novice121
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Posts posted by novice121
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On 6/14/2020 at 10:27 PM, paulengr said:
Lots of experience. I do a lot of electrical panel work. I’m always looking for the perfect tool for the job. So far nibblers come the closest but none are perfect.
A shear is like electric tin snips. They work strictly on flat surfaces. You can somewhat turn corners but not very well kind of like a saber saw. Like snips cutting across seams and corners is frustrating at best.
A nibbler is 100% different. It is more like a round high speed punch. It nibbles pieces of metal out. It can go in any direction and handles creases and corners with ease as long as the punch opening is big enough.
If I had a choice hands down I would get the nibbler. They are expensive but unless you only do flat metal and few if any cuts other than straight, shears are a waste of time.
Second do NOT bother with a nibbler or even shears near your size range. So the Dewalt that says it works on 16 gauge basically can’t handle anything over 18 gauge and even that is pushing it. I would go for a nibbler for either the Makita or Milwaukee 10 gauge or maybe the Dewalt 14 gauge tool. Neither is cordless yet.
Might want to look at this one. It’s the only one I know that splits the middle between light duty and monster nibblers.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/172240090874
Too light...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/332098651924
This is what you want but at $1,000 new better be sure you need one.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/223979942377
Only three issues with nibblers. First one is that they take out chunks of metal. So you get a fairly rough edge with sharp teeth (points) that needs to be ground off. Second it takes out a fairly big bite of metal so you need to plan accordingly. Third unlike circular saws and sawzall you can’t start in the middle. It’s like a saber saw, first drill a hole to get the blade in then start sawing. And you need a very big hole.
But this is confusing to me because you said metal STUDS. If that’s what you are doing look at the Milwaukee M18 metal cutting saw or equivalent. These are cold circular saws. It cuts metal like butter for straight cuts. It puts band saws to shame. And much cheaper than a good quality nibbler. Nibblers are more for roofing, if you need the occasional non-straight cut a saber saw works pretty good with a metal blade. Not fast but it gets the job done.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/202817884976
I’ve tried others. Sawzall works very fast but it is really a demolition tool...very rough and messy cuts. The reciprocating “multi-tools” will cut soft, thin metals like say an occasional nail or screw but don’t expect it to do any significant metal cutting. A grinder with a “zip saw” blade throws a lot of sparks, burns the finish off everythjng, and leaves a melted edge but it does cut very well. With a steady hand, a good paint pen mark, and hopefully a straight edge, I can do a decent job with it. It gets in tight corners where others can’t. But it’s very, very messy and not very fast. It looks impressive with all the sparks but it’s not really.
If I was just cutting metal studs that’s like pipe. I would think that a band saw would be your best bet.Wow man, outstanding; what a read!!!
I am a metal framer, I cut 20 gauge studs with my Midwest offsets snips like a breeze, but rarely I need to cut patterns to add studs in weird areas with different angles, and corners, so I was just curious to see what's out there besides all my grinders (full disclosure, I just wanted an excuse to buy more Makita cordless tools).
Thank you for the knowledge, and, do you know why so many electricians here in Florida use the cheapest yellow handle straight cut snips to force their way into round cuts on my studs? lol
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Hi guys; which cordless shear should I choose for 18 gauge, but mostly 20 gauge metal studs, and the rare 16 gauge sometimes? Also, what is the difference between a shear, and a nibbler?
I use my trusty Midwest offset snips 99% of the time, but sometimes I need to do some intricate cuts for whatever reason, and I never used a shear or a nibbler before, but want to know if it's worth it.
Finally, which one would be cheaper to maintain blades wise?
Thanks for any tips.
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Dumb question here. I have been using the Makita XDT12Z very happily for the past 2 years in the field as a framer, and other than some shafts getting stuck sometimes it's been very durable.
I wish to buy another one for a just in case situation, but am wondering if there is a similar model without the Torque option that would sell cheaper, and be of the same quality?
Basically the XDT14Z model?
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Why so expensive Makita?
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Whoa, whoa, whoa... hooooold on. I have a very important PSA for you guys. This particular expensive Dewalt laser ABSOLUTELY SUCKS! And I have lots of personal proof.
DEWALT DW089LG 12V MAX 3 X 360 Line Laser, Green U$D 449 currently.
My proof? My company's framing crews starting buying this particular laser, as well as the entire exterior/interior window guys for a particular gigantic 70,000 sft house I started.
So I got to see the awful results of 11 of these particular units.
The people buying them were absolutely clueless about the method for checking proper calibration on these types of lasers, which is documented on the manuals that they all threw away, of course.
I have a lot of experience with red/green crossline lasers, and most of them have a very similar tolerance of inaccuracy of about +- 1/8'' inch at 30ft.
