings. I had the thing in my hand before I even uttered the first profanity! I can see a VERY expensive Knipex habit forming...

Yeah, I'm buying one of the 3 packs of the pliers wrenches. Looking forward to getting them.

# ¿ Jan 8, 2017 16:56

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

um excuse me posted:

Oh poo poo I have a drawer full of receipts. Not sure if they're still readable or not after a few years though. I only keep them because I've gotten crap for trying to return an item with a life time warranty without proof I bought it.

Ha, I stopped saving my HF receipts as they become unreadable so quickly and I don't want to store them in a freezer.

Gonna have to dig through my credit card statements, good thing I never pay in cash at least.

# ¿ Mar 17, 2017 02:58

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

The $40 (after coupon) harbor freight corded impact wrench works pretty well, it's just big. I live in NY and can't think of a time when it failed to remove a rusted bolt.

edit: Other than twisting the head off small fasteners, but that's not really the tool's fault.

# ¿ Jun 3, 2017 14:56

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

monsterzero posted:

Yeah. I'll break out the measuring tape and check the depth issue. The Subie should be no problem but it might not reach high/far enough for my Silverado. I didn't think about pulling with the transmission, which is a good point.

I wish I could find one used for cheap. I've been watching CL and FB groups since I knew this was going to happen, and everything for sale is as much or more as a new HF one with coupons. I need more wrenching friends, because in a perfect world I should be able to borrow one for two weeks for a case of beer.

I used the 1 ton HF lift during my ez30d swap and it worked fine on a gc impreza. I don't remember if it was fully extended or not but it cleared everything fine with the car on jack stands, also with the HF load leveler

# ¿ Jul 12, 2017 04:28

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Krakkles posted:

I'm wondering if this is a thing that exists - I'm looking for a way to store bits for a hex driver, as I have quite a few and they're constantly disorganized and stuffed into a piece of crud plastic case that came with a Dewalt set of bits I bought awhile ago. What I'm envision is a folding (think like a book) case which just has large flat surfaces inside, magnetized.

Is this a thing? Is there a better way?

I use one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW2190-Heavy-Medium-Tough/dp/B000CNO72W

Which Ive been happy with. I actually manage to keep my bits relatively organized by type.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2018 01:31

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

eddiewalker posted:

The TS100 is some quality chinesium, you all.

0 to 600F in like 15 seconds on an m12. Faster on an 18v.

Finally something to replace my $5 RadioShack soldering iron(s).

Thanks for posting this, had no idea it existed. I only ever solder for 2 minutes at a time and usually have to bust out an extension cord for where I'm working.

dyne fucked around with this message at 03:24 on Mar 27, 2018

# ¿ Mar 27, 2018 03:22

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I have the ego pole saw, pole hedge trimmer, 16" chain saw, and one of their trimmers. I'm very pleased with all of them.

I don't know if a pole saw is viable for 40' tall limbs. I can comfortably cut limbs 10-12' off the ground. you'd need to be standing on at least a 30' tall ladder which doesnt sound like a great idea.

# ¿ Aug 5, 2019 14:51

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

bobbilljim posted:

I recently bought a fourth drill/driver, a bosch 12V flexiclick set. I would highly recommend it, it's nice and compact and works great. I don't think my other drills / impact driver will be getting much use now.

https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/boschtools-ocs/12v-max-drill-drivers-gsr12v-140fcb22-187544-p/

I actually find the bare tool the most useful, no need to fiddle around to change bits as it is just a magnet job. Comes with the locking attachment though if you need it. Only downside so far is the elastic in the bag thing is pretty chintzy. One of them is starting to unravel already. You can cram a lot of extra poo poo in there alongside the drill parts so overall I do like the bag despite its failings.

