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SAWS ALL! I love having a Sawzall, but I hate using it. If the Sawzall is out it means something did not go the way it was supposed to.
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Aug 12, 2010 15:27
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| # ? Apr 18, 2024 12:40 |
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PBCrunch posted:If the Sawzall is out it means something did not go the way it was supposed to. Or that you knew how it was about to go, and gently caress that. I love finding poo poo in the junkyard where a random-shaped fifth of the car is just missing with a relatively clean edge.
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Aug 12, 2010 19:05
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I have a bunch of trees on my property, and live in a city that calls itself "Tree City USA", so I can't cut any of them down (at least not the oak trees). This means that most of the year I end up with a crazy amount of dust and pollen on my car, even when it's parked inside a closed garage. If I wash my car and then immediately park it in the garage, I'll have a decent layer of dust on it by the next day, let alone a couple days later. As spergy as it sounds, I've been thinking about putting some sort of dust / HEPA filter in the garage, and putting it on a timer to run a couple times a day. Has anyone tried this, or done anything similar to this? I'm open to any suggestions. A lot of the $100 dust collectors from HF look like they're just meant for attaching to hoses and picking up sawdust from woodworking, so I'm not sure what the best way of cleaning the air for a 2 car garage is (or if I should just give up on the idea).
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Aug 12, 2010 21:31
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MomJeans420 posted:I'm not sure what the best way of cleaning the air for a 2 car garage is (or if I should just give up on the idea). I've see filters made for cleaning air in workshops before but I can't find any using google at the moment. You could always try a few furnace filters taped to a box fan, might be enough and it's cheap.
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Aug 12, 2010 21:44
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What about a car cover and or tarp?
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Aug 12, 2010 22:04
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You could always "accidentally" spill some soil sterilizer all over the roots of the trees.
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Aug 12, 2010 22:09
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You don't want an air filter for industrial use, they're for big ventilation systems or for capturing poo poo from a work area; you want a home one from someplace like Target. We got one that would certainly handle a 2-car garage for about $150. HEPA etc. I'll see about digging up a link. It'll work better if it's always on, luckily it makes about as much noise as a small computer case fan.
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Aug 12, 2010 23:33
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Does anyone have any opinions on this http://www.harborfreight.com/11-drawer-roller-cabinet-67421.html My most recent Motor Trend issue has a coupon for that cabinet for $139.99. Seems like a great deal for a large cabinet. I wonder if I can scheme my way into using the 20% off coupon on that as well.
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Aug 14, 2010 02:21
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Blackdawgg posted:Does anyone have any opinions on this
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Aug 14, 2010 03:09
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The black toolbox sucks as far as tool boxes go. The red US General one is much better in therms of the smoothness of the slides and build quality. That said, if it were a choice between the two for my garage, I'd probably get the black one because honestly who gives a poo poo if the slides go smoothly? Just don't overload the larger containers with heavy tools.
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Aug 14, 2010 07:05
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http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-shop-press-33497.html Apologies if its been covered already, but how is this 12 ton press? I need it to remove and install front wheel bearings into the knuckle of a '02 Celica. The shop wants $240 for the whole job and parts so I figure I can just do it myself and have a press to show for it.
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Aug 14, 2010 08:05
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Mike_P posted:http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-shop-press-33497.html I have one that I've been using for a little over a year and I love it! I would recommend getting a couple more press plates or adapters if available.
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Aug 14, 2010 12:28
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Alternatively, you can probably find a machine shop to do just the pressing for not very much money so you can do the rest of the work yourself. My corner auto parts chain even offers rotor turning and bearing pressing, but in reality they just send stuff out to a local machine shop for a small handling fee. It's usually cheap enough that it'd take quite a few times to recoup the cost of a press, and personally, I wouldn't give up that much floorspace to a limited-use tool.
