Confessions of a tool junkie

[T42]

Anyway, confession time: the el cheapo 5m steel tape I keep in the house failed to rewind yesterday, so I nipped over to the DIY shop intending to replace it with one of their own-brand el cheapos and get a decent-quality one to use in the workshop.  Came home with a 6.50€ item and a 13.50€ Stanley Powerlock.

Using the Stanley this morning to measure lengths of ~4 metres I was continually frustrated by it coming unhooked or flopping in the middle when I pushed it out much over 1m50. OTOH the 6.50€ one not only has a much bigger hook but stays rigid out to about 2m50.

The Stanley is now with the indoor tools and the 6.50€ one out in the shop.  I'm becoming a cheap-tool enthusiast.

[robgul]

Pallet buster tool* as I was fe up with breaking down pallets with a large, old, screwdriver and hammer as a chisel, followed by a 30" crowbar.  Now an effortless process.  I make furniture and stuff from pallets if you're wondering . . . .

* a bit like a heavy-duty pitch fork that levers the slats from the rails.

[ElyDave]

I'd mentioned in passing to my Young Lady that a spoon carving knife might be nice to have.  For my birthday she got me these:



A set of carving tools. Crook knife, gouge, whittling knife, detail knife, leather strop, stropping compound. All in a presentation box. I am not worthy.

Not been on here recently, but this one definitely had me drooling, I'm definitely in need of a crook knife myself

[ScumOfTheRoad]

Looking for recommendations for an automotive torque wrench.

The sad tale is that I had a Lidl brand torque wrench, complete with a few large sockets.
I had it in the seekrit location where I hide my garage equipment from Mrs Scum, AKA a self storage unit.
I went there to get garage kit yesterday and it looks like I left the torque wrench in one of their luggage trolleys...duuuh.
Looking for a good brand torque wrench.

[Jurek]

I've been using the same Norbar wrench for over 40 years.
ETA - They're made in the UK.

[robgul]

Being about to replace a monobloc type tap in a granite worktop (without removing the sink so space is limited 'twixt bowl and wall) - purchased an 11mm box spanner (actually a set of 6 for no money) that will make removal and fitting a doddle, much easier than faffing with an open-ended spanner at an angle. I'll probably never use it again.

[MattH]

Norbar are what I use. The Halfords Advance ones are (or at least used to be...) made by Norbar. My small (0-60) is Halfords, my BFO up to 340Nm one is Norbar branded - https://amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06Y5VYCMH

[ScumOfTheRoad]

Thanks for the torque wrench advice.  Regarding box spanners, to remove Land Rover hub nuts a muckle big box spanner is needed. Yes I know this is unnecessary information.

[robgul]

Thanks for the torque wrench advice.  Regarding box spanners, to remove Land Rover hub nuts a muckle big box spanner is needed. Yes I know this is unnecessary information.

Indeed, as a former LR owner I know what you mean!

[T42]

After attempting to install some chemical anchors in the garage y'day and failing I have ordered an SDS drill. I didn't realise before that they weren't all 7kg behemoths like my brother's one, so I have ordered one hopefully more suitable for a weak and feeble woman. (Yes, and some bits and ear defenders).

Hum... I'll need to drill a single hole* into horrible pebble-filled concrete to take a bit of steel tube for a bolt to fit into.  I can get an Einhell 1600W SDS drill for 84€ or I can rent one for 14€/day plus the hassle of driving to & fro to pick it up & give it back and, I suppose, the cost of a bit.

Now, if the thing could be used as a normal drill I could make a case for buying the Einhell: my youngest conventional drill dates from 1989. **

* make that 2 holes, since I want to rebuild my workshop doors as well and they lack a bolt-hole at the bottom.

** Translation: Red!! Shiny!! Noisy!!! WANT!!!!

[robgul]

Being about to replace a monobloc type tap in a granite worktop (without removing the sink so space is limited 'twixt bowl and wall) - purchased an 11mm box spanner (actually a set of 6 for no money) that will make removal and fitting a doddle, much easier than faffing with an open-ended spanner at an angle. I'll probably never use it again.

Update on this - the 11mm is actually an 11/10 box spanner - so a Park Tool 10mm Allen key in the, err, 10mm end makes a very useful tool to reach up behind the sink bowl and get at the tap's retaining nut to turn it

[pcolbeck]

Just added these two two my going on holiday toolkit:

Gerber pro-scout multi-tool



Not as shiny and precisely made as a Leatherman or Swiss Tool but the pliers are excellent and its not as expensive as the others plus it has a saw blade that's removable and takes the old Black and Decker U mount style jigsaw blades. The lack of precision in manufacturing is deliberate apparently, these were US military standard issue and the thought behind the design was the same as that of the AK47 ie keep it all a little sloppy then it won't bind up if it gets dirty.

Wera Tool-Check PLUS



Most of the common bits and sockets for small jobs plus a mini bit holder and ratchet in a really compact form factor.

[quixoticgeek]

I'd mentioned in passing to my Young Lady that a spoon carving knife might be nice to have.  For my birthday she got me these:



A set of carving tools. Crook knife, gouge, whittling knife, detail knife, leather strop, stropping compound. All in a presentation box. I am not worthy.

A spoon carving crook knife without also including a jumbo pack of plasters feels a lot like a message..

When I used to be in a reenactment group we used to teach spoon carving. It caused us waaay more injuries than any of the other activities we got upto, and some of those included flaming arrows!

