i want to buy my first power tools and further my descent to dadness. problem is i don't know what i'm doing nor know anyone that's handy
I have disposable income now and my mom bought her first house. I'm moving out soon and I'd like to make some basic wood furniture. i've got my eyes set on a circular saw and drill but i don't know what to look for
whatever you do, do NOT buy anything from Harbor Freight beside small stuff like gloves & screwdrivers. most of the stuff they sell is shit.
>>961401
Basically false. If it's your full time 40 hour a week trade them stay away but for something thou are going to use hobby level go for it.
>>961395
Cheap and corded. Others may disagree, but you should like you will use it very sparingly.
If you find you love the shit, you can then upgrade to decent cordless drill set and whatever else you may want.
And even then youll have the corded stuff as backup if your batteries are all dead and you need to do something real quick.
If It were me I would go with this (49.99 for 15A made by BD is pretty good)
http://www.lowes.com/pd_525855-79992-PC15TCS_1z0wckf__?productId=50192341&Ns=p_product_price|0&pl=1#img
and something like this (corded with a clutch hard to find nowadays, this is one of the few)
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-5-5-Amp-3-8-in-Variable-Speed-Reversible-Compact-Clutch-Driver-D48CK/205216292
You can probably find a better drill in the same price range, but it wont have the clutch. Depends on how much you value the clutch
>>961404
Their quality control is so atrocious that you are better off buying bottom of the barrel in other stores.
>>961401
>>961404
Don't worry I wasn't planning on buying it Harbor Freight.
>>961411
I was actually looking at the $80 version of that circular saw. What is a clutch and why are they useful? I don't really know what i'm supposed to be comparing or shopping for
>>961434
The clutch is for driving screws to a consistent depth.
Say you are trying to screw a piece of 1/2in plywood onto some 2x4. Your drill can easily drive the screw all the way through the whole sheet of plywood.
The clutch has different tension settings that let the chuck actually slip.
So you can set the tension of your chuck to drive the screw exactly flush on your plywood, and then the chuck slips so it no longer drives it any further.
You then can go and quickly drive 20 screws exactly where you want them without thinking about it.
You can do it without a clutch, but you have to pay attention to not go too far. Its really handy at times.
And of course you can turn the clutch off and it will be in drill mode again with no slippage.
nothing wrong with Harbor Freight; most are just fine as long as you know its limitations and use the right tool
have multiple tools from them and they'll all have done fine thus far
>>961483
got saw from harbor freight
left it in car for a couple weeks
mfw its rusted
>like to make some basic wood furniture
Table saw.
Every woodworker I've ever seen build anything decent uses this as their main tool.
Unless they're going for unpowered hand tools only.
>>961515
you're gonna have to be more specific
>>961483
i got the HF buffer a couple weeks ago and already put it through quite a heavy test, including putting a 6" wire wheel on it for a number of jobs. no signs of wearing out just yet
>>961521
Dont cheap out on a table saw.
I did, and I regret it. Im saving up for a decent one.
>>961483
We had a little HF compressor. It still worked when we chucked it. The pressure gage broke after a week (one of the pipes cracked), the spring inside the air blower attachment broke so we had to replace it (trigger would depress but not return so the air would leak out), the hose kinked if you looked at it funny, it made as much noise as jet engine, took forever to build up any pressure and it leaked like a sieve, but it did still work. Boss bought it for us and had us use it for 6 months, all the while us complaining what a turd it was. Finally the fucker had to use it himself for a week when we had some staff take vacation at the same time. When we came back it was replaced. Funny that.
Other experience I have with HF stuff:
Free screwdrivers: handles broke off the shafts.
Free multimeter: fuse blew first time when trying to check the voltage of an outlet.
Free LED flashlight: rolled off kitchen counter and dropped 3 feet up onto wood floor, plastic shell exploded, found pieces on top of my refrigerator weeks later.
Opened ended wrench set: 3 of 9 have had jaws break off under normal load.
Plastic clamp, +2 warranty replacements: all flexed to shit under normal load, all broke within a week of daily use. Didn't bother returning the third one.
Wire wheels: Last about half as long as 'quality' wire wheels doing the same tasks but still a good deal.
Dremel knock off: loud as fuck, gets hot as fuck, accessories garbage. Still have it but replaced it with a used Dremel 100 I got for $3 at a thrift store that is x100 times better and I don't need earplugs to operate.
Plastic tarp: Placed it over bicycle in moderate winds, came out 3 hours later and it had torn itself apart.
Adjustable wrench: truly the worst tool I have ever seen. The inherent sloppiness of an adjustable wrench plus the terrible quality control made it unusable.
>>961528
>>961529
>>961530
>>961528
used the 8 gallon compressor for quite a while and didn't have any issues with it...
the freebies are cheap, but they've worked as expected when used and treated properly
>>961528
Their whole line of Taiwanese ratchets and impact sockets are steals.
You cant beat their woodworking clamps for the price.
And while I agree their adjustable wrenches are pretty horrid, I have their 18 incher and it is been alright for what it is.
You have to really pick and choose what you buy. You can find some OK stuff there.
Look at their Predator motors, they are amazing value.
I refuse to buy any power tools though.
I bought their welding helmet, and a grinder.
The helmet was hit and miss, kept getting flashed. The grinder spindle lock broke the first time I used it, and then it actually started smoking with less than 20 minutes of use.
I returned the small benchtop drill press because of how completely shit it was.
At least they have a return policy that fits their tools.
