a new tool kit

[engineerone]

i know this will probably back fire, but as we get to the end of an old year, and begin the new one, there is a temptation to look at the baggage one carries around and see whether it can be
slimmed down, and even bettered.

i mean jason has started by tidying up his workshop

so if you were to re-organise your tool kit, or had to organise a new one how would you start out?

i know others have done something similar, but let's think this through.

you will actually have two kits to consider, a hand tool one and a combination one.

the hand tool one is for only using real wood, but both in the workshop and outside. so you need about 30 tools maybe plus measuring tools.

as for the combination kit, let's think why do we need so many machines, and can we now do more tasks with the hand tool part of it. again about 30 tools.

by tools i do not mean attachments for instance spare blades or extra screwdriver bits.

so you have to cut the wood, fashion it, and join it together in the most practical way for whatever you are making.

oh yes this is not a collection it is for working with (sorry alf ;D)

i would guess the hand kit would cost about 2-3k
whilst the combo kit would i think about 4-5K.

the other thing is it all has to be portable in your own hands.
by that i mean, we all have bags and boxes that hang off us particularly when we go on site. but how about making a hand carry box that it all fits in?? no wheels, maybe a slightly bigger tool box than the one some of you built in apprentice school.

the idea is to review what you have, what is new, and what you feel might well be suitable for now and into the future.

oh yes it must all be available.

paul

[mel]

i've done this already paul
when we we'rnt allowed to use 240v gear on site any more
it all had to be replaced with 110v
not long after we we'rnt allowed to use it because it was'nt PAT tested , so we refused to take it to work. unless they paid for it .
then all of a sudden all the companys started to use speedy hire and the like
i still have all my 240v gear and use it in the workshop
the 110v tools stay in a van vault until ive renegotiated rates

[jfc]

I've tidied my workshop , that doesnt mean it's tidy ;D It's a work shop !

[engineerone]

yes jason but you have also bought all those new old saws, so how you gonna choose the ones to keep

paul

[mailee]

If I was to start over again I would have two complete sets of tools. One for the workshop and the other for on site jobs left in the car, secured obviously. Hand tools? well they are all hand tools to me, just that some of them are plugged in and other have batteries.

[Scrit]

I'm not so sure it works out at 30 tools for installation (I wish! ), although I have long had a separate kit for installation as opposed to bench work. There is also quite a difference between installing something like a laminated/foil-wrapped kitchen (and kitchens inevitably also call for one or more of these: electrical kit, plumbing kit or tiling kit), putting in a replacement floor or staircase and hanging solid oak doors so the kit I take out is matched to the job. If I didn't do that I'd need a 7.5 tonner to cart it all round with me!

Scrit

[mrgrimsdale]

Can't imagine how one could spend 2-3k on 30 or so necessary hand tools, even if, like Scrit, you are covering a lot of trades.
For me the most expensive item would be Stanley or record 5 1/2 at about £80. I'd expect the remaining 29 to cost less than a tenner average (more for saws, less for chisels).
That'd be abt £300 total, and £1700 to £2700 to spend on wood ;D ;D - to make a bench for starters.
OTH 4-5k on power tools inc combi machine morticer etc - not enough.

cheers
Jacob
PS no on second thoughts I'd revise that up to praps £20 average - to allow for block plane, jointer and a few other pricier bits.

[colincott]

When I worked for my last firm, I have almost 3 sets of tools.
One for site, one for the workshop plus some for home but some of the tools I would not have more than one of.

Now I work for myself, I am trying to get rid of some bits but its hard when you have had them for so long

[Scrit]

Jacob

I find that for site work I've spent well over £2k on power tools - flip over saw, power planer, SDS drill + tooling, cordless drill, jigsaw, circular saw, router, laminate trimmer, sanders, recipro saw, nailers, etc, etc. Yes, I can do without most of them, but they do make the job faster. I have to agree with you on the hand tools kit - a reasonable kit needn't cost the earth especially if you buy secondhand.

As to covering other trades I built up my plumbing and sparky kit back when I was renovating my own house and it's been useful to have the kit ever since (and make periodic additions), but I find that I'm often called on to do a bit of make-good work on jobs which wouldn't warrant bringing in another trade (a lot of them do the same these days), so you can also add a partial plastering kit and some masonry tools in the van at times.

