Another tool rant

Still working on this ice rink volume of the pipes problem. Step one was to do a leak test because, as we had discussed, leakage in these buried-in-co ncrete pipes would be a major game changer.

So, I hooked up a compressor and found, well, leakage. But it wasn't coming from the pipes, the isolation valves were leaking enough to make this test invalid. So, I decided to disconnect the pipes at the isolation valves and plug them. Of course, they don't fit "normal" test plugs, so I made up ste el plates covered with closed-cell neoprene foam sheet to sandwich between the pipe and valve flanges.

The two 2" supply pipes were no problem. The 4" return pipe, however, requi red bigger wrenches than I have. "Easy." says I, "just go to HF and get the ir jumbo combination wrenches with the 20% off coupon." So I went and got t he wrenches, and also picked up a set of big impact sockets (3/4 inch drive - needed an adapter for that).

The friggin' wrenches don't fit. They are in 1/8" increments, and the two s izes it turns out I need are 1 5/16 and 1 7/16. Totally useless, they are. Near as I can tell, HF doesn't sell those 16th size at all.

Fortunately, the socket set is by 16ths, and I was able to use a 1 5/16 soc ket on the bolts and an adjustable on the nuts. But sheesh, wouldn't ya thi nk?

I have taken measurements off the fitting and cut a plate to size. In the m orning, I'll drill the holes in the plate and cover it with the neoprene, b olt it up and get back to testing.

BTW, I was able to loosen one of the four bolts with my puny Porter-Cable 1 /4" 20V impact wrench, and the 1/4 hex to 1/2 square adapter did NOT twist into a pretzel. My 1/2" air impact (bought from enco 20 years ago) made qui ck work of the others.

Reply to
rangerssuck
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to do a leak test because, as we had discussed, leakage in these buried-in- concrete pipes would be a major game changer.

ng from the pipes, the isolation valves were leaking enough to make this te st invalid. So, I decided to disconnect the pipes at the isolation valves a nd plug them. Of course, they don't fit "normal" test plugs, so I made up s teel plates covered with closed-cell neoprene foam sheet to sandwich betwee n the pipe and valve flanges.

uired bigger wrenches than I have. "Easy." says I, "just go to HF and get t heir jumbo combination wrenches with the 20% off coupon." So I went and got the wrenches, and also picked up a set of big impact sockets (3/4 inch dri ve - needed an adapter for that).

If you need to borrow a 3/4" inch ratchet drive, let me know. I have a Craf tsman set that I used for working on my uncle's diesel-powered boat. It's a big sucker.

sizes it turns out I need are 1 5/16 and 1 7/16. Totally useless, they are . Near as I can tell, HF doesn't sell those 16th size at all.

I have 1-5/16, 3/4 drive sockets -- your choice of Craftsman or Williams -- but no 1-7/16. My email address is real. Let me know if you want to borrow them.

ocket on the bolts and an adjustable on the nuts. But sheesh, wouldn't ya t hink?

morning, I'll drill the holes in the plate and cover it with the neoprene, bolt it up and get back to testing.

1/4" 20V impact wrench, and the 1/4 hex to 1/2 square adapter did NOT twis t into a pretzel. My 1/2" air impact (bought from enco 20 years ago) made q uick work of the others.
Reply to
edhuntress2

So, I hooked up a compressor and found, well, leakage. But it wasn't coming from the pipes, the isolation valves were leaking enough to make this test invalid. So, I decided to disconnect the pipes at the isolation valves and plug them. Of course, they don't fit "normal" test plugs, so I made up steel plates covered with closed-cell neoprene foam sheet to sandwich between the pipe and valve flanges.

The two 2" supply pipes were no problem. The 4" return pipe, however, required bigger wrenches than I have. "Easy." says I, "just go to HF and get their jumbo combination wrenches with the 20% off coupon." So I went and got the wrenches, and also picked up a set of big impact sockets (3/4 inch drive - needed an adapter for that).

The friggin' wrenches don't fit. They are in 1/8" increments, and the two sizes it turns out I need are 1 5/16 and 1 7/16. Totally useless, they are. Near as I can tell, HF doesn't sell those 16th size at all.

Fortunately, the socket set is by 16ths, and I was able to use a 1

5/16 socket on the bolts and an adjustable on the nuts. But sheesh, wouldn't ya think?

I have taken measurements off the fitting and cut a plate to size. In the morning, I'll drill the holes in the plate and cover it with the neoprene, bolt it up and get back to testing.

BTW, I was able to loosen one of the four bolts with my puny Porter-Cable 1/4" 20V impact wrench, and the 1/4 hex to 1/2 square adapter did NOT twist into a pretzel. My 1/2" air impact (bought from enco 20 years ago) made quick work of the others.

