PutnamEco

Red is my hero

Kind of like never changing the oil in your car, and just tossing it in the garbage and buying a new one when it breaks down...

That is how I feel a lot of the time, no Protool, can't get a regular circular saw with a riving knife, no flip saws, or combo miter/table saws, Festool is holding out some tools from us, like that funky saw table that you can mount one of their track saws in. When you find out what is available in the rest of the world it kind of seems like we are the ones being deprived sometimes... If you can take looking at websites in other languages check out what is offered internationally. http://www.makita.co.jp/ http://www.protool-online.com/ is in English http://www.bosch-pro...owerkzeuge.html http://www.mafell.de/index.php?id=16 Even our supposedly homegrown companies offer tools elsewhere in the world that they don't offer here. look up the Dewalt D27112, DW394, DW876, and DW721,

Surprisingly the cordless really works well in this style, instead of the battery hanging off the end of the handle, it is when you turn them upside down to start those cuts into a flat surface that they get all out of shape. Cutting into flat surfaces is a pretty common occurrence for me, so that is why I find these types of saws less than my favorites. If I did not have that one style of cut to make so often I would think higher of this type of saw. You guys know if you really need to get into a tight space with a reciprocating saw pneumatics are the way to go.

Definitely don't look into handmade custom knives and steer clear of anything that mentions Damascus and custom handmade in the same sentence , you'll need another job for ONE of them...

Iced tea is not as common a drink in the north as it is in the south, often when you go to a restaurant, unless it is a decent one, your NOT going to get fresh tea. tea looses its flavor pretty quickly. Some less than reputable places will even give you instant tea. Down here if Florida they drink so much iced tea they have brewers like a much larger version of the common coffee maker which I don't believe I've ever seen anywhere but the south. I would bet that these machines contribute a lot to the reputation of tea in the south. Beware of "southern" values there are both good and bad, bigotry and racism are a lot more common down here in the south. I can't believe you would let a discussion on food go by without mentioning some of Chicago’s most famous foods. Like deep dish pizza, and the Chicago hot dog. which is one of the big three of hot dog styles, and not a peep about horseshoe sandwiches either..

It is really the Japanese that take tea to the extreme, so much so they even have a ceremony

My first clues were the BJR182Z reciprocating saw and the BHR241Z roto-hammer, they just haven't been right since they launched the LXT line while they work OK, the recip saw will make your hands numb from vibration, and the roto-hammer just doesn't feel like a quality tool. I haven't been willing to purchase any new Makitas since, Maybe the transition to Chinese manufacture has not been good for them. Hope they get back on track.

Looks kinda like a copy of the Hilti wsr 900-pe I just can't get used to odd recip saws, even though the cordless version of this saw kicks butt with a killer amount of runtime. I would rather have a long tool rather than a tall one. These type of tools make it hard to ease into cutting through a flat surface.

Are you really looking for cobalt bits or do you just want a cobalt coated set? I have had pretty good luck with Matco. One of my friends has a Chicago Latrobe set that if I were shopping again I would purchase.

There are a lot of bits that look like Phillips but in actuality aren't. A good article on this over at Insrtuctables.com entitled When a Phillips is not a Phillips and if your really interested in this subject the author of that article went on to expand it with When is a phillips not a phillips and so much more.

For something that can be purchased at the corner store, I've found that PB Blaster works pretty well, however both Kroil and Mouse Milk I believe are better products. Mouse Milk being the least noxious to me. I haven’t come across S'ok before, I'll have to give it a try.

How about this for a concept, Instead of the manufacturers offering completely new tools they offer us a way to retrofit our old tools with upgrades? People modify things all the time, look what the hot rod guys do to old cars. I have seen a model Ts quarter in the 12s that had a comparable ride quality to a modern car. A lot features you mention have been around for ages. I believe the voltage race has been a marketing strategy, put on by the manufacturers to string people along into buying bigger and "better" tools. I remember back in about 1978 or so seeing a prototype 24v cordless drill that could run on either an attached battery or a battery pack that you could wear on you belt. . I remember the guy showing it off saying that people where not ready for such a tool and that it would not be marketed at the time because it was to heavy and people wanted nice light drills like the 7.2 internal battery drills that were being marketed at the time. So it was not a case of not being able to make them, it was a case of the manufacturers not thinking we wanted them. I will concede on the different battery chemistries, but does this really warrant new tools, A few manufacturers have actually made their batteries backward compatible. Key less chucks have been on power drills since the 20s and even well before then on the original cordless drills, the brace. B & D even had a really neat combination keyed and key less chuck offered through the 50s and into the 70s that could be operated with an allen key. A lot of what you were seeing here was our patent system at work. Like what happened when MultiMasters patent on the multi-tool expired. You do have a point on the roto hammers, my old one vibrates a bit more than a modern one, but I have to wonder how many of todays tools will still be working in 30 or 40 years or will have been replaced every three or four years as they wear out. There were a few vintage tools that were equipped with lights unfortunately the manufacturers chose to put them on their low end tools more as a marketing gimmick rather than something that was actually useful to a professional. Back in the day most pros would have laughed them off as a marketing gimmick, I can remember hearing that pros don't work in the dark, why do we need a saw with a headlight. As for jigsaws, Have you ever tried an old Porter Cable 548? Many old tools have no comparison to new tools and command prices 4-5 times higher than what they sold for new, and easily twice what they ask for todays tool. like Skil 100 "surfboard" planer, Porter-Cable 126 Porta-Plane, the original Black & Decker Super Sawcat, to name a few. It really burns me, to know that I'll be buying a new tool every three or four years or often less because the manufacturers won't build a durable tool, and then they pass off these minor modifications off as groundbreaking improvements worthy of another couple hundred dollars of my money. When it would not take that much more effort to build out a tool that would last and to make it easy to modify for future improvements.

