Mark & Juanita wrote in
:

On Thu, 19 Oct 2006 03:28:25 +0000 (UTC), Andrew Barss
wrote:

Mark & Juanita wrote:

: Had a Wen soldering gun. Put together a fair number of Heathkits
: with
: it.

Wen was that?


Actually, that was wen I was quite a bit younger than now.




That was when we were all running around in loin cloths made from animal
skins. :

Me? I remember when there were no animals.

R. Pierce Butler said:

That was when we were all running around in loin cloths made from animal
skins. :

Me? I remember when there were no animals.

God, is that you?

Greg G.

On 18 Oct 2006 11:17:26 -0700, "boorite" wrote:

I didn't buy it, but I have had the frustrating experience of using one
of the new B&D jigsaws with the plastic wheel for locking down the
baseplate, which completely ruins the tool. A wing nut would be vastly
better.

How could they "ruin" a B&D jigsaw? I've got one I bought a few years
ago for a one-off job, and it is the most useless POS there ever was.
Can't wreck something that is already broken beyond repair.

Greg wrote in news:1q8ej2tfu96aivbv86fls3oiqk35beqhes@
4ax.com:

R. Pierce Butler said:

That was when we were all running around in loin cloths made from animal
skins. :

Me? I remember when there were no animals.

God, is that you?

Greg G.


I work as well as any other deity. Better than most in fact. (:)

Prometheus wrote:
On 18 Oct 2006 11:17:26 -0700, "boorite" wrote:

I didn't buy it, but I have had the frustrating experience of using one
of the new B&D jigsaws with the plastic wheel for locking down the
baseplate, which completely ruins the tool. A wing nut would be vastly
better.

How could they "ruin" a B&D jigsaw? I've got one I bought a few years
ago for a one-off job, and it is the most useless POS there ever was.
Can't wreck something that is already broken beyond repair.

It makes the blade go up and down, which I suppose would make it able
to cut something, if the stupid footplate would stay put.

boorite wrote:
Prometheus wrote:
On 18 Oct 2006 11:17:26 -0700, "boorite" wrote:

I didn't buy it, but I have had the frustrating experience of using one
of the new B&D jigsaws with the plastic wheel for locking down the
baseplate, which completely ruins the tool. A wing nut would be vastly
better.

How could they "ruin" a B&D jigsaw? I've got one I bought a few years
ago for a one-off job, and it is the most useless POS there ever was.
Can't wreck something that is already broken beyond repair.

It makes the blade go up and down, which I suppose would make it able
to cut something, if the stupid footplate would stay put.

I used a B&D jigsaw until I replaced it with a Bosch. The B&D was a
definite POS. It had a thumbscrew that held the blade in and
reciprocated with it. If you put your finger on the footplate to try to
guide the cut and keep the saw from vibrating off the work, every once
in a while, as soon as you let your guard down, that GD thumbscrew
would smash you right in the finger nail. I hated that tool.

In comparison, the Bosch is like a fine surgical instrument. It cuts
smooth and true and is totally easy to control. Mine is an older model
and was made in Switzerland. I am not sure if they are still made there
and if the quality is still as good, but this is a great tool.

Chuck

"Chuck" wrote in message
ups.com...

boorite wrote:
Prometheus wrote:
On 18 Oct 2006 11:17:26 -0700, "boorite" wrote:

I didn't buy it, but I have had the frustrating experience of using
one
of the new B&D jigsaws with the plastic wheel for locking down the
baseplate, which completely ruins the tool. A wing nut would be vastly
better.

How could they "ruin" a B&D jigsaw? I've got one I bought a few years
ago for a one-off job, and it is the most useless POS there ever was.
Can't wreck something that is already broken beyond repair.

It makes the blade go up and down, which I suppose would make it able
to cut something, if the stupid footplate would stay put.

I used a B&D jigsaw until I replaced it with a Bosch. The B&D was a
definite POS. It had a thumbscrew that held the blade in and
reciprocated with it. If you put your finger on the footplate to try to
guide the cut and keep the saw from vibrating off the work, every once
in a while, as soon as you let your guard down, that GD thumbscrew
would smash you right in the finger nail. I hated that tool.

In comparison, the Bosch is like a fine surgical instrument. It cuts
smooth and true and is totally easy to control. Mine is an older model
and was made in Switzerland. I am not sure if they are still made there
and if the quality is still as good, but this is a great tool.

