Tool box

[Guest]

Tool box

My favorite tool of the minute is an el cheapo Ferm sabre saw. It cost about £20 from screwfix but goes through half inch polyprop like a hot knife through butter.

[Guest]

Tool box

Bosch is a good brand, i have quite a few power tools from bosch, unlike dewalt your not paying for the name, your paying for the same build quality as dewalt but half the price.

Screwfix, the most used supplier in our house if you dont have an account i sugest you get one.
http://www.screwfix.comwww.screwfix.com

[mightymouse]

Tool box

Tom -- the blades I was talking about were eclipse, that is why I bought them.

On the suject of cheapo tools I bought a nu-tool cut-off saw for £35 from Makro, it is the best investment I have ever made. Carbide blade and cuts perfect mitres. I have lent it out to several mates and at least 2 staircases have been done in a fraction of the normal time, and done well. I have recently used it to cut the mitres on my new kitchen and it works as well as the day I bought it nearly 2 years ago.

I also bought a nu-tool angle grinder for a tenner and it burnt out in less than 5 minutes. In the box was a spare set of brushes, not the usual accessory you expect to find.

Another tip for trimming Polycarb or nylon is to use an electric plane. I can knock up some new armour panels for the mouse in less than 30 minutes(I cut them roughly to shape first with a jig saw)

[team_ireland]

Tool box

The biggest difference I find with tools is power.

I have a el-cheepo 830watt 240v drill. I also have access to a 750watt black and decker drill. Dispite the wattage rateings the black and decker never seems to struggle but the el-cheepo does very much so.

As for Corded/Cordless drills in the expensive sector have a look out for:
Mikita.
Hitechi.
De Walt.

And one thing I cant live without: a 240v to 110v transformer. On all the building sites they have to use 110v (the law) so alot of tools you come accross will be 110v. Invest in a good transformer and your sorted. I got a 110v angle grinder (4.5) bosch for only 35euro compaired to 60 for the 240v.

Regards
Ian

[bigsi]

Tool box

Cheap tools are mostly fine unless they are what would normally be considered precision. The tools which need precision (lathe, mill etc) tend to be precise initially, but built so badly (to keep costs down) that youll wish you never set eyes upon them a year or two on.

I have Ferm/Clark Grinder/linisher, 150A MIG welder and bench saw which I rate very highly.

I did have Clark a pillar drill, but the spindle in the quill managed to twist and bend in the process - rendering it useless!

I would scour the friday-ad for second hand tools. This has yielded me a Miford super 7 lathe for next to nothing, an Eutectic TIG welder for £25 (chap thought it was broken cos the HF start kept giving him electric shocks!) and a Bridgeport mill with 3 axis power feeds & 3 axis DROs (more expensive, but lovely!).

I did buy a 24v cordless drill, new for £30 - and its better than my DeWalt!

On the plus side, most cheap tools will give up within the warranty period - so you can get another one for free!

Si