Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Bob Heine's Auto Emporium

[Bob Heine]

Uhhh...... We have a discrepancy in measurement units here....
Your CPAP is measured in cm H2O.
11 cm H2O CPAP setting is about 0.156457 psi per Mr. Google.
11 PSI would be about 770 cm H2O.
100 PSI is about 7030 cm H2O.

My first thought was Rocket Sled Face.....

Roger, you're right, I had my annual checkup with the Sleep Center yesterday. Turns out my average pressure is 9.6 cm H2O. My initial test 14 years ago registered 26 apnea events per hour without the CPAP and this year's average is 1.9 per hour wearing the mask. Sleeping on my back without the CPAP registered 72 events per hour. Sleeping on my back dropped my blood oxygen into the 80s, and my pulse rate was 37bpm.

I've had good luck with buying and selling for more in the past, tools, cars, and general stuff. Nothing earth shattering or retirement profit. But enough to keep doing it and support other hobbies with the profit. Only thing is, the profit I made is usually due to the time and work I put into getting the said item in selling condition. Hence the lawnmowers, I spend an hour or 2 on each one that I sold, and usually I aim for a $60+ an hour profit. So, is it really luck or just work that is making me money?

Lately I've sold a bunch of stuff at a lost and that's ok cause I'm just tired of looking at it in the garage. Some of it just goes in the trash as I realize that it's not worth the headache of keeping anymore to wait for the next person to take it. It's just how it is sometimes.

As for stock related purchases, I hired a financial advisor to handle that aspect, and I got him on speed dial in case I have questions. He usually gives me a call on certain things too when he sees a good opportunity, so it's a good relationship. Currently I don't care to look at any of that stuff so it's nice to have someone monitor my investments for me. To me it's just play money at the moment.

Cody, I'm a buy high, sell low on most things. Back in the '80s I bought four new 16" Crager rims and 265/50D16 tires for $800. Didn't even wear the nibs off the tires and the wheels never got wet except to clean off the dust. Sold the set for $100.

In my defense, those were chrome plated steel hoops welded to chrome plated aluminum centers. The rim was not hub centric and it had Uni-lug spacing so they could be installed on GM and Ford vehicles. A special kind of death wobble was waiting for the guy who bought them.

The tires were low angle bias ply to top it all off. These things weighed a ton. Buyer didn't care because he planned to install them on a Ford pickup.

Funny, same thing is happening to me as I read this.


Bob, you're an enabler, time and time again...

Justin, considering the [tool] crack this site has forced me to buy, turnaround is fair play. Mail person delivered one of these today.

Nice locking pliers Bob.

Oh, and great looking hanger too.

Mike, I do appreciate you sharing that tool. It has helped me preserve the delicate skin on my hand when cutting, grinding and whire weeling small stuff.

One hanger down, two to go.

I've got a whole list of cool tools that Bob should know about.. I gotta work out the deal with Amazon first

Gerry, check out the link for that band file...

Amazon.com

 

[Grizz1963]

Those keyhole power files are brilliant.

I just got a delivery of four grades of belts last week.

 

[scooterbum46]

Gerry, check out the link for that band file...
https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-M12-FUEL-18-Bandfile/dp/B0BW4VVBWJ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Bob - I've had a corded one (plastic B&D) and a HF poomatic one for years (loud as F). That Milwaukee one is cute, but the wrong color (I remain pure to DImwalt)..

 

[Bob Heine]

Those keyhole power files are brilliant.

I just got a delivery of four grades of belts last week.

Rian, I have to be careful ordering belts. I bought some years ago for a great price and they held up really well. As they've aged, the glue holding them together has dried out and the belts come apart. I failed to put a date on them so I can't tell which ones are going to blow up when I put them on the belt file.

Bob - I've had a corded one (plastic B&D) and a HF poomatic one for years (loud as F). That Milwaukee one is cute, but the wrong color (I remain pure to DImwalt)..

Gerry, I had to bust your chops. I have three HF pneumatic 3/8"x13" belt files (one appears to be home made). I also have a WEN electric 1/2"x18" belt file that's cheaper than the HF one and I'm very happy with it (it has a speed control wheel). The M12 has several advantage: two speeds, bi-directional and the trigger controls the speed. I used it today to clean up a piece of aluminum and it was nice to be able to remove a nasty burr on a 2.5" hole.

 

[Bob Heine]

Using the same process I made another buffer hanger for my little Westool 3" random orbital buffer. It required a 2.5" hole in the bracket. My hole saw left a nasty burr on the hole and the new belt file came in handy.

I decided to put all four buffers on the side of the wood cabinet. I need to be careful not to mount them too low. I'd hate to catch one of them with the mirror or other part of the Corvette.

I feel good about using the side of the cabinet to store the buffer collection. Three down, one to go.

 

[Grizz1963]

100% Bob

Its a weak point in their design or suppliers.

