what tools have you bought this last year?

[paulchapman]

scrit said:

Yes, Paul, but where are the battle axes, adzes and stail winders? In terms of neandership surely a billhook must rate above a #55 boat anchor?

Yes, well Mr S probably has bigger muscles than me.... ;D ;D

Cheers

Paul

[dom]

engineerone said:

this seems to be one weakness of the festo rail system, the difficulty in keeping it properly square
paul

I have the festool Paul and have made at least 100 cuts and it stays flat and square.

[engineerone]

sorry dom, did not explain carefully.

if you check on some of the festo sites there is a complaint about the way their cross cutting system works.

i agree the rail stays flat, have used one for sure. but the adjustmenton the cross cutting kit is not quite as accurate as it could be according to what i have seen and understood.
paul

[dom]

Did not know they had a cross cutting system

[engineerone]

there used to be, since i only have an 05/06 catalogue, don't know whether it is still available here.

which is known as the combination angle FS-KS which allows angled cuts when using the guide rail.

there is a problem with the central hold down screw

paul

[dom]

Ah, right, thanks Paul.

[mrspanton]

scrit said:

Yes, Paul, but where are the battle axes, adzes and stail winders? In terms of neandership surely a billhook must rate above a #55 boat anchor?

Some of those list's, man I dont know where you find the money to pay for it all
Can U use a boat anchor to do woodwork? I never knew that, is it like a flying adze type thing. Can u use disc harrow's aswell, theres lots dumped round about here ;D
Funnily enough I have an idea to build a stail engine as I havent seen one available that was havy and solid enough. The more I use axes and billhooks, the more I begin to realise how versatile and subtle they can be, and that the silly power/handtool 2 party system is dadft, it takes real expertise and assurance (which I dont claim to have too much of just yet) to carve out shapes and forms, your in tune with the texture, structure and character of the wood that just doesnt happen with a planer/thicker or router; in that sense a power tool is neaedearthal ;D
As for muscles etc, my left elbow is affected at the mo with tennis elbow , I got carpel tunnel in my fingers and bloody rheumatism or similar in the small of my back. But once I warm up and start working its not too bad. Any way as with any sort of tools it depends on how well you set them up, your powers of observation, hand/eye co ordination etc brute strength isnt everything

[mel]

BILLHOOK !!!!
theres a blast from the past
my dad was left one by his dad , he used to "lay" hedges
a forgotten art these days
think the suffolk pattern had one side sharp in a curved arch
and yorkshire pattern had a curve and straight . two sided blade
i will stand corrected as i may have the patterns wrong
mel

mrspanton said:

Old (at least 120 year's) hand forged froe for splitting posts and logs, I waited quite some yaer's to find a good one (forged not welded up from tube and bar) £24 at Tony's

Suffolk billhook in top condition, £21 at Tony's

Roselli all round axe from Finland for splitting and specifically carving £58

Mora hook knife from Sweden £11

Thats about it this year that I can remember, all low tech/high quality ;D

Oh yes a few nicholson files, carbide ball tools etc, about £30-40

[Alf]

You need A load of Old Billhooks

Cheers, Alf

[jimw]

Mel,

For you hedgelaying may be a forgotten art but rest assured it lives on and a lot of young uns are taking it up. The National hedgelaying championships have more competitors every year. See www.hedgelaying.org.uk/

I don’t do much now, due to a different job as I don’t have the time, but only 6 years ago I was semi professional (that & dry stone walling).

When (if) I have sufficient money not to need to work to keep SWMBO in the luxury she is accustomed ::)I plan to go back to it, between playing in my workshop .

[mrspanton]

mel said:

BILLHOOK !!!!
theres a blast from the past
my dad was left one by his dad , he used to "lay" hedges
a forgotten art these days
think the suffolk pattern had one side sharp in a curved arch
and yorkshire pattern had a curve and straight . two sided blade
i will stand corrected as i may have the patterns wrong
mel

