Now that the self-build is actually going ahead we need to source some key tools.

The priority has to be a good quality laser level. Any suggestions please on what to look out for? Has anyone a level they want to sell or rent out?

Same with a second fix nail gun??

Thanks, kind regards, Jonathan

I used a Stabila lazer level. This is a standard lazer level with a low tech but very accurate (0.25mm over 1000mm) adjustable base, no fancy spinning lights and stands but the best £60 I spent on tools. I have a compressed air first fix nail gun (90mm nails) but I used it very little as I preferred screwing everything together. I would recommend buying a good impact screwdriver but I know most would go down the nailing rout.

If you haven't got an SDS drill with rotation stop on your list, well, now's the time to add it :-)

Rather than shell out for a Stil saw I bought a couple of cheap angle grinders (large and small) and diamond discs for them and they have been fine for all the cutting jobs I needed to do.

Mine is a stone built renovation, lots of cutting!

I've found a good big builders square a great investment for helping to keep all my internal walls square and vertical!

I bought a small compressor and in a rush bought a cheap no-name first fix nail gun it's fine but sometimes can be a bit finicky and I have to lift it away and offer it up again before it will fire, doesn't happen too often but often enough to be an irritation, I'd guess a better quality one would be better in this respect.

Posted By: marktimean SDS drill with rotation stop

What's a rotation stop and what's it used for?

Lots of good stuff on sale at Aldi, both hand tools and some power tools.

My philosophy is use it till until it falls apart, recycle it and move on to another cheapo replacement. Mind you, my Aldi stuff is still going strong!!

Got my electric mixer from B&Q at less than half price as it had a dint in the drum!! Got a lot more now!!

Posted By: TriassicMy philosophy is use it till until it falls apart, recycle it and move on to another cheapo replacement.

Some engineers whose opinions I respect suggest buying cheap tools and replacing the ones you break with good ones. If you don't break the cheap one then either you don't actually use it or the cheap one was good enough.

Posted By: BeauI used a Stabila lazer level.

[pet hate]
Argh! There's no z in the word laser. It's an acronym: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Since there's no such word as ztimulated, there's no such acronym as lazer.
[/pet hate]

Sorry, i'm not normally a pedant, but this one unduly annoys me when I see it for some reason. You normally see it from the type of nightclub promoter who also uses the word "nite" on posters.

Many thanks guys for the wide ranging advice.

I have used loads of tools from Aldi - excellent value. My Aldi SDS drill is still going strong after three major renovations! Although doing a timber framed house I don't see too many opportunities to use it on this build!

The need for the laser level is that I am doing the foundations so need to ensure that they are spot on level for the frame guys. I'll look at the Bosch range - thanks.

Kind regards, Jonathan

Cerisy,

Something I found/find invaluable - a decent rotating laser, assuming you're doing your own setting out? There are good enough ones for about £300 including detector,tri-pod, and staff. Gets your founds dug/poured, blockwork underbuild and sole plate, drains, roding eyes, manholes, general landscaping all sorted, and under your control. For example, you may set out at the beginning with one set of assumptions, but you may wish/need to alter things (to reduce excavations, or even to utilise the arisings on site rather than removing). Those oppotunities will available, if you can manage the site levels with a good laser. I'd suggest 1mm/10m accuracy.

Posted By: TimberCPB - if the gun missfires, it is well worth taking apart the safety mechanism and clean, tweek and lubricate the parts. It should make it much more consisten. Sometimes it is just that a few bits are a bit of a sloppy fit and not constructed with much care. You can normally fix that.

I have a cheep brad/staple gun and a big beast that fires up to 90 mm nails and both have been fine. They just need a tweek every so often to keep them in good working order. A spray of WD40 into the air line adaptor on the gun helps every so often.

Thanks Timber, I do give it a few drops of air tool oil every day it is used. The problem seems to be the trigger mechanism, which is rather sloppy. If my finger rests on the trigger whilst I am offering it up, that is when the problem occurs. Must take a look at it this week and see if anything can be done to improve the situation.

Cerisy,
Impact is generally used for tight bolts etc. It actually has an impact kick to unlock the fixing. You can also get
Hand held impacts that you whack with a hammer. ideal for break disc grub screws that never come out easily!
Impact tend to be used in engineering areas,
Gusty.

Posted By: CerisyBeau - just to show my ignorance!! - what is the difference in an impact screwdriver and a normal drill / screwdriver? Seen them advertised, just never worked out why I would need an impact version!

The key difference is the rotational speed. Impact drivers are much higher so far better for self drilling (Torx) screws.

I have bought several drill over the last year or so. These are

Aldi multi set, drill, jigsaw, torch, angle grinder (charge time 3 hr 2 nicd batteries) £40 good value for money, but all under powered. takes ages on the angle grinder to get through a tile. The drill cannot about drill a 100mm x 6 (12mm) screw into some 2x4 with a struggle. (the jigsaw is good enough of the odd small bits I do)

Sainburys 18v drill, about 5 hours to charge, £20 (half price) does manage to drill the 100mm x 6 screw all they way in, but drains very easily 2 x 140mm holes (for MVHR) in a joist, so only about 10mm thick if that and it has run out of power. ( still prefered to borrow builder tools for the little bit I was doing)

Bosch 18v drill from B&Q (green so still DIY) 2 batteries Li-ion (75 min charge time), about £100 (borrowing from parents). This is good a drilling stuff and screwing and lasts a long time, and also lighter than the previous 2. Has 2 problems. Only 10mm drill chuck, so cannot get my 140mm hole saw in it and other stuff. Also at full speed the the drill has a Violent stop that undoes the chuck slightly and after a few holes the bit falls out. Others have posted on B&Q website that the chuck cannot be done up tight enough to stop this happening. ( builder had gone "bankcrupt" at this point)

After talking to an electrican and going to run the wires myself he told me to get a proper professional drill. He recommend a few, but supplies he men with 18v Matkia everything set. So I bought

Makita LXT202 18V Twin Pack. drill + impact driver. 18v Li-ion 3.0Ah (22min charge time, 2 batteries, £340 (from toolstation, can be found slightly cheeper online). This is great the drill last ages and is better that my 10 year old corded hammer drill. 53mm core drill through concrete block was really too much for it but my corded black and decker hammer drill was no different. Borrow a friend's SDS dewalt drill, which did the job, but still got stuck and was not much faster. The impact driver is amazing, will drive a 150mmx 6 screw all the way into full depth, then keeps going burying the head into the wood. Take the screw back out and it is almost hot enought o burn skin. Also the impact drill is a slower speed, so I don't have the problem of the screw bit jumping (camming out) and rounding off the screw bit (requiring a new) nor does it need me to push on the screw so hard. The impact driver is also smaller than the bosch (better access). screwing is now not much different speed wise to manual nailing.

I also bought a corded Black and Decker circular saw that is quite heavy, 800w I think. Go it from Focus in the closing down sale. This cuts through 22mm ply or 2" wood like butter, as fast as I and willing to push it. Although if I needed a circular saw now I would probably by a maktia one missing the battery (and use current matika battery), though I don't use it that much.

EDIT: after buying my makita I found complaint about the 18v batteries, but they seem to have fixed them with the lastest batteries (doubt the old faulty ones can be bought new any more). Other professonal drill brands are avaliable, ryobi, hitachi, bosch (blue ones, not green) dewalt have been mentioned to me.