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

[Dibs-h]

I'll virtually guarantee that they won't be the last chisels you buy.

Cheers, Pete.

Yep - so true, but true of almost all hand tools me thinks.

 

[Triggaaar]

Dude, you've had lots of advice, lots of opinions, on this thread and all the others

And I appreciate all the advice - it's not like I'm only buying chisels here.

Whatever you end up with, though, I'll virtually guarantee that they won't be the last chisels you buy.

Yep - so true, but true of almost all hand tools me thinks.

Aye, but I was hoping not to be buying more chisels for a while, this spending spree has got to be kept under some sort of control.

Been using the DeWalt Plunge Saw today - what a marvelous invention that was. First fixing a wet room I made some ply boxing (3m x 1m 0.1m) and fitted an 18mm ply floor (3m x 1m) and the saw was a great help. Particularly when I found the shower grate had wandered to one side and I had to plunge cut the finished floor so the waste pipe and grate would shift a little.

I'm a little disappointed with the method of joining two rails though. The idea is simple (metal rod inserted into both rails and tightened from beneath with screws), but I have to issues with it. Firstly the rod doesn't fit into the rails that tightly, so once fixed the rails may not be perfectly in line (I straighten the rails up with a straight edge). This maybe also happen with the other brands, I don't know. And secondly, when you tighten the screws on the bar with an alan key, you can easily dent the aluminium rail by over-tightening them. All that's needed to fix this issue (IMO) is to have the screws made for a smaller alan key, which will encourage users to use less force when tightening them.

Those little points asside though, it's an absolute joy. Looking forward to using it again.

 

[Dibs-h]

Whatever you end up with, though, I'll virtually guarantee that they won't be the last chisels you buy.

Yep - so true, but true of almost all hand tools me thinks.

Aye, but I was hoping not to be buying more chisels for a while, this spending spree has got to be kept under some sort of control.

I'd leave the chisels for now - just sharpen up the ones you have. I'd much rather "ruin" rubbish chisels learning how to sharpen than ruin some expensive ones.

"Under control" - is that SWIMBO terminology? :wink: Ask the chaps on here - the only time they'd mention that in regard to spending is in a converstion with Wifey person. Which is usually in one ear and out the other. Or involves smuggling tools into the house and hiding them. :wink:

 

[jlawrence]

I'd leave the chisels for now - just sharpen up the ones you have. I'd much rather "ruin" rubbish chisels learning how to sharpen than ruin some expensive ones.

Until you get the hang of sharpening them it's very easy to 'ruin' chisels (oh and plane blades as well). I've finally managed to get my #4 plane blade straight at the end, and typically just as I was finishing a short lapse in concentration saw too much pressure and a bit of the end turned blue .

Or involves smuggling tools into the house and hiding them. :wink:

And I thought I was the only one to do that. I did manage to smuggle a table saw in, the old one out and got away with it. swmbo couldn't tell the difference between them - to her it had a blade so was the same thing

 

[Dibs-h]

And I thought I was the only one to do that. I did manage to smuggle a table saw in, the old one out and got away with it. s

Top tip - don't stash them all in the same place - she's bound to explode if she saw them all togther. One here, another there - preferably a mix of upstairs and downstairs - you'll be fine. :wink:

edit - I am not for 1 minute suggesting you steal from the household budget and make un-authorised and illicit purchases.

 

[jlawrence]

Mine are all in the one place - out in the workshop. I think the trick is to get rid of the boxes asap before they get noticed.
It's a shame that they don't always understand the need for something new

 

[Triggaaar]

I'd much rather "ruin" rubbish chisels learning how to sharpen than ruin some expensive ones.

Good point. There are those sharpening sheets, or maybe a faithful 4 sided stone (or is that not good enough?) and I'll practice on my old chisels.

"Under control" - is that SWIMBO terminology? :wink: Ask the chaps on here - the only time they'd mention that in regard to spending is in a converstion with Wifey person.

A bit of both really. Not got much money at the moment, so have to justify it to me too. I can justify I fair bit though, since it's cheaper than getting a chippie to do it.

I think the trick is to get rid of the boxes asap before they get noticed.
It's a shame that they don't always understand the need for something new

Those exact sentances are probably being used between our other halves on the subject of clothes.

 

[dannykaye]

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.

