There is a difference between a Impact Drill Driver, a Rotary Hammer and a Hammer Drill.
This article us from 2010, but describes the difference between a Rotary Hammer and Hammer Drill.
An impact driver is a different animal all together and mainly used for driving fasteners, not drilling. It typically has a collet to accept hex shanked bits, not a chuck like a hammer drill.
On Wed, 14 Dec 2016 07:02:21 +0000 (UTC), Frank Baron advised:
This review says pretty much what I thought
Yep! :)
Most drills today (at least the cordless drills) include an impact setting, and use a standard chuck.
But yes, a true impact driver either accepts hex bits, or has a square drive to hold standard impact bits. I have a nice Dewalt 1/2" impact driver for car work, though a stronger model is on my wish list for removing lug and axle nuts. :)
Anthony Watson
Hi Frank,
As I expected, that's a basic hammer drill. Essentially a standard drill with an impact setting.
It should be fine for drilling a few holes into concrete. Certainly better than a standard drill, but it won't be as fast or efficient as a rotary hammer.
It's a shame the various drills use such confusing names...
Your hammer drill will be really handy if you need to drive lag bolts or something. Although, the cord will limit your flexibility. I would be surprised if your cordless Dewalt drill didn't have an impact setting?
Anthony Watson
Frank,
I was going to say it, but I was trying to be polite... :)
It really depends on what you need a specific tool for. For a tool you'll only use once or twice, there's probably no harm in buying a Harbor Freight tool. You'll save money and if it breaks, so what, you didn't spend much.
That said, I'm more likely to rent a better quality tool for a one time job, than having a junky tool sitting around taking up space.
For tools that you will use frequently, it makes sense to spend a little more and buy quality tools. I'm thinking things like wrenches, sockets, ratchets, screwdrivers, etc., as well as commonly used power tools like drills and circular saws. I certainly wouldn't waste money on cheap machine tools like table saws, band saws, or drill presses.
I think I only own one Harbor Freight tool. It's a spring compressor that I use to replace the struts in our cars. It's cheaply made and was priced accordingly. But I only use it once every few years at most. So far it has held up OK, but I do worry about the cheap casting breaking on me at some point.
Anthony Watson
On Wed, 14 Dec 2016 15:22:10 -0000 (UTC), HerHusband advised:
Hi Anthony,
You don't have to be "polite" with me. I pretty much tell it like I see it. I may be wrong, and I certainly am on the lower end of home-repair experience, so, I defer to the advice here of others.
For this drill and these drill bits, I'm already done with using them. I only needed four holes drilled. So, I guess, from the perspective that HF was cheap, they did their job, at just about what it would have cost to rent them, don't you think?
I have learned my lesson on *some* tools, which you *must* rent. Take my puny 2-inch wood chipper. It's a waste of space. It turns out that 2 inches is worthless. I should rent a six-inch or even four inch, and be done with it.
Likewise with my puny Craftsman garden mulcher contraption. It's so light I can carry it with one hand from the handle, whereas the rental ones are heavy and actually do a great job.
So, some tools suck, but others are best owned (like a chain saw or a good air blower).
I buy only craftsman hand tools, and mine are already 40 years old (or more). So while they were expensive when bought, they paid for themselves in spades over time.
Then there is my hand held jig saw, which I never use, or my dremel tool, which I almost never use. The problem, of course, is that you never know which tools are going to be needed when.
Interesting that you have a HF spring compressor because that's one thing that I get for free from Autozone. I replaced macpherson's twice and each time I leave a deposit at autozone, and then I get my money back when I pick it up.
Just to be safe, I get TWO of the spring compressors at two different autozones, so I can put two of them on.
They work like a charm, and, when I'm done, I don't have to store the tools! (I have a lot of single-use tools that I'm just storing now, for example, such as distribution (ignition) wrenches, counterholding tools, pickleforks for removing idler and pitman arms, etc.
Tool cost includes storage.
Frank,
I do my best to be polite with everyone.
If it did the job and you didn't get hurt, I consider that a win-win situation. :)
I just rented a carpet stretcher. Cost me $100 for three days, about a third of the cost of buying one. I'll probably never use one again so renting was a no-brainer.
