noise."Air Tools · 2:47am Jan 9th, 2018
What type of air tool do y'all think I've got the most of?
If I had to guess, I'd say that most of you would probably guess something like an impact gun (I have, like, six or seven), but you'd actually be wrong.
Die grinders.
Lots and lots of die grinders.
Eleven there all posed for the picture (although one of them's kinda cheating; the one that doesn't have an air fitting on it doesn't work--the turbine is seized [but I didn't get out the baggie full of remains of my old Blue Point die grinder]).
Now, you might be wondering why so many?
Well, much like drills, the tool they carry can be changed. Unlike drills, though, it's kind of inconvenient. There are these two silly little wrenches that come with them to open the chuck. Assuming you can still find them, you jam them on the slots, find out you've got one that's the wrong size (or both are, if you're having a bad day), and then you change over what you were using, only to change it back thirty seconds later.
Or else you have almost a dozen of the little guys, and you put the things you want in them, and that way when you've got to use a particular tool, it's already chucked up and ready to go.
Going from the top and working my way across, we've got an empty one that's ready for an attachment; the Snap-On with a rotary file for slotting struts and flinging metal shavings everywhere; the dead Matco one, another empty one (that used to have a cutoff wheel); and the long shaft Roloc* for water pumps and other places where you have to reach deep down. In the middle row, there's a straight Roloc; a straight cutoff wheel (that came out of the empty one in the top row); and another with a cutoff wheel. In the bottom row, there's one with a wire wheel (which is rated at 4,000 RPM, or less than half the speed the die grinder spins at); and another Roloc.
There are times when you can't get a 90 degree die grinder in somewhere but you can get a straight one in (hence the two with cutoff wheels and the two with Rolocs).
One other thing worth noting is that while some of them are name-brand (3 Matcos [4 if you count the dead one] and one Snap-On), most of them aren't.
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*Rolocs are a 3M brand of abrasive disc. They come in various grits, and are sometimes called 'cookies.'
See, a novice or somebody who has more money than is good for them will often go for solely name brand tools, and pay a premium for them.
There's no arguing that the name brand tools are far superior to the $16.99 die grinders that you can buy at Harbor Freight . . . if you look closely in the picture, you will notice that the 90 degree die grinder in the middle row has a hole in it. That used to be a grease fitting, and it just blew out of the die grinder one day. They're also louder than the name-brand, and not as torquey.
I haven't got an unlimited tool budget, so for stuff I don't use a lot, I often buy a lesser-grade tool. It's worth it to save time, to not have to change the wire wheel for a cutoff wheel. But it's not worth paying large sums of money for the premium tool.
Y'all probably didn't notice, but back when I had the pictures of my service cart, virtually all the sockets in the middle drawer were either Matco or Snap-On. Almost all of them--the set of 3/8 fractional sockets are all Craftsman, and the're holdouts from when I first started as a mechanic. Working on modern cars, there's hardly anything that's fractional, so there was no need to upgrade them, and I probably never will.
So I guess the moral of the story is that for the tools you're going to use every single day, don't skimp on them. Buy the best.
Also, if you're stuck figuring out what to buy the professional mechanic who has every tool you've ever heard of and probably some you haven't . . . get him (or her) a die grinder.
He'll find something to use it for.
Thanks. I think I have a birthday gift for my sister now.
I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to find a joke based off of air tool, but came up empty.
It sounds like what the world needs is an easy change die grinder chuck.
Snap-On : You break it, for whatever reason, and you get it replaced. (With certain minor exceptions. For one, there has to be enough of the tool left to be recognizable. My brother fixes bulldozers. 'nuff said.)
Oddly, I misread "Type" as "Brand" when I first saw the header in my feed, and guessed Snap-on, based on the way they market the hay out of themselves, plus the look I had at my brother's toolchest...
...Wrong either way, I guess!