>>961541
and don't forget the earthquakes
I love HF but that's because I'm a stay at home wife who does DIY projects around the house and rehabs furniture. My favorite thing from HF is their pneumatic air gun. I use the shit out of that and it's held up beautifully.
>>961531
>hammering screws into drywall with shoe
gets me everytime
>>961547
Harbor Frieght can be good for a ton of things. Here's my experience:
Pancake air compressor - Been running fine for a few years. I only use it for filling tires and my brad/staple gun. Loud as fuck but I've replaced the hose with a craftsman all rubber one. The coil ones suck.
Brad/staple gun - works fine but I can't seem to adjust it so that it doesn't sink them way too deep. Also leaves two impressions when only driving brads. Not a big deal for the stuff I do.
Grinder - Mine's been indestructible. Grind for hours on fiberglass. Left out barely covered for a whole winter. Still works fine. When it dies I'll just get another. I don't use it often enough to justify a pricey one.
Bar clamps - Really fucking good for the price. Why pay $20 at the box store when you can get one at HB that does the same job for $6. Every time I'm in the town nearby that has HB I stop in just to pick up a couple more clamps. MOAR CLAMPS!
Disposables - Flap disks, dremel bits and other stuff that is disposable are pretty good deals.
Even their crappy $2 plastic caliper has been useful. I'm not machining anything so I don't need super accuracy. Still measures inside, outside and depth just fine. Their casters and wheels work as good as I need.
I've been looking for a tool box and I have to say that HB has way better construction than some of the crap craftsman is trying to sell.
>>961523
Did they put buffing wheels on it to skirt grinder safety laws?
Because arent you forced to have guards on your grinders?
>>961442
Pure myth. Even the best cordless drills will never result in a completely equal depth because they don't have the ability account for wood grain and knots.
If anything a closer description would be the clutch is used to prevent over tightening.
That said I always have my drill on screw/driver mode rather than drill. This will prevent broken drill bits and sprained wrists if you get a catch when drilling metals.
>>961395
>descent to dadness
>mom bought her first house. I'm moving out
>i don't know what i'm doing nor know anyone that's handy
>basic wood furniture
> i've got my eyes set
>i don't know what to look for
So much kek in one post
>>961851
>I like my cheap noisy compressor. I get used to the noise because the receiver holds hardly any air so it's constantly running because my harbour freight nail gun blows off more air than it uses
>my Brad staple gun really struggles in hardwood and only barely sinks the nails enough, I don't think my compressor can really cope with it though, the nail gun us fine
>I've never used my grinder on anything it would be commonly used for, like metal but it's rusted up to Fuck and still going anyway. I might use it some time to make a bigger receiver out of a gas bottle.
>I can't afford bessey clamps
>I can't afford bits worth sharpening or that last long enough to warrant the cost
>accuracy isn't that important when making pallet wood crates for imitation crab meat
![$_1[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/lZugMGf.jpg "$_1[1].jpg")
>>961914
>That said I always have my drill on screw/driver mode rather than drill.
Buddy of my Dad is a carpenter, and about 20 years older than me, and I had him out building a fence with me for beer. I like old tools so I have this old Thor corded drill, similar pic from google, that we are using to drive the screws. Dude doesn't even know how to hold it, tries to use his index finger on the trigger. Keeps twisting the heads off the screws or burying them because it has one speed and no clutch. We're working on the gate and he is driving bolts into the 4x4 for the hinges. He is holding the drill with both hands, has it pinned to his chest and is leaning into it like hes walking into a gale. I tell him like 3 times you are doing it wrong, let the fucking drill do the work but he knows better than me cause hes been doing this for 3 years, blah blah blah. Turn my back for 3 seconds and his ass is on the ground because he bottomed out a bolt and didn't release the trigger. That drill was gonna keep on driving and either the 4x4 set in concrete was gonna spin or he was. His wrist looked like an eggplant the next day.
>>961926
>for 3 years
Should be 30 years.
>>961914
Sure there is some variances, but it gets them very close and you will never overdrive your screws.
Its not for ultra high accuracy, its for speed and convenience, even if you have to go back and slightly drive a few screws to get them where you want them.
>>961926
Drill designs have changed to where you cant choke up on the drills anymore.
You have to use it pistol grip
>>961528
>reciprocating hydraulic miter clamp
Oh kekkles.
>>961401
False, you can buy their angle grinders, most people I know including myself are hell bent on trying to kill one of the lower end (10$) small angle grinders they have.
>>962077
Their angle grinders are awful
for just starting out i would recommend getting the basic power tool kit. all brands make them and they usually come with a drill, skilsaw, Sawzall, and flashlight i think for around 100 usd. then as you either do more and more stuff you can upgrade individual pieces or you can stick with what you got. also getting basic tools is a must. shit like hammers, screwdrivers, drill bits, etc.
>>961541
I am in Taiwan right now. Haven't been paying too much attention to job sites but every time I walk past a storefront being renovated, the on-site table saw is home made. I saw one the other day driven by what appeared to be a small moped chain.
>>961530
lost at the noise and fume generator
>>962079
Not the other guy but some of the longest lasting grinders I have used are cheap shit chinese ones.
All the modern new ergonomic, soft start, throttle modulation, electric brake, etc. etc. tend to shit themselves after a bit of use.
>>962235
At least they try
In the west indies carpenters love nothing more than a dead power saw as it gives them an excuse to use the hand saw which means an extra week on the job.