 

[xtremek]

Love the buffer bracket. The small Craftsman top box is the perfect width to hang the 4 angle grinders on the edges. Yours is a whole lot tidier.

 

[Bob Heine]

Amazing how fast ten days flies by. Sunday a week ago I went in for a carotid artery ultrasound and although there's some plaque it's not serious. Then Monday was oral surgery to remove a piece of root left in my upper jaw. Surgeon implanted some stuff to accelerate bone replacement and provide longer term antibiotic. They gave me a little oxygen, followed by some Nitrous Oxide and several jabs with Novocaine. A bunch of stitches using thread that goes away by itself and I was on my way home.

100% Bob

Its a weak point in their design or suppliers.

Rian, I've had the problem with both low priced belts from Harbor Freight and high priced belts from 3M. I bought some new belts and I'll put some dates on them.

Love the buffer bracket. The small Craftsman top box is the perfect width to hang the 4 angle grinders on the edges. Yours is a whole lot tidier.

Kirk, I have a magnetic towel holder and tissue/glove box on the side of my HF 26" or those buffers would probably be hanging there.

I managed to screw up that third bracket. I annealed the aluminum for the first three bends and figured the fourth bend was close enough to have been annealed. Nope, it cracked so I re-grouped, and turned it into the smallest bracket. I was worried what was left of my 3-foot long 2-inch wide aluminum strap would not be long enough for the fourth bracket. It turned out to be just long enough (1/2" scrap left over). The fourth bracket was supposed to hold my Flex buffer with its 5-inch pad but because it could end up with a 6-inch pad I made it a little oversize.

So now I have brackets for the four buffers in one place.

Because of the different pad dimensions, all four brackets are different size.

I'll be very careful taking the Corvette out, trying not to hit the lowest one.

 

[scooterbum46]

Bob - what's your annealing method? I've always used the smoky torch , cover the piece with soot, then burn the soot off with a clean flame. Not very scientific, but I was told that's the temp needed for the aluminum and I guess it's always worked for me.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob - what's your annealing method? I've always used the smoky torch , cover the piece with soot, then burn the soot off with a clean flame. Not very scientific, but I was told that's the temp needed for the aluminum and I guess it's always worked for me.

Gerry, I use the magic marker method. For this eighth inch aluminum I scribble a little marker doodles on the top and heat the bottom with a Propane or Mapp torch. When the marker starts to disappear I heat the top until the marker is gone. So far it has worked very well.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob
I agree with you 100% on when tools are restored, they become shelf queens never to be used (at least for me)!

As an example starting with vises. Exhibit A: Some of the smaller restored vises found their way (I do not know how ) into my home office (which later, after serious complaints from upper management, the vises were cruelly evicted).

Another example and for a totally different tool (yes I also restore other US made only tools) Exhibit B, a US made Milwaukee hammer drill, painstakingly re-wired and restored, runs like a champ and now lives in a box (I use my 20v brushless dewalt hammer drill when I need one).

Now having said that, as far as using vises is concerned, I use two unrestored as found in wild vises. A Reed 404 1/2 (4.5” wide jaws, weighing around 90 lb) which not only has a swivel base but also it has a swivel jaw. The other wise is a Chas Parker 974 (4” wide jaws, weighing 60 lbs)

As for selling a few vises, honestly the motivation was not financial (for the amount of time and effort I put into the restorations, I figured I am made 10c an hour ) but rather to appease the upper management (happy wife happy life ) and show good faith that I am doing something about the addiction!

@gman007, I apologize for not responding sooner -- I discovered your post snuck past me when I was scrolling back a page, I click on the 'Like' button after I read a post so I can tell I've read it and this post didn't have one.

Twelve years ago I cleaned up a couple of old Craftsman tools I inherited from my father: a quarter-inch single speed non-reversible drill and a 1/3 sheet sander. I didn't take any 'after' pictures but here's a 'before' of the drill.

Both tools were made in the early 1950s and had two-prong plugs with a pigtail wire with a spade connector (you were supposed to loosen the screw on the wall plate to ground the tool). I replaced the wires in the 1960s but stopped using the tools when I acquired a 3/8 reversible drill with variable speed. I also stopped using the sander because it weighed a ton and was deafeningly loud.

Here's someone else's photo of the sander/polisher[?] (Craftsman 110.7800) with its case...

...and a view of the sander showing the speed adjustment. You turned the huge screw to adjust the vibration (and sound) for coarse or fine sanding. The sander came with a wool 1/3 sheet to turn it into a polisher but I never used it for that purpose.

I sent the two tools to @Red Leader to add to his vintage Craftsman tool collection. His "1950s Craftsman Garage retro remodel" thread was very active back in 2012*2020:

1950s Craftsman Garage retro remodel

The trim on #2 looks great and the edge banding on the shelves is coming along. For tool panel #1, which Weldwood did you use? They offer many varieties. My first thought would be for the contact adhesive, coat both sides and wait till dry to the touch and the two pieces should not come...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[gman007]

@gman007, I apologize for not responding sooner -- I discovered your post snuck past me when I was scrolling back a page, I click on the 'Like' button after I read a post so I can tell I've read it and this post didn't have one.