I was at Harbor Freight the other day, wondering what the hell else I needed to pick up. Should've gotten another die grinder - my straight one's broken.
funny i have 3 air grinders my self hear 1 impact gun 1/2 drive and i have a 3/4 impact for the stubborn ones mostly mower blades on brush hogs.
and lets not forget my air grease gun.
but i only tinker for my self most of the time.
The first thing that came to mind when you asked about air tool was "Whatever they call the tool to put pressure in the tires".
Then I was like "Oh right! Those!"
10 MM socket
Pinkhorse asks for human advice on improvements to her party cannons. Do you recommend NTP or hosebarb coupler? Or the old boyscout hairspray in the ignition chamber?
How would you go about attaching a brass coupler to PVC piping? I'd suspect a threadcutter and extra-strong thread sealant. Like an epoxy derivative or Pinkie's secret special frosting recipe.
4770004
There's a 1/2" pvc to 1/2" npt coupler sold at some big box hardware stores. That and PVC cement is probably the right way.
As for air in, if you want a removable coupling, depending on rate of consumption, quick connects or Cam-Lock fittings are real handy.
I only have three: a straight, 90 degree and a 45 degree oddball. All of them were made by Vulcan in the seventies.
Now that I think about it... All of my air tools were made by Vulcan in the seventies...
Fun Fact: The Toronto address in that advert you posted first?
It's now a Chipotle.
(at least the ground floor is)
4769745
4769755
I've got nothing with air tools, but with tools and hardware in general, you can't go wrong with sex bolts. Also sometimes called Chicago screws.
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Yeah, although I'm not sure how easy it would be to make one that small. It's probably doable, though. Easier if you go to hex drive, but most tools you put in a die grinder aren't hex drive.
That really is a chicken and egg problem. I've probably got several hundred dollars invested into things that go into die grinders (maybe more), and I wouldn't want to have to replace them all just because I got a new die grinder with a quick change chuck. Likewise, I'd be unlikely to buy a die grinder with a quick change chuck because I don't have anything that would fit into it.
4769760
To be fair, a lot of that is on the distributor. My Matco dealers have been pretty good--one of them even replaced the front door of a used side cabinet I bought off a different tool truck, and it took him a while to track down the right part, since the model number had been spray-painted over by the previous owner. He also warrantied a 1/2" drive socket I got cherry red with the torch, and a few other things I've broken in manners which are pure abuse.
He won't warranty my 22mm combination wrench that's bent in the middle, though, because it still works.
4769765
Truth is, I've got far more Matco tools than Snap-On. Four of the last five shops I worked at have had really reliable Matco distributors, and not so good Snap-On dealers (plus the Matco guy had candy on his truck). Now we've got a good Snap-On guy, though, so I've been buying more of their tools.
A lot of times it also comes down to price. Last time I checked, a set of Matco combination wrenches (10mm-19mm) were about $250, vs. $500 on the Snap-On truck. The Snap-Ons are somewhat better, no question, but not $250 nicer in my opinion.
4769766
Really, die grinders should always be on the shopping list. That, and things to put in them.
4769773
I do have a 3/4" impact (a one-handed model) that I bought cheap off another tech just for the street cred of having it.
We had one of those at Firestone. You could hit another tech with grease from about 30' away--that was lots of fun.
4769820
The shop has three; I only own one of them myself, and I'll be damned if I know where it is.
4769844
They're all missing.
In all seriousness, I've got lots of them, along with the sockets around them. Honestly not sure what size socket I have the most of.
4770004
Probably what 4770107 said. It sounds like you're building a potato canon, and I honestly don't know too much about them besides the general idea of what they are.
4770586
I can think of places where a 45 degree head would be useful, but I've never wanted to spend the money. Maybe if there's ever a buy-one-get-one sale, I will. Or else see if Harbor Freight has any 45 degree ones.
I've never heard of Vulcan, but if their air tools are still going after 40 years, they built them well.
