The good thing about working on vehicles, there's a boat load of tools available. The bad thing about working on vehicles, there's a boat load of tools available. With every new vehicle released, there seems to be a new special tool needed. Good info. Love the rocker punch. Thanks
the rocker punch is definitely something I wanna get. It's gonna be a process tho: First I need to involve my wife in the manual process , making sure to make it a long process. Then show her this video. (hopefully she won't see this comment!)
If you are cutting square switch holes into a plastic dash just use a red hot utility blade. I do it all the time at our four wheel shop. Use the long extendable blade knife. Put 2” painter’s tape on the dash to mark where to cut, then cut through the tape. Look for wires behind the hole first.
We had a bunch of this hole punching tools at work when I was a trainee, multiple different shapes and hole sizes, some where with a hydraulic actuator.
Rocker switch punch is gonna have to get ordered. I've had a set of those strippers for probably a year or so and I use them at work all the time. Love those things.
I really like these videos where you look at tools and gadgets. I think you did one on the brazing/welding rods too. As someone without friends with nicer shops I don’t get much exposure to these things without buying and trying it myself. Thanks and keep making them!
Do you happen to have the phone number to rocker punch? went to check their website out and it was there, went to place an order and the website is down.... Thanks for any help.
Love the Rocker hole cutter. Game changer. I can't count how many switch panels I've done that came out just a bit wonky because you just cant get lined up using the various old methods. I'm buying 2 just because...
ditto, but I am afraid I won't be as excited after spending a bit of time pulling the cookie out. I know Im gonna piss myself off later in life because we both know we're just gonna leave that cookie in the die until we need to use it again! HAHA
Push harder with the pipe polisher, it’s designed to wrap nearly all the way around to save time, we use them at our shop to polish collectors on derby headers, gives the stainless a nearly mirror finish in no time
Those styles of punches are great! Before laser and water cutters, those panel punches were the best way to create a different style of holes for various sizes.
I love those wire stripers and if you look at the bottom by the handle you can cut wire with them. I had them for over 2 years before I realized that was there lol. And they are designed to not pull the insulation all the way off the wire so you can twist your wire before removing the insulation completely.
You may want to check out the multitude of attachments and belts for the Dynabrade Dynafile. I’ve been using them for years snd swear by their gear. They have both pneumatic and electric.
I used the red and black flavor of those speed strippers from 2012 until 2021 without any issues. They were in my checked luggage 100's of times and had been in almost every paper mill in the US. Those have been my go to recommendation for yearssss, hands down best type of strippers out there
We make a plasma stencil for doing small and large rocker switches. It's not quite as nifty as that punch, but they are quick, easy and cheap. The only down side is you can't really plasma cut them in a vehicle.
Excellent video! That's what I love about your channel, bud. A nice variety of content, all informational and entertaining! Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Hi Nate, I have an old stripper like your Dad's one. I give it a puff of graphite powder lubricant from time to time to stop it sticking. Keep smiling.
For wire strippers, I prefer the style that look more like linesman pliers and separate at the end. Kind of hard to explain, but the benefit is you can go to the middle of a wire and it’ll move the insulation over, creating a gap, so you can T into the wire.
Nate I have that same pipe polisher, and IMO it is hands down the best tool ever for blending slug welds on roll cages. Makes them completely invisible. Must have tool if a guy is doing a bunch of tube work!!!!
The Eastwood wire stripper is the Bomb! My dad has one at his shop and I have the traditional one at home and complain about it every time I use it! Great video man!
Great video. Loved the new tools. I am always looking for new and better. I have not tried the Eastwood wire strippers. They look like they work great. A wire stripper I have used for several years is from Gardner Bender. I have used them for home and automotive wiring and they work great, very durable, I can strip the insulation in the middle of the wire and you can crimp connectors with them. They are available at Amazon.
Nate, way to make me feel old. Talking about your dad's wire stripers. I still have and use the same style as those that I bought new 30 plus years ago when I was wiring firing trucks.
