Tools Ain't What they used to Be

[David Root]

I have a cheap hacksaw that won't hold the blade very long, just pops out all the time so I went out and spent $15 on a new one. Little one, uses the 6" long 1/4" wide blade, nice solid cast frame. Made in C***a.

So I'm cutting down a bolt in my drill press to get the right length; I chuck the end of the bolt upside down and proceed to whang away at the bolt with the drill running.

Nothing is happening!!!

So I examine the blade on this otherwise nice saw. The bolt is unmarked and has worn the teeth completely off the blade!! Unbelievable!

Fortunately I found a package of old blades, in my back room storage, must be 30 years old if they're a day. Price sticker is $0.98 for 12 blades! Night & day difference, it cut the bolt like a knife thru butter.

Looking at the package, I see "Eclipse Blades. Made in Sheffield, England".

'Nuff said;end of rant.

[MCK]

Sheffield is to steel what Blackburn is to tubes... Hang on to those NOS saw blades. They are priceless compared to the POS you get at the stores these days...

[David Root]

If I recall my history correctly, Sheffield was the British Empire's biggest and best steelmaking town for over a century. All my mother's best cutlery came from Sheffield.

[Aurora]

About 10 years ago, or so, a 'dollar store' ( is tha the correct term?) opened in my neighbourhood. This was just befre X-mas and wifey had discovered some new X-mas ornaments we "had to have"....
on my way out, there was some packages of hack saw blades, regular size, for cheap, on a shelf close to the cashier......
I bought two packs..... might come in handy...... some six months later I was relocating some waterand sewer lines, and had to cut some 4" ( 110mm over here) PVC sewer conduit..... it took 3 'new' blades.........
Morale- : cheap is _________ , - most of times..
( fill in the missing word...)

[Cantplay]

When you cut something spinning either in lathe or drill press try to keep the blade moving. If you let it sit and press you can overheat the teeth easily.

I like the high tension hacksaw frames. A little more money but they're really worth it.

For blades I like Starrett, and Lennox cobalt(HSS)

John

[David Root]

i always move the blade back and forth as the piece spins. The blade that came with the saw was just a POS.

Thanx for the tips on blades. Starrett I know about, practically unobtainium in Canada. Lennox we have, dunno about cobalt. I think these NOS Eclipse blades I dug up will last me a good while!

[cbass]

No doubt old steel is better.I'm always on the look out for old chisels and planes.Used to be able to find them for nothin.Now I am competing with jackass collectors.
I haven't found Sheffield steel to be any better than the some of the old American steel.I haven't found Mullards 9-pins to be any better than some of the old American Tubes.

Circular saw blades and router bits ,Cordless tools and some portable power tools are all drasticaly better than they used to be.More due to better design and technology than steel.

Porter cable used to be top of the line stuff.Now its homeowner grade crap.I "ve got a PC 4x24 Beltsander that has be atleast 30 years old and used daily still hogs wood down.
I' ve got an old PC 330 palm sander.That makes any newer sander seem like a joke.

I like Makita routers and cordless tools.

Milwaukee for things like sawzalls and Drills

I like the Bosch jigsaw but not much else by them.Their Portable tablesaw is
ok.Better than the others.I still prefer to hoss around a old contractors saw.

Senco for nailer and staplers.

Its hard to beat the the old worm drive Skillsaws for heavy cutting and framing

Of course with every brand you have to buy the high end model to get the good stuff.
I don't even look at the super high end stuff like festool or whatever.I can't pay $600 for a router.

[Cantplay]

A customer came in and needed something cut down.

It was made of square tubing, and I cut it while he waited.

After seeing how the cut came out his friend asked to see the saw so I brought it out. They remarked "That's one of those saws that always cuts straight"

Yeah, its all the saw.

John

[David Root]

cbass is right, it's not just Sheffield steel. There were great steel makers in the US and other parts of Europe besides England, notably Germany & Sweden.

Tubes are more of a personal thing. In the '40s and '50s they were all built to a spec. rather than a price. Then around the mid to late '60s things started into the toilette with the accountants in charge.

Not to mention pre- and post-CBS Fender!

But there was cheap stuff back in the day too, even then you had to "buy the higher end stuff" to get the best. However it seems to me that cheaper stuff then wasn't as universally crappy as it is now, like my NOS Eclipse blades.

[Structo]

Yes, now that 90% of all goods are manufactured in China, most being inferior in quality, nothing seems that reliable.