What was yours?
Mine was a Makita 12″ miter saw. Bought it almost twenty years ago…for the first side job I ever did… installing 2 1/4″ colonial casings.
Still have it and use it on occasions. Its perfect for punchlist type work. Installed shoe moulding in the kitchen reno I`m finishing up today…..no need for the 12″ sliding compound.
One of the few first purchases still kicking.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
“DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE”
From building boxes and fitting face frames to installing doors and drawers, these techniques could be used for lots of cabinet projects.
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Replies
Milwaukee circular saw, bought used, 30 plus years ago, still use it on a regular bases.
Doug
KMart brand circular saw. Heavy all metal sucker. Acid fumes in the cabinet where it was stored dissolved most of it. Don't store acid and aluminum together anymore. Don't buy cheap saws either =:)
Cheap Skil circ saw. Still use it for cutting metal or masonry. Still cheap.
Wally
First "power" tool of my own? - Skil jig saw to make some Christmas decorations when I was in the 8th grade (won 2nd prize in my town's contest :-))
First "real" power tool? - I bought my wife a Craftsman radial arm saw on our first wedding anniversary in 1977; she never has used it in the many years since!
Since then, thousands of dollars have been invested in tools and toys.
mine was a non-reversable, bright (err.. dingy) yellow black and decker drill. 1/4" chuck, non-reversable, single speed (really slow), and weak as s__t.
even with all of the other dumb garage sale tool buys that i've somhow convinced myself to make, This was absolutely the worst power tool I've ever owned.
measure once
scribble several lines
spend some time figuring out wich scribble
cut the wrong line
get mad
yellowish plastic Black and Decker 3/8" VSR drill
Skill circ saw, 34 years ago, in high school, followed by 1/4" drill, both lost to time and relocation. Had visions of building a shop onto my parents house, but the draft interrupted the dream...
Ryobi RAS... one of my worst memories, got totally ripped off on it by a "friend" and of course the tool itself is...
I'm almost ashamed to admit it but mine was a Dremel tool
What's wrong with that? I've got three of em, for some things you can't beat them. And if you're bored you can always play dentist... "Is it safe?" (hopefully you've seen "Marathon Man")
Now I can see the "love affair" you have with Ryobi tools.
My First one was a Sears RAS. I needed for my first 'aluminum siding Job"
Then I move it into my first woodworking shop and soon after I discover the full potentials and the versatility of the Radial arm saws.
That Stupid Tool was design to "walk" on you and even make holes in the centerblock wall. my son was lucky (only a hair cut from a 2x4 that I was trying to rip.)
Yes... I know now that I should knew better not to rotate the head and follow the directions. But many thousands others each year wasn't so lucky.
Paul, now you know my "love affair" with Stupid tools.
YCF Dino
Confession time.
I was once ripping a 2x4 with a Sears RAS when it flew and pentrated a sheet of ply over a window opening 10 ft away. Stuck in there good.
Got to thinking about a national contest on who can shoot a 2x the farthest with a RAS. It would all be in the angle of trajectory from how far back you would tilt the RAS and maybe beef up the rpms a bit.
Good attention getter for a safety class. bwaa!
First powertool was a B&D sidewinder from a ways back then. Think it's still kicking around in a shed with the cobwebs.
First time I used a TS it was a friend's Sears contractor unit. He just pointed to the power switch and said "watch your fingers". No guard, no fence. I was crosscutting some pine shelving. Put one hand on each side and started feeding it through. Next thing I knew...BAM... and I was lying on the wall praying my privates hadn't been torn off by the impact. Amazing I ever went near one again...
Strangly enough, I have shot a few pieces of stuff with table saws but never with my RAS.
My first corded tool purchase was a Sears 7-1/4" circ saw, their best available back then ( 1971)
I only had it for six months when it grew legs one night. I guess it didn't like the way I stored it on the floor of the passsenger side of my truck and went looking for a better home.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
A small compressor and air brush I used for building model cars and later for tricking out my friend's hot rods with murals and chrome lettering. I finally gave them to my brother in law a few years ago when he got into building model planes.
I've still got several of the models in storage. I look forward to building them with my son one of these days. I sure wish I had saved that compressor and air brush for him but I didn't know he would be dropping in at the time I gave them away.
7-1/4" makita 5007 NB circular saw in 1987. It has even survived being run over by my BIL. Got it from Ann & Hope in Warwick based on a friends recomendation.
It is now one of several circ-saws that I now have.
Turtleboy
Makita worm-drive circ saw in 1988. Still have it. Still use it.
Is it just me or do other people experience their corded power tools lasting a lot longer than their cordless ones? I'm not still using my 25-year-old cordless drill.David Thomas Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska
Mine was a 1/4" skill drill with no reverse or variable speed. Drilled through everything I asked of it. Gave it to my son when he moved from So. Calif. to North Dakota. The drill was a victum of the big flood they had a number of years ago.
