I've used both Craftsman and Snap-on and IMO they both have been great tools. Snap-on tools do have a higher quality and sometimes are more versatile, but as a DIY/hobbyist with a budget, Craftsman has been my go to brand because it's available at Sears near me. Also, when things do break, I can simply exchange it locally without having to wait.

 

Originally Posted by Kevin D
Very little room for error when dealing with Nuclear Fusion.

I intend to use the torque wrench whenever possible on nuts/bolts that require torque settings, and i'm not in so much of a rush as to take shortcuts i don't have to.

I got my 1/4" Stanley set today, plus the universal joints.

God knows why i thought that socket set was by Snap On, must have confused it with another set.
Seems ok though and has a lifetime warranty, so it just remains to be seen how long it lasts.

Not been able to use it yet (eye problems).

Maybe tomorrow i can try it out.

While i'm here, can anyone give me a clue as to how to link a quote with it's originator properly, including getting the arrow to appear at the end of the "Originally Posted by" header, that will link to the post?

I'd like to reproduce quotes properly to include the link to the post.

It's a manners thing, and people have been so helpful.

 

I've lost count of the number of broken wheel studs I've had to replace due to overzealous tire retailers. Usually they snap the next time you try to REMOVE the wheel. What also annoys me is having to go help a family member change a flat tire because the nuts were too tight for the tools that came with their car.

On torque wrenches tho, I've been thinking about a replacement. I've got an old beam type but last time I used it, noticed it was no longer pointing at zero anymore. Curious of those of you using either clicker or electronic types in a hobby setting, if you are bothering to get yours calibrated professionally, if so, how often and if not, if you're doing it yourself with the old weight and string method.

 

OK, now you have reminded me of an unfortunate incident of mine.

In 1972 I had just bought a 1968 Barracuda and was going to take 4 other friends to a trip to the Florida Panhandle for Spring Break.

The night before we were to leave, I noticed that one of my tires was low, so I wanted to get that fixed before we left. Try as I might, and back then I was a football player and lifted weights a lot, I could not get the lug nut to move no matter how hard I tried.

I went over to a friend's house and got one of those big 4 point tools like the gas stations had. Still, I could not get them to move a bit, so I took a long piece of pipe as a cheater bar and used that.

First lug snapped off, second lug snapped off, third lug snapped off. OK, I'm done now.

The next morning, I limped it into a tire shop. It seems that the Chrysler Corp. had decided (for only a couple of years or so) to reverse the threads on the passenger side so that they would not untighten themselves.

That shop did not have a big enough press to press out the broken studs, so I had to go off to another shop.

Don't worry, that was only the very beginning of the entire adventure, which got even more bizarre than that along the way.

 

I have a Craftsman 3/8 click type that I bought new and use in a hobbyist capacity. Never have gotten it calibrated.

I am assuming it was reasonably correct when purchased and the only way it would change is if the springs got tired. I don't use it that often nor do I use it as a breaker bar so I don't expect the springs would fatigue sitting on the shelf.

That's my delusion and I'm sticking to it.

 

How about: "Just snug them up, I'll finish them in the parking lot." Then show them your Stahlwille.

Works everytime without too much argument. Sometimes you just get invited over to finish up on the rack.

Of course, when doing it without the impact, the final tightening has to be done while the tyres make contact with the ground so that they don't rotate.

 

To use the quote function cut/paste the text into the new post, highlight and click on the 'quote' icon above, the one most like a cartoon balloon. That puts the script around the 'quote' text.

 

Or just click the quote button at the bottom right of any post and type your message after the [/quote]

 

No need to be delusional

It is quite easy to do a very good self calibration with some string, a plastic shopping bag, a clamp, a tape measure, and four 5 pound bags of sugar.

-- put bags of sugar in plastic bag

-- tie one end of the string through handles

-- tie a 2 inch loop in the other end of the string

-- clamp the socket drive with the handle at 3 o'clock, with the handle being free to move

-- set the torque value to 30 ft/lbs

-- measure 18 inches from the center of the socket drive along the handle

-- hang the weight by the string so that the loop is inside the 18 inch mark

-- repeatedly move the loop towards the end of the handle until the click stop releases

A "perfectly" calibrated torque wrench should release at exactly the 18 inch mark. Of course this ignores the weight of the string, plastic bag, and the paper bags holding the sugar. It also presumes that the weight of the sugar is accurate as marked.