I’ve had those strippers for years they are the best. A side note you can strip a bare spot anywhere along a wire if you need to make a tap in an odd place without cutting it
If they were market that pipe polisher as an attachment you could fit onto your average DeWalt Milwaukee etc angle grinder that could be huge I'd get one in a heartbeat! 1) it would be cheaper than having to buy the whole thing if you're already own angle grinders. 2) I'm sure they'd sell a heck of a lot more of them. 3) that would allow them to be used in more application
I got one of those cast aluminum pipe sander polisher rigs without the (no-name) grinder and adapted it to a Milwaukee variable-speed grinder. Made an adapter plate out of a piece of 1/2" thick aluminum. Also filled in some of the voids in the back of the cast arms with inexpensive (Blue Demon?) aluminum brazing rods so that the fasteners wouldn't break the casting. Took some time and finagling, but now I have a much better quality tool. First thing I did with it was clean up some axle tubes. Worked like a charm, but the spring could be a little springier.
Very cool display of some special tools. Those wire strippers look like a great tool that I would use frequently and I can vouch for EastWood Products, they are outstanding!!
Hi Nate, it's not the topic of this video, but I'm wondering what the gauge checking tool you have on the keys. Always looking for cool stuff for the every day carry.
What is your video/audio setup? And what video editing software do you use? I thought maybe you discussed this in the past, but I didn't find anything on your channel.
Hey Nate, how do you decide what material to use when making projects? I have a f250 that I want to make sliders for and I’m not sure how thick of steel tube to use
For sliders you'd want to use DOM tubeing with atleast a 0.120 sidewall thickness. Most sliders I've built or seen are usually about 1 3/4. I wouldn't go any smaller. For install if you decide to weld it on the sqaure plates you would use position it so one of the points goes vertical like a diamond makes it easier to weld all for sides. Also little gussets from the plate to the tube aswell.
@@user-nj2un3rl5f what’s the difference between dom and erw tubing? Is there a major strength difference? Also what tubing bender would you recommend if I can’t anchor it to the ground?
@@Zapye DOM is stronger than ERW but there are people who would argue than point, roll cages are made from DOM. It will last longer and hold up better to hits. Nate has videos on how to bend tube, i dont have a good one anymore so i usually pay a shop to bend it for me, or alot of shops make DIY slider kits so there pre bent and notched you just weld it.
They type of wire strippers your dad used are the best. Put a touch of oil on them. The plastic ones are trash. Use them in a professional environment. Would you buy a plastic pipe wrench? Thanks for the knock out tool recommendation!
got me some Empire! Nate maybe a short video to help us newbs determine which discs and cutting wheels we need, there are different grinders with different arbor sizes...etc... thanks for you awesome videos!
I'd like to show you 3 tools that have really made an impression on me over the last 6 months. Tool #1 I haven't used before, tool #2 I haven't had a chance to use before, tool #3 I've been using these for 6-8 months. All cool tools. I might have to get a couple of them.
Love that rocker switch punch! I had a company reach out to me called Sand Pro, they make the same sort of hand held belt sander that you showed here. Hasnt arrived yet. Looking forward to trying it out, funny to see you review one today.
@@DirtLifestyle yea. Most of the offers I get are for no named Chinese vendors. I was happy to get an offer for something that actually seems useful. :D
This perspective will change person to person. You are right that it's not cheap. Small batch tools are expensive to make but for the amount of times I've needed this in the past, this tool is a godsend for a guy like me.
Dynabrade makes lots of different band sanders like them, different sizes for all kinds of applications, and have been for 50 years - check them out...
I miss working in a factory where there was a lot of equipment. Since I retired and covid happened I am limited. Maybe I can find a new place or build a shop.
WTF Nate ?? Who`s doing production now, Sony studios ?? Video quality is thru the roof compared to way back when. Way to go. I`v been away from the channel for awhile so I was surprised to see all the upgrades, keep it up man !
Dude - the $5 black paint stripping disc for 4" grinder from HF does a stellar job of removing mill scale and will leave a much better finish than that belt sander thing. Don't last all that long but does great job
Wish you would have done this video a month a go when I put a rocker switch in my ram and fought for probably a half hour trying to trim the hole for it to fit 😆
We need to work out an arrangement where you are linked to my bank account and when you feel you found something cool, just buy it and have it sent to me. Not only do you find the coolest stuff, but your opinion matters so much that I have switched to empire abrasives. Even the most mundane stuff, if you recommend it, I need it. The episode where you roasted your tacoma over the really dumb stuff that it does was an EPIC video. You gained huge points in my book that day. I love the channel, and I can respect all the effort you put into your content. Keep up the great work!
