@jzmtl: Got it. Thanks for telling me. I’ve been absent from the forums for several months and seeing that when I first logged back in kind of threw me for a loop.

My apologies to all.

@Pro_Construction_Guide Please be careful about making posts that could be deemed as commercial… the content of your post appears to be marketing-speak, and that’s not what these forums are about.

Mods: Have you reviewed this poster already? If not, please consider doing so.

I wish there was a way to subdivide big threads like this without completely breaking it apart… being able to see the individual benches and their respective comments but still being able to keep track of the whole thread as it grows would be nice.

Maybe workbenches should be it’s own category in the forum? Not a perfect solution, but…[Read more]

At present I’m making do (or am I?) with a bench-top handheld drill adapter kit (it’s just as kludgy as it sounds). Mine was made by Vermont American, but it was an import that was labeled for multiple brands (Craftsman had a variant on it a few decades back, among others). I’m attaching a couple pictures of a similar units.

As you might imagine…[Read more]

To revive a dormant thread…

The item circled in red seems to be some sort of deflection meter. I’m more familiar with the smaller handheld units that you’d use to check belt tensioning on motors & etc… if that’s what the one in the picture is, those have got to be some big belts (perhaps conveyors or the large leather belting used in…[Read more]

In case anyone notices this thread today (12/23/2014), Amazon is running a ridiculously good sale on Mr. Beams multipacks (6 for $59.99 with free ground shipping in the USA) though Amazon’s “Woot” subsidiary. These are “limited time, while supplies last deals”.…[Read more]

Those butane Wellers are slick. I’ve only got a corded model (Weller WTCPT) on my bench, but there are plenty of times when I’ve wished I had a cordless one for outdoor/field repairs. With the WTCPT, the temperature varies automatically depending on the rating of the tip that you’re using. I mostly use the 700 degree tips and have done fine with…[Read more]

Guess it’s time to revive an old thread. I hadn’t come back to this one after my last post, but somehow it came up in a search just now.

I’ve traditionally avoided stab-ins, based on the advice of senior electricians. When stab-ins were first introduced (not sure how they’re produced now or if any improvements have been made), the only contact…[Read more]

Glad to see this discussion! We’ve got a gem in @TonyG.

I can’t help but to chime in and reemphasize the proper sizing of electrical work boxes. The NEC (Article 314) is pretty straightforward about this. You can see a summary of NEC, 314.16(A) (Metal Boxes) on this PDF from Cooper (it’s a large file, but the relevant info is on the first page,…[Read more]

Assuming you’re talking about Variable Frequency Drives, I think the issue has to do with how the controller sheds heat internally… without a sufficient load, the power FETs might just be incapable of efficiency and thus they might be dumping more energy in the form of heat with a load that’s too small than they would be when running under full…[Read more]

What really grinds my gears and bevels my britches are the stores opening up on Thanksgiving day instead of waiting ’til midnight. This year there are a lot more of them than last year. We decided that any store that does that to their employees doesn’t deserve our business (minimal though it may be) between now and the end of the year. For the…[Read more]

a swing, and a miss… doh!

Congrats everyone on the great boxes! The new wireless charger system looks like a game changer!

Congrats everyone on the great boxes! The new wireless charger system looks like a game changer!

Sharpen! Doesn’t take long, pays off in spades (heck, sharpen your spade and see how much smoother your digging goes! …or how quickly you discover the need for steel-toed boots!). I’m with @ChadM on the cathartic/therapeutic value of sharpening. It’s very zen-like.

It sounds like there are a lot of Worksharp fans here… I’ve considered one,…[Read more]

Good find, John, thanks!

ain’t seen nuthin’ yet…

TrendNet’s not worth the risk. I’ve been doing CatX terminating for years and I strongly recommend Paladin. You only have to pay for it once. 🙂

I wouldn’t want to have to do a main breaker AFCI… for the same reason everyone has pointed out already… whole house trips won’t do anything with compressors any favors, let alone computers, dvr’s, tv’s, etc…

There are single circuit AFCI breakers available though and I’ve considered retrofitting several circuits in my own house with them…[Read more]

This has been an amazing series of stories. And like someone already pointed out, that this many stories can come out of a comparatively small group is very sobering. For as much as I have been guilty of making cracks about OSHA (not here, but in my day to day life), these stories point out how important it is to have safety standards and…[Read more]