Worst buys from HF

[buddyrough]

quote:Originally posted by Carlos

The 6" jointer is great. Do some searching and you'll find lots of threads about that one.

Carlos, Thanks, I went thru that thread and have another couple of questions. For whatever reason, the 6" seems to be higher $ than the 7" (the 7" is now $219 with a stand). There must be a difference in capability or power. However, HF calls these "jointer/planers". Can these HF's be used also as a planer up to the width, ie, 7"?

Many thanks, buddyrough

[Carlos]

I don't see why not, but maybe someone else can say for sure. I already owned a thickness planer, so never tried it that way.

[JR]

I seem to recall a thread along these lines before. At that time it came down to a regional preference for how to refer to the same tool. Sort of potato v potahto.

Anyway, if you use your jointer for thickness planing you could end up with a trapezoid. It might be be appropriate to flatten one side with the jointer, then run the stock through the planer for thicknessing.

Come to think of it, I don't know the proper sequence for jointing, cutting, planing. If anyone knows this, please chime in.

JR

Why don't I just start a thread for this?!

[jAngiel]

If I'm not mistaken, you can plane one side to make it flat but then you need a thickness planer to insure that both sides are parallel. You may have a difficult time planing both sides on a jointer without creating the equivalent of a door stop.

[JeffW]

quote:Originally posted by JR

I seem to recall a thread along these lines before. At that time it came down to a regional preference for how to refer to the same tool. Sort of potato v potahto.

Anyway, if you use your jointer for thickness planing you could end up with a trapezoid. It might be be appropriate to flatten one side with the jointer, then run the stock through the planer for thicknessing.

Come to think of it, I don't know the proper sequence for jointing, cutting, planing. If anyone knows this, please chime in.

JR

Why don't I just start a thread for this?!

The proper sequence should be:

1. Face joint one side flat

2. Joint one edge referencing jointed face against fence

3. Use planer to make other face parallel

4. Rip to desired width for a properly dimensiioned board.

[Mort]

My dud purchase was a 100 + sheet pack various grits of cloth backed emery paper. This junk won't smooth sand on a beach.

[Sand]

Dowleling jig (regular and self-centering) - junk
Router table - junk.

Lots of great stuff, though - DC, bandsaw, DP.

[tbarn]

Most everything has been good.
I recently bought a brace bar for my truck bed. It was nice except that the one side's threads were stripped so I could not tighten it down.
I returned it a month later and they did not question it.
I did not even have the sales reciept and the box was wet from leaving it in my truck over night and a cap window was open.
I am thinking of getting the 1HP floor model DP from HF that is on sale. And since I did not see it listed here as a junk tool I am one step closer.

[maxparot]

Actually HF drill presses seem to be pretty darn good units for the money.

quote:Originally posted by tbarn

Most everything has been good.
I recently bought a brace bar for my truck bed. It was nice except that the one side's threads were stripped so I could not tighten it down.
I returned it a month later and they did not question it.
I did not even have the sales reciept and the box was wet from leaving it in my truck over night and a cap window was open.
I am thinking of getting the 1HP floor model DP from HF that is on sale. And since I did not see it listed here as a junk tool I am one step closer.

[karrlot]

My favorite was a heater that you plug into the cigarette lighter. It worked great until I left the parking lot. The instructions said "Do not use for long periods of time." (like more then 3 minutes?) I also bought a 4 pack of drum sanders that go in a drill. The setscrew stripped out from the aluminum after the first time.

I think the best HF buys are those tools that you will only use once in a blue moon. For me it is an angle grinder. I use it about once every six months. The handle is sloppy, the motor bogs down real easy. I can tell it is a low quality tool. But considering I only use it twice per year, it was a great buy at 1/5 of the price of a name brand.

I have to say, I have alot more compliments then complaints. I have a swivel head lathe, and DC, and a slew of other crap I couldn't live without. Most of the stuff is just fine.

[Stick]

quote:Originally posted by Mort

My dud purchase was a 100 + sheet pack various grits of cloth backed emery paper. This junk won't smooth sand on a beach.

Just curious.....what were you trying to sand with it? Emery paper's most useful for finish sanding/polishing metal. I buy it in rolls, and use it mostly for polishing parts in the metal lathe and for cleaning copper pipe prior to sweating. I can't imagine a single use for it in a wood shop, it would be way too fine a grit.

[tfischer]

quote:Originally posted by Talley-Ho

Thanks for the review of HF’s Biscuit Jointer.
I came in to specifically ask if anyone had tried one.
I am in the market for one and was highly skeptical of theirs and was not going to even try one unless I found a good review here.

Bite the bullet and get a good one. I was shocked how expensive they were for what amounts to a small handheld tool, but got the Dewalt for my birthday and although it's a one-trick pony, it does that trick very very well. Saving money via sloppy joints isn't financially prudent...

Another thread said my Dewalt is on sale for $109 refurbished right now...

-Tim

[tfischer]

quote:Originally posted by BrazosJake

The Quick-Grip knock-off clamps (the black ones with the orange pads)

I got a couple of those at the Minneapolis woodworking show (not HF, but they look identical and probably are).

One of them works fine, so far. The other won't sinch up, and you have to pull the trigger back (it doesn't spring back) when it's under tension. If they were all like the one tha worked, they'd be a great buy.

-Tim

[LCHIEN]

quote:Originally posted by tfischer

quote:Originally posted by Talley-Ho

Thanks for the review of HF#8217;s Biscuit Jointer.
I came in to specifically ask if anyone had tried one.
I am in the market for one and was highly skeptical of theirs and was not going to even try one unless I found a good review here.

Bite the bullet and get a good one. I was shocked how expensive they were for what amounts to a small handheld tool, but got the Dewalt for my birthday and although it's a one-trick pony, it does that trick very very well. Saving money via sloppy joints isn't financially prudent...

Another thread said my Dewalt is on sale for $109 refurbished right now...

-Tim

That's what I ended up with, too. The Dewalt DW682.
The biscuit joiner is a specialized tool. It has to
cut a slot at a precise distance from the surface and a precise width and a precise entry depth and parallel to the fence. And hold all the settings until the job is done.

If it doesn't do all of those things perfectly your joints won't be perfect.

[AlanWS]

I'd agree with Lchien that a lot of the problems are because of lax quality control. That means if you are willing to put in the time and effort to check out the tool carefully, and to return it if it's not up to snuff, you can often do quite well at some additional cost of your time. Some gems may only be gems if you live close enough to conveniently make a return.

The black and orange quick-grip clamps I got did not hold, and were worthless for my purposes. An adjustable circle cutter would not hold its radius, and needed to be completely disassembled to retighten. Brad point drill bits had points very much out of center, but most of the simple twist bits were fine. Some were not straight, but most were. Lots of other things work fine, some of them bought for single use. I bought a couple of their bandsaw blades when I got my saw, and returned the blades as soon as I found out how a halfway decent blade behaved. I'm not confident of HF brads: my HF brad nailer jammed on the brads it came with, but has never jammed in several years subsequently using PC brads. Most of the pipe clamps I've gotten have been fine, but a few of them had such rough castings they did not work properly until disassembled and strategically filed or ground. The magnetic based lamp died very quickly. But I have a fair number of things that work well from them.

edit: Oops. I just noticed that I resurrected this post from the archives, which I didn't realize, having following a link from a current post. Sorry.