Pro Fence Alignment

[charlese]

Holy Catfish! I even have one of those impact hammers. It's in the tool box with heavy tools. Haven't used it in so long I forgot! Knew I had too many tools!(If that's possible).

[fjimp]

Chuck actually I think you have just proven it is impossible to have too many tools! Jim

[dusty]

One can have more tools than one can properly manage but one cannot have too many tools.

[a1gutterman]

One can have more tools than one can properly manage but one cannot have too many tools.

I will agree with that statement.

I, too, use an hand impact driver. One of the best tools around for tight screws! It does knot round off the bit or the screw, simply because the tool drives the bit into the screw at the same time it attempts to turn it. They work in reverse too, beats me why: A torque wrench is what you need to tighten with!

BTW, most, if not all, SK hand tools (like the one Bill Mayo mentioned) are still made in America. My favorite line of tools, actually. Yay Bill!

[dusty]

Does SK stand for Skil or is this a shorthand notation for SK Wayne.

Nope, I answered my own question. SK Handtools right. Oh the wonders of the web.

Oh, I appologize. Most of you are not old enough to remember SK Wayne.

[a1gutterman]

Does SK stand for Skil or is this a shorthand notation for SK Wayne.

Nope, I answered my own question. SK Handtools right. Oh the wonders of the web.

Oh, I appologize. Most of you are not old enough to remember SK Wayne.

Hi Dusty,
Not only do I remember SK Wayne tools, I used to sell them, even after they sold to Dresser Industries (large equipment manufacturer like Caterpillar), who owned them for many years. They have gone through various changes, like most manufactureres, but the current owners are doing their best to keep the company alive and Made In The USA! And Dusty, I am not yet to retirement age.

edit: SK is not shorthand]

http://www.skhandtool.com/

Oh! And SK has the same limited lifetime warranty that all US hand tools (Craftsman, Snap-On, etc.) do!

[charlese]

Chuck actually I think you have just proven it is impossible to have too many tools! Jim

Who? Me? Proved something?

[Nick]

I ask our manufacturing engineer/guru, Jim McCann, about loosening the screws and he told me some interesting stuff. First of all, when the pro-fence was first manufactured, we did tighten down the screws too tight. This confused us because were were applying the same torque that we had always used for those particular parts. A bit of invesitgation revealed the the coefficient of friction bteween the two metals -- the steel screws and the aluminum alloy fence -- is particularly high. Normally, it takes 20% to 30% more torque to loosen a screw than to tighten it. On this particular assembly, it takes 100% more. So we reduced the setting of the torque wrenches to 20 foot-pounds and this seems to have solved the problem.

The pro-fence that is causing all this grief may either (1) be an older fence that was overtightened at the factory or (2) have belonged to someone who overtightened the screws. Jim agrees with me that a hand-held impact driver should loosen the screws, but he typically loosens them without one. He takes a punch, places it on the head of the screw and gives it a sharp whack with a hammer -- not hard enough to deform the screw, but pretty hard nonetheless. This seems to break whatever friction lock is holding the screw and allows him to back it out.

Jim also tells me that if nothing seems to solve this problem, send it to us and he'll take care of it.

With all good wishes,

[charlese]

Nick, Does Jim use a flat (not pointed) punch? What is the end diameter of that punch? Thanks!

P.S. I love hammer wackers!!

[JPG]

I ask our manufacturing engineer/guru, Jim McCann, about loosening the screws and he told me some interesting stuff. First of all, when the pro-fence was first manufactured, we did tighten down the screws too tight. This confused us because were were applying the same torque that we had always used for those particular parts. A bit of invesitgation revealed the the coefficient of friction bteween the two metals -- the steel screws and the aluminum alloy fence -- is particularly high. Normally, it takes 20% to 30% more torque to loosen a screw than to tighten it. On this particular assembly, it takes 100% more. So we reduced the setting of the torque wrenches to 20 foot-pounds and this seems to have solved the problem.

The pro-fence that is causing all this grief may either (1) be an older fence that was overtightened at the factory or (2) have belonged to someone who overtightened the screws. Jim agrees with me that a hand-held impact driver should loosen the screws, but he typically loosens them without one. He takes a punch, places it on the head of the screw and gives it a sharp whack with a hammer -- not hard enough to deform the screw, but pretty hard nonetheless. This seems to break whatever friction lock is holding the screw and allows him to back it out.

Jim also tells me that if nothing seems to solve this problem, send it to us and he'll take care of it.

With all good wishes,

Ahhhhhhh for the good old days!!