Craftsman 3/8" drill, corded, 'cause they didn't have any other kind.
Skil 12v cordless drill. I think it was the first 12v cordless they made. My Mom bought it for me. Had to have it. I was 14. Thanks Mom
Circa 1969 B&D corded 1/4" drill, all metal. Dad gave it to me so I would stop borrowing his. Finally killed it in 1976, when I started remodeling full time.
Dave
B&D 3/8 variable speed and reversible drill, metal housing, double gear reduction. Still works real well at 25+ years old. It is almost always found in the laundry sink with the paint stirrer in it.
My dad bought it for me.
I can't imagine buying a worm drive before buying a drill. I used a handsaw for years before I got Dad to buy me a sidewinder for my birthday.
My Grandfather bought me my first "power tool", it was a fantastic Yankee screwdriver that I used to work on the go-kart he built me. First power tool I ever bought for myself was a 3/8" corded B&D drill with a keyless chuck. Finally killed it about a year ago drilling out sill plates for a new frame. Replaced it with a Milwaukee.
B&D 3/8 corded drill..its been all up hill from there
29 years ago I bought my first pro tool, a Rockwell speed-bloc sander, now the Porter-Cable 330. $60 I think. Still runs although it has a little bearing stiffness from wet sanding. It smoothes out in about 20 seconds and remains smooth running once it gets warm.
Edited 12/23/2004 9:40 am ET by Jeff2
First one was a Skil circ; $19.95 from Canal Hardware on Canal Street in Chinatown, NYC. Dang near forty years ago, hard to believe.... Followed shortly thereafter by a Rockwell jigsaw, same price, same store. The Skilsaw went south about 15 years ago; got replaced by a Makita; I remember being amazed how much straighter a line I could cut with the new saw when I finally dumped that old Skil. The Rockwell died when gang-cutting custom soffit vents for my own place about 11 years ago and got replaced by a PC.
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
1967 Rockwell 318 portable circular saw, polished aluminum. Still works like new but there are few replacement parts. The only problem is that it coasts for half a day after letting go of the trigger. Good tools last, they just become obsolete.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
First power tool I ever bought was an orange B&D 3/8" vsr corded drill, about $35 in 1978. It was junk, yet surprisingly durable. Replaced it with a Bosch a few years later, and rarely used it after that. Ended up giving it away, still worked but had that B&D whine.First machine was 10" Craftsman RAS in 1981. Even ripped with it a few times- ugh. Sold it for cheap after getting Hitachi C8FB in 1990. Got tablesaw first, so I could rip and live to tell the tale.Bill
9 inch sears craftsman table saw, bought it in 1980, retired it 2 years ago
had many good years of service from it, but it was way too heavy for jobsite use and too small for the shop
it finally wore out and was replaced with a delta sidekick 8 inch, which the worse table saw i ever ownedcaulking is not a piece of trim
Grey plastic sears 1/4" drill...about 1968 or so. I still have the chuck and shaft from the motor for a pin chuck.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
My first power tool was cheapo 5†circular saw. I was 11 years old and had to beg my mom to let me buy it.
Corded? Dewalt 7-1/4" circular saw.
Cordless? Dewalt 14.4v drill driver.
Cordless came first and went first.
Jon Blakemore
Craftsman 1 hp "commercial" router, their best. Sears replaced it 3 times in the warranty year before giving me a refund. Pieces kept falling off. Then I bought a Makita (3x the money, but still works 25 yrs later).
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
First power tool was a Sears 1/2 sheet sander.
I burned that thing out in a year, and never bought another Craftsman power tool.
Considered returning it, but decided I didn't want another lousy tool. I then started buying contractor-grade tools, which led to my current addiction for nice tools.
Mine like many other's was a circ. saw. B&D cheapo, $24.99 at k-mart when I was 18 years old. My buddies and I went about purchasing lumber, drivers, crossover circuitry, etc. and building our own stereo speakers. Another guy bought a jigsaw, (same brand, same price, same store) so we could cut out the speaker holes. In those days pair of Infinity speakers would run you in excess of $600.00 We were saving hundreds of dollars and getting pretty much the same sound quality. (although you can imagine how pretty they were considering the primitive tools and our collective lack of craftmanship.)
I don't have those speakers any more, but they did last almost 20 years. I do however still have that saw. After I got into the trades, I relegated it to doing the jobs that I would never wish on an expensive saw. Cutting concrete, rebar, aluminum siding, etc. It's been dropped off of roofs countless times, there are pieces broken off of it, I've caught the cord in the blade several times, (I use this saw in some pretty funky locations.) Just last week, I used it to cut out the hole in the steel garage door so I could install a doggie-door. (doggie thinks it's time for him to become an indoor dog, wife disagrees, this is the compromise.)
