Actually its my girlfriends tool (a gift from her mom) but its a 12v black-and-decker “Firestorm” drill/driver but wait! it gets worse.. It has one driver but with swappable heads, a mouse sander, jigsaw, and driver. None of which work well enough to set down the handsaw, sandpaper or corded drill.
______________________________________________
–> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
Replies
Ryobi detail sander. I think glueing sandpaper to a vibrating cell phone would do more.
ditto....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
I picked up one of those detail sanders for about 5 bucks on the clearance table at HD. I have no clue how they can actually sell those things.
you gave up yur 5 bucks...
mine was a gift....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
>> mine was a gift....Have you administered his richly deserved whipping yet?
she got hers at a latter time...
what a POS...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
ROAR!!!
I got the same d**n thing! Used it once, scared me to death. Like: "I'm gonna let that THING have at my nice woodwork? I don't THINK so!" I'll poke a folded piece of sandpaper in the corners all day before I do..............
Probly that Yipsiung nail gun I loaned my buddy in Littelton, Co last month.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Watch out for the edges, it's really fast out there...
I wish I had a dollar for every Wagner Power Painter I've talked people out of buying...
Where were you a couple of years ago?
What a waste of money.
That could be spent on good tools.
I was thinking the same thing when I saw your response--Wagner Power Painter. Only I was only using someone else's. (If it had been mine, I probably would have destroyed it, I was so mad at it!)
Ditto. I bought a Wagner Power Painter to paint a fence. It was an assualt on my ears as well as anything within 100 feet. How the %$%#$ do they keep selling these? I had just assumed to brush it on with a badger tail (badger still attached) than use one of these. Oh yeah, took it back and got a refund.
Edited 1/18/2005 10:43 pm ET by treefreak
Edited 1/18/2005 10:44 pm ET by treefreak
ever seen their commercial???
really good PR
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
I set up my wagner, plugged it in, hit the trigger and heard VERY loud knocking, so I gave it to a friend- what a waste.
using somebody else's was enough fer me...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
This came up today. In 1979 (I know I know) I bought a vibrating sander from Montgomery Wards. Best they had. What a piece of sh*t.
The interesting thing is I still have it. It is the only electric sander I own.
Today my brother (works for me) said "man, this sander is a real POS. Where did you buy the damn thing? (He looks at it and reads the label) How long they been out of business? Man this thing is old! Think you could spring for one that works?"
Sigh..........I don't know why. Guess a new one is finally in order. DanT
Ryobi 1/3 sheet orbital sander and Ryobi reciprocating saw. I bought the sander new, and after light usage for a year, one of the clips that hold the sandpaper on broke; the part costs almost as much as I paid for the sander new. The reciprocating saw was broken when it was given to me. Like a fool, I spent $30.00 in parts to fix it. It then worked for about 20", after which the gear casing broke.
Both of these are available for free to the first who comes to pick them up.
Rockwell power saw in 1986 or so. Rockwell had just bought out Porter Cable and they shelved all the good saws.
Rockwell launched a new saw, knowing that they didn't have any more competition. It was one of the original plastic models when they were changing over from metal. It had a very proud sticker that said "PROUDLY MADE IN AMERICA". That was a marketing ploy to take advantage of the anit-import movement that was happening because of the import autos that were wreaking havoc on the domestic autoworkers.
The saw came out of the box with an out of square table. It had a girly-girl plastic cord attached to it. It vibrated and was heavy.
I've never bought another Rockwell or "Porter Cable" saw again. About a year after that tool launch, after Rockwell ruined it's name, Porter Cable slapped a sticker on the remaining stock and claimed that "Porter Cable is Back!".
Planned obsolescence...that's all that Rockwell introduced......
blue
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
cant think of the name but the circular saw that you had to hold the safety button with your thumb. It was the HDepot model. I think a skil.
Yeah, I had a "GMC" circular saw (lowes dirt cheap brand) with a stupid saftey, I feel sorry for the poor schmuck that stole that POS.Guess that 110$ wagner sprayer was a close second.
Nope.
It was a Rockwell...probably something like a 315A or something like that.