The formula for determining that 20 pounds at 18 inches is 30 ft/lbs is:

20 pounds * 1.5 feet = 30 ft/lbs

Therefore, to get closer to the centre scale of a particular torque wrench, you can increase or decrease the weight or the distance as required.

Some people have done this with water. But then you have to measure the water and know the weight per unit of water. About 65 pounds per cubic foot? Good barbells will work too, as would a bunch of steaks weighed by the butcher.

Note that the point of the string and shopping bag is to allow the weight to fall naturally along the vertical axis formed by the string.

The above technique can be applied with any common type of torque wrench by adapting the reading method. The point of the exercise is to apply a known force to the torque wrench and observe the result.

One final note. It is good practice to limber up a click type torque wrench by setting it to the high end of the scale and pulling it through the click several times just before using it if it has been unused for more than a few days.

 

4 x 5 lb bags of sugar..........!!!!

You're torqueing a seriously sweet tooth.

Graham

 

Don't forget to relax the spring before packing the torque wrench away after use.

 

1 teaspoon per coffee.

3 or 4 cups in the time it takes to review posts on JF.

probably 12 cups a day

it adds up

 

[/quote]


Thanks Norri, i think that's the info i was looking for.

Edit: and it is.

Thanks also to test point.

 

Are we on the Food Channel?

 

Howdy folks:
One consideration for torque wrench calibration that I do not see mentioned is the force of the torque wrench handle itself. Mine is 1.17# at 18" from the pivot point.

 

My collection of tools spans forty-five years, Probably 80% craftsman, the rest Snap-on, and other US manufacturers. I don't like cheap imports,and do like six points in sockets and spanners.

 

Had the same problem when starting to work on my 2001XJR however thanks to info on this forum I learned what tools I needed.
Now I visit the 2 local Pawn Shops to get what i need and do well.
Before you purchase a more expensive item check that model/ P/N on Amazon E Bay etc .
If you know the parts value you can negotiate a good price.
For sockets and wrenches I always carry $1.00 bills and offer a buck for a socket , or wrench . Usually the clerk just says Ok .
Needed a good Torque Wrench and got a brand new Snap On digital in case for $50.00 and all my deep MM sockets.
Oh yes when quoting a price say " $20 .00 " out the door no tax .
You might find making friends with he shop's manager and letting them know you will buy your tools from that store even more beneficial.

 

I agree with this, and having worked as a professional commercial/residential general contractor, all my power and hand tools related to this are professional grade, mid to high end tools. That's because they needed to be as I used most of these tools on a daily basis. You really couldn't afford to have a tool break because the time alone of having to go out and purchase a new unit would lose you money.

I'm not a professional mechanic, nor do I need to use wrenches/sockets/etc.. on a daily basis so I have no need or desire to spend a lot. I have no issue buying "whatever cheap set" is available to me wherever as one broken or lost boutique socket or wrench costs as much as a full set. I also don't have to worry about lending tools out or having them stolen.

And there really aren't very many US manufacturers of hand tools, and often the price of them is hard to justify unless you are a pro-mechanic.

 

For reasons best not gone into here, I had to build a second tool kit. I did so using Craigslist. I only bought Snap on, and only when the price I paid was way below half the cost of new. Over time I managed to build a very comprehensive tool kit capable of tackling most jobs at a very reasonable cost.
Snap On make the best screwdrivers bar none, their 80 tooth ratchet is the smoothest on the market, and their sockets have the thinnest walls of any manufacturer, and fit in tight places where other makes will not. The best thing is because the tools are ‘Snap On’ they will always be worth money, so I’ll be able to recover most if not all of my investment when I give up working on my own stuff.
Other makes, even the semi pro lines, are hard to even give away.
Regards,
White Bear

 

I also have a number of Craftsman tools. Never an issue when I need to exchange a broken or worn-out tool at Sears. My metric socket wrench set is more than 35 years old. Sears has had to replace that socket drive twice during that timespan....

Some of my pliers, box wrenches, and screwdrivers belonged to my late father and were handed down to me when he died in 1974. They have to be at least 60 years old, perhaps closer to 70 years old. Not a month goes by without me using them for something....