Tools in general and sanders in particular

[Abi Cott]

Having lost what was a fairly comprehensive tool collection to my ex. I find myself needing to invest in some new powertools. The budget is fairly moderate, but I am well aware of the pitfalls of buying cheap tools if you are going to use them regularly.

First on the priority list is a half sheet sander. What do you have? What brands would you look at? What stats are the key indicators of a machine that will actually do the job.

I'd also be interested to hear which tools you consider indispensable.

Primarily in the next few months I am going to be renovating internal wood work (doors, skirting, architrave etc.) and stripping paper (and probably losing a fair bit of plaster in the process).

 

[noj]

Sorry, no half sheet sander suggestions - but a decent oscillating multi-tool and a selection of blades covers a lot of tasks (including detail sanding) and is perfect for all sorts of internal wood renovation.

 

[kreyszig]

The Titan range of tools at screwfix is extremely good value for money; I can highly recommend them. I have a full sheet sander in that range which has been great.

edit: I tell a lie - it is a half sheet sander! Although they do appear to have changed it; mine is variable speed whereas the current 1/2 sheet version is constant speed.

 

[fernicarry]

I'd second an oscillating-saw/multi-tool. I found it very useful for sanding down window frames and getting into all the odd corners. Also useful for random cutting jobs that other tools can't get at. It is noisy though and cutting blades can be silly money but ebay bargains can be had.

Tools in general you'll probably get as many different answers as people you ask and much will come down to budget. I've starting collecting the Bosch 10.8/12V blue range. Once you have two or three batteries you can buy the bare tools for not very much. My tradesmen friends were skeptical on the 12V battery versus 18V but I find they last surprisingly long and the tools are nice and light and compact.

If you're going to be replacing skirting or architrave then I'd say a mitre saw and stand will be essential to get good neat cuts. That said, decorators caulk can hide a multitude of sins....

One of the best things for me about the Bosch range is the L-BOXX storage system. Makes storage and transportation so much easier. This might however be a sign that I have way too many tools....

-Alan

 

[kreyszig]

A decent cordless drill/driver is really worth getting too.
For cordless, as Alan suggests, it is worth looking at a cordless "system", which uses the same battery across the range.
Having said that, the number of tools you really need to be cordless probably isn't that great. At a pretty good price/quality point is the ryobi one plus system, they are 18V and the battery format has remained consistent for over 10 years (although the batteries have become better, they are all compatible with older tools).

Their 18V drill/driver has seen a lot of abuse from me and while it isn't DeWalt quality, it is perfectly adequate for DIY.

 

[livias]

I agree about the multitool which was the new toy for this job and it has been worth its weight in gold. However I started with a battery one which didnt last. Screwfix replaced it then it failed again and I replaced it with a mains powered one. I suspect it is a tool which needs / gets to be driven harder than a battery allows

Screwfix do five packs of wood blades for £20 (code 4107P) which is a reasonabe price I think. Use an old wood blade as a plaster cutter. Don't go near plaster with a new wood blade.

 

[88v8]

Never had a multitool. The profusion of choice deters me!!
The last sheet sander I had belonged to a mains B&D my father bought in about 1960. It was a full-sheet job, and only useful for surfaces that were already flat.

Pretty much by accident I too have ended up with the 18V Ryobi One.
Drill/driver that I use a great deal.
Impact driver rarely used but a last resort for stuck or rusted fixings.
Angle drill which is good for difficult access.
Even the circular saw, which with nicads was gutless, but with lithium batteries is very viable.
I have three lithium batteries, and they recharge in about 20 minutes.

In addition have a Titan mains drill, and a Bosch belt sander, both at least 20 years old, and an old mains angle grinder.

Also have the Ryobi hedge trimmer which is pretty useless. And their grass trimmer which is slow but when one has tendonitis one has to do what one has to do.

Ivor

 

[Flyfisher]

First on the priority list is a half sheet sander. What do you have? What brands would you look at? What stats are the key indicators of a machine that will actually do the job.

For what it's worth, I've gravitated towards Makita power tools over the past ten years of my renovation project and am very pleased with them.

I say 'FWIW' because I recently read a similar question on another forum and it elicited all manner of replies leaving an overall impression that pretty much every brand you can think of was either total rubbish and 'avoid like the plague' or absolutely brilliant and 'I wouldn't buy anything else' :lol: My conclusion is that any of the 'named brands' are likely to be perfectly good for the task, as long as they are used with a bit of sense and due care and attention.