I have the milwaukee version and I think it's great. It's my go-to for drilling/driving in the house (it's also my 8th drill/driver, I may have a problem)

# ¿ Oct 6, 2020 04:51

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

meatpimp posted:

Fuel Surge 1/4" Hydraulic driver. It's my go-to tool for just about everything in the past year and I absolutely love it. I screwed a few sheets of drywall with it on Friday and put together a modified 4 person workstation with it today. It's as close to a do-all tool as I've ever seen.

https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Power-Tools/Fastening/Impact-Drivers/2551-20

Same here, its a great tool, completely replacing my m12 impact driver and mostly replacing my ridgid 18v impact. My only complaint is mine makes a loudish high pitched noise (the same as my other m12 tools make, but louder). I tried a couple, I don't know if my home depot got a faulty batch or if it's normal.

I've also been using the installation driver for a lot of my lighter duty drilling and driving.

# ¿ Nov 16, 2020 02:49

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Hypnolobster posted:

Slightly slower than pre-regulation cans, but not bad. It's best if there's a way to rest the can on whatever you're filling.

I'm a big fan of the Nospill cans. Justrite safety cans with the built-in steel nozzle are also excellent (and rebuildable).

I bought a couple of the 5 gal justrite II cans with the 1" nozzle. They were pricey but I do not regret the purchase. Haven't spilled a drop filling the mower and it empties in like a minute.

# ¿ Aug 21, 2021 02:10

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I have the work tunes too, but they're insufficient for my loud rear end commercial mower. I switched to wireless earbuds (tozo nc9) which block sound a fair bit themselves, plus some 3m earmuffs on top of those. The combo works great.

# ¿ Sep 27, 2021 17:53

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

MrDeSaussure posted:

I own a mini excavator (used, mid 90's Bobcat, 7500lbs or so, kubota diesel) and live in New England, and I could not conceive of using a machine that is an ounce smaller for doing any dirt work in this area. If you are dealing with rocks, stumps, or anything other than sand/loam/whatever, do yourself a huge favor and buy something heavier/more powerful than those Chinese mini excavators. Weight makes a much larger difference in digging power than you might think.

I have no doubt they would excel at light landscaping, fitting in tight areas, or very light work in areas of the country that aren't a rockpile like New England, but if I had to do it all over again, having bought a machine that's quite a bit heavier and more powerful than the Chinese gas diggers I would scrape together another few bucks and get something bigger. I am constantly up against the limits of what my mini-ex can do, and I'm just a homeowner doing very light clearing, landscaping, ditching, etc.

I totally get trying to save money, I had to buy mine in pretty rough shape and fix a few issues on it to swing it on my budget, but the Bobcat (not that I'm sold on that brand, substitute in any major supported manufacturer here) dealer had all of the parts at what I thought was a reasonable price in stock in a few days, including factory sheet metal, and provided support, service manuals, etc.

I love a good deal as much as the next car/heavy equipment guy, but with the unsupported by a manufacturer nature of the no-name Chinese excavators, that they appear to be very light but have stronger hydraulic pumps; making them tricky/dangerous for inexperienced operators, and will have a tiny fraction of the re-sale price of anything domestic, I would rather see anyone interested in a machine like this buy a rough looking but otherwise serviceable brand name unit.

This is similar to what I was going to post. I bought a bobcat e26 last year (about a 6k machine) with about 800 hrs. I also live in the northeast and have used it for a buncha digging and moving 2-3' boulders. I would not have been happy with a smaller machine.

In any case, get a hydraulic thumb and preferably a 2 speed if you have a lot of distance to cover, excavators are slow.

edit: and to motronic, I posted a long while ago about getting a tractor/loader/backhoe vs excavator, I believe you posted that a backhoe is not nearly as nice to use as an excavator. You were correct, the backhoe on my b26 is mostly just kept on as a counterweight now.

dyne fucked around with this message at 21:48 on Mar 12, 2024

# ¿ Mar 12, 2024 21:45

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 17:54

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

No, they're too much fun

# ¿ Mar 13, 2024 23:20

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