It was the best saw that Rockwell/Portercable put out and it was trash! I switched over to Milwaukee after that saw and never went back.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
cant think of the name but the circular saw that you had to hold the safety button with your thumb. It was the HDepot model. I think a skil.
It is skill . I own two thank you very much. I got both for a dollar a peice in a garage sale. One puts a distinct wobble cut unknown by any other saw maker in its cuts. The other plays "blast horn " song when you dress the oraqnge button on the side and pull the trigger if you still have the orange button depressed.
Tim Mooney
you'd think that we would have learned by now that a good value on tool shaped nick-knacks is not infact a good deal, i am guilty of garage sale impulse buying too______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
but that's garge sale prices and not retail...
really hurts at retail...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Crapsman and B&D had the same one...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
I had one of those and the button broke off so every time I went to use it I had to depress the broken part with a 2 1/2" nail. Traded it off for some home made moose garlic sausage, the guy actually fixed it.
Well keeping count here it seems so far the Ryobi Detail sander is winning the POS award. And no my girlfriend said it wasnt much good for" that" either. I probably should of given her the 80 grit triangular pad ( which of course come so warped the PSA cant hold it to the pad. Now concrete vibration mite be a use...Id seal it in a bout 3 ziplocs and throw the whole thing in...hey wait a minute theyre rebuilding the dam on the New River in town here,,,hmmm.
"Ryobi Detail sander is winning the POS award. And no my girlfriend said it wasnt much good for" that" either. "Uh - tree - if she is using the vibration option for "that", you aren't doing your job right. She needs a better vibrator - oops, I mean sander;)
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Safety switches on hand held power tools are --dangerous--.I have always found a way to remove or disable mine. I leave them on, on stationary power tools.
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
Heres another vote for the ryobi detail sander
Hands down it's the Delta table saw I owned..
it was the operator on that one...
who you trying to kid...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Hmmm,
I got the 10" Delta shop-model (not portable) and I love it. Must be a different animal. I don't think they make mine anymore.......
The craftsman 3 HP tablesaw. I got it for $199. What a piece of @#%&!!!!! The fence that came with it is also garbage. I should have known better than to buy a craftsman power tool.
ohh right! craftsman! how could i forget!! My GF's B&D drill was bad but nothing topped my bench-top craftsman 9" bandsaw, Wow was that thing usless! 3/8" plywood was pushing your luck(even with its "1/3hp" motor), That blade would just roll right off the wheels on a 5" or smaller radius (suppoesd to cut a 3/4" radeus) I had that thing adjusted perfectly too. I like tools but that thing made me want to use a handsaw to cut it in half, just to REALLY show it how dumb it was!______________________________________________
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A Harbor frieight drill press, A freind of mine gave it to me, everytime I used it the chuck fell out..
also a Ryobi B 3K table saw, couldnt cut straight if it tried, while returning it (to the HD in the days when you could return things w/o a hassel) a guy walked by and told me good thing your returnming it I got sued over that POS.
But I got this router table I bought (actually the wife talked me into buying at a woodshow) has a sliding aluminum table on it and a cast iron top and fence for the sliding table as well as another fence for the RT its self,.
The original RT fence sucked so I made one. I dont know why but I just dont like it. It does all I want it to do, Ive built a lot of things including a couple of kitchens with it including doors and drawers..but I just dont like it. Everytime I think about getting rid of it and buying the bench dog cast iron one for a TS.... I cant get rid of it because it does the job good...but I just cant explain why..I dont like it
"I cant get rid of it because it does the job" -- Sancho RonI know how that is, I'm stuck with with two little ryobi orbital sanders I hate them but they wont die.My car is like that as well.______________________________________________
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hold it wait wait wait a minute
arent you the one who nearly ruined his own piece of mind over , ah , what wus it
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''',,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.......................................................................
U bought it and they wouldnt take it back . U were so pissed for such a loooong time .
yer not gonna nomiate that POS?
Tim Mooney
The Worst? I can't narrow it down any farther than three...
I think the very top one might be a Ryobi BT3100 saw that commited saw-icide after 23 months of gentle use.
