Tool mistakes?

[Jim Dunn]

Per what did you not like about the little grinder you bought. I purchased one for $10.00 from a big box on closeout. I thought if nothing else I could use it to sharpen pencils with. But seriously, is it good for anything as far as sharpening tools with?

[Per Swenson]

Its good for sharpening my sons collection
of imported folding knifes. Or anything else
you don't want a sharp edge on. Maybe I am
being to elitist and harsh here and maybe in
better skilled hands its a wonderful....no I am lying
I think its junk, the stone wears way to fast to
keep a proper angle in the tool rest. The speed
on mine is inconsistent and the water bath nonsense
is sloppy. I can get better results from a polished
concrete floor. Sorry Delta, you make some great
stuff. What posesed them to stick their name on
this harry the homeowner piece of garbage in
their quest for profits is beyond me.
Per

[Brian Hale]

The Grizzly $39 angle/bevel protractor. Total piece of junk

Shopsmith MKIV

Craftsman router crafter. Bought it about 15 years ago for $100 so that i could "Easily Make Spiral Table Legs With Your Craftsman Router" I keep it standing in the corner of the shop to remind myself to think before i buy

Almost forgot... The Craftsman wet sharp machine, similar to the delta pictured up further.

Brian

[Jim Stastny]

My worst buy had to be a box joint jig sold by the father and son team that does the router workshop. It's not that the jig was bad. However, when I saw what I bought I realized I could have made a better jig for one tenth the price. Add to that the fact in the four years I've owned it I've used it three maybe four times.

Contrary to others I love my Delta Contractors saw. Dust collection is easily taken care of by placing a fitted box under the table. I find my Unifence to be "dead on" acurate. With a Forrest blade and link belt the saw is excellent.

[Tom Pritchard]

As I sat back today and read this thread, I had a disturbing thought. One of the main reasons that I thoroughly enjoy Saw Mill Creek is the polite, courteous, and respectful manner that the participants treat each other in. The notes in this particular thread have the potential to really make someone feel bad that has had good luck with a tool that someone else speaks poorly of. It may be the best tool they can afford, and they may be offended to the point of possibly leaving the Creek. That would be a terrible thing. Some of the tools listed in this thread may be someone's favorite tool, and maybe the application or expectations of someone else put their favorite in a bad light and upset them. I know that these things are not our intent, but it may be their impact.

There are other forums out there that I won't even visit for some of these same reasons. Maybe we should think about withholding some of our opinions, and try to lend help as it is needed, regardless of the tool in question. I know that I'm going back and erasing my post. Thanks for letting me voice my reflection folks.

[Carole Valentine]

Basically, everything I ever bought that was cheap...Craftsman belt/disk sander, Craftsman 6" grinder, Skill jig saw, B&D plunge router, an 18v "Motor City" drill...well you get the idea. It took me a long time, but I finally got it through my thick head that 99% of the time, cheap tools are just an aggravation and a waste of money. The one exception to that has been my $74 Woodcraft slow speed 8" grinder. That grinder is wonderful. It's quiet as a mouse and so vibration free that I can balance a nickle on it when it it running. I understand though, that others have not been so lucky.

[Jim Becker]

I would have to say that the my worst purchase was also, in one important way, the best one. It was a Sears Craftsman $200 table saw back in about 1996. I only owned it for about six months before coming to my senses about how, umm..."inadequate" it was...and selling it for bupkus, but it did start me down the road of turning woodworking into my serious avocation and taught me an important tool buying lesson that I often recite in these pages: "The most expensive power tools are the ones you need to replace early and often."

And honestly, I've been very fortunate to have had the means to be able to go down a different path since then, both with my first generation of "good" power tools and into the second, as well as with the quality hand tools, both corded and human powered since then. Those tools that I have turned over for the "next level" brought me a lot of value and also brought me back an above average return when I resold them to other woodworkers. In other words, I made better investments. (And enjoyed them a whole lot better, too...)

[John Hart]

[QUOTE=Tom Pritchard]As I sat back today and read this thread, I had a disturbing thought....

Ya know Tom, I had the very same thought, and I pondered it for quite some time and then I posted my displeasure about the Craftsman 3D sander. My motive was that of awareness(buyer beware) rather than tool bashing. Mainly because I too have been strapped for money and had to get the best thing that I could afford...which usually, I was too embarrassed to show to anyone. For instance, I will say that I like my Craftsman tools....but I've taken a lot of heat for that because a lot of people don't like Craftsman. It used to hurt my feelings but nowadays I don't care. I remember way back when...An older gentleman said, "Your tools are an extention of you...it is you, that creates the piece, so just use the tool as if it were an arm or a hand". That told me that even a tool that is cumbersome for some people, may turn out to be ideal for others. I know my table saw like the back of my hand and I will happily use it for many years to come even though it doesn't have a super-deluxe precision fence or a 40,000 HP motor. I like the stuff I have...even the crappy stuff.

So I agree with you Tom that this thread can be hurtful in the way you stated. But I also say that folks should do their best with what they have and remember that there are a lot of superb woodworkers out there that create masterpieces with nothing but handtools.

Oh...and when Craftsman redesigns their 3D sander...I'll buy one.

