# Arghhh



## Howie

I'm with you Purr. I bought two of them so I cuss them twice as much! I don't even try to use them anymore.


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## RonInOhio

Very helpful review. Thanks for the heads up.


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## Routerisstillmyname

man don't get me started on these. I have two and ….i just went to set one up and the the tightening wheel broke.


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## sdmref

Huh…that's really too bad. I also have one and mine works adequately. It is not the best but for the price I really can't complain. Sorry to hear yours is not working out.


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## DIYaholic

I have two of these, one adjusts rather easily, while the other is as you describe. Luckily, I got them off of CraigList 2 for $10.00, so my price of addmission was low. Eventually, I'll upgrade to better ones, but I can make do for now.


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## lanwater

I agree.

It's a piece of junk.


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## Purrmaster

I'm glad to hear at least some of them work okay. Perhaps I got a dud but from the comments it appears duds may be fairly common.

I may end up sanding down the paint to get a looser fit.

I should have mentioned the tightening wheel. It is… delicate. Don't tighten it down too hard. I almost wonder if that's the reason it fits so snugly: They were trying to get people not to tighten it down so hard.


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## Howie

I even drilled and tapped the bottom where the tightening wheel is and put a 1/4-20 bolt in it to use. It still isn't anything to write home about so I quit using them altogether.
We used "pipestands" in the pipefitting industry that had infinite adjustment on the top. I don't understand why the woodworking industry doesn't come out with one.


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## Tennwood

I got one also and generally agree. It's ok for the price, on sale or with a coupon, but wouldn't get another one. The other problem I have with mine is where to store it. It doesn't fold up so it takes up a lot of real estate in a small shop.


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## helluvawreck

These sorts of things is where a small welder and metal cutoff saw comes in handy. You can make all sorts of things like this that are far sturdier and cheaper than anything you could buy.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## Tedstor

Not to hi-jack the thread, but I recently picked up a roller support from Sears that works quite well. I paid ~$18, but even at reg price, they are still $22-25. Sturdy enough for my needs but can be folded-up and hung on a wall after use. The red tabs are to prevent a workpiece from sliding off the side of the stand, but they retract when not in use. It also has an eccentric foot that allows you to level the stand on uneven surfaces (within reason). 
Sears also sells a similar model that uses several ball bearings as the roller mechanism. It cost an extra $10.


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## dbhost

I have 2 of these as well. Although I haven't had the problems you have with the rod being so tight (from the looks of it, I got REALLY lucky), however mine are pretty wobbly and I don't trust them to hold stock on the jointer / planer infeed / outfeed… For the most part they suck up valuable shop space. I am actually considering getting rid of them.

I guess wobbly isn't the right word I am looking for.

You see my shop floor slopes, a lot. And there is no adjustment for the feet on these things to level them out. so when my jointer is on the bench, and I have these set up, they feed at a funny angle.

I guess if I had a flat floor, I would be happier with these…


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## ChuckC

I have the one from Sears too. It works well. I think I paid around $20 for it.
Thanks for the review. If i need another I'll go back to Sears.


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## Nordraw

What a surprise huh? Something from HFT is junk. It is a junk store for the most part. Let the buyer beware was written for that store.


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## madts

You said you wanted something cheap!! I myself prefer to buy inexpensive. Not trying to be a smartass. Just stating the difference between the two.


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## ic3ss

Harbor Freight = Made in China.
Made in China = poor quality.

Harbor Freight ≠ quality.

Wayne

In all fairness, there are some things I'll buy at HF but they are things that maybe don't require high quality like shop rags or throw-away wrenches that will get cut in half to be used. In general though, I stay away from them.


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## pawolf

Last year I needed a roller stand and didn't want to spend a lot of money. I looked at this roller stand and this one (which looks a lot like the one from Sears). Not one of their 'gems', but seems to do the job for me.


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## MarkTheFiddler

Thanks for the review. I'm in the market. I'll avoid the HF "Bargains".


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## Tedstor

I actually have the HF model that is similar to the Sears model. The Sears product has the leveling feature and is of slightly nicer overall quality. The Sears stand is worth the extra $5-10 imo. Having the ability to level the stand is crucial, especially if using it as an outfeed for a TS. You definitely wouldn't want the roller stand to be on a different plane from the TS table. 
Back when the HF was my only stand, I used to level it by shimming the feet with cardboard. It worked ok, but it made me feel kinda ghetto. Of course, so does shopping at HF. LOL. 
As a disclaimer, I went through a lengthy HF phase when I first began hoarding tools. I have nothing aginst HF, but I rarely ever buy anything from them anymore. These days, I prefer mid-tier brands like Ridgid/Milwaukee/Bosch. Heck, in many cases (such as this one) I even prefer Craftsman. Buying Craftsman tools is less risky than it used to be. But unless buying a "known Gem", HF tools are as risky as ever.


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## jte9999

I also looked at those but did not purchase. Woodcraft has them on sale $19.99. I expect to purchase one this weekend.


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## cutworm

I feel your pain Purr. I have a couple of Ridgid Flip Top work supports that I have been using for a few years and like them. I think they are about $30. I use them for planing, outfeed on my TS, etc. Buy one at HD and keep the receipt. You have 90 days to try it out.


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## b2rtch

I have two like the sears one but bought at HF years ago and I am very happy with them.


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## camps764

Not sure if it's been said - this thread has a ton of comments - but I bought a few roller stands on sale from Menards here in omaha, about $12 a piece if I remember - and they are excellent. Use them for outfeed on my Table saw, planer, etc.


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## brtech

I also have a pair of the "sears" style stands from HF and have no complaints. The height adjusts easily, the roller spins well, the roller is pivoted to match the stock and the fold up mechanism works well for me. No complaints, good value. I don't have an adjustment thingie on the legs, but a floor at an angle is easily handled with the roller pivot on the top. The base doesn't have to be parallel with the roller.


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## shawnmasterson

if you can find the episode of new yankee workshop called "workshop helpers" he builds an awesome roller stand that would never fall over


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## Nordraw

There are some things at HF that are "ok" the question most of the time is"how long will it last?". I do use their paint brushes sometimes so I don't have to bother cleaning them just chuck them.


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