But right up there pushing for the top spot is the Porter-Cable Router Table. Thank goodness that POS came packaged as a kit with the 690 router and a D-handle base. (Come to thinik about it, that D-handle base was pretty obnoxious as well :-) ) Actually, the good thing about it is Lowes was clearancing that kit for $135, so that one really wasn't a total waste.
And bringing up the bottom of the bucket is the Porter-Cable Quicksand ROS. Every once in a while I have to completely take the thing apart so I can drench/soak that cheap azz Chinese-made bearing on the motor shaft in WD40. Danged thing just feezes up every now and then and and the bearing has to be broken loose with a couple of big wrenches and given a soak.
UHOH! I Lied! Here's #4: a 14" Buck Brothers Jack Plane. (They should be made to remove the "Made in USA" from the castings.)
-- Steve
Enjoy life & do well by it;
http://www.ApacheTrail.com/ww/
Edited 1/18/2005 6:42 pm ET by Putzger
Harbor Freight "no name" chinese saber saw.It ran successfully for about 5 seconds before the pot metal blade clamp split and fell off (rendering the thing useless).OK, I knew to expect little from a $35 saw, but somehow thought there would be more than that. I thought it would be handy for really messy jobs when it is nice to have a POS tool to "throw away" on.can't even call it a lesson learned, just kinda made me laugh as I gave it away to our local "recycle/reuse" center. Probably some industrious soul out there picked it up and could find a matching collar to be able to use it for years! Or it just went in the trash.Norm
Perter Cable "Bammer" nailgun. No air, used little fuel cells and a piezo-igniter, like on a gas grill, to fire the thing off.
First I'll say that it worked, and I liked it for what it was...but one day it simply exploded.
Squeezed the trigger and the thing blew apart into several pieces. I still have them in a box in the shop.
"BAM!" went the Bammer.
Porter Cable detail sander. Quite useless.
But hey, maybe I can retrofit it as an electric toothbrush for horses!
It's too small to use as a form vibrator the next time I do concrete c'tops, per your excellent instructions.
that gives me an idea....
I know she'll appreciate it.. and I can unload mine...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Your horse is a mare?
you'd think so...
the other way around that is..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
' "BAM!" went the Bammer.' Maybe you could sell it to Emmerau (the annoying chef dude that's always saying "BAM!"--not sure how to spell his name).
About 20 years ago I bought a Delta ?????? . The name escapes me (something like lumberjack maybe) It was a gas powered portable bandsaw for sawing timber. I thought since it had the Delta name on it,it must be a well thought out machine. Boy oh boy was I wrong.
I had bought 10-15 grand worth of Delta tools and accessories in the preceeding years (taught H.S. shop) and have not spent 1 cent on delta after that fiasco
Your reply about the sawmill reminded me of a saw my dad had--it was a gas powered saw, but instead of a chain it had a blade that went back and forth in a groove at the bottom of the bar. It was very slightly faster than using a hand saw. (Don't remember the name of it, think it started with a "W".)
so what if wasnt faster than a handsaw!! It was loud and burned gas, what more could you want?!______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
True that it burned gas, but it wasn't that loud--and you couldn't really rev it up like a chainsaw. Sort of reminds me of the joke where the (name your favorite ethnicity/country of origin here) complains about his chainsaw, so takes it back and the dealer fires it up to see what's wrong and the guy says, "What's that noise?"
No Grizzly tales? The 16" two-drum sander still has my prize: Plugged in 1st time and motor BROKE! Swapped motors, 2nd one arrived BROKE. 3rd one arrived BROKE IN PIECES. 4th one is still running my big shop fan. One drum so out-of-round the machine actually jumped up off the floor. 3rd one sort of works. Table broke. Dust collection impossible--there'd be a pile of dust on the outfed boards. Drums rotated away--a thin board would land across the street. I've still got it. Some of the paint (pretty good paint, too) is still original. Also feed motor and chains. Now I've got too much time and aggravation in it to get rid of it. Plus, where else could I ever use all that specialized repair knowledge? No wonder I've switched to hand planes and scrapers.Remember: good health is simply dying at the slowest possible rate.
wow that is a good one! you lucky dog you got a machinery repair class for the price of an imported machine!!______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
well, you should have boutht the 3 1/2 powewr craftsman table saw . You coulda payed more .
