J__ Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 anyone knw what tool is used to stamp and punch those round structural strengthening holes in sheet metal? i'm sure a press can do it but i heard theres something small that can do it as well like the size of a baseball? plz help. ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 Here are some with about the standard price...these things last forever too so the price is not bad. http://www.vansantent.com/sheet_metal_machines/punch_flare_tools.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjhines Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 Mittler Bros Machine co.... has the same things... you can get them in several flavors and sizes.... beading, flaring, punch-and-flare in one... I think the 1" hole size is the most useful.... The prices on some of these things are STUPID!!!!!! here is a $120 hammer.... http://vansantent.com/sheet_metal_machines/Cook_Body_hammers.htm .... this kind of thing really pisses me off.... it is a god damn hammer for god's sake.... WTF!!!!! I am all about some Chineese tools from Harbor Freight... I notice that this distributor is carrying Mittler Bros bead forming tools even higher prices than the stupid rediculous MB catalog... Several of the jackass catalogs have simple manual bench tools going for hundreds of dollars... How about a $450 bench mount throatless shear... I can get the same damn thing from Harbor Freight/China for $29.99... with extra blades for $10... sure ti may be a little lower quality... but not that much worse.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecoastz Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 I too use Harbor tools at times but I try to stay away from their electrical tools. I Bought a biscuit joiner a while back to build some cabinets for the little woman and nearly killed my white lab with it. I plugged it in an squeezed the trigger just to check the motor out and the blade came flying out missed poor Dalton and stuck into the wall! It was like a badass ninja weapon on steroids! Took it back they gave me another I checked it at the store and aimed it at the ceiling same thing happened, it stuck in their ceiling tiles. I said I'll just take my money back please after that. They spot weld the blades on to the arbor instead of bolting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjhines Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 No doubt.. the more complex the tool is.. the more likely it is to completely fail to work.. or worse... But a simple shear... or bending brake... I spent $50 and got BOTH!!!... The 2 simple tools from MB machine or Vansantent, or even Eastwood would cost $500.... Screw them.. it is like they don't care that we value our dollar... I find it insulting.... Eastwood resells MB machine as well..... at stupid mark up.... WTF! I have gotten great value from chinese tools.... you just need to inspect what you are buying.. and compare it's pricing with other retailers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 HF is a great place toget stuff that won't break. A hammer for example. $5 and you have a good hammer that will last 3-5 years. $120 and you have a hammer that will last forever but for $30 you can have enough HF hammers to last you well after you die...I would not buy anything over $100 at HF just because it WILL break and you will be sorry. Tools that aren't an investment (a hammer) should be cheap. A tool that is an investment ( a welder) should be expensive... $600 and up but not $350 for a welder that will last a year or two... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 I'm probably biased because I'm selling a HF gift card worth $160 on ebay right now, but I have had better luck with HF stuff. some of the HF tools I own: drill press 4 engine stands (including the 3 I used to make my rotisserie) 3 4.5" grinders probably 10 various air die grinders, angles - never seen one of these go bad sheet metal shears parts washer metal cutting band saw -- this one has proven itself invaluable cut off saw cherry picker and load leveler 12 ton press big ol tool box - suprisingly not bad ratcheting wrenches all sorts of sockets and miscellaneous stuff hammers prybars chisels auto body hammers punches welding helmet welding gloves regular mechanix gloves tubing notcher cobalt drill bits electric drill air drill + a lot more I can't recall off of the top of my head. There were some things that were complete crap. Their rotary tool SUCKS. I attempted to use it for about 30 seconds before throwing it in the trash and driving to Lowes to get a real Dremel. The press arbor bent on me when I was trying to push out a spindle pin, but I probably needed a 50 ton press for that. The drill press had the handle attached to the spindle by means of a roll pin. When I tried to press the chuck on I sheared off the roll pin so I just welded the handle on. The tubing notcher needed a little shimming to cut right in the center of the tubes. It was off by 1/32" or so. I tried some of their cheaper HSS drill bits and they were horrible, but the cobalt bits are REALLY GOOD. I had owned some Matco cobalt bits before that were excellent, but I was skeptical of the HF stuff after the crappy HSS experience. Their cobalt bits exceeded all of my expectations. Other than that the tools have done fine by me. If I were wrenching for a living I'd probably have more Matco and Snap-On stuff, but I wouldn't have been able to afford 1/5th of the tools that I have from the Snap-On dealer so it's a trade off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paz8 Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 I have a Hobo Freight flanger / punch , problem is the punch only works about a 1/4 inch in from the edge of a peice of sheet metal. The flanger works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 I have and had some HF tools and generally they last a year or two. The most recent HF throw away was a 14" chop saw that lasted 11 months. In that time it would lose power as it got hotter and making mutilple cuts on 3" square tubing got to the point that the machine was just generating heat and noise. I threw it away and spent $175 on a nice Milwaulkee 14" chop saw. No problems cutting anything. It all depends on what you're willing to put up with to save money on tools. As I spend more and more time making a living fabricating things I find I have much less patience for tools that ask for lots of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2126 Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Greenlee hole punches have been around a long time and are of good quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumnhammer Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 I agree on the harbor freight tool comment, I have quite a few HF tools, but I limit it to very simple things like hammers , benders, presses and the like. Steer clear of anything with electricity involved from HF, I bought a heat gun from there and got it home turned it on and flames shot out the end with electrical sparks, It proceded to burn up in my hands. I took it back and they replaced it, but I was sure to test it in the store before I took the replacement one home. HF is also great for buying stuff you throw away after use anyway like cheap acid brushes and latex gloves. I also don't buy ratchets or wrenches, there I value my knuckles too much to trust HF stuff for that. Chris Rummel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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