I really enjoyed my new set of small diameter auger bits for $14.00. It was fun watching them one by one bend into odd shapes as they twisted around. 15 minutes of fun for $14? Not too bad.
Friend of the Creek
I really enjoyed my new set of small diameter auger bits for $14.00. It was fun watching them one by one bend into odd shapes as they twisted around. 15 minutes of fun for $14? Not too bad.
Contributor
Just last week one of my favorite rust hunt stops had a bundle of 3 twist drills, a 1/4" screwdriver blade and a gimlet, all with tangs to fit in a brace for $1.I really enjoyed my new set of small diameter auger bits for $14.00.
My wife calls me "a cheap date."
They have already provided me with more than $1 worth of fun and will surely provide more in the future.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
[OP]
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It was a joke. We had a thread entitled "I like good tools". We had a thread entitled "I like old tools". I felt the need to balance the force. That's all.Originally Posted by Jeff Heath
Member
My apologies. I have to work on my sense of humor......
Jeff
[OP]
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Been there, done that (CPM-10V iron), with similar results. I also have a set of Japanese HAP40 chisels that are much easier to hone than 10V, but that still see limited use because they ideally want diamond, which isn't all that practical in the shop. I can get good edges on both steels with diamond compounds on cast iron hones FWIW. The problem with diamond plates is that there aren't any truly fine-grit options (the finest DMT is 3 um, vs ~1 um for many non-diamond polishing stones), such that you have to finish on film or compound to get a refined edge. High-Vanadium wonder steels have their place, but my shop isn't it. If I had it to do again I'd buy a couple/few of the HAP40 chisels for "extreme use", but no more than that.
I have a Crown tools burnisher that appears to be softer than some of my scrapers, which I consider to be a fail.
A long time ago I bought a (new) Stanley 60-1/2, which wasn't that much cheaper than the LV LA block. Compared to the latter it's objectionably heavy, the adjuster is sticky and has a fair bit of backlash, and the tensioner goes from "loose" to "locked" too quickly. I suspect the adjuster and tensioner issues may be a result of the aluminum lever cap tending to stick to the steel iron.
While I like Narex tools in general, my parers were so badly bellied that I had to spend many hours working on them. They work fine now but I consider them to have been a "fail" inasmuch as it would have made more economic sense to pay (even a lot) more for tools requiring less work.
Oh, and many years back I was lured by the siren song of the aforementioned Windsor #33. $10 plus a couple hours of work yielded basically zip. The next time I want a "beater plane" I'll spend $100 for a Quangsheng/WoodRiver on sale or a post-WWII Stanley for less than that, and save my time. I'd much rather sacrifice money than that much hard work.
Oddly enough I have either the same chisels or similar ones (the kind from Canada, not Maine) and love them. I find the relatively non-exotic (compared to, say, CPM-10V or HAP40) alloy easy to hone on AlOxide stones, no diamond required, and the Canadian ones are available in O1 as well. I also like the sharp side edges, but then again I also have firmers and mortise chisels for jobs that require side registration. With that said, if you like sharp sides you don't have to spend $$$. Some practice and a few minutes with a belt grinder does the trick for basically any Western chisel. Don't try it on your expensive Japanese chisels, though.
Last edited by Patrick Chase; 02-09-2018 at 2:51 PM.
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Ooh, an Aluminum body. That's gonna leave a mark (literally).
Contributor
My solution was to spend $3 for a Dunlap (Millers Falls) plane at a yard sale. It is a #3 size plane that won't leave me sobbing if it gets dropped or nicked while working out in the wild.The next time I want a "beater plane" I'll spend $100 for a Quangsheng/WoodRiver on sale, and save my time. I'd much rather sacrifice money than that much hard work.
My other beater, a #5-1/4, was turned into a scrub plane. It was a bad buy from ebay. The poor thing was beat to heck and back but does a good job on the rough stuff.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
[OP]
Member
Yeah, I edited my post to reflect that a "mediocre" old tool is a good choice here. I got carried away with the "new tool" theme :-).
Contributor
Had one of the #33 planes....turned it into a #3 sized scrub plane.....found out I like a #5 sized scrub better. Handle from the #33 are now on a Stanley #7 that needed new handles....
I prefer the Older, Vintage tools, usually just a little older than I am. A 1953 Disston D-8, 8ppi still works nicely as a crosscut saw. Type 4 Millers Falls #9 smooth plane works just as well as my type 9 Stanley #4....
Member
These came out well before the LN and LV chisels... They are things of beauty and their maker is a truly great fellow... And they certainly did turn the world upside down when they came out... But LV and LN have since sucked all the wind out of that market.....
[OP]
Member
Are you referring to the A2 paring chisels that you've referenced in another thread?
Member
You're assuming a dichotomy rather than a range: good/bad, new/old. All the slightly used, mediocre (neither good nor bad) tools are gonna get their feelings hurt.
Member
Just to tell on myself....
If you looked at my woodworking hand tools and didn't know better - you might assume I actually like new, bad tools... I have no shortage of them..... Far too many in fact....
And lately - I have been deliberating on the correct solution to this problem....
What do you guys do with the seemingly inevitable stack of these cheap, bad tools which aren't *quite* horrible enough to just throw out.....
Last edited by John C Cox; 02-09-2018 at 10:14 PM.
Contributor
Yard Sale!What do you guys do with the seemingly inevitable stack of these cheap, bad tools which aren't *quite* horrible enough to just throw out.....
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
I bunch them up for that auction site....or take them to a trading spot I know about....and then buy better tools. Trade a few old wood bodied planes for a Stanley No.6c, type 10, AND...a disston No.4 backsaw....
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