4770751
Huh, that is interesting.
4771139
I blame good engineering and proper care for their longevity. And I was incorrect in saying all of them were Vulcan made, as I have a one inch impact made by Sears Roebuck & co. It's for really stubborn lug nuts... matches my .22 rifle for "odd things I own that Sears made prior to 1980". Right up there with "M-16 made by Mattel Toy company".
Seriously, who needs lead paint?
4771140
It's pretty much across the street from Union Station.
4771130
air grease gun can be fun but the cost of synthetic grease kind of prevents that.
i do have a sure lock on my gun but i mostly use it for heavy equipment and i do hate finding fittings that refuse to take grease.
i have the Lenox 6000 psi gun so in most cases i can force any fitting to take grease.
as to mu air tools i normal get CP at ware ever has a good price.
4771118
Sounds like you'd just have to build a larger die grinder.
4771151
While many of my tools feature good engineering (I presume) they don't get proper care.
Sears used to make everything. Heck, you could buy a house from them (some assembly required).
Really, when you're in the business to make kids' toys, it's only a matter of time before you also make firearms.
Also, is the Mattel M-16 any less safe than lawn darts? Or those easy-to-swallow super-powerful magnets?
4771177
It's weird to think of the buildings that once housed those old-timey businesses still being around. I mean, it makes sense; obviously even in my small town the TV shop used to be something else. . . .
4771180
What I've found with some of the cheaper front end parts on cars is that sometimes the grease fitting actually breaks out of the part when you try to put grease in. I've had that happen on multiple occasions.
Usually on the stuff we work on, if it won't take grease, we just give up.
4771248
They do exist, but it's actually an advantage for them to be small. A lot of times you're trying to cram them into tight places in the engine compartment--that's the reason that that one has the long extension on it, so that I can reach things that I wouldn't be able to get the die grinder into otherwise.
A flexible shaft would be a nice attachment, and that's probably a thing I could buy. I have one for a Dremel somewhere. . . .
4773715
i have snapped off fitting in the past do to different gun ends witch is the reason i switch to the sure lock now i have blowed them out with this but never snapped one off.
and it comes in a right angle also.
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4773732
A lot of them, especially in cheaper front end parts for cars, seem to be lacking in threads, which I think is the reason they blow off sometimes. Especially if the part isn't greased that much (which happens a lot if the customer takes the car to quick oil change places).
4773768
pressed or glued in i am thinking.
4773778
Or just one thread holding them in place. I've seen some pretty sketchy parts on cars before.
Like, we put a wheel bearing on a F-250 that came from Rock Auto, and was about $400 cheaper than any one I could get locally. I know it's a little more expensive to order it from a local store than it is online, but you've got to know that they didn't save $400 by cutting out the middleman.
One of our customers just paid dearly for a cheap part--put a Rock Auto fuel pump in his Envoy, and a month later, it had failed. Maybe he's got a warranty on it, I don't know, but we sure as heck weren't putting one of those back in. It got a Delphi pump.
4773791
cheep is not beater.
do you use Rock Auto my self but i am vary picky of the parts i get or i just it to find the part number.
4773797
I always had this personal rule: how much of a pain in the butt is it to replace a second time, and how critical is the failure? There are some parts where cheap or junkyard are fine (for example, my Jeep has junkyard rims, fender flares, and header panel), and there are others where dependability outweighs cost.
4773717
Couldn't you just use the die grinder to cut a bigger hole? I thought that's what they are for.
4773814
Generally, customers complain when we cut parts off their cars.
True story, we actually had a customer come through the shop to see how his car was coming along right after we'd cut sections out of the framerails to access trapped nuts. He wasn't too happy to see that, even though we assured him that we were going to weld the holes back shut when we were done (and honestly, the other way to do it would have been to cut holes through the floorboards).
4773711
Hmmm... you make good points... And the M-16 is, surprisingly or unsurprisingly, safer.