Author Topic: Confessions of a tool junkie  (Read 121356 times)

TheLurker

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Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #350 on: 30 May, 2020, 09:10:24 pm »
Robgul's post reminded me, this is one of my favourite tools.  I've yet to find a better way of undoing cock-ups in balsa airframes.  It lets me cut stringers / ribs out without crushing surrounding wood.  Of course it'd be far, far better to not cock things up in the first place, but...

Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #351 on: 30 May, 2020, 09:27:21 pm »
Quote
Saw blades for No3 scalpel handle.

 (31 TPI, 68 TPI, 48 TPI, 31 TPI).

Made from 0.12mm thick stainless steel.

 ;D

Morat

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Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #352 on: 04 June, 2020, 10:11:02 am »
Firefox popped this up on my home page. I have a sudden desire for Japanese!

https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/maintain-the-garden/japanese-garden-tools/
Everyone's favourite windbreak

Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #353 on: 04 June, 2020, 10:29:24 am »
Firefox popped this up on my home page. I have a sudden desire for Japanese!

https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/maintain-the-garden/japanese-garden-tools/

Nice. £79 for a trowel though  :o

Im looking for one of those planting hoes. A pickaxe sized mattock gets used a lot in our garden and a smaller one handed one would be great.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

fruitcake

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Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #354 on: 04 June, 2020, 11:10:13 am »
Bought an all steel dowelling jig made by Stanley. It is designed for lining up the drill bit for drilling holes for dowels. But as a tool that allows you to line up the drill before you do the drilling, it's useful beyond making joints. Kind of a portable alternative to a pillar drill.

I now need to find metric bushings since the imperial ones that come with it are of limited use in the 21st century. (Except for the one that's about 8mm)

Morat

  • I tried to HTFU but something went ping :(
Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #355 on: 05 June, 2020, 06:14:09 pm »
Firefox popped this up on my home page. I have a sudden desire for Japanese!

https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/maintain-the-garden/japanese-garden-tools/

Nice. £79 for a trowel though  :o

Im looking for one of those planting hoes. A pickaxe sized mattock gets used a lot in our garden and a smaller one handed one would be great.

yes! I'm sure it's an heirloom-quality trowel. I'm just not sure how excited my decendants would be to inherit one :D
Everyone's favourite windbreak

robgul

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Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #356 on: 14 June, 2020, 05:48:48 pm »
Heads up for cheap clamps

ALDI has sets of trigger clamps in the special offers this week (14 June) - 2 off 150mm & 2 off small ones (? size) at £4.99 the set.

Small aren't much use but the bigger ones are pretty good for what they do and the price . .. I bought 3 sets today to add to the 2 sets I bought last time they were on offer. They're only in the shops.

Rob

Basil

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Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #357 on: 15 June, 2020, 01:07:30 pm »
Some time back I asked a carpenter mate how you get saws sharpened these days.
"You just buy a new one", he muttered.
Today, I finally got round to doing that.  Wow, that was so much easier.  Hot knife through butter.
I really should have done this two years ago.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #358 on: 15 June, 2020, 01:17:38 pm »
I've done that myself a couple of times - I even have a setting tool hanging on the workshop wall. Not very enjoyable, so I haven't done it since. I hardly ever use handsaws these days anyway.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #359 on: 15 June, 2020, 01:32:06 pm »
I've done that myself a couple of times - I even have a setting tool hanging on the workshop wall. Not very enjoyable, so I haven't done it since. I hardly ever use handsaws these days anyway.

You cant resharpen modern saws (unless you buy an expensive one made in the traditional way). Once they are blunt that's it buy a new one, they do stay sharp a long time though. Not sure if you can re set them either, never tried on a modern one. The hardening on the teeth of modern saws makes them just as hard as a saw file so the file doesn't work. Only the tips are hardened but then the metal under that is too soft for a saw blade anyway.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

robgul

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Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #360 on: 15 June, 2020, 02:23:10 pm »
I've done that myself a couple of times - I even have a setting tool hanging on the workshop wall. Not very enjoyable, so I haven't done it since. I hardly ever use handsaws these days anyway.

You cant resharpen modern saws (unless you buy an expensive one made in the traditional way). Once they are blunt that's it buy a new one, they do stay sharp a long time though. Not sure if you can re set them either, never tried on a modern one. The hardening on the teeth of modern saws makes them just as hard as a saw file so the file doesn't work. Only the tips are hardened but then the metal under that is too soft for a saw blade anyway.

Yep - but then even quite good quality saws aren't expensive nowadays ... and do stay sharp.  I used to get saws sharpened at a place near Tewkesbury years ago but it reached the point where the cost of sharpening and the time/fuel to take and collect made it unecomical.

While we're on the subject of saws - I've just bought a couple of Japanese pull-saws - very sharp and brilliant for very fine cuts.

