Let's talk tools

Started by MushCreek, July 12, 2009, 02:40:52 PM

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MushCreek

I'm sure everyone on here has opinions about tools- who makes good ones, who makes bad ones, etc. Although I have a LOT of tools, I will need to buy more for when I build my house (darn!) so I am looking for opinions on who makes the best whatever. I don't buy junk- I buy life-time tools, and take care of them. I've had some power tools for over 30 years, without problems. Here's what I have and like-

Table saw- I bought a Ridgid, and have been pleased and impressed. It's their big, stationary model, although it has casters.

Sliding Miter- 12" Ridgid. Again, lotta bang for the buck

Sawzall- Milwaukee, of course

Corded drills- Again, Milwaukee. They last forever. I have been disappointed in a cordless one I bought, though

Jig saw- Bosch. An amazing saw, and the best blades in the business

Belt sander- I've had a Makita forever, and it's been great

Circular saw- I have an ancient Skil sidewinder that needs to be replaced, but it won't die!

Router- I have an old Craftsman that does the job, although something bigger would be nice

What I'm looking for suggestion on are- Circular saw, nailers, small compressor, laser level, and cordless tools.
What have you got? What do you like? What other tools do I need that I forgot?
Jay

I'm not poor- I'm financially underpowered.

PEG688

Quote from: MushCreek on July 12, 2009, 02:40:52 PM
Jig saw- Bosch. An amazing saw, and the best blades in the business

Belt sander- I've had a Makita forever, and it's been great

Circular saw- I have an ancient Skil sidewinder that needs to be replaced, but it won't die!

Router- I have an old Craftsman that does the job, although something bigger would be nice


Bosch  1607 which now the closest is a 1617 EVS , and Dewalt plunge routers  DW625, Porter Cable  D handle 691XXX

What I'm looking for suggestion on are-

#1Circular saw,

  The porter Cable 325 and 424 blade left blade right are nice if you like that style of saw
 

#2:  nailers,

Senco is the best in all most every type of gun IMO.

 




#3 small compressor,

  Emglo was the best they've been bought out I think so thats a tough one until that shakes out but if you can find a Emglo I'd buy it again all most always a top proformer.


#4: laser level,

Depends indoor or outdoor ? For inside the Laserjamb pole and the small Berger that they sell with it is nice , the "new" laser they may have now looks good as well and the company that sells them, Fastcap, has been very good with what they sell
and cordless tools.
What have you got? What do you like?


  What other tools do I need that I forgot?

To many to list.



So thats a start.
When in doubt , build it stout with something you know about .


MountainDon

Ditto the Senco nailer vote. My Senco's never jam or misfire. Twenty + years old and counting... not that they get the workout they used to.

Cordless tools... I've had good experiences with the Ryobi 18V series. All the framing cuts on our cabin were made with the little 18V circular saw. Get the Lithium Ion kit as that model circ saw has an improved bearing mount and the batteries seem to produce more torque than the NiCads.

That PC D-handle router is wonderful!

I have a PC pancake compressor that has performed well and it runs well on the Yamaha 2800i generator.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Kevin

For a nailer I go with Paslode cordless nailer. Works well and you don't have to drag a air line around.
Cordless i go with craftsman. I have the set and they work great. dewalt would be my second choice.
Kevin

PEG688

Quote from: Kevin on July 12, 2009, 03:46:27 PM


For a nailer I go with Paslode cordless nailer.



Thats a spendy way to buy nail guns unless you need just one??
When in doubt , build it stout with something you know about .


rwanders

 :) If you like your old Skil sidewinder, you will love a Skil wormdrive---I have one that is 25 and still runs like new (Model 77)  The 77 mag model is just as good and somewhat lighter.

sawzall----definitely Milwaukee
Rwanders lived in Southcentral Alaska since 1967
Now lives in St Augustine, Florida

davidj

After destroying two pancake compressors (one Porter Cable, one Husky) I finally got free reign with the credit card and got a DeWalt/EmGlo D55146.  It's amazing - much quieter, much faster, no oil, wheels that really work "off road" and it still runs off my 3KVA Honda EB3000.  Shame about the upcoming credit card bill...

I also think my 10" DeWalt non-sliding compound miter is great too - all I need to do is sell my 1920s bungalow and get a house that has trim that will fit in it!  (10" baseboard is a bit much for it...)

Another vote for the Ryobi OnePlus series, especially the drills (the exception is the circular saw I got a few years back, which was so out of square it was dangerous).  I upgraded by buying a lithium kit with a drill and an impact driver a few weeks ago and the impact driver is amazing.  However it gets expensive once you start gratuitously replacing 16d's with SDS screws (@ 50c/piece!) just as an excuse to use it!  PS watch out for the two different lithium battery sizes with Ryobi kits - you probably want the big ones but the cheap kits use the small ones.

