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JMG

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Posts posted by JMG

  1. Tools you hate lending?

    in Power Tools

    Posted

    6 hours ago, HiltiWpg said:

    I haven't figured out a way to politely tell people I don't lend my tools.
    I come off sounding like a jerk every time. I usually say something like " I invested quite a bit into these tools for me to earn a living, not you"

    If I judge someone to be worthy of assistance, when they ask to borrow a tool I will state that I only loan tools if I am attached to them. Otherwise, I do not consider it impolite to simply state that my tools are not available for loan.

  3. No doubt the most common question - which brand?

    in Power Tools

    Posted

    I don't have an issue with the actual operation of my tools. It is the sloppy fit that gets to me. The first attempt at sliding a 9ah battery into the super hawg ended up with the battery jamming against the battery post on the tool and not sliding into place on the first try. This caused the OCD to kick in and I started comparing all of the different brands I currently own. The battery slop on my Milwaukee tools exceeds that of all of the others I personally own. The best fit on batteries goes to the Fein tools I have, followed by Makita, Metabo, Dewalt, and then Milwaukee, in that order.  I dumped the Bosch line years ago due to a high percentage of critical motor failures. Those are the primary platforms I own and is simply what I see about the batteries fitting onto the tools themselves and has absolutely nothing to do with any of the tools performance of their intended function.

     

    I don't go in for a fanboy attitude about tool platforms. I use what works for me no matter the brand. The battery fit on the Milwaukee tools I have annoy the F#*$ out of me. Simple statement about a simple issue and it reflects on the OCD side of my personality. Nothing  more, nothing less.

    • Like 2

  4. Square bearing router bits?

    in Accessories

    Posted

    Made all of those myself. At the time CNC machines were not readily available. Any acrylic should do the trick, it's just that I have found that Corian wears better than most blends available. Good tensile strength and not too soft. It also helped that I had lots of left over material to work with.

  5. What to do with old tools???

    in Pub Talk

    Posted

    One of my nephews just bought his first house, so I have been sifting through all of my tools looking for duplicates and passing them along. I have to agree that getting low ball offers on an item is too much of an insult to bother with. I would rather let an item rot then deal with the attitudes most times. Paying it forward works well enough for many items, but only if someone really needs the item. Marginal items generally get tossed. The other insult that you run into is when you give something to someone and then they accidentally tell you how much they got for it on eBay.

  7. Square bearing router bits?

    in Accessories

    Posted

     

    @SetBuilder Metal filings under the base plate is a slightly different issue than the bearings rubbing or scoring the face edge, and your vacuum/air dusting process is a good response, along with the tape. Not certain if wax on the surface in that situation would help, or trap the filings making the issue worse. One thing that I have noticed, is that the black phenolic base plates that usually come with the routers score easily when working on metals and can cause scratching themselves in some cases from the scratches on them. A majority of the base plates on my routers have been replaced, using quarter inch thick Corian. I even added some Corian to the bottom of my Milwaukee circular saw for working on acrylics. The Corian wears better along with better glide properties, and fewer holes for tiny bits to get trapped in and scratch the surfaces.

     

    IMG_0357.thumb.JPG.6d1603921224a6cd65e8758137b2231e.JPG

    A drawer full of unused original plates and new Corian blanks yet to be applied when others might wear out.

     

    The only time I find myself using the original base plates is when I need to use a fixed guide bushing. I use half inch material for difficult plate designs where strength or flex might be an issue. Also as insert plates for my router table setup.

     

    A side note: Keeping the center hole close to the size of the bit being used can also limit the amount of material getting under the plate to cause scratching, but will also limit visibility.

  8. Looking for some advice

    in Pub Talk

    Posted

    From what I take out of your explanation, the situation you find yourself in is a fairly common practice for a poorly organized or badly managed company. They show signs of not having a strong financial footprint, along with possible cash flow problems, which can extend from the quality control issues of the past. Customers definitely object to making, or signing off on those final payments when they feel they are not getting what was contracted for, and those issues become a hurdle that some companies can never overcome.

