Tools you wish you'd bought sooner...
Discussion
I posted a similar Q above but to my eyes it doesn't look strong enough, looks too large to fit in confined spaces, and appears to do the same job that the Knipex pliers wrench does (proven effectively).
Interesting concept though. Amazon's has them for reasonable prices, both open ended and closed.
Interesting concept though. Amazon's has them for reasonable prices, both open ended and closed.
Piersman2 said:
Today's new tool was this...
I spent about 5 hours last weekend doing the control arm on one side of the range rover because the balljoint wouldn't come apart which then meant the balljoint had to be replaced, etc... I'm sure we all understand how these jobs morph into a virtual full teardown and rebuild of the front hub.
So this week I went searching for a suitable balljoint splitter and found this set of 'Pitman Arm' splitters. The job this morning on the other side took exactly 1 hour from jacking car to lowering. The long tool in the kit was perfect for the restricted access on the balljoint , applied the pressure, tapped the arm, joint sprung apart, control arm replaced.
Best £30 quid I've spent in a long, long time! The kit was cheaper than the replacement balljoint I had to buy last weekend to replace the one I mullered, and now I have the kit to separate vitually any balljoint I'm likely to encounter.
Well at least tell us where it's from!I spent about 5 hours last weekend doing the control arm on one side of the range rover because the balljoint wouldn't come apart which then meant the balljoint had to be replaced, etc... I'm sure we all understand how these jobs morph into a virtual full teardown and rebuild of the front hub.
So this week I went searching for a suitable balljoint splitter and found this set of 'Pitman Arm' splitters. The job this morning on the other side took exactly 1 hour from jacking car to lowering. The long tool in the kit was perfect for the restricted access on the balljoint , applied the pressure, tapped the arm, joint sprung apart, control arm replaced.
Best £30 quid I've spent in a long, long time! The kit was cheaper than the replacement balljoint I had to buy last weekend to replace the one I mullered, and now I have the kit to separate vitually any balljoint I'm likely to encounter.
Edited by Piersman2 on Saturday 8th June 14:16
smack said:
Funny that, a conversation a days ago with a mate who works at BA Engineering :
Him - you probably want the ones we have at work when he need to use rivets on our planes, they will rivet anything...
As an aside.... a mate of mine is an aeronautical engineer. When he was working for a British airline that recently went bust he was telling me about riveting the skin of the planes - those really flush ones (you can see them best when you are boarding the plane as you're going through the door.Him - you probably want the ones we have at work when he need to use rivets on our planes, they will rivet anything...
Sometimes they wouldn't grip. So they'd glue them in.
Gareth79 said:
I recently built a large (7x3m) catio and the whole thing needed to be fully meshed around (16g 25x25mm square mesh). I already had a compressor (for a plasma cutter - great toy) so the natural option was to get a £17 Silverline air stapler. VERY good and saved an absolute ton of time vs. hammering them by hand! Only jammed once, and that was sort of my fault for not pressing the trigger fully.
Out of interest, what's the benefit in your situation of a catio over letting the cats roam free?Awesome thread
Does anyone know this tools name, its is shaped like a pen and you press the button on the top and it jabs a sharp needle or sharp screw driver bit out ?
A guy on ytube was doing a wooden planter and general wood work and was using it to create pilot holes into the wood before drilling screws in, he said it made life easier and less wood splitting.
Does anyone know this tools name, its is shaped like a pen and you press the button on the top and it jabs a sharp needle or sharp screw driver bit out ?
A guy on ytube was doing a wooden planter and general wood work and was using it to create pilot holes into the wood before drilling screws in, he said it made life easier and less wood splitting.
PAT64 said:
Awesome thread
Does anyone know this tools name, its is shaped like a pen and you press the button on the top and it jabs a sharp needle or sharp screw driver bit out ?
A guy on ytube was doing a wooden planter and general wood work and was using it to create pilot holes into the wood before drilling screws in, he said it made life easier and less wood splitting.
Not seen the sprung tool, but a basic awl (bradawl or otherwise) would do the job. Or do you mean something like a sprung hinge drill that will self-centre into a pre-existing hole in the fixture / bracket / etc.? As a "not drill" that's an auto-centring awl.Does anyone know this tools name, its is shaped like a pen and you press the button on the top and it jabs a sharp needle or sharp screw driver bit out ?
A guy on ytube was doing a wooden planter and general wood work and was using it to create pilot holes into the wood before drilling screws in, he said it made life easier and less wood splitting.
Have a look at https://www.thewoodworks.com.au/shop/hand-tools/aw...
PAT64 said:
Awesome thread
Does anyone know this tools name, its is shaped like a pen and you press the button on the top and it jabs a sharp needle or sharp screw driver bit out ?
A guy on ytube was doing a wooden planter and general wood work and was using it to create pilot holes into the wood before drilling screws in, he said it made life easier and less wood splitting.
It's not button operated but a spring loaded punch does a similar thingDoes anyone know this tools name, its is shaped like a pen and you press the button on the top and it jabs a sharp needle or sharp screw driver bit out ?
A guy on ytube was doing a wooden planter and general wood work and was using it to create pilot holes into the wood before drilling screws in, he said it made life easier and less wood splitting.
Automatic Center Punch Tool with HSS Tip Spring Loaded Brass Body https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073TR14LS/ref=cm_sw_r...
