Tools you wish you'd bought sooner...

[EggsBenedict]

You know, you've done loads of work previously, and then you buy a tool that makes you think 'why didn't I just get one of these before?'

4 for me:

Swanson square: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072MGXYYJ/ref=psdc_19... - so useful building sheds and the like

Impact Driver - my first one was a 14.4V DeWalt - don't know why i used a cordless drill for screwdriving so long, these are so much better

Plunge/Track Saw - I've got a Makita one. Just the right tool for cutting sheet material, but twice as expensive as a regular circular saw. I still should have bought one ages before i actually did. https://www.angliatoolcentre.co.uk/makita-sp6000j1...

Mitre Saw stand - did without one for ages, but this just speeds up work massively by holding timber at the right height and stopping stuff falling. Bought as I bought a new chopsaw, and thought 'sod it, i'll get a stand with this one' : https://www.toolstop.co.uk/metabo-ksu251-legstand-...

[EggsBenedict]

smack said:

Can anyone recommend me a good Riveter? I have an old garage door needing to be (short term) fixed, longer term replaced, but loads of the rivets have pooped off due to age and the state of it, but in the mean time some metal bracing in exchange for beer is the order of the day to make it sound.
So, I might as buy a reasonable one on the back of this, and I haven't used one in years, so it has to work, and not be made from monkey metal as I don't have to buy another in my lifetime if I use it as it is expected - the Bahco one gets mixed reviews online, and people say it is made in Taiwan (wasn't looking for Bahco, it just came up on my search, and a Brand I know), which from my experience just means made to a cheap price point, rather than something that lasts.

I have a Clarke air riveter. Just the cheap one. It's brilliant.

You obvs need a compressor too, but that's what man maths is for...

[EggsBenedict]

The black milwaukee ones are quite good.

https://www.google.com/search?q=tic+tac+milwaukee+...

[EggsBenedict]

Asked my mum for https://www.amazon.co.uk/86-03-180-SB-plastic/dp/B... for a late birthday pressie as mentioned so much in this thread (and struggled to justify the wedge for it) - she got sucked in by the 'frequently bought together' thing at the bottom, and I ended up with a set of 3!

They are lovely - not used yet, but will come in handy....

[EggsBenedict]

^^ It wasn't me, but I am a fan of metric only tape measures - recently got one, and wondered why i didn't buy it before. I always seem to find the metric markings on the wrong side of the tape for what I wanted to do!

TBF, if you like imperial measures, you'd find imperial only ones too - it was seeing one of these that made me think 'they must do that in metric'

Stanley FatMax does a metric only one.

Lots to choose from here: https://www.thetapestore.co.uk/tapes-rules/tape-me...

[EggsBenedict]

https://www.weldequip.com/mig-welders.htm

I've got a PortaMig. It's briliant. Absolutely can't fault it.

Had SIP and Clarke welders before nothing on this.

If you're just hobbying like me, then Hobbygas will sort the gas out.

And get a decent mask, otherwise you won't see the welding puddle properly. Sentinel A50 is what I have.

I know this ends up as a pretty punchy package price-wise, but it's top.

Then look up Urchfab on YouTube for hints and tips.

[EggsBenedict]

Carbon Sasquatch said:

Doofus said:

So if I'm going to invest in a battery tool universe, is DeWalt the answer for best quality and greatest variety of tools? Or Makita, or it is just a matter of which colour I like best?

Basically down to colour - don't forget Milwaukee if you like red.

Canon or Nikon, Audi or BMW - people make a choice & then try all sorts of reasons to defend it over the other one

A good special offer may be the other reason to go with one over the other.....

Yep, more or less!

There are some other choices too which are less well known:

Keilder: https://www.sgs-engineering.com/kielder-kwt-002cs-... <- The project Binky boys use these (prob because they get them for free, but hey ho)

Metabo: https://www.metabo.com/uk/en/tools/cordless-tools/ <- no experience of the cordless stuff, but I have a chop saw and stand, and an orbital sander made by these guys and they are real quality, and comparable to the other Makita stuff I have that's cordless in terms of build.

I think both at least designed in the UK (prob made in China like everything seems to be), but a sort of supporting UK industry type choice.

[EggsBenedict]

guitarcarfanatic said:

I wouldn't rule out a 12v system for most DIY. I am heavily invested in the Bosch 12v system and not much stops it. The drill will do concrete on hammer (albeit it a little slowly) and the driver is so compact, but will happily drive 6 inch deck screws. The size and weight bonus is a huge plus. I now have the drill, driver, multitool, circular saw (amazing tool as runs off my plunge saw rails and is so easy to use for sheet goods) and grinder.

For 18v, I invested in the Milwaukee Drill (130nm of torque ) and have added the vacuum which is truly amazing. I will probably get a circ saw as well at some point

Just a shame we screwed on Dewalt pricing wise over here. Dewalt tools undercut everyone in the US by a healthy margin. I wanted a little impact wrench and the dewalt kit is £160 here. It's 89 dollars in the US!!

True - I have a 14.4 dewalt pair of a drill and an impact driver. It has the small batteries, so for up to medium jobs it's great. Much less strain on the wrists than the 18V makita tools that I also have. The set is probably 8 years old now, so I reckon the 12V stuff will have advanced such that it's as powerful as my 14.4.

