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Last week, I changed the undersized, crappy radiator in my kitchen for a bigger one that heats the room much better.? This involved undoing big threaded components that may not have been touched in half a century.
A tool that to some extent made the job possible was a 24" Crescent wrench I bought from Harbor Freight. It cost $33, which I thought was very reasonable considering the size. Here's a picture of my newly installed and painted radiator with the giant wrench on top of it.?
It may have been possible to get this plumbing apart with a small wrench and a cheater bar, but it wouldn't have been EASY, which it was with this wrench. (Also, taking heating equipment apart in the wintertime is a bit risky because if you screw up, the house may be cold for a long time).? I can't say any of us will ever find something on a minilathe that needs?a wrench this big, but I'll find other occasions to use it, and I bet you would too.
Mike Taglieri?
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These big adjustable wrenches certainly have their place.? ?Used one to open an air compressor tank.
--
Lone Tree, Colorado? ?USA
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Amusing photo.
You might now consider just displaying it as a "wall hangar".? Of course, if you have ever seen what was used in a place like an old railroad roundhouse, or ship builder, that's still a pretty small wrench.
Charles E. "Chuck" Kinzer
On Monday, March 4, 2024 at 05:01:54 AM PST, Miket_NYC <mctaglieri@...> wrote:
Last week, I changed the undersized, crappy radiator in my kitchen for a bigger one that heats the room much better.? This involved undoing big threaded components that may not have been touched in half a century.
A tool that to some extent made the job possible was a 24" Crescent wrench I bought from Harbor Freight. It cost $33, which I thought was very reasonable considering the size. Here's a picture of my newly installed and painted radiator with the giant wrench on top of it.?
It may have been possible to get this plumbing apart with a small wrench and a cheater bar, but it wouldn't have been EASY, which it was with this wrench. (Also, taking heating equipment apart in the wintertime is a bit risky because if you screw up, the house may be cold for a long time).? I can't say any of us will ever find something on a minilathe that needs?a wrench this big, but I'll find other occasions to use it, and I bet you would too.
Mike Taglieri? Attachments:
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Actually I have an adjustable wrench just that size, Of course I don't use it very often. John Mattis (retired mechanical?engineer)
On Mon, Mar 4, 2024 at 7:43?AM Charles Kinzer < ckinzer@...> wrote:
Amusing photo.
You might now consider just displaying it as a "wall hangar".? Of course, if you have ever seen what was used in a place like an old railroad roundhouse, or ship builder, that's still a pretty small wrench.
Charles E. "Chuck" Kinzer
On Monday, March 4, 2024 at 05:01:54 AM PST, Miket_NYC < mctaglieri@...> wrote:
Last week, I changed the undersized, crappy radiator in my kitchen for a bigger one that heats the room much better.? This involved undoing big threaded components that may not have been touched in half a century.
A tool that to some extent made the job possible was a 24" Crescent wrench I bought from Harbor Freight. It cost $33, which I thought was very reasonable considering the size. Here's a picture of my newly installed and painted radiator with the giant wrench on top of it.?
It may have been possible to get this plumbing apart with a small wrench and a cheater bar, but it wouldn't have been EASY, which it was with this wrench. (Also, taking heating equipment apart in the wintertime is a bit risky because if you screw up, the house may be cold for a long time).? I can't say any of us will ever find something on a minilathe that needs?a wrench this big, but I'll find other occasions to use it, and I bet you would too.
Mike Taglieri? Attachments:
|
This is why we have Harbor Freight :)? The tool elitists will say "don't buy that crap, it won't last."? But at that price, it only has to last for one job, and it pays for itself.? Notwithstanding, I have many HF wrenches that have been in service for many years and still going strong.? Plus, at their prices I have been able to assemble a number of complete tool sets dedicated to a variety of functions and pieces of equipment.