Yep, if a tree falls down over your driveway in an ice or wind storm, you can't really run to the store to rent one. A chain saw is one of those tools you may not use a lot, but when you need it you've got to have it.
Yep, same here, though mine are only about 25-30 years old (depending on the tool).
I don't use my jig saw or dremel tool all that often, but like the chain saw they are invaluable when you need them.
I used my Bosch jig saw a lot when we were building our house, cutting holes for light boxes in wood or for curved trim. For bigger projects it's easier to take the jig saw to the wood than trying to feed a large item through the bandsaw.
My dremel tool sat unused in a drawer until I needed to do some detailed bodywork on my car last year. With a small cutoff wheel it was the perfect tool to get into a tight spot.
I bought mine before we had any Autozone's nearby. :)
A spring compressor does not get used all that often, but I knew I would use it multiple times over the years (about 4-5 times so far). It doesn't take up much space, so I consider it a wise investment. Best of all, I can take my time working on the car and not worry about returning a rental.
Anthony Watson
On Thu, 15 Dec 2016 05:15:42 -0000 (UTC), HerHusband advised:
I commend you for being polite with everyone. I have a hard time being polite when people are joking when I'm trying to get something done, or when they tell us why 99 out of 100 people wouldn't do something when we all already know all that.
If you can stay polite, you're a better man than I am.
Yup. I now have: a. Four holes drilled b. One extra drill c. Six extra drill bits
I don't know what a "stretcher" is, but I have rented those "carpet cleaners" and they kind of sort of work. They're certainly better than nothing.
Yep. I wonder if anyone rents chain saws? Probably. But you got my point in that you kind of want your own chain saw, and, when you need it, you don't want to have to run down to the store to rent one.
Mine are so old, that they're all metal! :)
Yeah. I have like 200 attachments for the dremel. The only one I really use is the round disk that acts like a rotary saw. I must have thirty buffing wheels, none of which I ever use.
That makes sense that a jig saw would be useful for cutting holes for electrical boxes, especially in boards already nailed up.
Ah! Lookit that! You use the cutoff tool too! That's pretty much the only thing I use with that dremel tool. It has a spring-type auger which clamps onto the cutting wheel. It's great for that.
But I have like 30 buffing wheels and maybe a half dozen grinding wheel bits and a few wire brushes, etc., none of which I ever use.
Autozone is great for free rentals of spring compressors and oxygen sensor tools.
I just had a garage door spring snap about a month ago and I called a guy to replace it. Would that spring compressor have worked for those big fat garage door springs that go over the doorway? Maybe I could have done that job myself? I didn't look up how to do it though and he did it when I wasn't home for $200 for two springs even though only one broke.
Sometimes it is hard to tell when to rent and when to own.
I only dig up a spot about 10 feet each way to plant some tomatoes. I thought about renting a tiller to do that as I would only use it less than an hour each year. Checked on the rent and found out the cost. As I knew I would use it every year, I decided to pay about 10 times the rent and buy one. While having it, I did use it a couple of times when I had some dirt brought in to level up some holes in the yard where some burried stumps were and had rotted out.
Frank,
Sadly, being polite and considerate seems to be disappearing from our culture. Profanities and being rude or insulting has somehow become "funny" or normal to many people. I don't get it, maybe I'm just too old.
Trust me, if I smack my thumb with a hammer I can swear like the best construction worker. :) I just don't think profanities should be part of normal conversation.
Mom used to say "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all". :)
It's a contraption that lets you stretch carpet in a room so it lays flat. Basically there is a head unit with sharp teeth that digs into the carpet. That is connected to a series of poles to a foot that presses against the opposite wall. You hook the carpet on the tack strips on one side of the room, then use the stretcher to pull the carpet tight and hook it on the tack strips on the opposite side of the room.
Our carpet is still in good condition, but after 12 years it had started to develop bumps and bulges in places. I restretched the carpet and it is laying nice and flat again. Looks like new. The hardest part of the whole job was moving all the furniture out of each room so we could retretch the carpet. That meant taking down all the knick-knacks and dealing with all the cables for the audio/video gear.
I have been thinking about getting a cordless battery powered chainsaw.