I was all hot on that punch until I saw the price. $70 is a little steep. I have the same strippers and ended up going with a pair made by Irwin. Just seemed to work a little better. Just my two cents. Definitely worth less than a hill of beans. :)
Small batch tools are expensive to make unfortunately. If a big tool company made these it would bring the price down but for the mom and pop company to produce this stuff it's going to cost more.
Agreed. Was trying not to be a dick about it. The price was just a huge surprise. Didn't expect more than $50. All that said I'll still buy one. Doing cut outs for switches drives me crazy!
calling it a "rocker panel punch/switch" confused the heck out of me for the first 2 minutes, was wondering why the heck you'd want to put holes or switches in your rocker panels 😂
To think I've been using my hands to polish my pipe 😏 for real though, that is pretty sweet and could be mounted to be a little belt grinder if you made a couple additions.
A little bit of lube on your dad's wire strippers will do wonders. I was passed a set of those that were a friend's grandfathers strippers. The years of sitting dormant left rust on them and they barely worked. I added a bit of oil and they are honestly the best strippers I have. I even replaced my automatic strippers with these ancient strippers because they never fail like the automatic strippers sometimes do. I've had the automatic strippers break individual wires because it was set too thick for the insulation I was stripping. The ancient strippers are much faster for me.
The good thing about working on vehicles, there's a boat load of tools available.
The bad thing about working on vehicles, there's a boat load of tools available.
With every new vehicle released, there seems to be a new special tool needed.
Good info. Love the rocker punch.
Thanks
the rocker punch is definitely something I wanna get. It's gonna be a process tho:
First I need to involve my wife in the manual process , making sure to make it a long process. Then show her this video. (hopefully she won't see this comment!)
I couldn't agree more
Where can i purchase the rocker panel punch for rocker switches? I have not been able to find and the link above does not work. Thanks
If you are cutting square switch holes into a plastic dash just use a red hot utility blade. I do it all the time at our four wheel shop. Use the long extendable blade knife. Put 2” painter’s tape on the dash to mark where to cut, then cut through the tape. Look for wires behind the hole first.
nice trick! Sometimes the best info can be found down in these comments! thanks!
This is how I've done them in the past as well 👍
Hobby lobby actually has a tool exactly for that. Its a solder iron with diff blade attachments.
I cannot locate the rocker punch anywhere website not active. Any advice?
Great video. I got a chuckle when I saw the dust/rust cloud come off of your Dad's wire strippers. I thought I was the only one with tools like that.
We had a bunch of this hole punching tools at work when I was a trainee, multiple different shapes and hole sizes, some where with a hydraulic actuator.
Rocker switch punch is gonna have to get ordered. I've had a set of those strippers for probably a year or so and I use them at work all the time. Love those things.
The link to the rocker punch doesn't work
I really like these videos where you look at tools and gadgets. I think you did one on the brazing/welding rods too. As someone without friends with nicer shops I don’t get much exposure to these things without buying and trying it myself. Thanks and keep making them!
Do you happen to have the phone number to rocker punch? went to check their website out and it was there, went to place an order and the website is down.... Thanks for any help.
Love the Rocker hole cutter. Game changer. I can't count how many switch panels I've done that came out just a bit wonky because you just cant get lined up using the various old methods. I'm buying 2 just because...
ditto, but I am afraid I won't be as excited after spending a bit of time pulling the cookie out. I know Im gonna piss myself off later in life because we both know we're just gonna leave that cookie in the die until we need to use it again! HAHA
I was so pumped to find out these exist. I've ruined a few panels over the years trying to make the perfect rectangle...
Ever get one? Looking for them inline and it looks like they went under.
Thanks. Always cool to see specialty tools that help get stuff done
Can't seem to find the amazon cart for this. Looking for the tube sander.
Push harder with the pipe polisher, it’s designed to wrap nearly all the way around to save time, we use them at our shop to polish collectors on derby headers, gives the stainless a nearly mirror finish in no time
Those styles of punches are great! Before laser and water cutters, those panel punches were the best way to create a different style of holes for various sizes.
