Buying Tools

[l00p]

I have some projects coming up which include laying down laminate flooring in much of the house, tiling the kitchen floor, tiling the shower/bathtub walls and a few other things.

I am thinking of buying a table saw to make the cuts I will need to make, esp. on the laminate floors and some shelving in my back/extra bedroom. For the tile I wil prob. get a wetsaw.

I see tools for sale on Craigslist all the time and wonder what peoples success is buying tools there. Are many of them stolen? Abused or really old and on their last leg? How do I tell?

I think I don't need a hardcore table saw since I would only be using it for home repair type things as they come up. Should I just buy new, waiting for a sale at Sears or Home Despot/Lowe's? Or save a couple bucks and take a risk on C'list?

Advice?

 

[_e.]

Loop, you don't need a table saw for what you describe; A good quality jigsaw(I like Bosch) will do laminate flooring nicely. Just use the right blade, say a 12 tpi carbide bit, and you are money. Undercutting your door jambs is well worth the $30/day rental fee you get from home depot or the likes, the alternative being manually sawing with a reverse back-saw that you will pay $20 at least to own.
Finally, mixing the thinset, or mortar, or whatever thick stuff it is, get a good paddle and high torque mixer, like the dewalt dw-130. Stand on the bucket; you will thank me for this later.
You may be well off renting a good wet-saw as well, providing you have all your cuts in order.

One more thing, pawn shops are your friend, if you know how to decifer their codes.

 

[Math Mudrat]

Harbor Freight has the cheapest tools around. They are also about the crappiest tools around (all made in China). When I need a tool that I'll only use occassionally that's where I look. It's like the Walmart of tools.
The Link

They even have a store in Austin.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

Harbor Freight even has TWO stores in Austin... Ben White @ South Lamar & Parmer @ MoPac.

I am on their Email list for about 2 or 3 coupon packs a week & you need to be careful what you get there. I buy stuff like hammers, wire connector kits, pliers, air compressor hose components & (occasionally) sockets, but for power tools... well, you're taking your money into your own hands.

We did some chimney reglet work on CleverNickName's house when we did the roof & it took about 3 minutes for my guy to kill the Harbor Freight grinder I bought.

OTOH, I am probably going to buy the 120v jackhammer they sell & get the extended warranty. Even with the Ex.Warr., it's still about 60% less expensive than any other one I can find in a similar size.

I think CL is a good idea provided you can make a quick test fire when you go to check it out... bring a small bit of wood or tile or metal or some nails, etc. to try out the item you want to buy. Even if it goes 'fail' on you, there are a few repair & service centers here in town (DeWalt's is on Metric, I think). I think if you had to, a repair + used price (if right) will serve you well.

 

[Sip94]

I bought a 75 dollar wet tile saw from Home Depot that cut as well on the last cut as it did on the first. Worked flawlessly. I'd recommend it highly. Not worth buying used or renting IMO.
CL is pretty good for tools as long as you have a sense of what something is worth. Watch out. Lot of guys selling worn out late model tools for 10 dollars less than they bought them for. Sometimes older Craftmans tools are a good value because they were well built in the past and are pretty cheap. For home use I still like Craftsman. It gets the job done but doesn't carry the premium pricetag that usually accompanies Dewalt, PorterCable etc. Nice thing is that if you shop carefully you can buy the tools, use them then sell them for what you paid.
Avoid Harbour Freight. I've bought some of their handtools and for VERY light duty they can be passable, but you put any serious muscle into them and they will fail. A 20 years old Black and Decker or Craftsman electric tool will run circles around Harbour Freight junk guaranteed.

 

[l00p]

Thanks guys, good advice. I had never heard of this Harbor Freight place and I think I am glad I have not. Okay, stay away from there.

I highly doubt I will have my **** together enough to have my cuts in order that a rental of a wet saw would be worth it for one day. I like to think I will but I know better.

Now that I think of it the saw rec. for the laminate is pure goodness. I don't have big cuts and can always use a diff. blade for plywood or wood for shelves.

Again, ty folks and if you have a good saw or wetsaw you don't want any longer...

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

You're missing the backstory on Harbor Freight.

Non powered tools are, for the most part, OK from there. They also sell gloves, screwdrivers (basic as well as specialty), pliers, electrical wiring gear... don't knock it completely until you take a look.

For "some things" they are the perfect resource.

 

[brntorng]

Agree on Harbor Freight. For many items they have bargain prices, especially when on sale which is frequent, and the quality is just fine. On other items you have to be careful because they don't always hold up. However, you can also return anything within 30 days if it craps out and longer if you get the extended warranty. When using good judgment, they're easily the best value tool place around. But they're not my only source when I know I need top quality, especially for precision power tools.

 

[ERhine]

I would never buy an actual power tool from Harbor Freight.