Spoke wrench for my bike when I was a kid. Oh, man did I screw up that wheel...
Never underestimate your ability to overestimate your ability
Ah, spoke wrenches - never has such a cheap tool wrought such destruction. I don't dare true my own wheels...didedited 'cause I don't know what a poke wrench is.I like ice cream
Edited 1/18/2005 9:55 am ET by diddidit
at least with a spoke wrench you have a chance at fixing it, when i was young i tried to true my wheels with my dads 12" crescent wrench, and when i rounded the nipples and couldnt grab them anymore, i made the next good decision to use his vise grips.When i was done it looked as if i tried to true it with a hammer. I must have enjoyed myself though because my first real job was a bicycle mechanic______________________________________________
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i'll give another vote for the pos ryobi detail sander. i like the cell phone idea, tho'.
one good thing about buying the sander, i never have to consider buying another ryobi product again. ever.
DCS Inc.
"He who xxxxs nuns will later join the church." -The Clash
A few years back I had to compound and polish a couple of cars and I decided to buy an orbital buffer. Went to Sears and they had a good name brand one but out of stock so I bought a (retch) Craftsman. Not all that cheap, maybe 50 bucks. Halfway through the first car it literally vibrated to pieces, shot the power switch across the parking lot...grips fell apart...thing went berserk. Absolutely pathetic.
B&D sabre saw....was a gift from a buddy....I had recently gotten into the trades, and he thought it would be perfect.
This is one of those instances where it truly is the thought that counts.
Not having had a whole lot of experience around a jigsaw, it took me a bit to realize that it wasn`t I that couldn`t make the cuts.After finally purchasing a Bosch, i used the B&D as a recipricating saw for a while until my youngest brother, a painter, asked if I had a jigsaw he could borrow. I haven`t seen it since, and I never bothered to ask how he made out with it.
Honorable mention goes to a Makita electric plane......I`ve hated that tool since day one.....what makes it even worse is the case it came with requires that the tool and all of its accessories be replaced precisely in a certain manner. After cursing the tool for its abilities (or lack thereof), I really enjoy trying to put the damned thing away!J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
After cursing the tool for its abilities (or lack thereof), I really enjoy trying to put the damned thing away!
quit , yer killin me
Here's a second vote for that makita power planer.
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
''Actually its my girlfriends tool ''
Yeah Yeah we know. It's ok to tell us the truth. ;)
___________________________________________
Common sense is a gift from God that cannot be taught.
yikes, i knew that was comming, otherwise i would have mentioned about how that bandsaw was hers too (hehe)______________________________________________--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
Edited 1/18/2005 3:16 pm ET by skyecore
This one isn't powered, but the all time worst $2700 POS is the heavy duty Tapco brake. If you want accuracy better than plus or minus half an inch, you have to fight for it.
It has this flexible plastic strip underneath that's supposed to protect the surface of the workpiece, but instead what it does is slide the piece outward when you close the brake on it. And on the other side, there's a thin sheet metal cover that fits sloppy loose exactly where you need to measure from. You have to shove it back into place and hold it while making a setup. On top of that, the whole thing is curved in the horizontal plane. Run a straight line from end to end, and the middle is too deep by about 1/8".
-- J.S.
Did you call Tapco? I bought one a year or so ago and love it. It has to be adjusted once in awhile but I couldn't be happier. Hope you get it sorted out. DanT
> Did you call Tapco? I bought one a year or so ago and love it. It has to be adjusted once in awhile but I couldn't be happier. Hope you get it sorted out. DanT
No, I didn't call them. The vinyl strip and loose stainless bending edge are such fundamental design errors that they'd have to re-design the whole machine to fix them. I waited to double check the Tapco instructions before responding, but there's no adjustment procedure for correcting the curvature. Clamping pressure/material thickness is the only adjustment, and, yes, you do have to change it depending on what you're bending. The curvature was there the day it was delivered, and it's been in the same building ever since. It hasn't been moved around a lot.
