Need to stock up with tools, and the HD deal is too tempting.

[TheBoiler]

I have a BT table saw, a router a selection of Ryobi battery tools, couple of drills etc. But I am starting a major refurb and thought with this deal it was time to stock up.

So I was thinking of

Chop Saw, I have crown moulding to install. And a lot of Baseboard, flooring etc.

Floor mounted drill press. I have the space.

Something more powerful to replace my Ryobi. I mainly use the drill/driver and the reciprocating saw. The previous owner fixed everything with drywall screws, I have loads to take out.

A belt sander.

So what would be the best combination for $1,000 before the 30% and then the 10% if you take the CC?

[rnelson0]

Something more powerful to replace my Ryobi. I mainly use the drill/driver and the reciprocating saw. The previous owner fixed everything with drywall screws, I have loads to take out.

Last year, I received a DW511 1/2" corder hammer drill for my birthday. I still use the Ryobi for anything portable, but the hammer drill comes out for anything else, especially something like removing a hundred screws. Very nice for only $100. No recommendations on portables, sorry.

I purchased a RIDGID R3001 reciprocating saw for $60 or $70 at HD last year (at the time, it came with a tool bag) and used it for hacking out some tree roots. It worked admirably and was easy to clean later. It has plenty of kick and sawed through a very solid oak trunk with no problem. Use a quality blade and it will give you no problems.


For belt sanders, I would simply recommend you stay away from Craftsman. I purchased one there on my father's recommendation (Sears has changed a lot over the past 30 years...) and it is the one tool purchase I regret. The dust collection is horrible. The belt adjustment is crap. The only nice thing to say is that at least it was cheap. I have looked at their higher quality sanders but still see the same physical design problems - poor alignment, poor DC - though I have not used them. I would splurge a bit on this.

Two down, $830 to go!

[Sawatzky]

I too would stay away from Craftsman belt sanders! They are junk. If you get a belt sander get a Porter Cable. They are the best IMO. If you are installing crown molding you are going to need an air compressor and a nail gun. Porter Cable has some packaged deals that are nice, and I think the new Ridgid guns are good. I like Bostitch myself. HF aslo sells some nails guns very cheap, and most people are happy with them.

[geminix]

Don't forget about the Milwaukee 18V Li-ion kit on sale right now for $349. Includes circular saw, recip saw, drill, worklight, two batteries, charger, bag, and specially marked boxes also include the impact driver for free. Plus, if you buy the kit you can mail in for a free Hammer Drill (or one of several other tools) as well. The batteries are the 18v XC lithium ion, which are the longer-running (Xtra Capacity) variety.

That's a bunch of really nice tools for very little change. Bought myself a kit this weekend (only $274 after the instant rebate dealie), and love it so far.

[drumpriest]

This isn't helpful, so sorry, but I have to say yet again (1000th time?) that Sears doesn't make tools, they make deals with other tool companies, so unless you are talking about a specific sander the goodness/badness issue isn't a valid argument. They probably have belt sanders from 3-4 different companies.

Customer service is a different story, certainly if you say "Sears customer service is bad because I had a bunch of bad experiences lately..." then sure, but basing the quality of a line of tools based upon the sampling of 1 isn't good.

For instance, I could say "stay was from craftsman routers, they are bad", but Bosch makes a router for them, as does Ryobi, etc... so if I have a bad Ryobi made one, it certainly doesn't imply that the Bosch is a bad router.

Having said that, I really like the PC detail belt sander, and PC in general has been pretty good quality of a long haul. I have the PC compressor and nail gun set (18g and 16g) and they've been great. Overall I think PC is a good tool company.

If you are looking to replace your table saw (based up "something to replace my ryobi") I'd take a hard look at the new Ridgid hybrid, seems like a nice saw for the money, but if your bt3 is going strong unless you have some specific reason to replace it, I'd get some other tools. If you are getting into wood working some other tools like a jointer and planer could be a good choice. If you are more Mr. Fixit, then maybe not. Certainly a miter saw is VERY useful, especially for molding, and there are many good ones out there. I had the cheap Ryobi, and it worked great, but without soft start it often made my work piece move at start up. I upgraded to a Makita LS1013 and really like it. My dad has a Bosch 10" SCMS but I cannot remember the model number, it's been good too. The Makita is nice for crown as it has stops for both angles for a compound cut on crown so that you can lay the crown flat on the saw.

[rnelson0]

As for Sears, yeah, they have 3-4 different companies' belt sanders, but they are trying to undercut those companies so they have crappy designs the companies would not sell under their own name. In other words, Porter-Cable may have made the sander, but you would never see PC try and market the piece of crap I own under their own name.

Do not forget safety tools and accurate measuring tools. A $30 ruler will save hundreds in materials if it is accurate. A pair of headphones will save your hearing. Featherboards are awesome. Another area you may need to put some money is into lighting. Just some things to keep in mind.

[TheBoiler]

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...02106+10401016

The Makita, I also saw a very nice Mailwaukee 12", but looking at the capacity of this one why would you need a 12"?

The Milwaukee set is also on my list. Thans for the tip to look for the special boxes.

Which would leave not a lot, maybe the sander and drill will need to wait, the new Dremel tool looked like something I could get a lot of use from.

[Tom Slick]

The milwaukee 12" is considered top of the line for contractors. It may be overkill in the home shop but it does have excellent dust collection and miter accuracy. The makita 10" is the old standby and is considered great. I like my Bosch a lot and would also recommend it.

12" is needed for large crown molding among other cuts.

[Thalermade]

Since you will be installing crown moulding, baseboard and hardwood floors, I heartily recommend purchasing a MSUV to use with which ever chop saw you get.

Having the saw on the cart was great when I was finishing the basement, and even better when I installed the hardwood floor on the first floor family room. It puts the saw at a decent height, and it beat the heck out of running down the basement or out to the garage for every cut.

Be safe
Russ

[Rand]

I have a Dewalt 12" CMS that I like a lot. However, if I were to replace it I would get a 10" sliding miter saw. It has greater crosscut capacity and the blades are cheaper.

[TheBoiler]

I have just found out what a MSUV is, nothing to do with cars.

Any recomendations?

[rnelson0]

What HD deal gets you 30% off?

[geminix]

What HD deal gets you 30% off?

He's referring to the power tool promotion currently running. Basically the more you spend, the more you save. If you spend $1000, you get $300 off instantly, so basically 30%.

Here's the .pdf about this (note that the promotion is in-store only): http://www.homedepot.com/hdus/en_US/...eal_Coupon.pdf

Hope this helps!

[pelligrini]

There's some more discussion in this thread too.
http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=45063

[rnelson0]

If you spend $1000, you get $300 off instantly, so basically 30%.

Yeah, but it is still only $300 off if you spend $2000 I thought it was 30% off and that I could get a good deal on a few small items. Thanks.