In a recent shop project to make a lathe chuck / center organizer, I needed to drill some holes to accommodate the MT2 shanks of my live centers and drill chucks. For my purposes (a nice snug fit at a certain height), I needed 11/16 holes. None of my forstner bits (also HF) were this size. For some threaded spur center inserts, I needed 9/16 holes. No love there among the forstners either.

So I found this set of the Silver and Deming bits at HF: http://www.harborfreight.com/s...

I started the wiring in my shop this afternoon and decided I needed a new drill bit in addition to the other stuff. I noticed the Irwin Speedbor at Lowes. They were high on all the wiring stuff but I went back anyway to get the bit and an extension. My local Lowe's didn't have the 6 inch extension so I got a 12 inch. I was able to put 1 inch holes through as many as 6 back to back 2x4s with this bit. It pulls itself through HARD. I used my Ryobi cordless on low speed. I was going through Lit...

I purchased some carbide cutters from AZCarbide (AZCarbide.com) to mount onto the lathe tools I made, including a 15mm 4inch radius (#RA4), a 14x28mm diamond (#DIA14), a 14mm square (#SQ14), and 16mm round (#RD15). I can't say enough good things about Dale Guilford, the proprietor, and his helpfulness. He sent an email to confirm the order, and responded in short order to some questions I had. The cutters were shipped flat rate for $2, and I received them in just a couple days. They were carefu...

After my $1.89 tool review a couple of days ago, I'm shooting for a even lower priced tool review. I don't think anyone can beat this one! Has 32 drill sizes Made in USA! Handy hole for hanging Beautiful black plastic finish won't damage your sharp edged tools (but the tools might damage the gauge) relief bumps 10 mils high for drawing, perhaps? THis came free along with an offer to evaluate tools for free and keep the tools. I don't fall for that Malarky. But the drill bit guide is possibly ...

this is the shortest review for the cheapest tool on BT3Central. I was wasting time at HF the other day so I bought a pocket blow gun 68262 a slim blow gun for the grand price of $1.89 (So this has to be a record low price for a reviewed item here, right?) I figured it would be handy. But, there's no trigger so it blows all the time. At least, it would if the industrial connector machined into it actually fit. I could not lock it to any of the several quick connects I tried to mate it to. The...

I didn't know what I was doing when I bought my first router bit set. I've learned a lot, since. Craftsman sells a 6 piece set ---- and I'll tell you - it's a lousy way to go. The set includes: - cove bit - 3/8" round over (the one piece I use a lot) - 2 straight bits (1/2 and 1/4") - dovetail bit - 1/2 trim bit I did use the straight bits a little - but have since replaced both of them with spirial upcut bits. The round over bit is the single piece I've had a good use for...

I thought that there might be some interest on this forum in my experience ordering for and installing the Grizzly T10223 Sliding Table on my SawStop cabinet saw and my first impression on how it works. I ordered the sliding table via the internet on a Saturday, got confirmation that they received my order within a few hours. Monday they send me the order number, confirmed the cost of the unit $525.00, a discount of $25.00 to equal the UPS brokerage fee (I live in Toronto, Canada) plus ...

Has anyone here tried the HF pocket hole jig # 96264 as yet? I saw one in their local store the other day and decided to try one....on sale for $49.99 down from the usual $69.00. I haven't actually used it on a real project as yet , but have made a couple of test cuts and joints using the jig on some scraps and it works surprisingly well so far! Good points: (1) 4 different drilling positions for the pocket holes in different thickness of stock. (2) good quality, adjustable stock holding clamp (3) a...

I bought this unit to turn my Turncrafter lathe into a variable speed lathe. In the kit, you get the new brush motor, speed controller, and associated hardware to make the conversion. I bought this unit in Dec 2011. It worked like a dream for 6 mos. Had good linear speed control. Then, during a project I was turning for my sister's birthday this weekend, the unit died. The controller has failed. This was just with occasional use. The motor brushes are fine, the fuse is fine, reset switch is f...

Fence Clamp comparison

Rockler
#17821 Pair, $14.99 sale, $17.99 reg
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...=fence%20clamp




Peachtree
#3317 1-1/2" - 2-1/2" Universal Fence Clamp $9.99
#3316 3" - 4-1/2" Universal Fence Clamp $10.99
http://www.ptreeusa.com/tablesaw_products.htm Description of a fence clamp From Rockler: “These compact, lightweight Fence Clamps allow you to secure a huge variety of s...

I was lucky enough to have an early Shark Guard (Version 4.0 I believe) on my BT3100 when I bought it, and it worked well enough, except for the lack of anti kickback pawls always left me feeling a bit uneasy, and the dust collection port was 2" instead of 2.5", meaning connection to my dust collector required a reducer, and a more than liberal application of duct tape to make the connection work at all... The few shortcomings I saw with my early Shark Guard were more than amply addressed with the re...

I recently purchased the 24 inch Peachtree Pro Clamp and the Fence accessory for use on my bandsaws and shaper. This is a well built clamp of incredible stregth. In the one photo I,m actually lifting the shaper off the floor on 1 side with the clamp pressure alone. The fence is a very solid piece of aluminum thats attached to the Pro clamp via t-bolts and a slot on the clamp. I would highly recommend this as an alternative to other more expensive fences. These clamps come with a variety of attachments...

Well they came! Sears item 22219 Wide Table Leg Kit for Craftsman model 22811 table saws. Now to refresh the memory of those that don’t recall, the 22811 was a Ryobi BT3000 table saw, with a Craftsman label on the front, and a different hand wheel. (and probably a few minor tweaks elsewhere, see Loring's FAQ for more detail!) The leg kit is a functional match for the no longer available Ryobi accessory for my BT3100. I do say functional as the leg kit is NOT a cosmetic match, as the BT3100 st...

Yesterday(8-8-09) I pulled the trigger on Kreg's band saw fence assembly. I expected Kreg's usuall attention to quality and detail and was not disappointed. The packaging was complete(no missing parts!) and the assembly and installation instructions were clear and well written. The only glitch I ran into was the front guide rail mounting holes were not drilled to fit my model bandsaw. I have an old King-Seely Craftsman unit which runs flawlessly. Following the instrutions in the manual, I was able...

At first glance, the Ryobi P150 Fuel Gauge might seem like a frivolous device, but after five months of use, I find it a very useful part of my cordless tool set. How many times have you grabbed a cordless tool, hiked upstairs or outside to use it, only to have the supposedly charged pack give up after a couple of minutes of use? I have had that experience many times. The $10 P150 takes the guess work out of picking a battery to use. I have six One+ packs and even though I take pains to ID which...