What should my next powertool spend be?

[glenfield2]

......... I'm dung with hand tools......Never mastered how to sharpen them either........

Those two statements are directly connected. If you can't sharpen, you can't use a handtool. Full stop.

I've worked with a friend on a boat. I follow a few boat builds on Youtube. For the life of me I can't begin to imagine how you could work on one without handtools. I'm no handtool fanatic, but they are indispensable.

Of the other advice you've had, the router table is going to make the biggest transformation to your woodworking. If you are going to be doing raised panels and scribed end-grain joints, then you'll need a half inch machine. Don't listen to anyone who says you need a bought router table, or even a manufactured insert. It's a flat bit of wood (ply, MDF etc) with a hole in it, a router underneath and the cutter sticking through, and a simple fence. That's an afternoons work to make yourself. A micro-adjusting router lift is dead easy too..........home made again.

Thisis pretty much what I did with my motley collection of tools and a supply of chisels that I'm afraid I steadily wrecked and replaced.
The rooflight was built by a proper joiner and the back cabin was largely okay but all the rest was done with oak veneered ply and solid oak framing (made from de-tongue and grooved top grade oak flooring). Took a while!

 

[Westwood]

Not sure that any responses addressed your query about which jigsaw.
I've had a Bosch one for over ten years and its a great bit of kit, variable speed so slow start. Works excellently with regular blade changes. I wouldn't use anything else. Its a GST 135 BCE model. Corded. I've had it a while so I guess Bosch do a later one now. Maybe a cordless one would be good if you're out and about or on a boat

 

[worn thumbs]

I may be in a minority on this site but I find router tables rather scary.I would find working in a boat without a jigsaw impossible,but it has to be a good one.I would suggest you hire or borrow one for a day or two to see what you can do with a quality item.Bosch,Makita,Festool or Mafell are my top brands and the judicious use of the pendulum action combined with the right blade can allow you to do amazing things.

 

[Grawschbags]

I'd recommend track saw also. On it's own it won't do much more than your circular saw/guide, but if you pair it with some kind of MFT style top, it will transform the way you work with sheet goods. You can work far more accurately.

A setup like this - https://www.axminster.co.uk/ujk-technol ... ogs-717978 and a good track saw will be within your budget, plus a few accessories - clamps, dogs etc. Now you have a portable work bench/clamping station as well.

I've never owned a table saw, and since having the track saw and mft, I see no reason to have one for the stuff I do.

 

[Marineboy]

I forgot to mention the track saw’s dust extraction capability. I have used mine in the living room with virtually zero dust being emitted.

 

[nabs]

I forgot to mention the track saw’s dust extraction capability. I have used mine in the living room with virtually zero dust being emitted.

that is a good point, over the years I have used both a tracksaw and circular saw/guide on various diy jobs and the dust extraction on the former is a real benefit, particularly if like many of us you have to work in a small space. Festool, although very expensive, seem to be particularly good at this aspect.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Not sure that any responses addressed your query about which jigsaw.
I've had a Bosch one for over ten years and its a great bit of kit, variable speed so slow start. Works excellently with regular blade changes. I wouldn't use anything else. Its a GST 135 BCE model. Corded. I've had it a while so I guess Bosch do a later one now. Maybe a cordless one would be good if you're out and about or on a boat

I had a Bosch GST85something or 20+years and besides workshop work it did tens of tons of firewood - an excellent tool. I now have a DeWalt 18vm which is a great saw except for the base adjustment - the base comes loose in use. A cable tie and some locktite seems to have stopped it. Afaik DeWalt have known of this for years, and have done nothing about it. In all the years I've used one I've never used one set on an angle - I wonder why manufacturers don't make at least one design with a fixed base - it would be more accurate and cheaper to produce.
I would say without question go for a battery one if you've already got battery equipment, you won't believe how useful they are.

 

[AES]

I have no experience of working on boats, but have used a jig saw for years (and a cheapo Bosch green mains one at that). I'm always surprised when people say they aren't accurate and/or won't cut square.

To me the answers to that are:

1. Always use good blades (I use Bosch, although the KWB after market ones are OK too).

2. As soon as they start to blunt, bin them (the blades that is)!

3. Have a good range of blade lengths and TPIs to hand and choose appropriately - e.g. if cutting curves/circles on sheet goods, choose a length which allows the blade to only just appear through the sheet at bottom of stroke.

4. Use the finest TPI possible and allow the blade to cut - you're simply guiding the tool, not pushing it into/through the job. The "light pressure" you apply to the tool should be applied directly above the blade, not behind or to one side, and when curving, the application is with the tool pivoting around the blade, NOT pushing the tool off to one side. Personally I can't get on with "body grip" jigsaws, the pressure is being applied in the wrong place. I like the "handle above" type.

