Help! Power tools for beginners???

[geordiejones36]

Hi All,

I am new to the forum and new to woodworking. I want to get into woodworking as a hobby (if i was any good i think i'd love to do it as my profession but it's early days ).

I have read on various web sites a beginners list of power tools but what i really want to know is what are the best brands of power tools for a beginner/hobbiest like myself?

I have 3 samll children so i don't have a lot of spare money or time which is why i probably wouldn't want to spend more than £50 per power tool? Could anyone offer advice on brands or where i could pick up second hand tools (other than ebay)?

I already have a cordless and corded drill so i gues i would be looking at;

- circular saw
- jigsaw
- orbital or belt sander
- compound mitre saw
- router

Please also advise me on the order of importance.

Thanks alot

Mark

 

[barkwindjammer]

Hello and welcome to the forum Mark-fellow woodnoob here too, as far what you should buy in any particular order ?, really depends on what kind of things you'd like to make ?, woodwork has endless avenues it seems-best to start small projects to get practise-boxes, step stools, mug tree, the list goes on

tools in order of purchase

Circ saw - its gonna cost for a good one that should last your lifetime really

jigsaw-a cheapo argos or B&Q will suffice (Lidl too)

Orbital/belt/detail sander- as above

Router-try to spend good money here (most of the cheapos are dire)

Compound mitre saw- "Woaf" ! :shock: you've got a family to feed


Jim

 

[Chataigner]

Very difficult to answer until we know what you hope to make.

General observations :

A cheap and cheerful orbital sander will make a lot of noise, vibration and dust, but will sand.
Router likewise, a cheap one may vibrate and not last long, but you can work with it.
A cheap and cheerful compound mitre saw is a complete waste of money because play and flexing will cause inaccurate and inconsistent cuts. IMO nothing much under £350 cost new is likely to give worthwhile results.
As for a circular saw, I presume you mean a hand held, in which case again, a cheap one may be noisy and vibrate a lot and not last long, but it is useable (especially if you put a decent after market blade in it) for freehand roughing out to size. If you mean a table saw, a cheap one will give you nothing but misery. Same as the compound mitre saw, consistent and accurate results require solid engineering and that cant be had cheap.

You do not mention a planer/thicknesser. A fairly expensive item, but essential for power working unless you limit yourself to pre planed timber in standard sizes. If the budget does not run to one of these (£1000 or so minimum) then why not buy some good second hand planes and learn to work with hand planes? It's not as quick, but it's quieter, less dusty and much more satisfying once you get the hang of it. Sharpening is a key skill, but there are lots of good articles on the subject. After all, power tools are a recent innovation, all the fine antiques you see selling for thousands were made with hand tools.....

Bon courage!

 

[Pond]

Hi,

I am new to this woodworking too, but am a tradesman (just not carpentry) and have bought power and hand tools for years.

I am not generally a fan of very cheap tools, as you generally get what you pay for. However, Screwfix's Erbauer range tend to be pretty good for the money.

I have an Erbauer large router and a Trend (expensive) small one. The Erbauer is a much better tool.

Ebay, or the 'for sale' area on forums such as this are definitely the best places (and about the only places nowadays) for finding second hand tools. You do need to know what you are bidding on with ebay, as it is infamous for the "costs £5,000 new" quote.

You also have to ask yourself, and them, why are they selling a 'perfect working order' tool?

 

[geordiejones36]

Hi All,

Thanks for your comments/advice.

To begin with my aspirations would be to make furniture for my own/family use e.g. bookcase/shelves/stool/maybe a bench for the kids. Basically i'd like to make solid furniture that would stand the test of my kids but i wouldn't expect to sell anything. I have no idea if i will be any good at woodworking but if i showed some competence then i'd love to be able to make chairs and tables. Then i would probably need to invest in a good quality table saw/compound mitre saw/planer or thicknesser.

So i think i'm looking at a hand held circular saw, jigsaw, orbital sander and a router.

I assume there are methods/tools as alternatives to the compound mitre saw?

Does anyone else have any views on Erbauer, i think i would be looking at this end of the scale or the sort of tools you could pick up from the likes of b&q.

