Which socket set?

WoodyP said:
I have more spanners and tools than l will ever wear out. I continue to buy new stuff when I need it for one job. My executors can deal with it. I won't be bothered.
Click to expand...
I have teenage/young 20s kids with cars and motorbikes. They loose my tools faster than I could ever buy new ones. Every so often I get annoyed and "ban" them from borrowing tools when they have their own but it doesn't make any difference other than to leave smoke coming out my ears. So I go through my socket set every few months, note which sockets are missing and buy the cheapest nastiest 1/2 inch sockets I can find online as one off replacements for the inevitable 3 or 4 that have disappeared, knowing that they won't be around for long anyway. A few weeks ago I couldn't find my allen keys. I had been using them for a job, so I figured I'd just not put them away afterwards and spent ages looking for them. Until I found the completely empty plastic container lying on the ground in the yard where the kids work on all that stuff. The impressive thing is that it didn't even contain a single one out of the 6 that had been there, so the replacement plan for that set is easy,

I guess they are just getting their inheritance early, socket by socket, allen key by allen key.

Anyway don't ask me for advice about tools, because my only criteria is that cheap rubbish is best.
 
Imade my own 4 facet drill sharpening device. Boy does it make a difference. Takes a while to set up & it does need a full set of ER 32 collets ( which I have) to hold the drills . It is time consuming so I tend to have a session then touch up by hand between.
I do like Osbourne drills.
 
jack miller said:
That’s an impressive collection of drill bits and a testament to the value of keeping tools well-maintained rather than constantly replacing them. Sharpening bits not only saves money but also ensures you always have a sharp, reliable tool on hand. Having a well-equipped toolkit on board is definitely a must—especially when you’re out at sea where a quick trip to the store isn’t an option! What sharpening method do you prefer for your drill bits—bench grinder, specialized jig, or freehand?
Click to expand...
The list of dull tool you see in the boat yard goes on. Chisels, scrapers, screwdrivers, punches ....

In fact, a good portion of my tools are 100 years old, inherited from a grand uncle who was a machinist work for the US Navy and others. First quality, maintained. Just a few days ago I noticed a 1916 date on a deburring tool.

As for drills (which are sharpened freehand) I keep 3 basic sets by 1/64", the best kept for holes that must be precise, the other two a step down in perfection, and then several cups of mis-matches used for pilot holes and holes that don't matter as much, which takes a lot of wear off the good sets. Also larger drills up to 1", many of which are quite old, and them holes saws and fly cutters above that.
 
chriscallender said:
I have teenage/young 20s kids with cars and motorbikes. They loose my tools faster than I could ever buy new ones. Every so often I get annoyed and "ban" them from borrowing tools when they have their own but it doesn't make any difference other than to leave smoke coming out my ears. So I go through my socket set every few months, note which sockets are missing and buy the cheapest nastiest 1/2 inch sockets I can find online as one off replacements for the inevitable 3 or 4 that have disappeared, knowing that they won't be around for long anyway. A few weeks ago I couldn't find my allen keys. I had been using them for a job, so I figured I'd just not put them away afterwards and spent ages looking for them. Until I found the completely empty plastic container lying on the ground in the yard where the kids work on all that stuff. The impressive thing is that it didn't even contain a single one out of the 6 that had been there, so the replacement plan for that set is easy,

I guess they are just getting their inheritance early, socket by socket, allen key by allen key.

Anyway don't ask me for advice about tools, because my only criteria is that cheap rubbish is best.
Click to expand...
I'm led to believe, (I don't have kids) is to bide your time and wait until offspring have their own places / tools and then to borrow their's. The same applies to leaving lights on and doors open !
 
Some of my bought odd as oddments sockets have knurling on them to make them easier to turn directly with your fingers, and thats sufficiently useful that I might also specifically look for it in a set.

I'd also avoid shiny chrome plate finish, which could come off under extreme duress, and is very hard, so I wouldn't want bits of it inside an engine.
 
Wansworth said:
Tried sharpening even bought a gadget that was driven by a drill but if I need to drill at least small sizes I buy a new bit for metal…….wood and concrete are ok
Click to expand...
Many years ago I had a Record sharpening jig which was mounted on eccentric cams/off-centre axle wheels which was rolled along a strip of wet-and-dry and produced a curved profile to the drill tip. Worked well
 
Poignard said:
For sharpening very small drill bits a Wishbone jig gives good results after a little practice.

View attachment 189493
Click to expand...
That's neat! Never seen one.
I have a funny little sharpener from Eclipse. Sort of trolley with eccentric back wheels that give the back off angle.
One puts the fresh emery paper on a bit of glass, set the drill up in the jig, then run it backwards and forwards to hone it. Swop the drill round and do the other side. Very good for small drills of less that 5mm, but goes up to 12mm.
Otherwise, and if chipped, I just free hand on the grinder in the w/shop, or on a small angle grinder if not. But, I have had a lot of practice.

