What tools did you buy for yourself for xmas.

[Cabinetman]

Spent some time drilling and screwing into pine & oak.

Screwing into pilot holes works pretty smoothly - impact noticeable occasionally. Screwing non-piloted into softwood worked as I expected - noticeable impact & clackety-clack - did the work though. (Didn’t try non-piloted on hardwood). 5 mm screws, 20 mm depth.

Countersinking was pretty smooth; felt good.

Drilling was interesting. Up to 4 mm diameter, it’s pretty normal - just feels like drilling. At 5 or 6 mm, the impact really becomes noticeable and it feels a little odd. Still makes holes, but becomes clear that the speed ramp on the controller is a little quick for that use - the sweet spot is in the middle of the range with not much space either side.

In terms of the physical side of things, I really like the form factor. Feels agile. Easy to get vertical. The weight is fine. Both straight and pistol layout have their place.

So overall I’m happy to use it for countersinks, pilots, and screwing. It’s good for making small holes and screwing/unscrewing things in them.

To put this tool in perspective, my basic Bosch cordless drill has 1.5 X the max torque and 2/3 the max speed of this impact driver, so expectations should be in line with that. It’s less capable than a basic drill, but the form factor is better if it’s capable enough for what you want to do with it.

Oh yes that’s great thank you, I hadn’t realised it was an impact one. Never had one, tried my sons and wasn’t sure I needed one tbh.
Thanks for the review, Ian

 

[Stuart]

I treated myself to one of these …..

 

[fezman]

I treated myself to one of these …..

I'd be interested to see how you find that Stuart. I've been contemplating getting one as an upgrade to the previous version. Finish, snipe and noise reduction are the main improvements I'm looking for.

 

[kirkpoore1]

The only thing I bought myself was this filter shaker as noted in a different thread. So far it works great.

I did find a way to use a previous Christmas buy though--the router speed controller I bought a few years ago (and used maybe twice) works great on my Dremel tool, slowing it down enough that I could use a drum diamond bit on my dog's toenails without scaring him.

 

[RogerS]

All I can say is that I am clearing out …..I floated a few things FTAGH……but no takers. Skip-time.

 

[Malc2098]

All I can say is that I am clearing out …..I floated a few things FTAGH……but no takers. Skip-time.

Have you considered donating anything worthy of use or even repair to a Mens' Sheds/Men in Sheds. I have sometimes taken mine to the Exeter branch.

There seems to be a branch in Taunton.

 

[AndyP]

When we cleared out father’s garage and workshop local men's shed had contacts with a Tools for Ukraine group and quite a lot of stuff went to them.

 

[Woodbloke]

I treated myself to one of these …..

View attachment 37905

I bet FC had a fun time delivering that! - Rob

 

[MartinF]

My wife and our family stopped giving me presents some years ago. In the first place, like quite a few others on the forum, I have enough tools. What’s more, if I don’t have the right tool for a job, then I just go out and buy it. Many of the tools, power and hand, have been bought for specific projects, the justification being that, if it’s within my skillset, it’s been cheaper in most cases to buy the tools and do the work myself rather than have to wait for a tradesman to do it for us. This has enabled me to do renovations to both our house here in Bristol and our daughter’s place in France. However, having finished most of these jobs some years ago, there’s nothing much left to do so no more tools need buying.

However, when first married and none too well off, I was extremely grateful for the Christmas presents that I got from my in-laws in the late 60s/early 70s. These included, at various times, a Stanley Bridges electric drill, a workbench that FiL made for me and a wheelbarrow and gardening tools when we moved into our first house.

 

[RogerS]

Have you considered donating anything worthy of use or even repair to a Mens' Sheds/Men in Sheds. I have sometimes taken mine to the Exeter branch.

There seems to be a branch in Taunton.

That's a great idea, Malc. Taunton is fine but Exeter is a bit of a schlepp.

 

[RogerS]

Well, I gave my S2000 a Xmas present. OK...I know it's not woodie related but I think it's rather cool.

 

[Cabinetman]

They call them car condoms over here, yes I think it’s weird as well.

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

"Carcoons" in Blighty apparently.

 

[Accipiter]

Ive been meaning to add to this thread - just hadn't got round to taking a photo what with the bits being in two different places... now rectified.

Ratchet screwdriver set (Parkside from Lidl) and two separate things that Yandles had on their £10 Tuesday offers... got another £10 thing coming Friday. The ratchet screwdriver replaces a very old one ive had for i can't remember how long... some driver heads either missing or damaged/worn.

 

[Accipiter]

This is the last bit - again from Yandles in their sale. I've a very old one that my father bought many many years ago (blue handle) but the handle has been broken for a very long time. This one will be useful - just like the small (red) one - another 'old' 'un.