My old one (1979 or so vintage) died the death the other day (or at least
broke a part that Bosch USA doesn't seem to have--I have a British friend
who on his next trip is going to try to get it from Bosch UK) and I replaced
it with a new one. The new one seems better in every regard--cutting
quality is the same (couldn't get much better), it has more power, better
blade control, improved ergonomics, and the best blade-change I have ever
seen on a jigsaw.

"Patriarch" wrote in message
36...
Nova wrote in news:JRsZg.5355$AR6.5341@trndny02:

bf wrote:

R. Pierce Butler wrote:

Anything B&D.


99% of what's in Harbor Frieght.


Anybody remember WEN tools...


Somebody, and it may have even been me, years ago, bought an electric WEN
chain saw. That POS was certainly in the running for the prize. Ugh!
Wouldn't cut anything right.

Patriarch

As I told my son --

Me: Do you know what you get when you buy cheap tools?

Son: No, what?

Me: Cheap tools.

"JimR" wrote in
hlink.net:


"Patriarch" wrote in message
36...
Nova wrote in
news:JRsZg.5355$AR6.5341@trndny02:

bf wrote:

R. Pierce Butler wrote:

Anything B&D.


99% of what's in Harbor Frieght.


Anybody remember WEN tools...


Somebody, and it may have even been me, years ago, bought an electric
WEN chain saw. That POS was certainly in the running for the prize.
Ugh! Wouldn't cut anything right.

Patriarch

As I told my son --

Me: Do you know what you get when you buy cheap tools?

Son: No, what?

Me: Cheap tools.


That's a lesson I've learned pretty well. My current chain saw is a
Stihl. It replaced a Homelite that only lasted 20 years or so.

On 19 Oct 2006 09:37:10 -0700, "boorite" wrote:


Prometheus wrote:
On 18 Oct 2006 11:17:26 -0700, "boorite" wrote:

I didn't buy it, but I have had the frustrating experience of using one
of the new B&D jigsaws with the plastic wheel for locking down the
baseplate, which completely ruins the tool. A wing nut would be vastly
better.

How could they "ruin" a B&D jigsaw? I've got one I bought a few years
ago for a one-off job, and it is the most useless POS there ever was.
Can't wreck something that is already broken beyond repair.

It makes the blade go up and down, which I suppose would make it able
to cut something, if the stupid footplate would stay put.

You would think that would be the case. But as I found with an
equivalently poor Crapsman jig saw, just making a blade go up and down does
not necessarily mean that the blade will actually *cut* wood. The Crapsman
I had appeared to more or less vibrate and scream the wood out of the kerf.
I'm not sure how such a simple process could be screwed up, but Sears's
manufacturer figured out a way to do it. Thing wouldn't even cut pine even
when equipped with good high quality blade.




+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Nova wrote in news:JRsZg.5355$AR6.5341@trndny02:

bf wrote:

R. Pierce Butler wrote:

Anything B&D.


99% of what's in Harbor Frieght.


Anybody remember WEN tools...


Can I offer you a WEN jig saw? Been on the shelf for at least 20 years (it
never could cut a straight line).
Hank

On Thu, 19 Oct 2006 19:06:00 -0700, Mark & Juanita
wrote:

On 19 Oct 2006 09:37:10 -0700, "boorite" wrote:


Prometheus wrote:
On 18 Oct 2006 11:17:26 -0700, "boorite" wrote:

I didn't buy it, but I have had the frustrating experience of using one
of the new B&D jigsaws with the plastic wheel for locking down the
baseplate, which completely ruins the tool. A wing nut would be vastly
better.

How could they "ruin" a B&D jigsaw? I've got one I bought a few years
ago for a one-off job, and it is the most useless POS there ever was.
Can't wreck something that is already broken beyond repair.

It makes the blade go up and down, which I suppose would make it able
to cut something, if the stupid footplate would stay put.

You would think that would be the case. But as I found with an
equivalently poor Crapsman jig saw, just making a blade go up and down does
not necessarily mean that the blade will actually *cut* wood. The Crapsman
I had appeared to more or less vibrate and scream the wood out of the kerf.
I'm not sure how such a simple process could be screwed up, but Sears's
manufacturer figured out a way to do it. Thing wouldn't even cut pine even
when equipped with good high quality blade.

