Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[stuckmotor]

A few months ago I bought a Hercules table saw. Overall I am impressed with it. The one thing I recently noticed though is that I can't install my Dado blade. I am not an expert on such matters. Do other inexpensive table saws accept Dado blades, or is there a Dado that will fit the Hercules?

I've seen a review or two of contractors table saws on YouTube and the ones that would accept dado blades were specified.

 

[rangerfredbob]

Does anyone know if the Icon 8 pc snap ring plier set is any good? I'm sick of dealing with the junk pliers I have. Thinking of adding this to my Christmas list.

If they are junk, what are some good brands (without having to chase down the Snap-On truck)?

Looking at the video someone posted to that of the snap ring for the front axle, that is one serious snap ring! With the cussing I've done at snap ring pliers it almost makes me want to get one of those sets...

 

[BukitCase]

CrazyAl, I agree; my PM66 has a 3 horse Leeson motor and triple drive belts - bought it from a cabinet shop that wanted MORE horsepower - they bought the new PM 2000 (IIRC), came with a 5 horse 3 Phase. At this stage in my life, I very much doubt I'll EVER be in that much of a hurry again :=) ... Steve

 

[Cougsfan]

The Hercules contractor table saw seems to be a nice saw for an intermittent user like me, particularly for the money. I made a permanent table for it with lockable castors, and it is really handy.

A question for those in the know I have wondered about for years ..... Why will a radial arm saw cross cut wood so nicely but do such a horrible job of rip cutting wood (Dulls blades quickly, cuts slow, burns the wood, uses too much power, etc.) and a table saw do so much better?

I think I will just keep using my 40 year old Craftsman Radial Arm Saw for cutting the few dados that I cut, and use the Hercules for ripping. If I were making furniture for the house I'd do something else. I mostly keep to making shelves and things for my shop, bird houses, and fancy boxes for my daughters (they are always hitting me up for another sturdy, nicely finished wooden box to store their stuff).

 

[California]

... 40 year old Craftsman Radial Arm Saw ...

There's a recall for one version of that. Send in the motor and get $100. I hope yours isn't the recall version.

 

[BukitCase]

http://www.radialarmsawrecall.com/

Main reason for the recall is NOT having the entire blade covered - IMO, anybody who uses ANY power tool without understanding the physics involved, runs the risk of injury. If you THINK first, you won'd do things like holding a board in your hand directly under where you're drilling a HOLE in the board

"A question for those in the know I have wondered about for years ..... Why will a radial arm saw cross cut wood so nicely but do such a horrible job of rip cutting wood (Dulls blades quickly, cuts slow, burns the wood, uses too much power, etc.) and a table saw do so much better?"

I've had a Craftsman 12" "Commercial" radial saw since 1972, it's still in my shop right next to the 12" Dewalt sliding miter saw. I also have a 10" and another 12", both CL finds for a TOTAL of $60 - both run and work fine. The 12" cost me $10, guy bought it and ended up moving (job related) into a smaller place and was cleaning house before the move...

Things to remember - just because your radial saw AND table saw both use 10" blades, you definitely should NOT swap blades between them - radial and miter saws cut from the TOP, and have a tendency to LIFT the board because they cut from UNDER the board - for this reason, those saws need a blade with a NEGATIVE hook angle to reduce board lifting AND reduce kickback. On a big enough radial saw, they can actually "run across at you" if you're trying to cut too fast - ONCE was all it took for me to lock THAT "no-no" into my head

Table saws cut as the blade teeth come DOWN onto the board, which tends to KEEP the board against the table - they can still kick back but for different reasons. Blades intended for table saws can and do have a POSITIVE hook angle - this makes for a more agressive cut, which allows for a faster feed.

With EITHER type saw, if it came with a "combination" blade I would recommend putting that on a distant shelf somewhere (maybe AFTER you use it long enough to HATE it) and getting some "single purpose" blades as you need 'em - a finer tooth crosscut blade for (surprise) cross cutting, a coarser tooth RIP blade, and if cutting sheet goods, they make blades specifically for different materials. Yeah, you can get carried away with this - if you NEVER do any "cabinet level" work, that combination blade might work for you til it can't cut any more.

Ripping on a radial saw - did that ONCE before I bought a full face shield (sometimes I learn quicker than others ) - took me about two SECONDS to figger out I didn't appreciate getting slivers stuck in my face - that was ALSO the day I started saving for a TABLE SAW...

If you try to rip with a combination blade, it takes too much force pushing/blade cuts too slow/tries to LIFT the board, you spend too much effort holding the board DOWN instead of PUSHING, blade gets hot, gets dull faster, you get distracted looking at the slivers sticking out of your chest, etc...

