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what else do I need

Welcome to the forum. Although you can post in any forum, the USA forum is here in case of local regs or laws

J

jase158

I have
dust sheets
Radio
core drill and core bits
pump pliers
adjustables
wide jaw adjustables
laser level
levels
sds drill
hose
benders
28mm bender
tiling tools
plastering tools
hop up
work bench
18v drill
ratchet set
jigsaw
drain snake
monobloc spanner
immersion heater spanner
hammers
bolsters
screwdrivers
drain rods
pocket mirror
soldering gear
saw
power flush
hacksaws
angle grinder

:snore:


two things that i dont have and cant justify yet is multi tool and saber saw

cant think of my next purchase:thinking:,
need help badly:13:

Also thought i would put this list for other to read and see whats needed
 
homebase are doing one for £60, ever since I found out about it, I have situations where it would be handy, but £15 for a blade, bit too expensive, have done without so far and will struggle on for as long as poss
 
shims and silicon for the consummate professional 😀

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
 
Pipe vice, pipe threader 1/2" and 3/4", 22mm former and guide for floor bender, monometer. lead lights always handy, meter long sds bits. mini benders, extension lead is usefull!! the list goes on and on, and then theres the wish list!!
 
You've got a decent starter kit there. Just get other tools as and when you need them.
I went through a spell of getting tools 'just incase' - most of them are still unused...
Oh, get a rad key - the big alan key type not a bleed key.
If you don't have a bleed key, get a bleed key...
 
JCplumb said:
You've got a decent starter kit there. Just get other tools as and when you need them.
I went through a spell of getting tools 'just incase' - most of them are still unused...
Oh, get a rad key - the big alan key type not a bleed key.
If you don't have a bleed key, get a bleed key...
Click to expand...

cheers, got both.

The only thing with this is that the allen key for rads, sometimes doesnt fit the connectors, might buy the rathchet type next.
 
Well you seam to have some tools sorted & a van, insurance i hope ! but I find the best thing to have is `WORK` getting all the right gear is the easey part , haveing the `WORK` come in and makeing a liveing is the hard part.
 
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got pipe vice on pipe bender, would never use pipe threader. got formers and guides for 22mm on floor bender. got lights, meter long sds bit, need a few 400mm for those smaller spaces, got mini benders and extension lead.
 
jtsplumbing said:
Well you seam to have some tools sorted & a van, insurance i hope ! but I find the best thing to have is `WORK` getting all the right gear is the easey part , haveing the `WORK` come in and makeing a liveing is the hard part.
Click to expand...

but turning work away because you havent got the right tools is a waste of advertising money.
 
need manometer
got stopcock key and drain cover keys
there is so much that i keep forgetting what I have got.
 
JCplumb said:
You've got a decent starter kit there. Just get other tools as and when you need them.
I went through a spell of getting tools 'just incase' - most of them are still unused...
Oh, get a rad key - the big alan key type not a bleed key.
If you don't have a bleed key, get a bleed key...
Click to expand...

I like to aim for something else. I love the feeling of buing new tools after struggling for ages without it.
 
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I also like buying new tools, the feeling is probably similar to what women feel when they buy new dresses/shoes etc. it can get pretty addictive, if you have a large supply of money and van space then fill your boots mate 🙂
As long as you're not out in the sticks and hours away from merchants, my advice is to wait until you need a tool before you buy it, when I was at college I used to charge enough to buy a new tool for each job, by the time I was plumbing part-time I had most of the things I needed, but it was a pain in the rear when I didn't have the right tool, but it made sure I only bought what I needed. If you have so much work on that you can't spare an hour to run and buy the odd tool that you don't have atm then you're in a better position than a lot of us on here.
 
Save up for Fein Mulitmaster and assorted ebay blades, don't get green Bosch version as its a toy in comparison.

I was fitting 6mm ply today on floor for lino and just couldn't imagine doing it without Mulitimaster.
 
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I can't see cordless screwdriver or cordless impact driver on the list. For year I used my 18v drill as a driver as well but couldn't always be bothered to get it out as it was a bit bulky. Earlier this year I worked with someone that had a 10.8v bosch driver and he was using it where I would have used a manual driver. I splashed out on a 12v Milwaukee driver and it's the dog's. I can't believe I've gone all these years without one. Because it's more compact I take it into most jobs. Even little things like removing a boiler case are made quicker because it is with me.

When my drill packed up the new Hitach one I bought came in a set with an impact driver. This is brilliant for undoing stubborn fixings and great for driving bigger stuff. I was driving 6" screws straight into timber with it last week.
 
