The Harbor Freight PASS/FAIL Thread...

[Crown Imperial]

Can anyone comment on this multipurpose lathe? Did a search but didnt find anything.
Looks OK quality and it's currently heavily discounted.

http://www.harborfreight.com/clearance/multipurpose-machine-5980.html

 

[Twisted Sid]

^^^
You have my attention! I have never even seen this thing before, and for less then $400?

 

[wildbill23c]

Discounted that much, looks like they might be discontinuing them . I have a coupon for 25% off somewhere that will drop that to about $270, still can't afford it, and don't know where I would put it or use it for anyhow .

 

[rice rocket]

How do you secure your piece when you're milling/drilling?

 

[ndr1968]

Looks like the carriage has two T-slots that you could use to attach a vice. Personally, I would make a stud-block or three (in 1”, 2” & 3” thicknesses) to get your work pieces up closer to the mill head for added rigidity.

It received a 4.3 average rating on the customer reviews page. I guess it worked well for most who bought it.

The lathe is only going to be good for making shafts to a specified diameter or taper. O-ring grooves & shouldered shafts should be easy enough to accomplish .Also, it could probably be set up to do some limited boring with acceptable accuracy.

This machine could be a great help to get work pieces to within specs for die and tap threading. Probably the most common error in die-tap threading is not starting out with the correct diameter work piece.

However, there is no way to easily set this machine up for single point thread cutting. If you want to do that, you need a real lathe.

 

[Crown Imperial]

Holy cow $270 with that 25% off coupon would be a total steal. Although you have to add $85 for shipping.
Yes, it isn't industrial type quality but for home it's sufficient. At less than 25" deep it fits perfectly on my work bench. And at 385Lbs it should be fairly stable.
Please note the dials are metric!

 

[wildbill23c]

Holy cow $270 with that 25% off coupon would be a total steal. Although you have to add $85 for shipping.
Yes, it isn't industrial type quality but for home it's sufficient. At less than 25" deep it fits perfectly on my work bench. And at 385Lbs it should be fairly stable.
Please note the dials are metric!

Only add the shipping if you decide to have it shipped, you could always go to the store and pick one up.

 

[eeprete]

HF 25" 1/2" drive breaker bar

PASS

used it to undo the rear wheel bearing hub nuts in my wife's 01 Elantra

worked like a charm and those nut were on there good, 190 lb ft of torque for installation

I too have used this on my Explorer suspension parts and my Mustang with good results each time. It's broken stuff loose that even my impact could not do on first try.

 

[btlegacy]

Item#98265 - 7In Bridge Tile Saw
Got it for $140.99 with 25% off coupon
Picked up a nice Ridgid Blade at Home Depot to use with it


Used T-square to calibrate all the angle guides and cut alot of tile with no issue.

It worked very well and all the tile was within a hundredth of an inch edge to edge

The pan below unbolts with 4 knobs so that you can clean it easily

Overall, very happy with it

Just a quick update. I completed two bathrooms and a kitchen and it didn't have a hiccup. Cut probably about 800 sq ft worth of tile.

In the same breath, I only needed one of these blades to do all of that cutting

http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-7-in-Diamond-Edge-Tile-Circular-Saw-Blade-CP70P/100606321

 

[owenst7]

Can anyone comment on this multipurpose lathe? Did a search but didnt find anything.
Looks OK quality and it's currently heavily discounted.

http://www.harborfreight.com/clearance/multipurpose-machine-5980.html

Anyone know if a guy could mill the camber correction on a set of steering arms with this machine? Like this:

I have the reamers for the drag link and tie rod ends, and for the acorn nuts, but I'd need to mill the section where the rod ends connect to correct for the ~7° (havent measured yet) angle of the knuckle due to camber. Also I suppose I'd need to mill the surface under the acorn nuts perpendicular to the hole for the studs.

 

[rice rocket]

It looks doable, everything except that radius at the tip of the "shaft". But that looks non-critical.

 

[owenst7]

It looks doable, everything except that radius at the tip of the "shaft". But that looks non-critical.

Ya that part is totally just for aesthetics, and I have other ways to do it.

 

[revrnd]

Not really sure if anyone that has been around lathes or mills would even consider looking at this. Manual hand feed (lower right handwheel) so your surface finish won't be all that great. No sign of being able to offset the tailstock to turn a taper.