On Monday, March 4, 2024 at 05:01:54 AM PST, Miket_NYC <mctaglieri@...> wrote:
Last week, I changed the undersized, crappy radiator in my kitchen for a bigger one that heats the room much better.? This involved undoing big threaded components that may not have been touched in half a century.
A tool that to some extent made the job possible was a 24" Crescent wrench I bought from Harbor Freight. It cost $33, which I thought was very reasonable considering the size. Here's a picture of my newly installed and painted radiator with the giant wrench on top of it.?
It may have been possible to get this plumbing apart with a small wrench and a cheater bar, but it wouldn't have been EASY, which it was with this wrench. (Also, taking heating equipment apart in the wintertime is a bit risky because if you screw up, the house may be cold for a long time).? I can't say any of us will ever find something on a minilathe that needs?a wrench this big, but I'll find other occasions to use it, and I bet you would too.
Mike Taglieri? Attachments:
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A month ago I got a set of Silver and Deming Drills from Amazon for $35. I just used them yesterday to drill eight 7/8 inch diameter holes through 1/4 inch thick steel angles. The drill worked great. I should mention that my floor mount drill press is variable speed with a 1 HP motor. John Mattis (retired mechanical?engineer)
On Mon, Mar 4, 2024 at 8:34?AM Arthur Coe < acoe@...> wrote:
This is why we have Harbor Freight :)? The tool elitists will say "don't buy that crap, it won't last."? But at that price, it only has to last for one job, and it pays for itself.? Notwithstanding, I have many HF wrenches that have been in service for many years and still going strong.? Plus, at their prices I have been able to assemble a number of complete tool sets dedicated to a variety of functions and pieces of equipment.
On Monday, March 4, 2024 at 05:01:54 AM PST, Miket_NYC < mctaglieri@...> wrote:
Last week, I changed the undersized, crappy radiator in my kitchen for a bigger one that heats the room much better.? This involved undoing big threaded components that may not have been touched in half a century.
A tool that to some extent made the job possible was a 24" Crescent wrench I bought from Harbor Freight. It cost $33, which I thought was very reasonable considering the size. Here's a picture of my newly installed and painted radiator with the giant wrench on top of it.?
It may have been possible to get this plumbing apart with a small wrench and a cheater bar, but it wouldn't have been EASY, which it was with this wrench. (Also, taking heating equipment apart in the wintertime is a bit risky because if you screw up, the house may be cold for a long time).? I can't say any of us will ever find something on a minilathe that needs?a wrench this big, but I'll find other occasions to use it, and I bet you would too.
Mike Taglieri? Attachments:
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A bit overkill on a minilathe, eh, John?!
On Monday, 4 March 2024, 15:47:04 UTC, John Mattis <john.mattis@...> wrote:
Actually I have an adjustable wrench just that size, Of course I don't use it very often. John Mattis (retired mechanical?engineer)
On Monday, March 4, 2024 at 05:01:54 AM PST, Miket_NYC < mctaglieri@...> wrote:
Last week, I changed the undersized, crappy radiator in my kitchen for a bigger one that heats the room much better.? This involved undoing big threaded components that may not have been touched in half a century.
A tool that to some extent made the job possible was a 24" Crescent wrench I bought from Harbor Freight. It cost $33, which I thought was very reasonable considering the size. Here's a picture of my newly installed and painted radiator with the giant wrench on top of it.?
It may have been possible to get this plumbing apart with a small wrench and a cheater bar, but it wouldn't have been EASY, which it was with this wrench. (Also, taking heating equipment apart in the wintertime is a bit risky because if you screw up, the house may be cold for a long time).? I can't say any of us will ever find something on a minilathe that needs?a wrench this big, but I'll find other occasions to use it, and I bet you would too.
Mike Taglieri? Attachments:
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I have a 24" Crescent wrench since 1970's.?
Since I retired I think 4 times.
Great for that day I need the wrench.?
Dave?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Miket_NYC
5:01am? ?
Last week, I changed the undersized, crappy radiator in my kitchen for a bigger one that heats the room much better. This involved undoing big threaded components that may not have been touched in half a century.