Lunch box for your pack up. How was that not top of the list. Standards are slipping 🙂
 
get a hard hat with a bottle holder on the side for thoses days you need to drink to drown out the customers voice, mine has a bottle of smirnoff in it 🙂
 
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got an 18v drill on list, couldnt justify a driver, simply because it is more for the bigger screws and I dont really fit big screws.
For instance, you wouldnt use it on toilets/ sinks i.e. in my eyes its more of a chippys tool to get stud walls up and things.

And yes I have used one as my mate has one, great fun, but not justifiable yet.

Also looking at my tools earlier and found a few more things

infared thermometer
walkie talkies
multi meter
stud and cable detector
wet vac
caulk gun
spanners
circular saw
mitre saw
 
Deffo wet vac
Walkie talkies waste of money as is a stud detector as they are all rubbish.
At least two silicone guns
mitre saw is handy (power version) but only for bathroom jobs with joinery etc.
spanners.......not for me I like adjustable/grips.
 
yeah but occasionally you need spanners, for those tight nuts that are impossible to use grips on. also only time i need spanners was when i didnt have them on me. might take them out of van actually as a bit of waste of space
 
Could anyone recommend a good set of open ended spanners?

Also I could do with a magnet light.

No Rolson sh*te, any ideas welcome :hurray:
 
Kasama. Good quality at a sensible price but realistically in this trade a £2 set from the market will do the same job.
 
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jase158 said:
got an 18v drill on list, couldnt justify a driver, simply because it is more for the bigger screws and I dont really fit big screws.
For instance, you wouldnt use it on toilets/ sinks i.e. in my eyes its more of a chippys tool to get stud walls up and things.

And yes I have used one as my mate has one, great fun, but not justifiable yet.
Click to expand...

That was what I thought until I saw someone using one. The impact driver doesn't get used that much so definitely a luxury but the little Milwaukee driver is a real time saver. Just little things like screwing pipe clips to the wall, screwing down floor boards etc. If I'm servicing a static caravan it gets used to take the screws out of the inspection panel above the fire, the screw fixing the case on the Morco water heater etc. When someone has blocked all the vents it halves the time to take them all off and remove the obstructions.
 
a 16mm spanner is great for tightening in rad valve tails, especially the one with doc on them as grips damage the finish and adjustabe catches the rad sometimes. 8mm fits doc ends, 24mm fits 15mm nuts, 32mm fits 22mm nuts, 39mm fits 28mm nuts and 52mm fits pump nuts to mention a few sizes.

you can get good spanners for £1 to 2 squids each, buy a cheap one first and if it gets used alot upgrade when you get the chance. I get ring spanners and cut the spanner down ring side to suit the length i want. best place to buy single spanners is a tool market type place.
 
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Is it just me, or are multi-tools just a few crap tools stuck together.

The main tools on them are pliers and a blunt knife.

I hardly use pliers or blunt knives so I just don't get it! :59:
 
LegionellaSlave said:
Is it just me, or are multi-tools just a few crap tools stuck together.

The main tools on them are pliers and a blunt knife.

I hardly use pliers or blunt knives so I just don't get it! :59:
Click to expand...

The cheapo ones are. The Gerber ones are good quality and very useful. I've got a Gerber multi tool with interchangeable heads that I used to carry on my belt when I was doing housing association maintenance. It saved me going down to the van to get a tool on many occasions. I even repaired a 2" ball valve using it once.
 
I had a leatherman for years and it was a decent. Brought a Gerber in Bahrain couple of years ago and the quality was rubbish

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
 
This looks like a good buy, and will be a great help when making up box sections, etc.

Comes in 240v and 110v with a TCT multi-blade, looks like a bargain to me for £99.99 ...

Evolution RAGE3-S 210mm Sliding Compound Mitre Saw 240V | NoLinkingToThis
 
Jase, if you're splashing the cash, buy a freeze machine. But get a decent one with two freeze heads so you you can remove a section of pipe or valve if required. Ebay second hand, you're talking £500.

Power flush machine also handy. (I don't carry either in the van every day).

Bungs are a handy (cheap tool) that you haven't mentioned. Handy for holding gravity systems on a vacuum and occasionally for other stuff too. Like replacing a dodgy gate valve on the feed to a ho****er cylinder for instance.

Flue brushes, (if you're servicing boilers).

Volt sticks are handy but don't rely on them.

A rad wrench is a gimmick tool that I actually use (mines metal and not plastic though - they all seem to be plastic these days?).