PAT64 said:
Awesome thread
Does anyone know this tools name, its is shaped like a pen and you press the button on the top and it jabs a sharp needle or sharp screw driver bit out ?
A guy on ytube was doing a wooden planter and general wood work and was using it to create pilot holes into the wood before drilling screws in, he said it made life easier and less wood splitting.
Automatic centre punch?Does anyone know this tools name, its is shaped like a pen and you press the button on the top and it jabs a sharp needle or sharp screw driver bit out ?
A guy on ytube was doing a wooden planter and general wood work and was using it to create pilot holes into the wood before drilling screws in, he said it made life easier and less wood splitting.
PAT64 said:
Awesome thread
Does anyone know this tools name, its is shaped like a pen and you press the button on the top and it jabs a sharp needle or sharp screw driver bit out ?
A guy on ytube was doing a wooden planter and general wood work and was using it to create pilot holes into the wood before drilling screws in, he said it made life easier and less wood splitting.
Apart from the "sharp" part, sounds like an automatic centre punch.Does anyone know this tools name, its is shaped like a pen and you press the button on the top and it jabs a sharp needle or sharp screw driver bit out ?
A guy on ytube was doing a wooden planter and general wood work and was using it to create pilot holes into the wood before drilling screws in, he said it made life easier and less wood splitting.
Not so much a tool rather a fixing, but these need no raw plugs, just drill a hole in brick / concrete and use impact driver to drive screw in. Dam strong fixing, I used to hold up a gate post.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/easydrive-countersunk-c...
https://www.screwfix.com/p/easydrive-countersunk-c...
FlipFlopGriff said:
Anyone got one of these:
https://www.saltdays.co.uk/collections/tools-home-...
Just saw an ad at the start of a YouTube video so investigated further.
FFG
Looks interesting.but too pricey for me unfortunatelyhttps://www.saltdays.co.uk/collections/tools-home-...
Just saw an ad at the start of a YouTube video so investigated further.
FFG
JimbobVFR said:
It's not button operated but a spring loaded punch does a similar thing
Automatic Center Punch Tool with HSS Tip Spring Loaded Brass Body https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073TR14LS/ref=cm_sw_r...
That's it !Automatic Center Punch Tool with HSS Tip Spring Loaded Brass Body https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073TR14LS/ref=cm_sw_r...
Cheers to all replies
skilly1 said:
Not so much a tool rather a fixing, but these need no raw plugs, just drill a hole in brick / concrete and use impact driver to drive screw in. Dam strong fixing, I used to hold up a gate post.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/easydrive-countersunk-c...
I’ve used them. They are great *if* your substrate matches the spec. Little use on old brick, old clinker concrete, etc.https://www.screwfix.com/p/easydrive-countersunk-c...
Dog Star said:
Piersman2 said:
Well at least tell us where it's from!skilly1 said:
Not so much a tool rather a fixing, but these need no raw plugs, just drill a hole in brick / concrete and use impact driver to drive screw in. Dam strong fixing, I used to hold up a gate post.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/easydrive-countersunk-c...
I've not used the concrete screws but have used concrete bolts into brick when I replaced a gate and they worked well. https://www.screwfix.com/p/easydrive-countersunk-c...
Rawplug concrete screw bolts
https://www.screwfix.com/p/rawlplug-lx-flanged-con...
If we're on the subject of useful screws, these are great... https://www.toolstation.com/lost-tite-screw/p35982
Accelebrate said:
If we're on the subject of useful screws, these are great... https://www.toolstation.com/lost-tite-screw/p35982
Oh yes. Used to be called "Tongue Tite" IIRC. The similar Spax chipboard screws (same double thread so that the clamping force is distributed through the thickness of the piece) are fantastic - I've used them as general woodwork screws for a decade at least.ecotec said:
I've not used the concrete screws but have used concrete bolts into brick when I replaced a gate and they worked well.
Rawplug concrete screw bolts
https://www.screwfix.com/p/rawlplug-lx-flanged-con...
They look like thunderbolts - used them to fix wooden fence posts to a brick dwarf wall at my Sister's house. Not cheap, and you really need an impact gun to drive them in, or a ratchet handle and a lot of effort - but if you drill a pilot hole first, they are never coming out. Fence has been up three years now in the worst gales we've had, and all that has shifted is the wall, not the fence itself!Rawplug concrete screw bolts
https://www.screwfix.com/p/rawlplug-lx-flanged-con...
Dog Star said:
As an aside.... a mate of mine is an aeronautical engineer. When he was working for a British airline that recently went bust he was telling me about riveting the skin of the planes - those really flush ones (you can see them best when you are boarding the plane as you're going through the door.
Sometimes they wouldn't grip. So they'd glue them in.
That was a standard joke there, he's winding you up Sometimes they wouldn't grip. So they'd glue them in.
G600 said:
Dog Star said:
As an aside.... a mate of mine is an aeronautical engineer. When he was working for a British airline that recently went bust he was telling me about riveting the skin of the planes - those really flush ones (you can see them best when you are boarding the plane as you're going through the door.
Sometimes they wouldn't grip. So they'd glue them in.
That was a standard joke there, he's winding you up Sometimes they wouldn't grip. So they'd glue them in.
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