Also another vote for Bosch jigsaws, especially if you use the fancier wood-cutting blades (e.g. T234X).

rocking23nf

for hand tools (non powered), Klien beats all. Especially electrician tools, but even the screwdrivers are amazing.


glenn kangiser

Quote from: davidj on July 13, 2009, 01:55:11 AM
After destroying two pancake compressors (one Porter Cable, one Husky) I finally got free reign with the credit card and got a DeWalt/EmGlo D55146.  It's amazing - much quieter, much faster, no oil, wheels that really work "off road" and it still runs off my 3KVA Honda EB3000.  Shame about the upcoming credit card bill...

I also think my 10" DeWalt non-sliding compound miter is great too - all I need to do is sell my 1920s bungalow and get a house that has trim that will fit in it!  (10" baseboard is a bit much for it...)

Another vote for the Ryobi OnePlus series, especially the drills (the exception is the circular saw I got a few years back, which was so out of square it was dangerous).  I upgraded by buying a lithium kit with a drill and an impact driver a few weeks ago and the impact driver is amazing.  However it gets expensive once you start gratuitously replacing 16d's with SDS screws (@ 50c/piece!) just as an excuse to use it!  PS watch out for the two different lithium battery sizes with Ryobi kits - you probably want the big ones but the cheap kits use the small ones.

Also another vote for Bosch jigsaws, especially if you use the fancier wood-cutting blades (e.g. T234X).

Ryobi out of square circular saw in the 18 v one plus likely had a broken front bearing retainer behind the blade.  Just look at them and they break - that is the blue one with a plastic retainer.  The green one has an aluminum retainer and is available in the Lithium set.  I have the complete set and more - and as stated for the price it is a pretty good value for home to light commercial use.

Heavy use I have now switched to the Makita 18v Lithium set due to the 325 ft lb impact wrench.  I have installed hundreds and hundreds of 3/4 dia 6 inch long lags with no breakdown.  The detent pin wore off but a piece of rubber band from a face mask retains the sockets well.  It is normal for me to wear detent pins off or in the case of DeWalt impacts, I break the drive shaft off at the end of the square socket drive.  No more DeWalts for me - I have broken at least 3 of them.    All of this set is great but rather expensive - around $600.  Tons of add on tools for this set - almost anything you can imagine with around 20 minute recharge time on the 3ah battery.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.


Windpower

I just bought a makita driver/drill set from HD   -- amazing torque

Second on the Paslode -- yeah they are expensive -- but you don't need electric or a compressor either -- like working way out there beyond power in the back 40....

It is going to make putting up that new deer stand a snap


I just picked up another Paslode framer-- new in box for $99  (missing charger and battery --which I already have  :)

OK, I am now going to damage everybody's credit card balance (sorry)

I just saw this little gem demo'd at Ace HW

WOW, JUST WOW (on both price and performance It's German after all)

Fein Multimaster



videos here

http://www.fein.de/fein-multimaster/us/en/media/multimaster_video.php


Often, our ignorance is not as great as our reluctance to act on what we know.

davidj


Don_P

well first Lowes tools are junk, even if its name brand. They beat up their suppliers to supply cheaper tools with inferior batteries, armatures, bearings, switches, etc. This goes for Milwaukee, Dewalt, Makita, Husky that I know of for sure, probably all of em. Craftsman saws are downright dangerous. Whew, I feel better  :)

I like the makita sidewinder saws, I buy the 13 amp ones and rebuild/swap parts I think I've got 4 running right now. They are pretty accurate, have very good power to weight and are comfortable for women to use, my wife does about half our cutting and she can use this one all day.

I used to run some Black and Decker Industrial stuff so when they bought Dewalt and swithced that name to their industrial line I started just buying it, it seemed ok but seems to be slipping into homeowner grade, which has become a larger volume market.

I've run Senco, duofast, paslode and bostitch nailers, they're all Bostitch now mainly because they were decently priced and the nails were readily available. Dad runs Paslode cordless in retirement for the reasons mentioned, he just throws it in and goes to do volunteer work. He never owned a gun when I was growing up... "what do you think I had kids for, keep nailing  d*"

MushCreek

I've heard good things about the Makita saws from other people. The magnesium one is nice, but kinda spendy. I definitely wouldn't take it up on the roof. I've also heard good things about Porter Cable sidewinders.
Jay

I'm not poor- I'm financially underpowered.

firefox

I just picked up another Paslode framer-- new in box for $99  (missing charger and battery --which I already have  Smiley

OK, I am now going to damage everybody's credit card balance (sorry)

I just saw this little gem demo'd at Ace HW

WOW, JUST WOW (on both price and performance It's German after all)


How could you Windpower? Well I guess you did say you were sorry.....

