In fact speaking of decks, I am in-process tearing down and old small deck on our house and adding a larger similar deck so I thought I would get some new and/or additional tools to make the job more fun plus for the money I will save building it myself they are free (basically).

I just got this cordless combo set all Ridgid Professional 18 Volt stuff including ½” chuck hammer drill, 6.5” circular saw & reciprocating saw for $450.00 I guess I may get a $50.00 rebate if I bother to send it in. The set comes with a charger of course and three quick charge batteries.

I also replaced my 10” miter saw with a 12” Ridgid Compound Miter saw which I found for $270.00 which is a good price.

I used to buy DeWalt which are still good medium-high end stuff but I like Ridgid better these days. Both are similar quality. Not as good as Milwaukee or Porter Cable but better than Makita, Skill, Ryobi, Black and Decker, etc. Black and Decker make DeWalt BTW.

Next I want a Miter Saw Utility Vehicle (MSUV) from Ridgid to make moving the 12” Miter Saw around easier:

And sooner or later I want to replace my really old table saw with a Ridgid:

[ 08-23-2004: Message edited by: Cacophonous ]

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What I really want is a nice drill press, I do enough metal drilling that I would actually use it and the HSS and Cobalt-Steel bits I have.

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“I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”

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This came in the mail just the other day:

I plan on using it this week. Maybe to hang pictures or resole my boots...

I

like

tools

We have Rigid at work. They make good quality schtuff

Oh and AW, if you want fun? Try a Hilti powder-actuated fastener Gun powder+nails=fun Real life Quake hehe

Willy - You and me both! I actually did some light design and heavy layout/detailing for a turbo charger company for a few years. Some top secret patent drawing and R&D work too. I loved the precision needed to balance the impeller shaft, etc.

Tea Bagger - Nice PC nailer . What are you doing with it? I ask that because your house looks totally finished.

Cy - I think Snag answered but just in case. Yes. All the hand tools in the photo are 18 volt cordless.

Snag - I thought for sure you would have said I should have stuck with DeWalt or something like that. =)

[ 08-24-2004: Message edited by: Cacophonous ]

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I can't imagine an 18 volt "cordless circular saw" being able to last for more than a few cuts.

For cutting the thick plastic of my rain barrels I only use one tool.

A Black & Decker Hammer-drill, there is no way a cordless could handle the job. The good thing about B&D is that when a drill wears out (6 months of solid use) they send me a brand new replacement, no questions asked. (A life long supply of hammer drills...weee)

Cac~ Have you considered laying some nice patio stone and erecting a pergola? Grow some grapes as a canopy, hang some wind chimes and a lantern. Buy a little one of these and have a party.

Try a Tesla Turbine. Instead of the modern design, Tesla came up with a "turbine" engine that used viscosity instead of turbulence to drive a motor. His 300 HP engine is the size of a derby bowler, and weighs less than 80 pounds. Here is one of many links on the subject.
http://www.greaterthings.com/News/FreeEnergy/Directory/Devices/TeslaTurbine/

And if you have never heard of Nikola Tesla, you have a VERY interesting read awaiting you. He is without a doubt the most important inventor since.. well, since Leonardo DaVinci.

He invented Radio. Radar. AC Power. Single, Dual and Three Phase systems to run that power. Flourescent lighting. X-Rays. The "And" gate, the basis for computers. The Tesla Coil. The Flyback Generator. He demonstrated an RC submarine and top water ship in 1895. (There was NO radio for RC to work at the time....) His life is incredibly fascinating.

He personally has more to do with the shape of the modern world than any single human in the course of history.

Let me know what you think.

O

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Snag. . . where can I order one of those. I have no pratical purposes, but my neighbour's kid plays his car stereo at high volume at 1 in the morning. I figure a few nails shot through his trunk lid into his subs should put a stop to that.

Cy, I dont' think you're giving cordless enough credit. I've seen 18volt dewalt cordless drills that chew through metal like a springer guest at a buffet.

