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

[gearhead1960]

Bob, Given your skill level, I would assume the blood is the crocodile's.....

 

[Craptain]

I love the Crocodile Catchers Club. It fits perfectly with my sense of humor. Even better when a man with one arm wears it.
I bet that kids would like it and the ban came from parents or grandparents. Except that is for the grandpa that wears the shirt.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Bob, Given your skill level, I would assume the blood is the crocodile's.....

After fighting off a train a gator would be easy.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Bob, You still have the same smile as the one on your avatar when you were a relative kid.

Thanks for the explanation about the word "handicapped" - I'd never heard that source for the word. You've had to live with your condition the majority of your life, the least the rest of us can do is not use terminology that slights you!

 

[WordMan]

WordMan, a big thumb up to your wife. Whatever life throws at us, we have a choice to live our best life or invite everyone to our non-stop pity party. Her choice of shirts is much better than mine. I was asked to stop wearing my favorite tee, the "Crocodile Catchers Club" from Australia, to the grandkid's birthday parties.


I suspect we share a rather dark sense of humor and I believe that's a good thing.

A good 15 years ago, my wife was lent out to DHS. She worked in a "temporary building" which, as we all know, is government speak for a trailer. As with all such trailers, it say a couple feet off the ground, and so had steps leading up to the door.

As I've explained here before, Kristy has multiple sclerosis. She doesn't walk very well, an uses a cane to help steady her. Upon seeing this, one of the higher ups in the "temporary building" asked if there was anything they could do to make her life better while working there. She explained that she had an easier time with ramps than steps, and so a request for a handicapped ramp was put it.

As a side note, one day Kristy noticed someone going around measuring the doors, etc. When she asked a colleague about it, the woman explained they were getting a new employee and, she said in a whisper, "she's handicapped." Kristy then went and asked her boss who laughed and revealed that it was Kristy for whom they were measuring things (apparently, "handicapped" people must have really acute hearing).

In any case, the government... does not move quickly. By the time they build her handicapped ramp, Kristy no longer worked everyday in the trailer. She did, however, have to go back to that office every week or so to fill out some required bit of information on the DHS computer system which, for reasons no one with any sense of logic might be able to competently explain, she could not log into from offsite.

And it happened one winter morning that I got a call from my wife. I don't recall why, but I wasn't having a very good day that day, and so when she laughed and asked if I remembered the handicapped ramp tDHS had installed for her, and then followed that question up with, "you know, my handicapped ramp?" I answered with a rather exasperated, "yeah, yeah, your ramp--what's up?"

She answered with more laughter, "I just fell down it."

"You," I said, drawing the words out, "just fell down your handicapped ramp?"

"Isn't it great!"

I asked if she was okay, and she explained that she'd torn her pants at the knee, but was other wise fine. When I enquired as to how she fell down the ramp, she said, "I found ice."

And to this day, we still laugh about how she fell down her own handicapped ramp. As to the "temporary building," the last time we checked, both it and the evil handicapped ramp were still there, some fifteen years later.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob, Given your skill level, I would assume the blood is the crocodile's.....

Mark, when it involves a tool the blood is always mine.

I love the Crocodile Catchers Club. It fits perfectly with my sense of humor. Even better when a man with one arm wears it.
I bet that kids would like it and the ban came from parents or grandparents. Except that is for the grandpa that wears the shirt.

Andrew, the ban came from Liane. She doesn't want to be seen with me most of the time and especially when I wear that shirt. The grandkids love it.

After fighting off a train a gator would be easy.

Good point Uncle Willie!

Bob, You still have the same smile as the one on your avatar when you were a relative kid.

Thanks for the explanation about the word "handicapped" - I'd never heard that source for the word. You've had to live with your condition the majority of your life, the least the rest of us can do is not use terminology that slights you!

Dan, I don't recall anyone ever calling me handicapped. I often hear people use the word when bitching about all the primo parking spaces set aside for them. Here in Boca Raton (and probably lots of other places) those spots are reserved for luxury car owners picking up Perrier on their way to a tennis or golf outing.

A good 15 years ago, my wife was lent out to DHS. She worked in a "temporary building" which, as we all know, is government speak for a trailer. As with all such trailers, it say a couple feet off the ground, and so had steps leading up to the door.

As I've explained here before, Kristy has multiple sclerosis. She doesn't walk very well, an uses a cane to help steady her. Upon seeing this, one of the higher ups in the "temporary building" asked if there was anything they could do to make her life better while working there. She explained that she had an easier time with ramps than steps, and so a request for a handicapped ramp was put it.

As a side note, one day Kristy noticed someone going around measuring the doors, etc. When she asked a colleague about it, the woman explained they were getting a new employee and, she said in a whisper, "she's handicapped." Kristy then went and asked her boss who laughed and revealed that it was Kristy for whom they were measuring things (apparently, "handicapped" people must have really acute hearing).

In any case, the government... does not move quickly. By the time they build her handicapped ramp, Kristy no longer worked everyday in the trailer. She did, however, have to go back to that office every week or so to fill out some required bit of information on the DHS computer system which, for reasons no one with any sense of logic might be able to competently explain, she could not log into from offsite.

And it happened one winter morning that I got a call from my wife. I don't recall why, but I wasn't having a very good day that day, and so when she laughed and asked if I remembered the handicapped ramp tDHS had installed for her, and then followed that question up with, "you know, my handicapped ramp?" I answered with a rather exasperated, "yeah, yeah, your ramp--what's up?"

She answered with more laughter, "I just fell down it."