Probably made by Black and Decker, with the Craftsman name slapped on
the case.

Gotta love the way the blade tilts to 45 degrees the second it touches
wood. Never a non-mitered cut with a B&D.

On Thu, 19 Oct 2006 23:25:46 GMT, "JimR" wrote:


"Patriarch" wrote in message
. 136...
Nova wrote in news:JRsZg.5355$AR6.5341@trndny02:

bf wrote:

R. Pierce Butler wrote:

Anything B&D.


99% of what's in Harbor Frieght.


Anybody remember WEN tools...


Somebody, and it may have even been me, years ago, bought an electric WEN
chain saw. That POS was certainly in the running for the prize. Ugh!
Wouldn't cut anything right.

Patriarch

I don't have a major need for a chainsaw, just a little trimming now
and then. A few years ago I came across a WEN electric chainsaw at a
garage sale for $5 so I bought it. For me it does everything I need a
chainsaw for. The big problem was finding a chain for it as the old
one was dull and had been badly sharpened more than once. Nobody had
the chain or even the specs for the chain. Finally (after I had really
stopped trying to find a chain) I found one hanging on a wall at an
older hardware store. It was in an old dirty package and was on
clearance at 75% off. The guy was amazed that I bought it and said it
had been on that clearance rack for a couple of years. He went in the
back to see if they had any more, but it was the only one. Anyway, as
I have never used any other electric chainsaw I don't have any
comparison, but this little WEN (with its new chain) does what I need
(even though that ain't saying much).

Dave Hall

George Max wrote:
On 17 Oct 2006 13:52:16 -0700, "bf" wrote:


R. Pierce Butler wrote:

Anything B&D.

99% of what's in Harbor Frieght.

Harbor Freight sold me a real nice furniture dolly. I don't know that
it'd be possible to mess that up too much.

My rule of thumb when I used to shop there was to ask myself .. Is
there any possible way they could screw this up?
They surprised me by figuring out a way to screw up jigsaw blades,
pliers, screwdrivers, and other stuff.

Their pipe clamps are ok (not quite as smooth as ponies). I got a nice
heavy grinder stand from them, one good hammer, and a lot of $$$ worth
of useless crap. I know I have a net loss with them in terms of
"savings".. When you have to toss a lot of the stuff in the trash, it
really eats away at what you really save by going there.

Henry St.Pierre wrote:
Nova wrote in news:JRsZg.5355$AR6.5341@trndny02:

Anybody remember WEN tools...



Can I offer you a WEN jig saw? Been on the shelf for at least 20 years (it
never could cut a straight line).
Hank

The WEN tool I remember is a 1/4 sheet sander. I think it had the same
motor as the old electric football games that vibrated up and down to
move the plastic player across the games playing surface. The sander
even had an adjustment on the front to set the amount of vibration.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

Morris Dovey wrote:
When I lived in upstate NY, there was an outfit that sold 88-cent hand
tools. Thrifty me - I bought the 88-cent claw hammer that lost a claw
to the first nail that I tried to pull (10d as I recall). I pulled the
nail with a pair of pliars and a block of wood. Then when I tried to
re-nail the piece, the handle broke about 3" from the head.

I don't think I ever returned.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto

You sure expect a lot for your $0.88!

FoggyTown

JimR wrote:

As I told my son --

Me: Do you know what you get when you buy cheap tools?

Son: No, what?

Me: Cheap tools.

Or as prefer to say, "When you need to use something that's very sharp
and spins at 15,000 rpm only a couple feet from your face, DON'T BUY
THE HOUSE BRAND!"

FoggyTown

Lots of complaints about POS tools from Harbor Freight. Why are they
surprised? HF sells cheap. Yout get what you pay for. Like that
lousy Craftsman contractors TS I bought (used). Used it for a while
then got so frustrated that I bought a Delta contractors saw. MUCH
better.

What bugs me is paying good money ($100) for a Porter Cable dovetail
joint router jig, and having it be mediocre. PC cheaped out on the
screws. They stripped out right away. I replaced them with generic
fasteners from my screw bin which have held up much better. The
hold-down bar is made of some new extra-soft steel which forces me to
really crank down on the hold-down screws to get my workpieces steady
(maybe the cause of the screw failure?). I cut myself on burrs on some
of the sheet metal because they weren't deburred properly.

Should bought the expensive jig. Then I would have had more flexibility
and higher quality. I know better than to buy cheap, but sometimes my
wallet does the talking instead of my brain.

wrote:
Lots of complaints about POS tools from Harbor Freight. Why are they
surprised? HF sells cheap. Yout get what you pay for. Like that
lousy Craftsman contractors TS I bought (used). Used it for a while
then got so frustrated that I bought a Delta contractors saw. MUCH
better.

What bugs me is paying good money ($100) for a Porter Cable dovetail
joint router jig, and having it be mediocre. PC cheaped out on the
screws. They stripped out right away. I replaced them with generic
fasteners from my screw bin which have held up much better. The
hold-down bar is made of some new extra-soft steel which forces me to
really crank down on the hold-down screws to get my workpieces steady
(maybe the cause of the screw failure?). I cut myself on burrs on some
of the sheet metal because they weren't deburred properly.

Should bought the expensive jig. Then I would have had more flexibility
and higher quality. I know better than to buy cheap, but sometimes my
wallet does the talking instead of my brain.


One man's trash....... I love my PC dovetail jig.

I wrote in this thread about my horrible Wagner power roller, and
somebody else thought it was great. I guess beauty is in the eye of the
beholder after all!

Mine works just fine too. Did a great job on the two test joints I made
after buying it several years ago. Haven't used it since. Other than
decoration, can't see why I'd ever want to use a dovetail.

"Charlie M. 1958" wrote in message
...
One man's trash....... I love my PC dovetail jig.

I wrote in this thread about my horrible Wagner power roller, and
somebody else thought it was great. I guess beauty is in the eye of the
beholder after all!

R. Pierce Butler wrote:
Greg wrote in news:1q8ej2tfu96aivbv86fls3oiqk35beqhes@
4ax.com:

R. Pierce Butler said:

That was when we were all running around in loin cloths made from animal
skins. :

Me? I remember when there were no animals.
God, is that you?

Greg G.


I work as well as any other deity. Better than most in fact. (:)


cthulhu, is that you?


--
BigEgg
Hack to size. Hammer to fit. Weld to join. Grind to shape. Paint to cover.
http://www.workshop-projects.com -
Plans and free books - *Now with forum*

George Max wrote:
On Fri, 13 Oct 2006 14:13:52 GMT, B A R R Y
wrote:

George Max wrote:

Those two along with your Ryobi experience suggests that *all* detail
sanders are crap.


Fein?

Maybe it's good. But the other manufacturers are destroying this
category of tool. I won't be taking a chance. after experiencing the
B&D "Mouse" and what's been written here.


no maybe about the fein. it's a fabulous machine.

"Nova" wrote in message
news:JRsZg.5355$AR6.5341@trndny02...
bf wrote:

R. Pierce Butler wrote:

Anything B&D.


99% of what's in Harbor Frieght.


Anybody remember WEN tools...

Anyone hankering to get a vintage WEN tool?

http://albany.craigslist.org/tls/223843383.html

On Sat, 21 Oct 2006 21:45:40 GMT, "John Grossbohlin"
wrote:


"Nova" wrote in message
news:JRsZg.5355$AR6.5341@trndny02...
bf wrote:

R. Pierce Butler wrote:

Anything B&D.


99% of what's in Harbor Frieght.


Anybody remember WEN tools...

Anyone hankering to get a vintage WEN tool?

http://albany.craigslist.org/tls/223843383.html

There was a line of absolute crap tools about 25 years ago that were big, blocky
looking and all silver, I guess brushed aluminum.
I had the jigsaw as one of my first tools and it was unusable.

bigegg wrote in
:

R. Pierce Butler wrote:
Greg wrote in
news:1q8ej2tfu96aivbv86fls3oiqk35beqhes@ 4ax.com:

R. Pierce Butler said:

That was when we were all running around in loin cloths made from
animal skins. :

Me? I remember when there were no animals.
God, is that you?

Greg G.


I work as well as any other deity. Better than most in fact. (:)


cthulhu, is that you?



Prepare to be eaten. :

http://esr.ibiblio.org/index.php?p=135

I've bought enough crappy tools that I don't just have one worst:

1: Those little corner-rounding planes that Woodcraft and others sell
- totally useless. Their only virtue is that they don't cost much.
2: Ryobi detail sander - it's great for making your hand numb, but
little else. Thankfully it was a gift so I didn't actually pay for it.
3: B&D belt sander - the internal drive belt mis-tracked off the end
of one pulley, and chewed through the side of the plastic case after
about 2 hours of use over the course of 2 years.
4: Freud FT1700 router - built in above table adjustment stripped,
spindle lock broke, then motor died after about a year.