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Aug 14, 2010 16:12
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eddiewalker posted:Alternatively, you can probably find a machine shop to do just the pressing for not very much money so you can do the rest of the work yourself. Very true. When I had my old 300ZX I had some serious wheel bearing issues in the front. I pulled the steering knuckle out and ran down to a NAPA with a machine shop. After giving the guy the new race and bearings and I think a crisp $20 bill I had everything installed and ready to go. Sometimes there are jobs out there that are worth letting other people do, especially rare ones. Get the tool if you think you're going to have more uses for it, but there's no shame in having some old timer who has done it a thousand times do it for you.
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Aug 14, 2010 16:29
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Can anyone comment on Harbor Freight's 3 ton aluminum jack stands? I was looking at a set and like their light weight (I can't do work on my car at my place so I have to haul the jack and stands to a garage all the time) but are they a death trap? These are the stands: http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-aluminum-jack-stands-91760.html
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Aug 15, 2010 04:09
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mod sassinator posted:Can anyone comment on Harbor Freight's 3 ton aluminum jack stands? I was looking at a set and like their light weight (I can't do work on my car at my place so I have to haul the jack and stands to a garage all the time) but are they a death trap? I'm sure they would hold their rated capacity but is it really that big of a deal to have jack stands that weigh 10 pounds each versus 5 pounds each? You'll lift them what, twice per job?
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Aug 15, 2010 06:48
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I finally got a Power Probe 3 after using a Fluke DVM and test light for years. It makes it so easy to troubleshoot electric problems, it feels like cheating.
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Aug 15, 2010 08:08
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I use the orange iron ones, they haven't killed me yet so I don't have a problem with them. I can carry four at a time, and living in an apartment they haven't given me a problem yet. Whichever ones you get, get the red pads too and keep your frame rails happy.
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Aug 15, 2010 14:11
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Picked up a bunch of tools lately, decided to give a bunch of harbor freight tools a go. The balljoint fork was handy and held up on a front suspension and steering rebuild on my truck today. The pitman/idler puller was a complete piece of poo poo. I was taking the arm off the steering box, put a ton of force on it and the thing just cracked and broke off.  Oh well what did I expect for $8. Cheap cheap metal. I'm now highly dubious of any puller there. Fortunately I had a new pitman and idler arm as well as a new steering gear to install so it wasn't critical to remove the old pitman arm. The harbor freight moving pads for $4 were great. I picked up a few, great for the trail if you have to do a repair, more comfy than a tarp.
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Aug 16, 2010 10:42
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Instead of the pickle fork try the ball joint separator tool. http://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-quarter-inch-forged-ball-point-joint-separator-99849.html It has worked pretty well the few times I have used it.
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Aug 16, 2010 16:13
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The pickle fork was awesome for something else. I was torquing down the idler arm to 80 ft/lbs and my hand slipped on the wrench holding the lock nut and got it wedged in pretty good vs the motor mount and the cross member, hitting it wouldn't knock it loose, and I didn't feel like unbolting it so I jammed the fork between the wrench and the frame and gave it a tap with a 5 lb hammer and the wrench popped out.  That being said I'm avoiding all cast metal pullers from Harbor Freight. The fork stands up to abuse pretty well though.
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Aug 16, 2010 21:22
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SNiPER_Magnum posted:Whichever ones you get, get the red pads too and keep your frame rails happy.
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Aug 17, 2010 20:35
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SideShift posted:I finally got a Power Probe 3 after using a Fluke DVM and test light for years. It makes it so easy to troubleshoot electric problems, it feels like cheating. I have the Power Probe 2 and was a professional car audio installer and it was definitely one of my best purchases. The only thing I bought that was more useful was my Snap-On screw gun. The LCD voltage display seems pretty useful on the PP3 but with the PP2 I could tell when voltage was under 12 volts because the buzzer sounded a little different.
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Aug 17, 2010 21:48
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Has anyone here had experience with Harbor Freight's Chicago Electric Generator Sets? I'm looking for around a 3000/3500 watt machine to run electrical tools around the shop. It would also run a 10500 BTU a/c, refrigerator and a 110V power ring in a small RV. I looked at some of the usual suspects (Honda, Onan, Kohler, Toro, etc) but Christ, I'm glad I was sitting down when I checked prices! The reviews on HF's pages run the gamut from, "junk, junk, junk" to "GREATEST THING SINCE KANNED BEER" (paraphrasing slightly but still in all caps). Has anyone here had long-term (say several months to a couple of years) experience with these? Yes, they're made in China but are they fit for task?