"You," I said, drawing the words out, "just fell down your handicapped ramp?"

"Isn't it great!"

I asked if she was okay, and she explained that she'd torn her pants at the knee, but was other wise fine. When I enquired as to how she fell down the ramp, she said, "I found ice."

And to this day, we still laugh about how she fell down her own handicapped ramp. As to the "temporary building," the last time we checked, both it and the evil handicapped ramp were still there, some fifteen years later.

WordMan, MS robs one of a lot of things but obviously not a sense of humor. Kristy is obviously a very strong person and you are both lucky to have each other. A lot of whiny and angry people have all their faculties but never appreciate the life they have.

In 1967, about a year after I was transferred from data processing equipment repair to technical writing, my new boss (the one who screwed me over) asked if I needed anything to make my job easier. I believe he was reading from an IBM company script because this was more than two decades before the Americans with Disabilities Act became law.

Much of my job involved marking up typewritten drafts with light blue pencils and the only hand-crank Boston pencil sharpener in the office was mounted five feet up on a doorway. My artificial arm doesn't work when raised that high so I used to hold the pencil in my mouth and crank away. Not impossible but certainly not optimal so I said "An electric pencil sharpener would really help me do my job." He thought I was kidding and laughed out loud (long before LOL became popular). I would have happily bought my own electric sharpener but IBM didn't allow employee-owned appliances in their offices. Two years later that boss was promoted and his replacement asked me the same question. I gave him the same reply but with a followup suggestion: "Put your left hand in your pocket and sharpen a pencil." His eyes got real big and he said "Oh $hit, I never thought about that." He ordered an electric pencil sharpener for me.

Once the Procurement Department did their due diligence and got the best possible price for the Boston Electric, the Safety department checked it over. The sharpener came with a 2-prong plug so it had to be sent to the Electrical Repair department for a complete power cord replacement with a molded 3-prong plug. I became very popular after that, with people stopping by my desk with boxes of pencils to sharpen. My 'friends' added stuff to the machine: HEINE'S HONER and later a questionable 230V? warning label.


That sharpener came with me when I transferred to the IBM Boca Raton facility but by then everyone was using computer terminals to type their own drafts and pencils were rarely needed. IBM conducted an Opinion Survey every year and along with the usual "My boss is an a$$hole" responses, someone would invariably ask the question: "Why does Bob Heine have an electric pencil sharpener?" No one had a good answer to that.

The sharpener came home with me when I retired because no one at IBM knew what it was for.

 

[xtremek]

Living in the sticks without good internet has really brought home your lesson of the electric pencil sharpener. Even if I'm trying to understand someone else's hurdles, I really can't. I can see there will be issues, but even then, I'll have no clue what they really will be.

 

[stillp]

Sorry to disagree with your suggested origin of the word 'handicap', but the Oxford English Dictionary says: Handicap entered the language in the 17th century, deriving from the phrase hand in cap. This was the name given to an old pastime in which one person claimed an article belonging to another and offered something in exchange, any difference in value being decided by an umpire. All three deposited forfeit money in a cap; the two opponents showed their agreement or disagreement with the valuation by bringing out their hands either full or empty. If both were the same, the umpire took the forfeit money; if not it went to the person who accepted the valuation. The term handicap race was applied in the late 18th century to a horse race in which an umpire decided the weight to be carried by each horse, the owners showing acceptance or dissent in a similar way: hence in the late 19th century handicap came to mean the extra weight given to the superior horse"

Pete

 

[driftpin]

Oh jesus, that shirt is too-funny, Bob you have a warped sense of humor, and you've given me a great idea for a Halloween costume.

 

[Bob Heine]

Living in the sticks without good internet has really brought home your lesson of the electric pencil sharpener. Even if I'm trying to understand someone else's hurdles, I really can't. I can see there will be issues, but even then, I'll have no clue what they really will be.

Kirk, I still have no clue what many people's issues might be. A very large friend of mine was a heavy equipment mechanic and could take apart almost anything. He was large in every respect, including his hands. I was helping him work on his '67 Corvette big block and he was unable to get a nut on the 4-speed linkage started because it was in a tight spot and he was using both hands to put it together. When he finally gave up I snuck in and installed the nut for him. Nothing unusual for me because I always to assemble nuts and bolts one handed, tight spots or not (I also have a skinny arm and fingers).

Sorry to disagree with your suggested origin of the word 'handicap', but the Oxford English Dictionary says: Handicap entered the language in the 17th century, deriving from the phrase hand in cap. This was the name given to an old pastime in which one person claimed an article belonging to another and offered something in exchange, any difference in value being decided by an umpire. All three deposited forfeit money in a cap; the two opponents showed their agreement or disagreement with the valuation by bringing out their hands either full or empty. If both were the same, the umpire took the forfeit money; if not it went to the person who accepted the valuation. The term handicap race was applied in the late 18th century to a horse race in which an umpire decided the weight to be carried by each horse, the owners showing acceptance or dissent in a similar way: hence in the late 19th century handicap came to mean the extra weight given to the superior horse"

Pete

Pete, you are correct and I have carried that mistake with me for decades. I suspect it was something someone told me to make me feel bad for being called handicapped.

Although the origin is different from my mistaken belief, I still have a problem with the application of "handicap" to people with limitations (visible or hidden). The idea that it involves "the extra weight given to the superior horse" is foreign to any of the people I worked with, let alone the people who worked for me. I was appraised and appraised others on performance, regardless of abilities or disabilities. Never heard the words "We're giving you a bigger raise because you did the job one-handed!" Then again, I heard rumors most of my promotions weren't earned but given because of my handicap.

