STEVE ‘SHEDS’ BAIN takes the natural progression from spanners to sockets as he continues putting his ideal armoury together to take on any task, big or small, in his backyard workshop.
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LIKE most of us, I've been using sockets all of my adult life. You gather a collection of all sorts of pieces and bits over time. So much so that when commencing covering the subject of sockets, I did not know where to start.
Let's jump in at the deep end.
Arguably they say that the 3/8" drive socket set is the most versatile. I disagreed for many years. I'd forever used a 1/2" drive set on boats and large vehicles. Having never owned a small car I was blissfully enjoying my ignorance. Apparently in modern small cars (for example) there are tight spaces where big sockets won't fit.
Sockets suited to 1/2" sized drives are often around 40mm in height; whereas 3/8" sized sockets are often from 25mm to 30mm in height; low profile 3/8" sockets may even make it down close to 20mm in height.
Only just recently, because it was on super special (and you can never have too many tools) I purchased my first ever proper 3/8" set. It is in a photo hereabouts.
Here’s how I got into the 3/8" game a little by accident.
I scored a tub of second-hand sockets at a clearance sale (clearance sales are a topic for future discussion in this column). That morning I’d cashed in a few hundred ‘containers for change’ which took my year-to-date earnings (kept in a Tupperware sandwich box) to more than $50.
Then stopping off at the clearance sale on my way to go fishing, I spied a box of sockets at the asking price of $50. A little price haggling later and I had the price still at $50.
The tub was heavy and grimy dirty. The sockets inside needed cleaning. With the $50 burning a hole as they say in the Tupperware, and the crabbing tide waiting for no man, I considered ways of quickly justifying the purchase.
Finally, I concluded the grime would have kept the sockets in good condition and that an afternoon washing and drying them would be good relaxation.
On the way home from catching a few mud crabs I swung past Bunnings and picked up a litre of kero; with which to clean.
I remember when stuff like this was sold by the pint or quart. Asking for a pint of kerosene these days gets you some funny looks.
I’d picked up this box of sockets because there were a few 1/2" drive sized ‘made in Australia’ sockets in the tub that I just had to have.
After cleaning all of the chrome cuties, they came up beautifully, but then I found myself with a new dilemma.
Although I’d scored quite a few of my favourite 1/2" sockets in the same brand as my old set that I was in the process of restocking (more about this some other time). I also picked up nine-tenths of a comprehensive Stanley brand 3/8" socket set.
On speculation I went back to the sale the next day (it was one of those Saturday/Sunday weekend, almost garage-sale type deals) and was fortunate enough to purchase the case and moulded insert the sockets went into.
After putting the jigsaw puzzle of chrome together.
I was only missing a half-a-dozen sockets (out of 30 or more).
The driver space in the insert tray also remained vacant.
This was both a good thing and a bad thing. It started me on a hobbyish quest to complete the set, which was a good thing.
I stuck at that unsuccessfully for a few weeks – hence it was also the bad thing.
Well I did pick up a couple of the missing six sockets. And I started a new set of the same brand that had different shape outer side walls (with a different series/model number).
I call them goblet shaped.
Surrounded by 3/8" sockets, I justified that, with two (maybe three) uncompleted sets, which sorta made one set, because it covered all the sizes in some fashion or other.
So, then I’d need to get a driver for the sockets. Any brand and/or model would do. PIMO* the same brand would be nice … but.
After some more containers for change, I set off to the big orange shed and I went up the spanners and sockets aisle to select a 3/8" socket drive.
Just a socket drive.
Nothing else.
Anyway, there was this Total Tools 3/8" drive socket set on sale; the full set was cheaper than just getting a same-brand driver.
And anyway also, I couldn't find the same brand model option that I thought I wanted. So, there I was later back in my shed introducing a brand-new socket set (metric only) to my ‘old’ almost finished 3/8" sockets sets.
I’ll tell you more about my old socket sets next edition. But for now, they are old school Stanley brand good quality in red metal cases. They are probably vintage or ‘collectors’ items’ or something like that.
The new set I purchased is the Total Tools TTI 3/8" 17-piece metric dual impact 3/8" drive socket.
The sockets being only 30.5mm each in height (and they are all the same height).
At this height they are 20 per cent lower than my 1/2" sockets.
‘Dual’ means these chrome moly (chrome molybdenum/CrMo) sockets are suitable for use with hand tools as well as power tools like impact drills and rattle guns.
CrMo/CrMo are from the family of 41xx grade steels (4xxx are the Molybdenum steels).
Being ‘dual’ means you don’t have to buy two sets of sockets; one for use with hand tools and the second to cover power tool use.
So obviously I’ve shrewdly saved even more money.
Twelve of the pieces in this TTI Dual kit are metric sockets, they range in size from 8mm to 19mm.
It seems nearly all 3/8" metric sets cover the 8mm to 19mm span; and they do so 1mm at a time – 19mm is common wheel nut size.
Interestingly even the old Stanley sockets sets cover this same range.
By the way I’ve purchased so much from the orange shed lately, as I restock my own shed after it was destroyed by fire, that they say there'll be $20 in the bonus kitty for my next birthday anniversary.
Next edition we’ll use the other 3/8" bits and pieces that I’ve so far gathered in my new collection in order to look at socket styles in a little more depth.
*Preferably in my opinion (see Steve’s column one, July 29)