It might be OK for spinning shafts to polish the OD or drilling holes in the end of a shaft.

IMO, pass on this item. (28 years of toolroom experience)

When I retired I set up my home shop w/ a 12" x 36" lathe, 9" x 49" vertical mill & a 16" metal cutting bandsaw. Not the fanciest equipment, but it does the trick for my fabrication requirements.

 

[revrnd]

I see there are some PASS reviews for the 40 lb blast cabinet, but can't find any for the smaller 30 lb cabinet (#42202) that sits on a bench. Does anyone have any experience w/ this item?

http://www.harborfreight.com/abrasive-blast-cabinet-42202.html

 

[owenst7]

Not really sure if anyone that has been around lathes or mills would even consider looking at this. Manual hand feed (lower right handwheel) so your surface finish won't be all that great. No sign of being able to offset the tailstock to turn a taper.

It might be OK for spinning shafts to polish the OD or drilling holes in the end of a shaft.

IMO, pass on this item. (28 years of toolroom experience)

When I retired I set up my home shop w/ a 12" x 36" lathe, 9" x 49" vertical mill & a 16" metal cutting bandsaw. Not the fanciest equipment, but it does the trick for my fabrication requirements.

What's your opinion on if it could make those steering arms? I am currently in a rental and have zero room for more equipment (actually going to sell one of my band saws to make room Lol). I have three friends that offered to buy it for me if I make them all a pair of arms (and then I also need a pair), so it would practically pay for itself. I'm sure I'll upgrade to individual units when I buy some land, but for right now, the ability to make bushing and bearing drivers for transmissions and such would actually save me quite a bit in tools that I would otherwise buy.

 

[revrnd]

The steering arms have an angled surface, so w/o a vise or angle plate to mount the part at an angle while machining, I'm not sure if you could make them. Any drill press can be used to drill the holes. I'm not even sure how "rigid" a set up like that would be for milling. Are the endmills just held by the drill chuck?

You should be able to make the rest of the part w/o any special equipment. Do you know anyone who has a home shop that could machine the angled surfaces for you?

 

[owenst7]

The steering arms have an angled surface, so w/o a vise or angle plate to mount the part at an angle while machining, I'm not sure if you could make them. Any drill press can be used to drill the holes. I'm not even sure how "rigid" a set up like that would be for milling. Are the endmills just held by the drill chuck?

You should be able to make the rest of the part w/o any special equipment. Do you know anyone who has a home shop that could machine the angled surfaces for you?

The angled surface is what I'm trying to do. I can do everything else with a drill press. I'm tired of farming the job out every time we change steering geometry. I realize I'd need to either fabricate a different vise or make a wedge (I've made these before without the mill, so a wedge would be easy). Ive actually made these arms before with an angle grinder and finished the angle by hand with a belt sander, but it really isn't worth it unless you have a mill.

It's not a precision part (the tapers are, but I have the reamers). The angled face is simply to allow the drag link body to clear the arm when the axle is articulated. The arm is attached to an axle that gets rammed against rocks during races, so its not like some tool marks are of concern.

Even a used mill is out of the question right now both financially and space-wise. I have considered a small lathe for other uses, but I'd need to be able to make these arms to justify an equipment purchase right now. I'm really not concerned about modifying the thing, just trying to understand its limited abilities. I have been considering building a Gingery lathe and eventually mill if that gives you an idea of where I'm coming from Lol.

From what I've gathered from my limited research today on the machine, to use it as a mill properly, people are ditching the drill chuck for a proper tool holder.

 

[revrnd]

Even a used mill is out of the question right now both financially and space-wise. I have considered a small lathe for other uses, but I'd need to be able to make these arms to justify an equipment purchase right now. I'm really not concerned about modifying the thing, just trying to understand its limited abilities. I have been considering building a Gingery lathe and eventually mill if that gives you an idea of where I'm coming from Lol.

From what I've gathered from my limited research today on the machine, to use it as a mill properly, people are ditching the drill chuck for a proper tool holder.

The fact that you mention the Gingery lathe is an indication you've been doing some research. I'm not familiar w/ that lathe, but recognize the name from a couple of publications I buy.

Some kind of collet holder or endmill holder would be a vast improvement over the drill chuck.