I did have to compensate for my somewhat slower typing when I started as a Technical Writer. I learned to touch-type in high school but had to learn to do it one-handed after my mishap. Eventually my speed improved but I had to turn my typed drafts over to the Editorial Assistants (typists) to turn them into manuscripts. They therefore took control of my schedule and my performance rating suffered as a result. I never typed as fast as the EAs but I stayed late to use their machines to create the manuscripts myself and beat their schedule. Most of my peers were pretty good two-finger hunt-and-peck typists but they had to keep their eyes on the keyboard.

 

[Bob Heine]

Oh jesus, that shirt is too-funny, Bob you have a warped sense of humor, and you've given me a great idea for a Halloween costume.

Philip, Liane let me buy that one but said no to the other:

Life is a $hit Sandwich
The More Bread You Have
The Less $hit You Have to Eat​

 

[stillp]

Although the origin is different from my mistaken belief, I still have a problem with the application of "handicap" to people with limitations (visible or hidden). The idea that it involves "the extra weight given to the superior horse" is foreign to any of the people I worked with, let alone the people who worked for me. I was appraised and appraised others on performance, regardless of abilities or disabilities. Never heard the words "We're giving you a bigger raise because you did the job one-handed!" Then again, I heard rumors most of my promotions weren't earned but given because of my handicap.

Bob, surely as you started to excel at your job they gave you more work to do, like the extra weight given to the superior horse? That seems to be normal management practise!
Pete

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob, surely as you started to excel at your job they gave you more work to do, like the extra weight given to the superior horse? That seems to be normal management practise!
Pete

Pete, that never happened. I went to night school two nights a week to earn a degree so I stayed late the other three nights to work on projects I enjoyed but wasn't assigned. Some of them were for people at IBM Corporate Headquarters. When I got my surprise transfer to Florida those people started calling the executives at my former location. My ex-boss, who had no idea what I was doing, was rewarded with two additional employees to take up the slack. I got nothing but satisfaction. Priceless!

EDIT: I believe normal management practise is to reward incompetence.

 

[driftpin]

I don't know if you're familiar with this AZ State U wrestler, he won an NCAA championship with only one leg.

Some of his competitors have made the comment, "he's got an advantage because he's got the upper body of someone who has 20% more body mass." As a life-long amateur wrestler through secondary school and in college, and after college in open tournaments (I last wrestled and placed at age 57), I understand the comment, but he won despite a considerable physical limitation. My hat (headgear) is tipped to the great Anthony Robles.

 

[Bob Heine]

Some of his competitors have made the comment, "he's got an advantage because he's got the upper body of someone who has 20% more body mass."

Philip, sometimes it helps delicate egos to have a logical(?) explanation for something. I believe grit and determination, along with lots and lots of practice explains his success. Then again, they do have a point. My BMI benefits from not having the extra 11 pounds (keeping me on the "overweight" side of obesity).

 

[kaymccampbell]

Love the t-shirt.
What are you saving the concrete roof tiles for? *****?

 

[Bob Heine]

Love the t-shirt.
What are you saving the concrete roof tiles for? *****?

Kay, like my tuxedo t-shirt, I wear it on special occasions.
In the 21 years since the roof went on the house I've had a dozen tiles replaced. If one of the new super hurricanes comes close I might need a bunch more replacement tiles. With a direct hit from a Category 5 storm, the ones in my stash will join the ones on my roof as *****.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Bob, did your pet racoon escape?

Raccoon Attacks Iguana

A raccoon was filmed chasing down and attacking a large iguana in some incredible footage shared online. Just another day in sunny Florida… Watch: The surprising encounter was caught on camera in Boca Raton, Florida. While this footage may shock you, it is actually somewhat reassuring to see a...

roaring.earth

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob, did your pet racoon escape?

Uncle Willie, that looks like one of the nearby medical building parking lots. Our pet racoon moved out of our ficus tree a while back and found better accommodations next door. We also have that weeping hibiscus where the yard entrance arbors are. Hibiscus flowers are crack cocaine for iguanas so they visit us regularly. That probably wasn't our racoon or iguana but...

Two or three weeks ago Liane found a dead iguana in our back yard with a missing tail and a big chunk taken out of its back. She bagged it and put it in the big trash can. It decomposed over the next six days and made our can a bio-hazard site. I aired it out but forgot to flip the lid back on and we had a storm come through that night. The rain running off the roof filled the 95 gallon can to the top. I discovered that 760 pounds of water isn't easy to tip over. A siphon got it down to half that amount and when I dumped it out there was still a whiff of death left in the can. Brings new meaning to 'rinse and repeat.'

 

[drivesitfar]

Whether you are teaching (or showing) us how to do some DIY or car repair or telling us life stories it's always a pleasure to stop by and read your good words.

still smiling about the CROC shirt!!

Happy Father's Day!!

 

[xtremek]

First, how're you feeling? Wondering if you're getting beat hard. Next, I know you mentioned it back a ton of pages, but if you were going to go with cordless tools, would you go DeWalt or Milwaukee, and why?

 

[Bob Heine]

Whether you are teaching (or showing) us how to do some DIY or car repair or telling us life stories it's always a pleasure to stop by and read your good words.

still smiling about the CROC shirt!!

Happy Father's Day!!

Thank you Drives. I hope you had a happy Father's Day as well.

First, how're you feeling? Wondering if you're getting beat hard. Next, I know you mentioned it back a ton of pages, but if you were going to go with cordless tools, would you go DeWalt or Milwaukee, and why?