Rob

Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #361 on: 15 June, 2020, 02:39:16 pm »
Indeed. I was just looking at my collection of abused saws in the garage at the weekend. Had them all at least ten years most probably twenty. I'm thinking I should just chuck the lot and buy new ones, a cross-cut a ripping one, a small toolbox saw and a dovetail saw. I have a couple of old small brass backed cross-cuts that I'll keep as they are nice to look at bu all the old modern saws can just go to the tip I think.
Anyone have any preference for new saws, Bahco, Stanley or something else?

I recently picked up one of those small Japanese pull saws but haven't had a chance to try it yet.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #362 on: 16 June, 2020, 08:16:08 am »
Bahco.

Still have my grandfathers old saw as a curiosity.  It has a sticker on saying where it was last taken to be sharpened.

Was using this yesterday to remove a tree stump - it reaches the parts where other bars cannot go:

Move Faster and Bake Things

Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #363 on: 16 June, 2020, 08:22:03 am »
I have one of those. Brilliant for digging fence post holes as well along with one of these:

I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

robgul

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Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #364 on: 16 June, 2020, 08:29:08 am »
Bahco.

Still have my grandfathers old saw as a curiosity.  It has a sticker on saying where it was last taken to be sharpened.

Was using this yesterday to remove a tree stump - it reaches the parts where other bars cannot go:



When I was getting saws sharpened the firm doing them used to write your name on the blade . . . . I still have an ancient tenon saw with my name on it (must have last been sharpened in about 1988/89)

Rob

Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #365 on: 16 June, 2020, 05:43:14 pm »
Traditional saws are made from steel that is soft enough to sharpened with a file.

Modern "hardpoint" saws have hardened teeth and cannot be sharpened with a file. They stay sharp longer but are supposed to be thrown away when they get blunt. Although in theory they could be sharpened with a diamond file.

Aunt Maud

  • Le Flâneur.
Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #366 on: 16 June, 2020, 05:56:43 pm »
I sharpen and set all my saws myself, it's a doddle and doesn't take much time to do.

The fine dovetail and crosscut saws get set with a nail punch and the others with a setting tool. I think there's nothing like a well sharpened and set handsaw and I prefer these to the plastic handle throw away rubbish.

Basil

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Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #367 on: 16 June, 2020, 06:21:41 pm »
I sharpen and set all my saws myself, it's a doddle and doesn't take much time to do.


Yeahbut, you are the 'Kim' of hard-core carpentry and masonry.  The rest of us here are mere mortals.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Kim

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Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #368 on: 27 June, 2020, 10:21:50 pm »
This seems relevant to our interests....

If there is enough sticking out to get hold of then buy a pair of Engineer Neji-Saurus pliers.

Neji-Saurus at Amazon



They are Japanese and specifically designed for removing things where the head has sheared off or is damaged. They have grooves at 90deg to normal pliers. They work brilliantly and come in different sizes. Also they look cool and have a great name.

Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #369 on: 27 June, 2020, 11:10:40 pm »
I now realise that I have (ab)used such pliers (of inferior quality I suspect, but similar longitudinal grooves) and not realised what they were for.

Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #370 on: 28 June, 2020, 09:43:45 am »
As well as the various sizes of pliers they also do a set of mole grips designed on the same principle in case you have a bigger job, you also see Vampliers which look the same as Engineer pliers but are red. These are made by Engineer but rebranded for a US tool distribution company. I haven't got the mole grip version so no idea how well these work. Interesting company in that apart from the pliers they really seem focused around precision tools for electronics.

https://www.engineertools-jp.com/home

I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Kim

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Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #371 on: 28 June, 2020, 11:06:32 am »
I have a couple of their crimp tools.  They're in no way comparable to a connector-specific ratchet crimper that's 5 times the price, but they make up for that by being able - with a bit of practice - to give acceptable results on a wide variety of small connectors.  Think JST and Dupont connectors, up to the sort of thing you use on dynamo wiring.

robgul

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Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #372 on: 29 June, 2020, 12:56:55 pm »
As reported earlier my old B&D circular saw needs to be pensioned off for less critical work  (making fences etc) so a new track/plunge saw from Mr Screwix's Emporium was purchased today  :thumbsup:   Admittedly a "value" model but it does what I want to do with nice smooth and straight cuts.

First job for the saw will be cutting some panels to make a dust-extraction hood for my mitre saw - it has a pipe etc but the sawdust sprays out from the blade and covers everything - there will be a second suction pipe to the cyclone/shop-vac.

Rob

Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #373 on: 30 June, 2020, 02:54:50 pm »
In the market for mole grips, any recommendations?

Re: Confessions of a tool junkie
« Reply #374 on: 30 June, 2020, 03:03:48 pm »
In the market for mole grips, any recommendations?

Grip-On.

They come in different sizes and jaw shapes. Plus they are a fetching shade of orange.

I have some long nosed ones and they are very nice (well for mole grips which by definition are an abomination that should be avoided if at all possible).


I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.