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Tools: What do you use and why?

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JoshP said:
Has anyone tried those new Cross-Force wrenches that Craftsman has out? They look pretty promising to me; I think they're a Gearwrench item that was relabeled with Craftsman though.
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Haven't tried them yet, but I agree it does look like a cool idea. They do look like relabeled GearWrenches... thetoolwarehouse shows them.

S-K also makes an interesting racheting box wrench with an extended drive head. Do a search for No SK 89750 on the toolwarehouse.net.
 
MY tool box is a hodge podge for sure, a mixed bag of Snap-On, Mac, Craftsman and SK, I found SK to be a good alternative to Snap On and since I have a tool store that sells SK only a few miles away I tend to lean to them. The Snap On and Mac won't even stop at my shop, because they know I'm not going to buy a $8000 tool box, in fact I generally laugh at them when they suggest it to me, I have to hunt those guys down at my buddies shop when i want something from them, Bottom line for me, I'm not going into dept buying overpriced tools, so the Snap On type dealers hate me, and anytime I buy something from them, I make them discount it as I'm paying for it up front, not going to plug into the twenty dollars a week for life program /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
I have quite a mix as well, but for the most part, I have SK sockets, and Snap-On ratchets. I just like the way the Snap On ratchets feel in my hand.

Wrenches is a mix of Snap On, SK and Craftsman. When I get my hair cut, I stop by the pawn shop that is in the same plaza and browse the tools. I picked up a nice Craftsman 1/2 drive socket set for $30.00. I have also picked up the odd wrench from ebay now and again. My last purchase was a 1" Snap On combination wrench for $22.

I also have a tool bag that I use in the junkyard, and most of those wrenches are ProMate. We sold them at the parts store I worked at, and they were pretty cheap. If I lose them, no big deal.

Now if I could find a deal on a Snap On digital torque wrench I would be good to go. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
I've the same phobia over digital tools as with electronic slot machines... the odds of a favorable outcome are dubious. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif
 
DrEntropy said:
I've the same phobia over digital tools as with electronic slot machines... the odds of a favorable outcome are dubious. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif
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It makes finding "counter-clockwise" a little tricky for the youngsters... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif
 
I just found some Craftsman Whitworth tools in a junk sale!

Combo box wrenches: 1/2-9/16,3/8-7/16...combo open wrenches: 1/4-5/16, 3/8-7/16

A little rusty but I think they'll clean up. Yep, I stole 'em!
 
Tony,

I am jealous ~again~, to say the least.

Pat
 
What do people use for Whitworth sizes?

I have King Dick wrenches and sockets. Not a lot of Whithworth on the later Healeys, but ever time I find one, it is nice to have the correct size.

Mark
 
TR3driver said:
My Whitworth drawer has a whole bunch of names I've never heard of ....
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Me, too. I'm lucky to find anything that's properly Whitworth- most of the time I just use a close fitting standard tool. The crnk nut on a Big Healey is 1 1/8 Whitworth but a 1 11/16 AF will fit. Its not common but a lot easier to find and considerably cheaper... and it works just fine.
 
Don't want to hijack the forum nut please explain the difference between AF & Whitworth? thanks
 
AF stands for "across flats", meaning the wrench "size" matches the width of the bolt head. This is the standard method today.

However in the Whitworth system, the size marked on the wrench is the BOLT size. The actual wrench opening is much larger than the marked size. For example, a 1/4" Whitworth open end wrench actually has an opening of .445".

To further complicate matters, there are actually several different systems that commonly get lumped together under the name 'Whitworth' but have different head sizes. So most 'Whitworth' wrenches are marked with 2 or 3 different sizes of bolt they will fit, depending on which thread standard the bolt belongs to ! So, that 1/4" Whitworth wrench also fits a 5/16 British Standard Fine bolt.
 
Well, now, I think AF really stands for American Fractional, and Across Flats is one of those easy-to-remember tricks that people use.
And the small(er) relative head size of a BSF bolt, or nut for that matter, and its derivation from an economic measure, is a topic that has wasted many miles of print and lots of breath.

Being a Brit with wanderlust, I have hand tools of all manner of makes - Ennglish (King Dick, Britool and Williams, all made in Sheffield and excellent), Swedish(also excellent), Japanese (my Honda S600 /S800 tool kits are superb), American (very good), and unfortunately some Indian and Chinese about which the least said the better!
 
Thanks - I think I understand - sort of -
 
All I know is my TD uses Whitworth & metric or standard wrenches/sockets just don't quite fit correctly! Most of my Whitworth stuff is either the original toold that came with the car or knockoffs that were built in India, Whitworth tools being so expensive!
 
Roger said:
Well, now, I think AF really stands for American Fractional ...
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I can't say I've ever heard of "American Fractional"- its always been across flats. And a quick googling of "american fractional" only turned up a very few citations while "across flats" gave pages.

I think that the "across flats" is a much more likely explanation because it matches the wrench size needed, the UNF/UNC designations refer to the bolt shaft diameter and are Imperial measures too; and they aren't called American Fractional despite using the same units....
 
Yep your right AF stands for "across flats". UNF and unc have the same thread diameter but UNF is unified fine and UNC is unified course thread.There is a very informative site if you google "spanner jaw sizes" by "satdundee"explaining the differences
 
I have probably over a hundred grand invested in tools and shop equipment. The grat majority is Snap On. I have not seen a Mac truck in 5 plus years around here. I once had a Mac 1/2' open end wrench break on me, and the part hit my head so hard I saw stars. My Snap On guy warrentied it for me so he could hang it in his truck.I have never had a warrenty quibble with Snap on. They replaced an air ratchet I wore out (that they no longer carried parts for) for the 50 dollar rebuild charge. It is a 300.00 dollar tool. I buy some Snap ons on Ebay, flea markets, and car shows. You can sometimes get great deals that way, and even if they are broken, Snap On will replace them.The only thing I won't swallow is the prices of the tool boxes. Some of the monsters are 12,000 plus. I would NEVER spend that on a box, I would rather spend it on the tools. I buy the boxes that get traded in, for cheap. They work just as well, and they tend to have a bit more "charecter"
 
Wow...$100k in tools. I could hardly imagine that; I've never even been in the same room with $100k worth of anything.

I like Craftsman for the most part, but their ratcheting stuff leaves a bit to be desired for me; I like Stanley for my ratchet handles, and Gearwrench for my ratcheting wrenches. They have a finer tooth, whereas the Craftsman stuff seems to be very coarse and somewhat uncomfortable to use.

My Gearwrenches are about the handiest things since cargo pants. I broke down and bought SAE and metric sets of the Cross Force wrenches; the ones with the 90 degree twist in the center. They are quite comfy to use, I must say. The chrome quality could be better though.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]I have probably over a hundred grand invested in tools and shop equipment.[/QUOTE]
Man! I'd love to see photos of that garage!
 
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