Turning pallets into useful wooden items and selling them at craft fairs brings me great satisfaction. Hopefully my videos could inspire someone else to give it a go. If I can do it, then you can too. I also review any power tools that I own, so that you can almost try before you buy. I don't do slick scripted videos, it's more of a fireside chat, so apologies if that's not your thing, but there are plenty of slick well oiled channels out there if that's your thing.
I’m looking to buy the Lumberjack bandsaw 14” as I’m moving to a larger workshop and, like you, the 3” inch cutting capacity bandsaw that I have is not wide enough for my craft needs. You could not have made a more helpful video and, as a punchy 78 yr old, I’m going to ring a friend when it is delivered! Cheers and thanks, Nick😅
Hi, thank you for the review. Very good, very clear. Just what I wanted. I see you mention that you put a 1/4 in bit in. I see on the Amazon seller site that it says 6mm. This always confuses me a bit. To be clear, is it a real 1/4 in or 6mm? Sorry, genuine question. Thanks again. Pete
Hi there, the bits that I buy are listed as 1/4 or 1/2 inch bits, but having done the conversion between mm and inches, I wouldn't have thought that you'd have a problem switching between the two. I think that's more of a convention thing on the listing than an actual difference between a 6mm and 1/4 inch bit. As you tighten the nuts, they squeeze the collar against the bit shaft, and I would have thought that you'd have no problem with a fraction of a difference in size here and there. As I say, the ones that I buy are listed as 1/4 inch, but I really think that 6mm would be the very same bit, but just listed in a different way.
@@craftingrob Hi. Very kind of you to take the time to respond in this way. I suspected that this was the case. However, I read a review of someone that bought a different 1/4 router and found that they had to buy different bits due to the .36mm difference. Perhaps they were not truthful. I am investing the little savings I have and don`t want to make a mistake. I will just risk getting the 1/4 (true) bits. Appreciate the help. Great video, thanks.
i just took a compressor like yours to the recycle centre , it was old seen better days but only because i inherited a 150ltr clarke one and there in lays my problem which is the same as yours my old compressor and tools have the XF ones i changed them years ago however my new inherited one comes with the UK standard one (the long one) my old compressor had a built on air filter and regulator but my new one doesn't it has a separate clarke air filter and regulator and then a air filter regulator and oil dispenser + high pressure tyre port and also a 20 meter reel with auto retraction but they all have UK regular so its about to cost me a fortune as PCL XF Quick Release 'Snap' Coupling are expensive and i need to change to them for better air flow, This is a good video for any one starting out as on my first compressor i was lucky and only needed a couple of PCL Quick Release 'Snap' Coupling also as a side note a lot of tools u buy in the UK come with XF on them well most of mine did hence why i switched originally.
I made my own router table, one of the best, most helpful things I have ever made. Good luck it doesn't have to be pretty as long as it is safe and works for you.
I can't believe that it took me this long to think about making one. I've been faffing about for years with trying to hold small pieces of wood down while I round off the edges. Now ... simples :-)
Hello, a good no nonsense video. Just a suggestion for you to consider, if you buy a plunge base for the 1/4" makita router ( bought mine off ebay around £25) then just use a car jack to raise the height of the cutter. I havr the Kinzo router that uses Makita parts and costs around £30 pounds and a triton 3 1/4" horse 1/2" router that has height adjustment built in for adjustment from above the table
Yeah I think you might be right. Having used it a few times now, I'm getting used to the height, and actually if I made it any lower, it would make lowering the router out to change the bit, much more difficult!
Have you ever had an issue with the blade guard not going up? After a house move mine no longer goes up automatically but I can move it freely by hand?
Rob....you mentioned you just glue your planters together. I tend to use gorilla glue which holds up quite well outdoors but can be quite expensive. What glue is it you are using? I'm just wondering if there's a cheaper alternative to what I use. Thanks
Hi, I use Titebond 2 for the sides and main carcass of the planter, and then Titebond 3 for the bottoms (as well as screws) and Titebond 3 for the top frame/lid/crown/plynth as well. Titebond 2 is half the price of titebond 3, and in theory is water resistant enough for planters, but I use titebond 3 as belt and braces for the parts that are likely to have water sitting on them. I used to use Evo-Stick Exterior, and it was fine for the sides, but useless for the top and bottom that were exposed to sitting water. I've never use gorilla glue, so I'm not sure how it compares price wise.
Thank you for this video. I have this saw, or should say, my mate toolnapped it 12 months ago. I needed to find out if you could set the height. You've saved me a trip to B&Q. Thank you and hope you still have all your fingers....
Yes! I have an old Black and Decker flat sander with a sheet that clips in at either end. The random orbitals are much better (apart from getting into corners :-) ) mostly because of the random element. My old flat B&D isn't random, so with a predictable pattern, it meant that it was much easier to leave a visible sanding pattern. The random orbital has never left a sanding pattern, even when I've left it in the same place for a while, to work on a really big lip/dip. The passive dust collection is also *MUCH* better, i.e. the B&D would only collect dust if you attach a vacuum to it, whereas the Erbauer seems to passively collect about 80% of the dust using magic :-)
@@craftingrob I've previously used an unbranded flat sander and never had experience to use orbital. I also have a mouse sander so that's okay for corners. So definitely look into orbital like this rather old flat?
