I picked up this old belt sander from the Humane Society thrift store yesterday. I have said several times I should buy one.......saw this for $10 and grabbed it.
Thanks, but this one uses readily available 3x21 belts.


Oh, just when I thought I have all possible wrench sizes now.Are there any particular sizes giving you problems? Bear in mind that you may find BA sizes as well, and that post war the hex size for 3/16 was standardised on a 2BA.
Good to hear. I looked closely at the Rubbermaid version and at the reviews of this one.I've been using the Rubbermaid version of that--or, rather, the original from which that was copied--as a TIG welding cart for years. Lots of weight on it and it hasn't so much as sagged. Rubbermaid is about three times the price, so let's hope your is as durable.
Oh, just when I thought I have all possible wrench sizes now.
Actually I think this BSA was originally destined for the Italian market from the factory. I "think" British manufacturers shipped the bikes in parts and then were assembled by the dealer at the destination?
Because I see some of the screws are marked "USAG" (Italian?) and some are marked "Zimmer" (German?). They are also marked 8.8 (metric grade) and with the three radial lines that mark the SAE grade 5. They are used on frame coponents but not on the engine. They seem to have metric sized heads.
The threads are weird. I have recently bought a tap and die BSF set too. I can thread the old screws onto it (the 1/4" screw die)
I see BSF has a 55 degree angle thread. I think the UNF and UNC threads in the similar size are too different to work and would completely strip out the BSF screw?
But reading further, there is also the British Cycle Thread that has that same pitch but a 60 degree angle. That one would work very closely. Is it unlikely BSA used the British Cycle Thread on the engine screws?
My “Dremel” is a Hypertough. I bought it for what I thaought was going to be a one time use as a cutoff tool where I couldn’t get a 4” grinder. It was less than half the price of a Dremel. That was about 4 years ago. I don’t use it a lot but it gets used more than I thought I would use it, I probably use it 3-4 times a year and it’s held up fine.It happened, I broke 2 rules. Never buy cheap power tools from places like HF & Walmart, etc. Although that rule for HF is not as applicable anymore. I also did not want to buy another battery platform. But this thing was so cheap & I really wanted one for work.
$50 for a brushless die grinder including a battery (1.5 ahr) is cheap. But being a cheap *** when it comes to tools for work I waited. Then it dropped down to under $47 so I bought it. 4.0 battery was $25 & the "real" charger was $15 so I got those too (combo available for these for $36 but was OOS). Tool comes with just a wallwart slow charger.
Been using it at work for a little over a week now. Time will tell how long it will last but it will only live an easy life mainly just deburring brackets when I need to make em. We have air die grinders at work but every single one *****, waste more time fumbling with them to get em to work & drag out the air hose than the time actually using them.
This one actually feels slightly better in hand than the MW to me & looking at the side by side it is slighy smaller. I'm not a fan of M12 ergonomics. It's nice that it has a built in spindle lock so no need for two wrenches like the MW or air die grinders. The lock doesn't feel that solid but at least it exists. The speed ramps up weird which I don't like but for the price I can live with it.
Made a magnetic hook for it to hang on the side of my tool box at work. Gonna make one for MW at home too but it usually gets stored in a drawer.
![]()
Looks almost identical to my 20” StackOn from the late ‘80s or early ‘90s.Popular Mechanics 24" Mechanic's Box. Unsure on OEM, but it's a really well made box, and from what I've found online, was US-made (guessing '80s or '90s era). WM must have had multiple companies make toolboxes for them--my smaller one is thin gauge metal and flimsy, while this one is every bit as good as my nice Craftsman boxes. So, Waterloo?
Drove by the antique store near my house a few days back (Wednesday), and noticed a pretty big toolbox. Weather was getting worse and traffic was starting to pick up, so I called the guy since I'm a regular customer. He said it was a Popular Mechanics (aka Walmart's old store brand for tools) and it would be $25. I said that sounded good and I'd pick it up on Friday or Saturday--I paid for it and picked it up yesterday.
Thinking this one will be my main hand-carry box, since my Granddad's '60s Craftsman is being filled with correct tools as per original spec, my old (smaller) PM box is now electrical, and plastic ones are now storage-only.
Quite a massive upgrade over the tiny Stack-On that barely held what I just used around the house. Even crammed my big Jet Rocket 20 oz. hammer, a Speed Square, a Klein brace drill, two packs of DeWalt bits (drill and drive), my compact tool roll, and a Kobalt 1/4 socket/bit set in there with room to spare.
Only thing missing is my V-Series ratcheting screwdriver--forgot I left it in the cheap Hyper Tough 12V kit (stored in a Harbor Freight $2 toolbag) I mostly keep in the UTV.
![]()
I had some of the black, hard handle, tri-lobe screwdrivers that I bought at Walmart in the early’90s. My son still has them. I liked them when I needed a little extra torque, like a wood screw, but they sucked if your hands were greasy.Dang wish I would’ve seen that at an antique store haha. I collect Popular Mechanics branded stuff. Most of it was really good back in the day. Great find.
I have a screw holding flat head CMan, that came from Dad. Pretty sure it’s a USA made by WF, as most of Dad’s CMan screwdrivers were from the late ‘60s to early’90s. I don’t know if it has ever been used except with the holder pushed up the shaft.Not a new tool but the subject of screw starters came up here maybe two weeks ago. Today I grabbed mine in the shop to take a peek at it and yes, the grooves are right-hand thread, like you could twist this into something. I've just been pushing with it, into soft pine, I guess.
Sears Craftsman, USA, Western Forge, No. 41396.
I see one on ebay at $23.50 before shipping which is bananas. File under "keep an eye peeled at garage sales" item.
I probably got mine at HJE. Not in stock. I did find this, a Husky screw holder-as-you-start-it (Western Forge, I'm sure.)
![]()
Husky 1/4" x 5" Screwholding Driver 683-859
Husky 1/4" x 5" Screwholding Driver 683-859www.harryepstein.com
My dad had something like that when I was a kid; I think it was Phillips with four little grabber fingers. I don't think we ever used it.
I have a screw holding flat head CMan, that came from Dad. Pretty sure it’s a USA made by WF, as most of Dad’s CMan screwdrivers were from the late ‘60s to early’90s. I don’t know if it has ever been used except with the holder pushed up the shaft.
Maybe you should have hit that screw with a Vessel screwdriver first? Loosen it up with the full-tang type (red handle), then reach for their Impacta impact driver screwdriver. (Silver handle.)
https://www.harryepstein.com/products/vessel-tools-phillips-jis-tip-screwdriver-set-6-pc-9806jspb


