Tuesday 16 June 2009

What Tools Do I Need part 4


Drill, Cramp and Screwdriver.
Electric drills are considered to be such basic tools that they can be found in most homes, so if you already have one, that’s fine; please don’t go and change it because of something you read here. If not you may wish to consider a cordless drill driver, the advances made in battery technology make these a real alternative to mains drills. Especially the newer ones which come complete two batteries and a one hour charger.
Stay clear of the older ones with Ni-Cad batteries, unless of course they are a real bargain. The main advantages of a drill driver are first it will perform both the task of drilling a hole and then putting in the screw. Very handy and labour saving if you are doing a lot of repetitive work. Secondly you don’t have a tangle of wires and extension leads to cope with. Those drills pictured also share some of these advantages and are also worth consideration. Personally, for bench work I find them just as efficient as the power versions and much quieter.

Cramps are an essential part of your equipment, not only for closing joints when gluing-up, but also for holding the work piece while you are working. I would suggest you will need about four six inch G cramps and two three foot sash cramps. To start buy two of the G cramps and the others as you need them; I guarantee you will never have enough of the right sort to do the job. I have a whole wall full and still find I occasionally need more of one size or another.

Whether or not you have a drill/driver, you will still need hand drivers one for slot head screws and one for cross head screws. Once again buy only the basics six or seven inch version of each (the cross head with a number two point) to start and any others as the need arises.

No comments: