Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[Baby Grand]

Yea, the prices people ask for these $300 trailers is a hoot. OSB is not that expensive.

At $450 for a 4x8 sheet I wouldn't call it cheap.

 

[Baby Grand]

Yea, the prices people ask for these $300 trailers is a hoot. OSB is not that expensive.

At $450 for a 4x8 sheet I wouldn't call it cheap.

 

[California]

"Some assembly required".

I used the little HF $8 rolling magnet yesterday and got up a lot of rusty nails from a barn-siding project. Highly recommended.

However - the design is so flimsy that the first time it hits a furniture leg, clump of grass, whatever, the handle-to-magnet joint bends. This 'tool' needs a reinforcement angle bracket added before it is good for anything. I attached the angle bracket with hose clamps.

I usually keep this within reach in the shop. Its handy when a nut or washer rolls away. Likewise the 3" round magnet on a similar handle is useful to reach into tight spots under the workbench etc. Both will pick up objects that you didn't notice, or that you didn't expect to roll that far away. Recommended.

 

[PhysAssist]

"Some assembly required".

I used the little HF $8 rolling magnet yesterday and got up a lot of rusty nails from a barn-siding project. Highly recommended.

However - the design is so flimsy that the first time it hits a furniture leg, clump of grass, whatever, the handle-to-magnet joint bends. This 'tool' needs a reinforcement angle bracket added before it is good for anything. I attached the angle bracket with hose clamps.

I usually keep this within reach in the shop. Its handy when a nut or washer rolls away. Likewise the 3" round magnet on a similar handle is useful to reach into tight spots under the workbench etc. Both will pick up objects that you didn't notice, or that you didn't expect to roll that far away. Recommended.

I was just going to list their 30" rolling magnet, which we used to clean up our yard and driveway around the house after having our roof torn off and replaced by a new steel one. I picked up a literal mayonaise jar full of roofing and ring shank nails weighing +3# AFTER the owner/operator used a smaller hand magnet and called it cleaned up.

30" Magnetic Sweeper with Wheels

Since our contract called for his crew to do the clean up, he's agreed to
giving us a discount on his previous quote for doing the fascia trim in matching steel, and adding the gutters.

The only problem with this magnet is that because of the low ground clearance, you have to be careful not to let it high center and wipe off the nails you've picked up. In my mind, I think that it should come with a slightly taller set of wheels for "all terrain" sweeping, so that doesn't happen.

 

[Threepoint]

Nothing worse than roofing nails for road tire flats!

 

[PhysAssist]

Nothing worse than roofing nails for road tire flats!

I don't think they'da done my poor puppies feet any good either, plus as they were 2" long and some of em were still embedded in little tabs of felt paper or shingle, they would ha easily gone through my shoes too.

 

[aczlan]

I don't think they'da done my poor puppies feet any good either, plus as they were 2" long and some of em were still embedded in little tabs of felt paper or shingle, they would ha easily gone through my shoes too.

I can see missing loose nails, but how do you miss nails in a piece of felt or shingle?

Aaron Z

 

[California]

how do you miss nails in a piece of felt or shingle?

Stripping shingles with a shovel, a nail can remain secure while the adjacent shingle and paper tear off. On the next pass with the shovel, that nail with a little triangle of shingle can go flying off the roof into the weeds or driveway gravel. When it lands, 50/50 chance the combo will come to rest point-up. Later, combing through the grass to gather debris could also turn it point up.These little black-side-up triangles are harder to see than an entire roofing nail. I've impaled these in shoes a couple of times, thankfully without injury.

Worst case here was a roofer who promised me he had cleaned the entire jobsite thoroughly. I paid him and he drove off ... with nails showering out of the inch gap below his tailgate. My rolling magnet found more nails in my gravel driveway than I could carry in my pants pockets, about a quart of nails in all.

 

[California]

The best way to follow up after the rolling magnet is with a metal detector. I bought HF's TSA-style detector

back when they were cheaper, and use it all the time when I'm ripping used lumber into orchard tree props. For that mess in my driveway where the roofer's truck spilled roofing nails, I went over the parts with deeper gravel using this detector. I found a few more roofing nails that the rolling magnet had missed.

I use it often to find a dropped screw, nut, etc that somehow went invisible as it rolled away on the garage floor.


I see that HF now sells a cheaper $16 handheld metal detector. I would definitely buy one if I didn't have the larger detector already.

 

[PhysAssist]

The best way to follow up after the rolling magnet is with a metal detector. I bought HF's TSA-style detector

back when they were cheaper, and use it all the time when I'm ripping used lumber into orchard tree props. For that mess in my driveway where the roofer's truck spilled roofing nails, I went over the parts with deeper gravel using this detector. I found a few more roofing nails that the rolling magnet had missed.

I use it often to find a dropped screw, nut, etc that somehow went invisible as it rolled away on the garage floor.


I see that HF now sells a cheaper $16 handheld metal detector. I would definitely buy one if I didn't have the larger detector already.

Thanks CA, et al,

We appreciate the support & commiseration!

While the Roof Boss appeared embarASSed and showed proper chagrin at our little presentation, we'll be keeping a very close eye on his figures for the fascia and gutter jobs we added on after we saw how the roof looks.

Our house is a log construction with SYP logs stained with red cedar CWF Sealer over the 21 years we have owned and lived in it, so the Forest Green steel roof makes for a really nicely contrasting color scheme.

The metal-detector for back-up against any missed sharps is an excellent idea, which I hadn't thought of. Looks like I have a reason (excuse) to take my percent off coupons on a visit to our HF!

What we did so far, in lieu of that, was to make multiple trips in a crossing grid pattern and where there were clumps of leaves, we raked them out and went over them several times in multiple patterns as well, in each case until a trip (or usually more) went by without any more of the loud clacks that signalled more found nails.

The area where they had the dumpster parked, and therefore spent most of their time throwing the debris off the roof, is our usual parking area, so despite the long winter, the gravel is well-packed and without any loose gravel areas where the nails could get mixed into it, so we figured our approach would suffice for now.

That being said, the cost of the HF metal detector would quickly be recouped by saving us from one flat tire, or finding even one of those "disappearing metal parts/pieces" from our barn floor or driveway. Also, if you don't already have one of their black plastic headed, yellow shafted magnets on a stick: Long Reach Magnetic Pickup Tool with Quick Release, it's worth getting one, because ours has saved us untold numbers of times by finding and picking up lost and dropped screws, washers, and other miscellaneous ferrous parts. Don't ask how I know it can find truck AND car keys dropped into 3+ feet of loose snow...

Now, if they only had pick-up magnets for non-ferrous, and plastic parts.