To test these lasers against themselves I found that you simply find 2 walls at around 25ft x 25ft apart, and place your laser on one wall marking it's surroundings, and then placing the laser on the opposite wall to check if all your marking line up properly, or have that 1/8'' tolerance...
Not only did 10 of these 11 units went way past this 1/8'' tolerance (between 1/4'' to 3/8''), some of them would give me an entire 3/8" out of level ceilings inside very tiny closets of about 10ft x 12ft area on occasions! This is way too much inaccuracy for these type of houses. Not to mention that God knows how much more inaccurate they'd get over time, or when they would decide to be a$$holes at random times of use...
I can not emphasize enough how bad this particular Dewalt model is, since I had to suffer a lot of headaches for out of level, or out of square work done by them for almost a year in this particular home.
I check my own crossline lasers every 3 months or so, and if they start breaking that 1/8'' tolerance, I found that PLS is the easiest to exchange, or recalibrate my units in the least painful way possible. Good luck getting Dewalt to honor their 1 year warranty though, or not charge for recalibration, at least in the state I live in.
Please DO NOT buy a DEWALT DW089LG 12V laser for any type of serious work. It's only ok to use for tiny 4ft x 6ft shower tiles at most, and even then it's still an expensive paper weight.
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Thanks, I hope you are right. I have a lot of lasers, but they're all either PLS, or Hilti. They're not perfect, nor bad, and they all succumb to decalibration from time to time I guess.
I can't wait to get this laser, and I hope Makita is nice with their warranty process as PLS is.
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Any of you know when the new SK209G will be available in the US, or at least to be able to be imported from Canada, NZ, or Japan, or wherever available?
https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/SK209GDZ
Do you guys think this laser will suck? All of Makita lasers have pretty bad reviews in the US.
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Sorry for the late reply. You guys are right, I ended up waiting for a Dremel promo, and got it cheaper (model 4300) from eBay with a coupon.
I think it'll be a long time until a die grinder can replace a Dremel; not because of the non variable speed, or adapters, but because I'm sure there are patents, and licenses involved.
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OK, so I was about to buy a Dremel 4300 with all the accessories line ups, and adapters, all Dremel branded stuff out of the Home Depot, but when I held that tiny 6" ish tool on my hand (demo unit), I really felt like an a-hole. It felt weak, and flaccid.
I wish to buy a Makita cordless die grinder with a little more balls, and find a way to use some sort of adapter to use it with the tiny Dremel accesories, and also find a way to regulate the speed of the die grinder itself. Is this even possible?
The Dremel doesn't look like it's gonna last, and I plan to re-mod my old Makita radio, and add more USB ports, tweeters, amps, and a higher range Bluetooth adapter using a die grinder to take care of all the molding around the plastic housing to mod it.
Also, excuse my mannerism, as English is not my first language, and I still need to get used to all of these nomenclatures (Bolivian-American, please).
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I have... THE POWAAAAAAAARRRG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nothing to see here guys, just a regular dude feeling manly, changing some stubborn wheel bearings...
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On 5/27/2017 at 10:59 AM, KnarlyCarl said:
Most definitely..
I'm pretty sure they will work fine, just that some newer more powerful batteries wouldn't work with the older tools. But I would bet that any of the existing lithium batteries will work with the newer tools. @kornomaniac maybe would know?
Well, so far the tool seems to be puppy-proof, which is my main concern with all my tools, of course.
I have used it so far successfully to:
Remove frozen axle nut.
Remove Honda crank pulley bolt.
Remove lug nuts.
Drive in manual press big bolt to press wheel bearings in.
Drive my wife crazy for spending this much on a tool.
I want to thank KnarlyCarl for his advise, as well as the other guys here.
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1 hour ago, KnarlyCarl said:
Finally, shame on that mechanic, never should have any reason to wrench down on a lug nut without a torque limiting device or proper torque wrench. I'm just a guy in my garage doing maintenance on my two personal vehicles and even I use a torque wrench!!
There was one time when I worked in an auto shop I FORGOT to tighten the lug nuts and one wheel almost popped off a customers car (the horror!)
Jaja, can you imagine if that one song came on the radio at that moment? "You picked a fine time to leave me loose wheel..."
Can you please tell me the model of that brushless impact wrench?
Would a DIY car owner benefit more from a 1/2" with adapters for most tiny projects? (ie. caliper/struts removal/replacement)
Would you know if older 3.0ah batteries work with this tool? I have 4.0's and 5.0's too, but don't know much about compatibility.
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Hello! I have a lot cordless Makita tools, except for an impact wrench. I need to spend between $200-$300 bucks in the US.