Kirk, if it weren't for the doctors showing me stuff I wouldn't know anything was wrong. I've chosen the short path with surgery scheduled for July 13th. I'm one of the weirdos who is still wearing a mask when I go to the store. I don't want a repeat of a delayed surgery and weekend in the hospital recovering from a cold and low-grade fever. They don't give you anything to help you breathe or sleep or treat a headache unless your very busy doctor prescribes it.

I went with the Milwaukee M12 cordless tools. The 'Fuel' (brushless) models are real powerful. I looked at the DeWalt line but their best tools are the 20v and that's more power (and weight) than I need. My main concern was choosing a brand that wasn't going to be discontinued. Every other brand I bought (Flex, Craftsman and Porter Cable) quit and left me with multiple batteries and chargers and very small tool choices.

 

[Bob Heine]

I have been in a funk lately. I'm a bit of a control freak and waiting for doctors and hospitals to do a transmission rebuild is keeping me from projects I want to do. Mention of angle grinders on another thread made me remember one tiny job I meant to tackle.

I have an electric angle grinder drawer in the workshop and supplies for those angle grinders in the tool chest in the garage. The supply drawer also has several Dremel tools (and heat guns) and the angle grinder drawer has a Dremel case in it. Here's the angle grinder drawer before:


And after:


The tool chest drawer before:


And after:


There's always more organizing needed.

 

[xtremek]

Thank you Drives. I hope you had a happy Father's Day as well.

Kirk, if it weren't for the doctors showing me stuff I wouldn't know anything was wrong. I've chosen the short path with surgery scheduled for July 13th. I'm one of the weirdos who is still wearing a mask when I go to the store. I don't want a repeat of a delayed surgery and weekend in the hospital recovering from a cold and low-grade fever. They don't give you anything to help you breathe or sleep or treat a headache unless your very busy doctor prescribes it.

I went with the Milwaukee M12 cordless tools. The 'Fuel' (brushless) models are real powerful. I looked at the DeWalt line but their best tools are the 20v and that's more power (and weight) than I need. My main concern was choosing a brand that wasn't going to be discontinued. Every other brand I bought (Flex, Craftsman and Porter Cable) quit and left me with multiple batteries and chargers and very small tool choices.

I have been in a funk lately. I'm a bit of a control freak and waiting for doctors and hospitals to do a transmission rebuild is keeping me from projects I want to do. Mention of angle grinders on another thread made me remember one tiny job I meant to tackle.

I have an electric angle grinder drawer in the workshop and supplies for those angle grinders in the tool chest in the garage. The supply drawer also has several Dremel tools (and heat guns) and the angle grinder drawer has a Dremel case in it. Here's the angle grinder drawer before:


And after:


The tool chest drawer before:


And after:


There's always more organizing needed.

Bob, you're not the only one still wearing a mask in stores. I still wear one in the big box stores. Thanks for the 411 on cordless. And I get the funk, not moving forward *****.

One last note. DANG you have a ton of Dremel stuff. Good luck with the "plumbers".

 

[GeddyT]

I don't know if you're familiar with this AZ State U wrestler, he won an NCAA championship with only one leg.

[video clip snipped]

Some of his competitors have made the comment, "he's got an advantage because he's got the upper body of someone who has 20% more body mass." As a life-long amateur wrestler through secondary school and in college, and after college in open tournaments (I last wrestled and placed at age 57), I understand the comment, but he won despite a considerable physical limitation. My hat (headgear) is tipped to the great Anthony Robles.

I only wrestled one year in eighth grade, but my younger brother wrestled in high school, so I got watch quite a bit of it. The most memorable thing I saw was a visiting wrestler who had no legs at all. I couldn't believe it at first when I saw him walk out on his stumps to start the match. Then my jaw hit the bleachers when he absolutely destroyed our wrestler that he was facing. Ended up finding out that he was undefeated, and I read that he ended up finishing second in state that year. He was amazing to watch!

...I went with the Milwaukee M12 cordless tools. The 'Fuel' (brushless) models are real powerful. I looked at the DeWalt line but their best tools are the 20v and that's more power (and weight) than I need. My main concern was choosing a brand that wasn't going to be discontinued. Every other brand I bought (Flex, Craftsman and Porter Cable) quit and left me with multiple batteries and chargers and very small tool choices.

It probably depends on what you're trying to do. DeWalt is not kidding about the 60V (54V...) stuff having the power to replace the corded tools. The grinder is insane, for instance, and I haven't hooked an air hose to an impact wrench in over six years (although every brand's impact wrench is good enough for that these days). The 60V sawzall is plenty powerful, but I don't like that the head doesn't rotate. 60V "worm drive" circular saw has all the power in the world, but it's pretty big and heavy. It's a tradeoff.

I like how small a lot of Milwaukee's tools are for what they can do. There's definitely several tools in their lineup that I'd take over the yellow counterpart if battery compatibility were no issue.

That being said, I think every line of tools is going to have heroes and duds. In DeWalt's case, the 20V brushless drill has a cheap sintered planetary gearset that broke on me after a few years of moderate use, which was really disappointing. Overall, you're probably fine with just about any mainstream cordless system these days, and it's just a matter of choosing the brand that covers all the applications you're looking for.

Just my $2000 (inflation-adjusted to 2 cents)...

 

[Bob Heine]

DANG you have a ton of Dremel stuff.

