u/Stone804_

I’ve had a Ryobi mitre saw forever (probably 25 years) that I bought for my first home renovation and now I’m on my second, full gut down to the studs and now I’m approaching the “time to do molding etc” where I’ll need to mitre a lot.

Saw a deal on an old Makita that came with an attached rolling platform (Ridgid brand) that’s better than squatting on the floor with my old Ryobi. It also had a sliding rail so I could do bigger cuts and extensions to support long pieces etc. it was like $80-$100 so I figured it was worth it for my knees and back. It’s heavy AF, but once it’s set up I think it will be better.

I’m mostly on XGT and would LOVE to get that 8 1/2” model everyone talks about but for the REALLY expensive tools where I can’t find a deal and generally are stationary anyway, I don’t mind “tails”. Or rather just can’t justify when I know I won’t be using them as much beyond the remodel timeframe.

When I got home I noticed that if I’m just comparing specs the Ryobi is better (With the exception of no sliding rail)?

The Makita is also missing the plastic slit piece that gets cut up while chopping. I’m hoping to figure out which part it is and replace it anyway.

Question is basically is the Ryobi better because it’s a higher RPM? Both 10” saws, Ryobi seems to have all the basic movements. Can’t see in the pics but it tilts sideways too in one direction at least. I’ve never had an issue with an angle I couldn’t figure out how to cut. I’m sure the Makita has some extra angles or easier ones somehow, but in terms of the motor my understanding is faster is better for clean cuts so the Ryobi looks to be superior for clean trim? Are the specs a lie and the Makita engine will hold up better under heavier load somehow?

Please educate me. Models and “specs” pics at the end of the photo gallery.

In the states they don’t really sell the Makita tools with makpak, instead we get either a bag or for the “homeowner” tools we get the blow cases.

I’ve mostly outfitted with Maktrak which I’ve grown to love, but I have a few tools like my air nail guns still in the cases. But this case came from a small CXT repo-saw that’s in a Maktrak case and so this case is empty.

The case is decent quality with a nice handle. I’d like to re-use it. But with the blow molding nothing fits. It won’t attach to my Maktrak but I still think it could be useful. Anyone successfully cut these out?

Rotozip? Or what other tool should I consider to cleanly (without sharp edges) cut the inner molding out without ruining the exterior part of the case?

I recently picked up the XNB08. It’s been fantastic and I’ve been using the 2” 15ga nails from DeWalt as when I was reading they seemed to be preferred for less jamming etc. I’m not a carpenter just a homeowner doing a full renovation down to the studs.

Had some trim pieces that called for the 2 1/2” nails and they were difficult to go into the gun and would dry-fire a lot. Switched back to the 2” nails and worked fine.

Noticed the 2 1/2” seem to have slightly thicker heads on the nails? Is this a DeWalt manufacturing issue or is this Makita making their gun too tight in tolerance?

Are there better nails out there? Or is this just “a thing” that happens? Going back to the store to swap them but I figured I’d ask if it’s “user error” somehow? Maybe I got the wrong kind and don’t know it?

Pictires include comparisons of the two nails and the best side-by-side head comparison my phone would let me take.

UPDATE: USER ERROR I bought the wrong angle / type nail… sigh… 🤦🏻‍♂️

I’m a homeowner but I’m doing a full gut job, renovation down to the studs. I’m mostly a Makita guy but there’s tools they don’t have so I own an M12 battery for my cable stapler and pipe cutter, so I’m inclined to go with the M12 ProPress over the M18.

The question: where can I find the best deal on a ProPress kit that has 1/2”, 3/4”, and maybe a 1” jaw?

Is there a good store to look at or a time of year or a model that’s on clearance etc? I only need “tool only” if it’s the M12 system. But I’m open to whatever the cheapest option is including a Ridgid-red package as they fit the Makita batteries (unofficially). But I’m going to assume there’s a better cheaper option from the Milwaukee line and I don’t want to juggle another battery platform if I don’t have to.

I have a cheap $100 hand-pump propress and it’s EXHAUSTING. I have a lot more work ahead of me and I don’t think my arms can take it, but the buy-in price for the propress is insane compared to the rest of my tools. Hoping there’s a secret refurb site for Milwaukee or something. Thanks! Pics for attention.

Update: went with the Zupper press tool. Seems slightly more industrial than the cheap Vevor but at the same price. 1/3 to 1/4 the price of Milwaukee and Ridgid and those can’t be 4x as good at pressing. Gotta be better than the $109 hydraulic Vevor kit I have now (which I’m returning). Plus it takes Makita batteries (supposedly). Really wanted the m12 but in the end even used the price was 2.5x more than this brand new. Thanks for everyone’s advice. Still keeping my m12 pipe cutter!

