PutnamEco

I just have basic cable, I spend to much time on the internet to worry much about TV. I'm waiting on the cable companies to offer À la carte programing, until then I"ll just have 120 channels with nothing but trash on TV rather than all the 256 channels of trash they offer.

What is your opinion on Fein tools. I don't run across many here. Their only offering that I have seen here besides the Multi Master was a drill. I would be particularly interested in what you think of their small angle grinders. How about Draper tools? I hear they are a budget tool, and wonder how they stack up to the the likes of Black & Decker and Skil. You don't really believe there are no daft questions do you? What flavor is air? How can you make a rock float? How do you describe the color green to a blind person? Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor and dish washing soap made with real lemons? Can an idiot be a smart ass?

The only thing that really makes the digitals worth it to me is the audio, that little beep can sure make life easier sometimes. I'm wondering if you have Empire and Crick levels across the pond. Empire I would guess are our second most popular levels here in the states, judging by what I see on job sites, Crick levels are really popular among the brick and stone guys and I like them for shop use. I have been seeing Bosch lasers being pimped out in a lot of stores around here, and have been wondering how they stack up. A lot of people end up uwwing and awwing over Festools lighted level whenever anyone breaks one out. I just can't see a black level, not with the heat we have here, and I have to ask why a black level with a light? If your going to be working in a dark environment, I would think a brightly colored level would be a lot easier to find in the dark.

I like Stabila for both laser and spirit levels. Pacific Laser Systems make a good laser level/plumb as well. Have you got a digital level yet?

I would be interested in a self feed bit showdown, especially if it featured bits larger than 1". I would really be interested in a laboratory showdown of regular twist drills, testing both plasticity and hardness, to find out which drills can take the most abuse and which one would last the longest. Spade or auger bits could be interesting as well, with all the newer auger bits claiming nail cutting ability, that could be an interesting test

Craftsman don't actually make any tools, they just rebadge other companies products, the weed whip you had was probably made by Ryobi. A list of Craftsmans manufacturers codes via OWWM

Never heard of the Adventuridge, here in the states we call such tools hobo knives. Google fails me in finding an Adventuridge for sale, have they been discontinued? I keep an old Boy Scout vittle kit in my pack for lunch break. I've also been known to carry a spork

I still miss Junkyard Wars (US version of Scrapheap Challenge) and Battle Bots. All American Handyman was interesting as well.

Garden tractors are not really that collectable unless they have some really distinctive features. There are no before and after for my Wheel Horse, I bought it new around 1984 and is still in good shape. Way to remind me of how old I'm getting, that and the fact that most of my motorcycles are eligible for antique license plates. Conductor562 might have some interesting pictures from his restoration.

I'm still a little agro over Milwaukee and how long they had the V18 line out. I invested pretty heavily and they were only out for what 18 months, before they switched over to the M18. I was still using my 18v NiCd system and the backwards capability of the V18 worked well with me. I don't really pay much attention to Metabo as they are not widely available here in the backwoods of Florida. I already carry 5 chargers and don't really look forward to having to carry another. I will be taking a closer look when my Makita LXTs start wearing out. Dewalt is just like every other brand, they have some hits and some misses. I have used some of a friends set and their cordless jigsaw seemed to work alright and their new XRP hammer drill seems to be a good solid tool. I did get a lemon of a router set from them though, the DW618B3 after two warranty repairs they finally replaced it with a new one, which has proven to be reliable, edge guide sucks though.

As for safety knives. Some contractors are starting to demand they be used on their job sites. I've also noticed just about every retailer is now issuing them to their employees. Maybe we will see some good knives come about because of this. I tried one similar to the Wiss, Irwins version. I don't think I care for the thumb operated ones, I have been thinking of trying one of Garveys which is a body grip style. My Milwaukee knife is always coming loose even after applying Loctite, and both the blade holder and the folding joint are a sloppy fit.. I may try to remachine the thicker of the bodies side down a little to tighten it up a bit. I want to like this knife, I like the way it can be flipped open and closed, but I just can't take the way it works now. A couple knives I just don't get are Stanleys and Dewalts folding and retractable knives. I tried carrying one for a day and unless I was really pressed for space, I don't see a need for this type of knife, I don't find them comfortable to use at all, either. I EDC a small Gerber EAB that is much smaller.

We don't have any schemes here other than some of the contracts that Hilti offers. You buy your tool, you use your tool, that is it. I do here that their contracts are pricey, but exceptionally well supported. I'm right handed as well, I do not like having the saws weight on the off cut side, I prefer to have the weight of the saw on the supported end of the work. I'm also not really a fan of how some blade left saws fill my pockets and pouches with sawdust. I do work with both types of saws though. Most of my heavy work finds me using my Skil hd77. I find my cordless circular saw indispensable for some of the jobs I do out in the woods, where it is just not practical to drag a generator. Which cordless jig saw is it that convinced you to cut the cord?

