Tool thread: hammering on things was a minor secondary function of these tools

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Tool thread: hammering on things was a minor secondary function of these tools

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dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

iForge posted:

Ridgid 18 volt cordless power tools ($300 for a set of 3 tools, 2 batteries, and a charger?)
The batteries had a very short life. After only maybe a dozen charge cycles I noticed a significant loss in life in the batteries and now they collect dust and the set is useless. I refuse to buy replacement batteries. My DeWalt batteries have held up 100X longer. Before the batteries were completely useless, the keyless blade release on the reciprocating saw broke and I had to use a screwdriver to change blades. Not recommended.

Didn't you sign up for their lifetime service agreement? You get free replacement batteries with it.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2011 21:19

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# ¿ May 1, 2024 20:47

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

ASSTASTIC posted:

One REALLY nice tool to have if you have the space is the Rockwell Jawhorse: http://www.amazon.com/Rockwell-RK9000-Jawhorse/dp/B0018MRUN4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296026031&sr=8-1

I got one of these for my birthday last year. It's pretty heavy duty and it's been pretty handy. My only complaint is that it weighs like 50lbs.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2011 23:14

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

ASSTASTIC posted:

This is why you have the roller end! You can lock the movable "single" leg to make it a handle and move it around pretty easy.

I have to keep mine in the basement

. To contribute:

Eurekazone EZ Smart tracksaw system seen at http://www.eurekazone.com/
This guy came up with a couple aluminum extrusions that I find extremely handy. It's well made and not that expensive (compared to other tracksaw options). Tracksaws are particularly nice for breaking down sheet goods, my cuts are way more accurate and take a tenth of the time to set up compared to using a circular saw and guide.

You stick a plastic base on the bottom of your circular saw and then it rides on the track and makes nice quick straight cuts (it even has a couple plastic bits on either side of the blade to prevent chipping). My set came with a pair of little clamps that also slide into the extrusion as well. There's some other attachments for using it with a router and to perform other tasks, but I can't comment on them.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2011 03:10

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

dwoloz posted:

Im still tempted by the tracksaw

How do you feel it's better than setting up your own fence out of straight wood and clamping that to the workpiece?

A straight piece of wood would probably work just as well, it'd just be a little less convenient

I think the tracksaw has the following advantages:
-The track easily breaks down to smaller sections for transport (I have 2 50" sections)
-Don't have to worry about running the saw into clamps
-The white anti-chip edge on the track is cut to width the first time you run the saw through it. As a result you can just line up where you want to cut to this anti-chip edge
-There's an anti-chip thingy on both sides of the blade so chipout is reduced
-I'm making a T-square attachment that'll slide into the extrusion so nice quick 90 degree cuts
-I get to carry around the setup in a gun case I bought at a garage sale

# ¿ Jan 28, 2011 05:38

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

How does that wrench work? The handle ratchets and closes the jaw? Looks pretty neat and I would love to have a replacement for my standard adjustable wrench (which I hate)

# ¿ Jan 29, 2011 00:52

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I use press'n'seal plastic wrap to preserve wet rollers and brushes. I've used a single layer of the wrap to keep rollers and brushes usable for literally months.

# ¿ Mar 31, 2011 16:01

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Blistex posted:

The 30 year old Black & Decker that finally died on me was one of the first ones to use a bag to collect dust. It guess the first ones didn't work that well since it seemd to be another 15 years since they came back. What I did like about it was it fit my centralvac hose perfectly and not only did it never plug up with dust, but the suction actually collected dust that should have normally been left on the floor. This had the added benefit of allowing the belts to last a lot longer since they were always sanding wood instead of binding and burning dust/floor finish.

I'm on the lookout for some sort of part that I could use as an adapter. It's times like this having a 3D printer would come in handy.

Edit: Seems that there are two little flaws in the Black & Decker Dragster.

