Harbor Freight tools thread.

Yep, mine was a gateway drug to the

$85 Milwaukee M18 Cordless Lithium-Ion 6-1/2" Circular Saw - 2630-20 - ( MILWAUKEE ) - BARE TOOL

Milwaukee M18 pole saw

 

I am too cheap. I used a corded pruner with my generator

 

I worked in tree care for a lot of years through college, and it came to be my opinion that pole saws are throw away tools as they often get crunched by trucks, limbs and they fall from height so don’t invest much. I came in need of one after giving away my last good manual pole saw to a friend on our last move, bought this one from HFT for $49 a few weeks back and it’s great and honestly the bar and chain from Oregon are top notch. My only complaint is that the oil leaks out of this tool like a sieve. I left the pole saw in my truck for 2 days half full of oil and when I went to use it on the third day the oil was all gone and the truck bed was a mess!

ps I too use a generator with the pole saw!

 

Mine initially leaked oil when I first took it out of the box and filled it. I stuffed a shop towel under the bar cover and it sat for a few weeks. When I removed it for first use, it was nearly dry. It has sat since last weekend now and no drips under it. One thing I didn't do is run it with a clean towel under it to make sure it was actually pushing out oil.

I can't stand manual pole saws. I had a decent one that I had spent $60+ on and it was trash. It hung up on every return stroke and I eventually broke the blade trying to get it unstuck. This HFT one is gold compared to fighting a manual saw.

 

One word Generator!

 

@6 gearT444E got all the stuff you recommended, just started the genny for the first time last night. Started right up, ran it for about 20 minutes with no load then shut it down. (Getting dark, didn't want to piss off the neighbors)



Question about oil changes. Do you seriously just let the oil out into the plastic shell and drain out of that lower rubber plug? That seems messy as hell. The manual refers to an "oil drain hose" but there's nothing like that here. I'm curious to know what you do.

How soon did you do your first oil change? Any other break in tips, hints, or suggestions?

 

Sweet! Yes for the oil change it’s actually not messy at all. Pull that plug and set a Turkey pan underneath. It’ll all run out then just take a towel and wipe the bottom out after you replace the drain plug.

for the break in I did the first oil change at30 hours at around half load. So what I did was just connect to my house and measure amp output and put on a few space heaters and lights in the house until I got to half rating. I believe manual says don’t exceed 70% rated during break in period.

I also did a few hot restarts after testing to full load and also purposely running it above rated for surge testing and verifying the breaker tripped. I wanted to make sure I put it through its paces in the beginning while there was still a warranty. It’s been 3 months and haven’t ran it since. I’ll likely start up this spring and make a point to start and run 2-3 times a year, change the oil maybe once a year if I remember. Fill gas tank up with ethanol free on final run to avoid destroying the carb due to moisture intrusion.

 

HF tools
I've had one 11Amp and two 7Amp Hercules grinders for a few years now without issues.
Bauer cutoff wheels are trash.
Hercules cutoff wheels are comparable to benchmark abrasives.

 

Been wanting a bandsaw for a minute now a lot of good reviews, so finally pulled the trigger and picked up the Portaband from HF.
Found a DIY weld together table for it and away we went. Then added a junction box outlet with switch for controlled power an a 9ft cord for more length. The HF blades are trash like most reviews say, picked up a 2pk of Milwaukee from Home Depot and much better quality.

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/117416...MI6dD0p--d9wIVN21vBB0DKAELEAQYAiABEgJGkPD_BwE

Is this it?

 

Thats the one, bit cheaper than the Swag offroad, cuts are perfect and 3/16ths plate.

 

What is the distance from the table to the blade roller guid?

 

Nicely done!

 

Not bad at all.

 

I really like that stand! Simple and strong.


I think I may have found my next plasma table project...

 

Tie Die Paper towels? Now that's something you don't see often.

 

Picked up the new icon creeper today, it’s padded and has magnetic bottoms in the larger pocket trays. It don’t get stuck in the expansion grooves in garage floor. Also picked up the Icon Metric offset box wrench’s.

 

I was eyeing that creeper hard last week....but since I walked there with my son in his stroller I decided against carrying it the couple blocks home. I likes it.

 

Simple solution. Make your kid walk and put it in the stroller