 

[Lons]

Not really . Too many things on the go means Mrs AJBT is putting stuff away, not me, and then neither of us has a clue where anything is. But I know what you mean. I need to retire!! Instead I'm working harder. Insanity.

Maybe you need a new wife or teach her not to put your tools away. A big "hands off" sign usually works.
I think if my wife put my tools where I couldn't find them she would soon stop when the list of jobs didn't get done.

 

[KitchenBOB]

U scribe jig, they really make scribing fillers a doddle, no more awkwardly holding the filler an a block to scribe.

 

[Lons]

I haven't bought anything yet though I do have some Christmas money to spend. I've been lusting after a metal shoulder plane for a long time but there aren't too many around s/h at a reasonable price so will keep looking, or maybe find something else I desperately want but don't "need".

 

[RogerS]

U scribe jig, they really make scribing fillers a doddle, no more awkwardly holding the filler an a block to scribe.

That looks intriguing but I can't see how to use it. Their Youtube video makes a chocolate teapot the epitome of usefulness.

 

[Cabinetman]

That looks intriguing but I can't see how to use it. Their Youtube video makes a chocolate teapot the epitome of usefulness.

That’s pretty much the conclusion I came to, still not sure how it’s used after watching that. Warning the music will drive you nuts.
@KitchenBOB please don’t think this is aimed at you, and you are very welcome by the way. Ian

 

[GarF]

That looks intriguing but I can't see how to use it. Their Youtube video makes a chocolate teapot the epitome of usefulness.

I've a feeling Peter Millard might have done a video about these. IIRC the bracket just makes it easier to fix your infill against the work while you scribe with compasses or one of those block things with a pencil hole

The chap who invented them used to do a podcast which was quite good, if a bit too sweary for my liking. He spent a small fortune getting the tooling done after developing it on the job. I think it's a good product and I wish him every success with it.

 

[KitchenBOB]

That’s pretty much the conclusion I came to, still not sure how it’s used after watching that. Warning the music will drive you nuts.
@KitchenBOB please don’t think this is aimed at you, and you are very welcome by the way. Ian

the video doesnt help much i agree

ill try an badly explain.

the u scribe screws to the back of the intended filler panel. you then push it onto the carcase edge
there are different sizes that match the carcase width, for kitchen units i mainly use 18mm. this slots over tightly and holds the filler in place at perfectly 18mm, allowing me to use an 18mm off cut to scribe to the wall perfectly without requiring 3 hands to hold and mark.

its actually a massive time saver for me, and for the cost its worth its weight in gold.

 

[Cabinetman]

the video doesnt help much i agree

ill try an badly explain.

the u scribe screws to the back of the intended filler panel. you then push it onto the carcase edge
there are different sizes that match the carcase width, for kitchen units i mainly use 18mm. this slots over tightly and holds the filler in place at perfectly 18mm, allowing me to use an 18mm off cut to scribe to the wall perfectly without requiring 3 hands to hold and mark.

its actually a massive time saver for me, and for the cost its worth its weight in gold.

Now why couldn’t they say that! Perfect explanation thank you. For a kitchen or bedroom fitter I can but imagine how much frustration it must save.
Ian

 

[Windows]

I got an Engineer DR-54
View attachment 37872

I have now used this screwdriver to dismantle a cabinet and it worked well. The handle allowed enough torque to get the screws out easily. Might end up using this more frequently than I had thought.

 

[TrimTheKing]

I have now used this screwdriver to dismantle a cabinet and it worked well. The handle allowed enough torque to get the screws out easily. Might end up using this more frequently than I had thought.

I can't work out how that would work, cn you show it in action? I can't see how that helps in tight spaces, because surely you need to get a hand into the space to get any grip on it?

I'm sure I'm misunderstanding how it works though...

 

[Windows]

In terms of tight spaces, it only helps in specific situations and needs more clearance than alternatives in particular ways. It’s similar in height to a spanner-style ratchet, but the radius of the handle is shorter than a spanner-style handle, although obvs you need that clearance all the way around the screw head. It’s much shorter than a conventional screwdriver handle, but close to the screw head, it needs more clearance radially than a conventional screwdriver. And yes you need to get your fingers close to the screw head (and your entire hand arm shoulder body needs to stay attached).

There are a few situations like screwing/bolting things through the sides of items sitting on top of your workbench where the form factor is more convenient than a bar - that’s more about where the centre of gravity is than clearance.

But for me, it’s not so much about getting in to awkward spaces as it is about having a small, light, screwdriver that’s convenient to carry and always with me.