What - non Festool - tool / workshop related gizmo/stuff did you buy today?

[Muttley000]

I got the smaller version of one of those single flute countersink bits today. This is a case of preparing for next time though. I needed it the other day. The one I have was just a little too big. It wouldn't work on a hole that small or fit between the rails of a glass track extrusion. I struggled through it, but since it will happen again....

Plus I got a self-centering punch. Sometimes it's just easier.

I have a self-centering punch also (though I have not laid eyes on in in several years.). I prefer using what I call “center finding punches”, though I think they are more properly called “transfer punches”. 

I bought a nice set from Amazon a number of years ago (about when I last saw my center finding punch).  I believe I paid about $35.00 including a nice metal stand.

I see that Harbor Freight has a smaller set with a cheaper plastic stand for $12.00.

I don’t need them often, but when I do, they are a godsend.  I have a pin vise that will hold these nicely and allows me to mark wood with one hand (no mallet). 

This is what I use also, centered every time!

 

[Cheese]

What is the advantage that these have over more conventional bits?

CRG summed it up nicely...they slice rather than gouge. That's both the boon & the bane when it comes to their use on metals. For woodworking I believe there is nothing better. For soft metals there is also probably nothing better but like a chisel or plane, that cutting edge is very thin which yields great results, but it is also very susceptible to damage and wear.

They are supposed to be easily sharpened with a small pencil hand grinder and a small stone but I've not yet tried it. The small Festool version I used on aluminum, produced precise & clean chamfers in aluminum, but after 4-5 it was toast...that's the reason you need to use cobalt versions rather than the Festool HSS version.

When it comes to chamfering steel, I still use a single flute Ford cutter despite its propensity to chatter. And forget about using a chamfer bit with multiple edges, they become even more problematic when it comes to chattering and leaving a rough finish. They may be fine when used in very rigid machine tools, but when used by hand or in a common drill press, they chatter and leave a rough finish.
The only multiple edge chamfer bit I use is a solid carbide unit for cementious based product...that works well but still leaves a rough surface. 

 

[rst]

They also can be resharpened with small rotary diamond bits or fine silicone paper rapped around an appropriate sized dowel.  I’ve probably reamed thousnds of holes in aluminum with mine

 

[Cheese]

They also can be resharpened with small rotary diamond bits or fine silicone paper rapped around an appropriate sized dowel. 

Thanks for that [member=25351]rst[/member] ...where do you purchase the diamond bits?

Saw this silicone roller at Woodcraft yesterday, didn't purchase it but it may be useful for someone that engages in a lot of large glue-ups. There's also a silicone roller tray that's available.
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/4-silicone-roller-woodriver

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[rvieceli]

I use my KEO zero flute carbide countersinks all the time in mild steel (mostly A36). I use the deburr holes and also to actually countersink 82 degree flat head socket screws That is a fairly big excavation.

I also use my KEO counterbores on steel as well.

Like most operations especially in steel the biggest issue is using the correct speed.

Ron

 

[Michael Kellough]

As a commercial glazier I’ve been familiar the th Weldon style countersinks for a long time and have sizes up to 1 1/4”s.  They are also available with quides to insure that the well is perfectly centered to access hole size and prevent wander.  I have ones for 3/16” and 1/4” for critical situations

Never heard of the guide. I’d like to see a picture or link it don’t know what to call it.

 

[rst]

It’s a pilot the size of the hole being countersunk…word that would not come to when I wrote the post

 

[rst]

Cheese I think they jewelry or Dremel… my daughter is an artist, maybe from Otto Frei

 

[rmwarren]

As a commercial glazier I’ve been familiar the th Weldon style countersinks for a long time and have sizes up to 1 1/4”s.  They are also available with quides to insure that the well is perfectly centered to access hole size and prevent wander.  I have ones for 3/16” and 1/4” for critical situations

Never heard of the guide. I’d like to see a picture or link it don’t know what to call it.

Michael they have a pilot the size of the hole.

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I have a couple I got at MMC a while ago, used mostly on AL & so far never needed to sharpen them.

RMW

 

[Cheese]

Never heard of the guide. I’d like to see a picture or link it don’t know what to call it.

Michael, I think this is what rst was referring to, it's a small pilot that's part of the c'sk. This is a Weldon CS16-1 that I use for chamfering holes in an MFT.

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[Packard]

I looked online and found this YouTube demo.  (Fast-forward to 6:25.)


All the reviews seem to have this countersink style largely hidden or not mentioned at all. 

If you depend on the Internet for your educational updates, this would probably fly by unnoticed.

Also, while Amazon does sell this style of bit, but only in the “no-name” category,  dominated by “KEO” (but even though they have many listings, I never heard of them).

