Got an impact wrench for my birthday last week. A 1000w baby. Corded of course.
Torx? I was turned on to the Torx head a couple years ago. May I never use anything else! I really like the Spax brand.
Torx and square drive are great. I prefer the square drive, but selection is much more limited than torx so I usually wind up using torx.I always hated Phillips head so I went to square instead. Torx however is pretty awesome and I try to go that route when I can.
Mine hooks right up to my shop vac so it's cleaner than doing it by hand.And then cleaning up the ultra-fine dust kicked up by the sander takes three days
Yep. Square drive screws and my cordless impact driver. A match made in heaven. Earlier this year I took my shave den down to the studs and used square drive all the way. The RV industry used square drive fasteners years ago.When I was in the trade, we used McMaster galvanized square head screws.... they never snap off when you tighten them down. Their variety is excellent. McMaster-Carr - https://www.mcmaster.com/square-drive-self-drilling-screws/ We have good luck with a variety of their screws.
When you are installing kitchen cabinets and have to suck up two stiles.... and the screw snaps, it's a real mess.
I've been collecting anvils for 45 years and have been a farrier all this time. I've got 15 at the moment, some antique collectible, some more modern users. That big anvil in the photo is a 300lb Hay Budden that dates to 1906. The other one is 125lb JHM modern anvil that I've had for about 40 years. I swap out that smaller anvil from time to time, mostly for a SCOTT 105lb tapered heel. I prefer the SCOTT, but had lent it out when this photo was taken. If anyone is in the market for an anvil the SCOTT 105lb is the best anvil on the market today, a real gem.I sold off most of mine before a move a few years ago; but since we got a bigger basement I've started replacing a lot. Very random stuff right now; but as I get into woodworking a little; it's starting to flesh out.
Off the top of my head:
Cheap Ryobi bandsaw (One tool I saved... my sister stored it for me through 4 moves)
A vintage (Don't even remember, Pioneer maybe?) tabletop drill press that practically looks homemade because it went through... I'd guess at LEAST two full generations of modifications and repairs. I'm pretty sure it shoots out flames in use. Picked it up for next to nothing when I needed a drillpress for a vehicle repair urgently (my old craftsman standing DP got sold in a move).
Chop/Miter saw... low to mid range brand but not garbage... I wanna say CE maybe?
Warrior Recipro I got for $10 at a harbor freight open box/closeout and have yet to need, but it's there in case I ever do.
3", 4" and 4" belt sanders; two cheapo brands and one midrange pickup. Harbor Freight cheapo (that my sis stored) that they stopped carrying belts for forcing me to buy a second harbor freight cheapo, plus one moderately decent brand.
Craftsman table belt/disc sander. Got used from an estate sale... used for maybe 45 minutes combined use (it ran very rough)... figuring it was a belt that was about to fail... turned out it was two things... first motor weight wasn't sufficient tension for belt drag... there was a set screw that was supposed to fix motor and provide tension that was missing... and two... cheapo worn out plastic gears. After 45 minutes of quite light use (over several weeks)... gears lost all semblance of having teeth and belt instantly melted into them and snapped... been trying to rig up metal gears in place... motor gear no problem... getting the belt pulley gear to stay in place proving a challenge... will eventually drill and tap the thing and use a real screw in place of the little set-tab screw that it came with
Craftsman 6" planer/jointer. Estate sale... currently fixing up.
Craftsman grinder/buffer. Estate sale... think I still need to slap a power cord on it if memory serves.
Dewalt A/C hammer drill
Cheapo warrior 18v cordless drill
a/c Craftsman dremel
a/c Herc die grinder
Vibrating shell cleaner that I bought to try to restore rusty razors with less work based on some very, very, very bad advise right when I started out with straights. Thing has sat for 15+ years (sis stored)... waiting to get put on Facebook marketplace for a reloader to buy off me.