How do you go about getting accurate bends? I've resorted to closing the brake, but not tight, then positioning the piece, and holding it in place with blocks and C-clamps while I lock it. For parts I make a lot of, like the pans for the roof, I made up notched sticks of hardwood to shove the workpiece back against the force of the vinyl strip, and push the sheet stainless edge back into place while clamping. I'll try to get some pictures and start a new thread about this roof job.
The bends required for standing seams are in the 1/2" - 1" range, so the inherent inaccuracy of the Tapco design is a real problem.
-- J.S.
The curvature mine simply doesn't have. I would call them and discuss it.
As far as the stainless cover mine is tight and poses no problem, ditto the rubber cover. I only have a problem if I need to bend a piece with less than a 5/8" side.
Is the guage of material you are using thicker than coil stock? I think there are limits to what it was designed for. We use it for coil stock and occasional roof flashing.
Still, if you are disatisfied and paid that much for it I would at least discuss it with the company. Seems silly to complain here where no one can really help. DanT
> The curvature mine simply doesn't have. I would call them and discuss it.
This one is 2-3 years old. I forgot to check the warranty at lunch time, but IIRC, it's either 90 days or a year. Given the results I've had with other manufacturer's warranties, I can't imagine them giving a s--t, especially about an out-of-warranty machine.
> I only have a problem if I need to bend a piece with less than a 5/8" side.
Aha -- That's most of what I do. Standing seam pans have basically three 1/2" bends and two 1" bends to make the long sides. And the sides of adjacent pans have to fit together, so accuracy is important.
> Is the guage of material you are using thicker than coil stock? I think there are limits to what it was designed for.
I got the Max model, which is rated for 32 oz. copper. (The Pro is 16 oz.) The roof pans are all 16 oz. I used 32 oz. for the gutters and valleys. My understanding is that the sheet stock I bought is exactly the same material as coil stock, just available in smaller quantities than a full coil.
> Seems silly to complain here where no one can really help.
I really don't expect anyone to help, here or anywhere. I'm just answering questions, starting with the one that started this thread. The value of this thread, already over 90 posts, seems to be more to warn others away from things like Wagner power painters, Skil jigsaws, anything Ryobi, etc., rather than to get help with specific tool problems.
-- J.S.
I have the Tapco Pro heavy duty and never had any problems with it. The stainless strip is not loose at all. I can bend a 3/8" edge with a little finesse and a 1/2" with accuracy no problem. I regularly do 3/8" hems with no problem.
Kev
i think that one takes the cake, just think.. if you hadnt bought it, you wouldnt have been able to make us squrm______________________________________________
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Milwaukee 3/8" heavy duty drill, piece of junk hardly ever used it then the chuck ceased up, company I worked paid to fix it. Then the damn brushed wore out far to soon, tempted to mail it back to Milwaukee but the freight would be more than I would want to pay.
All of these responses make a guy really appreciate a forum such as this . It's nice to be able to hear hear about tool experiences before plunking down the cash. I'd known before, but you can bet your azz I won't even pick up a Ryobi tool in a store.
I don't really have any horror stories...I guess the worst is my Craftsman corded 1/2" hammer/regular drill. It works fine, but the hammer function really pales in comparison to other small hammer drills I've used for Tapcons and such. Plus it vibrates your hands so much you practically lose all muscle control.
