wood working advice needed !!!

Cabinteely

Howye lads,

Im setting up a small workshop in the garage to get back into carpentry.

I dont have a lot of experience and its been quite a while but I remember all the fundamentals that I picked up when I did woodworking in school.

Anyway, I am looking for some advice if anyone out there would be kind enough to help out:

Where is the best place in Dublin to buy power tools i.e. table saw, miter saw, sanders etc?

What is the best brand to go for when buying tools of this nature and is there any that I should avoid?

What would be the essential tools that I would need for my workshop? (The small bits and bobs that people forget to buy until you realise you desperately need them, eg. Clamps)

Where is the best place to buy materials in Dublin? Timber yard?

I have been recommended a place in deansgrange and also ibs in dun laoghaire.

These are the only questions I can think of off hand.

I look forward to seeing the replies on this,

Thanks in advance lads.

IrlMonk

Hi,
What exactly are you thinking of doing in the workshop?

Certain projects require certain tools and timber.

IrlMonk

Hi,
What exactly are you thinking of doing in the workshop?

Certain projects require certain tools and timber.

North West

Hi Cabinteely
Stick with the old brand names like Bosch, Stanley, Makita and buy them from a good retailer who carries spare parts etc. I bought some good bits off and on in Argos/Aldi/homebase, the problem I found they do not carry parts and some can be hard found. Be prepared to spend as the good brands are expensive but worth every penny.
Fine / rough blade hand saws. Two good vices. Big selection of screws. hacksaws. files. timber core bits. electric planer. hand held planer. wood glue.
panel pins. hammers. router table and routers. chisels. mitre saw. table saw.
Good extractor facility. dust masks. a good loud ringing BELL Why ? because if anyone calls you will hear bell and will not get a jump especially if your using woodworking machinery. A comfortable under floor matting. electric/ battery drill and loads of drill bits for all purposes. Brad awls. Good sander. proper shelving. free reasonable work area about 3m x 2.1m.With a nice bench about 4.8m x 2.4m in this area. This will leave you good space so you can work unrestricted and keep it clean around area. A restricted work area is very dangerous. Good lighting no shadows. good Ventilation. Plenty of sockets. some sort of heating. I built up my bits and pieces over time and as something was needed. Check out Ryobi power tools they have everything and one battery fits all. A good brand too.
NW
I still find there are bits I still need, but I have enough of the essentials to keep going. Always looking at tools where ever I go " The good Lady" not always happy HA Ha

recipio

1. Only buy tools that are absolutely necessary.
2 Only buy good brand names - cheap tools, especially power tools made in China will frustrate you no end and eventually give up.
3.Take time to make jigs that will last and store them. They help speed up production no end.
4 The internet is your friend. Sadly I find the Irish market generally overpriced and you will usually find tools quite cheaply online, even on Amazon.
5 Think laterally. There is always more than one way to do something and if you are stuck, sleep on it !
6. Shop in places that supply the trade - kitchen fitters etc. They will always be way better value than 'high street' shops.
Just my tuppenceworth.

woodturner

Pillar drill and a good set of forstner bits.

woodturner

Pillar drill and a good set of forstner bits.

Andrew7788

It's an old thread but useful info here I also do wood work and building wood ship kit is my hobby....!

recipio

Andrew7788 wrote: »

It's an old thread but useful info here I also do wood work and building wood ship kit is my hobby....!

Can't believe I posted here six years ago ! From browsing UK sites on woodworking there is a definite shift in emphasis.
Many people seem seduced by UK or German names on poor quality tools made in China. I would urge anybody to give up takeaways and pints in the pub and save a little for good branded tools. They will repay you in the pleasure of using them and ease of sharpening etc. Buy cheap and buy twice !:D

chillyspoon

recipio wrote: »

Can't believe I posted here six years ago ! From browsing UK sites on woodworking there is a definite shift in emphasis.
Many people seem seduced by UK or German names on poor quality tools made in China. I would urge anybody to give up takeaways and pints in the pub and save a little for good branded tools. They will repay you in the pleasure of using them and ease of sharpening etc. Buy cheap and buy twice !:D

..and it's even more complicated than that pitfall, plenty of guys out there proudly brandishing their "made in the US" DeWalt, which is indeed made in the US, from just enough sub-components made in China and other parts of asia (and some in europe) to still qualify as "made in the US" -> insert motor into housing, connect wiring, and pop a "Made in the USA" logo on the back; for the dollar win!

