thought this post would be suitable here.

Extracting a broken bolt w/o damaging the threads.

Long story short, lost the old one, bought the new one, found the old one first thing the next morning... still prefer the old one

All my jacks have the oil changed. This 2.25 ton trolley jack is what I will be carrying in my Ridgeline bed trunk. I hate scissor jacks. The block of wood is needed for additional height.

Here are my other threads of changing jack oil in my two larger Craftsman floor jacks.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tools/comments/1w39kf9/changed_jack_oil_on_my_other_craftsman_4_ton_jack/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tools/comments/1w2e9ad/changed_craftsman_jack_oil/

Not going to lie, I thought it would be like every single brand of mini toolboxes. Was very impressed with the variety of addons / quality for the price (about $25 after tax each).

Each one includes foam drawer liners / toppers. Cabinets include adjustable shelves. Drawers have legit ball bearing slides.

I started labeling but haven’t gotten finished cutting them out / placing them.

I was in the market for a high output compressor for a while before I realized that an engine-driven compressor was a perfect fit for my needs: outdoor use, high CFM, no three-phase power.

Then providence smiled on me and I managed to find this beast: a Champion R15 two-stage compressor with a Kohler 14HP engine. And the previous owner had already put it on a rolling cart. (This form factor is usually mounted in a truck bed.)

I got it for $300, which is almost ridiculously cheap---usually engine compressors in this class go for $1k and above. Engine runs great, compressor compresses, pilot valve works. So far, so good!

First order of business was making sure it didn't take off any of my fingers, so I threw together a belt guard from some drops. I took a flier on a surplus Norgren 5-micron filter/regulator for it; we'll see how that goes when I install it.

Meanwhile, media blasting just got a whole lot more fun...

I bought it 20 years ago, I love it.

I do a lot of scale model work for ride prototypes and I keep running into the same annoyance with small brass rod, usually in the 1/16 to 3/32 range. Every cutting method I've tried either leaves a mashed flat spot on the end or sends the piece flying across the room. Diagonals crush it. A hacksaw works but leaves a burr that takes forever to file down at this scale, and I've already lost a few pieces to the carpet monster while trying to clean up the ends. I tried a Dremel cutoff wheel but the heat discolors the brass and the wheel grabs if I'm not perfectly square. I ended up buying a small tubing cutter meant for brake lines and it does okay on the larger stuff but skips and spirals on anything under 3/32.

The hardware on my models needs to look finished, not like I bit through it with my teeth, so there has to be a cleaner solution somewhere. Is there a specific tool or technique that gives a clean cut on small brass without the deformation? I've considered making a small jig to hold a razor saw square to the work but wanted to see what actually works for people before I build something I might not need.

I commonly use needle nose locking pliers for removing screws with stripped heads. It would work so much better if they had teeth on the tip at 90° to where they normally are so the pliers could be used vertically and grip the head better with less damage to the workpiece (yeah, I know that isn't really a concern with these crappy deck boards but I don't always work with such degraded stuff). Anyone know of any such tool?

Spent years using a bargain-bin adjustable wrench for everything in the garage. worked until it didn't. rounded a bolt head on a small engine project and scraped my knuckle when the jaws slipped under torque. Finally stepped up to a proper combo wrench set with decent chrome finish. jaws stay put when I'm breaking something loose instead of creeping open mid-turn. night and day difference on anything that actually needs torque. Not saying you need a wall of chrome. just that the cheap stuff costs you skin and bolt heads eventually. What's the one tool in your box you wish you'd upgraded sooner?

Parts.Cat.com

Use shoptool20 for promo code at checkout for 20% off

Use online25 for first time purchase after signing up.

Prepared my cart with 1/4 sockets for the 20% off sale and wondered if there will be an upcoming labor day sale for caterpillar branded tools. Last year the code was LABOR30 for 30% off starting the friday before and through Labor day. Price in photo reflects the 25% discount.

Also found a 25% off 1st purchase code too, see above. Then there is a 40% off event for black friday and cyber monday that hopefully returns too. Probably I will just wait till the holidays because Im cheap and maximize value to stretch the dollar. I don't use tools for a living, but I use tools for my vehicles and projects and love quality tools.

Either way, for the USA made items, its a good price even at regular price for Williams sockets and yellow handled snap on pliers.

Some issues I see is that the sockets are not a master set size for 1/2 or 3/8, 1/4 is acceptable for my use, options for 6 point is not complete such as the 1/2 metric and 1/4 SAE, and your location can vary on what promos are accepted. You need to pair the website with the catalog because the search function is lacking and the item details even on the catalog is vague. I went through and searched by item number and saved to favorites for these events.

Hopefully this helps some 🍻

I'm looking to upgrade from my basic Ryobi tools I've had for 10 years as the batteries are all starting to go and some tools are broken.

Mainly home DIY and I want to get into some wood working in my garage, I've built decks, planters, fence etc.

I'm on the east coast of Canada, most tools are mainly at the big box stores.

I'm between Bosch & Makita tools right now, both the 18v lines.

Would be looking for the following to build out:

Brushless drill & Impact driver

Brushless circular saw

Hand Router

Orbital Sander

Recip saw

18 gauge brad nailer.

I like that the Bosch system is getting some good development and new tools, but their local network to buy things is slim to none.

Makita has a better local presence being at all the big box stores. But seems to be focusing more on 40V and not on their 18v system.

Anyone with more experience than I do can make a recommendations on these?