I have a nice Stihl gas chainsaw but I probably only use it once or twice a year to cut up firewood. It's always a hassle mixing up the oil and gas and trying to make sure the fuel is fresh so it doesn't gum up the engine. It's also hard to start in the middle of winter when a tree comes down, or when it's hot from using it. Not to mention the noise and exhaust that comes with using it. Somehow I always seem to be out of gas when I need the saw the most. :)
I already have an EGO brand 56V string trimmer and leaf blower that I have been very happy with. They work much better than I expected, so I sold my old gas trimmer. The EGO brand chainsaw seems to get good reviews also, so I have really been considering it. It would sure be a lot more convenient and easier to maintain than my gas powered Stihl saw. Just grab a battery and go. I already have two chargers and batteries so I could theoretically use it a long time.
I keep debating back and forth. I'm not a logger, but occasionally I still need to cut down a large tree and cut it up into firewood. One of these days I'm just gonna have to fork over the $300 and give it a try.
I had to cut away some sheet metal when I was replacing the floorpans in my car. The space was too tight to get my angle grinder into, but the dremel worked great. I also used it for a tight spot on my hatch that I had to cut. I was surprised how well it worked.
Like you, I have a bunch of different bits and wheels I never use. I did use a sanding wheel earlier this year to sand down the inside of some holes I drilled in a board. Slow, but it worked.
I assume you are talking about torsion springs that mount on the rod above the door (not extension springs that mount on either side of the door). Either way, the automotive spring compressor would be useless for that.
Torsion springs are tightened by winding them up with steel rods, then locking tightening down a bolt to lock them to the rod. I installed my own garage doors and tightened the springs back in 2001. I didn't have any issues, but it was a scary operation. I've heard a lot of horror stories about people getting seriously injured doing that. These days I think I might just pay someone to replace the springs when they break.
Anthony Watson
I think you are right. I still remember the first time I heard "f*ck" used in mixed company. It was around 1956...my college roommate and I were going somewhere with our respective girl friends and he uttered it. My ears burned. I use the word with some frequency depending upon the situation - I was in the Navy - but not in mixed company (or with females in other than appropriate circumstances).
We have lost a lot of things in the intervening years...the word "gay" to describe what was a wonderful mood...in general, courtesy, respect and manners.
I almost never swear, even in private. Ironically, my wife can be quite the potty mouth. :)
Yeah, I can't help but laugh every time I hear the Christmas song: "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year". You know, the part about "gay happy meetings". :)
I keep annoying my wife because I'm frequently saying "Be of good cheer", since a line in that song says "everyone telling you be of good cheer". I don't think I've EVER heard anyone tell me that. :)
Anthony Watson
On Thu, 15 Dec 2016 16:49:04 -0000 (UTC), HerHusband advised:
On Usenet, it's pretty common to be impolite. I am guilty of that myself. Mea culpa.
Thanks. I never laid carpet nor fixed a bumpy one.
I have used them. At least the Ryobi brand that Home Depot sells for around
100 bucks since a neighbor bought one. It's OK. It runs for about an hour. If all you need is 1 hour at a time, it's ok. But his is only 8 inches (as I recall) whereas most chainsaws are 18 or so inches (yes, I know they vary, but 18 inches is pretty common out here).I have a husky but Stihl is even better (yes, I know about all the discussions on which is better).
Mixing oil with the gas is a pain, I agree.
I keep a 1 liter soda bottle and a spoon measure in my chainsaw box. I put a measure of oil into the soda bottle and fill the soda bottle with gas, and shake the bejeesus out of it, and then I pour it into the chainsaw.
1 liter gets me a few hours of chain sawing.
OK. Just wondered. I wish I could have watched how the guy replaced them because it seems like black magic to wind them up since they're about 3 inches thick and they go across the top of the door on a rod.
An advantage of doing it yourself is you can spend the money on beefy springs, instead of on someone's labor. That way they last longer.
Hi Frank,
I installed the carpet in our house 12 years ago. It was my first time and I really didn't know what I was doing. That's probably why it developed bumps in recent years. :)
I've done it a couple times since then when we were remodeling my in-laws house.