Sooner or later, assuming you stick with it, you learn the "right tool for the job" mantra - if all you have (and can afford) is a radial saw, you WILL own a full face shield AND a leather jacket :laughing: - If all you have is a TABLE saw, eventually you will have built at least one "crosscut sled" - probably more like 2 or 3...

In EITHER case, if you do very much (and have a desire to improve on the results) you'll tend to keep "purpose made" blades, and live with the PITA that's known as blade changing (I'm not trying to "preach" here, I tend to get lazy about this - only makes it MORE embarassing that I KNOW BETTER )

Personally, the ONE "safety" thing I try to ALWAYS do - DRY RUN - ANYTHING in my shop that involves power tools, I figure out EXACTLY where BOTH HANDS are gonna be (and move to) BEFORE ever touching a power switch - Initially, this started because of music; I started piano when I was 5, trombone at 12, guitar at 15, organ at 17, drums and bass guitar at about 35, cello (briefly) at 37 - pretty much ALL those work a whole lot better with ALL TEN FINGERS still intact; hard to find any more incentive to be careful than THAT :thumbsup:

Wow, that got a LOT more windy than I intended - hopefully it answered SOME of the questions... Steve

 

[5030]

Only thing I cut wood with is a chainsaw and they rip and crosscut just fine.

 

[5030]

Looking at the video someone posted to that of the snap ring for the front axle, that is one serious snap ring! With the cussing I've done at snap ring pliers it almost makes me want to get one of those sets...

If they are even close in quality to the ICON 1/2" drive torque wrench, I say buy them (I may get a set myself after watching the video). My ICON 1/2" drive clicker wrench is more accurate than my 4 times the price Snap-On (I tested both on left and right hand torque using a digital torque meter and the ICON wrench consistently out performed the Snap-On. Anyone need a nice Snap-On 1/2 drive clicker? I'll let go for 300, case included. I paid just north of 400 for it and it has a recent certification as well. Just taking up space now.

 

[Diggin It]

Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries anybody?

 

[daugen]

I will never order from HF online again. First time I tried was to order the 12" sliding mitre saw. They came back a week later and said it was backordered and had no ETA.
I immediately called a HF store and they had one left in stock. I picked it up and replied the same day more than ten days ago to HF customer service to please cancel the order since I had bought the exact item locally and they had no idea when it would come in. Well, they shipped it to me today, and when I called, they confirmed they had my request to cancel, but it was only a "request" and not a guaranteed cancellation, whatever that means, and therefore nothing apparently was done. What terrible customer service. I have a very bad back and this is a very heavy box to deal with.
Aggravating beyond words that they would acknowledge my request more than a week ago but did absolutely nothing in response.

Btw, the saw is fine.

 

[crazyal]

That's why I only pay with a credit card. Simply calling VISA will usually result in stopping the payment. Usually that gets the attention of the seller. In this case it would force HF to pay to have it shipped back to them. If the HF is close returning it there wouldn't be an issue but the closest one for me is about an hour away. Only one wouldn't require crossing a state line. After stopping payment I would "request" HF send someone to retrieve the saw and if not done in a timely manor then I would call it a gift.

 

[slckeys]

I will never order from HF online again. First time I tried was to order the 12" sliding mitre saw. They came back a week later and said it was backordered and had no ETA.
I immediately called a HF store and they had one left in stock. I picked it up and replied the same day more than ten days ago to HF customer service to please cancel the order since I had bought the exact item locally and they had no idea when it would come in. Well, they shipped it to me today, and when I called, they confirmed they had my request to cancel, but it was only a "request" and not a guaranteed cancellation, whatever that means, and therefore nothing apparently was done. What terrible customer service. I have a very bad back and this is a very heavy box to deal with.
Aggravating beyond words that they would acknowledge my request more than a week ago but did absolutely nothing in response.

Btw, the saw is fine.

Just tell the delivery driver you no longer want the package and say you refuse it and have it returned to sender. Or leave a note with the tracking number listed and saying refused; return to sender if you won't be home. A competent delivery driver can complete that simple task. I have many times. And should be no charge to you since you never took delivery. You won't even have to deal with harbor freight with getting them to have it picked up...

 

[Jim Nelson]

I have never needed to order anything from H.F. on line but every time I've had an issue in their stores, and there have been a few, their customer service has been excellent. Most often way above what I expected. I guess that it boils down to anonymity behind a key board and face to face.

