Milwaukee Tools

The m12 1/4 hex impact driver is great for mechanic work, I use it regularly for fasteners up to 11mm, I have never used the surge ones so don't know how it compares. 13mm requires the m12 3/8 stubby

 

A couple weeks ago I had to trail fix a CV. I was pulling my skids with my 12v 3/8 impact and one guy had the Dewalt 1/4 hex and popped on a 1/2 adapter and the 35mm socket and busted loose the axle nut. I was pretty shocked it got it let alone didn’t break the little adapter.

 

Goddamn thats impressive a 1/4 hex shaft didn't break loosening a 35mm, as a mechanic I guess most CV nuts I remove are rusty and stuck on place from the factory however many years ago.

 

I had it apart a couple months ago replacing a axel
seal.

 

the non-service-service manual, while not showing the internals, has plenty of warnings indicating what's inside.
https://documents.milwaukeetool.com/54-00-2745.pdf

basically, they're using a charged gas cylinder as the force, and the brushless motor is being used to ratchet the gas cylinder upwards in it's travel, with the trigger releasing the cylinders force one notch every time.

 

Interesting. Aye, I found a take-apart video. Didn't realize that -- apparently, according to this youtuber -- this style of electric nailgun loses a little gas pressure with every shot, and eventually needs recharging.

I do not condone this video, dude is winging it, recharging with air, doesn't have a PSI specification, just winging it with first 150 PSI, then 180PSI, then eventually 210PSI. Does it even use air? Maybe it's supposed to be charged with dry nitrogen or something?

FWIW my M18 framing nailer has around 5K shots on it since purchase a year ago, still seems to be operating fine & normally.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w03AfVsp8TM


This guy only recharged his repaired M18 framing nailer to 160 PSI...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xCEuIKXkeo

 

I’ve had a paslode framing nailer for 12 years at least. Worth every penny I paid for it. I bought ryobi trim cordless nailer recently and it’s a little underwhelming I had to really practice with it before I could even use it to nail any trim boards in the house. My 18g air nailer is as predictable as my paslode.

 

Hmm, I generally like Milwaukee tools & have a ton of them, but their design of the M18 21º framing nailer WITHOUT a user-accessible fill port for the piston is -- f^%#ing stupid. If I had done my homework at time of purchase I would have bought a Metabo or other brand that has a user-accessible fill port & is designed to be user-serviced.. Apparently with just 110 PSI of plain shop air for the Metabo in the video below.

Who knows what the wingnuts in the other videos I posted for their hack-job M18 refills were doing using 160 to even as high as 210 PSI (!) in a similar-sized electric-air nailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii_L82J8WbU&t=130s

 

I can tell you it definitely does. Eventually your max out your depth adjustment, then it becomes a $300 nail setter.

I wore mine out rather quickly so Milwaukee recharged it for free, but I think the next time I’m on my own.

 

Santa in brown shorts came!

 

I bought that same grinder this past September. I'd never owned an angle grinder before, but had a specific need for it so I bought it. Since then I've used it a bunch of times for a number of different tasks.

 

Anyone new to angle grinders, of any size (4" to 9") -- be sure to read up on good safety practices. They can be among the more nasty cordless tools out there. Wear rated safety glasses at a minimum, ideally a rated full face shield (although I admit I frequently skip the full face shield,) leave the grinder guard in place if at all possible, don't use damaged or expired grinding discs/wheels.

Google image search "angle grinder injury". NSFW.

 

and ideally, never stare straight on to the rotating mass, even with protection. standing to the side minimizes personal injury risk even further.

had a co-worker that at a previous job, the cutoff wheel shattered, and went clean through an old wood garage door...

 

It's not too hard to keep the eyes out of the plane of the disc spin, but it can get more difficult when taking into consideration the jugular vein, femoral arteries, & genitals. The google images of angle-grinder-related injuries are, for the most part, not photoshopped.

I think it helps considerably to use quality, name-brand grinding/cutting discs (i.e. Diablo™ yes, Harbor-freight generics no,) to replace them when they get to about 30% worn (subjectively,) to retire any that get chipped, cracked, delaminated, etc. immediately, & also to keep none that are older than maybe 2 years or so, depending on climate & storage conditions.

 

Also don’t use an ordinary, grinding wheel made specifically for metal on aluminum. It can possibly build up on the wheel, throw it out of balance and potentially explode. I was a welder certified on coded vessels and piping, and the old rule of thumb was if it doesn’t throw a spark, don’t use an ordinary metal grinding disc on it.

 

the harbor freights hercules wheels seem to work quite well. at least as well as the fastenal supplied wheels at work.

the ultra-cheap warrior one's though don't last all that long, and tend to throw as much dust as they do sparks...

 

Not sure if these are still available but they slice through mild steel and CM like butter. It’s been a while since I checked but I would get them at national welders.

 

Two angle grinders live on my welding table; one of them is a Milwaukee Fuel and I've been beating the shit out of it for going on 3 years (last used it an hour ago) and it just runs

I've got a Metabo HPT corded my wife bought for me on sale, at the same time I got the Milwaukee and it too runs flawlessly

I will add that, I see no difference in a $150 angle grinder than a basic $25 angle grinder and I use them often for metal work

I say this because even as a hobbyist, I find that you should have at least three angle grinders so you have a different wheel on each setup

I've got five

 

I've got 3. Milwaukee cordless M18 4.5" is the handy go-to for all kinds of little tasks.

My favorite by far is the corded Makita GA4542C SJSII -- 4.5", soft start, variable speed 2,800 - 11,000 rpm. The low ranges on the variable dial are very nice for more delicate work and for just being generally pleasant & safer to use.

Also a 9" single-speed Makita corded monster for heavy jobs.

 

Yep!

Anyone using an angle grinder always needs more than a one at their disposal.

I wouldn't call anything safer than anything else - just takes a person to know what they're doing.

Be safe out there!