After the discusion over in power tools, I wonder if you all are into good lubricants, and what goo and spray you use to keep things going. A few goods one that I have found are. DuPonts Krytox Is absolutely the best lubricant out there. It is inert, non flamable, very little change in viscosity due to temperature. withstands heat. The only problem is it is silly expensive. If you have something that you life depends on being lubricated, this is the stuff you want to use. Now back to what works in real life and is affordable for daily use. Stihls high-performance gear lubricant is what I like to use on my power tools gearcases and my string trimmer for that matter too. I find it withstands the stresses put upon it well, it lasts a fairly long time and can withstand a pretty hot working environment that a typical tools gearcase is, and it cleans up well when it is time to be cleaned out. Hondas moly paste. Is an exceptional light grease that can be found at any Honda dealer. I use this for all my low speed grease applications such as pivot points and to lubricate ratcheting mechanisms B'laster The Dry Lube and the very similar product by DuPont Multi-Use Lubricant is my first choice in spray lubricants, I use this for things like the pinion gears on my tablesaws and other places that I want lubricated and don't want sawdust to stick to as well. These lubes also work well on chains. Beware, this lube WILL effect some wood finishes adversly. AGSs Lock-Ease is my preferred graphite spray lubricant. More and more I have been using B'lasters dry lube on locks and I've been having very good success with it. When I really need a lot of dry graphite I head down to my John Deere dealer and pick up a container of their Powdered Graphite which is probably more than most people will use in a lifetime, for about $5, a lot better deal than those silly little tubes you can get in the hardware store. (it is normally used on round balers and occasionally on seed drills) Triflow is a medium weight oil that I use when I want a little more staying power than a light oil Lily White sewing machine oil is a really good light machine oil, available in larger quantities at a better price than the local hardware stores for those that need it I trust you all know to use WD-40 as a water displacement cleaner as it is NOT a very long lasting lubricant. 3-In-One oil works better as a lubricant, I can't really recommend it for any specific purpose, but it does work when nothing else is at hand. I use Mobil Rarus 427 oil in my compressors. Bel-Ray H1-R is the best oil to use in you two stroke engines as it has a low carbon content and makes cleaning your engine up for a rebuilt a piece of cake, as well is keeping it running for a long time before you need to rebuild it. I have found stuck rings to be a frequent cause of engine malfunctions and this oil helps to keep the rings free. If your really adventurous and know our way around engines well enough to adjust the jetting on your engine to suit a new oil ratio, it can be mixed and run at 100:1 with little to no adverse affects. My cutting oil of choice is Monroes Astro-Cut synthetic

I'm much more inclined to look toward building something like a tool library. I feel this would be much better for the community. I am an active volunteer, and work toward making my community a better place. I do understand the abuse something like this may be subject to. If a tool rental pool was my only alternative, I might consider it, as I do have enough extra tools to rent some out without affecting my daily work. I would prefer it be limited to a share and share alike membership, as someone who has a stake in it would be less likely to abuse the system. I really wish I lived in a large enough community to have the critical mass to start something like a Makerspace or Hackerspace

Being born and raised in New England, I can tell you they take their hot tea far more seriously than they take sweat tea in the south. They have places called tea rooms where you can get many types of tea and they look at you funny if you mention ice. They also take coffee seriously as well, and have some coffee houses that make Starbucks, look like a fast food restaurant along the lines of Burger King. In general, they take food a lot more seriously then they do in the south, with the exception of barbeque, and sweat tea . Compare traditional foods like chicken fried steak to a New York strip, Maine lobster to blackened redfish, crab cakes vs salmon patties, not much I can compare to conch fritters, but I am thinking that is more of a Bahamian thing anyhow. I can't even think of a traditional southern soup outside of Cajun gumbo or black eyed pea or bean soup verse Manhattan or New England clam chowder, lobster bisque. New England clam bake to a low country boil, Heck I have an almost impossible time trying to find a good pizza or even a descent hot dog here in Florida. I have to add Boston baked beans, Coney Island hot dogs, Philly cheese steaks, New York and Chicago pizza. And where else but the South could you find such delicacies as fried baloney, cracklings, and scrapple. I will concede to the south on Virginia ham, and you won't go home hungry from a proper southern breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, with biscuits covered in white sausage gravy, and a strong cup of hot coffee, although a northern steak and eggs breakfast is nothing to sneeze at.