I found this Harbor Freight thread thru this Home Machinist forum that I belong to. It has a 3 in 1 metal working machine sub-forum. You might want to check it out:

http://chaski.org/homemachinist/viewforum.php?f=27

 

[bargainhuntingking]

3 Piece Flex Head Stubby Ratchets Item # 46742

Complete fail. The 1/4" ratchet mechanism slips with every turn, the flex head had trouble staying at 90 degrees when you need it. Don't be tempted by the $9.99 price, you will be frustrated.

 

[cherokee]

HF 25" 1/2" drive breaker bar

PASS

used it to undo the rear wheel bearing hub nuts in my wife's 01 Elantra

worked like a charm and those nut were on there good, 190 lb ft of torque for installation

Agree...I used it on the rear bolts on my 1963 VW bug. with a LONG cheater bar....I was amazed the thing did not bust.

 

[subarub4]

Anyone have any reviews on these circular saws?

Not sure which one is better?

 

[ndr1968]

From what I've gathered from my limited research today on the machine, to use it as a mill properly, people are ditching the drill chuck for a proper tool holder.[/QUOTE]

Alas, you may be too late anyway. I can't seem to call up any information on this item at all now. They probably are discontinued and becoming a bit hard to come by.

Have a little spare time? Want a down and dirty course in machining? Build a Gingery lathe (or any of his other machine tools). That's how I got my basics in the hobby. The thing I like about Gingery projects is that you can use some of his methods and reject others and still come out with a usable machine.

I scratch built a 10" x 24" lathe loosely based on his design (I used no castings for my lathe) and have found no need to upgrade to anything else. It still serves quite well for the occasional turning project. The photos show this lathe and accessories which I also fabricated (including the change gears).

Sorry about the low quality of the photos. The images were scanned at low resolution from prints back in 2003 and I have no idea where the originals are. I really should get up there and redo them!

 

[Crown Imperial]

That lathe is beautiful

How long did it take you to put it together in total and what sort of parts did you have to fabricate yourself?

<----- goes to read up on Gingery lathes.

******-a. Making your own lathe is just about as manly man as you can get.

 

[subarub4]

I take it no one has used the saws?

 

[Kev442]

I take it no one has used the saws?

Might help if you linked to the saws you're comparing. We use the cheap one to do everything from cut up pallets to cut concrete patio blocks. 5 years in and still going.
http://www.harborfreight.com/7-14-in-circular-saw-69079.html

 

[subarub4]

Might help if you linked to the saws you're comparing. We use the cheap one to do everything from cut up pallets to cut concrete patio blocks. 5 years in and still going.
http://www.harborfreight.com/7-14-in-circular-saw-69079.html

I'm talking about the circular saws in general

 

[bobbycos]

Agree...I used it on the rear bolts on my 1963 VW bug. with a LONG cheater bar....I was amazed the thing did not bust.

we may have a winner here

 

[monomach]

I'm talking about the circular saws in general

I saw a review for the cordless 18v one. It's a smaller blade size...can't cut anything thicker than a 2x. The review said that the battery life was good and said it had decent features, perfectly average performance, was good for cutting sheets, etc, etc. I've never seen anyone talk about any of the others.

I think the problem here is that circular saws are so cheap in general that no one even thinks to buy HF.

If you have a Menard's around, this is a Canadian-market version of a well-reviewed higher-priced Porter-Cable saw. Cheap and I can personally give it a stellar review. Menard's bought a truckload or whatever of overstock and is selling them here in the states at clearance prices.

 

[ndr1968]

That lathe is beautiful

How long did it take you to put it together in total and what sort of parts did you have to fabricate yourself?

<----- goes to read up on Gingery lathes.

******-a. Making your own lathe is just about as manly man as you can get.

Thanks for the flowers!


I seem to remember it took about a year for the basic lathe and then something over 6 months for the accessories and the change gears. It was a long time ago. It may actually have been closer to two years. I remember it was pretty much the only thing I did with my spare time for a very long time!

I had to make just about everything on it! Exceptions are the hand wheels and the pulleys on the jack shaft. Some of the components were made from mild steel flat. The ways was an old piece of 4” wide steel that was some kind of machine part in a former life before I picked it up at the scrap yard. The understructure for the bed was from Home Depot’s steel stock bin as was the angle stock for the mounting feet. Looking back I could have saved myself a lot of scraping on the ways by just buying a piece of precision ground flat. Also, I pretty much used off the shelf accessories whenever possible. Stuff like Chucks, tailstock centers, drill chucks, tool bits, shaft collars and of course fasteners.