Addendum:  KEO is an American Manufacturer that’s been around for 80+ years.  I don’t know them, but they are likely to be OK.
https://www.ctemag.com/news/industry-news/keo-brand-turns-80-makes-plans-future

The KEO brand, a part of the Arch Cutting Tools portfolio since 2011, is marking its 80th anniversary. KEO, founded in Warren, Michigan, in 1941, still stands for all-American quality, integrity and trust.

 

[rvieceli]

KEO makes quality stuff. I really like the carbide bits. They are competitively priced and make quality stuff As I have to replace or add I’m getting KEO items

Ron

 

[Cheese]

1. I looked online and found this YouTube demo.  (Fast-forward to 6:25.)


2. Addendum:  KEO is an American Manufacturer that’s been around for 80+ years.  I don’t know them, but they are likely to be OK.

1. Unfortunately, that guy is one of the biggest dolts I've seen on youtube...it's amazing he's still alive. What fool would turn the drill press on to full speed and then proceed to try to find the center of a hole with a chamfer bit running at max speed? It's just plain goofy. That guy should be required to ask for special permission to use a pencil sharpener or toilet paper.

2. KEO is MORE than likely to be OK...Correction...they are one of the best tools manufacturers in the US. Years ago the US had literally hundreds of competent tool manufacturers, today we are down to 50 or so. Some have gone toes-up and some have been acquired by foreign interests. It's interesting to note that the Scandinavians and the Germans have been very aggressive in acquiring some of the remaining US tool manufacturers. Do they know something we don't?

 

[Cheese]

So, while we're discussing the various KEO offerings, here's a few that I recommend.
A selection of 5 drills & countersinks that are machined from cobalt so they can also be used on steel. KEO also manufactures these same items in solid carbide which weren't available when I purchased these.

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This next selection is really handy for drilling and countersinking at the same time. These are used for a 1/4", #10 & #8 screw. A thru hole and a countersink at the same time. KEO offers other sizes from #4 to 3/8"...these are just my frequently used sizes.

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[rmwarren]

It's interesting to note that the Scandinavians and the Germans have been very aggressive in acquiring some of the remaining US tool manufacturers. Do they know something we don't?

If you are interested in geopolitics, look into the predictions of a surge in regional manufacturing and reshoring/nearshoring of industry in North America. If some of the gurus are correct demand for domestically produced industrial products will skyrocket.

Woodpecker's router bits are part of the story.

RMW

 

[WillAdams]

One can only hope.

The big question of course is how this resurgence in manufacturing will differ from how it used to be.

Time was, you'd set up a machine shop, and bid on annual supply contracts from the Big Four automakers (or some other major manufacturer who had a need for some small widget which was too fiddly for them to bother to make) and based on getting one or more of those, you'd have a baseline of income which you could do staffing around --- then you'd have your sales folks bring in additional custom business which you would do to make a profit, while the scheduled contract work would ensure that there would be enough work and cashflow to justify payroll.

These days it's looking like almost all CNC, and mostly "lights out" manufacturing where you have a day shift which does various short run jobs which require a human's attention, then before leaving for the day they load stock up in all the machines, top off fluids and make sure all the tooling is sharp and in good condition and that there are pallets/bins ready to receive cut parts, then robots load stock, cut parts, set them off to the side once cut, then folks come in the next day and inspect the work and if necessary post-process .

But, such work only fits in-between what can be 3D printed or injection-molded or stamped out on a press --- Tesla's recent purchase of a press which allows them to replace dozens of parts with a single stamping is a game changer.

That said, I just put in an order for a mallet w/ Blue Spruce Toolworks, I'm still waiting to get a larger dedicate shop space so I can buy a Jointmaker Pro and DJ-3 from Bridge City Tools, and I've decided while I'm waiting to indulge myself buy buying a full set of Lee Valley's miniature tools.

 

[Cheese]

One can only hope...

That said, I just put in an order for a mallet w/ Blue Spruce Toolworks...

What a great segue Will, I just received this on Saturday.

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The website advises that these will ship within 6-8 weeks but they showed up together in only 2 weeks.

Both handles are cocobolo but there is a massive difference in the wood color & the grain between the handles.

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The jig saw blade handle will be nice to use as it will receive any T-shank blade. In the past, I've always used this Milwaukee handle that mounts a Sawzall blade but it can get clumsy when cutting small items.

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[WillAdams]

Nice! Almost also got the jigsaw blade handle, and that will probably be my next order --- we'll see.

Yes, the variation of woods is amazing (and potentially infuriating)

How is the mallet working out?

 

[rst]

Just received the new UJK non-slip dogs and the chamfering tool.

 

[ChuckM]

Lowe's (Rona) sells the scraper carbide blade at clearance price for $1.58 Cdn a piece. I picked up three, and they should last until I quit woodworking

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