Hello from Plymouth

[drobinson87]

Hi, thanks for letting me join.

Based in Plymouth and fortunate enough to recently move into a house with a large double garage/workshop at the rear of the property where the previous owner used it as a car workshop. My wife recently announced she was having 15 friends over for one of the girl's hen do/BBQ in a couple of weeks and it dawned on us that we don't actually have any garden furniture. Having looked online at the prices of garden furniture currently and crying, I said I would have a crack at making some basic benches and a table from pallet wood. Didn't have to be anything special, just something for the evening.

I've always had an interest in woodworking but have never had the space and money for all the tools required. Have to say I had an absolute blast making the (primitive) furniture and my interest has definitely been piqued! One of the issues I ran into was that I wasn't able to properly prepare the wood beforehand. As such, when it came to sanding it all down with a Bosch PSS 250 ae Sander it was an absolute nightmare to get it nice and smooth. Due to the cost of wood at the moment and a lack of proper tools it's likely that i'll carry on tinkering in the garage with pallet wood until I have enough to build up a proper workshop of tools.

That being said, I've noticed on facebook marketplace that there's a Scheppach special edition HT850 planer thicknesser for £125 in my area. Would that be a good buy to prepare pallet wood easier and reduce the amount of sanding required at the end?

Secondly, would I be wise to upgrade my sander to a semi-decent handheld belt sander?

Take care,
Dave.

 

[TRITON]

Hello there.

Belt sanders - Makita is the name there, you need look nowhere else.
One of their handiest is the 9911. You can get it for about 80 quid and it is small and light enough to use single handed. I've used it industrially, to the point it became hot and needed switched off for a bit to cool down, then straight back to it. Pretty much on the go daily amongst 3 makers and for years.
Its really stable and unlike some, the 4" Bosch professional for example which has a tendency to tip. Tipping can take divots out of the job, and are really not something you want to happen.

4" Makita sanders are also extremely good and will last decades of hard use. I can recommend the 9903(3"), and 9404(4") These sanders also have good extraction, so the dust actually goes mostly in the bag if not connected to a hoover or small extractor.

Overall I would say ignore the hobby sanders(Green Bosch, B&D etc, they can do the job but arent really designed for long runs of anything.

 

[drobinson87]

Thanks for the advice Triton, will check them out!

 

[Stigmorgan]

Welcome to the madhouse, that's some tidy furniture you've built, if budget is tight then start with whatever you can find to get you going and save up for better, almost all my tools have come from gumtree and other similar sales sites.

 

[Bingy man]

Hi, thanks for letting me join.

Based in Plymouth and fortunate enough to recently move into a house with a large double garage/workshop at the rear of the property where the previous owner used it as a car workshop. My wife recently announced she was having 15 friends over for one of the girl's hen do/BBQ in a couple of weeks and it dawned on us that we don't actually have any garden furniture. Having looked online at the prices of garden furniture currently and crying, I said I would have a crack at making some basic benches and a table from pallet wood. Didn't have to be anything special, just something for the evening.

I've always had an interest in woodworking but have never had the space and money for all the tools required. Have to say I had an absolute blast making the (primitive) furniture and my interest has definitely been piqued! One of the issues I ran into was that I wasn't able to properly prepare the wood beforehand. As such, when it came to sanding it all down with a Bosch PSS 250 ae Sander it was an absolute nightmare to get it nice and smooth. Due to the cost of wood at the moment and a lack of proper tools it's likely that i'll carry on tinkering in the garage with pallet wood until I have enough to build up a proper workshop of tools.

That being said, I've noticed on facebook marketplace that there's a Scheppach special edition HT850 planer thicknesser for £125 in my area. Would that be a good buy to prepare pallet wood easier and reduce the amount of sanding required at the end?

Secondly, would I be wise to upgrade my sander to a semi-decent handheld belt sander?

Take care,
Dave.

Hi from Wolverhampton- I use a portable planer -makita nb 2012 and I can’t fault it gone are the days of using underpowered lightweight electric planers and struggling to get the job done with inconsistent results. As for pre owned machine especially from f b m p my advice is buyer beware. The scheppach ht 850 is approx £280 brand new - the makita is approx £ 500 to £650 but as I don’t really know the scheppach my money would be the makita but it’s only a thicknesser . Hope this helps.

