Bloomin' cheap Jigsaw!

[G&M]

Just proves that tools are getting worse, not better. Cost is everything nowadays and even top brands don't last, whereas I remember my dad's old Wolf drill went on for most of his career.

[Lurch]

On Sun, 4 Jul 2004 19:54:21 +0100, "G&M" strung together this:

One of my mates has several old Wolf drills that are a good 20 years old and are used mainly for core drilling.

[N. Thornton]

I bet lots of us have old B&Ds from the 60s and 70s still going fine. Its handy having some extra drills, saves a lot of bit changing sometimes, and features arent really needed for that. Those oldies are a much better bet than a cheap new one. And come almost free now.

Regards, NT

[IMM]

I had to give away my Wolf jigsaw as it wouldn't die. Old, noisy, two speed via the trigger and the blade wandered a bit.

I had a D&D drill that lasted 14 years, and one now, that was re-conned when I bought it, the speed control clapped out after one week and stuck on the fast speed and that has been going for 24 years, although not used a lot.

[IMM]

40, 30 years ago, power tools were expensive. You very rarely saw them on sites, and then only expensive 110v versions. Journeymen never used them until about 25 years ago when prices dropped.

[G&M]

Not always 110v, my dad having a large collection of 240v tools. Yes they were expensive but they lasted forever. If he were still around, I can only shudder at what he would say about placcy DeWalts being a 'desirable professional brand' for want of a better word.

Thing is even the most expensive kit around that you get from a hire company perhaps once a year often looks a bit fragile.

[G&M]

I've been trying to find a good example of one of the old orange metal bodied ones without joy. They always had the highest rpm around and you could sand filler and buff paint for hours with them without any heat build up.

[Simon Barr]

Do you mean the ones with the little fold up, twist and fold over speed selector?

I've got two of these, well one is blue but the same body shape. I got them when I cleared out my mums garage last year. One of them is in a drill stand that I used for the first time at the weekend. Worked very well too.

Glad I rescued them.

[G&M]

That's them

That's when the rot set in. The blue ones overheat after about two to three hours solid use whereas the orange ones can be used all day. Even the staff at the B&D repair centre thought they were a retrograde step. Hate to think what they would say about today's stuff were they still around.

I'm jealous.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I've got a blue and gold metal one which dates back to the '60s. Thought the orange ones were at least part plastic. Got one of those too - a hammer drill. It works - just - but is pretty clapped. It has the sliding gearchange, and would drop out of gear when the going got tough.

[N. Thornton]

after a while only the long lasting ones remain, the crap has died: thats how we get this rosy view of the past as being solid and well made. It was as much a mixture as today.

I wasnt there but I suspect this is another IMMism.

Regards, NT

[G&M]

Agreed - mostly. Don't think there was anything quite as bad as PPAmateur though. But I don't think the best today matches up either. My Bosch SDS lasted 4 years (with a rebuild), my DeWalt looks like it'll make 2 years at most. Even my large Stayer angle grinder doesn't really look like it'll be around after me.

[The Natural Philosopher]

t is. My fater saved up Embassy cigarette coupons and got a gold and white (metal) black and decker to replace his fathers electric drill, which was about 50 years old at the time. Slightly pre war I think that one - and that was in 1960. So THAT one did about 30 yeras of D-I-Y use..

After he died in 1966 I used it extensively till my boss broke the gearbox on it sanding his floors in about 1981. It still works on one of its speeds, but I replaced it in the 90's with a Makita I think.

I had to replace a jigsaw last year. I had one that my neighbour gave me, that was about 20 years old then, that was in 1983. So that did 40 years.

Elkectric drills were not common until the 60's. Brace and bit wws the way to go, and routers didn't really make it till the 80's IIRC.

My carpenters who built the house still used hand tools extensively - no trailing wires, and less prone to accidental damage. Cordless screwdrivers yes. and a bench saw sometimes - but cutting 6x4 is not on with anything really that is portable, except a hand saw.

So stuff was available then, but not used that much, and still isn't used that much. Outside of factories. It wasn't hugely expensive either

- they had automatic winding machines as far back as the 50's.

In general it wasn't built quite as tattily as modern stuff CAN be, but the good modern stuff is as good as - or better - than what we had then.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It's total rubbish. 25 years ago makes it 1980. Electric drills weren't

*that* expensive then, and every tradesman who needed one would have one.

[Martin Angove]

[snip]

Well, to grab me own thread back for a second, it seems to me that the consensus of opinion is that I shouldn't bother trying to make a straight cut with a jigsaw of any description, but that for a "nearly straight" cut, a jigsaw *without* guide is ok.

If that's the case then I think I'm going to keep the Ferm for the awkward bits, and buy a circular saw - but a half decent one if possible.

If I might beg the panel's advice a little longer, the immediate tasks I have for the combination of jig and circ (and drill) are the cutting-down of two knotty pine doors (maybe a quarter inch off the bottom of each), the cutting to length of one piece of block-wood worktop, cutting a hole in that one for the hob, and a hole in another piece for a sink.

Any particular circular saw spring to mind? Any particular blade?

Supplemental question - the pre-cut ends of these bits of worktop are bevelled. I'd like to butt the two pieces together, but this bevel will obviously leave a groove. Chop a bit off each end (i.e. get rid of the bevel), or use a jointing strip?

Buying a bit of worktop long enough for the whole run wasn't an option I'm afraid.

Oh yes, the other tool to hand is the borrowed power plane, though that'll have to go back before too long. No I don't have, nor intend to get, a router because while I can see possible future uses for a circ, I really can't for a router.

Thanks again!

Hwyl!

M.

[Andy Hall]

I've found it fine *with* if using a decent jigsaw and blade.

Something like a Skil Classic is good value for money.

Pity.

If you want to butt the pieces then the best solution is to use a decent 12.7mm router and jig. You can then also cut out dog bone recesses underneath and bolt the pieces together using silicone sealer in the gap (which will be minimal anyway.

You'd be surprised what you can do with a router......

You could always rent one with kitchen worktop cutters and worktop template if you don't want to buy one. Don't be tempted to buy a cheap one. They are not capable of decent results.

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

[IMM]

I would say 70s, when prices came right down and double insulation with plastic drill casings was introduced. Also the backward British tradesmen would not readily adapt to new methods. I know one plumber who would not use a wheel cutter on copper pipe, and always cut with a hack saw. The end of the would be flapping all over the place as he cut. No wonder we could not compete industrially.

When joiners screwed something to a wall. they made sure it was measured twice as a bit and brace using a masonry bit takes time and effort. Raw were used. A chisel with a removable masonry end that you turned slightly when you hammered. Quite effective.

Joiners would ram in wooden wedges at various points in the brick seam and cement them in, before the plasterer came, to ease screwing cupboards to walls. These can be seen when stripping out old houses.

[G&M]

That's when the rot started. Until then they were all metal, and good ones stayed that way until about 1985.

[Andy Hall]

So that's where you learnt this approach. :-)

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

[G&M]

We couldn't compete industrially because the country was run by left wing Trotskyite wreckers who wanted to redistribute all land and wealth. Seems Mrs T didn't quite get rid of all of them.