Home DIY

I do try and keep the joinery tools for the joinery jobs! Luckily I'm not doing too much of the rough stuff any more.

I'm digging out an old concreted in fence post at the moment - weapon of choice is a cold chisel & lump hammer, with a bit of stitch drilling first.

Or I was, at the weekend. Until my cold chisel broke.

What drill bit do I want want to use for hammer in fixings?

I'm currently using a wood bit until I'm almost through the timber, switching to a masonry bit to break through the rest of the timber & into the wall.

I've been chiselling out backboxes with a scutch and a lump hammer. It is not my favourite job.

Doing a massive lump of concrete like that certainly doesn't appeal!

That's why I'd do, or I'd just rag the masonry bit straight through the lot if I was feeling particularly arcane.

Escaping the rough stuff is definitely the dream.

I just used a chisel. Would have used a router if I had one but didn't want the expense.

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Last time I was digginga trench & removing old fence-post concrete, I used a big old breaker (which I managed to put through the top of my foot at one point).

I ended up hiring a couple of fellas (who must have been in their 60s ) to finish it off.

They dismissed the idea of using a breaker, and used a sledge and a 6ft iron spike, and made the concrete look like stale sponge cake.

Then they chucked it on my Agapanthus.

Happy to just cut the pole below ground level and cut it. I thought about a hacksaw but was trying to work out how to get access to cut it below ground level...hence the angle grinder idea. It would be great if I could do without another power tool though.
I have an oscillating tool - can you get attachments that will cut a galvanised pole?

(EDIT - Sorry I @ the wrong person!)

It's adjacent to a path I want to keep so don't want to risk lifting that up at the same time.

Oscillating tools are not the best at that job. Maybe if you have a specific metal blade and the galvanised is relatively soft (i.e. not hardened like screws) you might find it easier than a hacksaw. A big plumbers hacksaw might get it done fast if you dig enough out around it for access. Angle grinder is the usual go to for cutting steel garden poles.

hence the angle grinder idea. It would be great if I could do without another power tool though.

Get an angle grinder. You won't look back. They're very cheap and no reason to get a fancy one.

Excellent thanks all. Another tool to fit in my 90cm/90cm footprint garage/cupboard

I’ve never understood why Veritas insisted on calling their block plane an apron plane. I do covet it though. I have an old stanley 110 that I use quite a bit for jobs around the house.

Small and light enough to carry in an apron all day. I was in the middle of a big job when I bought it. Can't say I've ever regretted it but I do have the Stanley for times when there might be metal in the wood. It's perfect for the edges of cabinet doors.

Another Stanley plane that's worth having is the bullnose rebate plane no.90 or similar. Not only is it great for rebating but you can use it to clean tenon shoulders and general scraping where a plane can't reach, great for sharpening mouldings after repairs.

Got an ancient little Stanley bullnose for just this. Tidying up rebates, hard to reach spots, awkward shoulders. Much quicker than a chisel. Helpful when making picture frames too.

I picked mine up years ago at one of the Sandown tool shows. The electricians one would have been on this week normally. Alway a good opportunity to pick up some handy little tools.

Nice. Got mine from a house clearance - managed to get a massive bahco adjustable, a tiny set of knipex nail pullers, that little plane and a nice junior hacksaw with a packet of blades that I’m still working my way through over half a decade later. Funny how some of the handiest tools come from strange places.

I used to look in the back of the local paper for people selling lots of tools. Met some 'interesting' people and saw some pretty weird places doing that. I was looking at the old wooden moulding planes on eBay the other day and couldn't bring myself to pay the money people are asking for sets. There are a couple of shapes I could use for making small amounts of moulding but they rarely come up for sale.

Good tekkers that! My naught just bought a loaf of stuff from an oil joiner. Massive augers, planes and loads of other bits. He’s now cursing having to find somewhere to store it all though!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-54794723 😬

Yes, you wouldn’t want to be going over nails with your Veritas. Will look out for that bullnose. I have a Ryder (I think) bullnose but it isn’t light.

@Cupcakes and anyone else doing floorboards, came across this guide which looks quite useful for good finishing details https://www.spab.org.uk/sites/default/files/SPAB%20Technical%20advice%20note-Patching%20old%20floorboards.pdf

Ouch. I wonder what caused that. I guess it'll now take a long time to rebuild in period-correct style.

You need to try to cut it as far below ground level as possible.
A barefoot on the cut face, and the steel will act as a blade.
As it is next to the footpath, can you get about 6 inches down?
Then you could cap it with a bit of broken paving slab and stiil have 4 inches of soil above it to support some grass.