The toolbox thread

[patches]

2 hours ago, dave303e said:

My team mate's husband went that route. His is a masterpiece and part of my inspiration. But to find the time is a big one. I just barely had time to build the base nevermind the oven itself. i got a ready made unit. Came as a base and a top. Insulation under the base and then some grouting and glue to assemble it. But it is a nice easy install and a good unit from what I have seen. We will start to cure/temper it today. They are costly, but I would not have finished one as well anyway.

 

I did the slab using a bunch on lintels and then threw a reinforced slab on top of that. It is properly strong. The oven is just under 100kg. I will still smooth out the one corner where my lack of plastering skills got away with me. I will then weld a door for the front and then we will tile the counter and put a wooden screen up behind to hide the bathroom plumbing.

It is part of a bigger project. I built a 36sqm patio, roof, concrete slab, tiling, new security gate. Still need to finish lighting and ceiling but it is totally transforming the little old farm house.

Too many teal toys on my to buy list haha. But living off grid and on a farm means I absolutely hate corded tools. I just wish I had a petrol mig welder, the petrol stick welder is so useful and practical but the mig is just so much nicer to weld with.

Looking good!

I have the perfect tool for your collection... it's also the cheapest cordless Festool track saw one can buy...

The Festool TS 60 K Pizza Cutter

[Shebeen]

9 hours ago, patches said:

Oh dear... well there was the next (current-ish) iteration of this (as seen below) that added Bosch Professional and Makita 40V, but got rid of the AEG 12V and Ryobi (althogh I still have that for my small hedge trimmer, which I don't use very often, to my neighbours frustration).

Then I decided to sell a kidney and jump onto the Festool 18V platform via one of their "Energy Sets", which come nicely packaged in a Systainer... so that lives in there... until I 

 

As for trade-offs... the only major one has been money, and maybe charger organization/storage as a minor.

Nearly every other aspect is positives, like:

• Not limited to one brand and their range when eyeing out new tools - So back when Makita didn't (and still doesn't) make a gasless framing nailer, or Milwaukee didn't make a track-saw, I could mix and match to get what I need
• Can buy best-in-class-and-budget - Like Festool jigsaw is head-and-shoulders above the rest for accuracy, so traded in the AEG for that, but Festool drills and impact drivers are crazy expensive with no real performance benefit, so budget dictates Milwaukee.
• Plenty of batteries (and chargers) to go around - with the ability to charge 10 batteries at once, and a stock of about 19 batteries for 19 tools (as seen below). My battery/tool ratios are a little off, particularly on the Milwaukee 18V and Makita 40V, but I still don't have to spend too much time swapping batteries between tools when busy on a project.

 

The trickiest part of the whole thing is not drawing too much attention from my better-half as tools appear to reproduce and multiply 😅

The fortunate thing though, is it's easier to sell her on tool expenses as I usually couple them with the promise of some project round the house that I need them for. Can't quite to that with my MTB and dirt bike spend 😅

That doesn't make sense to me. Personally I'd much rather have the same brand for battery swapping and lose a bit on some perceived performance on certain items. 19 batteries for 19 tools, I'd rather have 12 batteries for 25 tools (or whatever the budget equivalence is).

but each to his own I'm not that far down on the cordless tool path, so this is a comment from the cheapseats. 

 

 

[dave303e]

14 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

That doesn't make sense to me. Personally I'd much rather have the same brand for battery swapping and lose a bit on some perceived performance on certain items. 19 batteries for 19 tools, I'd rather have 12 batteries for 25 tools (or whatever the budget equivalence is).

but each to his own I'm not that far down on the cordless tool path, so this is a comment from the cheapseats. 

 

 

It is a tricky one. I am well down the teal path with battery tools. but the other day I saw a special for a yellow impact wrench with charger and it was such a good deal I nearly ended up with that. Often the package deals that come with batteries and a charger are just too good to resist. I can see how you can end up with multiple chargers and batteries very quickly even if it does defy the logic.