[EggsBenedict]

^^^ Nice job. In case anyone's wondering, the trick with architrave is to build the architrave frame up off the wall so the mitres are perfect, and then stick the whole thing to the wall with adhesive. I'm sort of ashamed of the number of architraves I've done in my various houses that I've spent ages fiddling around with sanding paper and filler to get the architrave looking 'OK', when I could have got it perfect.

[EggsBenedict]

normalbloke said:

Buy old secondhand, every time. Look for Record.

This. Just bought a No.5. I'm planning a little project:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RECORD-No5-Vice-Service...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Enamel-Paint-For-RECORD...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCVXyq413nk

Mine is in better nick than the one in the video by a long way - it's basically fine as is, but might as well do this and it will be fine to pass to one of my kids!

Here's one : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Record-No-5-Ben...

[EggsBenedict]

If you're a costco member, a big Stainless tool chest comes up now and again. I've got one, would thoroughly recommend.

[EggsBenedict]

normalbloke said:

Still one of my favourites.

What is it?

One ends a scriber, right? What's the other?

[EggsBenedict]

Danns said:

I’ve got another
Which may belong more in;
Frivolous purchases

However, it’s a tool, it saves time, and I wish I had purchased sooner!

I present you with

National walking sprinkler Model B3
(Mini mattock - just because)

Follows hose pipe
Drives itself along at 100ft hour (apparently)
Set up, turn water on, and enjoy not having to water the garden yourself.

Pics before I gave it a good clean up and service


Video in action
https://youtu.be/MPIixFILw6Y

(Yes the lawn is a state... I’m getting round to rescuing it)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/17039047704?iid=193404389983

I suspect not half as well made as yours, but in case it's coveted by someone reading, they're still available new.

[EggsBenedict]

LeadFarmer said:

I have a Makita cordless circular saw, is there an advantage to getting a plunge saw with track, when I could effectively clamp a straight edge to the timber I'm cutting to act as a guide for my circular saw?

That's what I used to do before I bought mine. And then I started this thread saying I wish I'd bought the track saw sooner!

The track makes setting up the cut way faster - no need for the offset as the blade is in line with the edge of the track. The offset doesn't change if you change the angle of the cut. No need to find a genuine straight edge as the tracks are dead straight. It's just miles better.

I've rarely used my old circular saw since buying the track saw. I mean a handful of times. It's not a crap one either - it's a decent Makita corded saw.

[EggsBenedict]

As has been said elsewhere, decent blades really help with circular saws. Granted, the more expensive saws have more power, better componentry and more features, but once it's spinning and making a cut, the blade's the main thing.

[EggsBenedict]

Mars said:

I want a Dremel but I only need one very occasionally. In fact I need one next week for a very specific job. I could have used one on the odd occasion before but I've always got by with the tools I already have. For the job I have next week, it's all about delicacy, so I'm convinced I need one.

There are cheaper versions - much cheaper. What's the consensus on original vs pretender?

I'm not sure of the relative price, but my mum bought a dremel for me years ago. I lost some crucial part or other, and bought the Axminster version. Not cheap, but v.good. Well worth a look.

[EggsBenedict]

Mars said:

I have a garage full of tools which get used regularly but I do tend to buy tools before I need them.

Although not the intent when starting this thread, I've acquired tools I never knew I needed because of it "just in case".

In terms of buying posh tools - better tools are a pleasure to use, and makes the job more likely to get done. However, I mostly buy nice tools when I think I'll use them more, and cheapo ones when I don't need them so much. e.g. I bought a Titan SDS drill - it's ace for what I (occasionally) use it for, and I can't justify a Makita (or similar) one. Other tools I have have been a bit more 'serious'.

[EggsBenedict]

Northernboy said:

I bought the welder and plunge saw from Lidl, both of which are now filling the boot of my SL.

I don’t have the first idea how or what to weld.

I’ve a garden stove where line of the seams is cracked, is that the sort of thing it’s designed for?

Go to Google and find your nearest Hobbygas stockist. You will need Hobbygas 5. You'll get a bottle of gas with no rental which is of manageable size for the hobbyist.

As someone else mentioned, go to local steel stockist and ask for any offcuts. Get on YouTube and see what's what. Urchfab is a good channel - look at his earlier stuff.

[EggsBenedict]

The thing with welders is that (IME) the more you can see, the better the weld.

So if you can see what you're up to, even if the welder itself isn't great, you can see the puddle and sort of adjust as you go.

The thing is, decent welding lids cost almost as much as a cheap welder.

e.g. This is the one I've got although this one looks good at the price

Sticking metal together is a bit addictive though - i'm at the end of a metal outside table build

ETA: no gas welders work, but they spatter alot and it's harder to get a decent weld than a with gas. It's worth considering an Arc welder, depending on how thick the metal you have on your metal projects is. You'll still want a decent lid though.

Edited by EggsBenedict on Tuesday 2nd November 18:24

[EggsBenedict]

I've got a portamig. It's awesome. https://www.weldequip.com/portamig-mig-welders.htm


You need a decent mask too - so much easier if you can see what you're doing. ESAB make good ones.

Hobbyweld for the gas - find your nearest stockist online. Mine is Blaze Motorsport, so when I go there I always have a bit of a chinwag about whatever interesting motor he's got on the lift.