Kirk, they have multiplied in the past year. Ten years ago I loaned my first Dremel to a friend and he was on vacation when I needed it back so I bought a second one. I kept it to two until 2018, when one of them quit working. Bought a new switch but it didn't fix it so I bought the Dremel in the big box to replace it. It was on sale but still stupid expensive. I was using one Dremel with a diamond wheel to sharpen TIG tungstens and sometimes to run the flex cable for detail work. It was a tiny bit annoying to set up the flex cable so I did a search on Amazon for Dremel tools. Turns out there's a Wen knockoff for ~$17 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A8DXKXS/?tag=atomicindus08-20). Bought one in 2020 to set use as a dedicated tungsten sharpener with guides. I was down to one all-purpose Dremel again and decided to get another Wen for porting the intake manifold on the Corvette.

I may have to see someone who treats people with this tool affliction. That's probably better than waiting for Liane to discovers my disease has metastasized to multiple tool types. That could quickly turn fatal.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

EDIT: I believe normal management practice is to reward incompetence.

...or toe sucking.

I retired at 63 after losing out on a promotion to a woman who admitted she knew NOTHING about construction.

I managed design and construction Quality on multiple billion dollar heavy civil engineering projects for 25 years at the time of the decision. I'd even offered to take her out to the field multiple times to acquaint her with common field practices. She is/was no dummy, quite bright in fact but a clothes horse. Tight skirts, extra high heels, refused to put on jeans, boots & hard hat to enter field worksites. BUT, she sucked up to the person making the ultimate decision because she was in the high rise with him while I was on the agency's then most current major project.
I have NO problem with a decision made by my superiors; it's their prerogative but in the face of such obvious inexperience I congratulated her and waited a year til my 63rd birthday and filed my papers. One of the best decisions I have made, though I admit is still bugs me when I think of it.

 

[xtremek]

to a woman who admitted she knew NOTHING about construction.

I managed design and construction Quality on multiple billion dollar heavy civil engineering projects for 25 years at the time of the decision. I'd even offered to take her out to the field multiple times to acquaint her with common field practices......

I'll bet money that it bit them in the ****, in the end. When I was going to school (at the ripe old age of 45-48) I told all of my fellow students to always get their hands dirty if they could, and talk to tech and assembly people if there were issues.

 

[Bob Heine]

I only wrestled one year in eighth grade, but my younger brother wrestled in high school, so I got watch quite a bit of it. The most memorable thing I saw was a visiting wrestler who had no legs at all. I couldn't believe it at first when I saw him walk out on his stumps to start the match. Then my jaw hit the bleachers when he absolutely destroyed our wrestler that he was facing. Ended up finding out that he was undefeated, and I read that he ended up finishing second in state that year. He was amazing to watch!



It probably depends on what you're trying to do. DeWalt is not kidding about the 60V (54V...) stuff having the power to replace the corded tools. The grinder is insane, for instance, and I haven't hooked an air hose to an impact wrench in over six years (although every brand's impact wrench is good enough for that these days). The 60V sawzall is plenty powerful, but I don't like that the head doesn't rotate. 60V "worm drive" circular saw has all the power in the world, but it's pretty big and heavy. It's a tradeoff.

I like how small a lot of Milwaukee's tools are for what they can do. There's definitely several tools in their lineup that I'd take over the yellow counterpart if battery compatibility were no issue.

That being said, I think every line of tools is going to have heroes and duds. In DeWalt's case, the 20V brushless drill has a cheap sintered planetary gearset that broke on me after a few years of moderate use, which was really disappointing. Overall, you're probably fine with just about any mainstream cordless system these days, and it's just a matter of choosing the brand that covers all the applications you're looking for.

Just my $2000 (inflation-adjusted to 2 cents)...

Tom, it's possible to walk in someone else's shoes if they wear the same size. It's impossible to walk in someone else's shoes if they have no feet. I am always amazed at the things people overcome and it makes me appreciate how little I am impacted by my own limitations. For me, water skiing was my surprise -- couldn't get up to save my life with two arms -- got up the first try with one.

I have known people who are hard-wired for success in everything they try but I always wonder if there are things they haven't tried that would be epic fails. My grandfather spoke fluent Danish, Swedish, German, French and English without ever taking a class. He could cast a fly with uncanny precision but he was the worst driver I've ever ridden with. He never crossed his hands to steer so turning was always a long slow process of feeding the wheel through his hands. Until an oncoming car got scary close, he drove down the center of the road. I didn't notice how bad he was when I was single-digit years old (probably because I couldn't see over the steel dashboard from my un-belted seat next to him).

I feel like I've been sucked into a Milwaukee alternate universe. The M12 line has way too many neat tools. I've only scratched the surface with my collection and I haven't even ventured into the M18 line. So far I have the following M12 tools:

• 3/8" Impact
• 3/8" Impact (Fuel)
• 1/4" Hex Driver
• 1/4" Hex Driver (Fuel)
• 3/8" Drill
• 3/8" Ratchet
• 1/4" Hex Right-angle Driver
• 5-3/8" Circular Saw (Fuel)
• 3/8" Crown Stapler
• Hackzall (Fuel)
• Multi-Tool
• Soldering Iron

I am tempted by the two die grinders (straight and angled) and the rotary tool but I am able to live without the Trapsnake set and most of the lights. Actually, I don't have room for all the available M12 tools so I have to choose carefully.


I'm also going to pass on the torque wrenches. At $600 each they don't fit my wallet and there's no room in the torque wrench drawer. I am also passing on the M12 Portaband saw because I am in love with the corded Portaband on the bench. Probably my most used Milwaukee tool.