As for 'indicators', Axminster Tools have a useful scheme of machinery classification: Hobby, Trade & Industrial. Here's their description of each: http://www.axminster.co.uk/articles/axminster-machine-classification

They don't seem to use this scheme for smaller power tools, though they do have lots of information about the various options available - e.g. this webpage on sanders: https://knowledge.axminster.co.uk/sanders/?_ga=2.187154030.715609317.1504119171-599492741.1504119171

I'd also be interested to hear which tools you consider indispensable.

Over the years I've tended to buy whatever tools I think I need for the particular job at hand, rather than think about all the tools I might need over the course of a complete restoration. Thus, when I first started on our house about 10 years ago (gulp!), I was buying new tools quite frequently but these days I find I've now accumulated pretty much most of what I need. Almost every tool I've bought has been indispensable at the time, even though it might not have been used frequently. For example, I bought a reciprocating saw in order to help remove the remnants of a long-defunct heating system consisting of 2 - 3 inch cast iron pipes. I found it indispensable for the task, though I would admit it's hardly a general purpose tool and I regarded it as simply part of the cost of doing the job, which I usually justify to myself as being a fraction of the cost of paying someone else to do the job so it's a sort of win-win for me - I get the job done for less money and get to keep the tool into the bargain! On that basis I've accumulated many tools including a pillar drill, circular saw, jigsaw, multi-tool, bench morticer, mig welder, cement mixer and even a small lathe and air compressor

My one regret is my Erbauer saw bench. It really isn't man enough for many of the things I use it for and every time I use it (and struggle with it) I resolve to buy a much better one - but then I muddle through so the job is done and I forget about it until the next time. One day!

But if 'indispensable' is taken to mean regularly used then I would list the following as power tools I generally use on a weekly basis:

Cordless drill/driver
Cordless impact driver
Sliding mitre saw
Bench grinders (more than one, with coarse, fine, wire and polishing wheels)

Of course, what I'd really, really like is a properly organised workshop with plenty of space and every tool set up and ready to use at a moments notice . . . . but now I'm just being silly :wink:

 

[Abi Cott]

The Titan range of tools at screwfix is extremely good value for money; I can highly recommend them. I have a full sheet sander in that range which has been great.

edit: I tell a lie - it is a half sheet sander! Although they do appear to have changed it; mine is variable speed whereas the current 1/2 sheet version is constant speed.

One of the reasons I'm looking for advice is I've tried the new version of the Titan 1/2 sheet sander and it was extremely disappointing. If you use the Velcro backed pads it might be ok (I prefer to buy sandpaper by the roll. Hence the need for a 1/2 rather than 1/3 sheet sander) I used it for a week and I've a feeling they have decided that the best material to make the paper grips out of is toffee. They have completely lost their spring and the paper now just wanders off on it's own. I've had tools of this brand in the past and whilst they weren't sophisticated they did work. As of now the sander certainly goes on my "to be avoided" list.

 

[Abi Cott]

Thank you for all your suggestions (feel free to add more :wink: )

I've borrowed (longterm) a decent 18v cordless hammer drill. So it looks like that box is ticked.

Impact driver is definitely on my list. I keep having to ask my friendly neighbour (wood machinist) to remove siezed screws. Upper arm strength is not my forte. Hence my interest in Power tools.

I have a 'dremel' style multi tool, but it looks like the oscillating version is definitely something to add to the wish list.

I think for skirting (I've got a fair bit to replace) a sliding compound mitre saw is probably a must, but I'm rather gulping at the price of those.

For the sander I'm leaning towards the Metabo SRE 4351 it's rather above my intended budget (like kinda double!!) but it's been recommended by someone that worked in a reclamation yard and used it every day. If my last (rather more moderate project) is anything to go by it's one tool I want to get right. I killed 3 last time.

 

[Me!]

For the sander I'm leaning towards the Metabo SRE 4351 it's rather above my intended budget (like kinda double!!)

