grumpygrizzly
Well-Known Member
I'm new to trying my hand at small engine repair and I'm always lookin for multi-purpose tools.
I stopped at a hardware store that had the Arnold Multi-Tool the previous visit I was there but, they were all gone and they said they're not available any longer. So, I picked up an Oregon Top Saw tool for working on chainsaws and other small engines.
I then went home and jumped onto EBay and picked up two of the Arnold tools for under $15-18 shipped.
After using the TopSaw tool a couple of times, it frustrated me how cheaply it was built and is now in the bottom of my tool box. One of the main problems was being able to switch between the two sizes of sockets on that wrench. You have to take a screw out, flip the socket around and fit the screw back in the tool to hold it in place. Well, there are also 4 washers you have to line up to put in between the tool sides and the socket. Good luck with that..
The Arnold Multi-Tool has a bit of a different layout. It has two sockets but, also has two more sockets that sit inside the larger sockets.. They stick out a little past the end of the larger sockets but, when you go to use one, if the inner socket is too small, it pushes into the larger socket and allows you to use it instead. Basically, you have 4 deeo well sockets in the space of two sockets. The inner sockets are also spring loaded and once you're done using the larger socket, the smaller one comes back out. Genius, pure genius..
The other bits are the same as the the TopSaw tool except they don't have the chain tool (Which I haven't begun to figure out how to use) but, instead, they have a tapered spark plug gapper, like a blade with increasing thickness.
I now carry the Arnold tool in my side pocket of my carpenter jeans. There's a pocket made for some kind of carpentry tool that's just the right size to hold that tool. I put a short lanyard on the end of the tool (Where it has a small carabiner to hang from whatever you want to hang it from. The lanyard hangs out of my pocket and makes it super easy to grab the tool.
Another smaller tool I have is called a tip cleaner they use for cleaning propane tips. It must have a dozen small rods in there and those little rods are great for cleaning those small holes in carbs. Each of those rods also have a section about 1/4 to 3/8" up the shaft that is rough like possibly a file would be.
The tool itself has all the bits in one side and a cover that folds over them and keeps them all inside and not getting bent up.
Ohh, I also use an extending magnet pickup tool for picking those little carb parts up off my shop floor that tend to fly out at the most opportune moments. If you see something fly out, try and see the direction it goes in and watch where it lands.. Trying to catch them in mid air is pretty much a futile attempt and will probably cause you to lose the screw or another important part that was being used to hold that part in.
Example would be when you're going into the float areas of a very small chainsaw carb.. You loosen the screw that holds the little pin and the float adjustment flapper thing.. There's a microscopic spring under that rascal that can spring out and fly like a bald eagle on a salmon run.. Believe me, I've seen it.. It's about 1/4" long and smaller in diameter than the springs in ball point pins. You'll usually see this spring launch when you're trying to put it all back together right before you tighten that screw..
Does anyone else have any nifty tools they use on a daily basis they can't live without??
I stopped at a hardware store that had the Arnold Multi-Tool the previous visit I was there but, they were all gone and they said they're not available any longer. So, I picked up an Oregon Top Saw tool for working on chainsaws and other small engines.
I then went home and jumped onto EBay and picked up two of the Arnold tools for under $15-18 shipped.
After using the TopSaw tool a couple of times, it frustrated me how cheaply it was built and is now in the bottom of my tool box. One of the main problems was being able to switch between the two sizes of sockets on that wrench. You have to take a screw out, flip the socket around and fit the screw back in the tool to hold it in place. Well, there are also 4 washers you have to line up to put in between the tool sides and the socket. Good luck with that..
The Arnold Multi-Tool has a bit of a different layout. It has two sockets but, also has two more sockets that sit inside the larger sockets.. They stick out a little past the end of the larger sockets but, when you go to use one, if the inner socket is too small, it pushes into the larger socket and allows you to use it instead. Basically, you have 4 deeo well sockets in the space of two sockets. The inner sockets are also spring loaded and once you're done using the larger socket, the smaller one comes back out. Genius, pure genius..
The other bits are the same as the the TopSaw tool except they don't have the chain tool (Which I haven't begun to figure out how to use) but, instead, they have a tapered spark plug gapper, like a blade with increasing thickness.
I now carry the Arnold tool in my side pocket of my carpenter jeans. There's a pocket made for some kind of carpentry tool that's just the right size to hold that tool. I put a short lanyard on the end of the tool (Where it has a small carabiner to hang from whatever you want to hang it from. The lanyard hangs out of my pocket and makes it super easy to grab the tool.
Another smaller tool I have is called a tip cleaner they use for cleaning propane tips. It must have a dozen small rods in there and those little rods are great for cleaning those small holes in carbs. Each of those rods also have a section about 1/4 to 3/8" up the shaft that is rough like possibly a file would be.
The tool itself has all the bits in one side and a cover that folds over them and keeps them all inside and not getting bent up.
Ohh, I also use an extending magnet pickup tool for picking those little carb parts up off my shop floor that tend to fly out at the most opportune moments. If you see something fly out, try and see the direction it goes in and watch where it lands.. Trying to catch them in mid air is pretty much a futile attempt and will probably cause you to lose the screw or another important part that was being used to hold that part in.
Example would be when you're going into the float areas of a very small chainsaw carb.. You loosen the screw that holds the little pin and the float adjustment flapper thing.. There's a microscopic spring under that rascal that can spring out and fly like a bald eagle on a salmon run.. Believe me, I've seen it.. It's about 1/4" long and smaller in diameter than the springs in ball point pins. You'll usually see this spring launch when you're trying to put it all back together right before you tighten that screw..
Does anyone else have any nifty tools they use on a daily basis they can't live without??
I'm thinking of making some belt pouches with the webbing. I've got about 35' of it so should be able to make a couple of specialty holsters