I’m not sure if this is the place to post this but my dad passed away and had this exhaust pipe bender, I am not sure the brand as it is 2 states away and I have not been able to fully examine it yet but we were likely going to sell. Does anyone have a ballpark for what this thing is worth? The shop he worked for said they would buy it but I want to make a fair offer. The only thing I know about it is that it is probably 20+ years old but the tag is not really showing much legible information (it’s also upside down in the picture I got). Thanks in advance

First time posting so sorry if this is the wrong place to ask. Ive had this compass for over 15 years and the part with the lead has started to get loose. It keeps wanting to slide down.

Does anyone know how to fix it or know what kind of screw this is?

These are my tools that stay with the car all the time. I have tons of tools - plumbing, electrical, powertools etc in my workshop.

I just need to have on the go bag that i can do basics when something goes wrong - long distance roadtrips etc.

Have to buy new multimeter as my display cracked

Bottle jack and lug wrench are in the car as well as a milwaukee multibit screwdriver

I picked up this older Bosch Boschhammer rotary/demolition hammer and I’m having trouble getting the bit out.
The chuck/release sleeve slides back like it’s supposed to, and when I pull it back I can see what looks like the retaining/locking piece through the opening in the chuck. However, the bit still won’t come out at all.
I’ve tried pushing the bit inward first, pulling the release sleeve all the way back, and twisting/wiggling the bit while pulling. It still seems completely locked in.
I also exposed the front of the chuck and can see the retaining/snap ring shown in the pictures. Before I start taking the chuck apart, does anyone familiar with these older Boschhammers know:
Am I operating the release correctly?
Is there a trick to freeing a bit when the retainer is seized?
Should I remove the snap ring and disassemble/clean the chuck?
Is there something else that needs to move or be pressed to release the bit?
I don’t know the exact model because the label is pretty worn off. I’ve included pictures of the whole hammer, chuck, release sleeve pulled back, and retaining ring.
Any advice from someone familiar with these older Bosch SDS/Spline-style hammers would be appreciated.

If I’m being honest, really excited for this amazing deal I hopped on through my school discount. I’m in tech school to be a diesel tech (heavy equipment side) and though I have a 3/8 and 1/2 split beam, I’ve always borrowed my master techs 1/2 snap on digital, it does the torque angles which we do a lot of and it goes to 300 instead of 250 and all yall know we need that extra 50 if we can.

Skipping ahead, I was looking through snap on tools, and saw this discount. The reason I’m sharing this is because I always swore I wouldn’t buy anything snap on, but being in the shop I realized there are some things you can’t cut corners on, that being precision tools and your impacts. So I asked for a quote, my school handles our quotes so they emailed me back and said the 3pc Torque wrench set would be $1595 after tax, so I did it.

I feel like that is beyond a bargain and wanted to share it, so if you guys agree any other students can see this and maybe invest in this deal like I did.

I will update yall when they come in and I’ll make a little unboxing if you guys would like on each torque wrench?

i recently bought this polishing machine and i cant seem to find any manual or other info on it.

mostly looking for it because i need to do some refurbishment and id like to know the specs of the original belts and electrical work (mostly converting it back to its full power) so i dont fuck anything up.

id also love some wisdom on how best to wire in safety switches as id like to have some foot operated ones (i had a colluege who got stuck and he got off unscathed due to these)

ps. dont worry im a trained profesional and have a lot of experience using this type of machine

Working in dark crawlspaces, drop ceilings, or behind server racks always turns into a mess of biting mini flashlights or blinding coworkers with a headlamp. Curious how other guys working in tight/dark spots manage their gear lighting without constantly fumbling around. Is it just me, or do most tool pouches completely ignore lighting?

I've been using this end nipper to remove rivets from medieval armor for 7+ years ... UNFORUNATELY... as you might have noticed I bent the handles ... it is no longer functional. Or it wont be for very long!

I need help finding this tool! You will notice that it HAS NO BEVEL! Which makes it perfect for getting under the edges of domed peened rivets. These days I use this tool to mash the edges of the domed rivet up enough so I can get a bolt cutter underneath then use the big bolt cutter to finish the rivet removal. Mostly, I remove aluminum aircraft solid domed rivets, BUT I also remove: steel, hardened steel, brass, copper, and stainless rivets. The tool has to be HARD and have good cutting force.

Originally, this end nipper's jaws DID NOT COME TOGETHER! There was a 2 or 3mm gap between the cutting jaws. I filed down the tool stops so the jaws closed.

I have now contacted: Knipex, Klien (no csr support to help me), Wiha, Grainger, and Mcmaster Car.

The closest the Grainger guy "Will" told me was to get an end nipper with the correct profile and GRIND DOWN the bevels till I have a flush mount NON-BEVELED end nipper.

All help and suggestions are welcome.

I CANNOT drill or grind down the rivets. They are often attached to leather and plastic so the heat caused by friction damages the material which is not acceptable.

https://imgur.com/a/2cyf0pV

Battery shows fully charged but the safety disconnect melted when I was jumping another battery off. Could I fix it or just junk it ? It’s only about 6 months old.

So I keep using compressed air especially for working on cars and PC but I hate having to keep buying more. Also for PC work the chemicals inside the compressed air can sometimes be dangerous if they get on components.

So im looking into electric compressed air options and it seems wolfbox and another brand (forgot its name) keep winning but they both a fatal flaw: they dont have nozzles anywhere near as thin as the ones that come with compressed air cans. Which is a BIG deal for me since I need to fit into insanely small crevices sometimes.

Do they actually make near straw thin nozzles for electric air dusters? Or im out of luck.

Or HOTO S-A01, Miniware ES15, or…?

There are so many mini drivers, how can one choose what to get? I have a trusty Milwaukee 12V drill for everything furniture, woodworking, appliances, etc. but for fixing kids toys, 3d printer stuff, and occasional electronics, what’s the best tool for saving time saving hand fatigue?