Power tools

[cowboydoc]

Mike,
I built my whole barn with dewalt cordless tools and my cordless paslode nailer. I wouldn't be without them. I love them. I did used to use the generator method and I hated having the generator blaring all day. In my opinion those 18 and 24 dewalts are the way to go. I had the extra pack so I got the big circular saw, reciprocating saw or sawzall, drill, drill, and the jigsaw. Before that about 5 years ago I'd bought the trim saw and drill 18v package. The littler saw if fine for small stuff but didn't cut big stuff very well. That full-size circular saw though will cut anything that a regular saw will.

 

[MikePA]

I agree about the generator. I have one and having it run all the time is a pain. When our barn was built, the crew used a generator and a compressor on the back of a flat bed truck. The crew must have gone home every night with headaches listening to the generator drone all day. They were very glad when the electricity was hooked up.

You have the 18v tools, right?

Would you opt for the 24v today?

 

[Christopher]

Thanks guys for the help. It is amazing what JM III comes up with on the web, lots of info. As some of you said the cordless drill is the most used tool in the shop, that is the case here anyway, so it only makes sense to get the very best, the Makita I have been using is great but it is way underpowered for the fencing jobs, I have 80 acres to fence this spring which means lots of 1 inch holes through rr ties, last fall I did some of this and ended up using a hand auger and chainsaw out in the field when the generator quit, it is rediculous to start up the chainsaw to cut 2 2x4 s and that hand drilling gets real old after the fourth or fifth hole! It looks like the DeWalt drill is the better drill so far, I will check them out when I go to town next. Thomas, I do use an inverter plugged into the tractor but it is only 300 watts, it is real handy though it doesn't power that much and it is a hassle to plug into the battery all the time. Thanks again, Chris

 

[beenthere]

Drilling holes in rr ties is a demanding job, and having the right drill bit that is kept sharp will be important. It will be a challenge to keep any type of drill bit sharp as rr ties have a lot of dirt and sand in the cracks. Used ties will be a bigger problem than new ones.
Good luck on your job.

 

[fishman]

Christopher,

I have a 19.2 volt Porter Cable saw and drill combo, and have been extremely pleased with it for the two years I've owned it. They are, without a doubt, the most useful electric powered devices I own.

If you have the money, I'd sure advise that you get a saw too. I rarely get the corded saw out any more, even when cutting right next to an outlet.

I'm sure an 18 volt DeWalt combo would do just great. You might also check out the 18 volt combo at Sears ($169). A buddy of mine has a set and he loves it. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably save the $200 and go with the Craftsman set.

 

[butzkeg]

I've had the 18v drill and saw for several years, and it has been great! I've completed all kinds of projects using the tools.

If you needed even more juice than the 18v, go with the 24v. Plus, the 24v also allows you to plug them directly into ac or dc power to run even longer.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

If you don't use them for anything major the craftsman are fine but if you want them to actually do some serious work do not even stop at sears but keep driving till you finde a DeWalt dealer. If I remember right I think the Craftsmans are made by Ryobi and their chucks are not the strongest. All depends on how much you will use them.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

How do you like the Paslode nailer? I have a question, how lond does the gas charge last in them. We are looking at a Paslode finish nailer and it uses the battery and gas charges and the charges worried us. Can it drive over 1000 nails on a charge or 100 nails? Do you know of any other cordless finish nailers, I know Porter-Cable makes one and Bostich has a cordless roofing nailer.

 

[MikePA]

Where's a good place to buy online? I've used Coastal Tool but was wondering if there's a less expensive place.

 

[beenthere]

Have you looked at ToolCrib? They are now a part of Amazon.com, under tools and hardware, I believe. I have used ToolCrib often, and get what I think are good prices, and good service. Often the shipping is free (now I think anything over $99 is free shipping). At first I was disappointed when they tied in with Amazon.com, but have not found that to be a problem. They send out good catalogs too.
I looked into Coastal Tool and see they have identical prices on the 18v and 24 v kits.