There is a reason why we often say, "Friends don't let friends buy Ryobi"
But we all had to learn from experience.I've seen a lousy Delta "contractor's" tablesaw. One of my guys brought it to the jobsite and it wasn't two weeks before it got banned.My first paslode Impulse framer - the older black one cost me close to six bills to buy. Return trips for service cost another nine hundered over the years. After hearing all the good reviews here of the new orange one - redesigned, of course, withoiut ever admitting they had a lemon in the old one, I bought the new model and have been more than satisfyed with it. But the shear ammt of money thrown down that hole probably qualifies it as the worst tool investment i have ever made.Way back in the mid to late seventies, I bought a whole slew of Skil tools. Power plane, circ saw, router...Five in all, IIRC, and within six months every single one of them had amjor problems - fortunately still on warrantee. I got them rebuilt at the factory, then sold them at a yard sale and replaced them with real tools and never looked back.I don't even know why I bought that brand for sure. a few years before, i had puicked up their low priced circ saw ( probably that one with the trigger safety) at ahardware store and it developed so much armature heat that the blade warped likean old vinyl record left out in the sun, making enough smoke to bring out the fire dept ( not really - just kiddin')
I looked firwst to see if they had the blade in backwards, but no- So I took it back for refund
First time they talked me into taking another one for replacement- same deal...So Skil and Ryobi are on my $h!t list. sears isn't even on my list, period
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
wow, funny about that old skil saw, makes you wonder how it ever got past beta testing, same goes for that ryobi detail sander, i used one once and it was immidiatly obviose that the pad was staying still and my arm was vibrating (im sort of exadurating but not really)______________________________________________
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Skil is my worst experience.I have a Skil jigsaw that looks kinda heavy-duty. Plumbers often borrow it on a job-site : "It looks a little better than mine".And it DOES! (look heavy duty). It has a cast metal front that implies that the gears and bearings are the same.I think Skil has perfected the art of looking tough and gruff
without the balls behind the facade. (maybe like Dodge trucks?)I had occasion to open up that tool and it was embarassingly badly put together. The "bearings" for the vertical action were simply sheared steel plates, not machined, and slipped loosely into plastic slots.No wonder it wanders and splinters wood!Similarly, a new Skil plunge router at a big discount at a local store. Only a 1/4" but for IIRC $38.00 Can. how could I go wrong?Vibrates and the noise level is incredible. And the on/off switch is under a membrane of some sort and difficult. I'd rather change bits in one of my Makitas. Soon I will learn.Will Skil?
Let me agree on the skill Jigsaw. I'm a DIY but I use my tools enough that I learnt quickly that buying "pro" quality tools is the way to go.However I must have been feeling realy cheap the day I wandered into HD needing a jigsaw. They had the Bosch that everyone recomends, but they also had a Skill for 49.99. Now my Dad had a Skill jigsaw thats about 20 years old, that was impossible to keep the base square with the blade, and wouldn't cut a straight line even when run along a straight edge.Thinking they've had 20 years to fix the problems (the base felt tight in the store), and that I'd only being doing rough cuts with it - in my moment of madness I bought the Skill.The base still won't stay square to the blade, and it still won't cut straight and I now am finding I need it more and more for finish work. Now I have to justify replaceing a "working" tool when there are tools I need but don't own yet (like a router). Friends don't let Friends by Skill Jigsaws.
One of my close friend bought a cape and a bunch of us put a full second floor on it, basic colonial look. He's a heating/ac guy, that can't tell pine from cherry and doesn't understand a thing about carpentry or the tools. The first thing he did when he bought this house was go out and buy a dewalt palm sander and a ryobi circular saw (his only two tools besides his dewalt cordless set and sawsall for heating work). He used the sander once for about 5 minutes.
The ryobi though, what a POS. It was the only saw on the ground when I needed to make a few cuts, and that was the last time I touched it or any other ryobi with a blade. That POS is just plain dangerous. I just can't believe it when I see some Joe homeowner buy one of those things. My friend said to me though, "If I were a framer, I would buy one of those any day" I couldn't believe it. I told him to get a PC, dewalt, makita, bosch or milwaukee but they were $120-$140 and the Ryobi was $50. We'll how much are your fingers worth?
I got a couple of bad tool stories...
first POS was a palm nailer of some kind....needed to do a bunch hangers in a tight space...ran to ORANGE PLAGUE and purchased whatever was on the shelf...60 bucks I think...get back to the site and plug it in...leaked worse than a politician at lunch with a journalist...
took it back...returned for another one...
.......same damn problem....
this time, I had one of the 3rd graders I tell him had working for me at the time return it....maybe he wouldn't mess that up....(shaking head)......
...wrong...
he missed the part in our conversation where I tell him to "get my money back"....and exchanged it for yet another one......
...decide that since it was there...I'd try it out...hook it up and, hey! it works!!!
...get on my ladder and complete 3 hangers...(28 more to go)... start on #4....and it starts leaking worse than the first two put together....I calmly get down...request junior to go and "G E T M Y M O N E Y B A C K"...talking slow so he will get it this time...