J

[T42]

Needing to bash a crater in the barn floor so as to cement in a tube to take a bolt, I dived over to the local DIY joint after lunch and got myself their last cold chisel/pointy-thing set for the modest sum of 2€70.  Then I said ****it, I've got wrist tendinitis already, so drove to a BFO DIY emporium and bought their own-brand SDS drill for a whole 50€.  Could have got a Titan one for 76€ but when I could probably have managed with the 2€70 kit that seemed a bit excessive. Anyway the Titan's >6 kilos and the one I bought is more like 4.

Bloody noisy, thobut.

[mrcharly-YHT]

A spoon carving crook knife without also including a jumbo pack of plasters feels a lot like a message..

When I used to be in a reenactment group we used to teach spoon carving. It caused us waaay more injuries than any of the other activities we got upto, and some of those included flaming arrows!

J

IME, that usually happens in two ways:
People have a reluctance to cut towards themselves (with the proper hold, that is by far the safest way)
Using a double-edged knife, forgetting, and pushing on the blade with the thumb.

[Mrs Pingu]

Needing to bash a crater in the barn floor so as to cement in a tube to take a bolt, I dived over to the local DIY joint after lunch and got myself their last cold chisel/pointy-thing set for the modest sum of 2€70.  Then I said ****it, I've got wrist tendinitis already, so drove to a BFO DIY emporium and bought their own-brand SDS drill for a whole 50€.  Could have got a Titan one for 76€ but when I could probably have managed with the 2€70 kit that seemed a bit excessive. Anyway the Titan's >6 kilos and the one I bought is more like 4.

Bloody noisy, thobut.

Shoulda spent another 10E on some ear defenders.

[T42]

Needing to bash a crater in the barn floor so as to cement in a tube to take a bolt, I dived over to the local DIY joint after lunch and got myself their last cold chisel/pointy-thing set for the modest sum of 2€70.  Then I said ****it, I've got wrist tendinitis already, so drove to a BFO DIY emporium and bought their own-brand SDS drill for a whole 50€.  Could have got a Titan one for 76€ but when I could probably have managed with the 2€70 kit that seemed a bit excessive. Anyway the Titan's >6 kilos and the one I bought is more like 4.

Bloody noisy, thobut.

Shoulda spent another 10E on some ear defenders.

Got plugs and sweaty-as-hell over-the-ear ones.  OTOH I forgot to buy any cement.

[T42]

Have we got a thread for godawful design/operating instructions?  This SDS drill has two knobs, one for hammer ON/OFF and the other for rotation ON/OFF. Simple, neh? Except that the hammer knob has a picture of a hammer for the ON position and a pic of a drill for the OFF position, and the rotation knob has a picture of a hammer for OFF and a pic of a hammer and a drill for ON.  The handbook has a look-up table with the corresponding pics and convoluted explanations in the cells.  Given that the hammer knob is described as the selector for turning off hammer operation and the rotation knob likewise, it's a wonder anyone gets the thing to work at all.

It could have been so much simpler...

[robgul]

Have we got a thread for godawful design/operating instructions?  This SDS drill has two knobs, one for hammer ON/OFF and the other for rotation ON/OFF. Simple, neh? Except that the hammer knob has a picture of a hammer for the ON position and a pic of a drill for the OFF position, and the rotation knob has a picture of a hammer for OFF and a pic of a hammer and a drill for ON.  The handbook has a look-up table with the corresponding pics and convoluted explanations in the cells.  Given that the hammer knob is described as the selector for turning off hammer operation and the rotation knob likewise, it's a wonder anyone gets the thing to work at all.

It could have been so much simpler...

Sounds like you have a re-badged version of my SDS drill - a Bauker 1500W machine - with similar confusing controls.  For the price, and the amount I need to use it the thing is great - but the manual (who reads them?) is the usual thing written by a Chinese author with translation by an Irishman typing while wearing boxing gloves . .  and in several languages.

[mrcharly-YHT]

You can operate it in these modes
Drill
Drill plus hammer
Hammer (a chisel)

Three modes from two switches, hence one is just 'off'.

[T42]

Have we got a thread for godawful design/operating instructions?  This SDS drill has two knobs, one for hammer ON/OFF and the other for rotation ON/OFF. Simple, neh? Except that the hammer knob has a picture of a hammer for the ON position and a pic of a drill for the OFF position, and the rotation knob has a picture of a hammer for OFF and a pic of a hammer and a drill for ON.  The handbook has a look-up table with the corresponding pics and convoluted explanations in the cells.  Given that the hammer knob is described as the selector for turning off hammer operation and the rotation knob likewise, it's a wonder anyone gets the thing to work at all.

It could have been so much simpler...

Sounds like you have a re-badged version of my SDS drill - a Bauker 1500W machine - with similar confusing controls.  For the price, and the amount I need to use it the thing is great - but the manual (who reads them?) is the usual thing written by a Chinese author with translation by an Irishman typing while wearing boxing gloves . .  and in several languages.

Well, it was an Irishman who wrote the bit you quoted above...

But no, my drill is only 850 W.

[quixoticgeek]

Signed up today for the use of another workshop.









All available to use for €35 per half day.

J

[Mrs Pingu]

Wow, impressive AND clean

[toontra]

My recent revelation is the carbide scraper.  Cuts through old layers of paint and varnish like butter and makes prepping surfaces for finishing so much easier.  Carefully used you can feather areas from sound paint to bare wood that would have taken ages by sanding (even with the appropriate machine).

[Sergeant Pluck]

Signed up today for the use of another workshop.

What are you planning to make?