Tooling up

[Anonymous]

I've justed started woodworking lessons and I'm now in the process of building up a tool kit,trouble is I don't know the best place to go to find them.Places like Wicks and Homebase only seem to stock their own brand or Stanley made items which my tutor did'nt seem too impressed with so could anyone tell me of any suppliers,web based or not,that they recommend? At the moment I'm after a decent Dove tail saw,priced at no more than thirty pounds.I don't even know what brands I should be looking at so any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Charley]

Hi Chip,

Welcome to the forums

Your right to stay away from the DIY shed's own brands of tools. If you haven’t guessed by now in woodworking you should always buy the best you can afford. Although saying that we bought a Wicks palm sander about 6 years ago for £15 that did a good job at sanding 5 floors of Banister rails and only died last year.

One of the biggest woodworking suppliers is Axminster Power Tools (APTC) they sell everything from the big machines to wood finishs. Go to http://www.axminster.co.uk and order a catlague they have got an online store but it’s a bit slow sometimes and doesn't seem to list all their products. Once you get the catalouge look after it as this will become one of your woodworking bibles

Here are some other links to woodworking shops:

Rutlands - http://www.rutlands.co.uk

D&M Tools - http://www.dm-tools.co.uk

ScrewFix - http://www.screwfix.com

Xpress Construction - http://www.xpressconstruction.com

Hope this helps,

 

[Anonymous]

Great,thanks for the links.I'll check them out!

 

[sawdustalley]

Yes, I completley agree with Mr Fell, Axminster is the way to go.

If your looking for hand tools, try getting some old ones (Boot sales etc..). Make sure they are in fairly good condition, and ask your tutor how to clean them up.

The old hand tools are often the best, unless you want to spend £100's on some posh Lie-Neilson hand planes from axminster.

If you looking for powertools, a few basic begginers tools that you should consider....

• a GOOD cordless drill, can cost around £100, but they are well worth it.
• A router, maybe a small one. These are great! (www.trendm.co.uk)
• A palm sander
• Maybe a belt or Random orbit sander

[/list]

 

[Anonymous]

Strange thing is that none of them seem to stock dovetail saws and trying to find one is proving rather difficult.Does anyone stock them,I've search thorough various sites but can't seem to find one? :S

 

[Anonymous]

Chip,

Axminster stock a whole range of saws suitable for dovetailing. However, unless there's a pressing reason not to, I suggest you try a japanese saw. They are often found to be easier to use for the beginner. Something like http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?part=1107029 or maybe http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?part=1107010 If you have to go with a western type, then hope your tutor knows of a good saw doctor (or knows what he or she is doing themselves). They always come with too much set, and are seldom "ready to go". You'll probably also want to reshape the handle if you don't want blisters. Alternatively, if you do know of a good saw doc, you could buy an old saw from Ebay or a dealer and have it sharpened up. Easy to make a mistake and buy a dud when you're learning though. The Jap saw is probably the path of least difficulty.

Cheers, Jester

 

[Anonymous]

I'm a bit baffled as to why they are a funny shape.The ones we use in our class look just like tenon saws but have a finer blade.

 

[sawdustalley]

Japanese saws are different than the more traditional tennon saw. The ones you are probably using are known as 'Gents saws'

Japanese saws do a great job, and are really great.

Click the image to read my review on one...