     

    In any assigned position that you accept in job life, you eventually either make it your own or move on to something else. Whether you start your own company, or work for someone else, you eventually make your own job description when working in the trade skills. One of the issues I see here is one that experience will teach you over the years, and that is that you did not take enough time in negotiating your current position, and did not get someone to sign off on a fixed time period for review with a specific form of pay bump written into it.

     

    What you do from this point on is on you. If you are not happy, first look to see if there are other similar companies that you could contact for employment. Take a vacation day, or sick day if the prior is not an option and go investigate other opportunities. Do not ever mention to anyone at your current work site that you have any dissatisfaction or may be looking elsewhere. If you find some other opportunity that looks promising, offer to take someone that matters in that organization out to lunch and talk to them about their company. Do not at any point bad mouth the company you work for, as it will only reflect badly on you for being part of a bad company or look like you might be one of the problems. Find out what they think is great about where they work... and so on.

     

    Once you have another option to look at, re-negotiate your current position, and get it in writing. If that fails, then turn in a written resignation with time frame and move on. If you do not feel comfortable in your work, the stress levels will eventually wear you down and/or affect your health. This comes from my personal perspective and experiences and is all I can offer for advice. Take it for whatever it might be worth. I personally dislike companies who fail to offer a job description or violate one that they assign to you. It puts you in a no win situation without a solid foundation to stand on when it hits the fan.

    • Like 2

  9. Square bearing router bits?

    in Accessories

    Posted

    18 hours ago, SetBuilder said:

     

    Can you explain what you mean by "wax" the edge? I have not seen that before.
     

    Thanks

    In order to keep trimmer bits from scoring the face edge lamination, wax is applied to the area that the bit rubs against. Laminate suppliers sometimes sell wax sticks designed for this purpose, but paste wax can be used as well if they are not available. It is a defensive measure that I used when trimming mostly on expensive laminations, such as high gloss finishes or aluminum sheet products. Also using wax with solid carbide trim bits is a good idea as well, no matter the grade of material. Some of the laminate products that I was tasked with applying ran in excess of $300 a sheet at times, and nothing is worse than having to purchase an extra sheet of material just to rip a single strip off to fix a screw up that could have been avoided with a little extra effort.

     

    Contact cement can build up quickly between bit and bearing, causing a seize mid cut, turning a metal bearing into the perfect tool for trashing an edge, so the flat plastic bearing surface makes sense to me for more than one reason.

  13. kc tool co deal of the day

    in Tool Deals

    Posted

    @KC_Tool I have been doing a light search on WorkMo units and downloaded the catalog to get an idea of what is available. While it looks like they have put major effort into the system, I am uncertain that it is going to gain any quick favor in our market. The few current pricing structures I have seen being offered stateside are far beyond reasonable for the core sections, and overall it looks as though the system is targeted more for L-boxx setups than anything else. The T-boxx core setup looks to waste too much space between cases, and does not allow enough vertical shelf count in the existing core support box further limiting cost effectiveness.

     

    As far as a mobile system, it looks to be limited only by what they will be able to offer based on vehicle floor designs they produce. Overall I am intrigued by the system, but fear the initial package costs will simply and/or effectively put it out of reach.

     

    For my own interests, the only real useful parts of the system currently look to be the T-boxxes and support rails, in that I could build something that would work specifically in my own space, as I am not looking for the mobile solution outside of something on casters that will roll around the shop.

    • Like 3

  19. Makita Handle Set for Ls1211 Miter Saw. part #182597-2

    in Power Tools

    Posted

    Is that price $90 Australian or $90 US. Exchange rate might make a difference. If the part has been discontinued, you are pretty much SOL, and the only option is pay the price or find someone who could 3d print a part, and still pay the price...

     

    Wish I could be more encouraging, but I commend you for wanting to do the right thing and fix the issue. The only other possible option I can think of is to find a unit for sale for parts, or bite the bullet and pay for a replacement miter saw.

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