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The Axminster cobalt bits are really good, but for a cheap, good option I second the Irwin cobalt bits, I’ve been impressed with them, not as good as the Axminster but good enough. Not sure how’d the Irwin would hold up for production work, but my Father-in-Law swore by them for daily handyman...

I'm not a member and was thinking of joining myself, but there's the Tudor Rose Woodturner's club in Daventry. Of course it's wood turning specific but by all accounts there are some pretty experienced members in that group.

Spotted this listing on Facebook marketplace, it was advertised in an obscure manner so could easily fly under the radar if people are searching. Wadkin BGS 12 Sliding Table Saw which has been converted to single phase. If I had the money, or the space, or the ability to transport, etc. But...

That's actually a really good idea, I dont have a table saw and getting accurately angled rip cuts with a track saw can be a faff. I can see with a fenced tilt base you can slap any panel to an angled one and use a trim bit to take off the excess. Could even add a dust port to that fence...

Katsu for me, I've got a couple of Makita cordless tools so I have the batteries already. If you are in the same position, the convenience of a cordless hand router is worth it. Big caveat though, there are two versions of the Katsu cordless, one significantly cheaper and closer to the price...

Opinion from a complete newbie with limited experience - I use the Wickes blue one, very cheap at £44 (get the bags and filters off eBay, much cheaper compared to Wickes). Works very well, and ideal to get up and running in a shop on a budget, but just be aware of the limitations of all of...

Thanks @Sachakins I will keep an eye out for upgraded flanges. @rogxwhit One of my primary needs at the minute is wanting to get edges back to being square. My thinking is that a jig would be the easiest way to ensure the tool is being held square to the wheel. I know your second question...

@clogs Oh for sure, if something decent comes along the marketplace I probably will snap it up, can't beat solid bits of old cast iron. I was just finding it frustrating as all I could find was pretty beat up aldi/lidl grinders. Not sure why, the second hand tool market in my neck of the woods...

Thanks! That looks pretty damn solid and a decent price too! I'll try and look up Keith Rowley's version as well. The other option I had thought of was to just buy the veritas grinding jig and tack on some blocks of wood onto the existing tool rest to create a channel for the jig to ride along.

Thanks all for the helpful considerations. The bauker one is very cheap but 16mm wheels and the spindles are 12mm. I also am not too keen to have to deal with postal returns and refunds if there are any problems. In the end I got the titan from a manager’s special Screwfix had for £35, in my...

Not going to say how many times I’ve had to re-read this before I figured out the forum has a naughty word filter! (Surely crepe wheels will be too soft, and you’d get syrup everywhere!) 😉 So...cheapest thing which has a working motor, ditch the stones and replace with a good wheel. Any...

Hello all, looking for advice for options on budget bench grinders or any other similar tool for my purposes. Have a few old chisels and plane irons that have a few pits and out of square edges and can’t bear the thought of having to tidy them up by hand. I was thinking of getting a cheap 8”...

Just FYI, there are two versions of the cordless Katsu router, a “budget” version and one which is more of a Makita clone. I accidentally bought the budget version without looking too closely at it and it was horrible. Terrible QC on the fitting and finish and no safety switch; you can easily...

I've used OptiVisor magnifiers for soldering and electronics work. They look bulky but are extremely comfortable, especially if you already wear spectacles. You can buy different magnification lenses that are interchangeable with the main unit, as well as other accessories such as flip down...

Thanks everyone for all the different perspectives, and for highlighting the not-so-obvious considerations about the different types of options for long clamps. It seems that clamps fall into the category of tools where the answer to the question How Many? is “you need all of the clamps” XD...

Hmm, that is a good point, with just buying the heads you can stick any length of pipe in there for the most versatility. Is there any pros and cons of pipe clamp vs parallel body clamps? or are they interchangeable in use/function? A set of 4 Bessey pipe clamp heads for 3/4” is about £88...

I have been slowly expanding my very humble and cheap clamp collection but so far I haven't plunged into getting any long bar/body clamps. Not doing any big joinery work so no need for sash clamps I feel. So far, for cabinets and joining laminates I've been relying on a strap that is supposed...

@JobandKnock - It's nice to hear that the upper-mid range is equally well performing. I had a look at the Makita and it works out to be quite expensive! Cheapest I found was £20 more than what I paid for the Bosch, and that is just for the bare unit and box, not even sure if it comes with a...

Thanks everyone for the incredibly informative replies, wow, a lot to think about! I must definitely hide this forum from my wife as she will see it as more people enabling my Gear Acquisition Syndrome. I've got the whole "it'll be cheaper to build it myself dear, so no need to go to Ikea (but...

Hi everyone, I'm wanting to take advantage of the last few days of the January sales and looking into buying a saw and router for making some small cabinets, boxes, shelving and drawers. I've done some research and *think I know what I need/want and just want advice/validation if my research is...