Glad to hear the TJ is coming back looking forward to more TJ vids!!!
I love those wire stripers and if you look at the bottom by the handle you can cut wire with them. I had them for over 2 years before I realized that was there lol. And they are designed to not pull the insulation all the way off the wire so you can twist your wire before removing the insulation completely.
You may want to check out the multitude of attachments and belts for the Dynabrade Dynafile. I’ve been using them for years snd swear by their gear. They have both pneumatic and electric.
I used the red and black flavor of those speed strippers from 2012 until 2021 without any issues. They were in my checked luggage 100's of times and had been in almost every paper mill in the US. Those have been my go to recommendation for yearssss, hands down best type of strippers out there
We make a plasma stencil for doing small and large rocker switches. It's not quite as nifty as that punch, but they are quick, easy and cheap. The only down side is you can't really plasma cut them in a vehicle.
Really enjoyed this, you should do more of these types of videos!
Excellent video! That's what I love about your channel, bud. A nice variety of content, all informational and entertaining! Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Hi Nate, I have an old stripper like your Dad's one. I give it a puff of graphite powder lubricant from time to time to stop it sticking. Keep smiling.
The pipe polisher is an old tool but it’s invaluable
Used to use them for fabricating handrails
I need to make a rocker punch like that. As a wire stripper i use a stripax plus 2.5 for both low and high voltage cable
Awesome video & thank you for sharing! As always a Great Video
For wire strippers, I prefer the style that look more like linesman pliers and separate at the end. Kind of hard to explain, but the benefit is you can go to the middle of a wire and it’ll move the insulation over, creating a gap, so you can T into the wire.
Love this style video!! Would love to see more tool videos!!
same here, I love the shop/tool videos just as much as the wheelin videos.
Nate I have that same pipe polisher, and IMO it is hands down the best tool ever for blending slug welds on roll cages. Makes them completely invisible. Must have tool if a guy is doing a bunch of tube work!!!!
The rocker switch tool is called a 'Knockout". Electricians have used these (round) knockouts for years, to put clean holes in termination cabinets.
The Eastwood wire stripper is the Bomb! My dad has one at his shop and I have the traditional one at home and complain about it every time I use it! Great video man!
The first set of crimper o have the snap on version and I've used them for years. Highly recommend
Great video. Loved the new tools. I am always looking for new and better. I have not tried the Eastwood wire strippers. They look like they work great. A wire stripper I have used for several years is from Gardner Bender. I have used them for home and automotive wiring and they work great, very durable, I can strip the insulation in the middle of the wire and you can crimp connectors with them. They are available at Amazon.
That punch though!
Never realized I need that, thanks for sharing👍
Another great video, always love learning of things that are new make the job easier!! Keep up what you do!!! 👍
Nate, way to make me feel old. Talking about your dad's wire stripers. I still have and use the same style as those that I bought new 30 plus years ago when I was wiring firing trucks.
FYI on the strippers right above your index finger are wire cutters built in. Love those strippers
I like it much better when you are prepared.
Thanks for for the info, you need to visit Afrca for a overland trip in the big five area's. Greetings from Namibia
I would love to come to Africa one day 🙌
Love the wire stripper !
Yoooo that grinder attachment is the one I was talking about on facebook like 6 months ago. Im glad you got your hands on it
I wish manufacturers would coat bolt on tools like this with ptfe. Not messy like anti seize and makes the product last longer.
I’ve got the Klein 11061 wire strippers and love them. The wire stripping can be adjustable in length.
Great video Nate. Love the tech side of shop work
Punched rocker switch holes 10 years ago in semi truck dashes.
I knew I was wait too long to order that rocker punch. Website seems to be no longer... anybody got another option?
I just saw that the website is gone. Did you find another option?
@@brucetibbetts I have not yet. Have you?
The belt sander is pretty cool. Would love a shop tour sometime too now that you've got the new cabinets in👍🍺
I will get there eventually lol. I wanted to get a few more things completed before I do a tour
I’ve had those strippers for years they are the best. A side note you can strip a bare spot anywhere along a wire if you need to make a tap in an odd place without cutting it
I tried every think to find rocker punch and nothing will find it
If they were market that pipe polisher as an attachment you could fit onto your average DeWalt Milwaukee etc angle grinder that could be huge I'd get one in a heartbeat!