Twelve years ago I cleaned up a couple of old Craftsman tools I inherited from my father: a quarter-inch single speed non-reversible drill and a 1/3 sheet sander. I didn't take any 'after' pictures but here's a 'before' of the drill.

Both tools were made in the early 1950s and had two-prong plugs with a pigtail wire with a spade connector (you were supposed to loosen the screw on the wall plate to ground the tool). I replaced the wires in the 1960s but stopped using the tools when I acquired a 3/8 reversible drill with variable speed. I also stopped using the sander because it weighed a ton and was deafeningly loud.

Here's someone else's photo of the sander/polisher[?] (Craftsman 110.7800) with its case...

...and a view of the sander showing the speed adjustment. You turned the huge screw to adjust the vibration (and sound) for coarse or fine sanding. The sander came with a wool 1/3 sheet to turn it into a polisher but I never used it for that purpose.

I sent the two tools to @Red Leader to add to his vintage Craftsman tool collection. His "1950s Craftsman Garage retro remodel" thread was very active back in 2012*2020:

1950s Craftsman Garage retro remodel

The trim on #2 looks great and the edge banding on the shelves is coming along. For tool panel #1, which Weldwood did you use? They offer many varieties. My first thought would be for the contact adhesive, coat both sides and wait till dry to the touch and the two pieces should not come...

www.garagejournal.com

Bob
I appreciate you taking the time to meticulously reply to all of your guests’ posts including mine. That is very kind and generous of you.

I followed your link to the Red Leader thread and indeed it seems like a very interesting thread. While I hope that Red Leader is doing well, unfortunately a thread who’s owner is a baby boomer (and I am at the absolute tail end of this generation) that is not maintained, often does not bode well for the wellbeing of the owner!

If that is the case, I hope at least your donated craftsman tools and rest of that nice collection are in good hands.

Unfortunately it too often happens that a nice collection of valuable tools (old or new) are not understood and appreciated by the inheritors!

After I am gone, I can just imagine my wife or our son paying good money to someone to have all the heavy metal “old junk” (including vises, anvils, etc) hauled away and other tools at best sold at a fire sale for pennies on the dollar!

Ok, enough of these morbid thoughts, now back to party mode

 

[gman007]

Bob
I am glad to hear that the plaque situation is not serious and your jaw is on the mend.

I think among many other great titles, you are now the king of the bracket making and Martha Stewart of garage decoration and organization . As usual great job and well done!

 

[Coolabah]

@gman007, I apologize for not responding sooner -- I discovered your post snuck past me when I was scrolling back a page, I click on the 'Like' button after I read a post so I can tell I've read it and this post didn't have one.

Twelve years ago I cleaned up a couple of old Craftsman tools I inherited from my father: a quarter-inch single speed non-reversible drill and a 1/3 sheet sander. I didn't take any 'after' pictures but here's a 'before' of the drill.

Both tools were made in the early 1950s and had two-prong plugs with a pigtail wire with a spade connector (you were supposed to loosen the screw on the wall plate to ground the tool). I replaced the wires in the 1960s but stopped using the tools when I acquired a 3/8 reversible drill with variable speed. I also stopped using the sander because it weighed a ton and was deafeningly loud.

Here's someone else's photo of the sander/polisher[?] (Craftsman 110.7800) with its case...

...and a view of the sander showing the speed adjustment. You turned the huge screw to adjust the vibration (and sound) for coarse or fine sanding. The sander came with a wool 1/3 sheet to turn it into a polisher but I never used it for that purpose.

I sent the two tools to @Red Leader to add to his vintage Craftsman tool collection. His "1950s Craftsman Garage retro remodel" thread was very active back in 2012*2020:

1950s Craftsman Garage retro remodel

The trim on #2 looks great and the edge banding on the shelves is coming along. For tool panel #1, which Weldwood did you use? They offer many varieties. My first thought would be for the contact adhesive, coat both sides and wait till dry to the touch and the two pieces should not come...

www.garagejournal.com

TOTALLY Love this post Bob. Much better "to give with warm hands" as my grandfather used to say. Realistically , not much of the stuff we all love will go to a better home than "us" when we eventually "go" ( hopefully not to a very, very, very much warmer place....) .
And, if the person you gave the stuff to is no longer around , at least it was enjoyed before that day happened.
OK, enough of this already !
Glad to hear you are continuing your healing after recent stuff.
cheers, Greg

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob
I appreciate you taking the time to meticulously reply to all of your guests’ posts including mine. That is very kind and generous of you.

I followed your link to the Red Leader thread and indeed it seems like a very interesting thread. While I hope that Red Leader is doing well, unfortunately a thread who’s owner is a baby boomer (and I am at the absolute tail end of this generation) that is not maintained, often does not bode well for the wellbeing of the owner!

