Tool box

[big_nipper]

Lathe we got was donated to us. The company never used it and when I told them what it was for they were glad to get rid of it. Even delevered it the 50 miles for free using one of there vans. Only problem was it had been converted to single phase and the motor was too small. We put it back to 3-phase and changed the gearbox oil and its been fine since. Its a nice Colchester Student with metric & imp thread cutting gearbox built in.

Milling Machine cost us around £500 without any tooling but managed to get most for free. It was however a litte harder to get in the back of the garage.

Look around and be paient and eventually you will find a bargin.

[richard_morris]

Ferm and Clarke are different brand names for the same kit - cheap to buy - and unfortunately it shows. My Clarke hydraulic bender is good though!

Other essentials - Decent cable stripper (prevents losing those extra strands when you use a penknike) Decent cable crimper - will safe a lot of headaches in the future.

Another robot essential - 2 bottles of thread locker (Loctite). One should be Nutloc - for fasteners you want to be able to get apart but dont want to shake loose. The other should be Studloc - serious stuff and the chemical equivalent to welding - forget ever removing a fastener coated with this! If you want to be sure either threadlocker adheres properly - get a big can of brake cleaner and wash the nuts and bolts in it first.

If you want to use pop-rivets, dont buy the B&Q cheapo - they are rubbish. Get a good one instead. I like the Lazy Tong type - in fact I want to build one into a robot!

Richard

[mightymouse]

You could try to get a job in an engineering shop, I have access to a CNC Mill and several Colchester Lathes.

Machining is only half the story, back home in the garage most of the assembly work is done with little more than a Bosch 240v drill, a Bosch 14.4v cordless drill, a Bosch angle grinder and a Bosch variable speed jig saw (I have cut 1/2 thick ali plate with this). You may spot a common theme here, this is because any other tools from other manufacturers have burnt out and the bosch stuff hasnt.

I cant offer any advice on whether the clark or other hobby mc tools are any good as I havent really used them. The machines we have at work are not necessarily more accurate, they are just more rigid and can take heavier cuts. Hence I can machine in minutes something that can take hours on a hobby machine. The only recommendation I can give is that if you buy a bench drill try to get one that will allow you to position drill accurately.

I might also point out that I work to a very tight budget and without access to the machine shop I would have no robot.

A big bottle of loctite 601 will get you out of all sorts of trouble. Just dont use it on bolts that you may want to remove later. Use nyloc nuts on the threads you do want to remove.

I use a clarke arc welder (circa £60) and can take up to 3mm rods, it is also still working.

A good bench and vice is a must and dont buy hacksaw blades from B&Q, I bought some and tried to cut a high tensile bolt and all the teeth had disappeared before I was half way through it.

A good supply of WD40, squirt some into a cap and dip drills and taps in it regularly, especially in aluminium, it is a brilliant lubricant and your drills will last forever (well nearly)

[teamchip]

Lots of contradictory comments above like Clarke machinery i would stay away from. although clarke welders are fine, and....

Ferm and Clarke are different brand names for the same kit - cheap to buy - and unfortunately it shows. My Clarke hydraulic bender is good though!

Basically yes cheaper tools are usually rubbish ...sundries like hacksaw blades by Blackspur and the like are absolutely useless.

However some cheapo power tools can be ok.

I have a cheap Clarke bench drill ...have had it 18 months ..used it resonably often and its been ok ...cost £39.99...precision accuracy? No...but who cares for most amateur stuff

Professional engineers will say its crap and it prob is but I cant afford better.

Also proffesional weldors I have spoken to say that Sealey welders are not great (as with alot of brand names Sealy just put their name on products usually manufactured in the far east etc), but my Seally supermig has worked great for 3 years (bought 2nd hand) and never let me down.

So there is alot of snobbishness about tools....yes you get what you pay for ...but try some cheaper stuff ,,,its not all crap ..if it is you wont buy it again, and we all cant afford the best stuff.

I have some excellent quality tools that I use every day in my job and you can definately tell the difference over cheaper stuff I use.

It would be great to afford the best of everything but its not to be

My advise would be to try some cheap stuff....if its rubbish you wont use it again but you wont be too much out of pocket.

You may also be suprised though at how some cheap power tools may be ok for the job.

Trevor: and dont buy hacksaw blades from B&Q,...depends on the brand...B&Q also sell Eclipse,Sandvic etc blades both of which are good quality.

Tom

[jim]

My advise would be to try some cheap stuff....if its rubbish you wont use it again but you wont be too much out of pocket.
I agree, price is not a good indicator of quality. I have a £15 Nu-tool cordless drill which has done surprisingly well - Ive drilled lots of 10mm holes through 3mm thick steel and cut a few 20mm holes out of the same with a holesaw.

Ive also got a Bosch 240v drill and angle grinder, a friend of mine who worked as a construction planner on the City of Manchester stadium recommended them and they are good tools. Ive used one of the £40 pillar drills for about 18 months now and its still going strong. Of course Ive only recently got a garage with an electricity supply - I built most of my current robot just with the cordless drill and a hacksaw.

[kaideejee]

I like Bosch stuff too. Got a mains drill, angle grinder, and jigsaw, B&D sander, SIP Welder, and assorted other generic tools, like Challenge cordless drill and circular saw combo, B&Q own brand (Performance Power - not Pro) bench pillar drill, router, mitre saw and cordless multi-tool. Never had one break on me yet. Ive heard a few horror stories about angle grinders tho, so I reckon its best to go branded on those - especially considering how cheap they are.

Incidentally, not sure how common knowledge this is, but Black and Decker is to DeWalt what Bosch Green is to Bosch Blue, and Maktec is to Makita, i.e. a budget/DIY label.

-- Kev