Tools that used to be great

[bullbreaker]

This thread made me think of my vintage Craftsman hand punch reversible impact . It has always served me well .

 

[MossRoad]

My dad had an old circular saw. I don't know what happened to it, but back in the late 50's he built his own house and had a table saw attachment for it. Basically, like a router works with a router table, you fastened the circular saw upside down to the bottom of the table and then you had a table saw. I still have the table. I'll have to look at who made it.

 

[jaxs]

well, to be honest, most harbor freight tools dont last until the battery is dead. but all joking aside, i heard that B&D is building a new manufacturing facility in .... texas i believe. i hope they come back with some descent products.

I had not heard about the new facility but if B&D came back with a much improved product,it take's a long time to gain customers and even longer to "REGAIN" customers you had but drove away. Odds are coming back to the USA wasn't their primary goal, they chose Texas for access to cheap labor. There's that word again,"cheap". At the risk of earning a kick to the seat of my pants for a hint of political statment (this is the bosse's thread you know), Texas has had a guest worker program for decades despite being strict on illegal border crossing. Thousands of Mexican citizens cross into Texas every day at ports of entry,work their shift then return to their family in Mexico. Please don't insert derogertory comments,this might serve as trail ballon to see if one day civilized political discussions might be considered.

 

[jaxs]

This thread made me think of my vintage Craftsman hand punch reversible impact . It has always served me well .

People's jaw often drop when they see what mine can do. I to have owned it for a looonnng time and it's paid for itself many times over. I lost the #3 phillips a couple of years ago and haven't found another I'm pleased with but still very handy.

 

[Thomas]

Gotta pay top dollar for good quality but most of all be careful of box store this I found.

 

[kenmbz]

I just got a #2 craftsman phillips from Amazon (USA made, there are many that are not) and it looks like one I have from thirty years ago and feels the same!

But fewer of them around and soon gone, only to leave behind screwdrivers that turn instead of screws.

 

[grsthegreat]

I just got a #2 craftsman phillips from Amazon (USA made, there are many that are not) and it looks like one I have from thirty years ago and feels the same!

But fewer of them around and soon gone, only to leave behind screwdrivers that turn instead of screws.

maybe, maybe not

Stanley Black & Decker Announces Opening of New CRAFTSMAN Plant in Fort Worth, Texas

The company's iconic brands include Black & Decker, Bostitch, CRAFTSMAN, DEWALT, FACOM, Irwin, Lenox, Porter Cable and Stanley.


hmm, no wonder all these products look alike and sell for same price

 

[JESSE1]

I had not heard about the new facility but if B&D came back with a much improved product,it take's a long time to gain customers and even longer to "REGAIN" customers you had but drove away. Odds are coming back to the USA wasn't their primary goal, they chose Texas for access to cheap labor. There's that word again,"cheap". At the risk of earning a kick to the seat of my pants for a hint of political statment (this is the bosse's thread you know), Texas has had a guest worker program for decades despite being strict on illegal border crossing. Thousands of Mexican citizens cross into Texas every day at ports of entry,work their shift then return to their family in Mexico. Please don't insert derogertory comments,this might serve as trail ballon to see if one day civilized political discussions might be considered.

Supposed to be built in Fort Worth.

 

[Oaktree]

The mag 77 skilsaws are still good. They know better than to mess with them. This is a tried and proven saw. This saw built california and all of the US west of the Mississippi.

Pardon the stupid question, but is that a left handed saw? Every circular saw I've ever owned had the blade on the right side.

 

[repete]

Pardon the stupid question, but is that a left handed saw? Every circular saw I've ever owned had the blade on the right side.

No. All of the saws with the blades on the right side are backward.... I hate those saws with the blade not visible to a right handed person. I have a Skil 5 1/2" saw because it has the blade on the left as do the larger worm drives. The 5 1/2" works well for 2x4 rafter tails when you are hanging over the side of the roof.

 

[bcp]

Pardon the stupid question, but is that a left handed saw? Every circular saw I've ever owned had the blade on the right side.

It seems some companies just realized their saws were backwards for a right-handed person, so now there are more with the blade on the left.

Look at how many left-bladed saws appear on a search.
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffsb&q=portable+circular+saw&atb=v223-1&iax=images&ia=images

Bruce

 

[4570Man]

Pardon the stupid question, but is that a left handed saw? Every circular saw I've ever owned had the blade on the right side.

That’s a right handed saw. All the saws with the blade on the right are wrong for a right handed person. I hadn’t even noticed the difference until I not noticing bought a left blade saw. I never was very good with a skil saw until that. It’s night and day difference using a saw with the blade to the center of your body like it should be.

 

[4570Man]

Remember, the cord size is very important also. When purchasing an extension cord, wire size is most important. A 12 guage wire size usually is good for most applications. Bob

A house outlet that’s wired with 14 gauge doesn’t do a saw any favors either. On more than one occasion on a job I’ve had to run a cord through a kitchen window and plug into a kitchen outlet that’s 12 gauge for my saws because the 14 gauge outside outlet won’t do the job. I’ve got a few 10 gauge extension cords and most of mine are 12 gauge. I try to get by with a 25 foot cord if I can. A 14 gauge or less cord doesn’t have any business running air compressors or saws.

 

[/pine]

FWIW...Porter Cable makes the same model 71/4" saw in both orientations...
For making some miter cuts (L-R) you really need both...!

 

[downsizingnow48]

No. All of the saws with the blades on the right side are backward.... I hate those saws with the blade not visible to a right handed person. I have a Skil 5 1/2" saw because it has the blade on the left as do the larger worm drives. The 5 1/2" works well for 2x4 rafter tails when you are hanging over the side of the roof.

I think we have the same 5 1/2" Skilsaw. HD5510. Mine is about 30 years old. Lightweight and pretty powerful. I used it for a long time until the small cordless saws came in. For decades it was the only left side blade sidewinder saw on the market.

 

[bcp]

I think we have the same 5 1/2" Skilsaw. HD5510. Mine is about 30 years old. Lightweight and pretty powerful. I used it for a long time until the small cordless saws came in. For decades it was the only left side blade sidewinder saw on the market.

I had one and liked it so much I bought another in a thrift store for a spare, but gave one to my son. Not many 5 1/2 inch blades available with 1/2 inch arbor.

Bruce

 

[repete]

I had one and liked it so much I bought another in a thrift store for a spare, but gave one to my son. Not many 5 1/2 inch blades available with 1/2 inch arbor.

Bruce

I did the exact same thing Bruce. I had one for 25 years and then I saw someone in Olympia a couple months ago had one for sale that was barely even used. Included a bag to keep it in. It was like new. I gave my old one to one of my sons. I have a Porter Cable 6" with the blade on the left but the little skil does what I need at probably 60% of the weight.

 

[dstig1]

FWIW...Porter Cable makes the same model 71/4" saw in both orientations...
For making some miter cuts (L-R) you really need both...!

Yep. I ran into that issue making miters on the finish stringer board for my stairs when I finished them off last year. My regular circ saw tips one way and my cordless one tips the other way, so that worked out OK. I needed both to do all the cuts.

 

[Doofy]

I had a worm drive Skilsaw(6.5") that must have weighed 25 pounds. Most miserable saw I've ever owned. It wouldn't even run if the outside temps were below freezing. My other Skilsaws were great and still are after 40 years.

 

[grsthegreat]

I had a worm drive Skilsaw(6.5") that must have weighed 25 pounds. Most miserable saw I've ever owned. It wouldn't even run if the outside temps were below freezing. My other Skilsaws were great and still are after 40 years.

I know, my old screw drive must be close to 35 years old. Heavy mother to say the least. The oil you fill them with has alot to do with the cold weather ability. I wonder if old oil becomes thicker when cold, or maybe moisture builds up that can freeze?. Ive used mine in miserable weather, and its definitely slower for first 10-15 minutes until it warms up.