I had the exact same thing happen to one a couple months back taking of all things loose, a flipping refrigerator door hinge - WTF?!. I love those laser engraved tips but that was sure a disappointment.
I had the exact same thing happen to one a couple months back taking of all things loose, a flipping refrigerator door hinge - WTF?!. I love those laser engraved tips but that was sure a disappointment.
Got a new 1/2 M18 impact. The old one was just too heavy and big.
Giving the old one to one of the techs in the shop.
I've owned the smaller 3500 watt version for 6 years, it's been rock solid for me!
Yes. I only use it to rotate my tires. That big gun was way overkill. Always try to pay it forward if I can.High torque to a compact? Quite the difference in output?
Very generous of you to just give away the gun, even used they're 150bucks.
Wera has been **** for the past few years. I've been telling people about it and I got a ton of downvotes from fanboys on reddit for doing so. The decline started maybe a year before they released that turbo screwdriver that can sacrifice torque for speed.Looks like Wera has outsourced QC... to the customers!
Undercover, it was a plain white van. No blue/gray paint or Amazon decals.
Wera has been **** for the past few years. I've been telling people about it and I got a ton of downvotes from fanboys on reddit for doing so. The decline started maybe a year before they released that turbo screwdriver that can sacrifice torque for speed.
Undercover, it was a plain white van. No blue/gray paint or Amazon decals.
Out here they've started using contract drivers, like an Amazon Uber. The only way to know the guy was delivering something was when he got out he had an Amazon vest and got the deliveries out of the car. Makes one a little suspicious 30 miles outside of town when you're not expecting some random car.Yeah, that goes on sometimes now. I'm not sure but sometimes it might even be a car? This issue of unmarked or rental vans plus Amazon's new "we can deliver it between 4 am and 6 am! That's how fast!" option, well, this is America. Somebody's going to get shot.
Ordered oneTitan. Amazon has them. They call it the Nano series 11330.




Cool!FACOM 3/8" flex-head extendy-ratchet JXL.171. Made in Taiwan, although the labeling has no COO, that's the word on the streets for years now, their French stuff still reads FRONCE somewhere on the tool.
Detent divots:
I like the handle's thickness for my large hands. Grip is not rubbery soft-grippy, but the
Cool!
I'm really attracted to the idea of being able to shear fasteners off without having to reach for a cheater!
Copper pipe (tubing, damnit) will often bend before I can shear off a fastener. Steel is the way to go!
I couldn't find copper pipe big enough to go over my 3/8" dr. ratchet handles, what choice did I have?!