GrogNerd
mean old man
The JB Weld commercials with Nick Offerman are pretty good
Can you suggest a good source for these? I have a panel that has dozens of 5/64 hex round head screws than need to be taken out more often than I would like. Doing the job with the typical 90 deg bent wrench is a real PITA. Tried some from Amazon and HF but they were crap....
I keep straight hex drivers with either 1/4” or 3/8” square drives around to use on hex head fasteners. They cost a little more but are well worth it.
Can you suggest a good source for these? I have a panel that has dozens of 5/64 hex round head screws than need to be taken out more often than I would like. Doing the job with the typical 90 deg bent wrench is a real PITA. Tried some from Amazon and HF but they were crap.
Brew on
If those screws are only screwdriver tight, I'd use a hex screwdriver for them. A long hex shaft with a comfortable screwdriver handle. The pressure applied is always in line with the screw, no wobblies. Keeps the heads nice looking too.Can you suggest a good source for these? I have a panel that has dozens of 5/64 hex round head screws than need to be taken out more often than I would like. Doing the job with the typical 90 deg bent wrench is a real PITA. Tried some from Amazon and HF but they were crap.
Brew on
That’s exactly what I want, but haven’t been able to find quality ones. I know they exist ‘cause my A&P has a set (but doesn’t remember where he got them.)If those screws are only screwdriver tight, I'd use a hex screwdriver for them. A long hex shaft with a comfortable screwdriver handle. The pressure applied is always in line with the screw, no wobblies. Keeps the heads nice looking too.
PB Blaster or Kroil is way better at getting something loose than WD-40.Another good idea! Use some WD-40 with it.
Using your words: I am lead to correcting the following:
Secondly, given the location of the clean break, I assume this was a ball-end hex. Theweak point is the ball head, especially given the small size, aclean shear is not surprising.
Nope, no ball end hex was used.
I've had bad luck with Harbor Freight hex wrenches and hex sockets as well. But I wouldn't swear off all their tools. I have a couple of the 1/2" drive extendable ratchets that I used heavily as an RV mechanic, and they're still going. All my impact sockets are from HF, as well as some of my flex head ratcheting wrenches, flush cutters for cable ties, and tons of bar clamps. And all of my "sunglasses" are their $0.99 smoked-lens safety glasses, I buy them 4 or 5 pairs at a time.
Stay far away from their power tools, drill bits, and cheap air tools.
I have pretty much every hand and power tool known to man, many of them bought for my dad over the decades that all came back to me, so most of them are decades old. There have been occasions where I've compared those tools to what is sold today and in most cases the modern versions are clearly inferior in design and construction. As a result I've gone to near heroic measures to fabricate random parts for them because they're virtually antiques wrt replacement parts availability.
As for Harbor Freight, with few exceptions about all I buy there are flap disks and various wire brushes. They have really good ones for cheap compared to other (big box) sources. But that's pretty much the end of it...
Cheers!
Ha! Yeah, what did ever come of that?Hey @Tobor_8thMan, Is that hex wrench still stuck, if not how did you get it out?
I bought their 21 gallon compressor about 4 years ago when it went on sale for $130. I bought it mainly to patch my cedar shake roof. I think I've gone through 6 bundles of shake so far, so I figure that alone has paid for itself. I've also used it to build a fence, air up bike and car tires, and recently to remove the nut for the harmonic balancer.But I do wonder about their more expensive stuff like large air compressors, generators, welding rigs, etc.
Hey @Tobor_8thMan, Is that hex wrench still stuck, if not how did you get it out?
...Harbor Freight "gems" ... One that comes up a lot is their HVLP spray gun...
Harbor Freight has been better quality than Craftsman for a while now. Yes I'm serious. The new Stanley-made stuff at Lowes might change that, we'll see.
Used a HF 12in compound miter saw for $120 and a Diablo $60 blade for my brew pub and decking. Never replaced the blade through then entire project and still cuts though 4x4s like butter.Yep, I think the more expensive metal gun is the one that was referred to as a gem.
I got one of their 40 tooth circular saw blades. Nitride coated, like drill bits. Worked fairly decently in a miter saw. Though for a 110v saw you may be better off with a thin kerf blade. The Diablo blades you get at Home Depot are made by Freud. Freud makes very good saw blades. The Freud branded ones have more carbide in the teeth and are meant to be re-sharpened several times. The Diablo ones have less carbide and meant to be disposed of after the teeth wear out.
The Diablo blades are thin kerf but I don't know if the kerf is as thin as the Freud branded thin kerf blades. I largely use Diablo blades because resharpening a saw blade is expensive and not everyone does a very good job.
The Harbor Freight blades work in a pinch and the nitride coating made it a little easier to clean the blade.
In all honesty it was just a chop saw to me. No opinion about fine aspects.I borrowed a compound miter saw to do all the baseboard / shoe molding in my house. It was a nightmare, all the slop and bend in the saw mechanics. I got it done, but not without a bunch of caulk.
I don't know where that guy got that saw - it was some off brand. But I have a sweet Mikita now and I can assure you there are differences between good and bad miter saws. Mikita is a good one. I did a bunch of window/door casings and some crown molding (52/38) and it's money.
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Used a HF 12in compound miter saw for $120 and a Diablo $60 blade for my brew pub and decking. Never replaced the blade through then entire project and still cuts though 4x4s like butter.
... I can assure you there are differences between good and bad miter saws...
Absolutely. A good mitre saw will make good cuts right out of the box. But there is still room for improvement.
Mine was good enough for doing trim work, but not for fine woodworking. I took the time to adjust the angle stop mechanism, which took some time doing test cuts along the way, but it was worth it to get it dialed in to perfection. I can now do cuts on it as accurately as I can on my tablesaw.
Needed a table saw to make a single cut on a pine wood derby car. So i bought a Dewalt portable table saw today. No HF trash for me.
I did the same using a square.
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