That was a bone of contention around here, we have some VERY good craftsmen who choose to use some very cheap tools (old skinflints) who are always bragging that it is the craftsman insuring the quality of the work, not the tools, and you can't argue with these guys, because they do excellent work. I do get where your coming from though, there are people that are passionate about turning out quality work and they usually do have quality tools, unlike some of these yahoos just out looking for a quick paycheck, and not willing to spend any money on decent tools to insure the job gets done.

Every state has different laws on knives, even some cities like New York and Washinton D.C. have much more restrictive laws. Here in Florida, the laws are fairly open, and it is not terribly uncommon to see people walking around carrying 10" knives, as long as the knife is reasonable, like a slim folder with a blade under 3", I have never had a problem carrying. One of the reasons I prefer to carry a much less intimidating multi tool, like a Leatherman is due to the impression people have of the person who does carry a knife that is clearly overboard. What type of blade can you carry? Would a tool like a Leatherman be illegal? What about utility or razor knives?

What have they improved with your most basic power tools in the last 50 years? 1. drill 2. circular saw 3. jigsaw 4. reciprocating saw I'll run just about any one of my 30 plus year old tools against todays crop and most of the times I'll come out ahead. Take a tool like my 30 year old Black & Decker Sawcat and compare it to any modern saw. The only thing it is missing are things of dubious value like lasers and lights, and it still has the fastest blade brake I’ve ever seen. The Sawzall and jig saw suffer a little in lacking any orbital action and quick blade releases, but you put a good blade on them and your still good to go. And another oddity, I can still go to my local Home Depot and get 9.6 volt batteries for my old Makita cordless tools, and those batteries tend to last 5-7 years verses todays tool batteries lasting less than 5 years. There is NO reason you should not be handing down power tools to your grandchildren, other than the fact that the manufacturers no longer stock replacement parts. Back in the day, tools were made to last a lifetime, not like today, when the manufacturers make their tools just good enough to last a few years, so you don't jump the brands ship, to buy again, so they can reap ever more profits.

When ever I have brought them a broken tool, I go home with it fixed, or I go home with a replacement or a loaner tool. Even had the guy on fastener the truck deal with some of my tools directly from a jobsite. Forever grateful for that kind of service.

One of the things they will have to deal with if they wish to upset Hilti from the market place is customer service. Even out here in the sticks, I'm never left out in the cold over a broken Hilti tool. None of the other "big brand" tool companies stands behind their products as well as Hilti does.

I bought one of their utility knives (tool addict purchase, like I don't have enough utility knives) and am not overly impressed with its quality due to blade wobble. I checked out their tools in the store, and could see no compelling reason to purchase any of them. My folding sawzall blade tools sit in a toolbox unused, for what I use a small saw for (drywall) a standard tool makes a lot more sense than a folder. Use a good dedicated saw like the USG Sheetrock saw and see if it doesn't change your mind as well. P.S. Buy 50 Lenox blades get a free folding saw blade holder @ Coastal Tool

Forgot one of my favorite shop knives. The Sloyd

We in the United States had a few interim years when they where branded Elu by Black & Decker. It's not just across the pond, we have this in the same store, often in fact, particularly in our larger retailers like Home Depot and Walmart. I wish they would all stick to their parent companies name and just make their tools a different color or something to designate quality. Makita has a plant in the United States, in Buford Georgia. I think Milwaukee is still producing the Sawzall here in the U.S. as well.

For ratcheting tools, take them apart and relubricate them with a quality moly grease, use a PTFE spray if they have an expose mechanism. I take good care of my more durable tools and will resharpen quality screwdrivers, drill bits, etc. but these days some tools are so cheaply made as to not be worth it. I do keep some cheap tools around to use as disposables, like cheap drill bits, for when I might damage a more expensive tool. This question is worthy of its own thread... . It would depend on what you want to use this knife for and what type of knife you want to carry. I myself like a big folding knife to wear on my belt. My usual carry is a multi tool like the Leatherman wave For when I do every day carry (EDC) just a plain knife on the job, I like my Buck 110, a good solid knife that is not particularly pricey, so I won't cry over loosing, breaking or having some one walk off with it. For something to carry IN the pocket, I like a Case Stockman. I have a bunch of other knives that I carry dependent on where I'm going or what I'm doing.