Why no Hilti? I felt the Bosch 36v saw was the second best. It was only a 6 1/2" saw and it is blade left, so it had two strikes against it in my book. I don't care for blade left sidewinders and I'm often working with 4"x materials so need the extra cutting depth of the 7 1/2" blade. The Bosch has a decent run time, and the rafter hook is a nice addition. You could get a set of their tools as well, and they have two sizes of batteries in their 36v range. Their 36v roto-hammer is sweet. I may eventually invest in one.

I kept waiting for Al to show up on Enterprise and for Sam to leap out of captain Archer.... I remember when History channel actually had shows about things that happened in the past. Now it seems they are all Pawn Stars and Ice Road Truckers. At least This Old House is still on. I watch Holmes every once in a while, but I don't like seeing them screwing wooden stud walls together....

Corrupt codes??? Isn't you states code built on the ICC/IBC ? Most of our code down hear does make some kind of sense, maybe a little overkill in some instances, but still there is some logic behind it. Not mentioning the RRP, and really hoping they restore the opt out provision.

I've got an eighties era Wheel Horse from before Toro took them over. They don't build tractors like that any more. There is a pretty good community built around some old tractor brands, like the Wheel Horse Collectors Club. One of these days when I clear enough space in my shop I hope to restore a real tractor. I have always got my eyes out for an Allis Chalmers model G You may find a community for vintage Cub Cadets interesting. In a past life, I made my living restoring vintage Japanese motorcycles.

As for circular saws, My informal testing lead me to the Hilti wsc 7.25-a. This is the saw you want if you are looking to cut the most wood per charge. Kicks but on all the other 28v-36v saws, and works on Festools tracks to boot.

I'm going to miss that show. I've been listening to it for many years, and it had become one of my favorite listens. http://www.cartalk.com/content/time-get-even-lazier http://news.yahoo.co...-145750722.html

Took me a while to figure it out, I can be a little thick sometimes. I guess that's what happens when we bastardize your language. I have a couple of friends who build historic American Indian structures called a chickee, that do an interesting thatch styled roof made out of palmetto fronds. Do you all every work with asphalt or fiberglass shingles for roofing? Have you ever had a chance to do thatched or a sod roofing?

In my tool bag I carry a Lenox gold quick change retractable knife. I like the solid nose piece, and how easy it is to change blades, and how well it fits in my hand. For my back up knife I have one of Stanelys ubiquitous 10788 curved knives, it is a good knife it just doesn't feel as comfortable in my hand as the Lenox does. I do a lot of cardboard recycling, at my recycling area I have one of the no longer available Fat Max Extreme retractables, as this knife is really big and doesn't fit in my bags easily and this size make it more comfortable to cut with when I let to much cardboard pile up and have to spend a lot of time cutting it up. When I'm up on the roof, I have one of Bostitchs dual blade knives in my pouch. with a hook blade in one side and a straight blade in the other. It is a pretty good knife, but it can be hard to clean. For drywall I don't think that the venerable Stanley 199 can be beat, I don't use retractable knives for drywall because it annoys me no end how quickly the get gummed up with dust. As for snap blade knives, I use a Fat Max extreme for working with insulation. I have a medium sized Tajima that I keep around for opening shrink wrapped packages and a small pen sized stainless steel Olfa that sits in my desk. I have way to many knives, these are the ones I choose to use on an daily basis. What I could use is a recommendation for a safety knife. One that auto retracts would be good.

Well, here is the shows website http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-family-tools

Yes. Stick built are built on site. We call factory built houses Pre-Fabs and if they have wheels under them we call them mobile homes. Here in the US we differentiate lumber and timber. Lumber is small dimensional wood like 2" x 4" through 2" x 12", Timber usually refers to wood that is larger than 6" x 6"

Topic split to Recommend a Good Knife, as we are getting a little off topic and knives deserve their own thread.

I hope ABCs new sitcom takes off this fall, we don't seem to have any good working mans comedies anymore. I miss Home Improvement. http://youtu.be/oHPYnMUPYec

The Gerber Multiplier is one of the heavier multi tools I have, I find it very robust. The ability to flick it out one handed has been a great asset many times. I see more people carrying Leathermans Wave than any other. I did really enjoy the one I had. It was stout enough to do some work and had a really good selection of tools on it, Plus the blade held an edge really well. I will be buying another one soon. I miss having one. It was pretty compact for the tools it had on board. Both the Victorinox and Gerber that I use are a bit bulkier. The Victorinox is the best built of the bunch. It is finished really well. It is a bit longer than I would like though, but that little extra bit of length make it fit my hand really well, so I will forgive it. I grew up carrying a knife and after my first Leatherman I feel naked going out without a multitool.