A tool that to some extent made the job possible was a 24" Crescent wrench
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??? Always dug the look of radiators . If ya leave the wrench on
the radiator during th eday & early evening ya can toss in in
the bed for a foot warmer . Those big Crescent's & the 3'
& 4' pipe wrenches do have their place .
animal
On 3/4/24 5:00 AM, Miket_NYC wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Last week, I changed the undersized, crappy
radiator in my kitchen for a bigger one that heats the room much
better.? This involved undoing big threaded components that may
not have been touched in half a century.
A tool that to some extent made the job possible
was a 24" Crescent wrench I bought from Harbor Freight. It
cost $33, which I thought was very reasonable considering the
size. Here's a picture of my newly installed and painted
radiator with the giant wrench on top of it.?
It may have been possible to get this plumbing
apart with a small wrench and a cheater bar, but it wouldn't
have been EASY, which it was with this wrench. (Also, taking
heating equipment apart in the wintertime is a bit risky
because if you screw up, the house may be cold for a long
time).? I can't say any of us will ever find something on a
minilathe that needs?a wrench this big, but I'll find other
occasions to use it, and I bet you would too.
Mike Taglieri?
Attachments:
|
The big wrench also makes a decent persuader in a pinch...
I also have a number of HF buys that were only needed for one task and have been working like champs for years after that task... Some of my HF buys have been garbage (small twist drills), but I am way way ahead on the good versus bad.
On Mon, Mar 4, 2024 at 8:34?AM Arthur Coe < acoe@...> wrote:
This is why we have Harbor Freight :)? The tool elitists will say "don't buy that crap, it won't last."? But at that price, it only has to last for one job, and it pays for itself.? Notwithstanding, I have many HF wrenches that have been in service for many years and still going strong.? Plus, at their prices I have been able to assemble a number of complete tool sets dedicated to a variety of functions and pieces of equipment.
--
Buffalo John
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I have a 24” pipe wrench (not even the biggest HF sells! They go up to 36") for the same reason: it was worth the cost to take off that one fitting I needed undone that one time, because it beat digging up my entire yard and part of the driveway (a buried water pipe )
Might serve as a home defense weapon in a pinch. 8-P
Other absurdly outsized tools I have includes a giant 24” caliper like this?
Got it as a ganga deal from American Science and Surplus (mainly because it was cool, and cheap, but it’s actually come in handy for things like checking squareness of cabinet cases and drawers, easier than a tape measure because I can truly check inside corner to inside corner. ) Plus I can accurately measure the entire length of my lathe with it ?lol.
On Mar 4, 2024, at 6:00 AM, Miket_NYC <mctaglieri@...> wrote:
Last week, I changed the undersized, crappy radiator in my kitchen for a bigger one that heats the room much better.? This involved undoing big threaded components that may not have been touched in half a century.
A tool that to some extent made the job possible was a 24" Crescent wrench I bought from Harbor Freight. It cost $33, which I thought was very reasonable considering the size. Here's a picture of my newly installed and painted radiator with the giant wrench on top of it.?
It may have been possible to get this plumbing apart with a small wrench and a cheater bar, but it wouldn't have been EASY, which it was with this wrench. (Also, taking heating equipment apart in the wintertime is a bit risky because if you screw up, the house may be cold for a long time).? I can't say any of us will ever find something on a minilathe that needs?a wrench this big, but I'll find other occasions to use it, and I bet you would too.
Mike Taglieri?
--?
Bruce Johnson
The less a man knows about how sausages and laws are made, the easier it is to steal his vote and give him botulism.
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I'm a fan of cheap tools but expensive (for me) sharp bits.
Seems to work better than the other way round.
Tony
The big wrench also makes a decent persuader in a pinch...
I also have a number of HF buys that were only needed for one task and have been working like champs for years after that task... Some of my HF buys have been garbage (small twist drills), but I am way way ahead on the good versus bad.
