RE: Ode to the nut

[Lew Hodgett]

I lost one of my nuts.

Actually, it was the table saw spindle nut used to keep the saw blade in place on my contractor saw.

Needed to change blades.

As I was taking the nut loose, dropped it onto the pile of saw dust under the blade.

NBD, this has happened before, just reach down and get it.

Ah, but this time is different, the little rascal has sunk into the saw dust.

NBD, will just sift the saw dust and retrieve my nut.

WRONG!!!

Not this time.

Sifted thru probably 15 gallons of saw dust, but no nut.

Maybe the heat made me careless, maybe it was fate, but that nut was not to be found.

ND.

2 blocks away is a pretty decent hardware store.

Since it is a 5/8" shaft, get a 5/8-11 (coarse) and a 5/8-18 (fine), left hand threaded nut and head back to the yard.

Looking at the shaft, it was obviously a coarse thread, but surprise, a standard 5/8-11 H nut doesn't fit.

Done for the day, no work accomplished.

Next day, call my home town hardware, who specializes in selling wood working tools, along with being a pretty good general hardware store, and ask if they stock any parts for my saw.

They want a model number, which I give them, since there is more than one nut for these saws.

YES, they have one.

They didn't smile, they didn't use Vasoline, they just said, "That will be $8.00".

A lesson learned.

HANG ONTO YOUR NUTS.

Lew

[Lee Michaels]

"Lew Hodgett" lamented

I don't know what to say Lew. I keep thinking about the markup on a single nut. Can you imagine what a saw would cost if you had to buy each part at those prices?

I used to drop a nut now and then into the sawdust bin under my old rockwell. I usually fished it out without any problem. But once I just could not find it. What I did was to fire up the vacuum cleaner and sucked out some sawdust, go through it, empty the plastic tub under the vacuum cleaner and suck up some more sawdust.

Then that nut hit the hose and tub. It made a loud, distinctive rattle. I fished it out and was good to go again. My room mate got me a big industrial magnet if I had to do this again. I never had to use it though.

I trust you will develop some kind of procedure/ritual so you will not have to go through this again.

[Frank Arthur]

What's your complaint Lew? If I lost one of my nuts and I got a replacement for $8.00 I wouldn't complain!

[Lew Hodgett]

Frank Arthur wrote: > What's your complaint Lew? > If I lost one of my nuts and I got a replacement > for $8.00 I wouldn't complain!

Not a complaint, rather a warning to others who might go down this same path.

Having the part in stock justifies a price, especially if you need it NOW.

Lew

[Lew Hodgett]

I can't complain about the price.

Renewal parts is a tough business.

As I used to tell my distributors, "You can't sell from an empty wagon".

I just may go thru that garbage can of saw dust again.

Lew

[Richard Cranium]

Now that you have a new one you will definitely find the old one. It always works that way.

R.C.

[Shopdog]

How about using a magnet!

Searcher

[Thomas Kendrick]

[Upscale]

I bought one of these a number of years back. Haven't used it often, but it works great those few times I've lost some metal object in a pile of sawdust or a garbage can.

[Lew Hodgett]

I used to give away pocket screwdrivers with a magnet in one end.

Probably ought to dig one out and put it to use.

Lew

[tom]

[Mark & Juanita]

.. and with the really expensive ones (I'd say $8 qualifies), the missing part will be found sitting on the table saw table with a questioning look as to why you needed a replacement. BTDT

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[J. Clarke]

FWIW, Home Despot has a magnet designed as a floor sweeper. Next time I drop a box of small screws I may pick one up.

[EXT]

In my extensive experience with dropping things, it is either still buried in the sawdust OR missed the bin and rolled under a leg or other part that could hide it OR it dropped onto part of the saw frame and is sitting there waiting for you to pick it up. It is quite amazing how far something will roll, slide or bounce, even with a hexagon exterior.

After all, what do I know -- I put down a claw hammer in 1959 to have lunch when working outside, and I still haven't managed to find it yet!

[Puckdropper]

"EXT" wrote in news:44c3cb8a$0$34105$ [e-mail]:

*snip*

We found one in the dirt doing some driveway work a few years ago. Maybe it was the victim of accidental teleportation and a time-capsule affect!

Puckdropper

[N Hurst]

Don't worry, the next person who buys your house will find it. That's what happened to me with the house I bought last year. I've found 3 different saw blades, a wrench, 2 shovel heads, 2 broken trowels, fencing, an antique milk bottle, 2 different types of hammer heads, 2 nail pullers, 3 rake heads, some carpeting, and lots of broken terra cotta.

And that's in about 1/8 of an acre on my 1/4 acre lot!

-Nathan

[Swingman]

I have a collection of hammers I've found on construction sites, where you rarely see a hammer in this age of nail guns.

AAMOF, found one yesterday, old and beat all to hell, in the middle of an upstairs room of a house under construction, a house locked after I left it on Sunday after sweeping all the floors ... and there was no hammer at the time.

Hammers do seem to come and go at will.