======================

I've been using an oversized socket sleeved down with copper water pipe since 1991 to loosen and tighten the chromed lug nuts on my truck, which torque to 100 ft-Lbs. They've all come off at least once a year to inspect the brakes. The copper has been replaced once. I suspect 22 gauge sheet steel would last longer.

-jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

In a pinch you could take the next smallest & grind the faces. A 1-1/4 becomes 1-5/16 with a 1/32 off each face.

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

+1 for that. I have one drawer in my rollaway which contains all my modified wrenches. Some ground wider, some ground thinner, some bent 90-degrees, some welded to extensions, 12" Crescent with 1.5" trimmed handle, some box wrenches made into line wrenches, etc.

Each one was made to fit some application, and all took the place of $40-150 SnapOff or MAC$ equivalents. While I did break down and buy a Chevy distributor wrench, I so seldom did the Toyota trucks that my modified (thinned, bent 90, extension) wrench was fine both times I used it. My thinned, cutoff 7/16 wrenches worked better than the expensive SnapOn equivalent for carb nuts.

Thank Crom for grinders, welders, and a wee bit o' savvy.

Reply to
Larry Jaques

s to do a leak test because, as we had discussed, leakage in these buried-i n-concrete pipes would be a major game changer.

ming from the pipes, the isolation valves were leaking enough to make this test invalid. So, I decided to disconnect the pipes at the isolation valves and plug them. Of course, they don't fit "normal" test plugs, so I made up steel plates covered with closed-cell neoprene foam sheet to sandwich betw een the pipe and valve flanges.

equired bigger wrenches than I have. "Easy." says I, "just go to HF and get their jumbo combination wrenches with the 20% off coupon." So I went and g ot the wrenches, and also picked up a set of big impact sockets (3/4 inch d rive - needed an adapter for that).

aftsman set that I used for working on my uncle's diesel-powered boat. It's a big sucker.

wo sizes it turns out I need are 1 5/16 and 1 7/16. Totally useless, they a re. Near as I can tell, HF doesn't sell those 16th size at all.

-- but no 1-7/16. My email address is real. Let me know if you want to borr ow them.

socket on the bolts and an adjustable on the nuts. But sheesh, wouldn't ya think?

he morning, I'll drill the holes in the plate and cover it with the neopren e, bolt it up and get back to testing.

le 1/4" 20V impact wrench, and the 1/4 hex to 1/2 square adapter did NOT tw ist into a pretzel. My 1/2" air impact (bought from enco 20 years ago) made quick work of the others.

Thanks, Ed. I've got it under control with the HF 3/4" drive impact socket set and the largest Crescent wrench I have (which *just* opens to 1 7/16"). But I do appreciate the offer. The HF impact socket set, by the way, is su rprisingly well done, and I do like having the blow-molded case.

When we re-open in October, you ought to come and skate (that goes for anyo ne here, as well). I know the guy (me) who hands out the free passes.

Reply to
rangerssuck

Nice idea and I'll bear it in mind but it would be a lot to juggle atop a ladder and as I told Ed, I have this particular job under control with the tools I have.

Reply to
rangerssuck

I may well do that (actually I'd convert the 1-3/8 to 1-7/16), but then you could bank on the fact that I'll need a 1-3/8 the next day. For now, I have an adjustable that just fits.

Reply to
rangerssuck

two sizes it turns out I need are 1 5/16 and 1 7/16. Totally useless, they are. Near as I can tell, HF doesn't sell those 16th size at all.

Back 40 years(!) ago when I was wrenching on British motorcycles I had a dr awer full of wrenches bent and twisted every which way to get to the bolts that were placed by the "committee to make things impossible to get a wrenc h on" that apparently did the final design reviews at Triumph & Norton.

It's easy to make a small fortune. All you have to do is start out with a large fortune.

Reply to
rangerssuck

We decided that rather than pay a tree service to deal with our two cherry trees, we could handle it ourselves with the HF electric polesaw ($85 and g ets really good reviews). So, armed with my 25% good only on Monday coupon, I went to the local(ish) HF.

The parking lot was jammed, there were no shopping carts, the store was jam med and only two out of the six cash registers were in use.There were at le ast 30 people on line to check out. I figured they's have more cashiers by the time I was ready to leave, so I spent some time getting my order togeth er (the pole trimmer, another 1/2 - 3/4 drive adapter and a couple of come- along winches to help muscle the 4" pipe into place [I had been using ratch et tie-down straps]).

So, a half-hour or so later, there were still only two cashiers and the lin e now reached the back of the store and it looked to be at least an hour lo ng. I left my stuff and went home.

