Harbor Freight tools for guitar work?

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I've been debating on picking up some Harbor Freight tools for general guitar maintenance.

I don't plan on buying anything like actual drills or routers or anything, but mostly stuff like drill bits, hex keys, pliers, clamps, and all that stuff. Things that don't risk burning out or anything.

Anyone have any experience with their drillbits and such? I've seen complaints with people who work with them with metal and other hard materials, but I'd imagine with wood, there's less of a risk.

 

[monkeybike]

The drill bit sets are pretty lousy, I've broken too many to count, but their clamps are good. I buy their screwdrivers, allen wrench sets, sockets, etc for my business. I've also have their 60gal compressor, large sand blasting cabinet, and spray guns for my motorcycle restoration hobby. In general most stuff isn't bad but I wouldn't recommend for large scale production work.

 

[KnightroExpress]

I've snapped or bent many HF drill bits, they're not very well made. The clamps are really cheap, but they work ok. I just replace them with nicer ones as they break in ones and twos. Pliers, screwdrivers, hex keys, sockets, are decent, well worth the price.

 

[MikeK]

Ive been using the same clamps from HF that I bought around 6 years ago without issue. Doesn't seem to be any difference in the HF clamps and some of the nicer clamps I've bought from Woodcraft really. I usually just stick with basic hand tools when it comes to HF.

 

[Renkenstein]

I'd better chime in here, since my shop looks like I'm endorsed by Harbor Freight.

C clamps and F clamps are good for the money. The F clamps perform exceptionally well, and they're my go-to clamps for value. Spring clamps are good as well. Their pistol grip quick clamps are garbage and WILL break the first time you try to get an appropriate amount of pressure on a glue-up. I've been meaning to try their pipe clamps, but haven't gotten a set yet.

The roundover and straight cut router bits are ok, but don't trust them on endgrain. I use them for straight channel and round over applications only. I opted not to trust an HF router, and went with used Bosch and Craftsman. Their drill presses are ok, but they have a limited throat depth. Their lowest model won't even get you near the bridge to drill string thru holes, but it's great for hogging out cavities before routing, and for headstock drilling and all that...no problem. I have HF's forstner bit set, and it's ok, but a little slow on the cut out of the package.

As mentioned before, the drill bits suck, but for the price it's a good place to start if money is an issue. I've still got their smaller brad point set, but a couple of the smaller diameter bits have broken.

Screw drivers, and other basic tools are good. No need to break the bank on screwdrivers. I also load up on their drivers and tips for my screw gun. My B&D cordless drill broke recently and I replaced it with HF's $20 cordless drill, and I found it works quite well. The random orbit sander is top notch for the price, and I love it. It's got a funky shaped dust collection thing, so adapting it to an external dust collector is a pain, but if you've got dust collection, there's little chance you're looking at a lowly HF sander.

They carry name brand band saw blades(Supercut), at an outstanding price...significantly cheaper than on Amazon. I like those blades a lot.

Hope this helps. HF is a lot like shopping at Aldi. It's great if you know what to buy, but if you buy the wrong thing, you're going to have a baaaad taste in your mouth.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Well ...., the drillbits were the main things I wanted from them. Guess I'll have to keep my eyes on the better stuff, then.

Just curious, what drillbits would you guys recommend?

I'll also keep an eye on their orbital sander. Currently just have a regular sheet pad sander, and I could use an orbital one for finish work.

ANd like I said, I don't plan on building guitars, just maintenance and probably some hardcore modding like pickup routes and such.

 

[KnightroExpress]

If you're gonna be modding finished instruments, get a decent set of bits with brad points. If you try to drill into paint with a standard twist bit, you stand a good chance of making cracks near your drill point.

I personally have these bits, and they work very well.

 

[Purelojik]

NOPE

only clamps the screw kind.


never trust HF with motors or anything of that sort...

 

[Promit]

My philosophy is, buy harbor fright for things you only need very occasionally, and/or light duty tasks.

But drill bits when working on a guitar? Something halfway decent isn't that expensive. For standard twist drill bits, I'd look at one of the Ryobi or Dewalt sets, which are often on sale too. I've used B&D but they have a tendency to get dull and useless quickly - and I barely use tools. Not sure about the more fancy/unusual stuff.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Christ, I'm definitely not smart when it comes to tool, but I find it odd to see a 6-piece Brad point bit set go for the same price as a 21+-piece set.

I gotta say, the Ryobi kit is looking mighty tempting at $20...

 

[Mehnike]

When searching for drill bits, make sure they are at least HSS(high speed steel). Carbon steels and some of the other alloys aren't worth your time. A bit of wikipedia reading will set them all straight.

When drilling precision holes into wood 1/2" and under, brad point bits are usually the best choice. For drilling larger (1/2"+) holes in wood, forstner bits are usually the best choice. With brad point and forstner bits, it is unlikely your bit will ever drift off center, tear out grain, or crack finished surfaces.

In my experience, these lee valley brad point bits produce absolutely great results. You definitely get what you pay for. I even picked up some carbide tipped brad point bits from them. Very high quality and I must mention that Lee Valley's customer service is impeccable.

My 7/8" Colt HSS forstner produces great results drilling for electrosocket jack mounts, even in my hand drill. They are pricey, but once again you get what you pay for.

But the standard Twist drill bits mustn't be forgotten. They have a great quality of centering themselves over existing holes if you ever need to enlarge one.

 

[Purelojik]

Christ, I'm definitely not smart when it comes to tool, but I find it odd to see a 6-piece Brad point bit set go for the same price as a 21+-piece set.

I gotta say, the Ryobi kit is looking mighty tempting at $20...

bro buy nice or buy twice. get premium bits even if its more, you'll be glad you did.

and invest in nice forstener bits from freud or something. for tuning holes i use a 10mm forstner and it completely removes the nightmare of drilling peg head holes.

routerbits choose whiteside or freud.

EDIT: Lee valley like the post suggests above is also really good for a lot of things

 

[benny]

The tool I use the most from harbor freight for regular maintenance is this:

Headlight And Brake Spring Hook

When used correctly, you can attach troublesome tremolo springs the first time every time. It can be dangerous! I use my thumb on the hand holding the tool to push against the butt of the guitar while using my other hand to keep the guitar still.

I have a couple different sized cutters/nippers that I ground down flush for fret work, but they don't cut well and the handles are uncomfortable.

Their cheap/free with coupon multimeter is great if you don't have a better meter
It works well for chasing down wiring issues.