Tool Time

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Originally Posted by climberevan

I can appreciate the Domino's uselessness, but I've never seen or heard of them being used for casing. The issue isn't alignment--bisquits also take care of that--it's holding the miter super tight until the glue dries. How does it obviate the need for clamping?

The Domino is arguably sometimes a superior tool to a bisquit joiner (especially if one likes to pay a lot for proprietary oblong dowels), but it's not a miter clamp, so I still claim victory, but welcome challenges!

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Bisquits are completely useless. All they do is hold the joint in one plane and thats it. Only good if you are only concerned about keeping the faces flush. They do nothing to keep the miter from separating... which is what the natural expansion and contraction of wood does in a 45 miter. Dominos are a completely different animal than biscuits. The are much stronger than biscuits, and hold the joint together in two planes, not just one. They also tend to have more surface area than biscuits or standard joinery, so more glue surfaces, increase the bond as well.

Specifically for miters, Using a domino AKA a tenon, locks the joint together and keeps it from separating. No clamps needed. Its also a much stronger joint.

With good proper joinery there is ZERO need for miter clamps. If your goal is wham bam thank you' mam carpentry with quality be damed, then sure go ahead do standard butt joint miters and use clamps, but at that point, why not skip the clamp and shoot a couple of nails in to hold it, or better yet some pocket screws from behind? If miter clamps work for you, then great, I just dont see a need for them in how I like to do things and sold the ones I owned.

At the end of the day, the Domino is actually one of my most used wood working tools. It saves more time then the rest when it comes to making joints. Especially with furniture making, or cabinet making. Besides using it for joinery, I also found it does a great job for cutting slots for attaching tops using a floating mount, so the expansion and contraction of the wood is not an issue.

Relax, man, it's not supposed to be a pissing contest. We're all in awe of your tool collection.

I'd still love to see a video or something that shows how a domino sucks a miter together without any clamps, though. It sure would save time if that were possible. When you're casing 40 windows and 20 doors, you don't have the same kind of time that is available when making furniture.

I'm also still really curious about the cleaning question I asked earlier.

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Originally Posted by Eluder

T-9 is great stuff for the right application but it is dry lube not a wet lube and does have wax in it.

Bike chain lube is funny, I like Dumonde Tech Light personally… but it does stink. In the end I use what ever wet lube is around and keep it clean like Gunner said.

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The interesting thing with T9 is it goes on like a wet, lube but dries into a film, when you reapply it, the solvent again acts like a wet lube and flushes the crap out, but it then dries, so its not messy like wet lube. I guess is more of a high-bred.

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Originally Posted by J. Barron DeJong

This is the derailment I was trying to avoid :biggrin:.


I’d have said wet weather might change the calculus a little, but if you’re doing ultrasonic cleaning and everything, not sure how much more effort the queso route would actually be.

Like I said earlier though, I am interested to see how T-9 tests. We stocked it in the shop I worked at back in the day and none of us were fans of it, but we were also all using Pedro’s Syn Lube, which likely sucked much worse than T-9 knowing what I know now.

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Conditions have everything to do with what lubes work best and I mostly ride in wet environments, but do like to do trips to the dry east side and it seems to work well in both. The ultrasonic makes quick work of cleaning everything, and then I just drip the T9 back on once its all back on the bike. No need for a crockpot, or any of the specialty cleaners, etc. That being said, part of the reason I like T9, is that I've worked in the action sports industry long enough to see right through a lot of the marketing BS, and there seems to be a hell of a lot of snack oil sales man in the bike lube business.

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Originally Posted by climberevan

No thread is safe from a chain lube derailment.

Here's a serious question for Gunder and others. How do you maintain such surgery-suite cleanliness in your shop? I can understand if you're only doing machining or bike stuff, but woodworking and metal grinding dust seems to get absolutely everywhere. I know that there are better dust collection and control solutions out there, but I have a pretty good setup (dust collector for stationary tools, Bosch Airsweep Hepa vac for the sanders and track saw, overhead extraction blower, etc), and there is always SOME dust, even if it's just a little from hand sanding. Yesterday I spent about 6 hours in the shop building some custom floating shelves. You know, plane the rough lumber, glue-up, rip miters, glue the boxes, sanding, etc. Where does one find the time to then go around the shop with a tiny vacuum brush attachment to get every speck of dust?

I see these shops on YouTube videos etc where they have open shelves of hand planes or whatever, and they are always spotless--not just no piles of sawdust, but no fine dust on the shelves or on the clamps or anywhere. What's the ratio of cleaning to building stuff? Do they actually build stuff?