 

[stage20]

Flea market is where you need to be for a circ saw. Get good name brand used for 20 bucks. Id rather have a nice used ridgid or milwalkee over a new hf, imo.

 

[cherokee140]

we may have a winner here

Sounds like you have been down that road....I bolted a stop to the drum....fricken stop broke the concrete, but that bar did not bust....I was amazed.

 

[Crown Imperial]

Thanks for the flowers!


I seem to remember it took about a year for the basic lathe and then something over 6 months for the accessories and the change gears. It was a long time ago. It may actually have been closer to two years. I remember it was pretty much the only thing I did with my spare time for a very long time!

I had to make just about everything on it! Exceptions are the hand wheels and the pulleys on the jack shaft. Some of the components were made from mild steel flat. The ways was an old piece of 4” wide steel that was some kind of machine part in a former life before I picked it up at the scrap yard. The understructure for the bed was from Home Depot’s steel stock bin as was the angle stock for the mounting feet. Looking back I could have saved myself a lot of scraping on the ways by just buying a piece of precision ground flat. Also, I pretty much used off the shelf accessories whenever possible. Stuff like Chucks, tailstock centers, drill chucks, tool bits, shaft collars and of course fasteners.

**** that's a lot of time you put it into. Came out really nice.
A project of that size is a bit too much for me however. Already have a few 2+ year projects accumulating dust and mocking me every day. Don't need more of them.

 

[thefoobag]

the harbor freight creeper, on sale for 30 bucks is a big fail. buddy has the same one bought a year prior and is rigid and has no issues. now it seems they went to cheep plastic and i had to make some spacers to stop dragging on the ground. Also its not because im overweight I'm only about 185 on a 300lb capacity creeper.

http://www.harborfreight.com/40-in-low-profile-creeper-300-lb-capacity-61916.html

 

[mikethestig]

ball joint press fail stretched so bad I couldn't get I back in the box
6 inch digital caliper pass
multifunction power tool pass
45 watt solar panel pass

 

[TAMPAGT07]

I'm only about 185 on a 300lb capacity creeper.

I find that alot of HF stuff is actually over rated by about 300%... Your creeper probably is good for about 100 lbs.... My 1000lb yard cart is good up to about 300lbs.. (I wont put more then 300lbs of concrete bags on it.)

 

[ndr1968]

**** that's a lot of time you put it into. Came out really nice.
A project of that size is a bit too much for me however. Already have a few 2+ year projects accumulating dust and mocking me every day. Don't need more of them.

Yep. I was a lot younger and time seemed the one commodity I could spend freely. I certainly couldn't afford to buy an equivalent machine outright! At my age, would I do it again? Nope! I'd just lick the spoon and make payments on one if I had to. On the other hand, it kept me off the streets and it was a good grounding education on the inner workings of machine tools and machining practice in general.

 

[stage20]

93632 low speed mixing drill is a PASS.
i use this in a commerical environment and my only complaint is the chuck will want to come loose every now and then. keep it tight and you cant kill the drill. for occasional use, probably the last drill youll buy.

69274 rotarty hammer. PASS
will drill through holes even with worn bit. chips great. lots of power for the money.

 

[monomach]

ball joint press fail stretched so bad I couldn't get I back in the box
6 inch digital caliper pass
multifunction power tool pass
45 watt solar panel pass

I have the ball joint press at home for side work. No problems.

If you're cranking it by hand, you just have to go slow and tap it with a hammer every couple of turns. If you don't, it'll bind up and start bending. If you're using an impact, it's not a problem. The OTC one has that problem too, in my experience.

I give the ball joint kit (Item #60827) a pass. It's nothing special, but it's never failed on me.

 

[ncaddy87]

I'm looking at getting a pneumatic HVLP gravity fed paint spray gun. How are the ones at Harbor Freight? Any recomendations?
I would like to be able to paint wood (furniture, shelves, etc.), metal (auto parts, welding projects, etc.), and be able to stain wood and spray clearcoats and polys. I know this may mean multiple guns and/or nozzles, but I'm just beginning the search into what I want so I can learn about all the options.
Any help is appreciated!

 

[SteevoLS]

The purple gun is pretty well loved.