Since I do all my own car work and spent time with a/craft, I have a mix of 1/4, 3/8 & 1/2 inch. Mostly bought loose, Britool and Snap-On. But, my SS supplier had an offer on 25yrs or so ago for a 1/4 1/2 in set with deep draw sockets as well as 6 to 32mm. Both in 1/2 &nd 1/4. The ratchets are very good too. Made by Manesmann and guarenteed for life.
I was obviosly tempting fate, as the next week my Ford pick-up blew it's engine and the set was great, except the head studs were femail torx, so had to buy that.

Back in the day when cheap tools came from Spain, always had a set of ring/open spanners, not worried about cutting them up for awkward jobs.

About an hour ago, my neighbour, who is fixing the prop-shaft on his M-B van, came in looking for a 14mm hex drive. for the diff sump plug. Nothing I have ever needed, so found a 14mm headed bolt and welded a bit of bar to it. 5 minutes and he was back on the job...
 
Wansworth said:
Drills like handsaws are cheaper to buy than sharpen?
Click to expand...
Hand saw, yes. I have an old sharpening set that I keep just for nostagia. I used it 50 years ago.

Drills, with practice, take only seconds. A few steps to the wheel, sharpen, and back to work. The main reason, of course, is when you don't HAVE another one and you need it NOW. Most tools, other than saws, sharpen quickly. Paint scrapers come to mind; it saves a lot of work to give them a frequent touch, perhaps every 15 minutes or less in heavy going. Sharpening drills, somehow, earned a mystique.

And yes, I agree about drills, there is a lot of truth in that, particularly at the smaller end.

--

Re. Wrenches, just a few days ago I took a quality open end wrench from probably 80 years ago of some size I have dozens of and ground it to fit an odd space on my metal lathe. I also changed the size from SAE to metric. A good second life for an old tool. It was very unlikely it would have ever been used for its original purpose.
 
Last edited:
thinwater said:
Drills, with practice, take only seconds. A few steps to the wheel, sharpen, and back to work
Click to expand...
I think you’re overestimating other people’s boats. I don’t have a workshop, a wheel, or the space to store all that.
Same at home for most of us too!
 
lustyd said:
I think you’re overestimating other people’s boats. I don’t have a workshop, a wheel, or the space to store all that.
Same at home for most of us too!
Click to expand...
It is something that would drive me mad. When I sold my last house, the first thing the new owner did was demolish the brick workshop. The first thing I did in my next house was build a new brick workshop, with a pitched tiled roof. Then I built the house.
I have since constructed a further additional workshop.
I recall fitting out a flat close behind the Park lane Hilton Hotel . I asked the owner where he intended to keep his golf clubs & he had not even given it a thought. His Bently sat in the street. His wife's Rolls had a parking space in an underground car park, for which they had paid £40K for the lease. they did not even have a garage, for the odd bits that one puts in the garage.
How do you live like that?
 
Last edited:
lustyd said:
I think you’re overestimating other people’s boats. I don’t have a workshop, a wheel, or the space to store all that.
Same at home for most of us too!
Click to expand...
Much of this conversation has to do with home shops, not boats, but it could be true. However, the OP did NOT specify on-board. Most of us don't keep most of our tools on board, only what we need to get home and do a few simple things.

That said, a hand grinder is certainly one of the top three power tools to have on board if you are cruising (number two for me). And that also gets back to the "no-space-for-spares" and "no handy store" when cruising. So sharpening might be MORE important to the cruiser IMO.
 
DownWest said:
That's neat! Never seen one.
I have a funny little sharpener from Eclipse. Sort of trolley with eccentric back wheels that give the back off angle.
One puts the fresh emery paper on a bit of glass, set the drill up in the jig, then run it backwards and forwards to hone it. Swop the drill round and do the other side. Very good for small drills of less that 5mm, but goes up to 12mm.
Click to expand...
Thats the thing, Eclipse not Record.

Discussed here

ECLIPSE No 39 Drill Bit Sharpener | Model Engineer & Workshop Magazine

Eclipse39DrillSharpener.JPG


Apparently out of production

Also had a jig for sharpening handsaw teeth from them. They went missing while I've been in Taiwan,
 
lustyd said:
I think you’re overestimating other people’s boats. I don’t have a workshop, a wheel, or the space to store all that.
Same at home for most of us too!
Click to expand...
Reading "This Old Boat"at the moment. Much easier, I suspect, than actually working on the one I've got, in Scotland, in the winter.

He suggests bolting a 4" vice on the underside of the cockpit seat. I think the idea is you unbolt and shift it topsides for actual use, but I suppose small jobs might be possible inverted.

I'm generally quite nervous of drilling extra holes in a boat and reluctant to do it, but I might force myself in this case.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

Y
The Seafarer 700 and NASA clipper sounders saga
Replies
10
Views
417
Dellquay13
Dellquay13
W
Summer at the bottom of the world
Replies
3
Views
217
Chiara’s slave
Chiara’s slave
P
Essential pre purchase or even pre survey checks
2
Replies
28
Views
855
Refueler
Refueler

Share this page

Top