Rob....Doing a craft show is something ive thought about doing in the future so this short series youre doing is of interest. It would be good to do a video when you actually do your next craft show, Doing a complete vlog from setup to finish, talking throughout the day on how things are going, what's selling etc. I'm not sure if that's something you would be interested in doing. Anyway thanks for the videos they are very intresting.
@dodgydino62 that's an interesting idea. The only problem is that the day of the fair is *so* intense, that I'm not sure that I've have time to video it, but it is worth thinking about it. Leave it with me :-)
@craigpeel5995 it varies very much based on the venue and how much effort the organiser is going to put in to advertising it. I've done general ones for £10 where it is a new, small venue and it is mostly up to the individual stall holders to advertise the event on their social media pages, right up to Christmas fairs for £50 where the event was very well organised, with lots of paid advertising on local radio and paid for FB adverts. Funnily enough the one that I paid £50 wasn't that successful, relative to the cost, because whilst it was a Christmas fair organised by a well known charity, it was a new (not very good) venue for that year, and so not a regular crowd who knew what to expect. The best fair that I do each year is a £35 Christmas fair organised (very well) by the same people every year in the same venue every year. People know that it will be good, and it is so well advertised, that people make a real effort to attend, and being Christmas, they have their wallets at the ready. It is so popular that there is intense competition to get a stall, and they usually have two to three time more stall holders applying, than they have stalls available. That also allows them to pick and choose who to give stalls to, which increases the quality and variety of the stall, which in turns makes it more popular with the punters. Win, win!
I can’t thank you enough for this set of videos you’re giving us. I am finding them so so helpful. Some really good information. I do a lot of crochet & paper crafting. I play around with a bit of wood & power tools (it gets me outside & moving 😆), but so much fun creating. Your information for craft fairs works for any crafts out there. Thank you 😊
The BEW230-GB is the model I'm referring to and your measurement of 905mm x 1300mm is exactly what I was after and could not seem to confirm anywhere. Problem solved and thank you very much for your reply.
Can you tell me please the maximum length and width of the base plate that the sanding pad sticks to. I have looked everywhere but keep finding different results.
Two part answer! 1) The base on mine is 905mm x 1300mm ... however 2) The sanding pad that came with mine has a detachable top section, as I guess you wear that out the quickest as you are usually sanding into corners ... so a new sanding pad comes with two spare replaceable detachable sections on the top, see B&Q page below. So for instance the dimension that the B&Q page below is quoting the overall dimension of the pad ... including the detachable bits. It appears that B&Q sell a few different shapes of sandpaper in the search results for Black and Decker Mouse sander, so hopefully there aren't different sized sanders, all called Mouse :-( All the above is for the Black and Decker Mouse sander that I bought from B&Q in Nov 2023. Hope that clears it up for you? www.diy.com/departments/black-decker-x31024-mouse-sanding-sheets-assorted-pack-5-/5035048042618_BQ.prd **NOTE ** This B&Q page is purely to show you the shape of the pads. I don't think that these are necessarily the right ones for the sander that I have
It appears that B&Q do sell two different sanders, both called Mouse :-( Mine is the BEW230-GB, but they also sell a KA2500K and the sanding pads look like a different size ... so make sure you know which model you have before you get replacement pads. The page that I linked to appears to be saying that they are pads for the KA2500K ... but I included the link just to show the shape of the pads, i.e. with the detachable spare parts. Nightmare! I'm not surprised that you are finding confusing results when you are looking for replacements :-(
Thanks for all the info. It really is interesting actually listening to you talk about your experiences, what works & what flops. Looking forward to next week 😊
Hi Rob I've had a look at the 2012 again and the only adjustment I can see is a 3 /32 aln screw in each corner of the main bed. I have adjusted it and not much look up to now, both indeed and out feed tables are sloping up at the end. When I put a piece of wood through it lifts up at the end slightly then drops down and goes through. I didn't notice how old it was until after I bought it the plate shows its 2015, it also doesn't have a dust port can't see where one can be fitted. I'm not sure if I can sort this out, hopefully I can in time. Thanks. Derek
I've had a few other people ask me about adjusting the in and out feeds, so I am planning to do a video about it when I get time. The way I have it adjusted, and am happy with the results, I also get the wood lifting as I feed it in, and then immediately drops down (when I lean down on it!). This doesn't seem to be a problem, and doesn't seem to affect the end results. It seems to be the infeed roller grabbing the wood and tipping it up, but then once it is underneath the roller, it seems to be happy to be flat to the bed.
