ShopNGarage » Tools

Amazing Things Arrive on a Brown Truck

Steve — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:35:50 +0000

My three year old loves tools. He’s figured out that many of the arriving packages contain tools.

Lately, there has been disappointment because the packages are not for him.

Today I got him a Craftsman 3/8″ drive socket set. I wrapped the set up to look like it was fresh off the brown truck.

“For me!”

“It’s tools!”

CNC Engraver

Steve — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:23:56 +0000

We have a new tool at my office, a CNC engraving machine. I took a short video of my first engraving operation. The stock is a two layer plastic laminate. The engraver cuts away the upper black layer, leaving the white lower layer showing through as letters. Most of the noise is from a small vacuum that is collecting the shavings from the cutter head.

Craftsman 18 Piece Wrench Module

Steve — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:51:51 +0000

I purchased a Craftsman 18 piece full polish combination wrench set at the end of December. It was an online sale with an unbelievably low price of only $55. I chose to pick them up in my local store to avoid shipping costs. The online system said they would be ready for pickup in 30 to 36 days, but I didn’t think it would actually take that long.

I’ve always been a fan of Craftsman tools. Unfortunately, many of the tools in their product line are now made in China. I was worried that this wrench set would arrive with a “made in China” label.

I picked up the set the other day and was happy to find they are still made in the USA. These wrenches are beautiful. They are on sale for $89.99. While not near the deal I got, I feel the set is still a great value at this price.

Craftsman 18 Piece Wrench Set

Bench Block

Steve — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:02:16 +0000

This was part of a lot of machinists tools I purchased on eBay. I believe it is a homemade bench block, possibly from a school shop class. Commercially made bench blocks are available. There are a variety of uses for this tool. Some feature V grooves for use on round parts.

It can be used as a guide with a hand drill to ensure a hole is drilled perpendicular to a part.

The block works well for starting a tap straight into a hole.

It can hold a roll pin so that it is easier to start into a part.

A simple bench block like this is easily made with a drill press and a scrap block of steel. A wooden one could be made for one-time use.

Craftsman Roll Pin Punch Set

Steve — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:25:35 +0000

My wife got me a set of Craftsman roll pin punches for Christmas. They are made in the USA and are very good quality.

A roll pin punch, shown on the right, has a small stud on the end. This keeps the punch centered on the roll pin. A regular pin punch, shown on the left, can damage the end of the roll pin. It can also slip off the pin and damage the part.