tools for light furniture diy?

[BARCUD]

Checked out some power tools and other gear at B&Q today.

Would I regret buying a 14V drill driver over a 18V do you think? Both the same price, the 14V has one Li battery. The 18V two ordinary batteries. The reason I ask is the 14V felt a lot more comfortable and lighter in the hand.

No further forward with a circ' saw! My wife is ordering a load of laminated boards and I've just used my hand saw in the past. A circ' saw would give me a cleaner cut I hope.

 

[ntb]

You're more likely to regret spending your money at B&Q rather than a cheaper alternative...

Which particular drills do you speak of?

 

[BARCUD]

Hi ntb, both Bosch, both £69.98 if I remember correctly. Any other suggestions?

 

[gregers]

look at the screwfix site also toolstation for deals.

i cant answer wether the green bosch's are any good,but the blue 1s are the dogs wotsits.
or you could go for ryobi

 

[BARCUD]

Hi, we have a screwfix close to where I live which would be handy. BUT, the drill drivers they sell are always sold with a couple of high priced, pro use batteries. This puts the drills out of my price range. If they sold diy drills and batteries I'm sure I would go there.

 

[ntb]

Of the two, if that was my budget I would go for the 14.4v Li one rather than the 18v NiCd. Better battery technology and lighter. I doubt there is a huge difference in torque between the two, certainly not enough to matter for furniture making. You only really need 18v for masonry work or heavy duty screwing (in which case an impact driver is more appropriate) and neither is a combi anyway.

Any alternatives I could suggest would involve a substantial increase in budget.

 

[cajar]

The 14.4v bosch has a built in battery, meaning when it needs charged, the whole drill goes in the charger leaving you playing with your thumbs - big disadvantage.

nicad batteries are terrible for infrequent use cos you need to discharge them fully before recharging them.

Don't buy green bosch and definitely dont buy from bnq. you would not regret the 10.8v blue bosch drill driver for the sake of 30 quid more than the crap bnq are offering mate.

 

[ntb]

Up your budget by £10 and get this:
http://www.wickes.co.uk/makita-108v-li-ion-drill-hp330wwx2/invt/105853/

 

[BARCUD]

ntb - the Makita looks a good deal. I can't find much info or reviews other than what's on the Wickes site. max torque of around 30 sounds good for a 10V.
I have plenty of hammer choices on my other drills so the hammer option I wouldn't need. Then at 10V I guess it would be very light masonry work.
But for drilling wood and driving screws I'd be interested.
Have you any experience with the drill?

 

[big-all]

just do a general search for makita 10.8v hammer drill and choose the blue and black version as the white and black is a limited version
this will give you other reviews

the actual suffixes may be linking this model directly to wicks

i have the bosch equivalent and its great for masonry drilling

 

[ntb]

I have the anniversary edition triple pack (drill/driver, impact driver and torch) and it took over as my go to kit for drilling and screwing as soon as I got my hands on it. Anything else is just bulky, unwieldy and heavy in comparison. It cuts down the amount of stuff I have to take on most jobs and I haven't used anything else in the workshop other than a pillar drill for months.

When I said above that my recommendations would be more expensive, I was thinking specifically of this kit and I just stumbled across this today. It looks like they've added hammer and the drill I linked has just been released at something of a bargain price. The white finish is the anniversary edition, it will probably be around somewhere in standard Makita blue fairly soon if you care about that (I don't). The innards are the same.

 

[ntb]

If you want one in blue, screwfix have one with two batteries for £150. The batteries are over £50 each iirc.

I might head to Wickes myself...

 

[big-all]

If you want one in blue, screwfix have one with two batteries for £150. The batteries are over £50 each iirc.

I might head to Wickes myself...

less than £30 at ffx-----
---ok they have gone up a bit but now 2ah and free postage
http://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/2607336879 bosch 2607336879 10.8v 2.0ah li-ion battery 2.0ah

 

[ntb]

Thanks - useful site, never heard of them before.

 

[big-all]

Thanks - useful site, never heard of them before.

a good reliable company from my experience