Recent content by MarcSeattle

Some cities have what they call tool libraries, where homeowners can buy a membership and borrow tools that they need, like borrowing a book from a library. This is best for things that a homeowner wouldn't use enough to justify owning, or would be inconvenient to store. Examples are a long...

The Snap-on F749 sold already. The Koken is available.

I’m doing a bit of toolbox housecleaning. I have two ratchets for sale. Snap-on F749 This is a 3/8" round head with a 60 tooth ratchet. This is in used but very good condition. Koken 3725ZB-280 It’s a 3/8” and 72 tooth. 280mm long (11”) This is the Zeal line and has the locking push...

I haven't tried my AirPod Pros for tool use, but they are nirvana on commercial jet flights. They drown out that irritating airplane drone. It's nice and quiet, or I put on some nice music, and they are a great solution for talkative strangers. Many people find that flights are fatiguing and...

Yeah, you're right. Brain fart on my part. I overlooked that the stand legs have holes drilled for the cross pieces. Two extra holes for the casters aren't likely to compromise the leg strength. Those legs seem spindly for two ton capacity, but I'll defer to the expertise of the engineers...

Thanks! I don't need more screwdrivers but I just purchased a Vessel ball-end set to get a high-quality Pozidrive in #2 and #3, and that ball driver will give me good torque for the #3. For only $13 for a set, how can I say no...

For the tilt-and-roll design, I'd be concerned that drilling holes in the stand legs for the bolts would compromise the strength of the stand. Those legs look pretty thin. I wonder if you could clamp the crosspiece (with wheels) to the stand. Maybe this: use a length of L-shaped steel that...

I don't remember where I learned to turn a nut or screw the other way to find where the thread starts. I do have a very vivid memory of Being a 12-year-old kid and breaking my first bolt by over-torquing it. Unfortunately, it was the front axle clamp bolt on a Yamaha. I did what the girl did...

I like the I-beam style (see Facom or Stahlville). I'm pulling with the end as you say but not all my fingers are on the very end. The I-beam is more comfortable to me than a thin-edge wrench (I have Snap-on too). Engineering tells us that an I-beam design should be just as strong with less...

Wouldn't it make sense to add a wheel under each box? Put a level track on the floor (wood, metal, etc.) and have a single 6" wheel under each box roll on that level track and carry the heavy load. Then the tracks on top would be only for guidance and lateral stability.

It all depends on what you fix. Sounds like the OP is a good candidate for an inexpensive sets of sockets and wrenches in inch measurements. eBay is your friend in this case. Funny, I rarely use anything inch except stuff around the house like an old-school furnace or water heater. I have...

One nit I have to pick with SO sockets is that it's hard to read the numbers. Drives me nuts.

Koken has a nut grip in 9mm. Part #2450MS-9 https://kokenusa.com/products/1-4-sq-dr-socket-6-mm-nut-grip-1

I've used a method of putting a treated 4x4 under the soil between the posts, running horizontally. Cut so it fits snug and attach securely to the upright posts. This helps resist the weight of the gate that will make the posts tilt inward. That works really well on normal house garden...

I wonder about the engineering. Modern glues are so good, it's gluing edge grain to edge grain, and sometimes fasteners actually weaken the structure. Anyone seen real research on this? OTOH, I always view any set of stairs as an opportunity for storage cabinets or shelves underneath. In...