Tools and Shop Talk - Opinions, Thoughts, Reviews, B.S., etc.

Arcticelf

Head BFH Operator at Gray Man Fab
Joined
Apr 23, 2019
Messages
1,167
Location
DelCo PA
Maybe, caster is a pain because you have to go 20 degrees in each direction and calculate it out. Helps to have two people to do it right. I can usually eye ball mine these days then I just set toe and center my steering wheel. I need to buy alignment plates some day.

Yeah, I'm hoping I can find a way to avoid doing math and just measure it directly.
 

kasnerd

Danny's Red Headed Step Child
Joined
Aug 15, 2019
Messages
4,791
Yeah, I'm hoping I can find a way to avoid doing math and just measure it directly.
plumb bob on the a ladder with a board as a boom to get it where you need it... essentially the longer the string, the more accurate the measurement. i used to do this with the Nissan to adjust/test shit at home before taking to the alignment shop to get locked in. (coil overs, sway bars, stiffened)

87 Maxima handled like a very heavy go cart. 4 wheel disc brakes, anemic v6...not fast, but FUN and ok milage.

good times. miss that car. got totalled by some old lady pulling out of a country club. can't make that up shit up. straight out of a bad 80s movie plot. the wife (then gf) was with me and banged up pretty good. no airbags and she keeps her feet on the floorboard now.
 

AssBurns

will wheel for beer
Staff member
Joined
Oct 1, 2018
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I just eyeball it, then throw it on the trailer and drive out to the desert. :flipoff:

Or the few times I get a legit alignment, I just have them set the toe, and center the steering. I HAD lifetime alignment, but management recently changed and they no longer offer lifetime. Fuck them.
 

4runner DOA

Hold my beer
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Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Messages
15,887
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OC
I just eyeball it, then throw it on the trailer and drive out to the desert. :flipoff:

Or the few times I get a legit alignment, I just have them set the toe, and center the steering. I HAD lifetime alignment, but management recently changed and they no longer offer lifetime. Fuck them.

Firestone? I haven't been in awhile but I'm almost due. Have to see what they say to me.
 

Arcticelf

Head BFH Operator at Gray Man Fab
Joined
Apr 23, 2019
Messages
1,167
Location
DelCo PA
I just eyeball it, then throw it on the trailer and drive out to the desert. :flipoff:

Or the few times I get a legit alignment, I just have them set the toe, and center the steering. I HAD lifetime alignment, but management recently changed and they no longer offer lifetime. Fuck them.

They are increasingly giving people with modified trucks a shitty time about it.
 

Arcticelf

Head BFH Operator at Gray Man Fab
Joined
Apr 23, 2019
Messages
1,167
Location
DelCo PA
plumb bob on the a ladder with a board as a boom to get it where you need it... essentially the longer the string, the more accurate the measurement. i used to do this with the Nissan to adjust/test shit at home before taking to the alignment shop to get locked in. (coil overs, sway bars, stiffened)

87 Maxima handled like a very heavy go cart. 4 wheel disc brakes, anemic v6...not fast, but FUN and ok milage.

good times. miss that car. got totalled by some old lady pulling out of a country club. can't make that up shit up. straight out of a bad 80s movie plot. the wife (then gf) was with me and banged up pretty good. no airbags and she keeps her feet on the floorboard now.

That would work, especially since I care more about it being equal than about a specific number. I'll just fuck with it until the ride is good, then make it even.
 

4runner DOA

Hold my beer
Staff member
Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Messages
15,887
Location
OC
That would work, especially since I care more about it being equal than about a specific number. I'll just fuck with it until the ride is good, then make it even.

I usually start by maxing out my caster on both sides, then get camber as close to 0 as possible, then set toe. Usually comes in around 3.4ish caster
 

Arcticelf

Head BFH Operator at Gray Man Fab
Joined
Apr 23, 2019
Messages
1,167
Location
DelCo PA
I usually start by maxing out my caster on both sides, then get camber as close to 0 as possible, then set toe. Usually comes in around 3.4ish caster

For stock geometry arms, yes. Although I like -1 of Camber. But once I start building my own arms the ability to easily measure caster is going to be important.
 

Slim-Whitey

Canadian hoser, Eh?
Know it all snowfake
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
4,127
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32
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Saskatchewan
These fucked up lintels look alot like table tops for my shop benches.
Yessir yessir. Should be a zero dollar setup if I can find some 1x1 angle. IMG_20191008_163629.jpg
 

Slim-Whitey

Canadian hoser, Eh?
Know it all snowfake
Joined
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Lots of scores lately, been nice to find a few low dollar things.