The below deal for example. I can't get a teal impact and drill for that price, so if I needed then I would be tempted if I needed to replace them.

https://topdogtoolshop.co.za/product/dewalt-18v-impact-drill-impact-driver-combo-dwcombo22/

 

[Shebeen]

8 hours ago, dave303e said:

It is a tricky one. I am well down the teal path with battery tools. but the other day I saw a special for a yellow impact wrench with charger and it was such a good deal I nearly ended up with that. Often the package deals that come with batteries and a charger are just too good to resist. I can see how you can end up with multiple chargers and batteries very quickly even if it does defy the logic.

The below deal for example. I can't get a teal impact and drill for that price, so if I needed then I would be tempted if I needed to replace them.

https://topdogtoolshop.co.za/product/dewalt-18v-impact-drill-impact-driver-combo-dwcombo22/

 

Stating the obvious here, but a loyalty club is such an obvious move for these brands.  It's like the tool makers don't realize their customers are addicts.

[patches]

8 hours ago, Shebeen said:

That doesn't make sense to me. Personally I'd much rather have the same brand for battery swapping and lose a bit on some perceived performance on certain items. 19 batteries for 19 tools, I'd rather have 12 batteries for 25 tools (or whatever the budget equivalence is).

but each to his own I'm not that far down on the cordless tool path, so this is a comment from the cheapseats. 

Oh yeah, it's definitely down to personal choice (and slight obsession in my case 😅)

Performance (perceived or measured) is part of it, but my main driver to branch away from my original platform (AEG) was the need for 2 particular tools during the renovation of our house. I looked to both Makita and Milwaukee, but neither could offer both the options at the time, so I ended up on both.

Unfortunately there's no single tool brand that offers ALL the tools. Some do get close though, but I just backed the wrong horse from the start.

Another reason to branch out is to upgrade for performance, function, or refinement purposes. I'm no master craftsman, but a quality tool with the right features sure makes the job more enjoyable.

Similar to the reason us cyclists are always upgrading our bikes. No mamil really needs to upgrade a Giant to a Pinarello, and no weekend warrior needs a SRAM AXS groupset, but it's a passion and what brings us joy.

As for the battery and charger outlay, it's not as bad as it seems when purchase in kits (as dave303e said below). 

With the exception of the Festool stuff, ALL my other batteries and chargers were bought as parts of kits. Often large 5-10 piece kits where one gets even more free batteries (or tools) via redemption, and can sell off most of the tools making the batteries and chargers almost free.

Selling batteries or chargers individually is the real scam the power tool companies are running! Avoid buying them that way at all costs!

And with all the tradies here in NZ, there's a huge 2nd hand power tool market. Some real bargains to be had, often with brand new tools from people splitting out kits like I do. Quality tools also hold their value well on the second hand market. Heck I've even made money off some tools I bought 2nd hand for a specific job, then auctioned off after I didn't need them anymore.

8 hours ago, dave303e said:

It is a tricky one. I am well down the teal path with battery tools. but the other day I saw a special for a yellow impact wrench with charger and it was such a good deal I nearly ended up with that. Often the package deals that come with batteries and a charger are just too good to resist. I can see how you can end up with multiple chargers and batteries very quickly even if it does defy the logic.

The below deal for example. I can't get a teal impact and drill for that price, so if I needed then I would be tempted if I needed to replace them.

https://topdogtoolshop.co.za/product/dewalt-18v-impact-drill-impact-driver-combo-dwcombo22/

Yup! that's exactly it!

4 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

Stating the obvious here, but a loyalty club is such an obvious move for these brands.  It's like the tool makers don't realize their customers are addicts.

Totally! It essentially comes down to "what's your favourite colour?", and kitting your garage out to look like a YouTuber in all red, yellow or teal.

I was initially a loyalist. Not too much to AEG (that was just my entry into the market), but more to Makita. But when when loyalty hindered function, I said to heck with it. Best tool for the job and within budget is my motto.

That said, if I HAD to pick (and stick with) just one brand, it would be Milwaukee. Quality tools, with a huge range, and they seem he most interested in meeting their customers needs by expanding that range.