 

[gearhead1960]

Bob,

I too love the M12 stuff. Sakurama got me going on the Milwaulkee stuff. I keep hankering for the circular saw.... BTW, I have the 1/2 drive impact wrench which I use on the cars. That muther will twist your arm off!

 

[drivesitfar]

Best of luck with all the health stuff and hoping that all works nicely for your in the end.

pretty impressive Milwaukee tool collection that is for certain. I love Milwaukee power plug in tools but years ago started buying Ryobi 18v tools and luckily didn’t throw them away because their first generation batteries were ****. New batteries are great and work their old and new tools so they are great on most medium and light duty jobs.

stay cool and letting the BIG guy know you might need another good thing from your staff of doctors to keep you around

 

[GeddyT]

I think we're really burying the lede here. There's not one but TWO sheets of OSB in this picture!

 

[floridafarmer]

Moved away from Dewalt when their battery program went south... Moved to Ryobi due to the batteries and impressive line of tools - but lately, I've also got a growing collection of the Milwaukee M12 stuff - I like the impact driver - plenty of power but much more comfortable to use than my old Dewalt 18V or Ryobi. Put a 5' x 25' metal roof on a couple of weeks ago and screwed it all in with a small battery and it was still ready to go when we were done. I bought a 18V Milwaukee chainsaw a couple of years ago and love it - so I bought the small 12V hand held chainsaw to carry on the tractor - overall it's just great - every so often it stalls but no noise, no starting - it's great for delimbing downed branches and stuff like that.. Also the 12V PVC cutter is priceless here in FL - works great on schedule 40 but bends schedule 20 a bit..

 

[Bob Heine]

...or toe sucking.

I retired at 63 after losing out on a promotion to a woman who admitted she knew NOTHING about construction.

I managed design and construction Quality on multiple billion dollar heavy civil engineering projects for 25 years at the time of the decision. I'd even offered to take her out to the field multiple times to acquaint her with common field practices. She is/was no dummy, quite bright in fact but a clothes horse. Tight skirts, extra high heels, refused to put on jeans, boots & hard hat to enter field worksites. BUT, she sucked up to the person making the ultimate decision because she was in the high rise with him while I was on the agency's then most current major project.
I have NO problem with a decision made by my superiors; it's their prerogative but in the face of such obvious inexperience I congratulated her and waited a year til my 63rd birthday and filed my papers. One of the best decisions I have made, though I admit is still bugs me when I think of it.

Dan, as crazy as my job was, I loved it. My boss let me and my team do things no one had ever done before. One of my teams designed and implemented the OS/2 Help system that Microsoft used in Windows 3.1 (they got it for free!). Some of the stuff we did stepped on the toes of executives at other IBM sites and my boss was forced to retire. The guy who took his place had never even seen a manual and told me to fix a political issue or get another job. I went to Australia. Came back and stayed out of management for three months and was asked to fill a void in a contracting department. I became the AHOLE who didn't know what a contract looked like. Hung on for two miserable years and took a buyout package when I was 49. Full retirement with benefits and left my consulting position at 50. I agreed with Furio: "Golf is a stupid facking game." but every one of the people promoted above me played rounds with the big bosses.

I'll bet money that it bit them in the ****, in the end. When I was going to school (at the ripe old age of 45-48) I told all of my fellow students to always get their hands dirty if they could, and talk to tech and assembly people if there were issues.

Kirk, all of the people who were promoted like Dan's co-worker and my new boss were masters of deflection. Everything that went wrong was someone else's fault.

Bob,

I too love the M12 stuff. Sakurama got me going on the Milwaulkee stuff. I keep hankering for the circular saw.... BTW, I have the 1/2 drive impact wrench which I use on the cars. That muther will twist your arm off!

Mark, I chickened out and got the 3/8" drive impact but it wouldn't break the lug nuts free on the Cadillac (tightened to 140 ft-lbs) so I bought the compact M12 Fuel 3/8" drive impact. It's rated for 250 ft-lbs breakaway torque and it does the Cadillac lug nuts like they are finger tight. Pretty sure the 1/2" would send me to a wrist specialist.

Best of luck with all the health stuff and hoping that all works nicely for your in the end.

pretty impressive Milwaukee tool collection that is for certain. I love Milwaukee power plug in tools but years ago started buying Ryobi 18v tools and luckily didn’t throw them away because their first generation batteries were ****. New batteries are great and work their old and new tools so they are great on most medium and light duty jobs.

stay cool and letting the BIG guy know you might need another good thing from your staff of doctors to keep you around

Drives, my first angle grinder was a Ryobi because it was the lowest price one on the shelf. I didn't notice it used 4", not 4.5" wheels so I was a bit disappointed. A few years later the mechanism that lets you lock the switch on broke and Iouldn't get a replacement anywhere. I was a lot disappointed. I still use it and it reminds me why I didn't go with the super selection and great price Ryobi battery tools. Funny how I can carry a grudge for something so stupid and insignificant.

I think we're really burying the lede here. There's not one but TWO sheets of OSB in this picture!

Tom, I didn't notice the OSB but you're right. I can see those two sheets being stolen and all those tools left behind. On the bright side, lumber prices have started to drop sharply. A lot of mills reduced their workforce in 2020 and upgraded equipment so now they can produce more than ever. Price per 1,000 board feet peaked at $1,600 in May and last Friday the price had dropped to $900. Compared to the $400 average price in 2019 it's still more than doubled but it's showing signs of further drops. I don't think it will return to 'the good old days' prices but it won't be ransom-level.

