Little and not so little things @ HF that are of value

R

rashid11

Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
707
Some of my favorites:

- hand files. Dirt cheap. PERFECT hardness , handles included. $1.99


- clamps. 2" opening are my favs for slabs. When I'm doing a batch, having a dozen+ of those comes in real handy. I use 4 clamps per handle,
15min epoxy (will try 5m soon)

- lockable clamps/plyers: at $3.99 these are most excellent for a number of things - clamping blade and/or slabs for drilling, clamping bolsters for
soldering

- long noze/handle plyers - these were MADE for taking your blades out of heat oven

- 6" digital caliper ($16?). The thing is incredible. Very accurate, last forever, jaws are of some NASA secret metal at RC 80 :) . And I picked
up something like 20 battery pack for $1 at a flea market. Batteries
last about 6 months. It helps that caliper has auto-shutoff

- magnets (in welding section). Look real careful - they have a 100LB-pull rectangular black magnet, something like 4x2x1 - this is just perfect to hold the blade

- wrenches Chrome/vanadium, metric and imperial

- gloves


- the 8" buffer/grinder is incredible value (every now and then goes on
sale for $79, regular $109 ). I used it as foundation for me HMBG (home made belt grinder). Perfect !


Here's a list of not-so-small things that I bought over 3 years or so, @ HF:

- mini mill (now outfitted with 3ax DRO and I converted it to belt drive)
- mini lathe (now it is 7x18, I got bed extension kit from LMS)
- 4x6
- grinder/buffer
- Dual MIG 151
- TIG/stick
- Auto-darkening welding helmet

Each and every one of them is excellent value for the money. Simply can not be beaten . Ever .


Well, the fact the closest store is 70 miles away from me home ... dunno if it is a blessing in disguise ... Any closer and I'd be spending my every weekend there :)

Craft-what ?

Next on my list: 8 gallon Air Compressor + nailer + paint gun + mini grinder. The thing has got rave reviews on the Web. At 6 SCFM @ 90
psi is has a power to be reckoned with. No Sears 2.4 CFM 3 gallon sissy.
 
Files from seems to be a good deal but I remember someone on these forum saying that they were really bad.
Did they change supplier?
 
Outside of making knifes, I also file accordion reeds - out of blue steel (RC 48-50) and these HF files (wooden handle) eat that stuff for lunch.
Some of the toughest material to file, BTW.


Nice temper.

I did see some really bad chinese file @ $1 store - may be @ RC 38 :)
Those are to be avoided. In my case they do have a purpose - when I
file off brass weights - they file away brass w/o touching the blue steel.
For every creation there's a purpose :)
 
They have Needle files that are quite cheap and they are good. Air hose connectors cheaper than you can find anywhere. Decent Air Masks at a good price. And like Rashid said, those Digital Calipers are out of this world cheap and very good quality. If you have never used a pair of these, they are of good quality, very accurate, Mitutoyo copy at 1/10th the price. You can scribe your lines with the blades in your unhardened steel without ruining the blades on the calipers. Great for finding the center of your Guards or for laying out the hole with ease. Treat yourself to one of these and you will be very glad you did. Buy your Knifemaker friend a pair and he will love ya for it I promise.
 
I normally don't buy non US made power tools but I had no choice when it came to a mini lathe. It was purchased from HF back in June and it puked out a week ago. Fortunately I bought the extended warranty, a rarity for me, and they replaced it with a brand new one. I also buy thier sledge hammers for whacking on my spring steel swages since it beats the crap out of the faces, then I pitch them out.
 
Harbor Frieght's got some good stuf, some great stuff and absolute crap. You just got to read the listings, and have a good idea of what your buying. Heck on the wrench side they cary SK hand tools, only thing better would be Snap-on. Then again I've seen them carry Malasian tools that were so soft they may as well have been made from pewter.

Only real problem I have with Harbor Frieght is there shipping department, slow and have sent the wrong iteam more often than I can count.
 
For non-knife stuff:

magnetic bowls - super dandy for holding misc screws & nuts & whatnot. As good as Carharts pockets!

plumb bobs

nitrile gloves

drywall saws

those fun little butane torches - they serve no practical purpose, but BOY do the chicks get a kick out of having a cigarette lit with one!

lawn & deck furnature (we've got an HF here in town, so we don't do the shipping thing)

the little clip thingies that go on the end of the tape measure

For Knife stuff:

abrasive paper - can't beat the price anywhere

hammer kits - they sell tham as "hammers" even though some assembly is required ;)

nips - easily modified into tongs (but wait 'till they go on sale to buy them)

small cutoff wheels and angle grinder disks - they're almost as good as the expensive American made ones!!

Goop.

Avoid:

screwdrivers, electrician's tools of any kind, voltmeters (the leads break if you think about them wrong), spring loaded centerpunch, anything orange, :eek: and/or tape measures
 
Has anyone used the 7x10 mini lathe bed extension from LMS? It looks like a great idea VS getting the next size up that weighs 265 Lbs. Was the extension easy to convert? Does it work well? What is compromised?. The 10" bed is constantly too short for even small horizontal boring jobs.
 
I did the 14" LMS extension on mine. may be 40 mins of work.
The actual distance from chuck to dead end in tailstock is now
close to 18".

Highly recommended.
 
I think you guys have covered most of what I have. In case I missed it I own the 4x6 horizontal bandsaw and love it. I threw away the blade that came with it and bought a good bi metal blade. Tension the blade TIGHT and you will get quick accurate cuts. I have run mine to death and pushed it to the limit doing fab work and it keeps ticking along...

I also have used and abused the sawzall they have..( I know its orange) but its been well worth the money. I throw it in the back of my truck and its there when I need it. Again get a US made bi metal blade.
 
I forgot one thing non knife related. They have a pistol grip yellow cordless rechargeable spotlight (500,000 CP) that I use all the time. I have three of them and they have never given a minutes trouble. I think the regular price is $9.99 but Ive seen them on sale for less.
 
There are a couple modifications I made to the 7x10 lathe. I cut a slot across the chip guard and was able to get another 1/4" travel on the tool post. I also used some sheet aluminum to seal up the crack on the chip guard just above where the motor mount is. The chips were falling and/or being sucked into the motor and the brushes and contacts burned up. The brush insert hole was also taped up so the motor fan will not draw cutting into it.

I don't know how many of you are using that lathe but I thought I would toss out the mods. that I did. Also, I am keeping the chip tray alot cleaner instead of letting it pile up a couple inches deep.
 
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