Recent content by chrispuzzle

I replaced the little pin which sheared off, but I haven't needed to do anything more than that. The router bit bearing idea sounds excellent.

By "fiddly blade change" I mean that it is slower when you have to do a lot of internal cuts, which is what the OP was asking about. This is improved with a Hegner-style thumb-wheel, as I said. I have used the Axminster for many years now and it is still going strong, and I wouldn't be parted...

Axminster's Hegner clone has a fiddly blade change until you buy Hegner-style clamps for it (Hegner's are compatible), at which point the blade change is much improved. I suppose otherwise the saws formerly known as Excalibur, now sold by Axminster, are your best bet if you don't want to fork...

FD blades are manufactured by Niqua, yes, but they are very different from the Niqua "Yellow Label" blades sold by Hobbies. As you say, Niqua do a huge range of blades, of which Hobbies in the UK only sell one 'marque'.

I use a Worx for drilling mostly softwood. I like the ease of use and the batteries give plenty of juice. The chuck does work loose easily so I am used to tightening it up after each hole is drilled. Convenient for light work, wouldn't want to use it to drill concrete or steel.

I do like the bench hook idea. Kind of lateral thinking and very simple. And you can set it up with whatever angles you need.

It's mostly 90 degree straight cuts for butt joints but also mitres. The project at hand is just model railway baseboards but I'd do more work with angles if I didn't hate the plastic box so much!

Thanks for all the advice. I have to admit I didn't somehow didn't think of Amazon! The bench hook method seems very sensible as does the Sellars video - he makes everything seem so simple.

I am fed up with my cheap Stanley plastic mitre box. It is OK for the basic stuff I do with it but it makes a horrible scraping sound against the bench top and I don't trust it with clamps. What recommendations do workshoppers have for mitre boxes and is it sensible simply to make one by hand...

Four years late, I know, but that's my Meccano fretsaw - I built the first version, oh, about ten years ago now, while waiting for an auction for a Diamond scrollsaw to come around. I failed to secure the Diamond so I bought an AWFS18 instead. Since then I have toured the Meccano saw at many...

Don't worry, nearly everybody gets rid of the guard! Once you get some top quality blades you'll be even more pleased.

The Black and Decker KW900EKA seems to be heavily discounted at the moment - Big Red Toolbox has it for £46, for example. I need a (first) router primarily for box-making - rebates, grooving, roundovers and possibly cutting circular workpieces (for jigsaw puzzles). Is this a good buy or are...

It's when people call it a jig saw that it gets really irritating...

Yes, the Hobbies yellow label blades are by Niqua. Examining the teeth under a lens, the Hobbies blade teeth are slightly less regular in profile than, for example, Flying Dutchman. I find that leads to a less aggressive cut, which is useful especially when cutting very light materials. So I...

You may well be right, Gill. I have done all the maths on the workpiece and the prospect is extremely daunting. I'd need stands on either side of the table, for a start, to support the workpiece and these would probably have to be custom made as well. It's a jigsaw puzzle project, of course...