Power Tools

Updated: 2016-04-10

Since my last post on this topic I have steadily amassed a range of power tools.

• Bandsaw
  • Great bit of kit, very versatile and feels more like a hand tool at times than a power tool. Using a wider blade (19mm) gives reasonably clean straight cuts but changing blades is a reasonable faff as you have to readjust everything to each blade. The finish you get is never going to be as good as with a table saw or similar but some light hand planing removes blade marks and is ok for most jobs.
• Sliding compound mitre saw
  • Complementary to the band saw. Great finished cuts and very accurate (laser helps) but extremely noisey and produces a lot of dust - even with vacuum collection. 10 inch version seems to be a good compromise - the larger ones are massive for a small workshop. I have a Bosch GCM 10S.
• Random orbit sander
  • Highly effective tool for producing a finished product. The random pattern seems to avoid sanding marks. Finding one that you can attach a vacuum is a bonus. I am pleased with my Dewalt D26453. Using Abranet sanding disks and a vacuum makes this even better.
• Router
  • A router, especially in a router table, removes a lot of the tedious elements from wood working and makes it a bit mroe 21st century. Produces a great finish and allows you to ‘machine components’ rather than just hacking at pieces of wood. 22,000 rpm spinning blades require particular care. I have a Dewalt 622k, which I bought because of the hollow leg for duct collection but now that I use it mostly in a router table. I probably should have bought a 1/2 inch router for the added versatility.
• Palm router - good for smaller jobs like making recesses for hinges.
• Drill driver
  • Essential kit. First power tool I bought. Average UK male spends only 14 minutes per year using his. I would avoid cheap NiCad versions and get an 18V Makita. Personally I’m not a big fan of DeWalt here - they seem to have much heavier chucks and are a bit unwealdy. If money is no object then why not go the whole hog and get a Hilti, however, using one of these for 14 minutes per year would be a absolute travesty.
• Impact driver
  • A recent addition and probably a luxury. These are ideal for driving large screws and for driving in lots of screws at high speed. They are smaller and lighter than a large drill driver but this is offset by being extremely loud - sounds like a machine gun when its really trying. My Makita DTD146 works very well.
• Wood turning lathe
  • Clearly a specialist tool. Handy to have but steep learning curve and takes up significant space. Some argue that you are either a turner or you do flat work - not sure this is true but it is a bit of a lifestyle decision.
• Oscillating multitool
  • Jack of all trades, master of none. These always struck me as a bit of a bodger’s tool. Anything that promises to do so much never seems to live up to expectations. The vibrating head does indeed allow you to use a variety of tools (e.g. metal / wood saws, sanders, polishers) but the saws vibrate all over the place so are totally useless for all but the most desperate of jobs. Also, what they don’t tell you is that when you are cutting horizontally the sawdust has nowhere to go and things tend to jam up.
• Paint stripper
• Belt sander
  • I bought a cheap (green) Bosch - bad mistake as it is extremely noisy in a nasty screeching way. Very tricky to avoid taking off far more material than you wanted.
• Circular saw
  • Very useful. Vastly improved by a sled / track / jig. Very noisy and must be handled with great care - I run through a mental checklist before cutting. The cable tends to get in the way but I’m not sure if a battery powered one would have the necessary grunt.
• Jigsaw
  • Horrible things. Almost impossible to get a straight and vertical cut as the blade tends to drift in all but the thinnest materials. Surprisingly dangerous as they tend to jump - especially if you try and move when not fully stopped. Only really useful where you need an internal cut that you can’t get to with a different tool. Again, a track jig helps - but make sure you are only able to drift into the waste.
• Table saw
  • This I don’t have and would required a house move or a cheap small one. They are somewhat scary, possibly because I have never used one - but even the ones that stop when they detect human flesh can still kick things back at you at high speed. If I had the space I’d probably overcome the issues as they are incredibly versitile and give a great finish.