Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Ford850]

I almost bought a 1" belt sander a few years ago, but then started using flap disks in my angle grinder. The flap disks work wonders for sharpening mower blades, but now I'm leaning towards getting the belt sander again. Thanks guys.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I have the 1x30 grinder and use it a lot for knife sharpening and minor reprofiling. I removed the guards and re-arranged the pieces so the belt is horizontal rather than vertical. That works better for me. The platen can be used, there is also a section of the belt that is not supported by the platen which is useful too.

 

[MoArk Willy]

I worked in a small engine shop for a couple of years. Blade sharpening was always a part of the daily routine. 90% of the sharpening was done with a 1" belt sander.
When a blade came in with huge gouges the grinder was used to straighten it out. Most of the time the belt sander was all that was used.
Every blade was balanced as it was sharpened by checking it often. An aggress grit is more than enough to take care of sharpening duties unless you hit a boulder.

 

[Teachu2]

I needed to remove the front bumper off a '95 Jeep Wrangler to install a towbar today. They are T55 Torx bolts, and were both tight and rusted. Read lots of posts on Jeep forums of guys using floor jack handles as cheater bars, PB Blaster for days on end, propane torches, hammers, punches, voodoo... The only T55 driver I had was a Husky from Home Depot with a 3/8 drive, and they are known to go to pieces if a cheater bar gets near them. Of course, I needed it today. The customer reviews of the Harbor Freight Professional Impact drivers were as tough as any and far better than most, and only $30 a set of eight. 8 Piece 1/2" Drive Internal Impact Star Socket Set
Bought a set this afternoon, put the T55 on my HF Earthquake 1/2" air impact 1/2 in. Aluminum Air Impact Wrench, and popped all four out in seconds, with no strain on the operator or budget. Re-used two bolts on the installation, and the bit looked like new when I was finished. I may never need them again, but they certainly met my need today. For us shade-tree mechanics, tinkerers, DIYers, and others who need affordable tools that are good enough - these are.

 

[dragoneggs]

Good feeling eh... way to go Teach! They are now paid for and everything else is gravy.

 

[Teachu2]

Good feeling eh... way to go Teach! They are now paid for and everything else is gravy.

Saved a couple hundred bucks and got it done right the first time by doing it myself. Took about as much time as driving to the dealer and back, and I know exactly how it all goes together. Makes it easier to recognize an issue before it becomes a problem or failure.

 

[KubotainNH]

I needed to remove the front bumper off a '95 Jeep Wrangler to install a towbar today. They are T55 Torx bolts, and were both tight and rusted. Read lots of posts on Jeep forums of guys using floor jack handles as cheater bars, PB Blaster for days on end, propane torches, hammers, punches, voodoo... The only T55 driver I had was a Husky from Home Depot with a 3/8 drive, and they are known to go to pieces if a cheater bar gets near them. .

I take it not much salt used on the roads in your area. Here you would need to cut them out which may be what the guys in the forums are dealing with. I envy those who don't have to deal with rusty cars.

 

[handirifle]

Will have to keep those in mind if I ever come across a torx bolt that big.

 

[Alan W.]

Used the HF torx impact to remove Ford bed bolts on two trucks. Worked excellent.

 

[reb]

I am having difficulty getting my lawn mower to run. One thought was to replace the engine with the predator vertical shaft engine. Not sure how much hassle that would be. I get the impression that the hole pattern is pretty much a standard. Has anyone here tried that?