Cheers

Mark

 

[andyw]

Hi Mark,

for the mitre saw, you could look at an older dewalt 700 or 707, I've had my 700 for ten years. I looked at changing it last year and the new equivalent would have been around £400 and inferior. Instead had it serviced ,plus the blade sharpened, and for £60 it came back as good as new, so if you can pick one up on ebay for £100 it's looking good.

Alternatively have a look at this thread, guy around Sheffield does recon Hitachi SCMS on ebay.
new-scms-t40469-15.html

 

[goldeneyedmonkey]

Hi Mark,

I'd echo what people are saying about cheap tools, don't bother mate. They will only give you grief, if you don't notice something is out of square and then go through a whole batch of timber it's a right ball ache to say the least :twisted: !. Get decent quality 2nd hand stuff from the 'Bay or forums, if from forums and from other woodworkers you can be generally safe in thinking that it's been fairly well looked after, and you can get decent images of the item from them (in my experience anyway).
I recommend Makita for powertools and mitre saws, if you can afford to get some of these second hand I would go for it. Plus you don't have to pay VAT on 2nd hand tools, which as everyone knows has just gone up and people seem to be adding other rises into this new price rise as well.
IMHO steer clear of Ryobi, I've had a jigsaw from them and a mate of mine has had a drill and they are pants.

Google Product Search is your friend to see how much a certain model of equipment is when new. Also take a look at reviews of products, and search on this forum for peoples opinions.

Hope that's of some help, Cheers _Dan.

 

[Pond]

I would not buy anything toolwise from the sheds (B&Q etc). They are not cheap.

If you spend £30 on a tool from a shed, the same quality item (and usually the same tool but badged as something else) will be available for say £20 elsewhere.

Tools are a very subjective matter, some like some makes, others don't. I like my Erbauer router cos it works well, is very powerful and was £70. If it packs up when I do some serious work with it, I will say Erbauer are rubbish!

For example I know people who will only buy DeWalt cordless drills. I had one a few years ago and it lasted six months before the gearbox fell apart, therefore I won't buy DeWalt cordless, but love DeWalt mitre saws because they cut square and the angles are pretty accurate! I will only buy Makita cordless as they have always been reliable for me.

You can buy a compound mitre saw for £30 which looks just like one for £600, but it won't cut accurately, so what's the point?

With general power tools it is usually differences in the quality of motors and gearboxes that make the vast difference in price.

Have a long look on Screwfix's website and look at the customer reviews for the price range of tools you want, this will give a good indication.

For a member of the public without trade discounts you will struggle to get the same tools cheaper than Screwfix. Their customer service is also very good, they deliver next day and free if over £50!

 

[geordiejones36]

Hi Guys,

Thanks again for all the advice.

I have already started scanning ebay for items sold used or for pick up only. I think this is probably the best route for me to get some decent tools as i can't afford to pay £100's for new.

it's been a while since i have looked at screwfix but i will make an effort to check out what they have in for my price range, i think i will just have to try and build up my tools over time as and when i can.

Cheers

Mark

 

[Pond]

Mark,

A good way to go. Also, if you get something you don't like or not up to the job you can always sell it on with very little lost!

Good luck and keep us posted! :wink:

 

[goldeneyedmonkey]

For a member of the public without trade discounts you will struggle to get the same tools cheaper than Screwfix. Their customer service is also very good, they deliver next day and free if over £50!

I would beg to differ there, I'd in fact say the complete opposite. Screwfix is very EXPENSIVE.

Take for example this DeWalt Combi Drill, in Screwfix for £380. On Ebay here for £140 less @ £240. Both those prices are delivered and as the Ebay item is new then you will get a full warranty with it as well. You can pay an extra £20 and get it from King Tools if you are wary about buying off Ebay. But I don't think you should be as it's a NEW item and not used so yo will still get a manufacturers warranty with it.

Buy all means look @ sites like screwfix, toolstop, toolstation & D&M tools to find the model you want, but then use Ebay & if you want to buy new Google Product Search (filter by cheapest first and scroll down).

Cheers _Dan.