Tombstone stick welder I bought to learn welding on a few years ago... then moved it three times and still waiting on having the time to learn welding. (got a handful of projects already sitting waiting).
Todays pickups:
Delta 18/36 31-250 drum sander
Central Machinery (I think) 2 hp dust collector
I'm sure I'm missing something here; but it'll come to me eventually.
@Hopalong What's the anvil's story?
I sold off most of mine before a move a few years ago; but since we got a bigger basement I've started replacing a lot. Very random stuff right now; but as I get into woodworking a little; it's starting to flesh out.
Off the top of my head:
Cheap Ryobi bandsaw (One tool I saved... my sister stored it for me through 4 moves)
A vintage (Don't even remember, Pioneer maybe?) tabletop drill press that practically looks homemade because it went through... I'd guess at LEAST two full generations of modifications and repairs. I'm pretty sure it shoots out flames in use. Picked it up for next to nothing when I needed a drillpress for a vehicle repair urgently (my old craftsman standing DP got sold in a move).
Chop/Miter saw... low to mid range brand but not garbage... I wanna say CE maybe?
Warrior Recipro I got for $10 at a harbor freight open box/closeout and have yet to need, but it's there in case I ever do.
3", 4" and 4" belt sanders; two cheapo brands and one midrange pickup. Harbor Freight cheapo (that my sis stored) that they stopped carrying belts for forcing me to buy a second harbor freight cheapo, plus one moderately decent brand.
Craftsman table belt/disc sander. Got used from an estate sale... used for maybe 45 minutes combined use (it ran very rough)... figuring it was a belt that was about to fail... turned out it was two things... first motor weight wasn't sufficient tension for belt drag... there was a set screw that was supposed to fix motor and provide tension that was missing... and two... cheapo worn out plastic gears. After 45 minutes of quite light use (over several weeks)... gears lost all semblance of having teeth and belt instantly melted into them and snapped... been trying to rig up metal gears in place... motor gear no problem... getting the belt pulley gear to stay in place proving a challenge... will eventually drill and tap the thing and use a real screw in place of the little set-tab screw that it came with
Craftsman 6" planer/jointer. Estate sale... currently fixing up.
Craftsman grinder/buffer. Estate sale... think I still need to slap a power cord on it if memory serves.
Dewalt A/C hammer drill
Cheapo warrior 18v cordless drill
a/c Craftsman dremel
a/c Herc die grinder
Vibrating shell cleaner that I bought to try to restore rusty razors with less work based on some very, very, very bad advise right when I started out with straights. Thing has sat for 15+ years (sis stored)... waiting to get put on Facebook marketplace for a reloader to buy off me.
Tombstone stick welder I bought to learn welding on a few years ago... then moved it three times and still waiting on having the time to learn welding. (got a handful of projects already sitting waiting).
Todays pickups:
Delta 18/36 31-250 drum sander
Central Machinery (I think) 2 hp dust collector
I'm sure I'm missing something here; but it'll come to me eventually.
@Hopalong What's the anvil's story?
I’m sure @Hopalong has a better idea, but the instructor of a recent blacksmithing class I took told us $3-6 per pound.Very cool info.
Another thing I'd love to get into if I ever get rich enough to stop working or retire in good enough shape to try it is smithing. Anvil prices always shock me. Any guess as to what that 300lb'er would cost if a similar one were found for sale?
What's the reason for the cost of good/vintage anvils? Are they made of a decent grade of steel to survive the abuse? Is there some other complicated element to their creation? Are they like vintage cast iron pans where the grain of the iron itself has degraded due to modern (faster/cheaper) casting techniques?
I know people say to not even bother trying to use ones like the harbor freight cheap ones that are supposedly either iron or quite low grade steel.
Seems like some of you guys might have an interest in anvils. I'll start another thread in this home improvement/tool section so we don't hijack this power tool threadI’m sure @Hopalong has a better idea, but the instructor of a recent blacksmithing class I took told us $3-6 per pound.