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I find having a clean shop is easy, but it takes having some dedication to a routine. For example always putting shit back where it belongs once you are done saves a shit ton of time that you otherwise waist looking for tools. Having custom cut foam for the tool box's is a really big help for this. Everything has its specific place. All of my tools that dont fit in the tool box's live in Systainers.

For all of the really big dust making activities, such as the cabinet saw, router table, planer, etc I have those tools are casters and roll them out into the driveway. They are still attached to dust collection, but when I am done what ever mess thats left, is out side, and I then use a leaf blower to blow it into the street, so the neighbors get to deal with it instead ;) All of my smaller wood working tools are Festool, and the dust collection with their tools and the dust collectors is really that good. That for me is large part of why they are worth what they charge, but they are very well made tools, regardless. Some of the system integration (or frustrating lack of at times) is a bit silly.

My lathe was a war machine, so the castings are quite rough, so I have been doing a bunch of body work to clean them up.
Attachment 419117
If you have ever sanded Bondo, you know that stuff makes a hell of a mess and the dust is even worse to deal with than saw dust.

For this project, I am using Mirka, hand sanders that have dust collection ports that I can hook my Festool Midi extractor up to.
Attachment 419118

Here is a shot after 45 minutes or so of sanding. Notice the almost totally lack of dust.
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Finally anytime I am done working in the shop, I make sure everything is picked up, put away, and any mess is vacuumed. I find that process goes quite quick, and in the long run it makes the overal project go way quicker.

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Originally Posted by climberevan

Relax, man, it's not supposed to be a pissing contest. We're all in awe of your tool collection.

I'd still love to see a video or something that shows how a domino sucks a miter together without any clamps, though. It sure would save time if that were possible. When you're casing 40 windows and 20 doors, you don't have the same kind of time that is available when making furniture.

I'm also still really curious about the cleaning question I asked earlier.

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I didnt take it as such and hope you didnt either... anyways, the Domino in addition to setting it how deep you want it, and changing the bit for each size of domino tending used also has 3 settings for how wide it makes the hole for the dominos to fit in. I alway use the tightest setting. That is tight enough you need to tap the assembly together and is more than strong enough to hold it all together and tight without clamps. It's impressive. I only use the wider settings if its for a joint where you need to account for the wood's seasonal movement. I typically try to avoid those situations if possible when designing what I make.

I just answered the cleaning question in my last post... a bunch of the more recent posts didnt show up in my feed, until after I replied.

Haha...i considered posting a pic of my Mirka sander (which has had a very rough life and looks it, but still works beautifully). I tell people that Mirka is what you get when Festool is too cheap.

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Originally Posted by climberevan

Haha...i considered posting a pic of my Mirka sander (which has had a very rough life and looks it, but still works beautifully). I tell people that Mirka is what you get when Festool is too cheap.

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It's my first time dipping the toe in the Mirka water... So far I am very impressed with their Abrasive net... it's way better than the various Festool papers, at least with Bondo. I wouldn't mind trying one of their power sanders, but no one around here carries them, and its something I'd like to get my hands on before spending $$$. That being said, I have a whole family of Festool sanders, but gravitate towards my Rotex 90 and 125... those guys are incredibly powerful and very versatile. So much so I only grab one of my other sanders when they wont fit the work. I think it would take a lot to get me to switch to something else.

Ok, for you tool geeks, PBtools.us is having a 15% off sale on fathers day. promo code Dad22
Thats about the cheapest I have found their tools outside of picking them up in Switzerland with a very favorable exchange rate.

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Originally Posted by Gunder

Ok, for you tool geeks, PBtools.us is having a 15% off sale on fathers day. promo code Dad22
Thats about the cheapest I have found their tools outside of picking them up in Switzerland with a very favorable exchange rate.

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Thanks for the heads-up! They make some nice stuff. I enjoy using the PB470 bike tool plus the Stubby for at home quick stuff and to leave in the car if driving to ride. It would be cool if they made a CB/Lezyne style folding bike tool.

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Originally Posted by Gunder

Ok, for you tool geeks, PBtools.us is having a 15% off sale on fathers day. promo code Dad22
Thats about the cheapest I have found their tools outside of picking them up in Switzerland with a very favorable exchange rate.

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Everything on https://drpd.cc was 20% off last week.