I think the humble bill hook should be a national mascot ;D. They used them since pre roman/iron age time's, THE versatile countryman's tool.
Jim's right, far from being a forgotten art, theres a resurgence of hedge laying (and other rural craft skills) because folk have realised that the craze of ripping out ancient hedgrows to make bigger field's
was misguided and counter productive. Bigger fields may make it easier to carry out intensive agribizness activity, but it mans that wild life habitat's are lost, an the windbreaking affect of the hedgrow's is lost, you get soil erosion etc. And they also finally realised that the tractorised flail cutters that shred the hedges are also a destructive short term soluton as eventually they kill the hedge because it doesnt promote bottom end growth, just lots of top heavy twig growth. In fact just in the last few week's quite by chance on 2 seperate ocasion' I met 2 retired old blokes who both did hedging in there younger day's, then got caught up in the 60's craze of hedge removing, they both said we knew it was wrong, but what could we do? Teams of men spent all day every day ripping yards and yards of hedge up, some of it might of been in continuous management for 2 or 3 hundred year's with regular laying; they got paid per yard I believe, so they worked fast with tractor's and chains. Farmers got subsidised to do this, but now they can get grant's to replace hedges, its come full circle. There's a lot round here (north suffolk/south Norfolk)
Tip from those 2 old boys:-eventually they'll come back round to see the value of hedging AND ditching, instead of having to install elaborate and expensive (and difficult to maintain) field drains they'll start to re create the traditional open little ditches to drain the land. I think they have a point especially as we have problems with a rising water table and flood plains etc

[mel]

thanks for our responses
i didnt realise it was still going strong . and can only speak for the area where i live
here in lincolnshire i havnt seen a proper layed hedge for years
the absense of these hedges serves more than one purpose , which you've already pointed out .
but the one most noticable a few years back was the roads were all closed due to drifting snow , had the hedges not been removed , then it would'nt have been a problem

thanks ALF , for the e-book { i'll read it later }

mel

[dirtydeeds]

i saw a hedge being laid last week and cant remember where it was

[neilc]

Veritas® Low-Angle Jack Plane
2-1/4" A2 Blade, 50° Bevel
Veritas® Low-Angle Block Plane
Dovetail Set for Leigh Dovetail Jig
Tru-Cut® Zero-Clearance Throat Plates
Axminster AW16BMST Bench Morticer
Apollo AP700 Pro-Spray
Small Dewalt router, can't remember which one.

The first 5 were delivered to my hotel room from Lee Valley on a recent trip to New York. I got the Apollo For my recent kitchen build. An excellent purchase, very easy to set up and use once you get the hang of it.
Neil

[9fingers]

neilc said:

The first 5 were delivered to my hotel room from Lee Valley on a recent trip to New York. I got the Apollo For my recent kitchen build. An excellent purchase, very easy to set up and use once you get the hang of it.
Neil

Neil, I've wondered about doing this when I'm away on business and wondered if suppliers will deliver to hotels against payments on a UK credit card. I can't imagine a UK supplier being keen to do this. How did you sort this? Were the hotel happy to keep a parcel for a guest ordered in advance?

TIA

Bob

[woof]

Trend T11 router and professional router table
Kity 419 s/h table saw
Freud biscuit jointer (wish I had a lamello )
Titan SDS 6kg drill - cheap but surprisingly good
Matebo random orbital shaker
Quad pack Bessey K body clamps ;D
Awaiting delivery this Thursday.. Axi Ci table saw as I never really got on well with Kity

[neilc]

9finger said:

neilc said:

The first 5 were delivered to my hotel room from Lee Valley on a recent trip to New York. I got the Apollo For my recent kitchen build. An excellent purchase, very easy to set up and use once you get the hang of it.
Neil

Neil, I've wondered about doing this when I'm away on business and wondered if suppliers will deliver to hotels against payments on a UK credit card. I can't imagine a UK supplier being keen to do this. How did you sort this? Were the hotel happy to keep a parcel for a guest ordered in advance?

TIA

Bob

Bob,
I rang Lee Valley before I left, they had no problem delivering to New York on an Irish credit card. The hotel just kept the parcel behind reception till the next time I was in, I did mention to them though that I was expecting a parcel. The UPS charge from Canada to New York on two day delivery was around $20. With the euro/sterling exchange rate at the moment I just couldn't resist it. The prices in the US compared to Ireland/UK is unbelievable. Have to say though I was a bit nervous passing through customs in Dublin airport on the way home trying not to look guilty.
Neil

[9fingers]

Thanks Neil. I'll give it a try on the next visit.

Now what shall I buy first??

Bob