DIY Toolset

kendo1 said:
I know of some that add on 40%, but I feel that is excessive.
It normally takes about two days, off and on, to do everything required to finalise an installation.
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Tis a shame you are so far North, Scotland I think you said previously?
;)
 
Cobra said:
Tis a shame you are so far North, Scotland I think you said previously?
;)
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I can travel...

The couple in Balquhidder put me up in a spare room for each installation: 2 ensuites, 1 bathroom, kitchen, hall floor and utility room.View attachment 43518
 
kendo1 said:
The couple in Balquhidder put me up in a spare room for each installation: 2 ensuites, 1 bathroom, kitchen, hall floor and utility room.
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That was some job!

Seems I'm something like 400 miles south of there ;)
 
Steep said:
Dump the ratchet screwdriver and buy a set of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wera-050182...0261&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=wera+pound+through I came across Wera tools years ago in a work toolkit and have loved them ever since.
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Screwdriver set arrived this morning. Superb quality.

German company with it's factory in the Czech Republic.

Tool range here. http://www.wera-tools.co.uk/catalog_intro_uk.html?&no_cache=1&L=1

I could kick myself when I think of some of the rubbish hand tools I have owned from Chinese stables.
 
arclight said:
Screwdriver set arrived this morning. Superb quality.

German company with it's factory in the Czech Republic.

Tool range here. http://www.wera-tools.co.uk/catalog_intro_uk.html?&no_cache=1&L=1

I could kick myself when I think of some of the rubbish hand tools I have owned from Chinese stables.
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Wera are the dog's b*****ks when it comes to screwdrivers and bits :)
My most used one is the pozidrive 300mm- great for fixing sinks in place when you are lying on your back in a cabinet.
Useful too when you need to keep the handle out of the way for more direct action to the screw head.

OK, I'm a tool nerd :)
 
arclight said:
I could kick myself when I think of some of the rubbish hand tools I have owned from Chinese stables.
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I have far too many Wera screwdrivers, I've the yellow pound through set, the green standard set, a toolcheck set (mini rachet socket and driver bit set), kompact 10 set, Kompact KK60 set, Kompact 20 driver (which I've just replaced after 3 years of daily use because the bit dividers in the handle are breaking) it stays in my pocket all the time at work and with my Leatherman + the odd spanner is all I need most of the time.
Next up will be a long set :)

I've made the same mistake with single use Chinese screwdrivers and tools, they look cheap but are usually so soft they're ruined after one job so end up costing lots more..
 
Steep said:
I have far too many Wera screwdrivers, I've the yellow pound through set, the green standard set, a toolcheck set (mini rachet socket and driver bit set), kompact 10 set, Kompact KK60 set, Kompact 20 driver (which I've just replaced after 3 years of daily use because the bit dividers in the handle are breaking) it stays in my pocket all the time at work and with my Leatherman + the odd spanner is all I need most of the time.
Next up will be a long set :)

I've made the same mistake with single use Chinese screwdrivers and tools, they look cheap but are usually so soft they're ruined after one job so end up costing lots more..
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That's the problem.
Another one is the endless variety of crosshead screw types. Inevitably end up with a driver/screw mismatch resulting in screwhead damage. I have gone over to using Torx head screwnail because the chance of slippage is much reduced.
 
arclight said:
That's the problem.
Another one is the endless variety of crosshead screw types. Inevitably end up with a driver/screw mismatch resulting in screwhead damage. I have gone over to using Torx head screwnail because the chance of slippage is much reduced.
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Just two types, with the different sizes. So, Pozi 1, 2 and 3, and Phillips 1 and 2.
Bin the Phillips and change to Pozi.
Pozidrive is designed for low slippage and more extreme angles for driving.
View attachment 43608
 
Personal experience says bin the pozi and keep the philips, or maybe make better screw heads for both.
 
Steep said:
Personal experience says bin the pozi and keep the philips, or maybe make better screw heads for both.
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Why on earth would you do that?
I use pozi everyday and much prefer them. They are far superior to phillips.
Phillips were not designed as such, very little thought was put into them.
Pozi was designed to do the job with as much contact as possible for less slippage.

More often than not phillips are supplied by far eastern firms and are made from substandard metal. Quite often they can only be used once, and even then the failure rate is high.

I use Turbo Gold pozi screws- extremely low failure rate.

Maybe you are using the wrong screwdrivers?
 
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In my reading, I've found turbo gold screws that are supposed to be good for woodwork/general purpose. Any other screws/nuts/bolts manufacturers that are worth buying?

At the moment, my first large purchase may well be an (makita, milwaukee, bosch blue or maybe dewalt) impact driver with Wera impaktor bits.
 
In other news, those knife/chisel things are pretty good. It's one of those tools that has no real purpose until you find yourself using it all the time :) Used it this morning for cleaning up paint runs before 2nd coat.
 
kendo1 said:
Wera are the dog's b*****ks when it comes to screwdrivers and bits :)
My most used one is the pozidrive 300mm- great for fixing sinks in place when you are lying on your back in a cabinet.
Useful too when you need to keep the handle out of the way for more direct action to the screw head.

OK, I'm a tool nerd :)
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A few months back at a boot sale I spotted a wera set with magnetic interchangeable bits

Picked it up and asked the woman how much £3

Result, like you said , quality
 
Most of my adjustables and wrenches are Bahco or Rothenberger.

