I came accros a posting of a Harbor Freight slot cutter the other day
and now I can' find it. I wonder if it was on this group? It was
something about the Central Machine unit being a fair cutter. I wonder
if anyone has any comments on their better unit? I had been looking
for one on E-Bay and those guys are nuts. The Makita and Porter-Cable
units are selling for almost the new price.

BT98 wrote:
I came accros a posting of a Harbor Freight slot cutter the other day
and now I can' find it. I wonder if it was on this group? It was
something about the Central Machine unit being a fair cutter. I wonder
if anyone has any comments on their better unit? I had been looking
for one on E-Bay and those guys are nuts. The Makita and Porter-Cable
units are selling for almost the new price.

I seem to recall people over the years saying the HF biscuit jointer (I
assume that's what you are talking about) is crap.

Personally, I'd do without one until I saved up the money to get a good
one (that's what I did). You can do glue ups without one, it just takes
longer. I don't think a poor quality one (like HF) is going to save you
much time.

On 30 Mar 2006 06:48:22 -0800, "BT98" wrote:

I came accros a posting of a Harbor Freight slot cutter the other day
and now I can' find it. I wonder if it was on this group? It was
something about the Central Machine unit being a fair cutter. I wonder
if anyone has any comments on their better unit? I had been looking
for one on E-Bay and those guys are nuts. The Makita and Porter-Cable
units are selling for almost the new price.

I started out with the HF (Central) biscuit jointer, if that's what you mean...

It worked well enough to learn on and made me forget dowels forever...
When I had the right project to justify the cost, I bought the Craftsman
(DeWalt) model and couldn't BELIEVE the increased accuracy and ease of use..

That said, I got the HF one on sale for $19.95 and it was sort of an "offer I
couldn't refuse.. one of my kids has it now and uses it once in a while..
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

Why torture yourself with crappy HF China-made tools? Lamello is the
best and very expensive. A good value is the Porter Cable 557, lists
about $200.

On 30 Mar 2006 06:48:22 -0800, "BT98" wrote:

I came accros a posting of a Harbor Freight slot cutter the other day
and now I can' find it. I wonder if it was on this group? It was
something about the Central Machine unit being a fair cutter. I wonder
if anyone has any comments on their better unit? I had been looking
for one on E-Bay and those guys are nuts. The Makita and Porter-Cable
units are selling for almost the new price.

Phisherman wrote:

Second that. HF bisquit jointer is crap. Porter Cable 557 is probably a best
buy. I did own that HF thing that I bought on sale and it's not worth even
that sale price. So it ended up in my trash bin. And I'm very happy with
Porter Cable, it is very good machine.

Why torture yourself with crappy HF China-made tools? Lamello is the
best and very expensive. A good value is the Porter Cable 557, lists
about $200.

On 30 Mar 2006 06:48:22 -0800, "BT98" wrote:

I came accros a posting of a Harbor Freight slot cutter the other day
and now I can' find it. I wonder if it was on this group? It was
something about the Central Machine unit being a fair cutter. I wonder
if anyone has any comments on their better unit? I had been looking
for one on E-Bay and those guys are nuts. The Makita and Porter-Cable
units are selling for almost the new price.


---
************************************************** ****************
* KSI@home KOI8 Net The impossible we do immediately. *
* Las Vegas NV, USA Miracles require 24-hour notice. *
************************************************** ****************

"BT98" wrote in message
oups.com...
I came accros a posting of a Harbor Freight slot cutter the other day
and now I can' find it. I wonder if it was on this group? It was
something about the Central Machine unit being a fair cutter. I wonder
if anyone has any comments on their better unit? I had been looking
for one on E-Bay and those guys are nuts. The Makita and Porter-Cable
units are selling for almost the new price.

I have no sympathy for those who toss money away in the local Harbor Fright.
If you use it with any frequency or have a desire for accuracy, by the
Porter Cable. Its a good value for the money.

Dave



Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
----------------------------------------------------------
** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.usenet.com

I believe I own the biscut joiner you are talking about. It's a Dewalt
knockoff. I'd buy it again any day. The only issue I have with it is
that it probably has a bit more runnout than the better machines. But
in form and function it's the same as the Dewalt at a 1/3 of the price.
I'm just a hobbiest, so I don't use it a ton. But it's got plenty of
power (whips through white oak) and does the job. The slots are
probably a bit more sloppy than the machines with less runnout, but
it's not a probem. The biscuts swell in just fine. Go for it


BT98 wrote:
I came accros a posting of a Harbor Freight slot cutter the other day
and now I can' find it. I wonder if it was on this group? It was
something about the Central Machine unit being a fair cutter. I wonder
if anyone has any comments on their better unit? I had been looking
for one on E-Bay and those guys are nuts. The Makita and Porter-Cable
units are selling for almost the new price.

