Who's got oddball tools?

knuckledust3r

knuckledust3r

Royal Corn
Reaction score
24,699
Points
163
20260502_145449.jpg
^^those are 3/8" drive sockets. Left to right are 8mm deep well, 6mm deep well, and a 3/16" security hex bit.

20260502_145518.jpg
These are 1/4" drive sockets. The shorty is a 15/32 and the deep well is a 7/32

20260502_151052.jpg
Don't know if these are true "oddball" tools but they came from the same sources as the sockets above: 19mm wrench and 15/16" wrench

20260502_151126.jpg
And this lil guy - 3/8" drive 1 1/16" rounded corner deep well socket. Specialty tool made for the oil pressure sensor switch on 1998-2004 Chrysler LX platform cars; had to call 3 different auto parts stores to get one.
 
knuckledust3r

knuckledust3r

Royal Corn
Reaction score
24,699
Points
163
So, in the post above, the Harbor Freight stuff came from an old employer - way back in the day, I got a gig at a machine building company who subsisted entirely on Harbor Freight tools. They'd go out and buy entire socket sets, keep the 3 or 4 sizes they needed, and literally toss the rest. One of my tasks was to clean out the old tool boxes and remove all the stuff we didn't use, so a bunch of the weird sizes ended up in my car on accident (what a klutz, aiming for the dumpster and hitting my car instead). My "loaner" tool set was built up entirely from this collection - a couple Pittsburgh branded ratchets, a set of sockets that match my Craftsman set.

The SK stuff and nicer brands came from my dad, who knew a guy that owned a hardware store that was closing down. My dad offered him something like $20 for an unmarked box full of tools and it was full of SK and Craftsman branded stuff. I got a bunch, he gave a bunch to my uncle, and he kept the rest.

That Gear Wrench thingy...we just found it at work after a truck dropped something off.
 
P

ponchonlefty

Royal Corn
Reaction score
69,230
Points
263
Location
everywhere and nowhere
knuckledust3r said:
So, in the post above, the Harbor Freight stuff came from an old employer - way back in the day, I got a gig at a machine building company who subsisted entirely on Harbor Freight tools. They'd go out and buy entire socket sets, keep the 3 or 4 sizes they needed, and literally toss the rest. One of my tasks was to clean out the old tool boxes and remove all the stuff we didn't use, so a bunch of the weird sizes ended up in my car on accident (what a klutz, aiming for the dumpster and hitting my car instead). My "loaner" tool set was built up entirely from this collection - a couple Pittsburgh branded ratchets, a set of sockets that match my Craftsman set.

The SK stuff and nicer brands came from my dad, who knew a guy that owned a hardware store that was closing down. My dad offered him something like $20 for an unmarked box full of tools and it was full of SK and Craftsman branded stuff. I got a bunch, he gave a bunch to my uncle, and he kept the rest.

That Gear Wrench thingy...we just found it at work after a truck dropped something off.
Click to expand...
the hf tools are pretty good. i have not abused them like the old craftsman
but good. i have used 3ft cheater bars on old 1/2 craftsman before.
i have also twisted the square drive clean off by hand. it was the 1/4 drive.
 
Pilgrim

Pilgrim

Corn Star
Reaction score
9,445
Points
163
I have only twist4ed the drive off a 1/2" breaker bar once - it was a cheapie, but I don't recall what brand.

I agree that when it comes to sockets, end wrenches and similar stuff I've had good service from Harbor Freight tools.

I have sets of both SAE and metric S-K Wayne 3/8" sockets, a ratchet and a coupe of extensions my dad gave me in 1968 when he gave me a 1958 Fiat 1200 Roadster (Transformabile) for a high school graduation present. Over the years I actually wore out that 3/8" ratchet wrench- Found an S-K dealer, handed them the wrench and they gave me a new one. I also have cracked one of the sockets - a 13 MM - and that was replaced with no questions asked.

