r/DIYUK • u/JustGhostin • 2d ago

Cheers Dad!

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Brought my first house earlier this year and needless to say my dad is exited to show me the ropes. He trained as carpenter and also worked as a window fitter in his 20’s before changing careers.

Blessed to have his knowledge and help.

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u/LazarusOwenhart 2d ago

That's a good Dad and a good set of starter tools.. Pro tip, That circular saw is a perfectly serviceable piece of equipment BUT, the blade it's supplied with his hot steaming garbage. All those home game brands use cheap, nasty blades and you'll find you get better results changing to a decent blade.

You will also benefit from getting a standard chuck with an SDS adaptor for that drill. SDS is fine, but having a standard chuck is good for options.

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u/JustGhostin 2d ago

What kind of blades should I pick up?

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u/LazarusOwenhart 2d ago

Personally I use Freud or Saxton. The more teeth, the cleaner, but slower, the cut. If you're hogging down plywood get fewer teeth, if you're doing laminate you want a nice fine tooth. Having a selection of blades is never a bad thing. Don't be afraid to go to your local tool dealer (A real one not b&q) and have a conversation. Cutting with a circ saw is an art, go to hard and you'll burn the piece, too slow and you make crap cuts. A decent blade will help your confidence because it won't trap you in the cycle that a lot of beginners get into where they assume a bad cut is 'their' fault when actually it's just a bad blade.

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u/JustGhostin 2d ago

Cool, that’s really good advice. thank you. Also can I ask about the standard chuck to SDS adapter, is that to use regular drill bits in the SDS?

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u/LazarusOwenhart 2d ago

So that drill has an SDS chuck. It's a chuck that lets you click drill bits in and out. Very good in dusty, grimy environments, and most masonry bits are SDS. For wood however, the drill bit shanks will be cylindrical and therefore incompatible with SDS. Pop on Amazon and search "SDS chuck adaptor" and you'll find normal 3 jaw drill chucks that can snap into your SDS. Makes that hammer drill even more useful than it already is.

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u/JustGhostin 2d ago

Got it, thanks

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u/LazarusOwenhart 2d ago

No problem, happy DIY-ing. In 5 years when you're neck deep in fitting your first kitchen and trying to explain to your significant other why £1000 for a Festool track saw is perfectly reasonable don't say we didn't warn you. XD