What Did You Buy Today?

[pontiac428]

Hey, at least it's not Pittsburgh General (as in General's chicken at the buffet). Those calipers and torque wrenches come with little certificates in the blow molded plastic case that look like calibration certificates, but when you read them they say in very tiny text: We're sorry you purchase crappy tool. If this tool so crappy you can no use, please return to the store and we will exchange for another crappy tool. If you have good fortune, new tool not be as crappy.

 

[WobblyHand]

Hey, at least it's not Pittsburgh General (as in General's chicken at the buffet). Those calipers and torque wrenches come with little certificates in the blow molded plastic case that look like calibration certificates, but when you read them they say in very tiny text: We're sorry you purchase crappy tool. If this tool so crappy you can no use, please return to the store and we will exchange for another crappy tool. If you have good fortune, new tool not be as crappy.

Think that's a wee bit harsh. Hmm, maybe not. 3/4 of mine were sort of ok. I bought 4 of them over the years when they were on sale for $9.99 each. Think I still have one that's left - and it is a good one, with decent battery life. A quality reject reject. One of my HF calipers the battery would last oh maybe a week before it was flat. Must of used ECL logic, no idea why it drained down so fast.

 

[ChazzC]

Think that's a wee bit harsh. Hmm, maybe not. 3/4 of mine were sort of ok. I bought 4 of them over the years when they were on sale for $9.99 each. Think I still have one that's left - and it is a good one, with decent battery life. A quality reject reject. One of my HF calipers the battery would last oh maybe a week before it was flat. Must of used ECL logic, no idea why it drained down so fast.

When I bought my HF on-sale calipers I would take a stack up to the check out and open & check them until I found one that was at least mechanically OK. That was 10-ish years ago and I still use the “good” ones when needed (center-to-center measuring with the clamp-on points; 4”; or if I need to reach in someplace where I don’t want to drop my 40 year old Mitutoyo’s).

 

[pontiac428]

Think that's a wee bit harsh.

You're right, and I give that post a 50/50 chance of being moderated by the end of the hour. Hopefully it won't earn me a temporary vacation from the site.

When I bought my HF on-sale calipers I would take a stack up to the check out and open & check them until I found one that was at least mechanically OK.

Sometimes, HF is the only place you can go pick up a tool today, like a pump oil can. The ones from India work ok if you pick a good one. I've opened so many boxes and found goofed up tool after goofed up tool looking for a good one... Like, not falling apart or not covered in casting boogers. Some of their stuff, like the new non-black colored dead blow hammers are pretty good for hitting stuff with and are well worth the cost of an occasional replacement! And having a dozen .99 cent screwdrivers scattered across every workbench and tool bag is a good thing too. So I won't pretend to be too far above it.

 

[WobblyHand]

You're right, and I give that post a 50/50 chance of being moderated by the end of the hour. Hopefully it won't earn me a temporary vacation from the site.

Sometimes, HF is the only place you can go pick up a tool today, like a pump oil can. The ones from India work ok if you pick a good one. I've opened so many boxes and found goofed up tool after goofed up tool looking for a good one... Like, not falling apart or not covered in casting boogers. Some of their stuff, like the new non-black colored dead blow hammers are pretty good for hitting stuff with and are well worth the cost of an occasional replacement! And having a dozen .99 cent screwdrivers scattered across every workbench and tool bag is a good thing too. So I won't pretend to be too far above it.

I'm not an apologist for HF. Sometimes their stuff is ok, sometimes it's junk. But there's a whole thread for that.

If I just need something to get by, need to modify a tool, or it's a single use, I don't mind going there. If it just has to work, the first and every time, I'm shopping elsewhere.

Admire your sense of humor, John, you can be incredibly funny. Just needed to acknowledge that. Keep it up.

 

[Downwindtracker2]

After trying to make a hex on a round using my milling machine vise's base degree marking, I ordered a 6" 4jaw chuck for my rotary table. Maybe next time there will be less filing. chuckle

 

[Larry$]

After trying to make a hex on a round using my milling machine vise's base degree marking,

I have used my collet blocks for that many times. Even when the hex needed to be larger than the 5C max. Just turn a spigot on the work to fit the 1 1/8" max 5C. Another way is to use the (Rose??) tool (tear drop hole to mount work in & hex OD to index the part.) in the vice. Yes, big hexes on the rotary table but it takes longer to set up. If you have an Indexing head that's actually faster to setup than a RT.
Lots of ways to skin that cat.

 

[Downwindtracker2]

Collet Blocks ? Oh, that would be cheating.

It was just 12mm flat to flat with an 11mm hole out of 5/8" CRS . A thermopile adapter for a Belgium made gas heater/fireplace. Originally it came with a now no longer available thermocoupling. With that little piece my mill/drill and tooling is paid for. The lathe will have to wait for the next project, but it is getting close. And I won't have to wear sweaters at the computer any more.

 

[coolidge]

Made in USA quill handle.

 

[coolidge]

Bison NMTB 40 taper ER32 collet chuck.