The jawhourse


 
Well I caved in after reading how some of you guys swear by using a jawhorse type tool. I was at a retirement party tonight at a restaurant close to Harbor Freight. I decided that if the party ended in time and they would honor the $99 coupon I would take that as a sign I was supposed to get it. Our store has it listed for $139, but they readily honored the coupon which as noted expired tonight! I brought it home:cool:.

Thanks so much for posting!

I am really hoping this will increase my productivity which sure needs help. Also, most of my grinding has had to be done just on the ground with the fire box straddled between my legs. Not a very safe arrangement, so hopefully this HF tool will also reduce my risks of getting injured. I already have one scarred knee!

I hope this thing measures up to be close to the real Rockwell. By the way, I have taken note of a lot of better grade tools showing up at HF. Lots of new Bauer power tools, including a grinder I bought to replace my Chicago Electric that started shorting out and failed on me. I will post a review after I use it a while.

I also have noticed Harbor Freight’s new line of wrenches called ICON. I watched a couple YouTube comparison videos and they seemed to fair very well. Definitely look professional grade. For me, since I am not a likely person to do auto repair, I think I fit in HF’s “occasional home use” category. Their Pittsburgh wrenches, while not high grade do fine for my basic grill work and household stuff. I am sure some of you guys have a lot more ability, though. If you are using them a lot I think the ICON wrench sets are worth a serious look.
 
Jon, grinding on grill parts is my main use for it. You will be very happy with the purchase.

By the way, could you post a good photo of one of the rubber pads in the jaws. I want to compare them to my Rockwell Jawhorse. I am guessing they are identical or very close.
 
Jon Tofte said:
Also, most of my grinding has had to be done just on the ground with the fire box straddled between my legs.
Click to expand...

NO, NO, NO! I don't care to even think about what my back and knees would feel like after
wresting around with a fire box and grinder on the ground for an hour. Jon, you will likely
be kicking yourself the first time you use it, for not buying one sooner.
 
Jon Tofte said:
Also, most of my grinding has had to be done just on the ground with the fire box straddled between my legs. Not a very safe arrangement, so hopefully this HF tool will also reduce my risks of getting injured. I already have one scarred knee!
Click to expand...

That's how I've done it too! Not really straddling but coming in at it from the side. LOL. Usually wearing gym shorts and a T-shirt. I always feel like I'm chancing death, or at least a good chunk of my leg while doing it. Also have to check all over to remove all the wires that have embedded themselves 1/2" deep all over. I discovered one once in my forearm a good 2 hours later when I was driving to the grocery store.
 
Geeez, even before my Jawhorse, I had a better way of doing it than that.

What I was doing was this. I have a stanley work table that I replaced the two wood board with regular wood with deck boards. Then I put the cook box on top of the table and screwed deck screws into the inside of each corner of the cook box bottom opening which held it in place while I ground it out. I cannot imaging physically holding onto that or the end caps and trying to grind them with a wire cup brush.

But, with the Jawhorse, now I can securely clamp them all down several different positions which makes it all a lot easier and safer. That being said, I do minimal actual grinding out of the insides any more.
 
I may just have to buy one of these things. Not for grills perse' but for normal shop and garage work. What I need is a bench on larger wheels (easy to roll and lock) with a vice on it and big enough to hold a lawn mower or a mower deck. Working on the ground is so hard for my big fine body
 
Yah, Larry, I have found it to be very useful in many of my garage projects. If a guys spends time doing stuff in the garage, it is well worth $100. I have a regular vice on my workbench in the garage, but the Jawhorse not only allows me to take the vice to project or outside the garage, but it allows me to hold much bigger and unwieldy things. Not to mention the quick clamping and unclamping feature of it.
 
I only mentioned the vice as I find a need a vice more than just about anything. 27 years I have been in this house and I still don't have my garage as useful as the one from my first house. Of course in that house I had much more garage to work with. (22x28) instead of the POS garage at this house 21x22. So little floor space, back when we had the Suburban we had to place the back bumper on the back wall and the door would only clear the front by 4 inches or so. When we moved in here I had an 86 Ford F150 Super Cab with 8' bed. I still have the hole in the back wall from trying to fit that beast in here. We had to get it in at just the right angle rear bumper against the wall and the door cleared the front by about 2" This builder should have been hung by his neck til he was dead :D
 
Dave in KC said:
NO, NO, NO! I don't care to even think about what my back and knees would feel like after
wresting around with a fire box and grinder on the ground for an hour. Jon, you will likely
be kicking yourself the first time you use it, for not buying one sooner.
Click to expand...

Bruce said:
Geeez, even before my Jawhorse, I had a better way of doing it than that.

What I was doing was this. I have a stanley work table that I replaced the two wood board with regular wood with deck boards. Then I put the cook box on top of the table and screwed deck screws into the inside of each corner of the cook box bottom opening which held it in place while I ground it out. I cannot imaging physically holding onto that or the end caps and trying to grind them with a wire cup brush.

But, with the Jawhorse, now I can securely clamp them all down several different positions which makes it all a lot easier and safer. That being said, I do minimal actual grinding out of the insides any more.
Click to expand...

Yeah, well, this hobby has brought a whole new world to me. My tool collection previously was little more than a box of old (at least made in USA) Craftsman tools I assembled buying one every few weeks when Faith and I first got married. We would eat out and go to the mall in those days. A stop at Sears meant an opportunity to add something:D!

My grill renovations were pretty much approached with a “make-do” and try things with no guide or mentors. Joining TVWBB and reading after you much more tool savvy guys has been a huge help to me. One of these jawhorse stands at first seemed like a nice but not critical acquisition. The more I read and the more near miss and painful mistakes I have made, the more I realized this was not a luxury toy but a key element toward productivity and safety.

I am looking forward to setting it up and trying out as I finish getting my humble shop functioning.
 
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You will find several uses for it beyond grills. I'm currently using mine as a helper to cut up a canopy frame the wind destroyed. It's such a versatile thing.
 
Wow, not even a clearance price. Now you got me thinking of ways to use two at a time.
 
Didn't stay priced there very long. :) Amazon had it at the same 89.00 price a couple of days ago, but just for a couple of hours.
 
Yah, it came up yesterday but today, no. I think maybe it was an error or just a one or two day "lightning deal" type thing.
 
Lowe's has these discounted as low as $89.40 now. The prices online will show the discount price for that store. Prices for my reachable stores ran from $89 to 119.00
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