I ordered the pole saw online and will (maybe) go back today with a 20% cou pon for the other stuff. But jeeze, wouldn't you think they could get some more bodies working the registers? I was not the only customer to leave wit hout buying, and it's not like they didn't know they had advertised this sa le.

Reply to
rangerssuck

They run a coupon for that Pole Saw pretty often. A good place to check for current coupons is:

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Looks like there is a $64.99 coupon for it right now...

You can find coupons and info here too:

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Make sure you read the very-fine-print on those 20% and 25% off coupons too. They exclude a whole bunch of stuff they didn't use to :(

Reply to
Leon Fisk

was to do a leak test because, as we had discussed, leakage in these buried

-in-concrete pipes would be a major game changer.

coming from the pipes, the isolation valves were leaking enough to make thi s test invalid. So, I decided to disconnect the pipes at the isolation valv es and plug them. Of course, they don't fit "normal" test plugs, so I made up steel plates covered with closed-cell neoprene foam sheet to sandwich be tween the pipe and valve flanges.

required bigger wrenches than I have. "Easy." says I, "just go to HF and g et their jumbo combination wrenches with the 20% off coupon." So I went and got the wrenches, and also picked up a set of big impact sockets (3/4 inch drive - needed an adapter for that).

Craftsman set that I used for working on my uncle's diesel-powered boat. It 's a big sucker.

two sizes it turns out I need are 1 5/16 and 1 7/16. Totally useless, they are. Near as I can tell, HF doesn't sell those 16th size at all.

s -- but no 1-7/16. My email address is real. Let me know if you want to bo rrow them.

16 socket on the bolts and an adjustable on the nuts. But sheesh, wouldn't ya think?

the morning, I'll drill the holes in the plate and cover it with the neopr ene, bolt it up and get back to testing.

able 1/4" 20V impact wrench, and the 1/4 hex to 1/2 square adapter did NOT twist into a pretzel. My 1/2" air impact (bought from enco 20 years ago) ma de quick work of the others.

t set and the largest Crescent wrench I have (which *just* opens to 1 7/16" ). But I do appreciate the offer. The HF impact socket set, by the way, is surprisingly well done, and I do like having the blow-molded case.

yone here, as well). I know the guy (me) who hands out the free passes.

Nice offer. I haven't skated in 30 years, but it would be interesting to se e how it all works.

Let me know when it's fixed.

Reply to
edhuntress2

You can bet the manager also didn't like the way things turned out. But his job depends on getting by with minimum employee compensation and staffing levels, and he's captive to the whims of employees who phone in sick, or simply don't show up for work. He hopes to call in some bodies on short notice when necessary. That's why, before he hires people, he asks if they'll answer that call, and they always say they'll be good soldiers. But they don't mean it, and that's just how it is for managers of that type of operation. It's also possible that the manager didn't show, and the bodies who did were zoned out, or burned out.

Now, think about the manager at Walmart, who in addition to all the issues I mentioned, is also expected to motivate employees by using cult tactics.

Reply to
Month of May

I kick myself for not using one on a mini-mill eons ago, when they still did allow them.

HF just opened a store here in Grants Pass this month. I lamented to the cashier that they waited until I had already retired to open it. He was quick and said "Now you'll have more time to use our tools." Tiny store, 4 checkers, all with 3 people in line in a li'l town of

30k people. Amazing.
Reply to
Larry Jaques

What amazes me are the people paying full price for the stuff. Especially those commenting about what a deal they are getting...

I _ALWAYS_ use some sort of coupon on the main item and get a freebie with another. Coupons are easy to find, nobody should be paying full freight for their stuff...

Reply to
Leon Fisk

But many items are now exempt from coupon use.

Reply to
Steve W.

I look at their web site and figure out what I want to throww some dollars at, make up my shopping list, and drive an hour and a half only to find that that store doesn't stock anything on my list.

Reply to
Gerry

The first time I had a problem, they had 5 of the 6 things I wanted, but they were out of the big item which I had a coupon for. I always called after that, since the store in Medford was 30 miles away.

They're happy to check their stock for you (every time, at every store I've called) and hold something up front for you (sometimes.)

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Ditto. I started shopping HF in 1976-7, the year they opened in Escondido, CA. Watching their ads, I seldom needed to buy something at regular price, since everything went on sale within a few months in rotation. This is the first time in 41 years that I've had a store in my own town, but now I own one or three of _almost_ every single thing they make. Har!

Reply to
Larry Jaques

They seem to be making specific coupons for many of those items. Check those websites I linked to in an earlier post. I suspect it gives them better control over the final price. It must be a nightmare trying to keep track of it all.

As an example my flier for June has a 15% off any Drummond Pump coupon (58706822) good thru 6/30. Some of the Baur stuff has separate coupons this month...

Reply to
Leon Fisk

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