Bench Tools

mrcairney

Settler
Jun 4, 2011
839
1
West Pennine Moors
Now then,

I've got some projects on the backburner and I'm going to be picking up some bench tools in the future so I can tinker away in my cellar. Wood, metal maybe a bit of leather and a bit of sewing.

So what are your invaluable tools? I'm thinking a scroll saw, some type of bench drill and maybe a grinder... any tips would be great
 

lannyman8

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 18, 2009
4,005
3
Dark side of the Moon
my bench sander grinder combo is awesome, i could not do without it, im going to get a band saw and pillar drill when i get my own house.....

my combo is from aldi by the way, £20 i think and 3 years warranty......:):):):)

get a vice too, they help no end, again £20 but from lidle.....;)

regards...

chris.
 

Biker

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Second on the bench vice, so overlooked but it's another tool that can be such an asset.

Benchgrinder is also good. My Aldi one I adapted to become a sander with velcro pads on it instead of the grinding wheel and the belt sander end got removed in favour of a polishing wheel. Works a treat in my opinion.

Piller drill is good, but get one with a decent motor, too much pressure and the motor could actually stop if you're drillling using a hole cutter for any reason.

Scroll saw. Yeah might be good, but it does depend on what you're going to use it for. Leatherwork and thin wood would be fine, not sure about metal. They don't cut straight lines very easily and tend to wander off so just be aware of that. Same with a bandsaw. I have one but I tend not to use it that much as it's such a sloppy tool making the saw cuts zig-zag all over the place. But it does a good roughing out shape so I can finsih it by hand afterwards.

If you're going down the power tools route, I'd also recommend. A drill mains powered), a good battery drill, disk cutter, circular saw, jigsaw (Preferable a B&D Scorpian), a power planer, and a dremel or similar clone with assorted bits would be a good starter kit.

Good luck and if you're able to get on a basic safety course for how to use them if you're not familier with hand tools. They bite in the hands of the unwary. I kid you not!
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,276
3,068
67
Pembrokeshire
I have an Aldi bench stand that turns my Woolies electric drill into a pillar drill.
I find my Belt and disk sander essential as well as my bench grinder while my vices see no end of use (no - not that kind of vice...I have no "bad" vices...honest ...except perhaps lying...)
My B&D jigsaw is well used as is my railway line anvil and my Workmate is something I would be lost without.
A couple of "bench hooks" that I made from scrap complete the picture realy, for everything except the sewing ...which is done in another room as my collection of various sewing machines (manual, 1st generation electric, computer controlled, overlocker) will not fit in the workshed...
 

NathanG

Tenderfoot
Feb 18, 2007
85
0
34
Southend On Sea
Get a dremel, the most useful thing you never knew you needed, i would also reccommend either making or buying a pair of soft jaws for your vice so that you dont damage soft work.

Also, eye, ear and breathing protection, i know alot of people dont bother with it but you'll go deaf and be spewing up mucus full of sawdust otherwise, its not pleasant.
 

Mojoracinguk

Nomad
Apr 14, 2010
496
0
Hereford
sounds like a lot of kit, but just take your time and get what you can when you can.....soon builds up into a pile bigger than the space you set aside to work in!

powered metal cutting saws are expensive!.....so make do with hand powered ones until you see a real need for it!....says the muppet that just bought one...I'm an idiot....no....a soon to be out of work idiot....but I do have a sweet slow running bandsaw :)

Band saws are tricky to set up if you are not used to them, they will cut striaght as you like if you have well adjusted blade guides, a sharp blade, don't force the job into the blade, and use a rip fence......Hey Biker why is yours all squiggly then ;)

Mojo
 

Retired Member southey

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jun 4, 2006
11,098
13
your house!
I use a drill lathe rig, though i have it vertical so i have a horizontal disc sander or drum sander or invert the clamp for a basic pillar dril, works with any drill that you can fit one of those fore grips too.
 

Mojoracinguk

Nomad
Apr 14, 2010
496
0
Hereford
Lannyman8,
They are not all as big as each other…..mine for one is tiny….the missus was well pleased, she let me do it in the kitchen…as long as I cleaned up the mess afterwards.

Now though it lives in the dark dank shed as I cut allsorts so need to keep it away from food stuffs!


Mojo
 

brancho

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 20, 2007
3,799
745
56
Whitehaven Cumbria
In order buy

Bench
Vice (aldi or Lidl)
Piilar drill (aldi or Lidl)
Bench belt/disc sander not Aldi or lidl though
bench grinder (can be used as a polisher) again not aldi or lidl
 

Biker

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Band saws are tricky to set up if you are not used to them, they will cut striaght as you like if you have well adjusted blade guides, a sharp blade, don't force the job into the blade, and use a rip fence......Hey Biker why is yours all squiggly then ;)

Mojo

I think it's a combination of crap blade guides and a narrow gauge blade (¼"). It's used only for wood cutting but even then it'll wander all over the place zigging one way and then zagging the other way if you over compensate. I've fiddled with the guides so many times, I've just given up using it for anything of real accuracy. Maybe I just need to invest in a decent wider blade, though the last one I bought was brand new from a repuatble dealer and not some B&Q copy.

It's a small bandsaw chassis with two wheels about 300mm diameter, we're not talking a big floor standing machine here. can't remember the name of it but it has a metal chassis, wasn't cheap and nasty either.
 

lannyman8

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 18, 2009
4,005
3
Dark side of the Moon
Lannyman8,
They are not all as big as each other…..mine for one is tiny….the missus was well pleased, she let me do it in the kitchen…as long as I cleaned up the mess afterwards.

Now though it lives in the dark dank shed as I cut allsorts so need to keep it away from food stuffs!


Mojo

i will have a look around and see whats about in that case....

thanks MoJo....;)

regards.

chris....
 

mikew

Need to contact Admin...
Jun 25, 2005
160
0
46
West Yorkshire
It's hard to give specific advice without knowing exactly what you plan to make, but for me my pillar drill is the most useful bench tool.
Of course after my Coote grinder :headbang:
 

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