Not sure if these images will help? This is how I have my in and out feed tables set up drive.google.com/file/d/1SdNmyTsML_tlY0NwdQfsaqgAgyG6Yqyh/view?usp=drive_link drive.google.com/file/d/199pt5GSCFsY9eskxmK6tMaAC7lqHdJs-/view?usp=drive_link drive.google.com/file/d/1ZZUieQzkDuYqG2mGMOFs9Thjcci81K4q/view?usp=drive_link
You're not the first person to ask for me for help setting up the infeed and outfeed tables, and I did have big problems myself, so yes, I will do a video on how I did this, and I will post it in the next few weeks. Thank you for your feedback.
I just bought this set today. I was after the Makita set but was told that they’re not that great. The DeWalt has better features and a better case. I had the old red battery Makita and it’s bulletproof but the red batteries are not great now. It’s my first impact driver I must add.
Crafting Rob, I am really finding your take on 20 tools helpful ! I would like to suggest on tools like the Erbauer random orbit sander You would greatly benefit owning an air nozzle for blowing out cavities in the motor cooling fins of your equips ! I have often wondered if I would prefer a battery brad nailer to my air brad? Thanks for your candor on that matter! Another reason to get a compressor. I find the horizontal belt combined with a disk sander is a great option. Some requirements are horizontal, & the disk gives you a handy vertical option. Consider making & fitting a wood cover to place over the disk when not in use. Great job2 Thumbsup
Can't hear ya very well, my guy. Pallet busting is easier with a crowbar, a mallet, and a screwdriver all day. The pallet buster is dangerous, difficult, and destroys the boards if there are halfway decent nails installed. With the tools I mentioned, I can bust a pallet in 15 minutes going at a steady pace, including nails. I get more usable wood and don't have to dodge rusty nails when a board pops. A tool that works faster than a maniac with a sledge, isn't really a seller. I made a pallet buster and it sucked. I thought I made it badly, so I bought one. It still sucked. I even noticed that the pallet you demonstrated on was made with weaker wood. Sometimes the pallets are thick with long twisted nails, and extremely difficult to pull, even with the buster. Sorry for the novel, but lots of people are promoting these things and others are finding they aren't worth their weight in manure! Good video but you gotta do something about your audio.
All fair points. I guess it's personal preference, but I break about 20 pallets at a time, and I would chose the pallet buster over a hammer and crowbar every time, but maybe it's not for everybody. I agree that it doesn't tackle the big beefy euro pallets, but they are like hens teeth here, 95% of the pallets that I pick up for free, are like in the video, and it works a treat on those. Re the sound, yes my good camera went into storage after we had a flood and I was using an old GoPro3 for the last few weeks, but I have my better camera back now, so hopefully the audio is going to be better going forwards. Thanks for the feedback.
@@craftingrob To be fair, I live in Australia, just about everything is imported from overseas. Like you I bust down 20 to 30 at a time and it takes a day, sometimes two. I found that the more you do it with the tools I mentioned the more you develop techniques to do it better, faster, and more efficiently. However, as you said, to each his own! Keep it up, and I will look forward to more of your vids!
How's the accuracy of the cut? Does it cut a perfect right angle? Does the foot plate flex a bit? Can you calibrate the foot plate if it's not cutting perfect right angles?
Hi, I don't find the foot plate flexes, but I have to say it use it for very rough work, cutting up pallets etc, so i don't think that I've ever checked for a perfect right angle. I then cut my wood to length and add a straight end using my mitre saw, which I have calibrated to exactly 90 degrees. For a quick rough cut, it is an amazing machine.
Hi, I don't find the foot plate flexes, but I have to say it use it for very rough work, cutting up pallets etc, so i don't think that I've ever checked for a perfect right angle. I then cut my wood to length and add a straight end using my mitre saw, which I have calibrated to exactly 90 degrees. For a quick rough cut, it is an amazing machine.
Thanks for sharing this, very useful tip.. is pallet wood ideal for building sheds / garden furniture? And someone mentioned that some pallets are not safe to use (has some markings on the pallets)
Thanks for your kind feedback. Yes you could build garden furniture out of pallet wood, and whilst you could build a shed, your pallet lengths are probably only going to be 4 foot long, so you'll need to get good at joining wood, possibly with a biscuit jointer or using dowels, I use dowels. As for the markings, here is an article explaining the markings, basically HT (Heat Treated) is the safest, and MB and SF are to be avoided. www.universalpallets.com/2018/01/ultimate-guide-pallet-markings/ In Europe, we haven't treated pallets with chemicals for years and I've *NEVER* seen anything other than HT, which are perfectly safe, but check for the area that you are in. Good luck.
@@craftingrob thank you, and just after I asked you my question I watched some of your other videos on pallets to planters, tables.. keep up the good work
I have 3 little 12v makita's, a dedicated pre driller, with a 3mm wood bit in it. a countersink in the other and i use the impact to drive the torx screw. i leave them on the same setting so they work in tune with each other. its just fast and accurate when your getting stuff done. They are dead cheap too