I have always bought more spendy quality tools in a planned purchase. As the old saying goes "You get what you pay for" is true of course.
There were times though when my job was so far away and I would realize I did not have the tool I needed for the job and would go buy a cheap one just to get me through the day.
I still have some of those cheap tools, Ryobi being one of them. The whole key is always keeping a sharp blade on your tool and letting the blade do the work and not the tool. If one makes this a faithful practice, sometimes even the cheap tools don't wear out.
TF
Track fiddlerPlenty of room and drivers could be put in box cars with the battery in the same car powering the train.
Unacceptable for anyone that does any sort of realistic operating. And/Or runs trains with no boxcars (logging roads, coal drags, etc.)
That approach only works if the boxcar is permanently mated to the engine which is a complete non-starter for me and many others.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
This is a little off topic, but since we're talking about tools ...
Years ago I was putting porcelain tile in a room. I rented a tile wet saw from the tool rental place for $50 per day. Naturally, it took me several days.
Later, when I was ready to tile our basement, I was looking at a fortune for the rental.
At Menards, I bought a little plastic tile wet saw with a 4½" blade, for $55.00. I figured if I got two days out of it, I was way ahead.
Fast forward 15 years. I tiled the entire basement using that saw. I cut several hundred concrete 2" thick bricks for a patio and walkway. I've cut several other materials with it. I've replaced the blade several times, but the cheap little saw continues to work just as well as the large rental saw. I have no idea how many hundreds of dollars I've saved.
York1 John
We are talking about today's technology.
With the way things are changing, I have no doubt we will have breakthroughs in battery size, power, and length of service.
That's cool John.
My 10" MK Diamond slide tub saw that disappeared with everything else I owned was not replaced.
I miss that saw but I've been getting by with a 7 inch Ridgid table wet saw. I put a $50 blade on it and seems to be doing okay with the few tile jobs that I get now.
Seems your saw has done all right for you as long as you keep a newer blade on it like you've been doing
And I think you are exactly right that something will come about this ever so advancing battery technology these days
I hate to talk about how well something has worked, because now when I use it next time, it will quit. I also know that if I buy another one exactly like it, it will quit after two minutes.
I know what you're saying but you'll be okay!
Just find someplace in your house and knock on wood John! Knock on wood!
It's not too late
I don't know what that tradition is that you knock on wood when you feel something is going to jinks you but it seems to work
Hey!
This is serious stuff John!
I just wanted to make sure you didn't Jinks yourself so your tool works fine the next time you go to use it
Track Fiddler
Track fiddlerI just wanted to make sure you didn't Jinks yourself so your tool works fine the next time you go to use it
I won't know for a long time!
I'm basically finished with my house unless my wife decides to knock a wall out (which she's done before).
In the spring, I may need to use the saw to cut some more concrete bricks if I decide to lay another walkway. Otherwise, that saw will be in my shed when my daughters have to clean the place out after my funeral.
Ahhh!
The beginning your post made me laugh but the ending of your post made me really sad
Keep your chin up John I've always seen you as a very good man!
And I know that you are
Track fiddlerThe beginning your post made me laugh but the ending of your post made me really sad
Since we talked about tools, a mistake I made was in showing my wife my DeWalt reciprocating saw.
About 15 years ago, I came home from work to find that my wife decided our house needed to be more 'open concept'. She had cut out four walls, including this one behind the kitchen stove. Thankfully she had not cut any wires or pipes.
What she started in one day took me three months of work to finish. I had to reroute several circuits of wiring, a cold air return, etc.
Perfect!
And how did you feel after you got that all done John?
I think she had the right idea and I liked her Ideas immediately and you must have too!
You are one of the lucky ones blessed with a really good wife John
I like the before picture! Do you happen to have the after? ... After all your hard beautiful work you did after that?
Track fiddlerI think she had the right idea and I liked her Ideas immediately and you must have too!
She had the right idea, but I didn't like it right away. All I could see was all the work I had to do.
My wife has lots of wants too, she never relizes how much work is involved. Also there are things that go wrong in any job and having been in the trades and been a landlord, I can tell lots of stories of things going wrong with no clue that that could happen. Once was cutting plaster out of a corner, not even into the studs, someone had run a wire in the corner and just plastered over it, a full 110 volt wire, the sparks flew.
rrebellI can tell lots of stories of things going wrong with no clue that that could happen.
Overmod was impressed with this marvel of technology and told the construction superintendant So when I saw him the next morning ... he turned white. Seems the client had asked to have a little ornamental column indicated by the plan at the corner of the breakfast room removed... the problem was that it wasn't ornamental.
That was another of my mistakes. I had earlier explained to her that this part of the house had trusses spanning the entire area. She then took the next step. Not a bearing wall, wall not needed ... I'll just cut it out.
York1She then took the next step. Not a bearing wall, wall not needed ... I'll just cut it out.
I think I mentioned in other places the biggest frustration in my house remodel is that there are exaclty two load bearing posts in the entire structure, and they are both in the only wall we really wanted to move.
Of course that is where they were.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190I think I mentioned in other places the biggest frustration in my house remodel is that there are exaclty two load bearing posts in the entire structure, and they are both in the only wall we really wanted to move. Of course that is where they were.
I know it's been joked about before on this forum, but in my case it's really true.
HGTV and DIY are two very dangerous cable TV channels. They give my wife the idea that each project can be completed in a half-hour.
When I point out some of the pitfalls for one of her projects, she says we'll just hire someone and they'll have it finished tomorrow.
Back to the OP. Call it on board power. Don't overlook it, IMO.
Lets agree to eliminate the modeler that has too many or not enough locomotives that pick a number say 10. Maybe at that number to convert it does become expensive.
Let's look at the modeler with less then 10 locomotives or even 1, you remember, the new modeler. Those are the modelers that may like and enjoy POB, (power on board). They may also be the youngster this hobby is always crying for. But most of you wouldn't even suggest that to a new modeler. Why because it's not for you, so it can't be for anyone else. You folks are repeating the DC vs DCC debates, just now over battery power.
Why use a permenant box car? Just attach another locomotive to store the batteries and a second speaker so both units have sound, yes it would be a dummy. That's not out of the box thinking, that's running a RR that needs power. We have the technology, where have we heard that from. Dead Rail installs and others sell SAFE batteries and chargers for less then $100 USD. You only need the 1 charger. RailPro another proprietary system you folks don't like, can easily control the locomotive through the air and not via the rails. So can AirstoCraft and CVP-airwire for HO systems and larger.
Get out from just looking at this forum for your information. Trying staying on track with the thread an OP starts. Check into the DeadRail forums on, omg, Facebook. Look ahead not back.
I know people with many locomotives wont even think of switching. But don't kill an idea because it's not for you. Look forward and offer encouragement.
TomO
The batteries really are small enough now for two hours of actual running (just happens to be the average runtime people seem to need). This is done with newer batteries and better motors. I have a Bull Ant I bought for this purpose.
I run DC at home (3 cab, Aristocraft) and DCC at the club.
At the club and at home, an Opssession lasts 2 hrs, usually a bit less. So I agree that very few locos per operator are need for us. Bigger, longer operating sessions require more locos, and converting would be expensive. But as pointed out, starting POB at home would be comparable to starting DCC from home, if both were starting from scratch.
The problem I see with both POB and DCC, at home. is the level of knowledge to get started.