1. The dust collection system clogs really easily and even after vacuuming and blowing it out it doesn't want to collect any more. Strange.

2. If the sanding belts track to the left, they will rub on the plastic guard and the plastic bracket holding the front roller. Keep an eye on this or else you'll be smelling burning plastic.

Overall, after a few hours of use I'm still happy I got it. I had to drop the grit down from a 50 to a 36 since the 50's were just gumming up with old floor finish. Here are some (crappy cell phone) comparison pics.

This floor is 82-83 years old and after some 36 grit paper, then some 50 grit to remove the gouges, then some 120 to smooth it, then some polyurathane a light dusting with some 220, another coat, then another dusting with some 220, and finally a last coat and then some buffing it will look like a new floor, with a bit of character. When I start to do the sanding with the 50 grit I'm going to save the dust from that and mix it with resin/glue to use as a putty material to fill in cracks and holes. Then I'll do my final 120 sanding and then start the coats.

How close to the wall can you get with that B&D sander? I was thinking of buying one to use instead of an edging sander.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2011 01:49

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

blindjoe posted:

I have the ridgid version, the 12v drill and driver combo. They are great, they hold a charge forever, and charge up quickly. The impact driver is the most useful thing there is. Usually you kill cordless drills putting in screws, as you end up with locked rotor and full current, which then drains the battery. The impact driver keeps spinning. Then you can keep the drill for drilling.

I like that they are small and light, I have wussy wrists and don't like holding the huge monstrositys above my head, for drilling or whatever.

The 12v drill doesn't have much poop, it has a hard time drilling huge holds through fir, but you should use a corded drill for that anyways.

I have the same set (plus one of their jobmax sets). I love the impact driver, but the drill has absolutely no balls.

# ¿ Apr 12, 2011 03:41

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I don't know if there's anything necessarily wrong with the cheap router bit sets. I have one and appreciate the variety of bits that I have. I haven't been disappointed by their quality and even if they're not as durable, I use them so lightly that I doubt I'll ever dull them.

One thing to say about them is that many of the bits are somewhat redundant.

# ¿ May 7, 2011 04:11

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

pocket pool posted:

This summer I have a couple of mid-sized home improvement projects on my plate (new deck/patio, new fence). I am still building up my assortment of tools and I'm thinking that this might be a good opportunity to pick up an impact driver.

I already have a 12-volt Craftsman drill that I've been using around the house for the last couple of years. Additionally, I have a corded drill that I could be using for most heavy drilling tasks.

So, should I pull the trigger? Or should I just tough it out with the drill? I'm okay with not being able to share batteries between the drill and driver, so I will likely just pick up a driver kit (without the drill). Brand-wise, I'm not particularly choosy. But, I'm thinking about the Bosch PS41.

Should I be considering an 18-volt driver, instead? (It may be a little out of my price range.)

You won't regret getting an impact driver; I have a 12v ridgid one and use it all the time. A 12v driver will probably handle any screw under 3" or so, depending on how hard the material you're driving it through is. If you want to drive lag screws with the impact driver, you'd probably want to get an 18v model (which really aren't that more cumbersome than the 12v).

# ¿ May 11, 2011 21:01

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

That's good to know; I was approved by the wife yesterday to buy a new drill to replace my old nicad crafstman as a graduation present. This came after having to recharge my 2 batteries twice in order to cut out 3 3" holes in PT lumber.

# ¿ May 16, 2011 14:25

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I think the sawstop tech or similar should be required on table saws, even if it adds $100 to the cost of each saw. The NPR article says they're 40k table saw injuries per year in emergency rooms, and each visit probably costs one or two thousand bucks (and much more for injuries requiring hospitalization and surgeries).

I can't find the number of table saws sold per year, but I doubt the total increased cost from putting in the safety tech would be more than the $40 million in ER bills plus the cost in lost productivity for the injured parties.

