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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>There are SOME bargains there and LOTS of
junk. Be very selective in what you get.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have a 14" metal cut-off saw under there
"Chicago" name. This is the orange one that they always have piles
of. That turned out to be a fantastic buy. It runs like a top and I
have cut a LOT of steel with it for many welding projects. I also cut
aluminum PianoDisc rails with it. Not the most accurate thing in the world
but close enough for that particular task. I got it on sale for
$50.00. Normally it would be $100.00. Even at that price it is a
fantastic bargain. It even came with an extra set of motor brushes.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I also bought a hydraulic hoist for lifting out
piano plates. On the end is one of their chain wenches which gives me
added control. It folds up incredibly compact when not in use,
yet with the legs fully extended you can lift several tons. A perfect
solution for a piano shop and inexpensive. Nothing cheep about it's
performance however. I think I paid around $200.00. Can't beat
it.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I've purchased quite a few various sized C clamps
and small bar clamps at Harbor Freight. There is a little flexing because
of the lower grade steel but for general purposes it has been fine. I
use more expensive clamps in critical applications.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>ON THE FLIP SIDE:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have purchased various types of bits there and
they immediately went into the trash. I've purchased sanding disks which
turned out to have almost no adhesive and clogged and burned up almost
immediately. I bought a general purpose machine vice for my drill
press. There is so much looseness in the treads that is practically
useless. I bought some throw-away brushes for my glue pot. Unless I
crimp the metal handle on each of them the bristles fall out. I purchased
a box of 100 razor blades and they were as dull as a piece of cardboard right
out of the box. Straight to the trash. I bought a set of punches
which are made of such cheap steel that they chipped and bent on the first use,
(punching leather!) I got some buffing wheels that were so out of round
that I had to remove probably a pound of material with the buffing rake to
balance them. I bought some chisels that are so soft there is no way to
keep them sharp. That's okay because I was looking for some junkers to hog
out wood for jobs that didn't need to be neat, but I would never consider them
for fine wood working.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Take it from ol' live and learn. Be extremely
careful what you buy at Harbor Freight. I would not touch ANY of their
cordless tools. The metal cut-off saw was a real bargain but I would
never consider any wood working equipment of any kind. That is a
task that demands accuracy and power. Decent quality tools are
critical for our type of work. They are worth spending some
money on. In the past I bought a lot of cheep tools and later regretted
it. I just ended up buying them again. When it comes to things like
saws, routers, sanders, cordless tools, drill presses, band saws, jointers,
planers, miter saws, air compressors, dust collectors, and other such shop
equipment, buy the highest models of name brands you can afford.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Having tried just about everything out there at
this point my preferences are Dewalt, Porter-Cable, and SOME Delta and
Skill products. Makita has never impressed me much. They tend to be
under powered and their cordless stuff doesn't seem to hold a charge all
that long. They also seem less accurate. I've tossed out two Makita
cordless drills because of frustration. Stay away from Ryobe and Black
& Decker, period. As far as heavy shop equipment goes, without
hesitation Powermatic is king. It is as professional as it gets. It
is VERY expensive but if you can afford to splurge it is golden. Delta
equipment such as their famous "Unisaw" is also good stuff. I bought
a Jet drill press, never been happy with it. I regret not getting the
Delta. Now I'll have to spend more money upgrading some day. On the
flip side I have a Delta 48" stationary sander that is under
powered.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><U>If you are serious about your work get serious
about your tools</U>. Whether it be hand or power tools, get the best you
can. If you can't afford it, save your pennies in a jar until you have
enough. Junk tools bring junky results which makes your work
junky. Buying equipment twice is more expensive then buying good stuff
once. Then take good care of your tools and they will last for the
duration of your career. Never loan them to anyone you don't trust to
take care of them the way you do, (or better yet don't loan them).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Rob Goodale, RPT</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Las Vegas, NV</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=mcpiano@videotron.ca href="mailto:mcpiano@videotron.ca">Marcel
Carey</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">'Pianotech List'</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, May 06, 2007 4:12 AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: Harbor Freight shop
equipment</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><BR></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>Well well
well, its about that time for me. The fun time of choosing shop
equipment! I have looked at Harbor Freight for lots of hours now and its
decision time for me. Do any of you have any experience with Harbor
Freight tools? If so what is the tool and what did you think? I'm
interested in power tools. A drill press, dust collector, bandsaw,
grinder, router, disk and belt sander. I understand a lot of you folks
like the grizzly products and they do sound good, but I just cant stand to do
the hole mail order thing. I like to put my hands on the product.
The hand tools I have bought from Hf do an okay job for me. Some things
they have dont look so hot but others work well. So before investing a
lot of money I want to get a few opinions on these products from someone who
has used them. With Harbor Freight locations popping up all over the U.S
one needs to know what to expect from the tools they push. Thanks for
any thoughts on this subject. Oh... and one more thing. I cant
afford to brake the bank on this deal. I know you get what you pay for
but this will be my first shop. I just need something that will do the
job and last for a little while. Thanks
again.</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>