[ 08-24-2004: Message edited by: AcidWarp ]

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“I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”

Cac, I should mention that I don't do that much metal work. It's more drilling vent holes in case panels and stuff. It's EXTREMELY difficult to get a circular hole with a split-twist HSS or Cobalt bit and a hand drill, without snapping the bit. They tend to come out tri-cornered. Hence why I would like a drill press Better yet a milling machine, but those are kinda expensive. Even a non-cnc one would run $2k plus.

[ 08-25-2004: Message edited by: AcidWarp ]

[ 08-25-2004: Message edited by: AcidWarp ]

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“I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”

oh, and did you know that a lot of the power suppliers ahve switched over to tesla turbines in the past 20 or so years? I don't remember any exact numbers, but using them in water and steam based systems increased the efficiency significantly over impellar systems.

I'll probably build a tesla coil sometime in this next year, since I am finally making enough money to afford more leisure expenditures than a bimonthly drinking binge.

[ 08-25-2004: Message edited by: WillyTrombone ]

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Why are you cutting plastic barrels with a drill?

Why not a recip saw?

A drill is for holes.

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quote:

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A drill is for holes.

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That's what SHE said.

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I have a mix of Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Hitachi, Hilti, Delta and porter cable.

I used to buy the most expensive tools I could find but lately I've been buying Hitachi because they are ultra high quality, durable and less expensive. When your workers beat the hell out of your tools it's better to give them a nice solid ford f150 than a Pretty little Hummer H2. Both will probably get the job done but you wont cry as much when they break the F150.

My absolute favorite tool right now is the rechargable impact gun. It's #1 job is driving screws. Try driving 20 screws with a standard rechargable drill and you will probably strip a few heads. With the impact drill it is almost impossible to strip screw heads. They range in price from $170 to about $270.00 Don't let the small size fool you, these things pack a wallop. Once you use one you will never go back to the old way.

On my wish list is a 18" bandsaw, a metal lathe for making handgun and M16 silencers, A larger table saw (probably Delta), A Miller TIG welder, a plasma torch and a Makita Metal cut off chop saw. I've got just about everything else.

How much have I spent on tools? About $25,000 in the last three years.

Word to the wise. Craftsman, skil and most other really cheap tools are junk! Craftsman hand tools are ok but there power tools suck monkey nuts.

All those brands you listed are good from what I heard. Milwaukee, Hilti & Porter Cable being at the high end. Ridgid, DeWalt, Delta, Hitachi, Makita's products go from medium to medium-high depending on the line. Black and Decker (who make DeWalt) are in the medium-low group.

I agree totally about staying away from the cheap stuff like Ryobi, Skil & Craftsman.

In fact anything Craftsman makes with a motor or engine are complete crap IMO based on my experiences. Their hand tools are good though or used to be.

My Ridgid 12" Compound Miter saw is last years model so it has the life time warranty. Unfortunately the cordless set is this years and only has a 3 year warranty. I guess Ridgid dropped the lifetime warranty for some reason.

AW - Do you use cutting oil when drilling in hard steel? That makes all the difference in the world. I guess I don't know about Cobalt bits are they prone to break or something?

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As for Cobalt Steel bits, think of how well a titanium coated bit cuts (there are no solid titanium allow bits, they're too brittle), but you can sharpen it. Cobalt-Steel is used for cutting other metal mostly, hardened metals especially. Even Titanium alloys.

You can tell I've researched it a bit, eh?

[ 08-25-2004: Message edited by: AcidWarp ]

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“I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”

I wish I had more time to build the things I enjoy like speaker cabinets, furniture, fancy trim work on ceilings, fancy tile work in bathrooms and kitchens but most of my work is fixing leaks in roofs and floors, replacing carpet, installing new toilets, sanding and painting drywall, and building high end composite decks.

Decks are fun but the materials are HEAVY!!!
80lb bags of quickcrete, soaking wet 2 x 12 x 20 pressure treated lumber and 6 x 6 x 16 Pressure treated posts not to mention 20' 5/4" x 6" composite planks....

Argh my friggin back...
Just this morning I hauled, mixed and poured 42 80lb bags of quickcrete....

It's L shaped 12' X 20' for the main rectangle with a one end wrapping around the house extending that side to 16'.