1) it would be cheaper than having to buy the whole thing if you're already own angle grinders.
2) I'm sure they'd sell a heck of a lot more of them.
3) that would allow them to be used in more application
I got one of those cast aluminum pipe sander polisher rigs without the (no-name) grinder and adapted it to a Milwaukee variable-speed grinder. Made an adapter plate out of a piece of 1/2" thick aluminum. Also filled in some of the voids in the back of the cast arms with inexpensive (Blue Demon?) aluminum brazing rods so that the fasteners wouldn't break the casting. Took some time and finagling, but now I have a much better quality tool. First thing I did with it was clean up some axle tubes. Worked like a charm, but the spring could be a little springier.
What size sandpaper belts? Link doesn’t go straight to size just there main home page.
Awesome, Nate! Thank you!
Thank you for watching 👍
All three of those tools are great but that punch is a game changer👍🏻👍🏻
Very cool display of some special tools. Those wire strippers look like a great tool that I would use frequently and I can vouch for EastWood Products, they are outstanding!!
Does the Eastwood have the wire cutter under the inside of the handle?
Not sure! I will have to check
@@DirtLifestyle I believe they do.
@@DirtLifestyle they should .. I have the same pair for years and the cutter is there
Hi Nate, it's not the topic of this video, but I'm wondering what the gauge checking tool you have on the keys. Always looking for cool stuff for the every day carry.
Please build a buggy! I would love to see that series.
What is your video/audio setup? And what video editing software do you use? I thought maybe you discussed this in the past, but I didn't find anything on your channel.
I have 2 canon eos r and 1 canon r5. I use a rode wireless go setup with a lav mic plugged in 👍
Irwin has some really nice automatic wire strippers.
Some ideas that's time has come.
looked all through the cart and never seen the tub polisher
As a carpenter and welder, cutting the rocker holes 🕳..... no problem
Love that switch cut out! I installed switches for years at a offroad shop and kept saying someone needed to design a tool to cut them out.
Hey Nate, how do you decide what material to use when making projects? I have a f250 that I want to make sliders for and I’m not sure how thick of steel tube to use
For sliders you'd want to use DOM tubeing with atleast a 0.120 sidewall thickness. Most sliders I've built or seen are usually about 1 3/4. I wouldn't go any smaller. For install if you decide to weld it on the sqaure plates you would use position it so one of the points goes vertical like a diamond makes it easier to weld all for sides. Also little gussets from the plate to the tube aswell.
@@user-nj2un3rl5f what’s the difference between dom and erw tubing? Is there a major strength difference? Also what tubing bender would you recommend if I can’t anchor it to the ground?
@@Zapye DOM is stronger than ERW but there are people who would argue than point, roll cages are made from DOM. It will last longer and hold up better to hits. Nate has videos on how to bend tube, i dont have a good one anymore so i usually pay a shop to bend it for me, or alot of shops make DIY slider kits so there pre bent and notched you just weld it.
They type of wire strippers your dad used are the best. Put a touch of oil on them. The plastic ones are trash. Use them in a professional environment. Would you buy a plastic pipe wrench?
Thanks for the knock out tool recommendation!
got me some Empire! Nate maybe a short video to help us newbs determine which discs and cutting wheels we need, there are different grinders with different arbor sizes...etc... thanks for you awesome videos!
Great info, Nate 👍 Getting recos from a friend/real off-roader 👊
I cant find the amazon link for "lawn chair/beer time with Nate in the shop" per hour....
Lol
So where is the belt sander ? Did this tool not work good or just not useful ? I have a bunch of hand rails that this would be useful on
I'd like to show you 3 tools that have really made an impression on me over the last 6 months. Tool #1 I haven't used before, tool #2 I haven't had a chance to use before, tool #3 I've been using these for 6-8 months. All cool tools. I might have to get a couple of them.
Love that rocker switch punch! I had a company reach out to me called Sand Pro, they make the same sort of hand held belt sander that you showed here. Hasnt arrived yet. Looking forward to trying it out, funny to see you review one today.
