Kit out a complete DIY workshop for £2.5k (or less if poss)

[Triggaaar]

Knowing what I know now, one thing you have missed off your list & thats a local guru.

Folks here have helped me by:

demonstrating techniques
Lent me stuff
Letting me see & use properly set up tools
Sold me (for a pittance) kit when they have upgraded
Given me kit
Bartered wood
Advised on purchases
Shoved me down slopes

Post a rough idea where you live & I bet someone local will help

I want one I want one! I've been a very good boy this year too.

I'm in Brighton.

 

[Triggaaar]

It's time to get my order in. Unless I suddenly get a great deal on the Festool, I shall be ordering the DeWalt plunge saw. I also want to order a 1/2" router, but don't really have much idea which one to get:

I would like to be able to put it in a table at a later date.

Trend T11, £280.00 (axminster) - popular on this forum, but I'd like to spend less.
EDIT - This has just come up at DM-Tools for £230, with a 1/4" collet and 2 1/2" shanks

Trend T10EK £214.95 (dm-tools, inc 1/4" collet) - is this a better value option, or missing the T11 nice features.

DeWalt DW625EK £209.94 (dm-tools, inc fine height adjuster) - still a lot of money, but seems popular

Triton TRB001 £199.95 (dm-tools, 1/4 & 1/2") - Triton also seem popular, but I don't know the pros/cons of these models

Ryobi ERT-2100V £129.95 (dm-tools, 1/2" & 1/4") - the budget option, is it worth the saving?
EDIT - just found this so it's an option. £105 delivered at ryobi direct.

All advice much appreciate, thanks

 

[Triggaaar]

Just looking at the Marples red & yellow at dm-tools. It's £50 for a set of 6, or £60 with a record smoothing plane here. Is that the same smoothing plane as they have here, and if so, does that mean the kit is a bargain, or the individual price of the plane over the top?

Thanks

 

[lurker]

I'm in Brighton.

Suggest you add that to your profile.

IMHO you would be mad buying that plane
Find an old one at boot sales or second hand shops
Or one from Classic hand tools

IIRC the is a tool store down near you - maybe someone else knows details.

Pity you are not near me as I have a fettled Stanley No. 4 going cheap (£15) but buyer collects only as I would not sell sight unseen.

 

[Triggaaar]

Suggest you add that to your profile.

Done

IMHO you would be mad buying that plane

What, for a tenner? (ie, not paying the £59 for the plane alone, as I'll be wanting a decent set of chisels)

IIRC the is a tool store down near you

I've tried to find a decent local hardware store and failed. Which brand of tool store were you thinking?

 

[Dibs-h]

It's time to get my order in. Unless I suddenly get a great deal on the Festool, I shall be ordering the DeWalt plunge saw. I also want to order a 1/2" router, but don't really have much idea which one to get:

I would like to be able to put it in a table at a later date.

Trend T11, £280.00 (axminster) - popular on this forum, but I'd like to spend less.
EDIT - This has just come up at DM-Tools for £230, with a 1/4" collet and 2 1/2" shanks

Trend T10EK £214.95 (dm-tools, inc 1/4" collet) - is this a better value option, or missing the T11 nice features.

DeWalt DW625EK £209.94 (dm-tools, inc fine height adjuster) - still a lot of money, but seems popular

Triton TRB001 £199.95 (dm-tools, 1/4 & 1/2") - Triton also seem popular, but I don't know the pros/cons of these models

Ryobi ERT-2100V £129.95 (dm-tools, 1/2" & 1/4") - the budget option, is it worth the saving?
EDIT - just found this so it's an option. £105 delivered at ryobi direct.

All advice much appreciate, thanks

I'd say get a cheap 1\4" one and get a cheap 1\2" one as well. You will end up with a few routers so you could always buy a Trend\Triton in a yrs time or so - i.e. 3rd or 4th one.#

Plane - definitely get a fittled 2nd hand one. Try Ray Iles - he always has some in. Or if you know someone in the US - try that link that someone posted up.

 

[lurker]

I've tried to find a decent local hardware store and failed. Which brand of tool store were you thinking?

My opinion is that most new stuff outside the premium range suppliers is a waste of money.

Buy old hand tools

Here is where I was thinking of.
his prices are a bit high end but at least you can avoid delivery charges
http://www.oldtools.co.uk/

 

[Triggaaar]

Ok, Mitre saw is next on the list. I've done a search and accuracy doesn't appear to be a given, so I'm not sure whether to go Sliding or not. What decent non sliding mitre saws are there, that cut a reasonable length?

I think the Makita LS1040 has too short a cut (130mm I think) for me - a bit more could tempt me away from the sliders.

