miketomcat Posted November 9, 2023 Share Posted November 9, 2023 I will add to this that I use my press far more than my compressor. So a cheap second hand 25-50ltr compressor and a 10ton+ press would be a good spend. Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon W Posted November 10, 2023 Author Share Posted November 10, 2023 On 11/6/2023 at 8:10 AM, rusty_wingnut said: Also worth noting the cheap copy Makita impact wrench is really rather good.... I cannot find the discussion link on here though. Yes this is what I have already and I don't know how i ever lived without it. The best £35 i have spent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon W Posted November 10, 2023 Author Share Posted November 10, 2023 On 11/9/2023 at 7:00 AM, miketomcat said: I will add to this that I use my press far more than my compressor. So a cheap second hand 25-50ltr compressor and a 10ton+ press would be a good spend. Mike Thanks Mike Yes one of these is on the list, I am a bit wary having smacked myself over the head with a panard rod which pinged out of a neighbours press while i was changing bushes. 8 stiches on the forehead later i was lucky it didnt take my eye out. An engine crane is also on the list, although i may stick a beam across and use a block and tackle to save on floor space. Just waiting for a roller shutter door to go on the shed then i can lock things away safely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted November 11, 2023 Share Posted November 11, 2023 11 hours ago, Jon W said: Thanks Mike Yes one of these is on the list, I am a bit wary having smacked myself over the head with a panard rod which pinged out of a neighbours press while i was changing bushes. 8 stiches on the forehead later i was lucky it didnt take my eye out. An engine crane is also on the list, although i may stick a beam across and use a block and tackle to save on floor space. Just waiting for a roller shutter door to go on the shed then i can lock things away safely I have to admit the three things I use most are pillar drill, press and welder. I tend to make stuff rather than just lr maintenance, my compressor got used for the first time in 6 months to swap tyre valves. My press is just a cheap 10ton bench mount and I have a pile of random bits of wood/metal to chock items up. I also have a vee block and blade which I can fold short lengths of upto 6mm with, thinner stuff can be longer but often needs two or three hits. My engine crane is great and hateful at the same time. It's massive and gets in the way but you can move it wherever required however it's useless on gravel (which I have now). A block and tackle is great as takes up no room but unless you have a carriage and room it's very restricted. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Poore Posted November 11, 2023 Share Posted November 11, 2023 If you've got the option for a block and tackle or chain hoist then go for it Jon. I find it far more controllable than the engine crane, I've got a reasonably built but Chinese engine crane and it does the job but they're unwieldy to move around, mine folds up reasonably well but is always in the way. Even with a relatively small and lightweight engine in a Tdi or 1UZ it's creaking about. It can just about manage the Perkins from. The JCB which is 500kg. They never have enough reach either. Chain hoist off the JCB is far more pleasant to work with. If you can set up a gantry then that would be way better in my opinion. Pillar drills as Mike says are invaluable. I reckon a pillar drill, welder, lathe and grinder and you can make whatever you need. A suitable scrap pile as well is invaluable. I recently acquired some off cuts of round bar up to about 5" diameter, previously pushing out bushes from radius arms felt a little sketchy although I never had an issue. Last time I did it a few months back I made a proper tool out of that stock on the lathe (basically just skimmed off a few mm from the nearest matching bar) and it made the bushes a doddle and far safer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted November 11, 2023 Share Posted November 11, 2023 Agreed on the chain hoist, if you have a beam going left to right in the roof making up a bracket with some scrap bearings is very cheap and easy, and you can roll the vehicle back and forward to get the missing axis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted November 11, 2023 Share Posted November 11, 2023 5 hours ago, miketomcat said: I tend to make stuff rather than just lr maintenance Just a bit of an understatement @miketomcat..........lol Regards Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted November 11, 2023 Share Posted November 11, 2023 4 hours ago, Stellaghost said: Just a bit of an understatement @miketomcat..........lol Regards Stephen I'll take that as a compliment from you. Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason110 Posted November 13, 2023 Share Posted November 13, 2023 I have a chain block and I beam with a beam trolley in my shed. It’s really handy and I dare say easier to use than an engine trolley. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted November 13, 2023 Share Posted November 13, 2023 +1 for pillar drill, although I upgraded mine to a small Warco milling machine (WM16) which does double duty and with a cheap DRO makes a lot of stuff super easy. Press is very useful, I have a big old arbour press picked up cheap on eBay (far too heavy to post!), but if I didn't a hydraulic press would be high up my list... still is, to be honest. Above all that though is a sturdy workbench with a decent vice solidly mounted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon W Posted November 13, 2023 Author Share Posted November 13, 2023 Yep got the bench already, a great find on marketplace. 10ft x 3ft steel bench originally used for building and jigging kit car chassis, so weighs about 1ton at a guess all for about £70 i think it was. Had to lift it in with the manitou. It is one of the best bits, as i have struggled for many years without a proper workbench and vice, due to space in my old garage and now we have moved and i have built this workshop the possibilities are huge and I am using the work bench so much New workshop is approx 20ft x 20ft so 2 x 90s fit in side by side with room to work, but best moving one out for more space. I will be doing a chassis swap on a 90 soon so will be nice unbolting from 1 and then transferring to the other. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Ranged Posted November 13, 2023 Share Posted November 13, 2023 A little tip for using steel benches, my one at home (3x5") has a 1" hole in one end.... this is brilliant for clamping stuff in the middle of the bench or poking through if its an odd shape. The other way is cut the bottom off G clamps and spot weld them to the table... if your clever and your doing a run of items you can use the body of the clamp as a backing block or locator As for my top 3 tools, 5" grinder(s) I have 2 at work (one is full time 36grit fiber disk and the other bounces from cutting, flap, grind whatever) at home I have 8... seriously lol 4 on my bench (36grit fiber, 1mm cutting, 150 grit flap and grinding) there is another set I use under/on the project and 1 that has a chinese 20mm wide sanding belt Next would be the welder and the pick would be the single phase Mig its just point and shoot... I have others but most of my work at home ranges between sheet metal and 10mm The last one would be work positioning.... its so much easier to weld or work on it if its facing up at a comfortable height so gantry crane (just built one for home) fork lifts at work (just bought a bobcat that I'm going to build some forks and crane for) and just as important is range of jack stands, saw horses etc Oh and the dream one day a 2 post hoist lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted November 14, 2023 Share Posted November 14, 2023 Welding stuff to the bench is a good tip, also both my welders are (usually) earthed to the bench so I can just throw stuff on the bench / in the vice and just weld it. Multi-grinder setup is very useful too if you're doing much fabrication, I find 1 with a 1mm cutting disc and 1 with an abrasive flap wheel a good combo but I could often do with 3 or 4 to include the grinding disc & wire wheel, they don't all have to be expensive grinders either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted November 14, 2023 Share Posted November 14, 2023 I had 4 (now 5 after a new donation) of B&Q's finest Mac Allister 4.5" grinders that cost all of £30: Mac Allister 750W 240V 115mm Corded Angle grinder 2525 | DIY at B&Q Fitted with: 1mm slitting disc Flap wheel Wire cup brush Grinding disc Spare for anything! They all sit in large garden implement style hooks to the right of the metalwork bench, plugged into a 4-way, so always plugged in a within arms reach, but not in the way. Saves so much faffing about, and when one breaks it only costs you £30 to replace. They used to be £22, but inflation etc 😛 They have plenty of power at 750W, even for cup brushes/grinding discs, for the money you can't fault them. I have replaced 2 in maybe 10 years, though I'm only a hobbyist they have done a reasonable amount of work and tend to make rumbly bearing noises before they do eventually fail. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaklander Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 It was said further up the thread that a cheap Makita copy impact is the best purchase. Well I made the not very difficult decision to buy a 'bare' one the other day. It helps to have a couple of the 18v batteries but wow, this is what I have. It's not bad for £18. 😀 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 £18 is hilarious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbekko Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 12 minutes ago, landroversforever said: £18 is hilarious It is. But I'm not sure I want to set my batteries on fire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 I nearly made a similar comment, £18 tool, risking an £80 battery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Your batteries will be fine, it's the other way round that's the risk - non-genuine batteries from the far east are at best consistently massively exaggerating their capacity and at worst will burn your house down. Project Farm and Torque Test Channel on youtube have done a LOT of these tests. That said I took the leap and spent a whole £30 on a fake Makita impact driver that came with two "3 Ah" batteries recently, although I've not had much chance to use them yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 I can't see an issue with damaging the battery.... but I wouldn't leave it on the tool unattended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaklander Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 After a comment further up (from @Bowie69 I think), I also bought a genuine 3/8" 90 deg Makita ratchet and started to use that this morning. It is a beautiful tool and makes stuff so easy to access and spin off. I am happy with both. The £18 impact wrench was an eBay item - Buy it Now / Make offer , so that's what I did. I although I'm surprised by the battery comments. What failure mode are you guys suggesting? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 47 minutes ago, Peaklander said: What failure mode are you guys suggesting? Lithium batteries are hard to get right & are a runaway thermal event waiting to happen otherwise... hence all those cheap chinese hoverboards exploding a while back, likewise eBikes, laptop batteries, exploding mobile phones, vapes... Good ones have good quality cells & robust protection & charging circuits but that's (partly) why genuine batteries cost what they do - because they are FULL of expensive protection & idiot-proofing. Also 99% of the cheaper ones for sale from the far east exaggerate massively about their capacity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaklander Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 5 hours ago, elbekko said: I'm not sure I want to set my batteries on fire 4 hours ago, Bowie69 said: £18 tool, risking an £80 battery I was meaning the risk of my genuine batteries fitted to the non genuine impact wrench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 20 minutes ago, Peaklander said: I was meaning the risk of my genuine batteries fitted to the non genuine impact wrench. Doubt they'll care much, the genuine batteries will have decent protection and the £18 tool is likely to set itself on fire before it manages to upset the battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbekko Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 1 hour ago, FridgeFreezer said: Doubt they'll care much, the genuine batteries will have decent protection and the £18 tool is likely to set itself on fire before it manages to upset the battery. That's most likely true, yes. A good battery shouldn't allow itself to be overly discharged/short-circuited/... So worth a punt, then. Hmm *locks away visa card* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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