I can't comment on the sander, but I have a Metabo 2 speed hammer drill that I bought about 30 years ago and it is still excellent. Before that, I had got through two Black & Deckers and one Bosch drill in about 5 years, and was about to buy another Bosch when the chap in the shop suggested that I try this Metabo which was double the price of the equivalent Bosch that I had intended buying. Money was very tight in those says and I was thinking "what have I done!" as I walked home with my new Metabo, but it was good advice from the shop and the Metabo has lasted well despite some very heavy usage.

But, at the other end of the brand-name / price spectrum, I have a Nu-Tool router which is well made and nice to use, and which has outlasted both of the two Bosch ones that I had before it and was far less expensive.

 

[Hobden]

I think for skirting (I've got a fair bit to replace) a sliding compound mitre saw is probably a must, but I'm rather gulping at the price of those.

Have a look at the Evolution Rage3 saws - they're not too expensive and would probably get the job done.

 

[Zebra]

Upper arm strength is not my forte. Hence my interest in Power tools.

Well there you are then, the solution is ten press-ups and ten chin-ups daily.
Seriously, I would not buy a sliding mitre saw just to replace some skirting. Do it by hand! With a mitre box cutting guide. Skirting is not expensive, so it you mess a bit up, just do it again.

 

[wobs]

Upper arm strength is not my forte. Hence my interest in Power tools.

Well there you are then, the solution is ten press-ups and ten chin-ups daily.
Seriously, I would not buy a sliding mitre saw just to replace some skirting. Do it by hand! With a mitre box cutting guide. Skirting is not expensive, so it you mess a bit up, just do it again.

Or he/she could do what I did and buy a second hand mitre saw. Mainly bought to cut all the beading for the five sash windows I need to renovate, but it will get used for other things.

I got it from a tool hire shop, and is a good quality bit of kit (albiet without the sliding action).

 

[paulc]

[...] buy a second hand mitre saw.

For the occasional use power tools, second hand is often worthwhile - I picked up a used wall chaser to cut some channels for pipes & conduit. Messy, but well worth having, and if I sell it, I should get most if not all my money back.

I also have an Erbauer 1/3 sheet orbital sander that was very cheap new. Not the best quality and I've had to strip it down a couple of times to clean the bearings out. Still, for the odd door or skirting board, it is adequate.

 

[Abi Cott]

Upper arm strength is not my forte. Hence my interest in Power tools.

Well there you are then, the solution is ten press-ups and ten chin-ups daily.
Seriously, I would not buy a sliding mitre saw just to replace some skirting. Do it by hand! With a mitre box cutting guide. Skirting is not expensive, so it you mess a bit up, just do it again.

Skirting that has been made for you to match the original might be a wee bit more expensive than average, and that's what I'm hoping to do. I really am useless with a hand saw. My technique has improved over the years but I'm worn out after one cut.

 

[Abi Cott]

I found a site selling reconditioned demo models from metabo

I think I just spent 500 quid on tools :shock:

 

[GPHouse]

I;ve got a mix and wish I had a single battery system.

The dewalt stuff I have has lasted but it isnt cheap. I have a few Evolution Rage bits which to be fair have taken an absolute battering and done well.

If you want to do it on the cheap.... you can always consider gumtree or similar depending on where you are, I've had some steals of there (some could have been a little on the warmer side or legal??!!), just make sure if its dewalt or similar its the 240v version, not the site type 110v which needs a transformer too. its a good place to start if you;re not ina hurry.

Ive had table saws, plasterboard props, acro props circular saw, generator and all sorts off these for a fraction of normal retail - some of it brand new and still boxed!

 

[Damon]

I second Titan tools from screwfix. Although I haven't used the sander with anything other than velcro backed sheets.

Over the course of my house restoration I've bought most of the range of Titan tools and I'm uniformly impressed. Especially with their cordless hammer drill which at only £60 gets daily abuse and laughs at anything I can throw at it. I've drilled through a 50cm thick solid wall with their 4" hole saw attachment and it performed fine.(it was awkward to use the large SDS drill as it was at tight fit) It's been covered in plaster, used until red hot and generally used and abused and it's still spot on, albeit not quite as pretty.

I've also used their larger SDS drill with a paddle mixer to make up countless batches of lime and then flicked the switch and used the tools in the box to break up the concrete floor in my kitchen. All worked out without bother and for £80 I'm not worried about breaking it... if I do screwfix are usually very good about covering warranties.

The multi tool is also a useful addition and as it uses the same batteries as the drill etc it's a no brainer.

I don't work for Titan by the way