I thought to try something new this weekend – an open discussion post. The comments section is open for everyone to ask or discuss anything DIY or tool-related.
Did you buy a new tool this week?
Got a question or suggestion for me?
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Do you have a tool review request?
Are you looking to buy a new tool and can’t seem to choose?
Or maybe you want to share your opinion on ratcheting wrenches or any other tool.
Peter A
I’ll start off . I got a sweet deal on a Bosch 1617 router and an looking to get a router table for it. Any opinions on which is the best table for a beginner? Ease of adjustment is key as I’m a novice. Also I already have a Bosch router base for the table. Thanks!
Parke
Peter, do you mind sharing where you got the deal? Was it the kit with the plunge router?
Peter A
It was the home depot deal for the 1617evstb router with router table base for $109 on clearance.
Greg E
Did you buy a new tool this week?
Yup, Knipex 1000V insulated long needle nose pliers (26-000), why you ask well just replacing some outlets around my apartment out with ones that have usb plug in adapters (http://www.amazon.com/FastMac-ACE-7169-U-Socket-Standard-TruePower/dp/B0002EOJ7Y). i got bored and saw them and said that be a cool up date. (when i leave the apartment they are coming with) Did I need a new pair of pliers? No but i wanted them 🙂
Got a question or suggestion for me?
What the next big thing coming out or the biggest news story buzz from the tool shows/conventions?
Do you have a tool review request?
1. M18 Fuel -Hammer Drill (I cant wait for that bad boy to come out!)
2. Im in the market for a framing nailer
3. Also looking for a well made metal clip bored with a apartment (I dont like the ones @ the office max) for site inspection work.
4. veto pro pack’s lots of buzz about them i need a lil more convincing before i throw down on one.
Fred
The one at lowes looked shiny and neat-o but I don’t like clipboards with compartments, they’re too bulky. I take a good rubber band and the thinnest, flattest (I had one made of carbon fiber once) clipboard I can find if I have to have something that big. Usually I carry a flip-open notepad with me anywhere, one side is maybe 3×5 notepad the other side has post-its.
DW
I have had a Veto Pro for a while now in my long series of tool bag evolutions. It is well built and it holds a lot of tools, I think you are getting what you pay for. The downside is that it holds a lot of tools…
david A
if you got knipex pliers.. then you know what to spend on! best pliers so far. also, just enough you mentioned VETO, just GO for it! you have no idea how much relief i had when i got new home for my tools, perfect balance, highest materials, and with the bottom heavy plastic support it just perfect and convenient to place on any surface in any condition!
jay k.
The new dewalt brushless impact looks awesome, especially the bit holder, but that’s the same thing that concerns me. I think we all like to see our work happening, and I do sheet metal in attics, do you think the new design will obstruct the vision of the worker since the bit doesn’t come to a point the same way others impacts do? The last thing I need is to be in a more awkward position, just to see if the work.
Fred
I thought about that too when I started using my impact drill. Mine even has a light on it, but at certain angles I can’t see the bit on mine through its fat body. What I do is use the light that came with my 18v set (see there is a use for those things) and I watch the shadow. Usually I can position it so that I can see the tip of something or another, whether the actual bit or its shadow.
jay k.
I’ve always liked it bright, but never thought of ‘shadow-games’… It never dawned on me… Superkewl thought…
fred
My most recent purchases were made at a local industrial distributor that caters to the plumbing trade. I bought some wrenches from Lowell:
http://www.lowellcorp.com/
and some Viega Fostapex Prep tools
Fred
I just got a jigsaw to add to my 18v tool set. Literally just arrived and tested it out, I think it’s actually smoother than my corded one. I also picked up the air powered oscillating tool from HF and I’ve decided it’s one of those tools that the air version seems to be the ‘right way’. I still like the electric that I have but I’ll have to keep using them to decide if the air one is not my favorite after all.
I finally got one of those bucket top vacs that I’ve been after for a long long time. I want to use it instead of the bag on my stationary saws and see if that keeps things nicer in my shop. Not a full dust collection system and I didn’t want my regular shop vac to constantly be full of sawdust. Too big to want to empty it that often.