So I will be using mainly 10', 12' & 16' lumber. No composite materials since we plan on selling this place in a few years. Either way I will build the deck with the quality I would want if I was going to stay here for 25 years...

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I usually remove the siding where the ledgerboard will be, put tyvek material on the wall. Install the ledger with ledgerlock screws www.fastenmaster.com and behind the remain siding and on top of the new ledgerboard I place my own custom bent "Z" bend tripple dipped galvanized flashing. I usually rent an alumium break for a half day $30.00 and make 4 or 5 hundred feet of it at a time. You can get the Galvanized flashing at lowes or homo depot 5" wide is all you need.

I see more decks than I care to that have no flashing at all and it usually leads to rot.

What type of post and beam system are you using? I've tried them all and really like using 4" x 6" posts and notching the top so a doubled 2" x 10" beam will rest in the notch. Then two 1/2" x 7" bolts will hold it so it will never ever come apart. For footers I go a little overboard. Code here is 24" down. If it's soft soil I dig by hand, If it's clay I rent an auger with a 12" bit. After the hole is inspected (yes our holes have to be inspected in Delaware) I drop in a 24" deep x 12" wide Quickcrete tube or Sonotube and fill it with concrete. Before the concrete sets I insert an 8" "J" bolt with only 3/4 " of the threads sticking out of the concrete. After the crete sets up (The next day) I stick a tripple dipped galvanized simpon strong tie (Green box for ACQ compliance) 4 x 6 post base onto the "J" bolt and tighten it down. All this work keeps the wood off the ground and almost guarantees that you will never have any problems with rot.

I've got deck software that I use to plan most of my decks but if you want some web based options that work great try out www.timbertech.com and use their free deck designer.

Are you going to use screws or nails? I highly recommend the latter.

I don't know how I ever lived without them.

I use 4 at a time on 20" planks. Saves tons of time.

If you are using pressure treated planking you will also need one of these http://store.yahoo.com/deckmas/debo.html

j/k

Anyway

2x

Thanks for the input.

I removed the old ledger boards (two sides of house), they were not flashed out. The house has brick/stucco with cedar trim, Bavarian Tudor style.

I will replace the old ledgers with pressure treated lumber. I will Z flash it out probably with pre-formed stuff.

My footings and post mounts will be exactly as you describe with the 4 X 6 sitting up an inch or so in the mount bolted down to a J bolt imbedded into the cast cement via a form tube. Here I think they have to be deeper than 24” I need to check that out soon. Probably only use 8” diameter tubes for this deck size/load.

Best way flat out. The post sits up off the cement which is a few inches above the grade itself. Plus you could replace the post easily if needed.

I usually put the beam (doubled up 2 X 8) right on top the post with a metal hanger. Your notch is solid as hell I bet.

Thanks for the spacer tool link. I have seen that tool for bending warped decking before. I am hand picking this load myself and if needed you can use a pry bar to bend them.

I will use stainless bolts/screws in appropriate structural part of the deck but nails for the decking. It's a bitch to remove a screwed down deck board that sat for 25 years. Probably a little adhesive on joists since it's my deck.

I may use 2 X 6 decking.

With wood what do you use? 2 X 4, 2 X6 or 5/4 X 6?

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nm, I re-read yours cac. I was going to suggest a fiberglass surface, but you obviously aren't using plywood decking.

[ 08-26-2004: Message edited by: AcidWarp ]

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“I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”

quote:

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Originally posted by Cacophonous:
Cy - Actually that line of Ridgid cordless tools are just as powerful as cordless versions of the same tool.

Why are you cutting plastic barrels with a drill?

Why not a recip saw?

A drill is for holes.

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I cut 4" holes in the tops of the barrels for adapters with a hole cutter.

Here is a todays lesson:

For a really nice wood deck you can't beat epay. It has a 40 year warranty without ever treating it. I did one a year ago and fell in love with it. I plan on using it on the next deck I do for myself. I can get it at about $1.60 per linear foot = same price as most of the composites and it's 100% nicer to look at. of the composites I've used I still think Timbertech is the best stuff on the market.

quote:

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Originally posted by Cyborg6:
http://www.ne-design.net/images/rain-maker.WMV

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"goggles. saftey goggles."

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