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Aug 28, 2010 07:44
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geegee posted:Yes, they're made in China but are they fit for task? Ha, what isn't?  I mean, they might be good or terrible but it's not going to be the country of origin's fault, mostly.
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Aug 28, 2010 18:19
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Splizwarf posted:Ha, what isn't? Q/C is going to be the main thing with chinese goods, something like a big US or Asian firm with full time Q/C staff looking at production and suppliers, you'll end up with a good product from there. The no name chinese stuff I'd avoid, it would depend if it's a one or two time use "throw away" tool or something I need to put a lot of stress on and use it often. I shop around a bit, and sometimes I find it doesn't cost *THAT* much more to get a US or German made/etc tool than a HF Freight tool. Eg. I got US made pry bars for $29, when a similar HF one was $19. Chinese made craftsman flare nut wrenches for $40, when I got a US forged blackhawk set for $5 more, etc. Honda makes great generators, you can get replacement parts for them, and you can get a few really quiet models. IMO, if the generator is relatively quiet and you can service it, it shouldn't really matter where it's made.
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Aug 28, 2010 18:51
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UK goons: B&Q have got a bank holiday special on this weekend with pressure washers for £20. They're a bit basic, obviously, but do the job. They also have a garden electrics set of mover, strimmer and hedge trimmer for £25 if you're in dire need of them.
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Aug 28, 2010 21:15
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geegee posted:Has anyone here had experience with Harbor Freight's Chicago Electric Generator Sets?
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Aug 28, 2010 22:17
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Geared Hub posted:Q/C is going to be the main thing with chinese goods, something like a big US or Asian firm with full time Q/C staff looking at production and suppliers, you'll end up with a good product from there. Stihl recently moved production of its HS45 hedge trimmers and several carburetors to China. These things suck balls. Don't buy a Stihl with a SN starting in 8 ever. We've gotten several new HS45s this summer that start having carburetion issues a week in, so we replace the carb. And then the new carb does the exact same thing. A few customers have returned the trimmer for credit towards a pro model. If Stihl can't keep their Chinese QC levels up to snuff, no company in the world can.
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Aug 28, 2010 23:36
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Geared Hub posted:Honda makes great generators, you can get replacement parts for them, and you can get a few really quiet models. IMO, if the generator is relatively quiet and you can service it, it shouldn't really matter where it's made. While I agree, and we own 4 Honda Gensets (all eU Series inverters, AKA the quiet ones), there's a major issue with them: No one can diagnose electrical issues. If anything goes wrong in the electrical side (i.e. not the engine/carb), NO ONE can test them. I've called a dozen dealers in the Boston/CT/RI area, and not a one will touch one if the problem is in the generator or circuit boards. We've got an eU1000i that runs, but the voltage dies when you load it up, and an eU2000i that runs fine under load, but constantly revs up and down when its not under load. Both have issues with something on board, but the only option any one can give me is "Buy a new one". Ditto with the Kipor/Yamaha/whatever inverter gensets. Its a shame, but they are pretty much a $1000 throw-away. I've managed to fix them before (bad coil, bad on/off switch, carb issues, etc), but I've now got $1700 in generators that don't work. I'd get a full-size Honda, however. They are very repairable, just much much heavier, and louder. The HF gensets are pretty crappy, but would probably work for a while. I've always wanted to pick up one of the 800w 2-stroke ones for $89.