5. For tight curves use the pendulum.

6. Always hook the tool up to the shop vac (I had to modify the "tube" on mine to fit my vac). This not only helps keep the working area as clear as possible but more importantly, it keeps the cutting area clear of bits (especially if cutting chipboard).

HTH

 

[MikeG.]

.....5. For tight curves use the pendulum.....

Really? When the curves get too tight for mine and the blade starts binding or burning, I turn the pendulum down a bit and away it goes again. Apart from that and never hooking up to a vacuum (inertia/ laziness), I agree with everything else you said. Sharp blades really are the key.

 

[AES]

Sorry Mike, my No. 5 wasn't very clear was it?

What I meant to say was exactly what you've now written - I start off a curved cut with the pendulum control full ON, but as the curve tightens up (or if/when I hear the blade starting to labour) I turn the pendulum control more and more towards the OFF position until the labouring stops. On my tool anyway, the pendulum "stroke" does seem to be fully variable, according to the lever position.

And BTW, that applies to my "2nd jig saw", which is a Skil brand. The old Bosch (my "No. 1") has no pendulum and is still my first reached for, but usually only for rough "straight-ish" cuts.

 

[glenfield2]

Thanks for all the great advice. I guess my first move is to learn some sharpening skills then practise my jigsawing. Only after that some power tool shopping.

 

[keithy1959]

The best power tool I have in my workshop is probably my radio ... brilliant to "not sharpen things properly" to - and, forgive the pun - takes the edge off the frustration of not quite getting it sharp enough !!

The second most useful is propably the Fein Multimaster, which I've had for fifteen years. I don't use it that much, but when I do need to use it, it's the only tool ( hand or powered ) that can do the job in question. Invaluable for house (and presumably, boat) restoration.

My advice would be to get yourself a cheap set of chisels and some sharpening stones, find the You Tube that annoys you the least, and get practicing. Reward yourself with a good quality jigsaw

RK

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A set of chisels? Lidl. From tomorrow. You won't beat them for £8 (or actually quite a lot more).

 

[ScaredyCat]

If you have a circular saw you don't need to buy a track saw, just make track for your circular saw.

eg:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpFUkt424G4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQbpMt_0APg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukM0rz0GwBY

 

[MikeJhn]

Typical US youtube offerings, I lost the will to live watching the first one, after 3.5minuets it hadn't shown what he was talking about, so I gave up and got on with my life. #-o :lol: :lol:

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I don't think I could stand watching one minuet let alone three and a half.

 

[AES]

Well, "Yes and No"! I agree that these things are often a real pain, but IF you can withstand the (to my ears anyway) awful accents - especially the females, which REALLY grate on me; and IF you can get used to the ridiculously high-speed racing commentary gabble gabble, there ARE actually some quite useful ideas in some of these offerings.

IMO anyway, and of course, FWIW.

But our own Steve Maskery published something on making tracks for hand-held circular saws which he was kind enough to send to me (thanks Steve) and that really WAS a model of concise, sensible, and clearly explained ideas. I could understand his accent too (I'm originally from SOUTH of Watford BTW, but am now quite "international")

Suggest you have a look on Steve's "Workshop Essentials" web site, or Google. If you don't find it send me a PM and I'll dig my copy out for you.

 

[E-wan]

I'm planning on making a similar guide rail for ripping up Oak sleepers with my circular saw.

There's another thread here on guide rails

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=ht ... are_type=t

One problem with the designs in the YouTube videos posted above that I can foresee is that it reduces the depth of cut by the thickness of the Mdf or whatever the saw runs on top of as a guide. Not a problem for sheet material but could be annoying when cutting thicker stuff.

It appears that a guide system would benefit from overhanging the material being cut at either end to help support the saw at the start and end of the cut.

I have a straight piece of powder-coated Steel which I never used that came with a security door . Thinking of combining this with a spring loaded bearing on the opposite side of the steel bar to the saw, so as to hold the saw against the fence.


Ewan

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[MikeG.]

I have a straight piece of powder-coated Steel which I never used that came with a security door . Thinking of combining this with a spring loaded bearing on the opposite side of the steel bar to the saw, so as to hold the saw against the fence..........

No need to over-complicate things:

 

[MikeJhn]

The main problem with any of these so called guides is they don't hold the saw in place and its easy to wander off line, I find it easier to use a marked line and just keep the front of the saw clear of debris, but and I have to say this even though I don't want to the track saw is a much better bet, was indifferent to them for a long time, until I was offered one at a silly price, I am now somewhat converted.