My 5 year old son Stian burned through the rear tire on his bike doing skids. I told him he could pick out any color of new tire he wanted, but the deal was he had to help me change it. Tire arrived just in time for us to head over to Grandpas for the weekend. Grandpa told him he is the same age as when he taught me how to do it and that we would do the project together. Stian was super excited about the whole thing, and was genuinely curious how it all worked and insisted on doing it all. I had to help him break the bolts loose / I ensured they where properly torqued, but otherwise he did it all himself with dad and Grandpa giving him instructions and explaining how it all works.

After Stian finished with his bike I did a full overhaul/ rebuild on my dads Ebike (at 78 he has put 5k miles on it) being able to teach him how the various parts on his ebike work made this whole process a complete 360 for me.

Couldn’t ask for a better Father’s Day.
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Very nice Gunder. Super cool.

In this household a couple new toys were picked up during Father’s Day:

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Originally Posted by EWG

Very nice Gunder. Super cool.

In this household a couple new toys were picked up during Father’s Day:

Attachment 419377

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The rotor brushes are a huge time saver, especially if you are waxing a bunch of skis! I picked up a set of the SVST snowboard ones over a decade ago, and they are still going strong. I like the snowboard ones, for wider skis / doing a pair at once. I sold all of my hand brushes after getting the rotor brushes.

Attachment 419382
There is a tool in that drawer, I am willing to bet no one else has for tuning...

You are going to like the Knipex needle nose pliers.

I have them in both long and short and with straight / bent tips.
Attachment 419383
There are a few times I wish they had slightly stiffer tips, but otherwise they are very good.
Here is a few of the more interesting specialty pliers that I have.
Attachment 419384
The pincers on the left are for disconnecting electrical connections on vehicles.
The nylon tip ones on the right are really nice for working on suspension parts / seat posts, where you do not want to risk scratching anything.
The middle set is a pair of Engineer needle nose screw removal pliers. The tips are specially ground to remove screws with stripped heads.
Attachment 419385
I have a full set of these that I picked up in Japan.
Attachment 419386
I dont use these very often, but when you need them, you need them. Mostly when someone brings a bike by when they F'd up the heads using shitty screw drivers. I dont think I have personally stripped a head since I switched all of my screw drivers / sockets over to very high quality ones. I better go knock on some wood now...

How are Knipex flush cutters? I have a pair of the Park Tool ones and somehow the blade chipped already, even though all I use them for is trimming zip ties. I was looking at getting the 5" electronics version (7861125) since they're spring loaded.

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Originally Posted by Andeh

How are Knipex flush cutters? I have a pair of the Park Tool ones and somehow the blade chipped already, even though all I use them for is trimming zip ties. I was looking at getting the 5" electronics version (7861125) since they're spring loaded.

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They are very good!
Attachment 419391
I 've had mine for longer than I can remember and they are still going strong.
Attachment 419392

Knipex also makes dedicated Plastic flush cutting pliers

However they are more expensive and the tips are larger, so they dont fit into areas as compact as the electronic ones.

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Originally Posted by Gunder

They are very good!
Attachment 419391
I 've had mine for longer than I can remember and they are still going strong.
Attachment 419392



Knipex also makes dedicated Plastic flush cutting pliers

However they are more expensive and the tips are larger, so they dont fit into areas as compact as the electronic ones.

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I really like the 45* Knipex flush cutters. 72 11 160

Attachment 419396

Also have:

• the Park Tool one
• a Klein 5" light weight electronics flush snip
• a Fast Cap 5" flush mount cutter (cheaper version of a Knipex)
• a Excelta 7282E Cutters (that I just look up to buy another set, they retail at $107.40, Fawk me!)

The Park Tool one is a close grab on my tool wall, so it is used often, second to the Knipex. The Fastcap is in my tool roll, and the (now realized) stupid expensive one is in my hard foam case.

I'm trying to curb my tool buying and use what I have, BUT with few high end wheel builds in the works I picked up a new Wheel Fanatyk Tensiometers.
I have a cheap Park Tool TM-1 for quick and dirty checks on new bike builds with factory built wheels.
I purchased the Wheel Fanatyks Dial Tensiometer about two years ago. I liked the ergonomics of this tool but never liked the dial and calibration process with it, so I gave it to the shop for who I build wheels for, and purchased a new Digital Tensiometer from Wheel Fanatyk.

Attachment 419404

Waiting on some 27id WeAreOne rims to lace some XTR Hubs with DT Revolution spokes. For a nice song but light Downcountry bike.
Also waiting on some DT spokes to lace to some DT 180 hubs for some Gravel wheels.

