Woodworking Tools

[JayZeus]

A bench is a tool, right?

Bench boards..

BenchBoards.jpg

[490808]

...
There's still a lot to be said for a bit of permanent marking. I use a dremel engraver and pick a place that's not easy to get at with a knife, card scraper or sandpaper to engrave my name and phone number into tools. I also then put a fairly innocuous mark in a few places also, old school, in a pattern of 3 dots close together.

...

This has to be one use for our Eircode system?

7 letters and digits that can uniquely identify a tool and provide the address of the owner.

In the UK you have to add at least a house name and number and even a street name to do the same thing.

No need to make any obvious marks on a tool. You can put your details on the outside with a sticker but its normally fairly easy to find an area that isn't normally seen that you can engrave your eircode on. With battery tools the obvious area is the area where the battery slides in and out.

In the UK I used to remove the engine covers on all garden machinery (I had a lot being a head gardener on a big estate) and engrave the estate name and postcode on the cylinder head (and a few other places). It worked out as we got one stolen chainsaw returned about 6 months after it was stolen. My guess is if the police or guards really want to get a guy and find he has anything that's been marked they will make the effort to find the owner as it makes getting a conviction that much easier. I know from talking to the UK police it really pisses them off having to return stolen goods to criminals because they can't prove they were stolen.

[JayZeus]

Good point on the Eircode thing. I reckon you're as well off putting a phone number and name on it also to let the decent fella who might just find what you left behind, fell off the roof of your car, got nicked and stashed somewhere the chance to give you a call and get it right back in your hands. Same with a wallet etc.

[765489]

All my corded power tools are more or less gathering dust. I recently got a new cordless makita drill and angle grinder. Happy with both. Accompanied with this was a full colour A3 print out of all the other tools that use the same battery After some initial dreaming I quickly snapped out of it and threw the brochure in the bin. My bank account would have been quickly cleared out with that A3 page.

Although I'm interested in the torch / lantern, as would find this handy around the place.

[490808]

Don't think the cheapest one will break the bank less than £23 with tax and delivery if you have Prime?



Although my experience is that you probably want to spend a bit more if you want some useful functions like a lens that can focus

[765489]

Thanks but i better not. I'll treat myself to it at a later stage.

This year for me is about saving money.

So far not going so good!

[JayZeus]

The workbench is almost ready now. With some luck and a bit of a last push, should have it done by Wednesday night.

In other tool news, I picked up a vacuum clamping setup today. Being end-of-life'd by the manufacturer so I figured it was now or never for the one I've looked at on and off over the past 10ish years.

[JayZeus]

In case anyone is interested.

bench.jpg

[490808]

Thats not woodwork that engineering in wood

The slot for loosing small tools in the middle interests me

[JayZeus]

It will have a removable/adjustable board fitted in between the tops. Biggest advantage is ease of clamping in general use, and the ability to put each part of the top through a planer thicknesser when they eventually need some maintenance. I’ve flattened benches with handplanes and once with a router sled. Too much time and messing.

I’ll post some more pictures at the weekend. It’ll all make sense then.

[CelticRambler]

It'll be grand, once you've put a few scratches on it!

Great job, though. Is the top placed in a slightly asymmetric position, or is it an optical illusion making the left look like it extends further out than the right?

[JayZeus]

It'll be grand, once you've put a few scratches on it!

Great job, though. Is the top placed in a slightly asymmetric position, or is it an optical illusion making the left look like it extends further out than the right?

Tops aren't attached yet. Still need to be flattened and finished. But overall the project's proceeding nicely.

Banch2.jpeg

Bench3.jpeg

Bench4.jpeg

[JayZeus]

The lower jaw extension for the vice is removable, so I can replace it and the vice at a future point in time with the model I really want to fit. It wasn't available when I went looking for one, but I wanted to make some progress.

Bench5.jpeg

[JayZeus]

Those who know, will know.

Very happy to have this set of blades. Still some final sharpening work required, but all present and accounted for and now safely housed in a box made from scraps.

[kadman]

Seeing your new bench and surroundings I've suddenly realised what a state my own workshop is. Will have to do something soon about it, I know.

On the extraction side of things....how good is the dust commander cyclone option. I know from my own experience that the single bag and 2 bag extractors are next to useless for attaching to a thicknesser even if its set for light cuts. Is a cyclone option good for a small workshop. I've just spent most of my day hoovering up dust so I can spray doors next week.

[JayZeus]

I can’t BUT recommend it. Superb option and incredible value for money for a high quality bit of kit. I’m still impressed with just how well it works.

[kadman]

I can’t BUT recommend it. Superb option and incredible value for money for a high quality bit of kit. I’m still impressed with just how well it works.

Which unit did you opt for, and what vacuum unit are you using with it.