On Mon, Mar 4, 2024 at 8:34?AM Arthur Coe < acoe@...> wrote:
This is why we have Harbor Freight :)? The tool elitists will say "don't buy that crap, it won't last."? But at that price, it only has to last for one job, and it pays for itself.? Notwithstanding, I have many HF wrenches that have been in service for many years and still going strong.? Plus, at their prices I have been able to assemble a number of complete tool sets dedicated to a variety of functions and pieces of equipment.
--
Buffalo John
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Amen to sharp bits.?
I'm a fan of cobalt and cryogenic bits as well...
I'm a fan of cheap tools but expensive (for me) sharp bits.
Seems to work better than the other way round.
Tony
The big wrench also makes a decent persuader in a pinch...
I also have a number of HF buys that were only needed for one task and have been working like champs for years after that task... Some of my HF buys have been garbage (small twist drills), but I am way way ahead on the good versus bad.
On Mon, Mar 4, 2024 at 8:34?AM Arthur Coe < acoe@...> wrote:
This is why we have Harbor Freight :)? The tool elitists will say "don't buy that crap, it won't last."? But at that price, it only has to last for one job, and it pays for itself.? Notwithstanding, I have many HF wrenches that have been in service for many years and still going strong.? Plus, at their prices I have been able to assemble a number of complete tool sets dedicated to a variety of functions and pieces of equipment.
--
Buffalo John
--
Buffalo John
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My approach to the bits question has been “buy the cheap sets, then replace the ones you use enough to have to resharpen with good, expensive ones.”
On Mar 4, 2024, at 3:18 PM, Tony Smith <ajsmith1968@...> wrote:
I'm a fan of cheap tools but expensive (for me) sharp bits.
Seems to work better than the other way round.
Tony The big wrench also makes a decent persuader in a pinch...
I also have a number of HF buys that were only needed for one task and have been working like champs for years after that task... Some of my HF buys have been garbage (small twist drills), but I am way way ahead on the good versus bad.
On Mon, Mar 4, 2024 at 8:34?AM Arthur Coe < acoe@...> wrote:
This is why we have Harbor Freight :)? The tool elitists will say "don't buy that crap, it won't last."? But at that price, it only has to last for one job, and it pays for itself.? Notwithstanding, I have many HF wrenches that have been in service for many years and still going strong.? Plus, at their prices I have been able to assemble a number of complete tool sets dedicated to a variety of functions and pieces of equipment.
--
Buffalo John
--?
Bruce Johnson
The less a man knows about how sausages and laws are made, the easier it is to steal his vote and give him botulism.
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Never seen or used cryogenic bits , what makes them better ??
When I buy tool blanks I usually buy plain HSS & then buy a
couple in the same sizes in Cobalt . I read somewere that ya
should wear a respirator when sharpening the cobalt ones ?
thanks
animal
On 3/4/24 2:50 PM, BuffaloJohn wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Amen to sharp bits.?
I'm a fan of cobalt and cryogenic bits as well...
I'm a fan of cheap tools but expensive (for
me) sharp bits.
Seems to work better than the other way
round.
Tony
The big wrench also makes a decent persuader in a
pinch...
I also have a number of HF buys that were only
needed for one task and have been working like champs
for years after that task... Some of my HF buys have
been garbage (small twist drills), but I am way way
ahead on the good versus bad.
On Mon, Mar 4, 2024
at 8:34?AM Arthur Coe < acoe@...>
wrote:
This is why we have Harbor
Freight :)? The tool elitists will say "don't
buy that crap, it won't last."? But at that
price, it only has to last for one job, and it
pays for itself.? Notwithstanding, I have many
HF wrenches that have been in service for many
years and still going strong.? Plus, at their
prices I have been able to assemble a number
of complete tool sets dedicated to a variety
of functions and pieces of equipment.
--
Buffalo John
--
Buffalo John
|
I could tell mush difference in Cobalt or HSS.?