 

[Cougsfan]

http://www.radialarmsawrecall.com/
Things to remember - just because your radial saw AND table saw both use 10" blades, you definitely should NOT swap blades between them - radial and miter saws cut from the TOP, and have a tendency to LIFT the board because they cut from UNDER the board - for this reason, those saws need a blade with a NEGATIVE hook angle to reduce board lifting AND reduce kickback. On a big enough radial saw, they can actually "run across at you" if you're trying to cut too fast - ONCE was all it took for me to lock THAT "no-no" into my head

Thanks for the long winded answer, Steve. I learned a lot. You say, "Things to remember"... That's funny. You can't remember what you don't know in the first place. I never even knew that "hook angles" exist, yet alone which I should use where. So I looked at several blades for sale on Amazon and I can't even see where they mention hook angles in the blade's specs. Tomorrow I will look at the blade on my Radial saw to see what hook angle it has. I am sure it is a crosscut blade. I have a slew of blades and some work much better than others, now I know why. I'm definitely going to pay more attention to the blades I buy now (once I figure out how to pay attention).

I have done considerable ripping over the years the my radial arm saw (the one without the recall implemented). It isn't a pleasant thing to do, and I have had some scary incidents early on that taught me to always use 2 long push sticks (one to push, the other to hold the cut area of the wood down and against the fence), and NEVER stand any where close to behind the blade. It does have a wood hold down & kickback prevention mechanism for ripping mounted to the blade cover that does help, particularly on 3/4" and under boards. In fact, what prompted me to buy the table saw was to avoid having to rip with the radial arm saw.

 

[BravoXray]

You should have refused the shipment, told them to send it back.
BTDT

 

[5030]

Just tell the delivery driver you no longer want the package and say you refuse it and have it returned to sender. Or leave a note with the tracking number listed and saying refused; return to sender if you won't be home. A competent delivery driver can complete that simple task. I have many times. And should be no charge to you since you never took delivery. You won't even have to deal with harbor freight with getting them to have it picked up...

Better yet, take one of them back to the store and get a refund. All store bought merchandise has a 30 day money back guarantee

 

[BukitCase]

Cougsfan - that "things to remember" comment was a gift from the best boss I EVER had - that man knew more things about more subjects than anybody I've met before or since - but he had that way of putting "lessons" so you never felt talked down to or dumb; just grateful.

If you haven't already found it, here's more info on hook angles and why it's important

Saw Tip Angles Explained

HTH... Steve

 

[daugen]

Thanks for advice guys, I haven't received it yet, only notice that it shipped.
I'll try leaving a big note as Sickeys mentioned but usually they just drop and run.
This is a really big box; I needed help getting in my car (headed for lower back operation in two months...) and doing anything
with it is a serious pita. What really annoyed me was their saying my request to cancel was only a "request" and not a guarantee. Huh?

I will call their CS if they do deliver it here and will ask for a pickup. I'll see what they do. This thing has to cost a ton of money to ship so it's
a big loss of money to them. Yes, I have found the employees in the store very helpful, in Flemington NJ he was eager to help me load it in the car and they had set
aside the last one just as he promised me over the phone. All good.
And with a Freud Diablo finishing blade on it, the saw cuts marvelously. I'm hooking a shop vac up to it today, without it it throws sawdust far and wide.
The quality of the metal castings on it are pretty crude but functionally it's fine, nice to have the little light shining down on the cut area.
For 200 bucks it's a nice power tool and easily cuts the 1x10 boards I'm using for birdhouses. Definitely speeds up build time.

 

[Diggin It]

Don't put the delivery driver in the middle of it since it isn't their fault.. They need to get it off the truck and move on.

First thing would be to call HF back and demand they stop and recall the shipment.

Second would be to call the carrier and see what they can do to reroute it. Since you're not the shipper, they may not be willing to. UPS and FedEx allow addressees to reroute a package to their local terminal/office for pickup. From there, you may be able to return it without handling it. Neither of those will put the burden on the route driver.

 

[daugen]

Don't put the delivery driver in the middle of it since it isn't their fault.. They need to get it off the truck and move on.

First thing would be to call HF back and demand they stop and recall the shipment.

Second would be to call the carrier and see what they can do to reroute it. Since you're not the shipper, they may not be willing to. UPS and FedEx allow addressees to reroute a package to their local terminal/office for pickup. From there, you may be able to return it without handling it. Neither of those will put the burden on the route driver.

Harbor Freight CS said they could do nothing and suggested I try to refuse the shipment, which is what I'm going to do..., but I hear you.
Calling FEDEX at this time of year isn't likely to end well or accomplish anything.