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Aug 29, 2010 01:54
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nmfree posted:If it's electrical, and cheap, a ham radio operator has bought and abused it to death. This thread on eHam is about smaller cheap generators, but should still have some good info for you. The comments on that article are golden. Good reasons to avoid buying Harbor Freight stuff: It's crappy and probably made by slaves. Bad reasons to avoid buying Harbor Freight stuff: "1. I do not wish to support the only government in the world that actively targets US cities with ICBM launched nuclear weapons"
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Aug 29, 2010 02:37
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I bought a snap ring pliers from Harbor Freight. It got the job done but broke in the process. It was maybe the worst tool I have ever used. DO NOT BUY http://www.harborfreight.com/snap-ring-pliers-with-interchangeable-heads-3316.html
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Aug 29, 2010 03:42
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I have a set of those snap ring pliers although they are "PIT BULL" brand, but I am sure they are made by the same manufacturer. They are absolute poo poo. The pot metal they are made out of easily bends out of shape and distorts when you apply pressure to the snap ring. Sadly they still work the once a year I need them, but I'll be happy to replace them when they break.
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Aug 29, 2010 04:21
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PBCrunch posted:I bought a snap ring pliers from Harbor Freight. It got the job done but broke in the process. It was maybe the worst tool I have ever used. drat I knew I should have posted about those. Same thing happened to me. I broke the tip off one of the heads. I eventually got the snap ring off . gently caress me it was frustrating. Trying to change heads was such a pain in the rear end. I'm getting annoyed just thinking about it, and it was a couple of months ago. I did end up returning them and getting a refund. Only like $4 but there was no way I was gonna use them again. I ended up picking up a pair of S-K brand 90 deg metal pliars. Got em from a local tool place. They have an ongoing retirement sale. They're up to 70% off everything. So the pliers were only like $11. I was in Sears recently and noticed their snap ring pliers were only like $10-12 I think? Couldnt possibly be any worse.
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Aug 29, 2010 04:26
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sharkytm posted:I'd get a full-size Honda, however. They are very repairable, just much much heavier, and louder. The HF gensets are pretty crappy, but would probably work for a while. I've always wanted to pick up one of the 800w 2-stroke ones for $89. Just purchased the HF 800w 2 stroke for 79 bucks with a coupon. Not a bad rig, the voltage seems to bounce between 120-125 with a moderate load. About as loud as a push mower, but for the most part, great portable power. It powers a circular saw, my small compressor and work lights no problem so its great for field duty.
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Aug 29, 2010 04:39
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geegee posted:Has anyone here had experience with Harbor Freight's Chicago Electric Generator Sets? I'm looking for around a 3000/3500 watt machine to run electrical tools around the shop. It would also run a 10500 BTU a/c, refrigerator and a 110V power ring in a small RV. I don't think you'd have a problem running your shop with a generator this size, but you might find you have to shut off the AC before using a tool. And you may find issues with some of your more powerful tools- they can draw a LOT of current when starting, and the generator may not be able to handle the in-rush.
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Aug 29, 2010 14:11
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Troy Bilt doesn't actually make generators, or pressure washers. They're made by B&S Power Products (formerly Generac) under license to MTD.
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Aug 29, 2010 14:41
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geegee posted:Has anyone here had experience with Harbor Freight's Chicago Electric Generator Sets? I'm looking for around a 3000/3500 watt machine to run electrical tools around the shop. It would also run a 10500 BTU a/c, refrigerator and a 110V power ring in a small RV. Shop around for a Honda EP4100. That's the only generator in the 3-4Kw range that won't leave you deaf after a couple of hours work. You can't beat 9Hp @ 71-72 dB Blaster of Justice fucked around with this message at 15:04 on Aug 29, 2010 |
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Aug 29, 2010 15:01
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jailbait#3 posted:The comments on that article are golden. Wait... they aren't using 'ChiCom' as a sarcastic term? 
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Aug 29, 2010 18:42
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Thanks to all of you for the info on small gensets. The ham link had some real data to go along with the tinfoil, survivalist stuff. Incidentally, my comment on the quality of Chinese electrical generating equipment was not a knee-jerk throwaway. These creeps (Chinese licensees) cost the organization I used to work for hundreds of thousands if not millions of USD in defective or useless inventory: Not a trivial matter especially when you're talking about essential life support equipment. Thanks again, I have some real alternatives now. Keep 'em coming.
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Aug 30, 2010 05:56
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