The Metabo KGS255P is the cheapest of the decent ones it seems, so a good option.
The DeWalt DW770 is also an option.

What do you guys think?
Thanks

 

[jlawrence]

I think you should seriously consider looking at 2nd equipment.
My main tools consist of:
scms (DW707) picked up for £100 (iirc on fleabay).
P/T - fox something or other bought within this forum.
Axminster ts200 - just about the only thing bought brand new.
Trend T11 - picked up for £100 of fleabay.
Delta bandsaw - picked up for £75 of fleabay.
bench drill - can't remember where I got this from but it was under £50.
morticer - from Aldi (about £40 iirc).
c/s - from Tescos (£15 iirc).
extractor - Rexon thing (from fleabay).
macalister shop vac - £30 from B&Q.
various dewalt drills.

I've got most of the 'big' machines that I think I'll likely need. I know that some of them could be considered disposable - but they suit me whilst I learn how I'm supposed to use them.

 

[FatFreddysCat]

DeWalt DW625EK £209.94 (dm-tools, inc fine height adjuster) - still a lot of money, but seems popular

So it should be. Been around ages (started life as the Elu MOF1877e back in the 1980s), relatively little to go wrong and repairable if it ever does (try getting spares for Freud, Ryobi or Makita and you'll see what I mean).

Ryobi ERT-2100V £129.95 (dm-tools, 1/2" & 1/4") - the budget option, is it worth the saving?
EDIT - just found this so it's an option. £105 delivered at ryobi direct.

Big and powerful, but not well made and with some annoying limitations (like the way you need to hold the power switch on at all times). Check that you can get 16mm and 30mm guide bushes if you intend to do much template routing (e.g. hinge routing, etc) because adding a sub base robs you of 5 to 10mm of cut depth.

Depending on use you may not need a 1/2in router to start with. Lock recesses are probably best drilled and chiselled rather than router whilst hinge recesses and the like can be done using a lower cost laminate trimmer to hog out waste to a consistentl depth before finishing with a chisel. That's what I like about woodworking. More than one way to skin a cat

I think that your list is reasonable, though I'd like to add a few caveats. Get the best block plane you can afford - Veritas or Lie-Nielsen if you can stretch to that - they really are worth the extra. Add a cheap 4-sided diamond hone for sharpening it (and the chisels). They can be got for under a tenner and are excellent value. Unlike petermillard I'm wary of Marples lollipops (red/yellow chisels). They used to be good when they were made here in the UK, but now they're made God only knows where and seem to be a lot softer - don't know anyone who's bought and been happy with the newer ones. I'm trying Stanley Fat Max chisels myself as an alternative which at least have the plus of having a through tang and metal striker cap so hitting with a hammer won't kill them (don't know how well they'll last yet). For door hanging I'd suggest that you'll need a 16/18mm and a 38mm at least. I still need to carry a couple of second hand paring chisels and a couple of old chisels now ground to the length of butt chisels for getting into awkward spaces such as door casings in room corners. If you're doing the skirtings in addition to doors you'll also need a coping saw to do the scribes

 

[petermillard]

I'm wary of Marples lollipops (red/yellow chisels). They used to be good when they were made here in the UK...

Very fair point actually - the ones I've used were all older and UK-made. I wasn't ware they'd shifted production, but almost inevitable when you think about it; even Bahco's aren't made in Sweden any more.

Cheers, Pete

 

[Triggaaar]

So it should be. Been around ages (started life as the Elu MOF1877e back in the 1980s), relatively little to go wrong and repairable if it ever does

Understood, and same as the trend T11 I believe, which at the current price is what I'd go for - but I've managed to secure a loan 1/2" Hitachi for now, so I can wait for the right one to come up, or just hang on to the Hitachi.

Get the best block plane you can afford - Veritas or Lie-Nielsen if you can stretch to that - they really are worth the extra.

I don't think I'll use it enough to justify that, but I take the point.

Unlike petermillard I'm wary of Marples lollipops (red/yellow chisels). They used to be good when they were made here in the UK, but now they're made God only knows where and seem to be a lot softer - don't know anyone who's bought and been happy with the newer ones.

Very fair point actually - the ones I've used were all older and UK-made. I wasn't ware they'd shifted production, but almost inevitable when you think about it; even Bahco's aren't made in Sweden any more.

Ah, now you tell me. Just ordered the Red and Yellow chisels and a Bahco combi square, due for delivery tomorrow.

 

[petermillard]

Ah, now you tell me. Just ordered the Red and Yellow chisels and a Bahco combi square, due for delivery tomorrow.

Well, FFC may have made a valid point (though as a general aside I do wonder what his pals are doing with their chisels to be so unhappy...) but I stand by what I said - red & yellow Marples are a pretty safe bet for general work, and the Bahco combi squares are good for the money.