Received in the mail the other day, it’s not “dripping” but clearly leaked a bit. I don’t see anything new or like it’s continuing. Is this just excessive lubrication on the blade area or should I be concerned?

Decided to convert two closes into 1 and close up the wall on one side and then make the door smaller so it’s kind of a walk-in closet.

I wanted the option to “undo” in the future if we don’t like it. So I added the bottom plate on top of the hardwood floor instead of cutting down to the sub-floor.

Is that OK?

At first I was thinking it was fine (I even left the plastic protective cover so the new lacquered floor wouldn’t get scratched and just plan to cut out around it when we take up the protection), but then the thought occurred to me that house-movement might put pressure on the floors or something and cause an issue.

It’s not a supporting wall per-se. The support header is an engineered beam (self engineered) and that pressure is supported on two jack studs bookended by king studs and it’s all centered over the main beam of the house with columns in the basement under that load so it shouldn’t have a lot of pressure on the outer closet walls, but ya know, houses move and we’re in a climate with a -5° F to 110° F temperature range.

I did tie the new bottom plate into the existing bottom plate via nail-gun to lock it all in (and a few holes to the hardwood at the ends for good measure, which is where I worry shifting could pull things apart in a weird way or cause drywall to crack or something unknown).

So yea, am I ok or will I need to re-do and cut the hardwood down to the sub-floor for any reason?

Makita had an offer “in store” for buying a track-ready saw and getting a free vacuum. I only have this photo, sadly I didn’t screenshot the whole image so I can’t even remember which vacuum.

They pulled this from the website, but would stores still honor it if it’s no longer on the site but I have the screenshot? How does that work?

First and foremost, WOW! It’s AWESOME! I don’t care about the tests on YouTube, this vacuum is much stronger even with a 2.5ah XGT than the Ridgid NXT battery vacuum with an 8ah battery. Mostly because it doesn’t clog up the same, so it’s more consistent.

The AWS makes the vac last all day, it’s quick to pair, instant response even if leaving it for an hour. WELL worth getting the Japan version instead of the U.S. GCV14 version. I’m SURE the full-size vacs are more powerful but for me the convenience of the size is a big plus (plus it’s less than half the price of the full-size even considering shipping from Japan.

The vac is great on its own, get the wheels it makes a huge difference and they lock when you don’t want it to roll. Also get the bags. The only caveat to this is it seems like the special filter bags A-79479 aren’t sold in the U.S. just the basic paper bags. They LOOK like the 197903-8 bags from the backpack vacuum (the shape is different than standard paper bags which are square) but I can’t find any specs on the dimensions. Guessing they won’t fit. Sadly I am not willing to pay $65 on eBay for the filter bags from Japan. Bummer since it would add another level of benefit for construction debris / dust.

About the pre-filter: every document I can find mentions NOTHING about removing the pre-filter when using the paper bag. Other redditors (some who are Makita aficionados) have said you are supposed to remove it, but neither the Japanese manual, nor the U.S. manual instruct to do this. I called Makita USA and they are adamant that you should leave the pre-filter on. I did and it’s working great so better safe than sorry I feel.

Now, HOW THE HECK DO I FIGURE OUT WHAT ADAPTERS FIT EACH TOOL with the Makita hose? Why isn’t there a quick connect? What they did include were two “tips” that screw onto the hose. One of them fits my multitool (one of the few tools without AWS ironically), but so far none of the other tools accept the other larger tip.

I’m pretty heavily invested in Cen-Tec system of vacuum hose attachments… I like to keep one “tip” in each tool box so that whichever tool I grab the tip goes with it. So I’d prefer to just add the Cen-Tec style quick attachment to the Makita hose but the hose size is different AND the thread I think is the other direction? What adapter do I use to get the Makita hose to accept my centec adapter hose ends? Right now I just used tape, but that’s not ideal… Pics shown. I’m open to a Makita specific option as well. There’s a quick connect on the vac but not at the tool end.

Lastly, what are these 2 “tabs slots” on the top of the vac? (See photo looking down on the side of the vac). Makita USA said the U.S. version doesn’t have these on it, and I can’t find anything in the Japan manual about them. Looks like it accepts some type of clip-in device or mount. My “dream” is maybe it’s an L-bracket trough or something that holds various hose tips, that would be convenient. So what goes there? Does anyone know?

I’ve got a beautiful brand new hearthstone. Since it’s back-vented the top-vent cap can be used to cook on / boil water, etc.

I don’t plan to do it often but I’d love the option if the power goes out etc. but I don’t want all the inevitable splatter to ruin the soapstone on top. My moms stove got a lot of stains from stuff falling on the stone. Over the years the stone darkens so it’s not as bad-looking now, but since mine is brand new, the stone is very light and I’d like to keep it clean if possible.