If that is the case, I hope at least your donated craftsman tools and rest of that nice collection are in good hands.

Unfortunately it too often happens that a nice collection of valuable tools (old or new) are not understood and appreciated by the inheritors!

After I am gone, I can just imagine my wife or our son paying good money to someone to have all the heavy metal “old junk” (including vises, anvils, etc) hauled away and other tools at best sold at a fire sale for pennies on the dollar!

Ok, enough of these morbid thoughts, now back to party mode

@gman007, that's kind of you to say. When I worked at IBM we had Professional Office System handle our e-mail. Some of my more stressful jobs would receive a thousand or more e-mails a day. Some of them were just information CC e-mails but others requested or required a response. It was easy to miss an important e-mail so I got in the habit of checking the day's e-mails before I left at night.

One of the weirder systems my team worked on was an IBM answering system. An office could connect everyone's phone to a Series/1 computer and leave or broadcast voice messages to co-workers:

"...the Series/l Audio Distribution System program (#5719-020), which IBM introduced in February 1982, and which permits the Series/l to be used as a voice store-and-forward message system. Some uses include digitizing voice messages, and simultaneous broadcasting of a
single voice transmission to several other Series/Is using this package."

If you've never heard of IBM's ADS system that's to be expected. It went over like a lead balloon.

Yeah, I don't know what happened to @Red Leader. His posts trailed off in 2020 and his last post indicated he was busier than a one-armed paper hanger.

Both our children have lots of tools and have even requested I stop buying them more. Our son is a Bosh fan and our daughter is a DeWalt fan so my Milwaukee collection will probably go to a stranger.

Bob
I am glad to hear that the plaque situation is not serious and your jaw is on the mend.

I think among many other great titles, you are now the king of the bracket making and Martha Stewart of garage decoration and organization . As usual great job and well done!

@gman007, I am still surprised to wake up every morning.

I do have a responsibility to quash any Martha Stewart comments. We try to keep the house neat but there's a plaque in the kitchen reminding us not to get carried away (note the bits that have hit it during aggressive food processing).

TOTALLY Love this post Bob. Much better "to give with warm hands" as my grandfather used to say. Realistically , not much of the stuff we all love will go to a better home than "us" when we eventually "go" ( hopefully not to a very, very, very much warmer place....) .
And, if the person you gave the stuff to is no longer around , at least it was enjoyed before that day happened.
OK, enough of this already !
Glad to hear you are continuing your healing after recent stuff.
cheers, Greg

Greg, I'm enjoying doing the warm hands gifts, especially to family members trying to make it on their own.

 

[Bob Heine]

I made one of my impulse buys a few weeks ago. I've been carrying the $10 Harbor Freight plastic inflators in my vehicles for years and years. I know they will give up the ghost the next time I try to use one. I did a search and found a rechargeable inflator for $50 and placed my order. Amazon pointed me to a significantly less expensive unit. Having three cars on the road I ordered two of the inexpensive ones. Oddly, the more expensive unit expects the buyer to supply their own USB A to USB C cable. The cheap inflator goes one better and provides a 12V cigarette lighter charge cable. I have to admit the case for the expensive one is much nicer than the cloth bag the cheap one comes with. The expensive one...

Amazon.com

...and the $17 Vevor [I just checked and the sale is over and it's now $30].

Amazon.com

If I didn't already have jump packs in all three cars I would have bought three combination jump pack/inflator gizmos.

 

[madison069]

I do like those harbor freight air pumps, but I usually get the bigger one since I'm having to inflate big tires like 35"x12.5" on the truck.

This is the one I have in the truck, Big Tire Inflator, but I noticed there is another brand at HF that looks very similar so I'm not sure if the other brand is like the ICON line of tools. But I can't complain about the performance on the one I have since it's aired up trailer tires up to 70PSI often when I had the trailer park trailer.

Then i have the little version in the Subaru, Little Tire Inflator, and it's been used a few times also. No complaint really.

The last tire inflator I bought was the Ryobi one, Ryobi Tire Inflator, which is very nice and compact. Not sure how it would fair being taken around in the car, but in the garage it's perfect for little stuff and simple tire inflating instead of dragging out the air hose.

Your comment about the jump pack reminded me that I need to order my middle daughter a jump pack for her Christmas present. I'm the guy who usually buy them stuff that they need but they wouldn't necessarily buy for themselves. So, the jump pack is the perfect thing. Although they do have triple AAA through me, it's nice to know the girls can get out of a situation quickly instead of waiting for AAA.

 

[legenddc]

Your comment about the jump pack reminded me that I need to order my middle daughter a jump pack for her Christmas present. I'm the guy who usually buy them stuff that they need but they wouldn't necessarily buy for themselves. So, the jump pack is the perfect thing. Although they do have triple AAA through me, it's nice to know the girls can get out of a situation quickly instead of waiting for AAA.