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 16:15:55 GMT, Phisherman wrote:

Why torture yourself with crappy HF China-made tools? Lamello is the
best and very expensive. A good value is the Porter Cable 557, lists
about $200.


I guess it depends on your budget, and your definition of torture.. *g*

I wanted the Dewalt for $140 but couldn't justify/afford it and wasn't sure that
it would help my woodworking..

With a $20 investment I found out that I did want a biscuit joiner and that I'd
put it on my wish list..

IMHO, the HF one is a great deal for $20 because it does work... just a matter
of how well and how long.. *g*

I've been trying to kill my $15 HF recip saw for 3 years now.. it just won't
die.. (It's happier now, since I got a chain saw, though)

Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

I've heard a lot of HF bashing and was just wondering...
Is there anything they sell that *is* worth buying?
Or are they just best avoided altogether?

dcm

Devon Miller wrote:
I've heard a lot of HF bashing and was just wondering...
Is there anything they sell that *is* worth buying?
Or are they just best avoided altogether?

I have only limited experience with HF. Not any that is good.

However, others have bought the same item I did without any problems,
according to their responses here.

I bought 12 of the 3/4" pipe clamp parts they recently had on sale. So
far (on the 6th, now--doing this on an as needed basis) I've had to
retap the threading on every one of them before it would go on the
(black) pipe. And if you look inside at the threading, you see that
they were cast into the clamp, that there is a seam from the pattern,
that they are not always correctly registered, and there even seems to
be some variance to the depth and/or width of the threads moving from
the inner part of the clamp to the outer (that have nothing in common
with NPT thread specs.)

I didn't have a tap for this job before I made the purchase, and had to
delay using them while waiting for the tap--having to tap them at all is
a job I don't enjoy.

One of the clamps I've unpacked so far also had a split casting... so
it's possible they were also tapped after the casting to "clean up" the
threads. This would also explain the variance in the depth/width of the
threads.

I might've paid twice (or more) what I did had I opted for a reseller
with better quality parts... so that's a consideration too when you try
to determine the value. Factor in the cost of the pipes and the overall
savings may not be worth the effort involved, or the risk of effort...

Or you could walk in to a local store and test the fit before you
purchase--I bought online.

er
--
email not valid

I've heard a lot of HF bashing and was just wondering...
Is there anything they sell that *is* worth buying?
Or are they just best avoided altogether?


If you have one close by, you can compare power tools. One may make a great
deal of noise, while the next one will be quiet. Quality control is lacking
@ HF. No, HF has it's place, just be careful, & know about what you buy.

Devon Miller wrote:
I've heard a lot of HF bashing and was just wondering...
Is there anything they sell that *is* worth buying?
Or are they just best avoided altogether?

dcm


harbor freight is like sears- they are a retailer, not a manufacturer.
they have stuff made elsewhere by various manufacturers with their
house brand on them. quality is all over the place, and since the same
item may be made by various manufacturers you can't tell by looking at
it if it's going to be any good.

some stuff works just fine and is a good value, other stuff isn't worth
the effort to load it into a shopping cart.

On 31 Mar 2006 08:33:37 -0800, "Devon Miller"
wrote:

I've heard a lot of HF bashing and was just wondering...
Is there anything they sell that *is* worth buying?
Or are they just best avoided altogether?

Usually, if it's got a power cord, you want to avoid it for any
serious work, although there are a couple of their tools that I keep
around for occasional use. Lots of other stuff is great though.
Their clamps are very good and very cheap, some of their air tools are
good, especially their cheap brad nailer, etc.

They are cheap, but there are a lot of things where cheap doesn't
necessarily mean bad and for the price, you can afford 3-4 of their
"cheap" products for the cost of a single "good" one and it lasts
longer to boot.

Devon Miller wrote:
I've heard a lot of HF bashing and was just wondering...
Is there anything they sell that *is* worth buying?
Or are they just best avoided altogether?

dcm


Best is to go to a store and look at what they
sell and the price. Some of the stuff they sell
can be found in Lowes, Home Depot, Sears and other
stores. Some is identical in all respects and
other are with modifications such as color, rubber
or plastic added, slight changes in shape, etc.
Although the price differences between HF and
other stores has come down in the past 2 years,
the cost at other stores is still often 50-300%
higher.