[patches]

16 hours ago, dave303e said:

My team mate's husband went that route. His is a masterpiece and part of my inspiration. But to find the time is a big one. I just barely had time to build the base nevermind the oven itself. i got a ready made unit. Came as a base and a top. Insulation under the base and then some grouting and glue to assemble it. But it is a nice easy install and a good unit from what I have seen. We will start to cure/temper it today. They are costly, but I would not have finished one as well anyway.

 

I did the slab using a bunch on lintels and then threw a reinforced slab on top of that. It is properly strong. The oven is just under 100kg. I will still smooth out the one corner where my lack of plastering skills got away with me. I will then weld a door for the front and then we will tile the counter and put a wooden screen up behind to hide the bathroom plumbing.

It is part of a bigger project. I built a 36sqm patio, roof, concrete slab, tiling, new security gate. Still need to finish lighting and ceiling but it is totally transforming the little old farm house.

Too many teal toys on my to buy list haha. But living off grid and on a farm means I absolutely hate corded tools. I just wish I had a petrol mig welder, the petrol stick welder is so useful and practical but the mig is just so much nicer to weld with.

Another useful tool for your pizza oven...

Infrared temperature gun.

Doesn't have to be a particular colour though, any will do.

This one was a Christmas prezzie from my father-in-law for use on our pizza oven, however it has spent most of its time in my office for use on site to check pipe temperatures before we do big liquid nitrogen freezes.

[The Ouzo]

9 hours ago, patches said:

Selling batteries or chargers individually is the real scam the power tool companies are running! Avoid buying them that way at all costs!

The problem is, from what I've seen, these packages normally come with the smallest battery the company can offer, which for some tools is not nearly enough.

 

9 hours ago, patches said:

And with all the tradies here in NZ, there's a huge 2nd hand power tool market. Some real bargains to be had, often with brand new tools from people splitting out kits like I do. Quality tools also hold their value well on the second hand market. Heck I've even made money off some tools I bought 2nd hand for a specific job, then auctioned off after I didn't need them anymore.

not sure about the higher end tools, but on the consumer level SAFAs want things for free, and preferably with a battery and charger, so not much chance this side to split package deals up.

 

 

[Alouette3]

Just went to get some sanding discs and walked out with one of these. Already had the batteries so this option was great

1/2" and Hex quick adaptor make a good pair

[patches]

Decided to show the hand-tool collection some love, for a change.

 

Only tested out the #2 phillips so far and I must say, one can genuinely feel the "bite" of the Wera Lasertip blades.

Edited July 16 by patches

[patches]

On 6/26/2024 at 8:14 PM, Alouette3 said:

Just went to get some sanding discs and walked out with one of these. Already had the batteries so this option was great

1/2" and Hex quick adaptor make a good pair

I was recently over in Aus and Sydney Tools had this very tempting deal

I like the idea of a 1/2" impact wrench and 1/4" hex impact driver in 1, and I could have easily spent $300 on drill bits, hole saws, and the like... but I decided to be financially responsible for a change and walked out with just a tape measure and some spade bits 😅

@Alouette3, how're you finding the wrench/driver a few months on? What would you estimate your usage split between wrench & driver is?

[Alouette3]

Hasn't had much use with my contact work schedule, but mostly used it as a driver so far, which is does an amazing job, both with large fasteners into timber and just making melamine boxes. As a wrench, experience is limited, though I couldn't help myself when removing the wheel nuts on my last car job. Will admit I used a breaker bar to crack the nuts and do final torque but did a quick job of popping the nuts off and on. 

[patches]

Was ordering a replacement smart downlight from amazon and was about 30 NZD short from the free shipping minimum... so naturally I had to add some tools to make the cut, otherwise I would be financially irresponsible.

These were the additions

Wera ball end hex drivers in 3mm and 5mm (the 4mm is still on its way).

Having hex/allen key with a regular/screwdriver grip is pretty handy at times (like for grub screws) where a fold-out or L-shape set can be awkward to use.