Reading through some things and organizing my tools a bit throughout the week I’ve thought of something that I think would be the best thing ever; a ‘bucket jockey’ type add-on for a rectangular, lidded, ‘normal’-toolbox. Similar to Husky’s ‘tool wall’ in some of their nylon boxes, but actually close the lid and keep water and junk out of it. And don’t forget a gasket for the lid. The aluminum ‘briefcase’ style have a similar idea but those are flimsy and limited. I think this could really be something, maybe it’s already out there and I’ve been missing it all this time?
Anyone got any suggestions about which one I should pick between the DW744X, R4510, & Bosch 4100 similar to the Ridgid. I really want to buy a better table saw than my Skil 18″ cut max floor model but I can’t quite give up the floor space of the stationary saws and need as much cutting capacity as I can get. I’ve had an uncanny number of times I have to cut 30+ inch cuts for cabinet backs, odd sized side pieces, etc. I want that ability with a fence & table instead of sawhorses and a level clamped down.
fred
I’ve had luck with the Bosch 4100 – both with and without the digital rip fence. Ours required little true-up right from the box – we had one where the fence needed some tweaking. We like the rising stand – but it seems that not everyone is a fan. The stock blade is a throw-away – and the miter gauge is flimsy – but that is sort of par for the course – so buy a Forrest thin kerf to replace the blade and a better miter gauge (we like both Incra and Osborne-Excalibur variants) . The Bosch zero clearance inserts are a cheap and useful extra – but they have glued-on metal inserts that tend to fall off in cold weather – need some contact cement. I’ve heard some reports of motor winding failure on these saws – but I have not experieneced this with our saws. We’ve used both a 6 inch Infinity dado set and an 8 Inch Forrest dado set on these saws – with no complaints from the motor. The fence has a running t-slot that accepts cap-screw heads allowing easy mounting of a sacrificial fence for use with your dado set. While it is not up to the quality and capability of our Unisaws or larger Shop Fox and Felder saws (it is made out of aluminum – not cast iron and plastic for Pete’s sake – so what should you expect) – it has worked out well for us as an easily transportable jobsite saw.
jay k.
Is there any buzz on Milwaukee coming out with a subcompact(m12) circular saw, I read what was said when the jigsaw came out, any fresh news?
DW
I picked up a Milwaukee 4 1/2 inch grinder this week, the 6146-30. I won’t put the thing through the abuse that some applications will but first impressions are really good. Runs smooth as glass and the soft start is a plus. Its a Milwaukee.
I have had a Dremel Saw Max for a few weeks, used it quite a bit. Cutting plastic. Assuming this task is the only thing I use it for(likely) the blade will outlast me. I like the ergonomics of the saw, good power for my use so far.
David Rachlin
Thank you for this open discussion. I’ll appreciate hearing from folks about:
What tools do you find most effective for removing embedded nails–thousands and thousands of nails–from valuable boards that you want to re-use?
I want to de-construct old wooden structures and to re-use as many weathered boards as is cost-effective. Ideally, I want to avoid sawing off nailed ends and I also want to minimize marring damage to the wood.
Please tell me about:
1) Which nail-extraction tools work most cost-effectively? Labor-time is money!
2) How many nails can you effectively pull per-hour, over extended periods, using your best tool for this purpose?
Thanks for your advice, I appreciate it!
DC
I have always wanted to buy a pair of NWS pliers but i dont know which ones to start with?? Any ideas??
Fred
Ironically I just bought a pair of screw-removing pliers (link) but I doubt that will do you much good.
I picked up two bottom chests today used/display from Sears. $120 for the base of my new workbench. (link) Not high end but for the price and my purpose, they’ve already saved me a few hundred from my budget for this project.
Blair
@David Rachlin
Are you going to have a compressor on site? The reason I ask, is that a while ago I saw on one of the home improvement/remodeling shows (sorry I don’t remember which one), a demonstration of a pneumatic gun, that is like a nail gun in reverse, that is to say it fires the nails out of the boards when placed over the exposed ends. On the episode a sub was using it to reclaim lumber(mostly planks, and siding if I recall corrrectly), in much the same manner as you described. Something like that might be worth your time to research. I can’t imagine doing a lot of nail pulling as you described, using only hand pullers, and all I have seen leave some degree of damage to the surface.
Blair
@David Rachlin
I did a little investigation on my own and came up with this :http://nailkicker.com/joomla/.
