Monday, March 31, 2008

Tools...

To finish this project properly, I'm building up my arsenal of tools. Here's a few brief review comments.

Instead of going through the hassle of drilling and installing tapcon screws to fasten the base 2x4 to the floor, I purchased a single shot handheld concrete nail gun. It was available at Home Depot for just about $20. There are several 22 caliber charge levels depending on the material you are fastening into. I'm using the yellow caps for fastening into poured concrete floors. So far, it works fine considering the price.

Two comments though:
1. The impact element is simply the top of a stud with a hex nut. I hope I never have to remove the nut because it quickly peens over after a few uses.
2. The surround feature is plastic, and the first time I dinked it with the hammer, it split as you can see on the left. It still works fine, so it's a soft failure, but still kindof cheesy. I guess for $20, I shouldn't complain.


To help with creating the stud walls, and also for some future cabinet plans, I purchased a reconditioned Campbell Hausfield air-nailer set online from CPO Outlet tools. It was one of the few that included a framing nailer, so I went for it. All the online reviews complained of the nailers not staying in the carrying case. Same issue here. They are a simple compression fit in their "cavities", and the fit just isn't enough to hold the nailer in place when tipped vertically. I've used the framing nailer thus far with no issues.



And finally, the quality purchase. To properly trim out the space and also to satisfy a manly desire for a bigger than life saw, I ordered a 12" fixed pivot, dual bevel miter saw through work.

They delivered directly to the house by FedEx within a week of placing the order.

So far, I'm extremely pleased with this tool. The up front controls are very nice, and it makes fantastic cuts with almost no effort. The blade brake allows for quick successive cuts, and the clamp features are simple and effective. The outriggers support an 8' 2x4 with no problems. I haven't installed the laser illumination yet, so I'll update when I do that.

1 comment:

bryan said...

Man... those ramsets are the devil. I thought it was a good idea to hit one with a regular hammer and I busted it just like you did. Only when I busted through it, I hit my hand and had a hematoma the size of a golf ball on my hand. My hand entire hand turned purple later in the week. My friend that was in the basement said he heard the thud! I don't know how the heck I didn't break my hand. Now I wear a hockey glove and use a 3 pound sledge hammer when I use it.