I was thinking of some kind of plate that has slotted peg-feet (as in pegs that are longways and thin) to fit on top between the gap of the soapstone and iron frame? It would have a gap so it wouldn’t touch the soapstone at all, and only have a round opening for the metal cap area where the pot would go.

Apologies for the poor photos, I’m not there and could it find a good “on top” example, so kind of cropped a photo, but you get the idea (I hope).

So yea would it be possible? And how much would it cost? Thinking basically an iron plate with a hole basically that sits on top to protect it all but floats just above the stone itself.

EDIT: for clarification, the part I want to cook on is the steel circular cap on top of the stove in the back. And I want to protect the rest of the top-stone from splatter, so a floating plate above all the stone, but a gap around the circle to place a pot on it.

I started out in XGT and the bags and stuff that came with them were FINE, but especially the smaller bags lacked interior pockets and the bigger bags seem thin and will probably rip easy. (Black bag)

I got an LXT kit and the bag quality is so premium… the bottom is made of a thicker double-layer rubberized bottom, inside pockets that accommodate all the odd-shaped bits and such we might have. (Teal bag)

Then I got a CXT tool at random and it shopped WOTH A HARD CASE what??! I didn’t even think Makita sold stuff with cases except corded tools. I was shocked (PS acme with that CXT sale and me missing the angled wrench really gets me but I’m sure this mini sawzall will come in handy, I did it for the battery / speaker).

So… what gives?… why doesn’t the expensive XGT stuff come with nice cases or in Maktrak boxes?! (Which is what should happen).

Three people came and took down. I don’t even know how many trees, and chipped all the limbs, it’s amazing, so much Wood! But holy heck is this going to be a lot of work to process!

Just had a Home Depot bulk delivery of 105 sheets of 4x12. The entire thing each pair has this tear right down the middle of the back of the board.

Should I return and re-order? Delivery guy said sometimes the factory machine causes this. It was there before the guy and I moved that into the garage.

We spent a lot of money to gut the house, stop mold and other air/vapor issues and I know it’s the back of the board so it’s not a lot of extra mudding work, but we paid for new Sheetrock and I’m kinda feeling like I shouldn’t get a damaged product. But also am I being picky here? Is there an actual concern? (Like does the paper surface add resistance to damage in the wall like mold or moisture or the rock degrading over time? This is our forever home.

Thanks.

I swear this is my last post for the day.

I had been convinced from my post about lighting that I should get the Japanese ML004G, it’s awesome! Thank goodness for the light diffusion screen though it’s stranger to put on than I expected. Wet the surface?

There’s these divots on the sides that I thought would have a plastic piece locking into, but nothing goes in there? Maybe that’s the color-tone optional pice I read about but haven’t seen? Have to translate the Japanese manual to see if the parts list mentions the number.

It’s very bright and even.

At the same time I got a steal on the DML813 on FB marketplace, $165!!! Of course I forgot to bring home a battery and the adapter battery my mom has doesn’t fit in the locking battery box. So I can’t try it until tomorrow! The torture! I can say that it’s easy to set up and stable. I’m a photographer so I work with a lot of lighting and stands and this design is simple (heavy, but well designed). It’s great for a job site environment for sure.

It does look like the DML814 head could be swapped by buying the parts, but it seems like each light unit is $50 and there’s 3 so that would defeat the purpose of the deal, so I’ll stick to my single light.

The deals are out there!

Edit: I did notice that the star protection in the ML004G is missing. And I thought it did CXT too, but it doesn’t. Just 14.4v/18v LXT and GXT.

Finally got the official blower, it’s amazing and the ramp up time is so much shorter, but effectively the knockoff is almost the same in every other way, except the button actually shows your battery level, which is more convenient on the knockoff.

But down to every little bit, the outside casing is exactly the same. You could swap the tips between them, you could even swap the filter on the back. Everything fits perfectly. I think the only thing that’s different is the handle has different grooves, but this is also the 18 V equivalent knock off, so maybe that’s the only difference because mine is XGT? How did they get away with this?

When XGT came out I am kinda shocked they didn’t make these lights teal… such a missed opportunity!

Also they are WAY too bright, hurts my eyes every time I check. Even in direct sun it’s too bright 😂

But yea, such a missed chance to have something fun on the battery…

This isn’t really Makita related but why are delivery people SO unable to read or think. Like I get (based on what he said) that he was trying to do the right thing, but I had literally asked a neighbor to move that box there because it was left on the edge of the steps and it’s going to rain. And he goes and moves it back into the area that always gets hit with rain 🙄🙄

Like there’s literally a sign right there that says PLACE PACKAGES HERE and he grabs it and moves it away from there and into the part where the overhang ends… it’s not even his package…