Moved away from Dewalt when their battery program went south... Moved to Ryobi due to the batteries and impressive line of tools - but lately, I've also got a growing collection of the Milwaukee M12 stuff - I like the impact driver - plenty of power but much more comfortable to use than my old Dewalt 18V or Ryobi. Put a 5' x 25' metal roof on a couple of weeks ago and screwed it all in with a small battery and it was still ready to go when we were done. I bought a 18V Milwaukee chainsaw a couple of years ago and love it - so I bought the small 12V hand held chainsaw to carry on the tractor - overall it's just great - every so often it stalls but no noise, no starting - it's great for delimbing downed branches and stuff like that.. Also the 12V PVC cutter is priceless here in FL - works great on schedule 40 but bends schedule 20 a bit..

Floridafarmer, I too find the M12 stuff to be amazing. I put 5-inch lag bolts through 2x4's into 4x4's with so little effort I thought something was wrong. I expect I'll be buying the M12 chainsaw one of these days but your comment caused a M12 PVC cutter to fall into my eBay basket. It seemed too good to pass up at $144 (tool only). I do my best to avoid using schedule 20, even on the sprinkler system. I know it reduces the flow but I'm less likely to break schedule 40 with a stray shovel or wooden stake.

[Do not look at M12 chain saw. Do not look at M12 chain saw. Do not look at M12 ....]

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Bob,
Didn't mean to hijack and take your thread off on a tangent. The guy that promoted this woman was the head of Engineering to whom she reported. Quality should NEVER report to a production function and Engineering is one. They produce drawings and specifications and are subject to Quality monitoring and audit. But my idiot management at LA Metro knew so little and cared so little about Quality as a function they let him have Quality, let him promote an unqualified person as the Director and then...then....took it away from him and fired him AFTER I'd retired. It was a fustercluck and since I go to lunch monthly with "my guys" it is even worse now. Glad I got out when I did. I'd have pulled all my hair out by now.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program (and Dan will go soak his head awhile!)

 

[floridafarmer]

Dan, as crazy as my job was, I loved it. My boss let me and my team do things no one had ever done before. One of my teams designed and implemented the OS/2 Help system that Microsoft used in Windows 3.1 (they got it for free!). Some of the stuff we did stepped on the toes of executives at other IBM sites and my boss was forced to retire. The guy who took his place had never even seen a manual and told me to fix a political issue or get another job. I went to Australia. Came back and stayed out of management for three months and was asked to fill a void in a contracting department. I became the AHOLE who didn't know what a contract looked like. Hung on for two miserable years and took a buyout package when I was 49. Full retirement with benefits and left my consulting position at 50. I agreed with Furio: "Golf is a stupid facking game." but every one of the people promoted above me played rounds with the big bosses.

Kirk, all of the people who were promoted like Dan's co-worker and my new boss were masters of deflection. Everything that went wrong was someone else's fault.

Mark, I chickened out and got the 3/8" drive impact but it wouldn't break the lug nuts free on the Cadillac (tightened to 140 ft-lbs) so I bought the compact M12 Fuel 3/8" drive impact. It's rated for 250 ft-lbs breakaway torque and it does the Cadillac lug nuts like they are finger tight. Pretty sure the 1/2" would send me to a wrist specialist.

Drives, my first angle grinder was a Ryobi because it was the lowest price one on the shelf. I didn't notice it used 4", not 4.5" wheels so I was a bit disappointed. A few years later the mechanism that lets you lock the switch on broke and Iouldn't get a replacement anywhere. I was a lot disappointed. I still use it and it reminds me why I didn't go with the super selection and great price Ryobi battery tools. Funny how I can carry a grudge for something so stupid and insignificant.

Tom, I didn't notice the OSB but you're right. I can see those two sheets being stolen and all those tools left behind. On the bright side, lumber prices have started to drop sharply. A lot of mills reduced their workforce in 2020 and upgraded equipment so now they can produce more than ever. Price per 1,000 board feet peaked at $1,600 in May and last Friday the price had dropped to $900. Compared to the $400 average price in 2019 it's still more than doubled but it's showing signs of further drops. I don't think it will return to 'the good old days' prices but it won't be ransom-level.

Floridafarmer, I too find the M12 stuff to be amazing. I put 5-inch lag bolts through 2x4's into 4x4's with so little effort I thought something was wrong. I expect I'll be buying the M12 chainsaw one of these days but your comment caused a M12 PVC cutter to fall into my eBay basket. It seemed too good to pass up at $144 (tool only). I do my best to avoid using schedule 20, even on the sprinkler system. I know it reduces the flow but I'm less likely to break schedule 40 with a stray shovel or wooden stake.

Bob, you'll love the PVC cutter - I've cut quite a bit and it's handy for sure - also, for what it's worth - still using the original blade with zero issues. I paid a bit more - bought before they started selling at HDepot. If you need any irrigation stuff - let me know, I went a little crazy at a sale where they were closing a warehouse that sold on Amazon - high end dog stuff and irrigation. I filled my pickup bed up 3 times with boxes of hunter, toro and rainbird sprinklers plus a dozen or more new controllers, rain sensors, etc. I use sprinklers - mostly Senniger impact nozzles on my pasture but I'm replacing them over time with big Hunters - they better overall coverage. Needless to say - I have enough for a village! And Boca is one day UPS from Orlando.

[Do not look at M12 chain saw. Do not look at M12 chain saw. Do not look at M12 ....]