I am very ignorant to car mechanics except for basics. I have recently changed my rear wheel bearings for the first time without using a 20 ton hydraulic press, and only using a manual hand cranked press tool, and the power of leverage to turn the big bolt. I see that most Makita impact wrenches are 1/2", which is ok since I can always use adapters?
Here's more stupid questions:
Which Makita model has the most balls for that price for big 36mm bolts?
Will pneumatic guns always have more balls than battery operated guns for that price?
Is there more control over the force, and speed you drive bolts in with the battery operated one over a pneumatic impact? (mechanic drove a tire lug nut in with a pneumatic impact and tore. the stud right out)
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Hi. I just bought a brand new XRH04Z Cordless SDS Hammer Drill, and noticed the Makita website says " Built-in L.E.D. light with afterglow illuminates the work area ", but for the life of me, I can not see anything on the tool light up to illuminate anything? Lol.
VS my older BHR241Z Makita BHR241Z
I love this tool, I'm no engineer, so the best I can do for you is tell the only complaint I've had after using my BHR241 often; the weak point on both of this tools that are practically identical is the trigger. The trigger is awful in durability because is loosely covered by a rubber layer (for ergonomic purposes, I guess), and the flimsy plastic trigger behind that rubber protection actually starts off by breaking the rubber layer as the vibration of the tool in used creates that friction between them, and after that, the trigger itself seems to come off or get stuck easy, and break off.
I have not used my XHR04z just yet, but the trigger feels very much the same as my older model BHR241z.
Other than that, I love the tool for price/ergonomics/quality ratio... wish I knew how to make a review like this guy:
But can't help you on that one. I just know that I can't afford Hilti, and that from experience with other brands, Makita seems to be the sweet spot for me price/quality wise.
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That's interesting MikeyB, I happen to have the complete Rigid Case system, which also has a gasket, and I believe was done before Dewalt's because I never saw those on Home Depot. Anyways, the case with gasket didn't help me much, although I will confess I did not clean every tool up with WD40 after every single use. DR99, I'm definitely trying some silica gel, great tip!!!
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Thanks! Have you ever tried something like this? Some people swear by it:
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Hey guys; So I have over 25 different cordless Makita bare tools that I keep inside cases, inside my trunk, and I keep buying more as a compulsive collector
. Even though they are inside Makita cases, most of them show sign of rust visible to the naked eye, no matter how I take care of them. Here in Florida, the humidity can get pretty bad I guess.
How can I prevent rust build up on my tools? How do you guys remove it?
I have more tools than the ones shown in pictures, and so far the rust hasn't made any of the tools obsolete or damaged, but it's worrying.
The BHR241 Hammer Drill is the only one broken, after a lot of daily usage... one day it just made smoke, and started rotating slowly, but I think it's just the brushes maybe...
Anyways, any good tips to clean them, and prevent rust build up so quickly? How can I lubricate, or do some maintenance to help them out?
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Thanks guys, I'll try it soon... it sucks they close so early, and don't open in the weekends. I will have to loose a day's work to do chores like that
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Hi guys, let me get to the point.
I have bought several Makita cordless tools online from different retailers (CPOTools, Toolup, Toolbarn, Ebay mostly), and they all have their sticker with their serial numbers on. Some tools were bought from Canada, through Ebay.
I live in Florida, and I was always too busy to register any of these tools online, but most of them are within a year of purchase, and some over...
My question is, can I just take the tools that crapped out on me to any Makita authorized factory center (Makita Factory Service Center
2101 NW 33rd St., #800A (Whispering Lakes Commerce Center)
Pompano Beach, 1-800-462-5482), and will they be able to help get these tools fixed?
. Even though they are inside Makita cases, most of them show sign of rust visible to the naked eye, no matter how I take care of them. Here in Florida, the humidity can get pretty bad I guess.
Broken 6.0 Battery, or charger? Warranty?
in Makita
Posted
Hello! Exactly 3 months ago I bought a pair of 6.0ah BL1860B batteries, brand new, and sealed off eBay from a reputable seller. Somehow I forgot I had these 2 batteries still sealed in the garage, so I opened one after 3 months, and used it for a day at work. It would charge rather quickly, and felt weaker than my very old 4.0ah batteries, which are still going strong.
The next day, the battery stopped charging altogether, blinking red, and green on the charger. I would take it out, and back in quickly, since that seems to work when my old batteries don't want to charge, but no dice.
I contacted the seller asking about if Makita could help me out, but no answer from the seller anymore.
Can I get any help from Makita? I've never had to use their 3 year warranty after owning a lot of batteries, and tools, so this is a first for me.
I didn't open the other battery from its pack just in case.
PS: I remember long long ago reading about the Star on their batteries, and how it was not recommended to store these batteries unused for long periods of time; not sure if this applies to me.