Has anyone here ever worn out a ratchet wrench? I was surprised.
 
knuckledust3r

knuckledust3r

Royal Corn
Reaction score
24,699
Points
163
Pilgrim said:
Has anyone here ever worn out a ratchet wrench? I was surprised.
Click to expand...
Both of my original ratchets from my Craftsman mechanics tool set have been replaced, the 3/8" drive got replaced at Sear's within a year of when I bought it, and the 1/4" had to be replaced at Lowe's within the past 3-4 years. As a result, the Lowe's one doesn't fit nicely in the toolbox anymore :( Both times I needed to have 'em replaced, the same thing happened: The pawls stopped engaging, so it would spin freely in both directions.

I know some dudes will physically disassemble and rebuild their ratchets, I'm not that fancy.
 
P

ponchonlefty

Royal Corn
Reaction score
69,230
Points
263
Location
everywhere and nowhere
Pilgrim said:
I have only twist4ed the drive off a 1/2" breaker bar once - it was a cheapie, but I don't recall what brand.

I agree that when it comes to sockets, end wrenches and similar stuff I've had good service from Harbor Freight tools.

I have sets of both SAE and metric S-K Wayne 3/8" sockets, a ratchet and a coupe of extensions my dad gave me in 1968 when he gave me a 1958 Fiat 1200 Roadster (Transformabile) for a high school graduation present. Over the years I actually wore out that 3/8" ratchet wrench- Found an S-K dealer, handed them the wrench and they gave me a new one. I also have cracked one of the sockets - a 13 MM - and that was replaced with no questions asked.

Has anyone here ever worn out a ratchet wrench? I was surprised.
Click to expand...
usually takes a few generations. though breaking is another matter.
when its not used as designed.
 
P

ponchonlefty

Royal Corn
Reaction score
69,230
Points
263
Location
everywhere and nowhere
knuckledust3r said:
Both of my original ratchets from my Craftsman mechanics tool set have been replaced, the 3/8" drive got replaced at Sear's within a year of when I bought it, and the 1/4" had to be replaced at Lowe's within the past 3-4 years. As a result, the Lowe's one doesn't fit nicely in the toolbox anymore :( Both times I needed to have 'em replaced, the same thing happened: The pawls stopped engaging, so it would spin freely in both directions.

I know some dudes will physically disassemble and rebuild their ratchets, I'm not that fancy.
Click to expand...
that be me. you can tune them for perfect back drag on some designs.
i've fixed a few. some i cant figure out how to disassemble.
 
knuckledust3r

knuckledust3r

Royal Corn
Reaction score
24,699
Points
163
ponchonlefty said:
define oddball tool. one purpose? i made a slapper
dolly from a bumper. old 50s f100. a spring compressor
from a leaf spring,a metal break from angle iron, a gear driven
engine stand from a winch. all you need is a welder and grinder
make any tool you need most times.
Click to expand...
Sorta you know it when you see it - a tool that you'll only use once or twice in your life, something that's a really odd sizing (3/8" drive implies higher torque, but a 3/16" tamper-proof security bit isn't going to require nearly as much torque applied to it as the drain plug in your car, for instance), something commercially made for a specific task (those quasi-Torx wrenches that come in Ikea furniture), or something handmade and custom for your specific needs (should've gotten a picture yesterday, but my Grandpa found on the side of the road a phillips-head screwdriver that had been filed to a needle point and then bent to look like a dental pick, but it was a foot long)
 
armyadarkness

armyadarkness

Royal Corn
Reaction score
67,131
Points
74
Location
Berlin Germany
knuckledust3r said:
Don't know if these are true "oddball" tools but they came from the same sources as the sockets above: 19mm wrench and 15/16" wrench
Click to expand...
6 Point combination wrenches are definitely odd. All of those things are odd... common, but odd.

I have at least $250,000 worth of tools, and typically, the more they cost, the less they're needed. I have welders, gauges, meters, and power tools that cost $1000 to $6000 ea, and some are 7 years old and still new in the box
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top