My Project with Craftsman Tools
History of Craftsman
As far back as I can remember, the men in my family have had tools displaying the name Craftsman. So much that I can hardly remember any other tool brand from my adolescent years. Where did they purchase those tools? Sears, Roebuck, and Company. Either through direct store purchase or catalogue order by mail (Is that a thing? Yes, it is. Online ordering did not exist at the time.). The Craftsman name was scattered all over the place when work was being performed and tools were needed.
The year was 1927 and Sears was a top retailer with a desire to create a higher-end line of tools. According to a company history website, Sears bought the rights to use the Craftsman name from Marion-Craftsman Tool Company for $500. A short time later (1929), the brand first appeared on the shelves with a line of saws and power tools. For years, Craftsman was synonymous with Sears, as they were the only provider of the brand.
However, in 2016, the long fought struggle of Sears to remain in business, saw the first glimpse of Craftsman being distributed outside of its stores. In comes Stanley Tool Company with an immediate flow of cash for Sears and the opportunity for Sears to benefit from the growth of the Craftsman brand with other retailers, who would pay a royalty for the name.
Back to My Project
So, since I lacked a properly secured and covered area to work on projects and I had been wanting an exterior building to use for storage as well, my first project would be to create a structure capable of fulfilling both requirements. With an idea in my head, I set upon drafting a design to paper and making a supply list.
I hadn’t updated any of my tools in a while and was still dragging cords everywhere. My only experience with cordless power tools was in the early stages of development. Weak, short lived battery power would barely sink a few screws before needing new batteries or charging for a few hours. However, I had recently used a 18v cordless drill and felt a little twinge of interest beginning to stir again.
Between Covid restrictions and a regular day job, the most I could do is look online for the tools I needed. There it was… a CRAFTSMAN V20 Cordless Drill Combo Kit, 7 Tool listing on Amazon. And the price was very appealing. 20V MAX ½ inch cordless drill, reciprocating saw, 6 ½ inch circular saw, oscillating tool, 4 ½ inch grinder, LED pivoting task light with 140 lumens, and 2 V20 - 2.0AH Lithium Ion batteries with single dock charger. The only thing missing was the CRAFTSMAN V20 Cordless Jig Saw Kit. Also, I upgraded the batteries to the V20 4.0 AH. The 2.0 AH was ok until I started making more cuts and screwing the pieces together.
Below are some of the features of the tools in this kit:
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20V MAX 1/2 inch cordless drill with powerful motor provides 280 UWO of power and 2 speed gearbox ranging from 0 to 400 RPM and 0-1, 500 RPM for demanding tasks
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20V MAX 1/4 inch cordless impact driver provides 1, 460 in lbs of torque 2, 800 RPM and 3, 100 BPM for heavy duty fastening
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20V MAX cordless reciprocating saw with 1 In stroke length running at 3,000 SPM's for speed of completing applications, tool-free blade release allows for quick and easy blade changes
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20V MAX circular saw with 6 1/2 inch blade running at 4,200 RPM's for cross cutting or ripping 2x material, tool free beveling blade and spindle lock for ease of use
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20V MAX cordless oscillating tool with variable speed from 8k to 18k OPM's provides optimal control in a variety of applications using the universal tool free attachment system
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20V MAX Cordless grinder 4-1/2 inch disc powered by a high performance motor with 8,500 RPMs for aggressive grinding
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20V MAX cordless LED pivoting task light with 140 lumens for improved visibility
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3 Year Limited Warranty, refer to "Warranty and Support" section below for full details
The majority of the power tools used in this project are the tools from the kit with the exception of the Milwaukee 2691-22 18-Volt Compact Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit used by a friend who assisted with the build and a Makita XST01Z 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Oil-Impulse 3-Speed Impact Driver used by my son. All of which held up very well to the high demands placed on them.