Like this guy.

image000000_02.jpg

I have to condition the table top since it's cast and rusted, but beyond that it's a sound unit.
Got it for a song.
 

kasnerd

Danny's Red Headed Step Child
Joined
Aug 15, 2019
Messages
4,791
Lots of scores lately, been nice to find a few low dollar things.

Like this guy.

View attachment 13730

I have to condition the table top since it's cast and rusted, but beyond that it's a sound unit.
Got it for a song.
cuz how can you put a price on a finger murderer. always good to have a table saw. just got a new one last week after finally admitting the track saw can't do it all. got a festool track off estate sale. best purchase ever. sooo much easier, faster setup, light years safer. there is still no replacement for a table saw though. hack the wings and drop a router on the side. boom. super useful.

IMG_20191019_192609.jpg
 
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Slim-Whitey

Canadian hoser, Eh?
Know it all snowfake
Joined
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Messages
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Age
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I can say that no matter how rich I get, I'll probably never bother with anything by festool.
"Buy a set of clamping saw guides and a DeWalt skill saw for 300 bucks, or, buy this festool saw for 1500 bucks that does the same thing 5% faster due to over-engineering."

Probably won't ever get a sawstop either. Good gimmick for high school kids. But 3g USD on a tablesaw ain't about to happen.

Edit:
I should say, I'm not knocking your choices. Festool makes great stuff, they're THE high end finishing and millwork brand, in my opinion.
But I'm just not going to see the advantages to them because I'm not cranking out pieces at a high volume. If you got it at an estate sale and didn't pay retail for it, that's a great score!

The sawstop thing is just opinion. They work fantastically, but in my 19 years of using tablesaws (10 pro), I've never found myself in need of one. Not to say I won't, I suppose.
For the cost of a sawstop I'll likely never use for its intended purpose, I can get a General tablesaw, 10" jointer, and a decently sized lathe.
 
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PCTaco

36 Hour Build
Joined
Apr 26, 2019
Messages
509
Age
35
Sawstops are priced out of the consumer market. For a shop who can probably swing some workers comp insurance reductions thanks to them? Yep.

For the guys at home.. 2k for a regular table saw is a really high ask.
 

kasnerd

Danny's Red Headed Step Child
Joined
Aug 15, 2019
Messages
4,791
I can say that no matter how rich I get, I'll probably never bother with anything by festool.
"Buy a set of clamping saw guides and a DeWalt skill saw for 300 bucks, or, buy this festool saw for 1500 bucks that does the same thing 5% faster due to over-engineering."

Probably won't ever get a sawstop either. Good gimmick for high school kids. But 3g USD on a tablesaw ain't about to happen.

Edit:
I should say, I'm not knocking your choices. Festool makes great stuff, they're THE high end finishing and millwork brand, in my opinion.
But I'm just not going to see the advantages to them because I'm not cranking out pieces at a high volume. If you got it at an estate sale and didn't pay retail for it, that's a great score!

The sawstop thing is just opinion. They work fantastically, but in my 19 years of using tablesaws (10 pro), I've never found myself in need of one. Not to say I won't, I suppose.
For the cost of a sawstop I'll likely never use for its intended purpose, I can get a General tablesaw, 10" jointer, and a decently sized lathe.
Sawstops are priced out of the consumer market. For a shop who can probably swing some workers comp insurance reductions thanks to them? Yep.

For the guys at home.. 2k for a regular table saw is a really high ask.

100% if i had my choice, 10" delta cabinet saw. my gramps lost a finger to one and needed one fora project , couldn't justify 4grand...wife said yes because I'm dumb and the first time it works it saves a trip to the ER and maybe avoid a potentially life altering injury. she gave me the green light. i. ain't arguing. lol
 

kasnerd

Danny's Red Headed Step Child
Joined
Aug 15, 2019
Messages
4,791
also plunked down on this baby. that stand is devine, makes it easy to lug a 12" beast aroundIMG_20191019_211841.jpg
 

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Slim-Whitey

Canadian hoser, Eh?
Know it all snowfake
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
4,127
Age
32
Location
Saskatchewan
I like those Bosch saws (Bosch makes good saws and not much else).
But I just use a table from 2x10 and some saw horses. Free, and good for cutting over dimensional stuff.
Those rolling tables are a pain.
 

kasnerd

Danny's Red Headed Step Child
Joined
Aug 15, 2019
Messages
4,791
I like those Bosch saws (Bosch makes good saws and not much else).
But I just use a table from 2x10 and some saw horses. Free, and good for cutting over dimensional stuff.
Those rolling tables are a pain.
doing a whole house reno. 3000sqft of stranded bamboo floors (hard as rocks), with a Diablo blade, barely broke a sweat, even doubled up. the slide is butter smooth with very little to no slop, quiet and look forward to using every time.
 
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