My father in law used to do this and I miss it. He got his daughter's Garmin GPS's back when they were first coming out, AAA memberships, etc. Now and then he'll do it these-days but not every Christmas like he used to.

 

[Bob Heine]

I do like those harbor freight air pumps, but I usually get the bigger one since I'm having to inflate big tires like 35"x12.5" on the truck.

This is the one I have in the truck, Big Tire Inflator, but I noticed there is another brand at HF that looks very similar so I'm not sure if the other brand is like the ICON line of tools. But I can't complain about the performance on the one I have since it's aired up trailer tires up to 70PSI often when I had the trailer park trailer.

Then i have the little version in the Subaru, Little Tire Inflator, and it's been used a few times also. No complaint really.

The last tire inflator I bought was the Ryobi one, Ryobi Tire Inflator, which is very nice and compact. Not sure how it would fair being taken around in the car, but in the garage it's perfect for little stuff and simple tire inflating instead of dragging out the air hose.

Your comment about the jump pack reminded me that I need to order my middle daughter a jump pack for her Christmas present. I'm the guy who usually buy them stuff that they need but they wouldn't necessarily buy for themselves. So, the jump pack is the perfect thing. Although they do have triple AAA through me, it's nice to know the girls can get out of a situation quickly instead of waiting for AAA.

Cody, those inflators look pretty good. The ones I bought look like a tool aimed at pre-schoolers.

To make it more useful I have a 12V power supply with alligator clips and cigarette lighter socket so I can run these compressors with 12VAC.

I wish my parents (both teachers) would have bought me tools when I was growing up. Dad's Crescent wrench, straight (and Phillips) screwdriver and hammer were my bike repair tools.

My father in law used to do this and I miss it. He got his daughter's Garmin GPS's back when they were first coming out, AAA memberships, etc. Now and then he'll do it these-days but not every Christmas like he used to.

Derek, my father let me use the maps we collected on our cross-country trips.

 

[drivesitfar]

I own a couple of these air inflators with cigarrette 12v's that work ok, but I was thinking of buying something similar to your new purchase so let us know how it works and if you like it better. I really like how compact it is.

 

[Prospecter]

I wish my parents (both teachers) would have bought me tools when I was growing up. Dad's Crescent wrench, straight (and Phillips) screwdriver and hammer were my bike repair tools.

Yup. Those tools are about what I started with. Still have the wrench ("Photo"). Are you a self taught mechanic? Amazing what one can learn by reading, and now YouTube!

 

[Grizz1963]

Bit late to the party.

Just a random purchase at 90 cents.

I do have plans for it.

Really love these old tools.

 

[Andy8430]

Bit late to the party.

Just a random purchase at 90 cents.

I do have plans for it.

Really love these old tools.

What are your plans for that power house?

 

[loganb]

Your praise of the Milwaukee M12 bandfile isn't helping my self control resist putting it in the cart as I wander thru the store....

I may end up going the gateway drug route and getting the electric WEN version you have as I figure out how handy it is...it's a more palatable price for a tool I think I'll use but not positive as never had one!

Thanks again for sharing your time and experiences with us!

 

[kaymccampbell]

Your praise of the Milwaukee M12 bandfile isn't helping my self control resist putting it in the cart as I wander thru the store....

I may end up going the gateway drug route and getting the electric WEN version you have as I figure out how handy it is...it's a more palatable price for a tool I think I'll use but not positive as never had one!

Thanks again for sharing your time and experiences with us!

Check out the HF one. I bought one for a specific use case, with the intent of never using it again. I find it gets dragged out every now n then, much against my predictions.

 

[madison069]

Check out the HF one. I bought one for a specific use case, with the intent of never using it again. I find it gets dragged out every now n then, much against my predictions.

I’m doing everything I can to not buy one. Milwaukee, when, or harbor freight. But, it’s on my wish list. Too many iron in the fire at the moment to just get it!!!!!

Then again I have a birthday on Wednesday if anyone was wondering what to get me.

 

[Blackbyrd]

Highly recommend the bandfile! I got it mostly for spot welds but found it has a multitude of uses outside of that.

Scotchbrite belts are great for surface prepping tight areas!

Stuff that close to the car would make me a nervous wreck!

 

[Grizz1963]

What are your plans for that power house?

Something semi creative.

Like an Alien space gun mounted on a wooden plinth.

Use your imagination

 

[PugetDude]

I’m doing everything I can to not buy one. Milwaukee, when, or harbor freight. But, it’s on my wish list. Too many iron in the fire at the moment to just get it!!!!!

Then again I have a birthday on Wednesday if anyone was wondering what to get me.

I bought the corded $30 Wen as a way to try out a bandfile on the cheap. It worked so well I "upgraded" to the cordless $200 M12 version. After a year of ownership I find myself using the Wen most of the time, it's very compact, less awkward than the M12 with a 6aH battery, offers a much longer run time, and has just a little less tension on the belt-the M12 is more prone to premature belt breakage. Belts that will run until there is no abrasive left on the Wen last half as long on the Milwaukee. I am a big fan of the M12 platform but the bandfile isn't their best offering, IMHO. I use it for a quick touch up in tight places, but drag out the Wen when I have real work to do.