Let us know how they all work out.

Cheers, Pete

 

[dannykaye]

I hate to think what my tools are worth, but they grow over the years. With £2.5 k I would get heating/humidity, dust removal and a nice workbench sorted out, then buy tools as either you need them or you see something at a good price on ebay etc. Once you have a nice set up you will start to do more work and tools will arrive, for example I have around 100 planes, spokeshaves etc, at £20 each on average there is a large chunk of your £2k5 gone but you will not use most of them at first. If you get a set of chisels, smoother/jack/try planes, gauges saws and hammers/mallets you will buy others as you need them

 

[Triggaaar]

With £2.5 k I would get heating/humidity, dust removal and a nice workbench sorted out, then buy tools as either you need them or you see something at a good price on ebay etc.

I don't have 2.5k burning a hole - I'm needing a few things now (like a circular saw and router) and I wanted a better idea of the majority of what I'd need, before I blew £500 on a TS55, only to find I couldn't then afford some more fundamental items. Your point about heating and humidity is an appropriate one, as at the moment my workshop resembles a cold sauner. The workbench will take me time, and there's some jobs I need to get on with.

My cold and damp workshop:
The floor is damp proof and not insulated, and that's the way I want it to stay (I've levelled it and finished it nicely and will put bits of rubber down if I need to for comfort).
One wall is ply and adjoins the guest house, and is insulated.
The small front wall is largely a pair of FLBs.
The other two walls are single skin brick and wet through. It was built with brick because they are just an inch or 2 from boundary brick walls, so cannot be maintained.
The roof is uninsulated, sloping with a breathable membrane and fake slates on top.

I could fix the wet bricks (water based epoxy paint). I could also add a tiny bit of insulation to these walls, and put some insulation flat across the ceiling. I will still have to stop condensation, with some combination of de-humidifier, fan, heater.

My architect suggests I just 2x1 batten the damp bricks and stick ply on the indide, and where a jumper when working in the winter. I don't fancy trying to do wood work with no heating in there. My father in law just uses a fan heater set at 7 degrees in his poorly insulated pottery workshop.

I was thinking:
1) fix the damp walls with paint
2) Insulate them a little, and insulate the roof
3) Install either/both a humidity controled bathroom style fan and dehumidifier set at an appropriate level (I have one anyway)
4) Using a fan heater or so when I'm in there and it's cold, but otherwise letting it freeze in there, with the above stopping the rust

Any suggestions?

 

[dannykaye]

I use an oil filled radiator to keep a base level of heat in the shop, if it gets cold and damp cast iron rusts like crazy

 

[FatFreddysCat]

Well, FFC may have made a valid point (though as a general aside I do wonder what his pals are doing with their chisels to be so unhappy...)

Sharpening them - a bit too often. Put simply they don't hold an edge terribly well, especially on hardwoods.

 

[Triggaaar]

but I stand by what I said - red & yellow Marples are a pretty safe bet for general work, and the Bahco combi squares are good for the money.

Put simply they don't hold an edge terribly well, especially on hardwoods.

Well the Bahco combi is as square as I'm capable of telling, and that was cheap, so I'm happy there (I did try and pick up one of the multi combi squares from b&q, but the last 2 were both missing bits). I'm now concerned about using the chisels. I didn't want to spend £50 on some temporary chisels (already have some drapers that do that job), if they're not going to last I'd rather spend more.

if it gets cold and damp cast iron rusts like crazy

Indeed, I don't want any of my nice new tools getting damaged. Speaking of which, my kitchen table is now supporting a lovely pair of guide rails. I just wish I didn't have so many stupid little jobs to finish before I could start with this lovely saw.

 

[Triggaaar]

Chisels:

Well I've been researching for comments on the new Marples chisels. I've found lots, but nothing particularly good. I would like the set to use both for site work and some slightly finer work (really don't want two nice ish sets, and have old drapers if it's really rough work) and I wonder whether they should be good enough, or if I'm better trying to return them (to DM-tools) and getting a set like Kirschen (Two Cherries) for £83?

What do ya think chaps?

 

[petermillard]

I'm now concerned about using the chisels.

Well, that's one way of making sure they stay sharp... :lol:

Dude, you've had lots of advice, lots of opinions, on this thread and all the others; from your previous comments re. the type of work you want to do, I suspect your chisel usage will be more like mine (general woodbutchery) than FFCs appears to be, so (and I'll say this just once more) I think that for general use, the Marples will be fine.

BUT...

If you're at all uneasy with them based on your recent research, then chuck them back to D&M and get something else. Whatever you end up with, though, I'll virtually guarantee that they won't be the last chisels you buy.

Cheers, Pete.