It is a little “pricy”, but if you are planning on “removing embedded nails–thousands and thousands of nails–from valuable boards that you want to re-use”, I would think a tool such as this would easily pay for itself in saved labor over a very short time.
fred
Here’s a review:
http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/industry-news.asp?sectionID=1500&articleID=961619
There are also catspaw -type attachments for pneumatic chisels – but I can’t see how they do much more than getting you access to the nail’s head
Mike Hylton (Sarge)
Cool blog! Thanks for putting this up…I got several ideas from what I’ve read! This could turn into something pretty much ‘tool time’ like! Thanks Guys!
ciccio
i would like to see a comparison between the Ridgid, Lowes and Craftmans 14/16 gallons dry/wet vacuums
Fred
All of Craftsman’s current models are made by Ridgid. It’s one of the few remnants of the ‘old’ Craftsman/Emerson tools. Some are the exact same (Pro Sears/Ridgid) while others are ‘off by one’ (my Ridgid 12 Gal/Sears 16 Gal). The 16 gallon Crafty with the 5HP motor is the same as my 12 gal Ridgid’s motor. I got the model where it comes apart like a blower. It’s very powerful and the hose/tube/attachments are very durable.
As far as the Lowes models are concerned, definitely get a Shop Vac brand over a Kobalt. The accessories are better and although there’s a lot of similarities/common parts you’re more likely to be able to use common filters & attachments should you need to buy a second/replacement down the road. Trust me on experiencing this one, the Kobalt wasn’t even that much difference in price but when the bucket cracked (before most models included the drain plug) we were hoping to get a second just like it and have a backup motor. Haha no. By that time they had changed everything about the Kobalt models they had from the filters to hose fittings/sizes. The Shop Vac brand one we were originally considering was still the same model and what we chose 2-3 years later.
I’ve used a few different model Ridgid more than any other brand but I have to say any Ridgid/Shop Vac/Craftsman is a good quality vac. The individual specs that make it better for your purposes are the most important; at the time I didn’t have a compressor so the detachable blower was a surprisingly useful feature I didn’t originally want. I got it more for the price ($50 on sale last father’s day) but now that I have a compressor I would probably go for the most HP I could get, capacity isn’t as important to me as a smaller footprint (if a 12 had a smaller base than a 16 but same motor, I would pick the 12). Your criteria may be completely opposite mine.
On a completely unrelated note Lowe’s bucket vac is better than HD’s.
Does anyone have a suggestion of the best way to store jigsaw or sawzall blades? I’m wasting a lot of space with the plano cases but I also carry enough variety of both that I need more than a Pringles can. I like to carry 4-5 of each of maybe 8 jigsaw blades. Any suggestions would be great.
fred
We didn’t have great luck with the 1 big-box vacuum that we bought – but maybe the abuse it got on the job thst ended its life was too much to ask of it.
If you’re plan on comparing low-end shop vacs – maybe you could throw in some higher cost machines and HEPA vacs too. I’ve been thinking about a Festool to replace one of our older Feins (we like these for residential work because they’re quiet).
I saw this recent review
http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/industry-news.asp?articleID=1717674§ionID=1502
We also have some older Milwaukee’s that we use for general purpose – but they are getting a bit long in the tooth – so we’re thinking about what to buy next (we’re still thinking Milwaukee(now 3-stage) – . but it would be good to hear other thoughts
Finally we use Billy Goat outdoor vacuums to clean up around residential jobbsites- and have not found their equal – but would love to hear if others have.
Joe Gravelle
Bought a Craftsman C3 1/2″ impact then stopped by good ole harbor freight for a 37 piece 3/8 and 1/2″ impact set with case. Used my 20% off coupon of course!
When I was purchasing the impact the store had it for $99.99 and online it was 89.99. The person helping me eventually price matched online since the kiosk in the store would not let me do store pick up. On top of that I had the $10 off $50 coupon. $85 out the door! I checked out the clearence section and there was a 1/4″ hex impact driver for $77.. If its still there later this week I may buy it too!
Chris
I noticed Dewalt is offering their new 20V max tools as bare tools. Will they be offering the current tools as bare tools too? Any idea when?
I’d like to buy into this system, but the lack of bare tools is holding me back. I’d like the circular saw, but don’t want the larger combo kit, and don’t want to pay for two sets of chargers/batteries.