Have a look at the two cherries brand, I have a box set and have been very happy with them, I paid £55 about 5 years ago and they are £83 now...

http://www.axminster.co.uk/recno/1/prod ... -22471.htm

 

[dannykaye]

Top tip - don't stash them all in the same place - she's bound to explode if she saw them all together. One here, another there - preferably a mix of upstairs and downstairs - you'll be fine. :wink:.

an American aquaintance collects vintage tools, only in his case they are tractors. He kept buying an old one in need of tlc and building a small shed on his LARGE farm. He would then drive off with one of his pristine restored tractors saying right this one is being sold to pay for the repairs of the new one, drive down the road and park it in the new shed.

All was well until she went to stay with her mother for a week so he decided to photograph his collection of 44 tractors. To cut the story short she came back early just as he got the last one in the field by the house posed for the pictures

 

[FatFreddysCat]

This maybe also happen with the other brands, I don't know.

Unfortunately, yes, other brands can suffer from this. Even the mighty Festool (which start quite tight in my experience) which uses TWO connector bars isn't immune.

And secondly, when you tighten the screws on the bar with an alan key, you can easily dent the aluminium rail by over-tightening them. All that's needed to fix this issue (IMO) is to have the screws made for a smaller alan key, which will encourage users to use less force when tightening them.

Would it, though? And does it really matter that much? In use you'll end up dinging the corners and possibly even chew off a bit of edge here and there over time. Sorry if you find that depressing, but it's what happens even with careful use

As to the chisels, a lot of my recent work is cutting into oak and ash. I use Stanley Fat Max XL chisels which probably aren't a lot better than the lollipops - but they do have the advantage of having a through tang so I can belt away all day with a hammer without totalling the handles. Very useful on installation work (especially mortise locks).

I'd much rather "ruin" rubbish chisels learning how to sharpen than ruin some expensive ones.

Good point. There are those sharpening sheets, or maybe a faithful 4 sided stone (or is that not good enough?) and I'll practice on my old chisels.

But if you start out with rubbish chisels (i.e. ones which won't take/hold an edge) how will you know when you've "mastered" the art of sharpening? BTW the Faithfull cheapo 4-sider is perfectly good for chisels, and really cheap

I think the trick is to get rid of the boxes asap before they get noticed.

A bit difficult when you go out shopping on a Friday evening and have to unload the boot of the car first! She still doesn't believe me when I tell her that "I need it for the job, love" :roll:

 

[Dibs-h]

But if you start out with rubbish chisels (i.e. ones which won't take/hold an edge) how will you know when you've "mastered" the art of sharpening? BTW the Faithfull cheapo 4-sider is perfectly good for chisels, and really cheap

My take on that would be better chisels take a better edge and hold it far longer, i.e. whilst being used.

At this point I'm not after "mastering" the art of sharpening - just being competent in it enought that when chopping mortices\etc. the chisel\s cut the fibres as opposed to crush them.

 

[Triggaaar]

Unfortunately, yes, other brands can suffer from this. Even the mighty Festool (which start quite tight in my experience) which uses TWO connector bars isn't immune.

I guess I'll just stick to using a straight edge to check the join, no biggie, thanks.

Would it, though? And does it really matter that much? In use you'll end up dinging the corners and possibly even chew off a bit of edge here and there over time.

Fair point, just didn't seem to be a good thing when I noticed it.

Made some nice and sharp cuts in 40mm walnut today, lovely saw.

Time to buy a sliding mitre saw. I'm struggling to find reviews of the DW777 and Bosch GCM8S. Plenty of reviews of earlier DWs, but with mitre saws past performance does not seem to be a reliable indication of current models. There's also the less powerful DW770, which I also can't find much info on.

Anyone know about these models?

Thanks

 

[jlawrence]

I don't know those models.
My DW707 seems pretty accurate to me - certainly accurate enough for getting wood close enough to plane.

 

[Triggaaar]

Thanks. The DW712 was supposed to be very accurate too. The only review I've found of the DW777 is on screwfix - 2 out of 5 stars and reads
carlo1
"Bought this to replace 12yr old delta which was great. Normally big fan of dewalt with 7 products. However if you are thinking of this machine beware the price is just the start. Firstly it does not come with dust extraction kit. Hours on Internet found dust collection kit ,further £30. But that's just the pipes , because its 100mm, need either 100mm dust extraction unit ( cheapest i got was record dust unit at £139 ) or many adapters to get down to vacuum size. Also no material clamp, nearest match i could find was a further £40. Suggest stick with other mitre machines which come complete ,unless like me your £319 becomes over £500"

It's a bit tricky to base a decision on one review, does anyone know if dust extraction isn't an option without buying extra parts?

