twelve painting stretchers.
Nov. 9th, 2010 11:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
duccioHere is what I made yesterday for my painter friend Dennis up in Shasta. He'll come pick them up in a few weeks. We go back a long time. The smaller ones are 24x36, the larger ones, 30x40.
It looks like I will have to get a new chop saw. The safety guard that closes on the blade underneath, somehow got totally screwed up and I had to disconnect it. Then a small black screw fell out from somewhere. It seems to work fine as far as cutting, but after using it, about a half hour later it suddenly turned on by itself (once) and I had to hit it with a stick to make it turn off again. Now I unplug it after every use. I guess I will run it through a power strip along with the light I put above it, so I can turn it off there with the switch after use. The light off will make sure the saw is disconnected after I am through for the day.
I don't want to buy another chop saw. If I did, it would probably be an affordable Chinese one from Harbor Freight, which might be as equally dangerous to use as the big heavy Delta one I have now with the screws falling out - or that is what one is made to fear all the time. I'd like to buy something American made, but... I got a Chinese pneumatic nail gun there about 5 years ago that continues to run perfectly - it only cost about $25. Before that one, I had a yellow DeWalt, and before that, a Porter-Cable; both renowned brands. They both broke down after about 3 years or less. Each cost over $135. I had wondered about buying the cheapie no-name Chinese one, but began thinking that maybe I could buy 6 of them for the same amount as the DeWalt had cost, and if each lasted more than 6 months, I'd come out ahead. So, I decided to buy one and try it out.
It's funky and basic, easy to clear, nothing fancy. It leaks a lot of air, but so did the others after they were a few months old. That's no big deal, except that the compressor turns on more frequently, disrupting my music listening at closer discordant intervals. It's dark blue, like in Chinese ceramics. I give it a few drops of 3 in 1 oil, just like I did with the others before each session. The Chinese nail gun has outlasted the DeW and the P-C both together, and for 1/12 the cost. Gee, what should I do about the chop saw?
It looks like I will have to get a new chop saw. The safety guard that closes on the blade underneath, somehow got totally screwed up and I had to disconnect it. Then a small black screw fell out from somewhere. It seems to work fine as far as cutting, but after using it, about a half hour later it suddenly turned on by itself (once) and I had to hit it with a stick to make it turn off again. Now I unplug it after every use. I guess I will run it through a power strip along with the light I put above it, so I can turn it off there with the switch after use. The light off will make sure the saw is disconnected after I am through for the day.
I don't want to buy another chop saw. If I did, it would probably be an affordable Chinese one from Harbor Freight, which might be as equally dangerous to use as the big heavy Delta one I have now with the screws falling out - or that is what one is made to fear all the time. I'd like to buy something American made, but... I got a Chinese pneumatic nail gun there about 5 years ago that continues to run perfectly - it only cost about $25. Before that one, I had a yellow DeWalt, and before that, a Porter-Cable; both renowned brands. They both broke down after about 3 years or less. Each cost over $135. I had wondered about buying the cheapie no-name Chinese one, but began thinking that maybe I could buy 6 of them for the same amount as the DeWalt had cost, and if each lasted more than 6 months, I'd come out ahead. So, I decided to buy one and try it out.
It's funky and basic, easy to clear, nothing fancy. It leaks a lot of air, but so did the others after they were a few months old. That's no big deal, except that the compressor turns on more frequently, disrupting my music listening at closer discordant intervals. It's dark blue, like in Chinese ceramics. I give it a few drops of 3 in 1 oil, just like I did with the others before each session. The Chinese nail gun has outlasted the DeW and the P-C both together, and for 1/12 the cost. Gee, what should I do about the chop saw?