[JayZeus]

The Dust Commander DLX. I’ve used it with a few different Festool dust extractors: CTL-Sys, CTL Midi I and CTL 26.

It’ll work with any kind of shop vac or mobile dust extractor

[kadman]

Currently working on the extraction unit. I have a Scheppach HA 2600 that has not been cleaned in many years. Its a top bag unit which was fairly clogged up, and after a clean out, has made a big improvement.

I use it on the spindle and thicknesser, and it works ok. But I have researched that it can be greatly improved by replacing the top bag with a cartridge filter. But thats fairly pricey at 300 euro here. But I suspect I could find it cheaper sourced in the eu. I am hoping that this unit is suitable to couple up to the cyclone unit.

More research to do methinks.

[kadman]

I see rip off Ireland is alive and well in the woodworking industry. I just sourced and got a quote for an upgraded cartridge filter for my Scheppach HA 2600 from Mcquillans.....300 euro and i collect.
Luckily I got a quote for the same product from a company in Estonia. Delivered to my door for 199 euro.

How the feck does that happen. Over 100 euro in profit for an Irish company, which I would prefer to support. But money is better off in my pocket, than outlandish profit for Mcquillans.

[JayZeus]

Currently working on the extraction unit. I have a Scheppach HA 2600 that has not been cleaned in many years. Its a top bag unit which was fairly clogged up, and after a clean out, has made a big improvement.

I use it on the spindle and thicknesser, and it works ok. But I have researched that it can be greatly improved by replacing the top bag with a cartridge filter. But thats fairly pricey at 300 euro here. But I suspect I could find it cheaper sourced in the eu. I am hoping that this unit is suitable to couple up to the cyclone unit.

More research to do methinks.

On the Dust Commander and all similar units, they're not suitable for use with a workshop dust/chip extractor like the 2600. Not the standard type cyclone anyway, with typically 50-60mm ports. Those are good for the equivalent of a vacuum cleaner, shop vac or that type of 'dust extractor' from Festool, Fein, Bosch, Nilfisk etc.

If you're planning on hooking a cyclone up to a 100-125-150mm ported workshop extractor, you'll need the large format cyclone to suit. Using port reducers etc to connect the standard cyclone won't work as the chip extractor doesn't generate enough vacuum pressure on the intake to maintain airflow velocity, so it'll just stall the fan in the chip extractor, or fail to draw the dust at source in the first place.

Unfortunately, those workshop sized cyclones don't shift in higher volume so they're not as competitively priced at first glance. That said, for what it is the Dust Commander XL is still a great price.

https://www.dust-commander.com/gb/p/14- ... 30016.html

I'd be hesitant to buy that though unless you had a real plan to put lots of chip/dust volume through it. Might be a better option to go with a smaller shop vac and cyclone for hooking up to other tools on the fly, and swap bags and clean filters on the workshop extractor when needed.

Or go all in and set yourself up with both. I'll admit, that's probably what I'd do. Will do. More than likely. I feel the beginning of another purchase in the works here.. Agh.

[JayZeus]

https://www.axminstertools.com/eu/axmin ... ead-105872

That's another option of course

[kadman]

Yep, I know the dustcommander is not suitable for the HA2600 extractor. Just mentioned the sheppach as I want to upgrade that too for more efficiency on the spindle and thicknesser for the chippings.
Dust commander I'm thinking off along with the existing workshop vac unit to save me the hassle of constantly changing and cleaning filters. Its an el cheapo triton, but surprisingly efficient for the saw and chop saw and tools. Its a possible individual option for each machine maybe.

Now that I have a reasonable price for the improved cartridge filter for the HA 2600, I think I'll buy that as well anyway.

So whats with the Festo shop vac units...educate me, please.

[kadman]

Axminster cyclone on my big extractor is just like replacing my bag with a steel bin, and costing me 175 to do that.
It makes more sense to make my unit more efficient with the 175 euro on the cartridge filter which improves the air volume through the unit,and its efficiency.

[Apelles]

My main source if I am topping up on tools is, car boot sales. Amazing tools that no one wants, and cheap to boot.
Best purchase was a Disston rip saw 32" I think. Its a cast blade beauty, cost me a fiver

I'd be truly tempted to buy tools from boot sales too, theres a monthly regular one just down the road from me. But I avoid going to them ever since my brothers workshop was broken into, he's a chippy and had a great collection of tools and equipment, most of which were stolen.
He went to the Gardaí
who's only advice was to "travel around the car boot sales to look for them himself", (did he fcuk).
I'm not saying all the stuff sold there is knocked off, far from it, but that incident tainted my impression of them.
Now, whenever I'm after a new piece of kit, I get my missus to get it for me for my birthday or something.