Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Diggin It]

Picked up the 12 ton H frame press today. Tomorrow is assemble and test day.

 

[5030]

Joined the 'Inside Track Club' and got a wicked price on a Zurich high end code reader. Regular price 200 clams, 130 clams, membership included.

 

[hunt4570]

"But I don't need a "mobile" saw either.."

Whadday mean? My PM66 is portable/mobile - all you need is a couple good lifting straps and a FEL ... Steve

Or for just "mobile" it has locking casters

Well I do have a FEL and lifting straps but....

My Powermatic with the 52" fence and custom take off table is on a mobile base and casters so I can move it around the shop, but picking it up is a whole nother story. All my shop tools are on mobile bases, but they don't leave the shop. Heck even my new panel saw is on wheels..

 

[BukitCase]

Well I do have a FEL and lifting straps but....

My Powermatic with the 52" fence and custom take off table is on a mobile base and casters so I can move it around the shop, but picking it up is a whole nother story. All my shop tools are on mobile bases, but they don't leave the shop. Heck even my new panel saw is on wheels..

Same here, I was just joking around; altho I DID need to lift the saw when I put the mobile base under it, and a cherry picker's kind of difficult to pick something if the picker's legs can't fit UNDER it.

Hard to beat "old iron" tho, mine had seen about 20 years abuse in a cabinet shop; I cleaned out about a wheelbarrow load of sawdust, cleaned it up, put 3 new belts on, new blade - I've actually balanced a nickel on the top while it's running. I can cut 2 pieces of 3/4 ply, pocket hole them together and put a machinist square in the resulting corner and not be able to "see daylight" anywhere.

Think I'll keep it ... Steve

 

[hunt4570]

Same here, I was just joking around; altho I DID need to lift the saw when I put the mobile base under it, and a cherry picker's kind of difficult to pick something if the picker's legs can't fit UNDER it.

Hard to beat "old iron" tho, mine had seen about 20 years abuse in a cabinet shop; I cleaned out about a wheelbarrow load of sawdust, cleaned it up, put 3 new belts on, new blade - I've actually balanced a nickel on the top while it's running. I can cut 2 pieces of 3/4 ply, pocket hole them together and put a machinist square in the resulting corner and not be able to "see daylight" anywhere.

Think I'll keep it ... Steve

Yeah I bought mine new about 20 years ago when I was building a set of cabinets and needed the deep fence for cutting the plywood for the boxes. I need to strip it out and recalibrate it all cause I need to build a new set of cabinets. Thinking back I cant even remember how I got it up on its mobile base..

 

[Diggin It]

Press went together OK. Couple of small glitches and may need to shim it some. Picture on the user guide shows some 45 degree cross braces at the bottom, but they weren't included and the base plate isn't drilled for them. I may try to add something later as it seems to twist some under pressure. Did the trick though. Only a few minutes between the pictures. Not really what the tool was made for, but it worked for me.




Yeah, I know the pictures are from different angles, but it was bent both ways.

 

[5030]

Chopper tailwheel fork... Looks like it did the trick. Additional bracing is always good as it distributes the applied force better and flat steel stock is cheap. I don't have one but may buy one sometime. I use my hydraulic arbor press usually.

 

[stuckmotor]

I've had my 8 gallon oil type air compressor fo over five years. I run lite duty air tools with it. Waiting for it to recharge isn't so bad because it's what I expected. The reset switch has tripped twice in the time I've had it and both times I had to go to the manual to find out where it was located. I call that a good thing.

 

[Oaktree]

Since we are talking about batteries. My cheap free thunderbolt batteries leaked in my cheap free flashlight.
I replaced them about a month ago.

Speaking of HF batteries, I'd put their coin-cell batteries, specifically the 2032's that are used on computer motherboards, car remote fobs, etc. in the "kind of suck" category. Name brand ones last for years, HF's seem to fail after 6 months or so. I was working on a computer the other day, wouldn't even boot with the HF battery in it, got a message "system battery voltage low". Put an Energizer one in and it worked just fine.
I'd just bought them this summer.

 

[Code54]

Speaking of HF batteries, I'd put their coin-cell batteries, specifically the 2032's that are used on computer motherboards, car remote fobs, etc. in the "kind of suck" category. Name brand ones last for years, HF's seem to fail after 6 months or so. I was working on a computer the other day, wouldn't even boot with the HF battery in it, got a message "system battery voltage low". Put an Energizer one in and it worked just fine.
I'd just bought them this summer.