This punch is sooooo rad. And that's cool you have a company send you one of these tube polishers. 🤘
@@DirtLifestyle yea. Most of the offers I get are for no named Chinese vendors. I was happy to get an offer for something that actually seems useful. :D
Anybody know of alternative sources to get that rocker punch? Page been out of stock for months with no update.
I have a set of the plastic pistol strippers, I have found 10ga is out of it’s range.
The rocker punch looks awesome so I went to buy one, $85 shipped is a bit much if you don't use it very often.
Time is money. Cutting a square hole with a drill and dremel takes a bit of time.
This perspective will change person to person. You are right that it's not cheap. Small batch tools are expensive to make but for the amount of times I've needed this in the past, this tool is a godsend for a guy like me.
Dynabrade makes lots of different band sanders like them, different sizes for all kinds of applications, and have been for 50 years - check them out...
I'm totally ordering one of those rocker punches. I'm always figuring out how to use rocker switches. I really don't like the round switches.
I think I saw you Nate on Thursday. I-5 right by Arlington. Windows were so tinted that I couldn’t see inside.
I miss working in a factory where there was a lot of equipment. Since I retired and covid happened I am limited. Maybe I can find a new place or build a shop.
Rocker punch looks like a very cool tool
I'm soooo glad to have this in the shop. I will be using it a bunch this winter
WTF Nate ?? Who`s doing production now, Sony studios ?? Video quality is thru the roof compared to way back when. Way to go. I`v been away from the channel for awhile so I was surprised to see all the upgrades, keep it up man !
mac tools has those same wirer strippers
I've got a Eastwood welder, not real happy with it , the gas valve sticks.
I’ve been using those strippers for years. I bought my from Snapon. And they look identical
Power probe is life
Absolutely 🙌
Dude - the $5 black paint stripping disc for 4" grinder from HF does a stellar job of removing mill scale and will leave a much better finish than that belt sander thing. Don't last all that long but does great job
What gauge metal can it cut
I can't find the "Tubing polisher is in the Amazon cart."
I used wire strippers once and threw them out 😂 Always found a pair of good short nose pliers to be the best aha. Can cut twist and strip with pliers
So those are a front locker rocker and a rear locker rocker? 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
Wish you would have done this video a month a go when I put a rocker switch in my ram and fought for probably a half hour trying to trim the hole for it to fit 😆
Lol I've been there man. MANY times in fact...
We need to work out an arrangement where you are linked to my bank account and when you feel you found something cool, just buy it and have it sent to me. Not only do you find the coolest stuff, but your opinion matters so much that I have switched to empire abrasives. Even the most mundane stuff, if you recommend it, I need it.
The episode where you roasted your tacoma over the really dumb stuff that it does was an EPIC video. You gained huge points in my book that day.
I love the channel, and I can respect all the effort you put into your content. Keep up the great work!
Much appreciated brother 🙏
Thank you for the vote of confidence and the kind words!
I was all hot on that punch until I saw the price. $70 is a little steep. I have the same strippers and ended up going with a pair made by Irwin. Just seemed to work a little better. Just my two cents. Definitely worth less than a hill of beans. :)
Small batch tools are expensive to make unfortunately. If a big tool company made these it would bring the price down but for the mom and pop company to produce this stuff it's going to cost more.
Agreed. Was trying not to be a dick about it. The price was just a huge surprise. Didn't expect more than $50. All that said I'll still buy one. Doing cut outs for switches drives me crazy!
Metabo makes a polisher too.
calling it a "rocker panel punch/switch" confused the heck out of me for the first 2 minutes, was wondering why the heck you'd want to put holes or switches in your rocker panels 😂
You the man Nate!
Lol thank you!
To think I've been using my hands to polish my pipe 😏 for real though, that is pretty sweet and could be mounted to be a little belt grinder if you made a couple additions.
TOOLS? I love TOOOLS!!
Why arnt you using the wire cutters on your new wire strippers
A little bit of lube on your dad's wire strippers will do wonders. I was passed a set of those that were a friend's grandfathers strippers. The years of sitting dormant left rust on them and they barely worked. I added a bit of oil and they are honestly the best strippers I have. I even replaced my automatic strippers with these ancient strippers because they never fail like the automatic strippers sometimes do. I've had the automatic strippers break individual wires because it was set too thick for the insulation I was stripping. The ancient strippers are much faster for me.