Chris

Sounds like something I need to get on then. I have a 3 day weekend coming up, I'll see if I can get something kind of cool together for the first one.

Those gloves look decent, I'd prefer them all to be fingerless. The only gloves I like to wear when working with hardware (automotive work) are the Diamond Grip by Microflex. The only way I'd ever wear full on gloves when using screws and nails if it was so cold outside that my hands were frozen.

A speed square is one of those tools that most people think can only do a couple things but in reality it's got a lot of tricks to it. I'm thinking of starting a series about different things you can do with a lot of layout tools. I don't fashion myself as an all knowing expert but I know quite a few tricks that I think would help a lot of the DIY/ homeowners out when it comes to laying out cuts and how to figure out shapes and patterns.

That's how TIA rolls, sneaks in when you have no idea it's there!

Welcome Gary, glad to have you aboard. They say admission is the first step to recovery... I don't think there is anything to recover from though >

I have cut plenty of bushes down with a sawzall. You get those thick branches that need a hedge trimmer isn't going to get, time to get the sawzall out. I think the hardest thing I've had to cut with a Milwaukee Sawzall is through a 4" thick piece of stainless steel roundstock that was in a tight corner. Went through quite a few blades, but it all worked out in the end.

Hooked up the Meguiars DA Power System to my DeWalt 20V and went to town on the wifes truck this weekend. Clayed, compounded, polished and waxed it. Drill worked really well, actually had to dial it back a bit because one of the pads went off flying on full speed. In the past I've mainly used cheap cordless drills to do this because they have the cheater button to keep the drill going without having to always pull the trigger. I actually found that I do prefer using the DeWalt because it had a much better feel in my hand and no cord.

Man that's a killer deal I worked at Home Depot after graduating high school and I remember one day people were going crazy because an associate found they had packaged all a bunch of DeWalt XRP tools in the wrong boxes for the regular DeWalt 18 Volt tools. People were hoarding them, you'd like someone had opened up Ft. Knox.

I am with kdv, I prefer the ones with the sliding tray, to me it makes for an easier cut.

Man I think my butt would still be tight even a couple years after taking a ride like that. I personally hate heights and have never really cared for riding in a JLG. What's really fun is when your in a JLG that's on a barge and repairing the side of a ship. Over time you get closer and closer and then you get further and further. Gotta watch what your doing so you don't get pinched up.

How many Lowes and Home Depot's are you passing on your way to Sears? If you pass 1 of them, I think your wasting gas money. From my recent experience I find Craftsman to be on par if not inferior to most Kobalt and Husky tools but with a higher price tag. I highly recommend checking out the Milwaukee hand tool line up at Home Depot. I bought some of the linesman pliers and they are down right impressive. Even people I know who are electricians who have handled them are really impressed. I am going to pick up some of their locking pliers here soon, I think they look pretty darn innovative. I like how they are constructed so you can throw a drift pin in and keep tightening down. Now all of the Sears stores that I'm willing to drive to have shut down over the past few years. I won't pass 5 - 6 Home Depot's and Lowe's stores to buy a Craftsman anything. The last tool I bought at Sears was a Craftsman hickory handled claw hammer. Only reason I bought it was nostalgia, my Dad has always had one with his name engraved on it.

Welcome to the TIA forum, glad to have you aboard. I've only been here a short time and am greatly enjoying it.

Welcome to TIA Brad, glad to have another brother onboard.

This is an awesome find and I hope he either finds or has found a company interested in marketing this blade. It's great how you can use places like TIA and websites like YouTube to show off your ideas and get them out there onto the market.

I am not a plumber, by any means, but I can tell you as a home owner the idea of compression fittings and press on fittings (like sharkbites) have really taken over. When I rehabed the bathroom in my house I ended up replacing a lot of the copper piping with pex and used shark bites to bring it all together. I am pretty good at brazing and soldering, but these new fittings just make it so much quicker and easier. I think Sharkbite is saying their products have a 25 year lifespan?

Awesome to hear someone else from the industry chime in here Chris. It really is an amazing industry to be apart of, you will do and see things that no one else will ever experience. Interesting side note, at least here in the United States. Our trade name as a Shipfitter comes from the term Shipwright, it changed when they started building the ships out of steel. At my yard Shipwrights are in charge of woodworking, staging and actually docking the ship in the dry dock. I know at Newport News (Huntington Ingalls) the Shipwrights align the prefabbed sections of the ship as newer ships are built more in a lego like format. One thing you'll notice working in the yards is how everything is different from yard to yard. We do everything from call tools different names to even some shops have different responsibilities. You get a bunch of guys from a bunch of different yards together, it can be confusing at first until we all get on the same page.

Did you paint the white lettering on the vice? It really did come out awesome.

Joe this really comes down to what tool platform you prefer, it's not a black and white issue. I honestly don't for see you purchasing a major tool brand (ie: Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Bosch, Ridgid, etc.) where the drill, driver, circular saw, reciprocating saw, etc. is not going to preform. A lot of it comes down to exactly what tools do you require? Once you figure that out, compare the specifications on the different brands. Go to YouTube and check out the different tool reviews. Go by the hardware store and handle the tools, see what feels good to you. The best example I can think of (for what I'm getting at) for you is that in my industry we run power cords or air lines for everything, so having a corded power tool doesn't bother me at all. My favorite circular saw is the Milwaukee 6390-21 15-amp 7-1/4 in. TILT-LOK Circular Saw. That might not be what your looking for though because you may not want to run a power cord, or have the weight of that saw in your hands. A lot of us like particular brands because of fit and finish, not because one brand is truly better than the other. Now when you get to comparing Milwaukee & DeWalt to Ryobi and Skil, your really starting to get into black and white territory on accuracy and durability.

Really nice score, I love how you cleaned that vice up. I've never had a lot of luck at garage sales, but then again I probably have not tried enough. I know my father in law tells me all the time the tools he sees at auctions. Love the stereo, you've gotta have good audio in the shop. I have a really nice set up myself, I love having some music going while I'm working. I am hoping to find some time this weekend to do a little tour for TIA in my garage and I'll show you guys my stereo set up.

I had heard that they were quality socket sets. I might have to pick one up sometime, I really love to hear about how they are 6-point sockets.

Welcome to the TIA forum!

I love the organization, it makes working so much more efficiently. The brooms in the overhead is a fantastic idea, wish I would have thought of that when I worked out of a van.

Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Ridgid, etc., you can't really go wrong with any of these. Honestly the only battery platform I feel is truly limited would be the Ridgid line, I really wish they would expand it some more. I am not a woodworker, but a lot of the guys I know that are swear by Makita. I suggest you go to Home Depot and put your hands on them all, see what feels best in your hands. And eventually you might end up like me with tools from different battery platforms, it just happens. No company makes the best everything.

Kinda late to this party but I'll add anyway... I can testify for these Wilton Hammers, they are amazingly resilient. We ordered a bunch of these before we did a project at work and I don't think a day went by where someone wasn't using it to hang steel with. That thing was put through the paces for over 3 years and is still going strong on another project now. I absolutely love the handles on them and the hammer overall feels well balanced. The color scheme is out of this world and sets your maul apart from everyone elses.

I love these ideas for organizing a battery charging station. I keep looking at the Milwaukee Tool Box over at HD and that top box would really provide a nice spot to put a charging station.