Shopsmith Forums

I just got an Lee Valley E-mail introducing a new product, check it out and please comment.
http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page. ... 00&p=64800

Ed in Tampa wrote:I just got an Lee Valley E-mail introducing a new product, check it out and please comment.
http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page. ... 00&p=64800

That is one of those things I want around the shop incase I need it. But hardly ever do. I do not have many protects that use nuts and bolts. If I did I would sure order this. I have had to cut back to only if you really need them tools.

For $14 looks like a reasonable buy, although I probably won't buy. The set might save some time finding the thread of tapped holes. My collection of bolts and screws (plus the guages in tap and die sets) has so far been enough to find the threads. Habit will probably still cause me to get out both my SAE and metric tap/die sets.

In the past I have changed (re-drilled and re-threaded) the threads in some holes to fit a bolt I have on hand. Maybe not the best, but it works for me. On the other hand some tapped holes have also been stripped and need new threads.

The latest example is the threaded hole that holdd the "Table Lock Knob" on the Strip Sander. It came from the factory in the wrong size and threads. A simple application of a tap solved that problem. This was one of the first machines after a long back order. Called Shopsmith and they said they would check all other new machines.

I purchased the nut and bolt detective set from Rockler. In fact they are currently on sale. For the most part I find them handy yet on one occasion the metric and standard sizes were so close I purchased the wrong nut and found myself making a second trip to the hardware store. Check for yourself

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page ... lt%20sizer

That's a great thing to have around and can be a real time saver. I also work on cars and have SAE and metric nuts and bolts around the garage.

cv3 wrote:That is one of those things I want around the shop incase I need it. But hardly ever do. I do not have many protects that use nuts and bolts. If I did I would sure order this. I have had to cut back to only if you really need them tools.

I will have to agree. Mostly screws, and glue.

I can think of many times over the years when a gauge set like that would have been useful. Will I purchase it? Probably not.
For the few times a year I might use it, I would have to remember that I owned it, I would have to remember where I put it, and by the time I found it I would have already finished going through the big jug of nuts and bolts to find a match.
I too like glue and screws.

Ed in Tampa wrote:I just got an Lee Valley E-mail introducing a new product, check it out and please comment.
http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&cat=3,41306,64800&p=64800

I received that e-ad too, Ed, and almost jumped to buy it. It wood be a good addition for my shop, but I am waiting to find out where it is made.

On the rare occasion that I've needed to identify a nut or bolt, I go to Home Depot (or as my son calls is, Home Desperate). The nuts and bolts isle has a large display with exactly the same thing.

I cheat. I use the one at my hardware store in the screw and bolt section. Cheaper and I'm usually there getting something all of the time (at least it seems like all of the time).