Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with PowerTools

One Battery, Multiple Tools

sjuhawk31 — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:14:39 -0800

One battery, multiple tools: for what line of power tools did I see a commercial that featured one battery that you could switch out between the tools? Two that stick out in my mind are a mower and a screw gun.

Bonus questions: has anyone used this series of tools or something like it? How well do they work?

Are Table Saws Safe Yet?

GregX3 — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:26:45 -0800

A few years ago I saw a video where someone made a table saw technology where if the blade touches your skin it stops immediately and all you get is a knick on your finger. I was curious if this is being built into table saws yet? And if not why isn't it? It would be top on my list of features when I buy one since anything that can cut off my hand scares me.

And on the 7th day, he finished the kitchen

M.C. Lo-Carb! — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 08:06:25 -0800

What time is it ok to use a power saw in the driveway on Sunday morning? So my wife and I are in the middle of a home improvement project that has, of course, run way beyond its budgeted amount of: 1.) trips to Home Despot; 2.) money; and most importantly, 3.) time.

I can finish it today, if I get some cabinets built this morning. It's 9:00 now, and I'm thinking of firing up the power tools. We live in an older, close-in neighborhood of our city.

Is there a generally-accepted appropriate time to make noise like that on a Sunday morning? Will I incur the wrath of my neighbors? Will I ruin Sunday morning newspaper-reading or other rituals?

Help me maintain 2 wooded acres. Please.

JMOZ — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:26:52 -0800

We just bought a house on 2 acres of wooded land. I need help with leaf management (fall is coming soon!) and path/trail maintenance. More specifically, I think I want suggestions for leaf blowers and string trimmers/brushcutters. My wife and I have bought a house, and we love it. The lot is very wooded (yet is near work, shopping, etc.) I just need to learn how to manage the outside most effectively. I've looked around on google, but it's hard to separate good content form crap. Basically, there are 2 main issues:

1) We have a path/trail which goes from the back of our house to the stream. It isn't terribly long, but tall grasses/weeds want to overgrow it. In some places, there are thin bushes, as well. I did a bit of preliminary work with a machete, but that doesn't work well for the grasses or weeks. I think I need a (gas-powered) string trimmer with a brushcutter attachment for the heavier bushes. Anyone have recommendations for equipment or alternative approaches?

2) Fall is coming, and all these trees will be dropping tons of leaves. I'm pretty sure I'm well outside of what I could possibly rake. Also, we have a crushed stone driveway, so a rake isn't likely to work very well. Any suggestions in what leaf blower to buy? We'd like something reliable, and since we're going to clear a decent bit of land, I think I want a backpack rather than handheld.

In recommending tools, etc, I have a preference for left-handed friendly, but really, reliability/quality and performance/effectiveness are key. Many thanks!

Replacement parts for an old Craftsman saw?

middleclasstool — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:54:37 -0800

Where can I get replacement parts for an old Craftsman radial arm saw? I just recently bought an old Sears Craftsman Accra-Arm 10" radial arm saw at an estate sale.

It.

Is.

Beautiful.

But I didn't realize until I got it home and took the saw off the arm that at least two parts have become brittle and broken up and need replacement, specifically the left-hand and right-hand ball retainers. Sears' parts ordering site gave me false hopes, as it not only had the saw and a list of parts, but even exploded diagrams of the saw so I could visually identify what I needed. Sweet!

Except not so sweet. When I added the ball retainers to my shopping cart, it informed me that they no longer carry these parts. So I may very well be stuck with a saw that I can't use now, which makes me sad. I had real need of one of these, and doof that I am, I even reorganized my garage completely to give the saw a place of prominence. Imagine my current state of disappointment.

I know sometimes there are shops that specialize in carrying old out-of-date parts, or at least forums where you can contact people and see if they've got old junkers that they'd be willing to sell you for parts. Do any of you know of any good resources for locating old Craftsman tool parts?

The model number is 113.29003, by the way.

Make my hole bigger!

Mach5 — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 18:20:59 -0800

How do I make a deadbolt hole in a door wider? I bought a brand new fancy expensive deadbolt lock for my new apartment, a Medeco Maxum to be exact. The problem is, the old hole for an old deadbolt which I never had the key for is 1/2" too small for the new mechanism. I have a semi-powerful cordless drill, and the appropriate hole bits to drill out the lock, but I cant get any sort of leverage or pull to be able to drill through the wood sandwiched on either side with metal. The drill bit is for metal/wood and is similar to this, where there is a large hole bit, and a smaller bit inside to initially drill and pull the rest of the bit through the wall straight.

Now I ask you, metafilter, what's the best way to widen this hole? My ideas thus far have been:
- Fill the hole with bondo or similar and see if I can drill it out like that.
- Screw a bit of wood in a T shape with the bottom of the T going through the hole, and then nail/screwing the top of the T to the outside of the door and drilling into that.

