Re: (ET) Snow at last...

[David C Robie <mycroftxx1 juno com>]

Being an HSM,  have found that any drill bits bought from a retail store
(except Hanson brand) are apt to be both off size and have shallow angles
that are near useless for metals.  Some are even off center, drilling
larger holes so that when you tap em, the thead % is a sloppy 50 or even
less.. Same with the TIN coated.  HF bargain drills in indexes,
surprisingly, seem OK here, accurately sized and angled for metals.  So
if anyone here is breaking taps,  mike your drill bit before drilling (it
may be undersized) using the Starrett chart or equivalent and watch the
feel and 'straight upness' of the tap wrench. Back out and clear chips
twice as often.  And use tap fluid, not lube oil for lube.

YAH Chinese 16 pt sockets are horrible.  It is well worth getting a set
of decent (even Craftsman) 8 pointers for those rusty bolts.

Dave
Weymouth MA


On Sat, 10 Feb 2007 10:54:58 -0500 Christopher Zach
<cz alembic crystel com> writes:
> Hm. I hate to say it, but unless you are a complete not-user-of-tools 
> I 
> would recommend getting at least Craftsman tools. I got a set of 
> Ryobi 
> drill bits the other year from Home Depot; every bit was terrible. 
> They 
> would not cut metal, tore up wood, etc. And they *rust?* A set of 
> Craftsman bits will last for a *long* time.
> 
> Likewise with sockets; there is nothing as annoying as having your 
> socket break or round off a bolt. Snap on sockets never do this, and 
> 
> have removed bolts with ease that other sockets just won't.
> 
> Quality is a tricky thing; you don't know it's value till you don't 
> have 
> it. So rather than waste 3x the time with inferior tools, get the 
> good 
> ones and be happy.
> 
> And you can give them to your grandkids. I still use a lot of the 
> drills 
> and tools from my Grandfather. They work well.
> 
> Chris
> 
> 
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