Garage Shop: Tools

Picked up this sweet 72” Snap-on roller with aluminum top for 1,000 bucks from a super pissed off disgruntled wife off Craigslist. Sometimes the worst divorces help others out the most! She asked for it in the divorce to be spiteful and two months later couldn’t stand to look at it and wanted it the F out of her garage. I was happy to oblige.

 

Haha last year at a pig roast, a chick I know was toasted and sat next to me and proceeded to hit me. She stopped after a few. They next day when she sobered up I asked what was that all about. She said she hates snap-on because her ex spent way too much money on snap-on.I had a snap-on shirt on.

 

That’s a score.....

 

Lol that’s great.

I bought a nice used Snap-on digital torque wrench last year and wanted to have it calibrated for peace of mind. Do I just send it off to them for service?

 

I will check with my guy next Tuesday. I have had my 2 for over25 years and never had them checked. I turn them back to zero after every use and put them back in their case.

 

Matt

 

Cool thanks, it looks almost brand new so I probably shouldn’t worry too much about it.

 

You can check it yourself with a luggage scale and a vice. You can find detailed instructions with some googling, but basically, set the torque wrench for some amount of torque, lock the square drive in a vice, pull on the handle from a measured distance from the center of the head with the luggage scale, and make note of what the scale reads when the torque wrench clicks. Then some math, and compare to the setting you used on the torque wrench.

I've checked all three of mine this way, and will again from time to time.

 

And how do you assure the luggage scale is calibrated, dare I ask?

 

Back a few years ago when I lived in IL. west of Chicago, I'm pretty sure it was the Snap-On Truck that used to carry a torque checker, in the truck. They could do a torque check for free, and certify (for a fee), but if your wrench failed, it had to be sent in for repairs. Mine never failed so I don't know how much it was to repair.
I have a friend with a "I get my nuts off with Snap-On Tools" T-shirt.

 

I first used it to pick up a few different weight dumbells. "How do you know *they* were right?" I don't, but I seriously doubt 3 different dumbells from 3 different manufacturers were all off exactly the same.

 

The real question is...what are you torquing that needs to be an EXACT value? For 90% of us i would venture even a +/- 5% error would be acceptable (desirable...hell no!)

 

Can't disagree. However, until you check the torque wrench all you know is that it clicks.

 

i dont use my torque wrench

 

Torque sticks with the rattle gun.

 

How accurate are those?

I'm guessing 10%???

 

We use the 80lb stick the most putting lug nuts back on and when followed up with a calibrated torque wrench we were seeing anywhere between 79 to 82lbs from it. The others in the kit measured in with similar variations upon application. Worth it to me as I like to use my home compressor or traveling CO2 tank as much as possible.

 

I honestly dont use mine except for the weird stuff....like bolts that are "torque to 56ft-lb then tunr 90 degrees" or something like head studs. But after doing hundred-thousands you really do just learn what 30ft-lb, 50ft-lb 100ft-lb (ect) feels like