If you want to argue that not everyone should have to pay the $100 in order to save a thousand bucks for the idiot who can't use a table saw properly, I would counter that the health insurance company that's paying the hospital bill spreads that thousand bucks over all its policy holders, so you'd be paying more in increased premiums.

Arguing that the free market should reign free is kind of silly, we would hardly have seen any increase in automotive safety if standards weren't enforced by the government.

My only reservation would be about the sawstop gouging on the licensing of the tech if it were mandated by the government.

# ¿ May 25, 2011 16:49

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Iskariot posted:

I strongly dislike Sawstop because it's so obvious that the inventor is lobbying his rear end off for his product. He's a patent lawyer isn't he? I'm all for safety, I even support enforcing rules, but not due to some prick trying to get a license to print money.

I liked this design: http://www.whirlwindtool.com/ I even think I'm going to snag the design for the anti-kickback device.

I don't think the whirlwind thing really solves any sort of problem. I'm pretty sure a huge contributor to flesh injuries from blade contact comes from people using the table saw without the plastic blade guard.

# ¿ May 26, 2011 02:21

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Tracksaws are also great when you're doing a project at someone else's house who does not have a table saw. I have an ez smart track whose sections fit into a big gun case, so it's very portable.

# ¿ Jun 3, 2011 18:39

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

My local home depot carries the fein multimaster for $200

# ¿ Jul 9, 2011 18:43

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I don't know about that specific model, but I've read that the combo machines aren't particularly pleasant to use at either task. I just got separate machines at harbor freight for not much more than that combo. I bought their 8x12 lathe for around $380 and the mill for $480ish. I bought both while they were on sale and used 20% off coupons.

# ¿ Jul 28, 2011 17:49

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Does anyone have any experience with digital levels? My $8 task force level recently bit the dust from an 8' fall, and I think it's about time for me to buy a level that is actually accurate. I've had a few cheapie ones and they've always been off by a degree or two, causing much frustration with projects. I'm wondering if digital levels are worth it, primarily so I don't have to adjust to look perpendicularly at the bubble to get a reading, and I think it'd be nice if it beeped when level so I don't even have to look.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2011 03:23

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I like my jawhorse quite a bit, too. I just wish they made a lighter one out of aluminum.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2011 02:10

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Tedronai66 posted:

So I'm looking to get this drill to replace my stupid loving Ridgid Li-ion drill. I have a 150$ HD gift card. My dad has had the 12v version (ni-cd batteries) of this drill for ~10 years.

The batteries in my ridgid drill (basically the previous version of this, got it three+ years ago) suck. One doesn't charge at all (says defective, is outside warranty period for batteries), the other has enough charge to predrill one hole into drywall. I have a feeling this is because I didn't use the drill or drain/recharge the batteries often/at all while going through a divorce. It's either 100$ for a drill with 2 new batteries or 80 for a single new Li-ion battery.

Basically, I want to make sure that if I hit an extended period of non-use, this set won't also poo poo the bed on me. Being dead and just needing a charge is fine, and to be expected. I have some projects lined up for spring/summer that will definitely need a drill, and this looks like a sweet deal. Also, can you slap in a li-ion battery to older dewalt tools? I thought I saw they were going to make them compatible a long while back.

This doesn't really help you, but if you register your ridgid tools for the lifetime service agreement, you get free battery replacements.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2012 05:32

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

It covers the batteries for life as well

quote:

Agreement provides the original owner of qualifying RIDGID� Brand tools a lifetime of free replacement batteries, free service and free replacement parts subject to the limitations set forth below.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...catalogId=10053

# ¿ Jan 10, 2012 06:17

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Is the wrench something like this?

http://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable-pin-wrench-36554.html

# ¿ Feb 7, 2012 02:44

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I love my harbor freight 1/2" swivel head ratchet, i recommend it to everyone.