I'll think of some more. Sounds like you have a good variety of stuff allready.
 
Mike Jackson said:
That was what I thought until I saw someone using one. The impact driver doesn't get used that much so definitely a luxury but the little Milwaukee driver is a real time saver. Just little things like screwing pipe clips to the wall, screwing down floor boards etc. If I'm servicing a static caravan it gets used to take the screws out of the inspection panel above the fire, the screw fixing the case on the Morco water heater etc. When someone has blocked all the vents it halves the time to take them all off and remove the obstructions.
Click to expand...

Just to add to this, I have the Milwaukee 12v driver, impact driver and combi drill. The driver LITERALLY gets used every single day I'm at work, and today I used the impact driver to ply a floor. 400 screws on a single battery. And they fit in your pocket.

These really are the most useful power tools I have, the 18v kit hardly leaves the van.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
petercj said:
This looks like a good buy, and will be a great help when making up box sections, etc.

Comes in 240v and 110v with a TCT multi-blade, looks like a bargain to me for £99.99 ...

Evolution RAGE3-S 210mm Sliding Compound Mitre Saw 240V | NoLinkingToThis
Click to expand...
Just sold mine on the forum for £40 including a diamond blade that turns it into a sliding tile saw. I've just bought the bigger 255mm one for cutting my bathroom panels. Great machine. Cuts wood, aluminium, steel, plastic and just about anything with the one blade.
 
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system3 said:
Just sold mine on the forum for £40 including a diamond blade that turns it into a sliding tile saw. I've just bought the bigger 255mm one for cutting my bathroom panels. Great machine. Cuts wood, aluminium, steel, plastic and just about anything with the one blade.
Click to expand...

It's gonna get some good use 🙂 🙂 🙂
 
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system3 said:
Just sold mine on the forum for £40 including a diamond blade that turns it into a sliding tile saw. I've just bought the bigger 255mm one for cutting my bathroom panels. Great machine. Cuts wood, aluminium, steel, plastic and just about anything with the one blade.
Click to expand...

with the standard cut everything blade whats the cut finish like on wood?
 
AWheating said:
with the standard cut everything blade whats the cut finish like on wood?
Click to expand...
Actually a good decent cut even with 24 tpi. Of course through time it will deteriorate as the blade dulls, but I've cut very expensive oak flooring and skirting with it and I use it for mitering door facings too.

If you look at the photos of the bathroom ceiling and wall panels I posted on here, you'll see its capabilities!
 
Destroyer2813 said:
What you mean by bathroom panels system?
Click to expand...
Look at the photos posted at the bottom of the main forum and you'll see.

No more tiling, grout and tile saws for me! These panels are fully waterproof, wipe clean with a cloth, have no grout that discolours over time and are available in 30 styles and colours. The ones in the photos are white sparkle panels, which shimmer and give an amazing efffect with the spotlights shining on them. Can't see that in the photos as they're low resolution photos. The chrome inlays and corner fills look amazing too.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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I've just used the panels in a log cabin bathroom install. I'll get some pictures when it's finished.
 
Destroyer2813 said:
I see the stuff you mean now Colin, only done it myself a couple of times but the sheets were to big to go through a chop saw
Click to expand...
You are thinking of the large shower panel boards. The panels I use are 250mm wide x 2.6m long x 10mm thick and are made of Upvc. I use a mitre saw to cut them at width and a table saw to cut them at length.
They join with a tongue and groove and are fully waterproof and look amazing.

Many people are looking for a alternative to grout as it discolours over time and has to be raked out and redone in some cases. My panels wipe clean with a damp cloth and that is all the maintenance they require.
 
They sound intresting as a alternative you get many people ask for them or are they something you recommend? . Got a link of the manufacture fancy looking to see what the range is like
 
I'm now fitting them as a better alternative to tiles and to the extent that all bathrooms booked in are having these panels installed.

Not cheap though, I charge from £65 per m2 including materials amd labour but if you compare with tiles, adhesive, labour and grout etc, the price is almost on a par. The big advantage is no maintenance is required and they retain their appearance from new.
 
system3 said:
I'm now fitting them as a better alternative to tiles and to the extent that all bathrooms booked in are having these panels installed.

Not cheap though, I charge from £65 per m2 including materials amd labour but if you compare with tiles, adhesive, labour and grout etc, the price is almost on a par. The big advantage is no maintenance is required and they retain their appearance from new.
Click to expand...

What brand of panel are you using system?


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