The EGO cordless chainsaw has a 16" bar on it, the same as my gas powered Stihl chainsaw. I already have a couple of batteries, so I could theoretically run all day if I needed to by swapping batteries. Not much different than refilling the gas tank in my Stihl.
I've watched a few videos for the EGO chainsaw on YouTube and it seems to perform well. The sound really throws me off though. It's obviously quieter than a gas saw, but it sounds "plastic" when they are using it. That makes me wonder about long term durability. I also saw the chain bind and stop the saw a couple times. Not sure how much of a problem that is.
The only way to really know for sure is to try one myself. I just haven't had $300 laying around to gamble with lately. :)
I had some cheap off brand saw years ago. When it finally died on me I bought the Stihl. When it works, it works great. But it can be really hard to start. I've put new plugs, new air filters, even had the local saw shop go through it and rebuild the carb for me. It's still finicky. With my current adjustments I can usually start it OK when it's cold. But once I run it for a while and shut it off, it refuses to start again. I have to let it cool down before it will restart. Frustrating when there is work to do. By the time I get it started, I'm too tired to use it. :)
Interesting idea. Thanks for the tip.
Anthony Watson
On Fri, 16 Dec 2016 15:42:32 -0000 (UTC), HerHusband advised:
My husky has a compression relief button for starting. It's not all that useful since it starts after I turn off the choke. Ten pumps of fuel, choke, a couple pulls, and then off choke, and then a pull and it starts. Takes a minute or two to warm up.
My Husky is not finicky. But I never heard of someone being unhappy with Stihl either.
Oh. My Husky starts right up once warmed up. Even cold it starts up the first pull after the choke pulls.
Too bad. Most people love Stihls!
I also have a 500 ml bottle. I love the German ones that I get when I visit Europe. They re-use their soda bottles in Germany so they're THICKER (by a lot).
So, a 500ml German CocaCola bottle is perfect for a chainsaw because it pours nicely into the chainsaw without making a mess.
Of course, you have to pour the fuel into the bottle, but if you make a mess of that, it won't get on the chainsaw - it just gets on the ground.
All you have to do is figure out how big of a spoon of oil to use to get
1ml of oil in 40ml of fuel, which is about a dozen ml of oil to the 500 ml of gasoline in the German cocacola bottle.I don't get it down to an exact science, so, it's just a spoon of oil to a bottle of gas. Shake. And Pour. (It's a lot easier to carry with me than a classic 1gallon jug of gasoline is also.)
It's not OSHA approved though, I'm sure! :)
...snip...
Have you tried setting the choke half closed when trying a warm start?
My snow blower requires full choke to start when cold (regardless of the air temperature) and half choke to start when warmed to operating temperature. It doesn't matter for how short a period it's been off, even
1 second. Once the motor stops, it requires 1/2 choke to restart.I'm not complaining. It's worked that way for the 6 winters I've owned it and it's 100% consistent. I'll trade consistency for a very minor inconvenience any day, especially when it's 11°F and the snow is blowi ng - like this morning.
Frank Baron posted for all of us...
Orgasmic
Frank,
I originally bought the Stihl because it was supposed to be "THE" brand everyone recommended. Once I get it started it's an awesome saw and I have been happy with it.
Unfortunately, I've had issues starting it since the day I bought it back in 2002. Every other gas tool I own starts on the first or second pull.
I figured it was operator error, even though I followed all of the tips and instructions in the owners manual (I actually took the time to read it). My own maintenance and adjustments didn't seem to help, so I broke down and paid a professional shop to go through and rebuild it back in 2014. It ran better, but is still difficult to start.
Judging by numerous Google searches, I'm not the only person who has problems starting their Stihl chain saw.
Anthony Watson
I haven't used my Stihl chain saw in a while, but I can't remember if it has a half choke setting. There's basically one lever that controls the throttle and choke. All the way down is full throttle and full choke. I think the next click up is full throttle, choke off?
In any case, I've tried every lever setting and it's still hard to start once it's warm. From what I can tell, it seems to get flooded once it's warm. The only way I can get it to start is to pull the spark plug, pull the cord a few times to empty the cylinder, then reinstall the plug. It usually starts right up after that.
Unfortunately, my saw never seems to be consistent. Just when I think I figure out a system that works, it stops working. :)
Anthony Watson
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