# ¿ Jun 22, 2012 05:13

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

jackyl posted:

If you have a brick house, spend the extra money for a hammer drill. You'll appreciate it when you inevitably put wildlife covers over bathroom exhausts, add an outlet or faucet, whatever. Otherwise you end up spending the money later and buying a hammer drill.

e: ^^^ I recently got this (note the hammer drill, since my corded workhorse wasn't) and it owns.

I have both a brick house and the ridgid hammer drill/impact driver combo (I bought it months before the regular drill and impact driver combo was available). I would much rather have gotten the regular drill and spent the $100 saved on a corded hammer drill.

Not that theres anything wrong with the hammer drill, it's just bulkier.

# ¿ Oct 6, 2012 04:16

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Super Waffle posted:

Found a couple more table saws in the area:

Rigid table saw with extensions, but the surface is rusted to hell. How hard would it be to clean all that off, and would it be worth it? I could probably haggle the price down to <$200

http://orlando.craigslist.org/tls/3587049209.html

Heres an oooold Crafstman for cheap, but also rusted out. Not sure how I feel about this one:

http://orlando.craigslist.org/tls/3558586160.html

I have a ridgid TS3650 that I like, and also came pretty rusty. It took an orbital sander, a pack of scotch bright pads, barkeeper's friend, and a couple hours to clean it off. I only paid $90 for my saw though.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2013 02:30

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

CuddleChunks posted:

A buddy of mine just got this kit for work: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-203266851/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=ridgid&storeId=10051#.UR5oyaUqY3Q

He's liking it so far after using it for installs over the last day or so (lots of self-tap screws).

I'm looking at it for home use for light-duty craft projects and fixing stuff. Does anyone have any warnings about the product or the pricing?

I have had the set with the hammer drill for about a year. I like it, but I think a bearing on the impact driver has started to crap out (it's noisy).

I also recently just got the 18v ridgid jobmax and it's pretty great. It's much better than the 12v.

Remind him to register for the lifetime service agreement.

# ¿ Feb 15, 2013 19:38

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Bad Munki posted:

Next up, I want to get an air cleaner to go with this, one of those deals that just bolts to the ceiling.

I built one using a furnace blower; it works great and the most expensive part was the furnace filter. I havent bolted it to the ceiling as I haul it around the house when Im doing a dust-producing home improvent.

I'm probably going to build another one to use a 20x25x4" filter

# ¿ Mar 5, 2013 16:31

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

BoyMeetsWorld posted:

So you'd recommend I'd use glue, brads, and also mechanical joinery (like biscuits or finger joints?)

Also note that biscuits dont add strength; theyre just used for alignment

# ¿ Apr 16, 2013 03:33

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Archives posted:

To be honest I don't understand the need for self feeding bits at all. I've almost broken my wrist drilling free handed about 600 times using regular (often above 1/2'') bits and it seems they would just amplify that risk. They also seem to be specifically designed to crack wood.

They're great for putting holes through joists/studs when you can't put a lot of axial force on the drill.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2013 18:57

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Im happy to admit that I've bought and used a large number of harbor freight tools, with hardly any real issues. If you do a little research on what you'rd intending on buying it's easy to avoid the junk. I don't really hesitate buying their electric tools, but avoid the cordless stuff.

Specifically, I've had the rotary hammer drill for a few years and it hasn't let me down. I probably had a dozen hours of use on it just from knocking down a bomb shelter in my basement.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2013 18:17

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

iForge posted:

For an upcoming job I need to get a rotary hammer with the SDS-MAX spline chuck on it. Normally I would just rent the drill because I use that size drill too infrequently to justify such an expensive tool, but for this particular job, I am looking at about $500 in rental fees, so I may as well just buy one. I already have SDS-MAX bits to go with the drill. Anyone have experience with the cheaper drills out there? Harbor freight sells a sds-plus drill that has great reviews, but nothing in sds-max. I already put a wanted ad up on craigslist for a used one. Any recommendations for a good brand to get? Not looking to go too much over that $500 mark, so a new Hilti is out of the question.