 

[xtremek]

Did I see a coupon for a M12 chainsaw on Northern tool? No, that was a sale on the sawzall at Family Farm and Home. My bad.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob,
Didn't mean to hijack and take your thread off on a tangent. The guy that promoted this woman was the head of Engineering to whom she reported. Quality should NEVER report to a production function and Engineering is one. They produce drawings and specifications and are subject to Quality monitoring and audit. But my idiot management at LA Metro knew so little and cared so little about Quality as a function they let him have Quality, let him promote an unqualified person as the Director and then...then....took it away from him and fired him AFTER I'd retired. It was a fustercluck and since I go to lunch monthly with "my guys" it is even worse now. Glad I got out when I did. I'd have pulled all my hair out by now.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program (and Dan will go soak his head awhile!)

Dan, my thread is a tangent so no worries. It's funny you mention Quality and production functions. When I was assigned to the organization, a politically savvy manager recommended a Quality manager to fill the middle management role I was later given. When that manager took over, that Quality manager was given responsibility for assessing the job my organization was doing. She wanted us to count and analyze the number of misspelled words identified by SpellChek and put a plan in place to reduce those "errors". Only problem was the "misspelled" words were acronyms, like PC and RAM and instructions like CLA. I refused to make my people provide those counts and analysis so her mentor (my boss) threatened to fire me. After I moved to Australia I heard my replacement provided a mountain of undecipherable counts and analysis and was moved out. The quality manager took over and things went downhill from there. IBM ended up shutting down the Boca Raton site and selling off the PC business to Lenovo (China).

Bob, you'll love the PVC cutter - I've cut quite a bit and it's handy for sure - also, for what it's worth - still using the original blade with zero issues. I paid a bit more - bought before they started selling at HDepot. If you need any irrigation stuff - let me know, I went a little crazy at a sale where they were closing a warehouse that sold on Amazon - high end dog stuff and irrigation. I filled my pickup bed up 3 times with boxes of hunter, toro and rainbird sprinklers plus a dozen or more new controllers, rain sensors, etc. I use sprinklers - mostly Senniger impact nozzles on my pasture but I'm replacing them over time with big Hunters - they better overall coverage. Needless to say - I have enough for a village! And Boca is one day UPS from Orlando.

FF, thanks for the offer. I did buy some Hunter heads to try out but at the moment I have Toro heads that have worked great for 25 years. If the Hunter stuff changes my thinking, I'll take you up on some heads and if my Intermatic mechanical timer timer and useless Rainbird rain sensor die, I might re-do the control system. I just cringe at the thought of ripping out and replacing the 6-zone indexing valve.

Did I see a coupon for a M12 chainsaw on Northern tool? No, that was a sale on the sawzall at Family Farm and Home. My bad.

Kirk, you almost got me. Found one on eBay for $135 and then noticed $25 shipping....

 

[drivesitfar]

I agree Ryobi tools that plug in are not even on my radar but for most jobs around here my Ryobi 18v tools are handy. I can’t tell you how often I used the Ryobi impact drill and screwing in snd out huge rusty bolts it hasn’t died yet. They said I do like your choice of Milwaukee and I may give all my Ryobi to my kids or loan out with thoughts it might not come back and start picking up Milwaukee. I never liked that once dewalt fixed their ****** batteries they changed from 18 to 20 but I do have a few of those.

stay cool and again best of luck with your health.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Dan, my thread is a tangent so no worries. It's funny you mention Quality and production functions. When I was assigned to the organization, a politically savvy manager recommended a Quality manager to fill the middle management role I was later given. When that manager took over, that Quality manager was given responsibility for assessing the job my organization was doing. She wanted us to count and analyze the number of misspelled words identified by SpellChek and put a plan in place to reduce those "errors". Only problem was the "misspelled" words were acronyms, like PC and RAM and instructions like CLA. I refused to make my people provide those counts and analysis so her mentor (my boss) threatened to fire me. After I moved to Australia I heard my replacement provided a mountain of undecipherable counts and analysis and was moved out. The quality manager took over and things went downhill from there. IBM ended up shutting down the Boca Raton site and selling off the PC business to Lenovo (China).

Interesting story. "Quality" is a single word but many different things to different people in different work environments.

In heavy civil construction - rail and highway construction in my (former) world - Quality - even after all these years - is thought of either as inspection i.e. separating the good work from the bad. Notice I did not say "compliant" because far too many in construction still think their idea of what's "good" and what's "bad" is more important than compliance with drawings and specifications.

OR, it's thought of as a non-valued added audit function that tells you what "killed" the body after it's dead. Audit is not valueless but it is a forensic activity in construction because we tend to do one aspect of work until it is complete before moving on to another aspect. Therefore the value of corrective action to improve ongoing work has sharp limitations. Example: We do utility relocation until it is done, before starting excavation, including pile installation and then building side structures, then mud slab, structural slab, etc, etc.

The project managers I worked with long term came to understand my approach - Quality was actively involved in Work planning via Construction Work Plans (CWP's) which when properly conceived and reviewed, then communicated in formal Readiness Review meetings "performs" the work beginning-to-end verbally so one or more individuals responsible for different aspects of the work can say, "Oh, I thought we were doing X before Y" and it can be worked out BEFORE there is noncompliant Work in the field.

I can proudly say I was NOT the agency's Quality Manager on the projects which had news-making screwups, like a collpase tunnel under Hollywood Boulevard in the mid 90's. My projects were known for being without major Quality concerns for all 26 years I went from one to another. The Metro Green Line, Pasadena Blue (later Gold) Line, I-405 Widening for Caltrans, Crenshaw Light Rail project, and too many small projects to relate.

As I said, I'm off on a tangent and based on how much I wrote I am still not "over" it these 3-1/2 years since retirement.