 

[Bob Heine]

I own a couple of these air inflators with cigarrette 12v's that work ok, but I was thinking of buying something similar to your new purchase so let us know how it works and if you like it better. I really like how compact it is.

Drives, I used both the expensive one and the cheaper one to air up the tires on two vehicles. Both worked great and it was nice to be able to do it without having to plug anything in. I don't know if it's a bug or feature but the expensive inflator stopped the instant it reached the selected pressure while the cheaper one continued running until it exceeded the selected pressure. The hard case for the expensive one is far more elegant than the cloth bag for the cheaper one but to me not worth the higher price.

Yup. Those tools are about what I started with. Still have the wrench ("Photo"). Are you a self taught mechanic? Amazing what one can learn by reading, and now YouTube!

@Prospecter, I am a self taught mechanic. I earned my diploma at the school of hard knocks. Before digital cameras I couldn't afford or wait for photos to help reassemble stuff. The pictures were in my mind and as long as I didn't take years to fix something I could remember how they went together. I took the coaster brake on my bike apart and when I put it back together it didn't work like before. The failures were the best teachable moments.

My textbooks were Hot Rod, Car Craft, Rod&Custom magazines and when I acquired my first car it was Chilton, Clymer and Haynes manuals. Until we bought our first new car we never had an owner's manual. When I went to the back of the owner's manual for our '68 GTO there was an order form for the Factory Service Manual and I was hooked. It feels like cheating when I browse the PDF manuals and look stuff up by typing into a search field. YouTube is great but it's one of those 'trust but verify' deals.

Bit late to the party.

Just a random purchase at 90 cents.

I do have plans for it.

Really love these old tools.

Rian, the old tools are a wonderful reminder of how far tools have come. Something that spins a drill bit faster than a brace or egg beater was a huge breakthrough. I still have a lot of corded tools but I tend to grab the cordless ones these days (it helps that they hang over the workbench rather than being stuffed in a drawer or cabinet).

What are your plans for that power house?

@Andy8430, I can't speak for Rian but I am absolutely sure it will be something interesting. I'm thinking of a hand dryer sitting next to the bellhousing sink.

Your praise of the Milwaukee M12 bandfile isn't helping my self control resist putting it in the cart as I wander thru the store....

I may end up going the gateway drug route and getting the electric WEN version you have as I figure out how handy it is...it's a more palatable price for a tool I think I'll use but not positive as never had one!

Thanks again for sharing your time and experiences with us!

Logan, I live with a constant cloud of guilt for buying and then showing luxury goods I never expected to own. My first bandfile was a $9.99 pneumatic HF unit. It was a piece of junk but I loved the idea. When HF offered a vastly improved one, I bought it and never looked back. Cleaning up welds on a stainless steel exhaust system went from frustrating to fun for me.

I think the WEN bandfile is exactly as you describe. It satisfies the addiction without breaking the bank. I can't be certain you'll wear it out but I predict you'll end up using it more often than you would expect.

Check out the HF one. I bought one for a specific use case, with the intent of never using it again. I find it gets dragged out every now n then, much against my predictions.

Kay, I was a HF fanboy for years. Their hand tools are getting better and better but I've been burned by their constantly changing systems for their cordless tools. I'm also surprised by the prices they are charging these days. HF used to be the hands-down place to get the best prices -- especially for step bits, diamond cutting disks and pneumatic tools but I find myself searching before purchasing and finding a VEVOR or WEN version for less.

I too am surprised how often I grab the bandfile and it was the reason I bought the Milwaukee M12. The variable speed trigger control makes me happy. I can sneak up on a spot and then ramp up the speed without having to stop and adjust the speed with a thumbwheel. I also don't have to switch it off when I want to stop, just release the trigger.

I’m doing everything I can to not buy one. Milwaukee, when, or harbor freight. But, it’s on my wish list. Too many iron in the fire at the moment to just get it!!!!!

Then again I have a birthday on Wednesday if anyone was wondering what to get me.

Cody, if I were you I'd focus on the Camaro's wishlist. Not knowing what you're missing is sometimes a good thing. I'd highly recommend the WEN bandfile as a gateway tool. If you never use it at least you haven't wasted too much money on it. It can always be a pay-it-forward gift to someone else if you keep the box.

Highly recommend the bandfile! I got it mostly for spot welds but found it has a multitude of uses outside of that.

Scotchbrite belts are great for surface prepping tight areas!

Stuff that close to the car would make me a nervous wreck!

Adam, I too love the bandfile for lots of jobs. Sometimes it's a little sanding job involving one-finger action and the ache in my finger reminds me I have a bandfile.