In article .com,
Devon Miller wrote:
I've heard a lot of HF bashing and was just wondering...
Is there anything they sell that *is* worth buying?
Or are they just best avoided altogether?

dcm


Depending on who you ask the answers to your questions would be either
"yes, no" or "no, yes". I am in the 1st category. Much of their stuff
is just junk, but some is good value (IMHO). Here a some of the things
I have had good experience with:

1X30 belt 5" disk sander
Heat gun
misc hammers
18V rechargeable drills, for $12 each, hard to go wrong here.
18 gauge brad nailer 1 3/16 max length
18 gauge brad nailer 2" max length
1/4" crown stapler
1/2" crown 20 ga stapler
misc. small pneumatic tools and accessories
woodworking vise (copy of Record unfortunately not currently
available)
4X36" belt 6" disk sander
big router (advertised as 3HP)
pipe clamps
bar clamps

and there's more I can't think of now.
If you see more than one type of the same item there, like the pipe
and bar clamps for instance, always shoose the "Pittsburg" brand.
True I don't use these things every day, and I've bought some things
from them that were junk, but overall they sure have been a big help
to my budget.
--

Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland

IMHO Harbor Frieght is only good for;

1. They do from time to time have soe reasonable remanufactured tools
or machinery at a decent price.

2. In a pinch, when you have to get he job done and locating the tool
you need can only be found there..

3. Items such as tape, wire ties and stuff like that...

But the experience i have had over the years of HF tools has been
mainly poor. I have drill bit sets that have held up for a good
amount of time.. certain kinds of clamps as well.

I also bought that HF biscut cutter for ~20$ too. And like someone
above mentioned, I mainly got it to test wether or not a biscut
cutter was going to actually be somthing I would get much use out of,
or improve my woodworking projects at hand. It was made almost
entirely out of plastic parts, the spring action was crap, nearly
makig it hard enough to apply enough pressure not to break the thing.
(wich it ended up doing)

If you have to even question if a HF tool is durable, or made well...
dont buy it.

On 31 Mar 2006 08:33:37 -0800, "Devon Miller" wrote:

I've heard a lot of HF bashing and was just wondering...
Is there anything they sell that *is* worth buying?
Or are they just best avoided altogether?

dcm

I buy a lot of stuff from them... good deals if you keep the "you get what you
pay for" mindset...

I have tons of their bar clamps.. they go on sale a few times a year.. they're
not the quality that you'd see in a good cabinet shop but I'm not even a good
woodworker, so the quality is fine with me.. *g*

My HF compressor and belt/disk sander have been doing what I need them to do for
years... not super quality, but they were very inexpensive and do what I need
them to do..

I can see why folks avoid them, when I consider the turning tools that I've
gotten at HF.. the only thing that I can think of is an extra drill chuck with a
Morse taper, for $10...
It seems that I'm a little more picky for turning stuff..
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

mac davis wrote:

I can see why folks avoid them, when I consider the turning tools that
I've gotten at HF.. the only thing that I can think of is an extra
drill chuck with a Morse taper, for $10...
It seems that I'm a little more picky for turning stuff..


But you can't beat the HF turning tools for learning to grind and for
experimenting with new grinds.

mac davis wrote:
On 31 Mar 2006 08:33:37 -0800, "Devon Miller" wrote:


I've heard a lot of HF bashing and was just wondering...
Is there anything they sell that *is* worth buying?
Or are they just best avoided altogether?

dcm


I buy a lot of stuff from them... good deals if you keep the "you get what you
pay for" mindset...

I have tons of their bar clamps.. they go on sale a few times a year.. they're
not the quality that you'd see in a good cabinet shop but I'm not even a good
woodworker, so the quality is fine with me.. *g*

My HF compressor and belt/disk sander have been doing what I need them to do for
years... not super quality, but they were very inexpensive and do what I need
them to do..

I can see why folks avoid them, when I consider the turning tools that I've
gotten at HF.. the only thing that I can think of is an extra drill chuck with a
Morse taper, for $10...
It seems that I'm a little more picky for turning stuff..
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

I always get what I pay for. You think I leave
the stuff on the counter and walk out of the store?

But if you mean the more you pay the better the
quality, just not true. Extension cords for
example cost 1/2 the price at HF as at Lowes even
though the cord is identical even in color
(recently, color at Lowes changed).

Or a really good example, check parts for a
Volkswagen and an Audi. Some parts are identical
(may have a different number but still identical)
and the price can be 50-100 percent higher for the
Audi part. Lots of other example especially in
springs for special purposes. Practically
everything listed for medical use or as a
scientific supply has a 50-200 percent premium
over the identical item sold in other markets.

Mel Graham wrote:

BTW, their tool grinder is fine. It differs from its brandname brother
(Baldor? something like this, I might've misspelled it) only in paint color
and a label, everything else is exactly the same. Very well built, no
vibration at all, very good tool for $120 vs $500+ for the branded one.