..the second tool involved the same kid...about a week later, after telling him a dozen times or so that he needed to buy his own saw as he was sooo tough on mine...well, he shows up to work on Monday with a big smile on his face..."guess what Hoss (his name for me)...I got me a new saw....smiling a bit inside, I ask to see his first, new major purchase...he hustles to his car (fastest I've seen him ever move)...and returns with.........
.........a craftsman homeowner special......
"I got a buddy that works at Sears and I got this for only $25!!!!"
...ok....
...well, after a few hours of work, I was having him gang cut a bunch of studs for a basement....I come out about 20 min later to reset the breaker for the 3rd time and smell something burning...I go over to his stack and see about 60 studs that appear to have been cut with an ax..a dull ax...and see his little saw with a wisp of smoke coming from it..."this thing won't cut too well" says my little genius...I says to him "this saw is only good for one thing"
...I unplug the saw...and start spinning it over my head...kinda like a cowboy trying to rope a horse..only this cowboy is trying to see if I can get this saw into the marsh behind the house....
....I give the guy 25 bucks, and give him one of my older saws...and tell him I don't want him to touch any other saw on the site...EVER...
....and don't get me started about the craftsman saw my wife got me for Christmas 4 years ago...
"knowledge without experience is just information." Mark Twain
lmao funny story about your helper, poor kid i kinda feel bad for him.______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
I haven't had many power tools, so my worst really isn't that bad. It's a Craftsman 3/8" VSR drill, about 30 years old. It runs. The chuck works. The speed varies. It reverses. And I hate it because the cord is too stiff. A type SJT cord on a hand held tool is an abomination.About 10 years ago I bought a DeWalt 14.4 drill, and I haven't touched the Craftsman since, except to shove it out of the way. It's still lying the last place I laid it down. Even when I was drilling and driving a few years ago I changed bits on the DeWalt rather than fight with the cord on that Craftsman. Of course you can tell from that I only had a dozen or so to do.
yeah..i should have explained the kid a bit more...
...he's the son of a freind of mine...wants desperately to be a carpenter...so I thought I'd give him a shot...he was only 18 at the time...had a heart of absolute gold....but a head full of mush...I think his best friend was "mary jane".....had greats jokes and stories and was kinda the jobsite dog...only the kid was more expensive to feed..."knowledge without experience is just information." Mark Twain
yeah, im thinking of a helper we took on awhile ago, fits that guys discription to a T. Really sweet guy but hard to have patience with the slow motion brain he was carrying.______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
I was that rookie helper once! When I showed up with my new Craftsman saw, the lead carpenter informed me that I had, in fact, bought a motorized blade holder, not a saw. If I remember, that saw lasted a week or so before dying in a burst of smoke and shattered pot metal.
It has to be a Delta jobsite table saw I bought 11 years ago. I was just getting into woodworking and such and it was $140 at HD. I was really excited to try my first real power tool, and a Delta at that (hey, Norm uses all Delta!!). This thing was louder than a 747, vibrated like heck, and before too long developed an unfixable blade tilt, so it never cut square. And it was tiny, tiny, tiny. It really sucked.
I wound up selling it to a guy for $100. He had a Craftsman RAS and just loved it, and he thought this would be a nice complement to his arsenal. His loss, my gain.
my old boss had one of those, luckily for my safety it got stolen. Those things allways seemed so light weight that i was allways scared that if i got some kickback, the workpiece would stay there and the saw would fly across the room______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
You know, I had my only (so far) kickback incident with that saw. A foot-long, 3 inch piece of 1/4 masonite went the wrong way and it hit me right below the belt. I went down in a heap, and stayed there for some time. The saw screamed all the while. I couldn't use it again after that, which is why I was so glad to meet the poor sucker I unloaded it on.
I have a list:
Cheap Delta tablesaw - Lousy fence. I gave it away when I bought the Bosch.
Wagner Power painter - I'll echo everyone here who got one and hated it.
B&D Jig saws - the one my dad got in the '50s was OK, but the 90's version someone gave me was horrible. I could never get the blade square to the shoe.
I have a Craftsman sidewinder. I used it once. I'll stick with my Milwaukee. I also have a B&D sidewinder. It worked fine for years.