I've bought several "good" saws in the last 20 years, but this one just has a place in my heart, I guess you really do "always hurt the one you love" .
Some cheap jig saw. Dad was fond of traditional hand tools and never liked power tools, or spending money, so he had a tradition of owning only the cheapest thing called "saw" that could be found at Sears.
Before I had a penny to spend, or any acquaintances with real talent, I tried all kinds of minor repairs-of-necessity in crappy apartments using a jigsaw. And you can guess how they turned out. No wonder Dad never got any better at, or fonder of, building-type hobbies.
But, I still have occasion to miss the hand-cranked drill I used to have.
mine was a Porter Cable Recip Saw. Got it back in 1985 and the thing still works like a charm. It's patina'd quite nicely and I still have the original hex key to set the blade. I use it all the time.
Jim
The sweet Skil w/ remote guard lift up on top...'74...I went through at least 3 more...then they quit making them...dang, now, my first miter box was a Blue Grass...hand powered<G> Don't worry, we can fix that later!
yeah i liked that saw too. I called bosch to see if i could buy that remote handle for bosch branded sidewinder (the model just after the one with the remote)They will sell it but its $60.00 too much for me but that little remote handle was awsome.-->
measure once
scribble several lines
spend some time figuring out wich scribble
cut the wrong line
get mad
It was either a $10 Rockwell saber saw or a $30 K-Mart all metal 1/2 single speed reversible drill sometime before 1980. The drill went bad quickly, the cheap Rockwell lasted for years; I still have the metal case for that saber saw (that was another $5) and still use it to keep saw parts that I want to find. Got a Makita 7 1/4 about 1985; it keeps on working hard. It is the 13 amp version; I picked up its twin about 2 years ago just in case I outlive the first one.
D&L
Craftsman 3/8" (corded) electric drill, ca 1972. Still have it (replaced cord once), but usually use the cordless any more. It'll run rings around the crap that Sears puts out now (or any time since about 1985), though.
A little slow on the draw for this thread...but been absent awhile.
Skil 7-1/4" sidewinder...around 1961-62. Took a while (you'll shot your eye out) to talk my folks into letting me get it. Got it with S&H greenstamps out of the catalog. I was hooked after that!
Peace
B&D sabre saw, metal one , still works good. so a year later I bought a B&D 1/2" drill , reputation and all . The drill was babyshidyellow and all plastic except for the chuck and shaft that the armature was attached to. Itlasted about a month . next one was a milwakee 1/2" with a right angle attachment $75.oo and still using it .
First power tool would have been a 6v Black and Decker all plastic (other than the keyed chuck), just stuck a wire in it to recharge. I think I was 13, got it at one of those day after thanksgiving sales.
Actually, come to think of it, my first "power tool" was a Weller soldering gun. Still have it.
My grandfather had a millwork shop, and my father used to build houses, so it was a long time before I had to buy any power tools of my own. It's hard to remember for sure, but I guess it might be the Makita cordless drill.
The pre-WWII Unisaw # M-529 is probably my oldest woodworking tool still in use.
-- J.S.
Makita 9.6v cordless.....that was my second purchase.....actually still have it as well.....just don`t know if its worth buying a battery for to find out if it still works.J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
nope______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
My Makita is a 12 volt, and still works OK. It's nice for those one or two hole jobs a long way into the crawl space.
As for your 9.6, see if you can take the battery case apart. If so, you can get new Ni-Cad or even Ni-MH cells, and re-build it. There are lots of battery sellers on the internet, google for them. It should be doable for under $20, worth it if you have that kind of light duty far from power kind of stuff to do.
-- J.S.
Bosch Jig saw...my father had a car repair business and as a promo Bosch gave a jigsaw when you bought so many spark plugs. Still have that jig saw the cord could be replace now.
Peace,
MartinIt not so much where you are but in what direction you are moving.
yes but he can get a nicad batt for 20$ plus shipping______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
Old 10" Sears table saw. Still does the job, but parts are getting shabby.
Just found the manual, and ordered parts from Sears Parts online. I found everything. Was not happy with the $8.00 Shipping charge for one pound of parts.
Woodside
A Catepillar bulldozer. I like to do things in a big way ;)
The undisciplined life is not worth examining.
My dad bought me a Milwaukee circular saw around 1988. I always wind up reaching for a new blade and bringing her back into service when a cord or switch goes bad on the daily driver. I hack that saw through all my demo work and ridge vent slot cutting. It gets beat and has been beaten regularly for about ten years now. She always resurfaces until things get sorted out and it still cuts like a dream with a decent blade.
The first one I ever bought was a Ryobi 9.6 drill/driver. The charger apparently fried the batteries and after buying another $45 battery to discover it was the charger, I decided to upgrade anyhow.