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What Did You Buy Today?
- Thread starter darkzero
- Start date
Nope. I was more interested in the woodworking advantages it can provide. (and the fun using it). Nice to be able to create wide boards and just about any custom thickness yourself. Stuff you can't buy in the box stores or woodworkers supply stores. Live edge stuff (for mantles and table tops etc) is pretty popular now days and not available from other than custom mills. Also, I'm in Northern Arizona and most folks don't realize that it contains the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the world and thinning projects are pretty continious so logs are available if you track them down. I have about nine free 40-50 foot pines recently cut down and available right now. Lots of Juniper (cedar) also but it doesn't get very big or grow in large diameters and yoiu have to own the property but you can also get a dead and standing permit during the summer and fall months for just a few dollars. I found the real work is getting the log loaded and home to the mill, then on the mill bed to process. Even a short log (8-9 feet long and 22-24 inches in diameter) is going to weigh a thousand pounds or more. Not something you and a buddy can just toss in the back of your pickup to haul home. I'd sure rather see a log made into something that may last for years than just burned as firewood.
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My brother moved to rural NW Pennsylvania a couple of years ago. He bought one of the HF mills and uses it constantly. He's blown away with the cheap lumber he gets for free or next to nothing. He says the yards he knows hate pine and treat it like toxic waste and he can get all he wants for free. He has a car trailer and Kubota 4wd tractor that he uses to haul the logs and the 3pt to load the logs in the mill. He was able to completely ship lap panel the inside of his small detached garage/shop last year with free pine logs. Sounds nice.
Pick ups over a few weeks. At last count I had no fewer than 5 different cordless tool makes/battery chargers in my shop. I really like the Milwaukee M12 cordless system and am starting to downsize to 2 or 3 battery styles. The M12 doesn't have as much juice as the M18, but the 3/8" driver on drill will twist your wrist plenty hard.
Used 3/8" drill driver, 1/4" impact, charger and 2 batteries off eBay for $51
Couple of duffel bags
Standard M12 batteries are I think 1.5 Ah, these are 6.0 Ah, not too bad for weight at 4x the capacity
Picked up 4 2.5 Ah batteries for under $10 each delivered
3/8" square drive impact
1/4" hex screwdriver
Don't remember what I was putting together, but couldn't get in with a cordless drill so ended up hand driving the fasteners. Picked up a couple of 105 deg. angle heads.
Picked up a set of hardness checking files for a pretty good price (?) at $10 including shipping
Picked up some metric dial test indicators, Interapid, Mitutoyo and a Fowler. Not afraid of getting the BTW you suck post, so won't brag about the price (OK, $10 total . . .). Alas, no case for the Interapid but they're available off eBay.
I have a 6" Starrett precision level which is probably "good enough" for my lathe work. Think the longest between centers I've ever turned is about 1'. However, couldn't pass on this Starrett No. 199 15" for $5.
I haven't checked it for level yet, assume the best way is to set it on a level flat surface like a surface plate and check the bubble position. Then turn it 180 deg. and see if the bubble is at the same spot. Adjust as necessary so it reads the same spot when turned at 180's.
Bruce
Used 3/8" drill driver, 1/4" impact, charger and 2 batteries off eBay for $51
Couple of duffel bags
Standard M12 batteries are I think 1.5 Ah, these are 6.0 Ah, not too bad for weight at 4x the capacity
Picked up 4 2.5 Ah batteries for under $10 each delivered
3/8" square drive impact
1/4" hex screwdriver
Don't remember what I was putting together, but couldn't get in with a cordless drill so ended up hand driving the fasteners. Picked up a couple of 105 deg. angle heads.
Picked up a set of hardness checking files for a pretty good price (?) at $10 including shipping
Picked up some metric dial test indicators, Interapid, Mitutoyo and a Fowler. Not afraid of getting the BTW you suck post, so won't brag about the price (OK, $10 total . . .). Alas, no case for the Interapid but they're available off eBay.
I have a 6" Starrett precision level which is probably "good enough" for my lathe work. Think the longest between centers I've ever turned is about 1'. However, couldn't pass on this Starrett No. 199 15" for $5.
I haven't checked it for level yet, assume the best way is to set it on a level flat surface like a surface plate and check the bubble position. Then turn it 180 deg. and see if the bubble is at the same spot. Adjust as necessary so it reads the same spot when turned at 180's.
Bruce
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I'm tempted to say "outer space is a vacuum because you suck". Amazing score!
What a haul Bruce! As usual I hear about something I've never heard of before. I would love to hear about your experience with the hardness files. I gotta say the 199 for $5, are you sure all that stuff not stolen? LOL.
The were pick ups at a shop that closed. I missed the initial sale, the measuring tools were left over if you can believe that! I haven't shot pictures of them yet, but also picked up a 5" sine bar about 2" wide and a 10" about 8" x 11". No idea what I'll do with them as I have a 1" wide 5" bar I've used once. Probably end up being more stuff for my wife to dispose of at some point.
OK, little secret for on-line shopping, every once in a while I score. Sellers typo the names of items. I've found Mitutoyo, Starrett, Lufkin, Interapid, etc. stuff by searching for misspellings. Don't strike very often, but have scored some nice stuff spelled "Starett" or "Starret".
I've got more stuff than I'll ever use so don't mind the competition. Might reel me in a bit . . .
Bruce
I'll let you know on the hardness files. I have a set from Grizzly that I've never used. We have a Rockwell hardness tester at work, so could do some comparisons at some point. I would imagine with a little searching I could find some hardness "standards" to keep around for testing. I'd like to have an 60 Rc (for example) chunk of tool steel around and see how it compares.
Bruce