Thats all I got. Is there a better/proven way to do this? Should I fill and forget about this old hole? There's already a second lock, and a doorknob, and the old deadbolt is in a good place, anywhere else and it would be awkward.

Charger specs for cordless screwdriver?

TeamBilly — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 10:38:38 -0800

Power-tool help: The people at Black and Decker are behaving like...well...tools... I have a 3.6V Pivot Driver (model 9078) which I have lost the charger for. I have spent a great deal of time on their website, which then directs me to ServiceNet for looking up the specs on the charger. Why? Because I own several universal AC adapters and should be able to charge it with one of them.

However, the models of chargers specified on the tool label (418337-07 or 5100684-03) are not listed in the documents anywhere. The manual for the 9078 doesn't give the amperage and voltage specs for the charger. Googling those model numbers did not produce any results, either.

Calls to any of the toll-free numbers on the websites result in a recording which says, "None of our agents are available, please call later."

Does anyone have the same unit? Can you look at your charger and tell me what the output is? Or, answer me this - if I get CLOSE on voltage and amperage, what potential damage am I looking at or will it matter?

powertool review sites, please

Chrischris — Sun, 22 Jan 2006 18:26:52 -0800

Power tool reviews. I'm in the market for some power tools, but I can't seem to find a decent review site to help me decide... I'm looking to pick up a couple of power tools: specifically a pancake air compressor for some roofing and interior trim work, a 10 or 12 inch miter saw and perhaps a decent router. Problem is, everything I pull up on Google leads me either to Epinions or some other not particularily comprehensive review site. Any favorite power tool review sites out there?

Tools for making interior cuts in thick stacks of paper or wood laminates?

weston — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 12:36:05 -0800

Cutting Tools: I want to cut shapes out of thick stacks of paper and maybe wood laminates. Easy enough, right? Except I want to be able to do cuts that only go from one point in the interior to another point in the interior -- cuts that don't go all the way across or otherwise break the edge. Are there good choices for tools? I tried just being patient with a box cutter and sharp razor blades, but that takes longer than I want to spend and really taxes the wrist. I tried a Dremel and had some limited success, but burnt out a motor (and some of the material). I've eyed some of the circular saws, but think the relatively wide diameters are going to mean I'm not going to be able to get uniform cut-lengths over the various depths (which are probably going to be at least 1/2" and possibly up to 2"). I can't start cutting in the center of the material with a jigsaw.

It's possible I used the wrong attachment for the Dremel or just abused it -- I'm new to them and an amateur with these kinds of tools in general, and picked out the "Carbide Cutting/Shaping Wheel" and a diamond abrasion/cutting tool. I'd be open to suggestions there.

But mostly I'm wondering if there's better tools out there. Bonus points for affordability and portability (full CNC machines are probably out).

How to drill holes in glass without breakage

artifarce — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 20:16:51 -0800

Drilling holes in glass blocks without breakage: Looking for tips (and anecdotes about diamond drill bits) to stop burning (drilling?) through other people's money. I'm drilling 1/2" holes in glass blocks (the kind used in showers) with a bit specially made for glass and tile. Previously (when the weather was warm) I drilled maybe 30 or 40, had about 15% break, now I'm drilling in cold weather (once with cold blocks, the other with them at room temp), and the breakage is doubled. It's to the point where I'm afraid to start another because I don't want to break someone's $4-5 block.

The bit gets dull really fast (seems to be 5-12 blocks), and I suspect a block breaks when the bit is too dull, but the bit is also $12-15.

I read a little about diamond bits, which are flat cylinders (the one I'm using is an arrowhead shape), and one was advertised to cause less breakage (if any) and to be usable for ~200 drillings.

The glass I'm drilling is about 1/2" thick, and the box usually seems to break about halfway through (i.e., the bit's tip hasn't broken through the surface yet; the speed picks up after that happens).

Need more power!

jdroth — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 10:22:00 -0800

I need to stock a home workshop. What basic power tools should I acquire? Which tools aren't really needed? What about good books on maintaining and improving an older home? [more inside] So, we bought the house mentioned in this earlier thread. Now we're moving from a 1976 ranch style house requiring almost no maintenance to a large farmhouse built in 1903 (now in the middle of the city) on three-quarters of an acre. (Because I'm proud of the place, more info here and here.)

What sort of equipment am I going to need to care for this beast?

The new house includes a nice workshop (formerly a small horse barn) with benches, etc., but I have nearly no tools. I own a cheap drill, that's it. What power tools should a person have in order to care for an older home? Are there good books on the subject?

I'm also interested in learning woodworking as a hobby (though this may change once I actually undertake a project or two). I want tools, etc. that will allow me to build my own bookshelves, for example.

Any help would be appreciated.