I have been looking for something like that for a long time.

Thanks!

Ouch, ouch, ouch , now honey put that breaker bar down, that is not for correcting humans........
Bruce & Robbie
MVPA 23824


Don_P

Be careful but look in used/pawn shops too. I've been burned a few times and have gotten great tools a few times.

Yeah the Makita saws cannot take a drop, I'm not sure any can anymore. I had one that was one day old on top of the step ladder with me doing a soffit return... yup you guessed it, I coulda cried. Just a FYI the 16" makita beam saw has the same motor as the little sidewinder, same brushes, etc. It has a reduction gear to slow it down, keeping the tip speed correct and giving it more power, although it is still one power starved saw. I use that one, it weighs in over 50 lbs and on the odd occasion that it kicks it has quite a bit of mass in motion. I enjoy peoples reaction to that saw. They comment on it's huge blade and depth of cut. I tell them I have another hand held saw that can cut 3 times as deep, their eyes get big and I reach over for the handsaw  :D. Never forget that we can do most of this stuff with hand tools. I could carry most of Dad's tools in one or two trips to the truck.

MushCreek

I have a tendency to reach for hand tools first, actually. I'm pretty old-school (OK, just old!). Since I'll be building a house, and am not exactly a kid any more, I want to get the tools that will make the job go as quickly and painlessly as possible. I'm going to take a year off of work to do my build, and work on it full time, so I need to get 'er done.
Jay

I'm not poor- I'm financially underpowered.

Billisnice

Would it be greater cost effective to find someone to frame the shell?

Windpower

I feel your pain, firefox

;D

it has become a must have

*damn*damn*damn*

I look back at the hours and hours it would have saved......

Often, our ignorance is not as great as our reluctance to act on what we know.

phalynx

I bought a Dewalt 36V Lion 3 piece kit with circular saw, drill, and sawzall.  I tell you one thing, I have beat them to death and they just keep going.  The power is insane and they last a long long long time.  Much of  my house was built with that circular saw.  I have the Dewalt compound miter saw 12" with the stand that I also think is a great machine.  I do think that there are a few now that are cheap and as good.  Hitachi comes to mind.  I am not completely stuck on Dewalt but they have worked well for me in the past.  I have a Delta table saw that works well.  For the compressor,  I had a dewalt/emglo oiled compressor at first for the cabin.  It worked well but would strain the 3450W generator.  I ended up selling it and later on buying a porter cable pancake. ...  Junk...  I then bought a 200psi Dewalt 15 gallon compressor and it is great.  I haven't tried it on a generator though.. I think it would have a hard time.

MikeT

One (high end) brand of tool for woodworking which I can recommend is Fest Tool.  It is a German brand and has great ergonomics.  After hating my low end jigsaw, I tried their jig saw on 1.75" maple and it moved effortlessly through the material and I was able to follow my curved line without much effort. 

At $300 it is pricey, but for the finer cuts on finish work, it has been great.


mt


Ndrmyr

I have to heartily recommend the new Makita compact drill/driver set at 10.4v Ion-Lithium. The impact driver is amazing for its size.  The convenience of having both can not be stressed enough. The ability to drill/countersink/drive with two units beats any quick change bit system made. Add a belt/holster to free your hands for ladder work and you won't be able to wipe the smile off of your face. Install a ceiling fan or anything over your head and compare to doing the same job with your 18v drill and smile, smile, smile.  Drove 8" timber-lok screws building a chainsaw log bench and did it well. A bit of beeswax would have made the job perfect.
"A society that rewards based on need creates needy citizens. A society that rewards based on ability creates able one."

secordpd

I got the Dremel multi-master for free, (family member's boyfriend works for Bosch/Dremel).  I had to trim a corner off some plywood with only enough room to fit my arm in (was running some pex) and it cut through like butter..  Also had to cut the floor around a wall (pipes froze/leaked) and there was no way to do it flesh with jig saw or sawzall...Worked great.  My only bitch is that Lowes does NOT carry the wood/metal blade, (special order or you can order online) if you hit a nail its junk.. But the blades are fairly cheap 10 bucks as opposed to Feins, I think theirs are something like 35 bucks...  My brother got the Bosch brand, it's cordless 12 volt I think, he said batteries don't last very long (read somewhere Bosch just jazzed up their 10 volt into a 12 volt???) 

If your not cutting hardwood or using all the time, I think the Dremel is fine and I think they are only 60 or 70 bucks at Lowes...

Just my 2 cents...
"Whether You Think You Can or Can't, You're Right"--Henry Ford       Just call me grasshopper Master Po.