Cheapie drill bits.
OH, yes, I have a history.Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
Prior to starting my house construction project on the Oregon Coast, my oldest sister held a little 'getting started' party for me, and out of the goodness of her heart, she bought me what she thought was certainly the Top-Of-The-Line 10" portable table saw that I had mentioned to her a couple of months was something I was looking to buy....she bought me a 'Skil'. She wanted me to have only the best!
Well, you can guess what happened. Following my 3rd long 2X ripping, it started making funny noises. Later, the blade developed a nasty wobble, until it got so bad that I could measure the blade play-out with my tape measure. But I didn't want to hurt my sister's feelings and just chuck it..or buy the Makita 10" that I was planning on getting and push her's in the corner.
Fortunately, I'm now finished with my framing and siding, so I don't really need this crappy thing anymore...so I think I'll scrap it, tell my sister that I donated it to some worthy cause, and move my cast iron 10" Delta into the house for my finish work. That way, everyone will be happy!
BruceM
ahh yes, the only thing worse than a junk tool is feeling guilty about wanting smash it.Oregon coast huh? where about? I live in portland but newport is kinna like my home away from home, i have alot of friends that fit into the family bracket out there.______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
Corded B&D 1/2 in. VSR hammer drill; Melted down within about 30 minutes of run time.
McColloch chainsaw; Auto oiler quit for good very quickly. Reservoir leaked oil at seam from day one.
No-name knockoff electric die-grinder; vibrated so bad I couldn't hold it.
Harbor Freight wet grinding wheel; reducing gears shredded on 3rd use.
Did someone say Wagner power painter? Bought one 20 years ago. Vibrated so bad it felt like your arm was going to fall off after 10 minutes. A friend bought one recently, and it was just as bad. I cannot believe they still sell these things. A brush or roller is far less physical effort than that beast.
Not my purchase, but on an hourly job I once did when I was a kid, the HO was "helping out" (read trying to reduce the hours he had to pay me) by doing some of the work himself/with me, and he had proudly bought one of those "power rollers" (maybe Wagner) which consists of a long pole, then a tube connected to a pump, which is then fed into the bucket of paint.
A few minutes into the fun, the tube exploded on him right at the top where the roller connected, and the paint shot out in a million directions. Emptied about half of the bucket, and this was on a new ww carpet (no drops on his side of the project, as he said he didn't need them)
I got my hourly rate cleaning up with him for the rest of the day.
Do they still sell those things? I know there are some pro models which aren't cheapos, but you have to be rolling a football field to make it worth the clean-up.
"Do they still sell those things? I know there are some pro models which aren't cheapos, but you have to be rolling a football field to make it worth the clean-up."
Yeah, I used one of those when I was helping a friend paint.
Requires expensive special roller covers, and a ton of cleanup time. Rolling is so fast as it is. I don't get it. Heck, with painting all the time is in the prep anyways.
Prep, you say? Do you think anyone who buys one of those things thinks "prep" means anything more than laying an old sheet on the floor and turning on the radio?
All time bad choice in a power tool was this "Well drilling rig" that was selling back in the late '70's. The advertisements showed this guy standing out in his yard in a Hawiian flower shirt, sucking on a stoggie, drilling away with a big smile on his face, while his wife watched on eagerly!
The thing was nothing more than a gas powered post hole auger powerhead, adapted to like 1-1/4" drill pipe, 2-3 different bit sections, and you could order as many extension sections as you wanted. I think it was like 5 or 6 hundred bucks at the time. A tidy sum in the seventies! But, compared to having a professionally drilled well, pennies on the dollar!
So UPS shows up with my brandy new, fantastic drilling machine...oh happy day! Get all set up, cold beer on ice, friends and neighbors gather 'round...probably went a whole eight feet before hitting a rock it couldn't get around OR drill through with the diamond bit! What a joke!
Funny thing is one of my buddies which was a witness to this fiasco, insisted that I sell it to him for his property he just purchased in Idaho! Said he had softer ground! LOL
Peace
B&D 1/2 sheet reciprocating sander with a vacuum attachment.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Thanks for this sharing.