I found this in a HF ad; I wasnt able to find it by their search

http://www.harborfreight.com/85-amp-2-in-1-1-916-variable-speed-sds-max-type-rotary-hammer-69334.html

# ¿ Jun 30, 2013 03:24

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Ive been looking at the milwaukee jackets for my next coat, but I don't know of any place locally that has them and I'd like to see it in person before buying

# ¿ Nov 10, 2013 17:36

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

The angle grinder would be about 10x faster than a dremel. The abrasive dremel disks are also pretty pricey in comparison (one angle grinder disk cuts through a lot more metal than a dinky dremel one, and the cost isn't too much different). The dremel is probably more precise though.

# ¿ Nov 28, 2013 18:51

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Sagebrush posted:

Didya know that if you've been a metalworker for any reasonable length of time hospitals won't do MRIs on you? They just assume that you've probably got metal shavings settled in your eyes or lungs or whatever and they don't want the MRI magnet to start wiggling them around and chopping up your retinas.

Weird, we just do screening x-rays of the orbits (eye sockets) to see if theres any metallic foreign bodies

# ¿ Nov 29, 2013 17:48

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Christobevii3 posted:

Bosch jig saws aren't really thought of that well for their price. I'd probably get the dewalt over the bosch. Their circular saws are similar too.

Everything Ive read puts bosch jig saws at the top (or at least the 1590/91 models)

# ¿ Jan 15, 2014 04:28

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I've actually had a pretty decent experience using my 18v impact driver for drywall screws. I think I punctured the paper just a few times out of a couple hundred screws. I think it's a lot easier to control than a drill.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2014 08:33

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Sointenly posted:

This..

It's actually kind of funny what the plaster does to the multi tool blades. It wears them so badly that what you end up with is a little metal spatula instead of a toothed blade. I even bought one of the $20 diamond abrasive blades. Used it for 10 minutes and had warn it down to bare metal.

I'm thinking next time I might get out the angle grinder with an shoe on it and a diamond wheel. I know it's going to be a mess but i'm over burning through blades.

I used a cheapo HF carbide grit blade with my multimaster to cut a ton of plaster and it's still going strong. I gave up using it though because it was slow. I use an angle grinder with thin kerf blade and just deal with the dust.

# ¿ Jul 8, 2014 23:59

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Sointenly posted:

The carbide grit blades on plaster are useless (well, it came from HarborFreight so ya).

I second the Bosch blades. I picked up a few on clearance a while back but I save them for jobs where I really need to make a good cut.

Any idea why these bitches are so expensive by the way?

The HF carbide blade works great on plaster (just slow, as any other grit type blade would be)

# ¿ Jul 10, 2014 02:26

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Sointenly posted:

I have to respectfully disagree. Not only is too shallow to make it through both the plaster and button board backing, it wore out in about 10 minutes. The plaster had totally worn off the abrasive and it was down to the bare metal of the blade.

Well, maybe you got a dud (or have exceptionally hard plaster?). Mine has cut a ton of plaster and is just long enough to get through my 3/4-1" thick plaster and drywall combo walls. The HF one actually worked better than my fein one as it's larger.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2014 10:57

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

I guess I'll go a little against the grain and say I didn't like my 12v ridgid drill very much. It didnt have the power to really make holes larger than 3/4 or 1" regardless of the type of bit. RPMs were pretty low too. The 12v impact any bad and I still use that for light duty stuff. My 18v ridgid tools have plenty of power and speed, and I don't think they weigh significantly more.

# ¿ Jul 25, 2014 13:42

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# ¿ May 1, 2024 20:47

dyne: May 9, 2003; [blank]

Pretty much that. If there are threads on the entirety of the screw, the screw wouldn't be able to pull the two boards together and you'd end up with a gap between the two.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2014 22:53

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Tool thread: hammering on things was a minor secondary function of these tools

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