Needless to say, I don't buy Ryobi, B&D or Freud power tools any more
(though I still buy Freud blades and bits).

Regards,
John.

In search for a biscuit cutter I went to HD and got a Freud. Plugged
it in and it started TWICE then no more. Exchanged for a second one
that started ONCE. Third try on same day wouldn't start! They ran
out of stock that day. One kid asked another how to pronounce the
name but the second didn't know either.

On 23 Oct 2006 05:59:18 -0700, "the_tool_man"
wrote:

I've bought enough crappy tools that I don't just have one worst:

1: Those little corner-rounding planes that Woodcraft and others sell
- totally useless. Their only virtue is that they don't cost much.
2: Ryobi detail sander - it's great for making your hand numb, but
little else. Thankfully it was a gift so I didn't actually pay for it.
3: B&D belt sander - the internal drive belt mis-tracked off the end
of one pulley, and chewed through the side of the plastic case after
about 2 hours of use over the course of 2 years.
4: Freud FT1700 router - built in above table adjustment stripped,
spindle lock broke, then motor died after about a year.

Needless to say, I don't buy Ryobi, B&D or Freud power tools any more
(though I still buy Freud blades and bits).

Regards,
John.

Leon wrote:
wrote in message
ps.com...
I have foolishly bought 3 different Wagner products over the last 25 years.
I agree, If it has the name Wagner on it, it is probably not going to please
you.

For the record, their paint roller syringe thingie was great. Then
again, that's not a sprayer is it.

brian

"brianlanning" wrote in message
oups.com...
Leon wrote:
wrote in message
ps.com...
I have foolishly bought 3 different Wagner products over the last 25
years.
I agree, If it has the name Wagner on it, it is probably not going to
please
you.

For the record, their paint roller syringe thingie was great. Then
again, that's not a sprayer is it.

If you're talking about the Paintmate Plus
http://www.wagnerspraytech.com/Wagner/product.do?productCode=Power_Roller_PaintMate
mine kept losing the roller until I put a rubber band around the white
plastic finger clip that purportedly holds it in place. It's been fine
since. Their corner and edge painter that works on the same principle is
also handy.

"brianlanning" wrote in message

I have foolishly bought 3 different Wagner products over the last 25
years.
I agree, If it has the name Wagner on it, it is probably not going to
please
you.

For the record, their paint roller syringe thingie was great. Then
again, that's not a sprayer is it.


I bought 2 of their power rollers. The first 20 years ago leaked all over
and I threw it out. The second (new design, 12 years ago worked OK for a
while but after storing for 5 years wouldn't even turn on.

Real waste of money

boorite wrote:
I didn't buy it, but I have had the frustrating experience of using one
of the new B&D jigsaws with the plastic wheel for locking down the
baseplate, which completely ruins the tool. A wing nut would be vastly
better.

Maybe it's just me, but I never had a single problem with the baseplate
of that tool. Granted I've only used it once, but I've used similar
models with similar baseplate design with no trouble at all.

The worst tools I have are from this iGo "furniture assembling kit"
that my mother bought me for some reason. It has a cordless screwdriver
and cordless drill. Both run on two AA batteries. Yup, two AA
batteries. Pretty cheesy to begin with and the bits that come with it
break too easily. Which is pretty impressive given that there's only AA
power in there.

However, I can't really fault the two items for being what they are.
They're still useful if I need to quickly drill through something soft
and I'm too impatient to wait for the battery to charge on my cordless
drill or too lazy to mess with a corded. And the screwdriver IS angled,
which is more useful than not having it. They just don't have much in
the way of power and are such light plastic I'm surprised they haven't
fallen apart or the motor burned out by now.

I'm sure I have a lot of tools that people would consider POS, but I'm
of the opinion that as long as I can do what I need with them, I don't
care if it's the hottest thing on the market that looks like a sneaker
(coughhitachicough) and will make you a sandwich. Not like I could have
afforded high end tools on a student's budget back then anyway. But if
I could have, there would have been a table saw in my dorm room first
thing.