I love the Scotchbrite belts. Years ago I was able to source some superfine 3M belts (1000 and 2500 grit) for my Eastwood expander wheel but I can't find them now. I may have to search for them in 1/2 x 18 belts.

Regrettably I live on the edge because I have purchased 100 pounds of stuff and try to fit it in my 5 pound bag. Sometimes I reduce my stress with little things. Like the two bicycles we never use that hang over the space between the cars. I know the rope on the pulley system will eventually fail so I have loops of chain attached to the hooks in the ceiling -- so I can sleep at night.

Something semi creative.

Like an Alien space gun mounted on a wooden plinth.

Use your imagination

Rian, I think we share a fairly broad imagination -- I saw that bellhousing sink the moment you showed it.

 

[Jgaz]

I bought the corded $30 Wen as a way to try out a bandfile on the cheap. It worked so well I "upgraded" to the cordless $200 M12 version. After a year of ownership I find myself using the Wen most of the time, it's very compact, less awkward than the M12 with a 6aH battery, offers a much longer run time, and has just a little less tension on the belt-the M12 is more prone to premature belt breakage. Belts that will run until there is no abrasive left on the Wen last half as long on the Milwaukee. I am a big fan of the M12 platform but the bandfile isn't their best offering, IMHO. I use it for a quick touch up in tight places, but drag out the Wen when I have real work to do.

@PudgetDude
Thanks for your input on the Wen vs M12 bandfile. You got me hooked on the M12 angle grinder but I really good with spending $35 vs $200

 

[gman007]

@PudgetDude
Thanks for your input on the Wen vs M12 bandfile. You got me hooked on the M12 angle grinder but I really good with spending $35 vs $200

 

[Bob Heine]

I bought the corded $30 Wen as a way to try out a bandfile on the cheap. It worked so well I "upgraded" to the cordless $200 M12 version. After a year of ownership I find myself using the Wen most of the time, it's very compact, less awkward than the M12 with a 6aH battery, offers a much longer run time, and has just a little less tension on the belt-the M12 is more prone to premature belt breakage. Belts that will run until there is no abrasive left on the Wen last half as long on the Milwaukee. I am a big fan of the M12 platform but the bandfile isn't their best offering, IMHO. I use it for a quick touch up in tight places, but drag out the Wen when I have real work to do.

Scott, we're on the same page. I used the HF pneumatic ones for years before adding the electric WEN to my arsenal. Its justified itself because I don't have to run a hundred foot air hose from the garage to the workshop every time I need to use a bandfile. For me, the flaw with the WEN is the on/off switch location and I wouldn't have noticed it had I not gotten used to the trigger on the pneumatics. With the switch located at the end of the WEN tool I found myself doing weird things to turn it on and off (holding the running tool under my armpit for one). If the switch were close to the belt end it would be wonderful. It's a small issue and only affects one wingers like me.

I was surprised by the force needed to put a belt on the Milwaukee M12 so I'm sure I'll be popping a lot of my elderly Scotchbrite belts. You also have a point with the 6aH battery but I reserve those for the circular, chain and reciprocating saws. Most of the jobs I do with the M12 have been quick de-burring or touch-up sanding so the little batteries work fine and make the tool more friendly.

 

[Bob Heine]

@gman007, I too am a fan of the $35 solution first. I'm sure there are a fair number of people who regret buying a band file because they rarely use it. Long before I bought a bandfile I bought a Harbor Freight air file. I tried using it the day I brought it home and never pulled it out again. It should be prominently displayed on a 'STUPID STUPID STUPID' board. Instead it lives in the bottom of my small air tool drawer (the tools are small, the drawer is pretty big. It shares the very bottom of the drawer with a palm nailer and a reciprocating saw.

The reciprocating saw was an impulse buy because I believed I would be using it in very wet locations. I bought it before Harbor Freight had stores in Florida. It was one of those gypsy tool trucks that set up mobile stores in Shrine club buildings. Full disclosure, I do have a small HF air saw that works just fine and uses little jigsaw blades. It's not at the very bottom of the drawer but it's nowhere near the top. I would store these air tools in a more accessible way but making them visible leads to a lot of hard to answer questions. It only takes a few seconds to grab a handful of hoses and pull the tools out of the drawer....

...and a couple of minutes to put them back.

My pneumatic wrenches hang on a cabinet in PVC pipe holders and my pneumatic body sanders reside on my HF one-drawer painting cart. The pneumatic nailers live in the drawer next to the small tool drawer.

 

[Bob Heine]

@PudgetDude
Thanks for your input on the Wen vs M12 bandfile. You got me hooked on the M12 angle grinder but I really good with spending $35 vs $200

@Jgaz, I have both the angle and straight M12 die grinders and they get used a lot. Scott is right and like you, I'm a fan of buying the less painful solution first.

 

[rharman]

@Bob Heine - I bought a pneumatic palm nailer from HF years ago when I was installing my LiftMaster 8500. I needed to add an outlet box in the ceiling and space was tight between the ceiling joists in that area. That little palm nailer saved the day.

I've since used it once for nailing and once when I needed a mini-jackhammer to loosen some fittings. Worked like a charm so I'd say my $20 investment worked out well. But, yes, it now lives in some drawer in my toolbox not seeing the light of day.

 

[gman007]

@gman007, I too am a fan of the $35 solution first. I'm sure there are a fair number of people who regret buying a band file because they rarely use it. Long before I bought a bandfile I bought a Harbor Freight air file. I tried using it the day I brought it home and never pulled it out again. It should be prominently displayed on a 'STUPID STUPID STUPID' board. Instead it lives in the bottom of my small air tool drawer (the tools are small, the drawer is pretty big. It shares the very bottom of the drawer with a palm nailer and a reciprocating saw.

The reciprocating saw was an impulse buy because I believed I would be using it in very wet locations. I bought it before Harbor Freight had stores in Florida. It was one of those gypsy tool trucks that set up mobile stores in Shrine club buildings. Full disclosure, I do have a small HF air saw that works just fine and uses little jigsaw blades. It's not at the very bottom of the drawer but it's nowhere near the top. I would store these air tools in a more accessible way but making them visible leads to a lot of hard to answer questions. It only takes a few seconds to grab a handful of hoses and pull the tools out of the drawer....

...and a couple of minutes to put them back.

My pneumatic wrenches hang on a cabinet in PVC pipe holders and my pneumatic body sanders reside on my HF one-drawer painting cart. The pneumatic nailers live in the drawer next to the small tool drawer.

@Bob Heine
HF stuff, as Forrest Gump said, is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you will get. Many of the tools are trash but every now and then one can find a good one too.

As for Wen, I have had better luck! I have a Wen 12” variable speed drill press as well as a bench grinder and have been happy with both of them.

Now here is the thing, unfortunately to the dismay of many of us, most tools (and for that matter most other products ) from well respected US companies are made in China! And in fact many are actually made by third parties.

So quite often, one is paying extra for the brand name, where the same Item is made by a Chinese third party for several different brands, who then sell the item at different price points!

Case in point (I hope I have copied and pasted the correct links for right drill presses below) the 12” inch variable speed Jet drill press at $590, except for the color, is identical to 12” variable speed from Wen which is $277!

So why pay more than double for the same thing?

12” Jet drill press
Wen 12” drill press

 

[PugetDude]

@Bob Heine
HF stuff, as Forrest Gump said, is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you will get. Many of the tools are trash but every now and then one can find a good one too.

As for Wen, I have had better luck! I have a Wen 12” variable speed drill press as well as a bench grinder and have been happy with both of them.

Now here is the thing, unfortunately to the dismay of many of us, most tools (and for that matter most other products ) from well respected US companies are made in China! And in fact many are actually made by third parties.

So quite often, one is paying extra for the brand name, where the same Item is made by a Chinese third party for several different brands, who then sell the item at different price points!

Case in point (I hope I have copied and pasted the correct links for right drill presses below) the 12” inch variable speed Jet drill press at $590, except for the color, is identical to 12” variable speed from Wen which is $277!

So why pay more than double for the same thing?

12” Jet drill press
Wen 12” drill press

EBay has JET logo decals for less than $5 if you want an inexpensive upgrade.

 

[gman007]

EBay has JET logo decals for less than $5 if you want an inexpensive upgrade.

@PugetDude
Funny you should mention decals!

On the main vise thread, whenever someone would post that they are restoring a so called Snap-On bullet vise and that since the Snap-On decal/tag was missing they were going to order one, often heated exchanges and accusations would start flying!

The so called Snap-on bullet vises which are really not even bullet vises are in fact Wilton tradesman vise!

Tradesman vises are much lower quality in all aspects including material than the real Witon bullet vises! And adding insult to injury, unlike real Witon bullet vises which are made in USA, I believe for many years now Tradsmans are made in Taiwan!

The same model under Snap-on costs nearly double that of Witon tradesman (plz see examples below where I picked to show the smallest model! The price pattern is the same for the larger version as well).

And that was the root of suspicion and accusations! Just paint your Witon Tradesman red or lime green and stick a Snap-On decal on it and you just doubled the value of your vise!

4 1/2” Snap-On vise

4 1/2” Wilton Tradesman vise


https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/wilton-tradesman-vises-now-made-in-taiwan.415904/

 

[Squankum]

Your comment about the jump pack reminded me that I need to order my middle daughter a jump pack for her Christmas present. I'm the guy who usually buy them stuff that they need but they wouldn't necessarily buy for themselves. So, the jump pack is the perfect thing. Although they do have triple AAA through me, it's nice to know the girls can get out of a situation quickly instead of waiting for AAA.

Ms. Squankum has discovered that in our time of labor shortages, the wait for AAA can be very long! So why wait around for something simple you could.., you know, in theory... do yourself?