As for pliers, I don't know! I have the same standard pliers I've had for 35 years. No idea what they are but they have another 35 years in them.
 
kendo1 said:
I use Turbo Gold pozi screws- extremely low failure rate.
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I bought a mixed case of them when I started on my kitchen, have to say it's like night and day in comparison to the DIY shed stuff I'd been using before.
 
onomatopoeia said:
I bought a mixed case of them when I started on my kitchen, have to say it's like night and day in comparison to the DIY shed stuff I'd been using before.
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Another vote for the turbo's I tried them a couple or so years ago for a project and never looked back :thumbs:
 
To echo what has been said before - buy tools as and when you need them, and always buy the best you can afford or justify - I earn most of my income doing domestic repairs, maintenance and small building works and it doesn't take long to recover the cost of a decent tool in terms of time saved, let alone the quality of the finished job.

omens said:
At the moment, my first large purchase may well be an (makita, milwaukee, bosch blue or maybe dewalt) impact driver with Wera impaktor bits.
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Just a thought, but why are you looking at an impact driver as one of your first tools ?
They are great for first fix and the like, but mine has to be my least used tool and I would have been better off buying a small 10.8v festool drill/driver to compliment my 18v Makita hammer drill.
Are you sure it is going to be the right tool for you ?
 
stevewestern said:
Just a thought, but why are you looking at an impact driver as one of your first tools ?
They are great for first fix and the like, but mine has to be my least used tool and I would have been better off buying a small 10.8v festool drill/driver to compliment my 18v Makita hammer drill.
Are you sure it is going to be the right tool for you ?
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Somebody had to mention the F word...... Yeah my second hand Festool 10.8 is a total joy to use. Can't believe how much nicer it is than a standard 18v drill/driver.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Somebody had to mention the F word...... Yeah my second hand Festool 10.8 is a total joy to use. Can't believe how much nicer it is than a standard 18v drill/driver.
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I was wondering how you were getting on with it.
It must be my most used power tool.
 
I'm slowly accumulating tools. So far just hammer, pliers, snippers, wire stripper amongst other things. But I need a place to store it all and a cardboard box just isn't practical.

Toolbox, tool tote or tool bag?

I'm leaning towards a tote.
 
I use all three :)

My go to one at the moment is a soft tote bag.
A rigid tool box can be handy as a step up.
I find I tend to put too much in a rigid tool tote and it's too heavy to carry up three flights of stairs.

I just throw in what I need for a job.
 
kendo1 said:
I use all three :)

My go to one at the moment is a soft tote bag.
A rigid tool box can be handy as a step up.
I find I tend to put too much in a rigid tool tote and it's too heavy to carry up three flights of stairs.

I just throw in what I need for a job.
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I am much the same - a big plastic tool box (think its a Stanley) which doubles as a seat and a tote for what is needed at the point of work but I'm not sure if mine qualifies as soft or rigid - it has a rigid base and ends with loads of little compartments but the sides are soft..
I also tend to keep most power tools in cases or systainers as I can identify what is what easily, and the few identical cases are clearly labeled.
 
I'm still working out ideas in my head but the one thought would be to have things like sockets and spanners etc in a set of metal drawers in the garage, have a worktop bench and hand tools on the wall (or maybe in drawers too), and then just put things into the toolbox/case to take into the house if I needed to do work. But that's a way off.

Currently, I just have tools in a cardboard box.

I was looking at this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stanley-STA193950-Fatmax-Technician-18-Inch/dp/B000OOLOQQ

£38 at screwfix
£30 at Argos
£18 on Amazon :rolleyes:
 
kendo1 said:
That's what I use most.

This is the kind of tote that gets too heavy (I tend to keep it in the car and transfer from it to the smaller bag):
http://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-fatmax-tool-tote-bag-20/60176
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I just started using a tote like that this year. I have to say I prefer it to traditional toolboxes but it does get heavy.

Stanley seem to make dozens of different ones and one of them is usually on sale in B&Q for about 20 quid.
 
JonathanRyan said:
I just started using a tote like that this year. I have to say I prefer it to traditional toolboxes but it does get heavy.

Stanley seem to make dozens of different ones and one of them is usually on sale in B&Q for about 20 quid.
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Mine must be one of the B&Q specials as I seem to remember it costing about £20 reduced from way more. It is the open sort, which allows way more stuff to be crammed into it on your last trip down the stairs at the end of a day...
 
omens said:
I'm slowly accumulating tools. So far just hammer, pliers, snippers, wire stripper amongst other things. But I need a place to store it all and a cardboard box just isn't practical.

Toolbox, tool tote or tool bag?

I'm leaning towards a tote.
Click to expand...

There's no ideal solution for everyone and everything, so whatever works best for you. For DIY, you could try a good sized toolbox for storage, and keep the tools you use frequently in a tote. It's easy enough to change the tools for particular jobs if necessary. There's no reason to carry woodworking tools around if you're working on the car, or a socket set/spanners if you're fixing a wonky table or the garden gate.
 
omens said:
That's the same one I linked to! :rolleyes:
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Sorry
The bags I purchased from ffx were grey, so the one you linked didn't register as its yellow.
I checked my previous order details & this is the new version that they sell (obviously going with the brand colour - yellow)
 
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