Old Tools

[Zak33]

I'm in love with hand drills.....

I have my grandfathers Brace and a some bits.. and my wife has just come to start using some of these older pieces.

There's a great use for power drills and I have several but I admit to loving a hand drill and a brace and bit

[Saracen999]

The main failings I find in power tools, aside from those you've mentioned, are the noise and requirement for dust extraction, the tendency for people to cheap out on the bits and blades, and how long they actually take with all the setup of fences and guides and things... and that's not including those for which you need to build jigs first!
Half the time I've cracked out the hand tools, done the job, resharpened afterward, and had my tea all before the power tool has been ready to turn on!


You need to watch some Paul Sellers videos... I think you'd enjoy his work!!!
.....

I'll have to give those Sellers vids a try. Sounds interesting. Thanks.

As for "cheaping out" .... been there, done that, learned my lesson.

My analogy would be kitchen knives. Buy quality, buy once .... provided you maintain them. Buy a good quality knife, kept really sharp, is a dream to use.

[Ttaskmaster]

My analogy would be kitchen knives. Buy quality, buy once .... provided you maintain them. Buy a good quality knife, kept really sharp, is a dream to use.

Pretty good analogy, actually.
Quality doesn't always mean expensive, either (Aldi chisels!), but it does mean good enough to do the job with the precision and safety you need... ie sharp cheap knife being far better than a blunt top-end one.

Not gotten around to buying my own brace or auger bits yet, but they are wicked fun and, in the case of some, faster than power drills. Pretty amazing, really!

[Butcher]

If you have things like tables and feed trays, you're beyond power tools and now into proper machinery... but they're a fantastic excuse for getting a bigger workshop, so there are advantages there!
I only have a bandsaw, but that's meant the entire garage has now become my workshop!

My workshop is the spare room, it's not big enough for machinery. The garage is my other workshop though, so maybe I can squeeze in a bandsaw.

[Saracen999]

Pretty good analogy, actually.
Quality doesn't always mean expensive, either (Aldi chisels!), but it does mean good enough to do the job with the precision and safety you need... ie sharp cheap knife being far better than a blunt top-end one.

Not gotten around to buying my own brace or auger bits yet, but they are wicked fun and, in the case of some, faster than power drills. Pretty amazing, really!

I haven't yet convinced the wife thst really sharp knives are safer ... though they are, provided you know how to handle them and treat them with respect. Ditto, tools.

A really sharp knife requires far less pressure. In fact, mostly it's the slicing motion doing the work. So you're less likely to slip. But if you do .....

That said, I've seen a few people handling circular saws in a way that made me cringe and want to hide behind a tree, and one idiot approach a lathe with a wood chisel that, well, somewhere between me yelling NOOOOO and the chisel burying itself about 3 inches into a nearby breezeblock wall, I apparently dived for cover. Fortunately.

And don't even get me started on amateurs and chainsaws.

[Ttaskmaster]

I haven't yet convinced the wife thst really sharp knives are safer

Mine doesn't get a say in the matter. I sharpen them and that's the end of it.

That said, I've seen a few people handling circular saws in a way that made me cringe and want to hide behind a tree

I suggest you avoid any videos with Americans using table saws, unless you can see that they have the riving knife and crown guard in place!

[Zak33]

My workshop is the spare room, it's not big enough for machinery. The garage is my other workshop though, so maybe I can squeeze in a bandsaw.

Bandsaw is way more useful than I ever realised.. and now it's broken (was very old when I got it) I miss it even more!

My work shop is nearly complete.. but that's another discussion for another month.

[Butcher]

Speaking of bandsaws, opinions on getting a new one vs a second hand ebay one? Budget around £300.

[Ttaskmaster]

Speaking of bandsaws, opinions on getting a new one vs a second hand ebay one? Budget around £300.