Use? both Cobalt and HSS?
Dave?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
mike allen
3:14pm? ?
Never seen or used cryogenic bits , what makes them better ? When I buy tool blanks I usually buy plain HSS & then buy a couple in the same sizes in Cobalt
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??? Some real scientific info on cryogenic drill bits .
???
??? animal
On 3/4/24 2:50 PM, BuffaloJohn wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Amen to sharp bits.?
I'm a fan of cobalt and cryogenic bits as well...
I'm a fan of cheap tools but expensive (for
me) sharp bits.
Seems to work better than the other way
round.
Tony
The big wrench also makes a decent persuader in a
pinch...
I also have a number of HF buys that were only
needed for one task and have been working like champs
for years after that task... Some of my HF buys have
been garbage (small twist drills), but I am way way
ahead on the good versus bad.
On Mon, Mar 4, 2024
at 8:34?AM Arthur Coe < acoe@...>
wrote:
This is why we have Harbor
Freight :)? The tool elitists will say "don't
buy that crap, it won't last."? But at that
price, it only has to last for one job, and it
pays for itself.? Notwithstanding, I have many
HF wrenches that have been in service for many
years and still going strong.? Plus, at their
prices I have been able to assemble a number
of complete tool sets dedicated to a variety
of functions and pieces of equipment.
--
Buffalo John
--
Buffalo John
|
Cryogenic bits - the Norseman CN-Tech bits are the ones I am most familiar with, The bits get a nitride coating and then cooled to -300F. They become harder and stronger and less brittle.
For example, I was working on a rusty steel frame that was used for hay feeding. There were lots (about 120) of 3/16" holes since there were lots of rivets to install. I tried a couple of HSS and TiN coated bits - they cut ok. I switched to the cryo bit and finished the remaining 100 hole with greater speed - holes took about 75% or less time to drill. All holes were using a hand drill with yours truly standing in awkward positions. After finishing that project, I used the same bit for 200-300 holes in steel, still going strong and no need to sharpen.
On Mon, Mar 4, 2024 at 3:14?PM mike allen < animal@...> wrote:
Never seen or used cryogenic bits , what makes them better ??
When I buy tool blanks I usually buy plain HSS & then buy a
couple in the same sizes in Cobalt . I read somewere that ya
should wear a respirator when sharpening the cobalt ones ?
--
Buffalo John
|
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Mon, Mar 4, 2024 at 4:53?PM mike allen < animal@...> wrote:
??? Some real scientific info on cryogenic drill bits .
???
??? animal
On 3/4/24 2:50 PM, BuffaloJohn wrote:
Amen to sharp bits.?
I'm a fan of cobalt and cryogenic bits as well...
I'm a fan of cheap tools but expensive (for
me) sharp bits.
Seems to work better than the other way
round.
Tony
The big wrench also makes a decent persuader in a
pinch...
I also have a number of HF buys that were only
needed for one task and have been working like champs
for years after that task... Some of my HF buys have
been garbage (small twist drills), but I am way way
ahead on the good versus bad.
On Mon, Mar 4, 2024
at 8:34?AM Arthur Coe < acoe@...>
wrote:
This is why we have Harbor
Freight :)? The tool elitists will say "don't
buy that crap, it won't last."? But at that
price, it only has to last for one job, and it
pays for itself.? Notwithstanding, I have many
HF wrenches that have been in service for many
years and still going strong.? Plus, at their
prices I have been able to assemble a number
of complete tool sets dedicated to a variety
of functions and pieces of equipment.
--
Buffalo John
--
Buffalo John
--
Buffalo John
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"Crescent" is a brand name, not really a generic name for an, "adjustable wrench."
?<??>
Another useful implement of destruction for recalcitrant plumbing fittings is a, "chain wrench." It can grip stuff that even a 24" pipe wrench refuses to handle.
?<??>
Welcome to the joys of home ownership ;-)
Roy
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John Mattis
davesmith1800
BuffaloJohn