Meanwhile the bosch has four 5* reviews on screwfix, but looking at the photos I'm guessing it's not as suitable for use on a bench in a thin workshop.

 

[petermillard]

It's a bit tricky to base a decision on one review...

Don't do it. When I was looking for my first serious mitre saw I scoured the reviews religiously and had my heart set on one particular model; purely by chance I got my hands on one at a trade show and hated it; everything about it was wrong for me - the handle position, the trigger, the slide action was nasty, it was awkward to carry. I bought something else that 'felt' right and I'm still using it ~10 years on.

...does anyone know if dust extraction isn't an option without buying extra parts?

OK, fair warning: I don't know the answer and haven't seen the saw you're asking about in the flesh, but…

Looking at the pictures & videos, the 777 seems to have an extraction port on the blade guard as well as the usual one immediately behind the blade; judging by the contents of the DeWalt Dust Kits - here and here - there may well be a third port to connect to as well, hence the need for a 'kit' rather than just plugging in a vac. Nothing to stop you just plugging in a vac of course, but obviously you're only extracting from a single port...

Finding those dust kits took a ten-second Google search btw, so at a guess, I'd say the numpty on Screwfix just bought the wrong size. <shrug>

My two-penneth

Cheers, Pete.

 

[big soft moose]

I think the trick is to get rid of the boxes asap before they get noticed.
It's a shame that they don't always understand the need for something new

Those exact sentances are probably being used between our other halves on the subject of clothes.

my other half just spent over a hundred notes on kitchen knives , apparently this expenditure was "necessary" because "the cheap ones dont last" and " these are made from better quality steel so stay sharp for longer" I think she was expecting an argument but i just smiled and nodded....

.... care to guess what my justification for buying a clifton no.6 is going to be

 

[Triggaaar]

When I was looking for my first serious mitre saw I scoured the reviews religiously and had my heart set on one particular model; purely by chance I got my hands on one at a trade show and hated it; everything about it was wrong for me - the handle position, the trigger, the slide action was nasty, it was awkward to carry. I bought something else that 'felt' right and I'm still using it ~10 years on.

I've found somewhere locally that has the DeWalt on display, so I'm off to check it tomorrow or Sat.

Looking at the pictures & videos, the 777 seems to have an extraction port on the blade guard as well as the usual one immediately behind the blade; judging by the contents of the DeWalt Dust Kits - here and here - there may well be a third port to connect to as well, hence the need for a 'kit' rather than just plugging in a vac. Nothing to stop you just plugging in a vac of course, but obviously you're only extracting from a single port...

Thanks, those kits aren't too much, and obviously you can buy the one that fits your extraxtor. It's then a question of whether these kits take the dust extraction beyond the other saws (which would be nice) or if the kit is required just to bring the standard to the same point.

my other half just spent over a hundred notes on kitchen knives , apparently this expenditure was "necessary" because "the cheap ones dont last"

I agree, nice to have some lovely kitchen knives. She's one of us!

.... care to guess what my justification for buying a clifton no.6 is going to be

 

[Dibs-h]

my other half just spent over a hundred notes on kitchen knives , apparently this expenditure was "necessary" because "the cheap ones dont last" and " these are made from better quality steel so stay sharp for longer" I think she was expecting an argument but i just smiled and nodded....
D

She's damn right - after years of rubbish and sharpening, I splashed on a 6/7 piece Sabatier, haven't had to re-sparpen one yet and they were bought some time ago.

Mind you it's not like I use them much.

 

[Triggaaar]

Looks like I'll be getting the DeWalt DW777. Only bevels one way, but is ideally suited to going against a wall in a thin workshop and looks decent. I'll get a dust extraction kit (I get the feeling this provides better dust extraction than is standard on other machines), I've just got to choose 35mm or 100mm. I'm assuming 35mm, but I'd better look into some extractors first.

Dust Extraction:
I'm considering the £90 Earlex, are there many decent alternatives at that price point, or should I be looking for something better?

It'll mainly be used with portable power tools, possibly a PT in the future, but only for a part time hobbyist, rather than a full time pro.

Thanks

 

[OPJ]

I can't think of anything wrong with your choice of extractor. Those Earlex ones aren't bad for the money and, if I remember correctly, they do have power tool take-off, which is a real boon. :wink:

To be honest though, dust extraction from most mitre saws (particularly the sliding ones) isn't all that great no matter what extractor you buy.