 

[Jameshow]

Only issue with a PT with pallet wood is that when you hit a nail the blades are spendy. A sanding belt less so and a few sparks to warn you....

I know pallet wood is cheap but have you thought if getting timber from a local wood mill larch for instance?

 

[paulrbarnard]

Great first project and excellent result.

 

[baldkev]

Hi, from near kingsbridge!
As above, a makita belt sander is a great start. The red mt ones are just fine.

Planer thicknesser is a great investment, but watch videos or look uo safety advice before getting stuck in. A rare earth magnet is good for locating metal in wood. Not foolproof, but a great start..... bogey knights sometimes have sleepers and dock blocks cut into planks ( my brother does their milling )

Kev

 

[ian33a]

Welcome to the forum.

I'm originally from Plymouth but have lived in the south east for many years.

It's a lovely part of the world - sea and moors all within a short distance but with most things you could need from a city close at hand.

We're in the throws of relocating back to Devon - fingers crossed we'll be moving there in a month or so.

 

[Oaktree11]

Welcome! I am another Plymouth boy - well, Devonport actually! Now live in Cheddar. John

 

[Auldfart2010]

Welcome, I bet your wife was pleased as punch with your liberated woodworking skills. My partner is from Mutley and had one of those strange, tall washing lines that go up and down. They were all over Plymouth. I think they are a nautical thing. I wish I'd taken photographs because I want to build one here up in Barnsley.

 

[julianf]

I've got a couple of the yellow Clarke contractor tools from machine mart, one of which is their hand held belt sander.

I probably got it on one of their vat free offers, and, for the money, it's a proper brutal bit of kit.

It's great for cleaning up rough wood before risking nice blades, but I've done all sorts with it. I'd suggest having a look at it at least.

(The other tool I have in the same range is a SDS+ hammer drill. Similarly brutal. Had it for years and taken down many walls with it and it's still going strong!)

 

[julianf]

Ps.

If you're on the pallet wood, keep an eye out for the crates that slate get delivered to builders yards in.

A lot of the slate now is Brazilian so the crates are made of (unknown) hardwoods rather than the usual pine. Sure it's ropey enough but certainly work keeping an eye out for.

 

[drobinson87]

Thanks for the welcomes and recommendations, much appreciated. Will check them out.

 

[drobinson87]

Welcome, I bet your wife was pleased as punch with your liberated woodworking skills. My partner is from Mutley and had one of those strange, tall washing lines that go up and down. They were all over Plymouth. I think they are a nautical thing. I wish I'd taken photographs because I want to build one here up in Barnsley.

Oh that's interesting, being born and bred Plymouth I had just assumed they were everywhere. I'll take some photos of mine for you.

 

[baldkev]

Oooooo washingline porn dont post pictures here, everyone will want one

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I didn't realise Janners washed.

 

[Jameshow]

Oh that's interesting, being born and bred Plymouth I had just assumed they were everywhere. I'll take some photos of mine for you.

Southampton has those washing lines not seen them else where!!!

I got a big pallet bearer 4ft X3"X3" hardwood made a couple of lovely rolling pins...!

The Mrs dosen't argue as much now..

 

[Tony Works Wood]

Hi drobinson87, That planer thicknesser sounds cheap, If it's ok I'd snap it up it will save you hours of sanding. I've used this Makita sander for decades it doesn't rock or tip. I had a monster Elu before it was a nightmare to use on veneers so got shot. Pic of Makita sander, it's an old one but still works fantastic, can't see the model number though but someone will know.

 

[Bingy man]

Hi drobinson87, That planer thicknesser sounds cheap, If it's ok I'd snap it up it will save you hours of sanding. I've used this Makita sander for decades it doesn't rock or tip. I had a monster Elu before it was a nightmare to use on veneers so got shot. Pic of Makita sander, it's an old one but still works fantastic, can't see the model number though but someone will know.

Looks very similar to mine , heavy as hell and plenty of power, recently replaced the dust bag and the slip plate under belt -hope I never have to replace it .