[Walt Pater]

I bought an $77.00 Turbo CAD deluxe program, thinking I could e-mail draw-ups to people. User's manual might as well be in Swahili. Wrong program to start out on.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

As I sat back today and read this thread, I had a disturbing thought. One of the main reasons that I thoroughly enjoy Saw Mill Creek is the polite, courteous, and respectful manner that the participants treat each other in. The notes in this particular thread have the potential to really make someone feel bad that has had good luck with a tool that someone else speaks poorly of. It may be the best tool they can afford, and they may be offended to the point of possibly leaving the Creek. That would be a terrible thing. Some of the tools listed in this thread may be someone's favorite tool, and maybe the application or expectations of someone else put their favorite in a bad light and upset them. I know that these things are not our intent, but it may be their impact.

There are other forums out there that I won't even visit for some of these same reasons. Maybe we should think about withholding some of our opinions, and try to lend help as it is needed, regardless of the tool in question. I know that I'm going back and erasing my post. Thanks for letting me voice my reflection folks.

I understand what you are saying Tom. In fact, I've had good success with some of the tools others have mentioned, but I think it'd be a mistake to withold your honest opinion of a tool just because you might offend someone. We're all adults here and as long as the conversation stays civil I see no reason we can't discuss tools that did't work for us for whatever reason. In fact, I seem to recall some of the most contentious "debates" have been about tools people were bragging on!

[Glenn Clabo]

Tom,
You expressed exactly what I was thinking. I'm also having that uneasy feeling when people put down tools that are the same ones that people buy for economic reasons...and some who do amazing work for a living use. I like tools...but find people think that more expensive/fancy/accurate is going to make them better woodworkers. I was taught by people who didn't put much stock in the price of the tool but in the skill of the craftsman. There's too many kitchens...additions...decks to count in New England and Virginia that were built with many of the tools that people call crap(sman) in this tread. It's the same as discussing cars...stereo's...camera's...wifes/husbands...

[Bill Lewis]

I think I am fortunate to have a relatively short list, or just a short memory. Here are a couple of stand-outs:

1. Rosette cutter from WWS, thought I could make my own Rosettes (door/window trim) for my last house remodel. No speed, fast or slow, or soft/hard wood worked with even close to satisfactory results. Absolute junk.

2. Delta Drill press moticer. I got it in a pkg deal with the drill press, so I didn't "buy" it. I have only tried it a few times, with poor results. Might look to upgrade both in the future. Would really like a VS press instead.

[Darren Ford]

I don't see the problem here. I've seen tools listed here that I have, some might have been a bad purchase for me as well, others might be working out pretty well. Its a tool we are talking about. If it works for me, or if it was all I could afford, it does not bother me one bit that it did not meet the needs or the expectations of someone else.

I personally have a $10 Harbor Freight 18v cordless drill that I think the world of. Will it stand up to the use that some of you put one through? No way. Does it work for what I need? Absolutely, and alot better than the drill it replaced.

The difference on this forum is that we are keeping the discussion on the tool, I will bet you that we can discuss this all week and not see a condescending remark or personal attack.

To get back on topic, its hard for me to think of the worst one, but the ones I have the most aggravation from are the cheap trade-day crescent wrenches and pliers. I don't think I have ever used them when I did not make a mental note to throw them away as soon as I was done (of course I don't, or haven't yet).

[John Seiffer]

Great thread. The key to making it useful - not a b%tch session - is to explain why a tool didn't work for you. That helps me know if my circumstances are different enough from yours.

I tried board buddy rollers on a Ryobi Bt3100 Table saw. Couldn't figure out a way to mount them where they wouldn't get in the way of everything.

I have a craftsman router table that I hate - just haven't had the time to build one. The plate doesn't sit right and the aluminum table has ridges that catch on wood.

I got a Ridgid 12" sliding mitre saw on sale last year. I do like it - it's solid and powerful. But it's really too big and I paid extra for the model with the laser marker and it's off by an amount that varies with the height of the wood I'm cutting so that was a waste of money.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I completely and humbly disagree. I only posted to this thread in hopes of helping someone else avoid a mistake that I have made. I think we're way too worried about offending people these days when we should be worried about helping others that have like minded interests.

I have to agree with Darren, I have yet to see a remark made towards another person as a personal attack (like the everyday attacks elsewhere).

The point is not what someone can build with a tool that's considered low quality to me or you, I've built plenty of things with bad tools and they all look pretty good. The point is to help people get the best tool for the money over the long run so that the tool lasts through many projects whether they be professional or hobby oriented.

If anyone gets offended by a thread like this, it's a personal issue. I have read many bad things about Grizzly, but I bought two of their tools and love both. Reading that others don't like them doesn't bother me a bit.

Someone said it's just like cars and trucks. I prefer the older models...one's I can work on myself. I know this isn't for everyone, just like a certain brand isn't.

My point is that I won't tiptoe through my posts to make sure I'm not offending anyone. Personally I don't want any part of a forum that doesn't tell it like it is. I want honesty when I ask about tools from people who have used them. I don't have to agree with or follow this advice to the letter, that's when personal preference and common sense enter the game. Looking over this thread I don't see any problems whatsoever. As long as no one breaks the rules and starts bashing someone personally because they use a certain tool, it's all good.