I tried them once myself - seem to recall them being about dead right out of the package. Now I go on Amazon and get fresh name brand ones for very slight more $.

 

[Diggin It]

Chopper tailwheel fork... Looks like it did the trick.

Finish mower guide/gauge wheel; https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/417372-reclaiming-long-abandoned-rotary-cutters.html

Worked better than I expected considering what I started out with and not being able to get the forks flush to anything. With nearly everything at an angle, I had to be careful not to let anything jump out under pressure.

Noticed that the tip of the ram/press point is slightly mushroomed though. Seems they should have a hardened cap like their bottle jacks and porta power do. I guess the bottle jack used for applying pressure does, but I mean the down point that contacts the work piece.

 

[5030]

If the steel cap is worth crap, harden it yourself. Heat it with a gas axe to dull red and quench it in oil. If it has sufficient carbon content it will case harden. After it cools, reheat to 600 degrees using the gas axe again and a non contact IR thermometer and allow it to cool on it's own. That will normalize it and take any stress out of it. Pretty simple to do. You don't need quenching oil either, motor oil will do in a metal coffee can.

 

[4get gto]

If the steel cap is worth crap, harden it yourself. Heat it with a gas axe to dull red and quench it in oil. If it has sufficient carbon content it will case harden. After it cools, reheat to 600 degrees using the gas axe again and a non contact IR thermometer and allow it to cool on it's own. That will normalize it and take any stress out of it. Pretty simple to do. You don't need quenching oil either, motor oil will do in a metal coffee can.

Are we going to see you on "Forged In Fire..?

 

[5030]

Don't know what that even is... Anyone can do home brew heat treating so long as the steel is willing and you have the means to heat it sufficiently. Just steel however.

 

[MossRoad]

Don't know what that even is... Anyone can do home brew heat treating so long as the steel is willing and you have the means to heat it sufficiently. Just steel however.

Knife makers TV show....

Forged in Fire (TV series) - Wikipedia

 

[3Ts]

Don't know what that even is... Anyone can do home brew heat treating so long as the steel is willing and you have the means to heat it sufficiently. Just steel however.

I was under the impression that most steel (especially HF) is standard A12 and doesn't do heat treating all that well. I thought you had to get into the "O" (for oil quenching) or "W" (for water quenching) series steels for heat treating, or to use a carbon powder. Can you address heat treating a little more, maybe on a different thread. I'd be interested.

 

[crazyal]

Well I do have a FEL and lifting straps but....

My Powermatic with the 52" fence and custom take off table is on a mobile base and casters so I can move it around the shop, but picking it up is a whole nother story. All my shop tools are on mobile bases, but they don't leave the shop. Heck even my new panel saw is on wheels..

Glad to hear. I just bought a used PM66 from an auction and will be trying to get it into my basement. I was worried it would a bear but if it's as light as you guys say I'll do it by myself.

 

[BukitCase]

Al, IIRC the basic saw without long table or Beismeyer fence attached is around 350-400 pounds - if your situation is a bit dicey, you can remove the top and motor - but if you do that, the top is normally held to the base with three bolts - these have loose fitting holes, and control the relationship between the blade and the miter grooves. If you just loosen and remove them, you will need to realign when you reassemble. A slightly less painful way is to scribe lines marking the top/base positioning on ALL THREE bolt holes, BEFORE you loosen them. That way if the saw WAS aligned, you can get it back pretty close or exactly as it was.

Most of the PM66's had either Leeson or Baldor motors, if yours has something else there's a good chance it got swapped. My saw is a 3 horse, leeson motor and 3 belt drive.
There's quite a bit more to setting these up if you intend to do cabinet grade work; rather than waste good HF tool time, you can PM me if you don't already know this and want more... Steve

 

[John_Mc]

I was under the impression that most steel (especially HF) is standard A12 and doesn't do heat treating all that well. I thought you had to get into the "O" (for oil quenching) or "W" (for water quenching) series steels for heat treating, or to use a carbon powder. Can you address heat treating a little more, maybe on a different thread. I'd be interested.

I started a new thread: Heat Treating Steel in this Parts/Repairs section.

 

[hunt4570]

Glad to hear. I just bought a used PM66 from an auction and will be trying to get it into my basement. I was worried it would a bear but if it's as light as you guys say I'll do it by myself.

You may get away with a refrigerator dolly and a couple friends, I’ve done a lot that way.