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Tristan

Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Posts: 392
Location: North Gloucestershire

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 04 10:59 pm Post subject: most useful tools

What are your 'essential' tools, and why?

I always seem to find a new essential tool that I haven't got just when it is too late for Machinemart or TooledUp.com to deliver it by the weekend!
Top of the list, Cordless drill with as many batteries as I can fit in the toolbox, hammers ranging from gnat's kneecap to 'pass the truss', rotovator, and especially brushcutter with interchangeable heads altho' the only use I've found for the rubber 'brush' is as a paddle on a punt when clearing water weed!

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 04 11:39 pm Post subject:
I'd love a cordless. Maybe my fave is the Yankee screwdriver, the powerful ratchet action makes short work of a lot of painful tasks. jema

McLay455

Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 89
Location: West of Scotland

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 04 9:24 am Post subject:
My son gave me a DeWALT cordless with a torch that fits the spare battery. It is a brilliant tool and I use it all the time.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45671
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 04 9:54 am Post subject:
Welcome on board Tristan I have no favourite tools I am the anti-DIY

Tristan

Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Posts: 392
Location: North Gloucestershire

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 04 11:47 am Post subject:
I'm not allowed loose on DIY, my tools are all job related, it's amazing the range of stuff you need for gardening (or is that jungle reclamation?) Tristan

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 04 12:16 pm Post subject:
I have just been given a scythe that is going to come in very useful! Also an old-fashioned pitchfork that I have used every day so far. But by far my most used bit of kit is a pair of very heavy duty rubber gloves!

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat Jan 01, 05 6:45 pm Post subject:
One of my favourites is the lambs foot knife, which gets used for everything around here.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat Jan 01, 05 7:32 pm Post subject:

For someone who has never been able to cut a square edge on a piece of timber a power mitre saw has been a god send. It has a very deep cut so can manage almost any timber and was a very reasonable special from B&Q so cost a fraction of what you'd expect. It's very useful for trimming a piece of timber that is a fraction too long but it is difficult to trim a small bit off.

And a small demolition hammer.

Tristan

Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Posts: 392
Location: North Gloucestershire

Posted: Sun Jan 02, 05 12:20 pm Post subject:
Love old fashioned scythes, faster than a strimmer! Tristan

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Mon Jan 03, 05 12:55 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

Do you mind me asking how much it was? We have a load of kindling in 8 foot lengths that OH bought home (he's really trying - a few years ago he would have just gone out and bought it!) and it won't get used unless I can chop it into manageble legnths. It's just slightly too thick to break.

He did chop some of it up on site - into 4 inch bits

He's getting better.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Mon Jan 03, 05 1:20 pm Post subject:
https://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=19638 That is mine, and I don;t use it an awful lot, but like a lot of tools it does come into its own when it is needed. jema

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Jan 03, 05 4:17 pm Post subject:

The one I have is here:

https://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/product/product.jsp?CATID=7920141&entryFlag=false&PRODID=192046&paintCatId=

Now it's on sale for �99.98 at the moment which I would say is a fair price (well known brands would be at least twice as much as it can slide and cut wide about 190mm wide timber planks and has a laser guide).

I am sure it only cost me under �50 as B&Q often have very cheap offers when new stuff comes in, although some things sell out very quickly.

If you don't need any bells a whistles they cost from just over �25 and may be in the sale. My one is very useful for all sorts of joinery etc. Let me know if you need any more details.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Mon Jan 03, 05 5:15 pm Post subject:
Wickes have a 2 for �25 offer on things like cordless drills at the moment. Was a little tempted, but the get what you pay for syndrome detterred me. jema

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Mon Jan 03, 05 5:18 pm Post subject:
joinery? I was thinking of chopping bits off things! Anything more than that is generally a get a man in job around here! I shall pop out to B&Q and see what I can find. Thanks Treacodactyl

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Jan 03, 05 5:45 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

Wickes have a 2 for �25 offer on things like cordless drills at the moment. Was a little tempted, but the get what you pay for syndrome detterred me.
jema

I almost didn't get the saw because it seemed too cheap, for what it does, and the same with the Ferm screwfix tools. However, both have been very good althought I've not had them for that long. I did have a wickes cordless drill for about 5 years, finally the battery went dead and wouldn't charge but it had a good life.

I'm not saying go back and get them though.

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