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Tools Explained




DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching wood stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, 'Oh sh--!'

SKILL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle... It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good wood into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms.

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

UTILITY KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, and hands, but only while in use.

SON-OF-A-B*TCH TOOL: (A personal favorite!!) Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling 'Son of a B*TCH!' at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need. Hope you found this informative.

Pretty much common knowledge that the drill press is the most dangerous machine tool in the shop. It looks innocuous but really has a bite. Told a long haired dope smoke infested hippy in the shop to tie up his long hair when working on the drill press. He gave me some wise-ass answer. Managed to get his hair wound up in the drill, pulling a good portion of his scalp off before another employee could run over and turn it off. They sutured his scalp back on.

I use a Milwaukee compound miter saw. No bells or whistles, just plain old guts.
I don't know about a bench top drill press. Bought a Delta for my FIL. He likes it but I think it's just too small and too "light" for what I do.

I use Dewalt miter saws with no problems.

I also have a benchtop Craftsman drill press that has been good. I don't do anything real heavy duty with it though.

Jet and Delta are also very high quality tools.

I received a lesson in geography when I bought a new Milwaukee roto hammer, imagine my surprise when I found that they moved Milwaukee from Wisconsin to China!

Same with a DeWalt 1/2" hand drill - made in China.

Bought a few DoAll machines a few years ago, a 1.5" drill press and a 9"x16" cut off saw, at least they were made in Portugal.

Used a lot of Porter Cable tools, but that brand was sold so many times to various manufacturers, like Delta, Rockwell, Pentair, most recently to Stanley Black and Decker, that any of the original quality would be accidental. In fact SB&D has been eliminating many of the tools Porter Cable was famous for. Bet the remaining tools are made in China too.

Many of those brand names are rebranded Chinese stuff, if you want a tool check the Northern Tool catalog. I did buy a Jet metal lathe that was pretty good, could single point 1.5"x12 threads reliably.

About the only thing not made in China today are fortune cookies, they are still made in the USA.

A decent tool at a great price, especially when they put it on sale: Hitachi at Amazon

I have an old Milwaukee that has always worked just fine, but they don't make them like that anymore.

The Makita is very nice. I have their LS1214, which is the 12" sliding compound model. Awesome!

I don't know, you should have seen the number I did on my kneecap with a chainsaw... Still pops when I squat, 16 years later.

True but not necessarily rebadged but built to specs.
The Milwaukee sawzall is still made in the USA, even their cordless one.
I almost cried when the set of Irwin cobalt bits I bought said they were made in China too.

Miter saw: a slider type will greatly increase the ability to cut wider boards. I have a 10" non-slider and I've often wished I'd spent the money for the slider. It'll handle a 4x4 or 2x6, but I often have need for wider cuts. Even a 12" non-slider is better than the 10" if you routinely cut anything bigger than a 2x6.

bench drill press: I have one. The biggest limitation is the short throw on the spindle. Also look at the bottom of the table. I happen to have a Craftsman. The table is cast iron but it has strengthening ribs underneath. Those ribs make it VERY hard to put a clamp on the work which is essential much of the time.

Thought I'd add that my drill press is a Craftsman stationary unit that my dad bought used in the 50's. After he passed, I inherited it. When it came time to move it I had to separate it into three pieces, the head, the shaft, and the base. It took both my buddy and I together to carry each piece up to my truck. Once in place this thing doesn't go anywhere. Doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the new ones but I haven't found anything it can't handle (yet).
You might want to look for a used stationary drill press. Still plenty around and I know mine wasn't made in no stinkin China.

I'm partial to anything with Milwaukee on it.