Toolfreaks Anonymous

[lizzie]

Battery powered tools have say a four or three year warranty on the tool. The warranty on the battery is only one year and that is how long they are designed to last. Then you have to replace batteries. The cost of a new  or refurbishing of the old one makes you say, "Ah well, down time at al and I may as well buy a new drill.
Marketeering rip off or retail rip off.  Hope it is not tghe same in the USA.

I LOVE my battery drills!
I have a 18V DeWalt that is about 16 or so years ago that I have bought one new battery for. (You can find much better deals on batteries, online, rather than in the building supply stores.
Also, I was in Wal-Mart about 15 yrs ago, and saw a cheapie Skil brand battery drill for 60 dollars plus change. That drill surprised me. It still works just fine on the original battery. (Also 18 V)
I have a couple of electric DeWalt drills too, and they have been tough as well, and all they have needed was cord replacement.

[bantam5s]

Battery powered tools have say a four or three year warranty on the tool. The warranty on the battery is only one year and that is how long they are designed to last. Then you have to replace batteries. The cost of a new  or refurbishing of the old one makes you say, "Ah well, down time at al and I may as well buy a new drill.
Marketeering rip off or retail rip off.  Hope it is not tghe same in the USA.

I LOVE my battery drills!
I have a 18V DeWalt that is about 16 or so years ago that I have bought one new battery for. (You can find much better deals on batteries, online, rather than in the building supply stores.
Also, I was in Wal-Mart about 15 yrs ago, and saw a cheapie Skil brand battery drill for 60 dollars plus change. That drill surprised me. It still works just fine on the original battery. (Also 18 V)
I have a couple of electric DeWalt drills too, and they have been tough as well, and all they have needed was cord replacement.

I had a beast of an old 18v mikita that was 20 years old when the switch finally gave out on me, and the original Japanese nimh battery was still good but the red Mexican made spare had long since died.

I agree that most aren't built to last that long, but most companies also change formats every few years.
Ryobi has had the same format with their one+ line for over 20 years, so as long as the tool is still good you can get new batteries.
The batteries aren't cheap, but you wait till ryobi days and you can usually get a good deal on a battery combo.
Of course technology in the tool itself may be better, so one may have wanted to upgrade anyways even if their old stuff still worked.


Corded power tools certainly do last much longer,  my block body Craftsman bench grinder was made in 1958 and has only had a cord replacement.
It's getting to the point where it'll really need a service , but I wouldn't be surprised if it has another 50 years in it after that.
Those old motors just don't quit.

[Sfttailrdr46]

For those not in the know,... an impact will drive deck screws 1000% than a drill. It even works with Phillips bits, but star bits/screws are better. Once you see the difference, you will be amazed. Star screws tend to be more expensive.

If I were deck building,... I would only use an impact (Not the same as a drill. No traditional drill chuck.)

My drill has the impact feature and when driving the heavy 4 1/2 timber screws right in. These star head drive screws are 3/8" shaft and they zip right in

[Van]

   The stand up deck screw drivers with the automatic screw feed are amazing.  I would check into renting one if I ever build a deck again.  I watched two guys building one for a neighbor at warp speed it seemed.  They have stand up attachments for your hand drill now too but I don't know how good they are.

[Firewalker]

I have the Makita black, BL series, brushless, drill and driver set. They are tiny in comparison but will out torque brushed drills/drivers.

I'd never go back to my brace for drilling holes.

[bantam5s]

For those not in the know,... an impact will drive deck screws 1000% than a drill. It even works with Phillips bits, but star bits/screws are better. Once you see the difference, you will be amazed. Star screws tend to be more expensive.

If I were deck building,... I would only use an impact (Not the same as a drill. No traditional drill chuck.)

My drill has the impact feature and when driving the heavy 4 1/2 timber screws right in. These star head drive screws are 3/8" shaft and they zip right in

They're great as long as you get good quality Torx bits.
I have found that with cheap ones the small teeth tend to be less durable than the corners of a Robertson bit.
The American made Apex bits are great.

[bantam5s]

This Is after taking care of the severe mushrooming on the poll, but I just received this extremely cool 19th century hatchet head.


It was hand forged in 1862 by a man named Jonathan Yerkes which was an early partner of Fayette R Plumb who would later form the Plumb tool company who I'm sure many of you are familiar with.
They were later bought by cooper tool who I believe became part of Apex , and their name is still found on hammer heads today but the tools have been imported since probably sometime in the 90's.

There's only reference to this stamp being used on hammer heads, so it may be pretty darn rare.
I sure am happy to have it.

[lizzie]

Wow David! So cool! What a find!

[bantam5s]

Wow David! So cool! What a find!

I am very glad to have such a piece of history, I just hope I can do it justice when I comes to making a handle in style seen in the period.
I'll be taking some liberties with it though, just whichever common style I find compliments the head best.
I bought it off a member of a tool related forum who does the whole picker Ebay selling thing and posts pictures the various lots they scrounge up.
I knew nothing about it other than that it was a cool pattern you don't see a lot.
The ears sticking down are called lugs and in the 20th century hatchets didn't usually have them unless they were woodshop or trade specific tool with a hammer head. Like a shingle hatchet...ect.

I knew it could be fairly old so when I was told $35 shipped I figured that's not too much if it's more modern and I'm not stealing it if it proves pretty old.

[lizzie]

What do you mean, "ears sticking down"?
I don't understand.

[bantam5s]

What do you mean, "ears sticking down"?
I don't understand.

The pointed areas sticking down from the head.
They are essentially extensions to the eye so theres more steel around the hande.

[lizzie]

Oh! Okay....thank you!

[JuryRigger]

Too cool! 
To think you are holding a piece of steel that was forged almost 160 years ago... 
Jesse

[HunterWhite]

Is that a civil war artifact?

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

I have a Plumb Hatchet that was U.S. Govt. Issue and dated 1942. ( WWII maybe )

I have a Half Hatchet from the 1950's


Best Wishes - Tom

[happymecanic]

I have a Plumb Hatchet that was U.S. Govt. Issue and dated 1942. ( WWII maybe )

I have a Half Hatchet from the 1950's


Best Wishes - Tom

Hey there Tom .

Your Plumb Hatchet is real nice, it reminds me of the axe I inherited from my grand-father, an Iltis OxHead. I think he bought it in the sixties, and made the maple handle in the seventies. He used it for fine wood work, and kept the edge razor sharp. I'm so glad I saved this precious family heirloom!

Cheers and stay safe ,

Francois

[bantam5s]

Is that a civil war artifact?

Of the era, but no I don't think so.
W.M Beatty had contracts to produce a great number of axes ( some belt axes very close to this )  but I think J.Yerkes was a bit small of an outfit for that.

[bantam5s]

I have a Plumb Hatchet that was U.S. Govt. Issue and dated 1942. ( WWII maybe )

I have a Half Hatchet from the 1950's


Best Wishes - Tom

Definitely WW2.
I think most were Plumb and Mann.

[bantam5s]

Too cool! 
To think you are holding a piece of steel that was forged almost 160 years ago... 
Jesse

1 piece of steel for the bit, a pie e of wrought iron for the eye, and apparently another " dissimilar " metal for the poll ( that's the backside ) is what I've been told but I'm not 100% sure what exactly that is.

[Novagun]

I was given an axe about a year ago by someone who rescued it from a skip. It is 9 inches across the face and beveled only on one side. No date but it is marked RobtSorby. Sheffield Warranted caste steel. I think Sorby is an English tool manufacturer. I put a handle in it made out of pinus radiata so it is not a robust handle and I have never used it. I have seen old photos dating back to the late 1800s early 1900s of workmen with them working on the New Zealand sailing scows. The photos show they had relatively short handles. The workers not actually working. More posing for the camera. Some of the timbers they used to build those  scows were massive and hewn from the log.