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Originally Posted by Dee Hubbs

[*]a Fast Cap 5" flush mount cutter (cheaper version of a Knipex) [*]a Excelta 7282E Cutters (that I just look up to buy another set, they retail at $107.40, Fawk me!)[/list]

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I have two of the Fastcap ones.
Attachment 419405
I do not find them to be particulary sharp, then again I only use those for cabinet trim, and that stuff is fairly thick and wide.

Excelta is known for making some very high quality small pliers. Same with Lindstrom. I dont own either, as both are quite pricey even compared to Knipex and I just down use them that often.

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Originally Posted by Dee Hubbs

I'm trying to curb my tool buying and use what I have, BUT with few high end wheel builds in the works I picked up a new Wheel Fanatyk Tensiometers.
I have a cheap Park Tool TM-1 for quick and dirty checks on new bike builds with factory built wheels.
I purchased the Wheel Fanatyks Dial Tensiometer about two years ago. I liked the ergonomics of this tool but never liked the dial and calibration process with it, so I gave it to the shop for who I build wheels for, and purchased a new Digital Tensiometer from Wheel Fanatyk.

Attachment 419404

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I have the Park Tool one.
Attachment 419407

I honestly cant remember ever using it. Spoke tension is one of those things that I have always just done by feel.
I also dont build wheels, I have a guy in town thats all he does, and it usually just costs me some beer and parts... In the winter I return the favor with ski mounts.

That Fanatyk digital tension meter does look nice tho.. I wonder if you can pull the digital gauge out of it and replace it with a Starrett or Mitituyo one? I'e never had much luck with the I-gaging stuff giving repeatable results.

Thanks, I didn't realize the "for plastics" versions did indeed have a spring in them (since it's hidden inside). But I do think the smaller head electronics ones might be nicer for snipping zip ties in tight access areas like around the fork or chainstay.

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Originally Posted by Gunder

I have the Park Tool one.
Attachment 419407

I honestly cant remember ever using it. Spoke tension is one of those things that I have always just done by feel.
I also dont build wheels, I have a guy in town thats all he does, and it usually just costs me some beer and parts... In the winter I return the favor with ski mounts.

That Fanatyk digital tension meter does look nice tho.. I wonder if you can pull the digital gauge out of it and replace it with a Starrett or Mitituyo one? I'e never had much luck with the I-gaging stuff giving repeatable results.

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I have a Wheelsmith tensiometer and I have never used it, fwiw, despite building many wheels. For better or worse, I also go by feel.

But unlike Dee the wheels I build do not get sold.

In the past I’ve always just kept my various meters in their factory cases and tossed into the top of my tool box. The leads where never in the right case and it was a shit show. So I finally decided to put them into my ever growing systainer collection.

Attachment 419448

I mostly use the clamp meter for testing ac/ dc amperage. The middle meter is a fluke 117 and will do just about anything I could ask of it. It’s probably the best bang for buck in the Fluke line. The Klien meter is a Megger for testing motors. It’s probably the most dangerous tool in the shop as it will output up to 1000V to test motors up to 4000M ohms. While on the subject of meters, even if you have a cheap one, it’s worth investing in Fluke brand leads. They are way nicer than the cheap hardware store variety.

What cutting mats (or are they called something else?) you have on your work bench Gunder?

Also have to say this thread is a bit mind blowing for someone who buys a lot of Husky brand tools and enjoys going to Harbor Freight. But I'm also sick of shitty tools that are piled randomnly in a drawer, and this thread inspired me to organize my workspace over the past week and I ordered about $500 of new 'nice' tools, thanks EWS, Gunder, Dee Hubs, etc.

Also big shout out to COVID for giving me a ton of time around the house lately, could not have done it without you, you piece of shit virus.

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Originally Posted by muted reborn

What cutting mats (or are they called something else?) you have on your work bench Gunder?

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"Craft cutting mats"
"hobby cutting mats"
"self healing cutting mats"

Bob Vila has a good article about what to look for, and what qualities you want when choosing a mat:
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/best-cutting-mat/

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Originally Posted by Dee Hubbs

"Craft cutting mats"
"hobby cutting mats"
"self healing cutting mats"

Bob Vila has a good article about what to look for, and what qualities you want when choosing a mat:
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/best-cutting-mat/

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I have one of those nice green one like the anezus in that article. I've always used it carefully, usually with an exacto. In a hurry the other day I used a new utility knife and sliced clean through the damn thing. Was not awesome. So be aware.

I've always had Alvin or Xacto for self healing cutting mats
https://www.dickblick.com/categories.../cutting-mats/

& they aren't meant for heavy cutting, but for precise work with fine blades

they are good for doing epoxy or crazy glue work too