Calahonda52

chillyspoon wrote: »

..and it's even more complicated than that pitfall, plenty of guys out there proudly brandishing their "made in the US" DeWalt, which is indeed made in the US, from just enough sub-components made in China and other parts of asia (and some in europe) to still qualify as "made in the US" -> insert motor into housing, connect wiring, and pop a "Made in the USA" logo on the back; for the dollar win!

MAGA:D MAGA:D MAGA:D

kadman

Its hard to seperate the wheat from the chaf when it comes to power tools.

Virtually every power tool now has some element of chinese influence in its making.

Its hard to beat the old established names for the workshop, back in the day when quality was quality.
And not a "3 year extended warranty, if you pay double " ****e you get at the check out now.

Thats why names like Wadkin,Robinson,Danckaert, `Wilson, Cookesly,Pickles, Harrison, Bursgreen, Multico, Sedgwick,
ect were synonymous with excellent build quality in power tools for the workshop.

Just like names like, Disston, Tyzack, ect,ect, you know the rest, are the names to go for quality tools.

We all know Lidl Aldi, is budget Tat for the seldom one off use.

I confess to having one or two myself:eek::eek::)

But predominantly I steer towards the best.

You have to be very careful even with the very well known brands. I've been considering switching to the Makita 18V LXT 'system' for power tools, but after spending hours at this stage looking at them in shops, the quality just isn't consistent. That's very disappointing. Some feel (grips, moulding, components etc) very well put together, others in the same line feel like too much chinesium was added to the mix.

DeWalt, same. Some crap, some great. The poxy bean counters just mess with everything and make it so difficult to trust you get what you pay for these days. It doesn't work like that any more, so pick each tool on its own merits and ignore the colour and brand, I reckon. And keep in mind what your realistic expectations should be from the tool.

In my case it's as a pure hobby woodworker, but I'm short on time and not prepared to be dealing with crap tools ruining my enjoyment of a pastime craft, so I want the tools to be great quality even if the value argument wouldn't make any sense at all. I've slowly been getting drawn into a few Festool purchases (new and used) and have yet to be disappointed, even buying 10-15 year old tools, they're usually in perfect working condition and will see me out my days if I wanted them to as a hobby user.

You'll sometimes find a good quality power tool that's been left with whatever dirt and grime it picked up along the way, sometimes looking like a pile of junk. If it's mechanically fine but would result in nagging if it was left on a countertop or the utility room for long, a box of J cloths and some of the now ever present alcohol hand sanitiser, some cotton buds, toothpicks and an air duster will have that tool nicely cleaned up and deserving of a place inside the house or in with your own carefully minded tools. To some it won't matter, but I like to know I'm not going to leave marks and grime around my home, workspace or worse, on the workpiece. A few minutes makes a difference and it's easy enough to do when you're on a conference call or while something's playing on youtube or netflix.

Finally, remember to look around for good deals on eBay too and don't limit yourself to the default .ie or co.uk sites, or even .com with Ireland set as the delivery location. I regularly buy new and used from ebay.de from sellers who only list for delivery to Germany, but a polite message has not once resulted in them saying no when I ask them to ship to me overseas. Never an issue and some real bargains to be had. I simply don't see abused crap being sold there. It's telling, to some extent. Don't be the muppet who passes up on a smashing deal just because delivery is €15. Just look at the total price inclusive and if it's a good price, it's a good price.

chillyspoon

JayZeus wrote: »

Finally, remember to look around for good deals on eBay too and don't limit yourself to the default .ie or co.uk sites, or even .com with Ireland set as the delivery location. I regularly buy new and used from ebay.de from sellers who only list for delivery to Germany, but a polite message has not once resulted in them saying no when I ask them to ship to me overseas. Never an issue and some real bargains to be had. I simply don't see abused crap being sold there. It's telling, to some extent. Don't be the muppet who passes up on a smashing deal just because delivery is €15. Just look at the total price inclusive and if it's a good price, it's a good price.

This is such a good point.

I've been using amazon.de a lot in the last couple of years - I paid 279 euro delivered for my Bosch PBD40, fulfilled by Amazon so it's fully covered for no-quibble return.

Same drill on amazon.co.uk is the same price but in GBP (310 euro), 495 euro from Littlewoods (for the insane) and even if we try to keep the business here in Ireland it's just not viable (for me anyway) at 395 euro before shipping from McQuillans

Best alterative price I can currently find is Farnell at just a tenner over what I paid at 288 euro but that's before shipping is added, so it'll probably wind up around the 300.