Scrit

[mrgrimsdale]

I've got a fair old collection of power tools but not so many as you. Partly why I chose to do period stuff is to avoid having to be jack of all - which also means fewer tools.
I bought an SDS drill after breaking my wrist chipping out some rock hard modern mortar around an old sash, well concrete really, and it's been a fantastic bit of kit for general building, don't know how I managed without it.
Ditto with the other trade stuff but I only do plumbing/wiring if it's unavoidable, but quite a bit of plastering - usually carlite bonding the cowboy's perfect plaster sticks in thick lumps like sh*t to a bl*nket. Though infact me & mrs G are making a bit of a team with board finish plaster lately!

cheers
Jacob

[Scrit]

mrgrimsdale said:

Partly why I chose to do period stuff is to avoid having to be jack of all - which also means fewer tools.

Interesting you should say that, Jacob, as most jobs of a period installation nature these days seem to involve the use of the pneumatic/gas pinner, bradder or nailer and the push to get things in makes a rip saw and chop saw inevitable - sort of tradition meets the 21st century? The end result is, or should be, little different from doing the job with hand tools. But needs must it is a lot faster.

mrgrimsdale said:

I bought an SDS drill after breaking my wrist chipping out some rock hard modern mortar around an old sash, well concrete really, and it's been a fantastic bit of kit for general building, don't know how I managed without it.

I'm now using a 3kg SDS with rotation stop rather than the more common 2kg machine (for the uninitiated 2kg and 3kg classes are 2 to 2.9kg and 3 to 3.9kg in weight respectively). It weighs a bit more but packs a heck of a lot more punch meaning it works as a drill (faster than a 2kg) but also does for light chiselling, brick removal, sinking-in, etc. and will even handle smaller core bits. This means that I only carry two drill now - the SDS and a cordless drill/driver. I have, however, started using an impact driver - so it's a case of one in - one out Surely the biggest hassle has got to be the multifarious and differing cases that power tools come in. My new year resolution will probably be to get everything into Tanos Systainers next year (the same style of boxes that Festol use) - at least then I can carry 4 or 5 power tools onto a job in a single journey from the van.

mrgrimsdale said:

Ditto with the other trade stuff but I only do plumbing/wiring if it's unavoidable

The main thing I find I need to do us chase wiring into walls, pop-in the back box and pull through cabling. The sparks can do the other stuff, but if there isn't one around (frequently the case) iot's easier to do the first part of the job for them so you can crack-on with the rest.

Scrit

[engineerone]

so i guess scrit that i have to ask whether you keep the stuff you replace, and if so is it still hanging around the shop.

or are you good, and sending off the ebay route??

i agree the systainer type thing looks good, do you still have the link to the company, i lost mine when the computer went bang?

how about one of those hand push carts that the americans are so keen on, everything in a chop saw stand ;D

paul

[Scrit]

engineerone said:

so i guess scrit that i have to ask whether you keep the stuff you replace, and if so is it still hanging around the shop.

I rarely dispose of kit unless I'm upgrading, e.g. I went that route recently replacing a standard rotary/plumb level laser with a self-levelling version of the same. As both machines fulfilled the same function the older machine was sold.

engineerone said:

i agree the systainer type thing looks good, do you still have the link to the company, i lost mine when the computer went bang?

The company is called Tanos, although if you do a search on eBay you'll find loads of people selling the boxes in a variety of colours. They also do a couple of oversize Maxi Systainers now which could be useful for a hand tool kit helf in a home-made insert along these lines (by Ulmia):

engineerone said:

how about one of those hand push carts that the americans are so keen on, everything in a chop saw stand ;D

And just how do you get them upstairs in a terraced house? Fine for the USA, but our houses are smaller so I'd be leery of taking one on, although I am considering a fold down and roll base for the SCMS

Scrit

[dirtydeeds]

i used one of those wooden inserts for about two years (a festool one that was almost identical to the photo above) i dont anymore

although its a good idea its designed for a german tools (the style of their hammers and planes are quite different) so isnt quite as useful as it first appears, as always with things like this i hacked some bits off which helped

[Scrit]

dirtydeeds said:

.....although its a good idea its designed for a German tools (the style of their hammers and planes are quite different) so isn't quite as useful as it first appears, as always with things like this I hacked some bits off which helped

Agreed, but I was thinking more in terms of making my own inerts(s) from scratch to suit my own hand tool kit. Similarly I reckon a Systainer 2 or 3 would be ideal for my cordless kit, so long as I make my own lift-out plywood inserts,

Scrit