Do you know what you're doing with regards to setting up, maintaining and fettling one, particularly if it's not in pristine condition?
If so, grab a decent second hand one off eBay. Something like a Startrite, single phase (again, unless you know what you're doing on that front), 1Kw about 16", give or take.

If not, get a new one. But bear in mind you'll still want a 16" (wheel diameter) one, unless you're cutting stock no bigger than 2". You'll also want to save a lot more pennies than £300... probably about twice that!

Once you have your bandsaw, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxVyKsbuwZQ
And this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

Once you're ready to rock, these two are highly regarded, for all manner of methods, tips, hints, guides and stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/user/stevemaskery
https://www.youtube.com/user/peterseftonfurniture

I have an Axminster 310, which is a 12" floor-standing model and it's pretty gutless, to be honest, but it was a birthday present and beggars cannot be choosers.
It's about 550w, I think, cuts 180mm high and 300mm wide, does the job for the most part, but really is a Made In China special.
Record Power are ever so slightly better on the build quality, but their customer service can often suck... Axminster will at least bend over backwards to make sure everything is right with your world.

Whatever else you do, be sure to buy TuffSaws blades for it! There's nowt better on the market and using anything else is just piddling in the wind, these days.

[Butcher]

I was considering the newer version of your Axminster: https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminste...bandsaw-105093

Gutless isn't great though, might be worth waiting a little and getting a better model.

Not much in the way of single phase bandsaws on ebay, other than the Chinese junk.

[Ttaskmaster]

I was considering the newer version of your Axminster: https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminste...bandsaw-105093

That's actually the one below mine.
This is the current equivalent to mine: https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminste...bandsaw-105094

However, if it were my choice, I'd look no smaller than this, really: https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminste...bandsaw-105095
If money were no object, I'd go well into the Trade series, or get a full-on old professional one off Ebay.

Gutless isn't great though, might be worth waiting a little and getting a better model.

Alas prices have jumped up in recent years and these things do cost.
DIY was always a bit of a rip-off hobby compared to semi-pro kit

Not much in the way of single phase bandsaws on ebay, other than the Chinese junk.

I just spent five (actually four and a bit) minutes on eBay... and you have a PM!
No idea if they suit your needs, but I thought they'd be worth looking closer at...

[Butcher]

I think I'll just have to keep an eye on Ebay and hope one comes up locally as these things aren't cheap to send.

Also, dust extraction seems to be a necessity which adds some cost.

[Butcher]

Time for some tools. An Spear and Jackson saw I picked up on ebay:

Before



After




Cleaned up nicely and seems decent now I have sharpened it up a bit.

[Ttaskmaster]

I think I'll just have to keep an eye on Ebay and hope one comes up locally as these things aren't cheap to send.

Well no, they weigh upwards of 80kg...!!

Also, dust extraction seems to be a necessity which adds some cost.

You can get a decent wet & dry vacuum for £30... Aldi periodically have a nice one for about £45 in their deals. I even have a source for spare bags, if you like.

Also, it may be of considerable benefit, but you can get by just opening the panels and sweeping the sawdust out. I did that for ages.

[Butcher]

I have a wet and dry vac. Just reading the net suggests that's not really adequate for a bandsaw.

[Ttaskmaster]

I have a wet and dry vac. Just reading the net suggests that's not really adequate for a bandsaw.

Depends on the bandsaw and the vacuum specs.
Some people do get the big professional shop vac extraction systems, but they're serious overkill is you only have a bandsaw. Those are more for full-on workshops with a good half-dozen machines, where you actually need 100mm ducting all around!

Most hobby and DIY level bandsaws have abysmal dust extraction placement that suggests connecting it to the air intake of an F-16 at least... and yet they're all deemed fine with something like a Numatic vacuum.

However, there are tips, tricks and simple mods that drastically improve the extraction.
The best one IMO is boxing in the lower feed rollers and extracting directly from there. Only needs a bit of scrap/plywood, works a charm, can even be made the bandsaw itself.