IMHO Harbor Frieght is only good for;

1. They do from time to time have soe reasonable remanufactured tools
or machinery at a decent price.

2. In a pinch, when you have to get he job done and locating the tool
you need can only be found there..

3. Items such as tape, wire ties and stuff like that...

But the experience i have had over the years of HF tools has been
mainly poor. I have drill bit sets that have held up for a good
amount of time.. certain kinds of clamps as well.

I also bought that HF biscut cutter for ~20$ too. And like someone
above mentioned, I mainly got it to test wether or not a biscut
cutter was going to actually be somthing I would get much use out of,
or improve my woodworking projects at hand. It was made almost
entirely out of plastic parts, the spring action was crap, nearly
makig it hard enough to apply enough pressure not to break the thing.
(wich it ended up doing)

If you have to even question if a HF tool is durable, or made well...
dont buy it.



---
************************************************** ****************
* KSI@home KOI8 Net The impossible we do immediately. *
* Las Vegas NV, USA Miracles require 24-hour notice. *
************************************************** ****************

Lobby Dosser wrote:

I can see why folks avoid them, when I consider the turning tools
that I've gotten at HF.. the only thing that I can think of is an
extra drill chuck with a Morse taper, for $10...


But you can't beat the HF turning tools for learning to grind and for
experimenting with new grinds.

FYI, they do, or did, have a set of HSS turning tools. Several years
ago on the turning newsgroup, the consensus was that the only thing
seriously wrong with them was the cruddy handles. I think I had to get
them from the net, they weren't available in the store.

--
It's turtles, all the way down

Larry Blanchard wrote:

Lobby Dosser wrote:

I can see why folks avoid them, when I consider the turning tools
that I've gotten at HF.. the only thing that I can think of is an
extra drill chuck with a Morse taper, for $10...


But you can't beat the HF turning tools for learning to grind and for
experimenting with new grinds.

FYI, they do, or did, have a set of HSS turning tools. Several years
ago on the turning newsgroup, the consensus was that the only thing
seriously wrong with them was the cruddy handles. I think I had to
get them from the net, they weren't available in the store.


I think you are right. Around $30, IIRC. I've got a set of the carbon steel
tools that I mess with for trying new to me grinds. I think I paid $10.

On Sat, 01 Apr 2006 23:40:10 GMT, Lobby Dosser
wrote:

mac davis wrote:

I can see why folks avoid them, when I consider the turning tools that
I've gotten at HF.. the only thing that I can think of is an extra
drill chuck with a Morse taper, for $10...
It seems that I'm a little more picky for turning stuff..


But you can't beat the HF turning tools for learning to grind and for
experimenting with new grinds.

yep.. or letting the kids use em...

Actually, I recently bought their "better" HSS turning set for $30.. I think
it's usually $60?
Got them so one of the kids that was staying with us for a while could have his
own, private, personal tools... (code for "touch my chisels and die, sucker)..

I was really surprised at HOW much better they are than the one's that go on
sale for $10... A lot more steel and heft.. By the handle and basic design, I'd
say that they were the same thing as "Benjamin's Best" tools, but cost less..

Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

On Sun, 02 Apr 2006 00:24:42 GMT, "George E. Cawthon"
wrote:

mac davis wrote:
On 31 Mar 2006 08:33:37 -0800, "Devon Miller" wrote:


I've heard a lot of HF bashing and was just wondering...
Is there anything they sell that *is* worth buying?
Or are they just best avoided altogether?

dcm


I buy a lot of stuff from them... good deals if you keep the "you get what you
pay for" mindset...

I have tons of their bar clamps.. they go on sale a few times a year.. they're
not the quality that you'd see in a good cabinet shop but I'm not even a good
woodworker, so the quality is fine with me.. *g*

My HF compressor and belt/disk sander have been doing what I need them to do for
years... not super quality, but they were very inexpensive and do what I need
them to do..

I can see why folks avoid them, when I consider the turning tools that I've
gotten at HF.. the only thing that I can think of is an extra drill chuck with a
Morse taper, for $10...
It seems that I'm a little more picky for turning stuff..
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

I always get what I pay for. You think I leave
the stuff on the counter and walk out of the store?

With some of their stuff, like locking pliers, you might be safer that way.. *g*

What I meant is that you go in knowing that you're paying what I consider a fair
price for what you get.. I know that for $20 I'm not getting a brad driver that
is as good as the more expensive brands.. but I feel that since it's been
working for the little use I have for it for 3 or 4 years, that's a good deal..

You just can't buy their with a "what a steal" mindset... that's what they WANT
you to do..
They haven't been around for this many years by giving things away at a loss..
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm