Sick of inadequate tools - time to spend!!

[tyred]

Several years ago a neighbour of my mum's was cutting his large hedge with a pair of hand shears. He was about the age I am now; 71, I was 41 at the time. As I was using electric hedge cutters on my mum's hedge, I offered him their use. He politely declined, saying he preferred shears as it was 'very theraputic'. I thought silly old sod and carried on.
Thirty years on, I clean our brickweave drive by sitting on my backside using a very old kitchen knife and yard brush.
I often think of those wise words of my mum's neighbour when I'm doing this - !

I cut and trimmed it virtually all the hedges on my parents' acre farm by hand when I was between jobs in my early 20s, and I loved it. So at peace with the world and myself.

 

[Marchrider]

I cut and trimmed it virtually all the hedges on my parents' acre farm by hand when I was between jobs in my early 20s, and I loved it. So at peace with the world and myself.

I think it is incredible that if you go back to the late 1800s (and i'm not suggesting that was when you were in your 20s) all hedges were cut by hand, farm labourers in the winter would do it all with sickles and scythes. what absolutely brutal work it must have been

 

[gbb]

I think it is incredible that if you go back to the late 1800s (and i'm not suggesting that was when you were in your 20s) all hedges were cut by hand, farm labourers in the winter would do it all with sickles and scythes. what absolutely brutal work it must have been

I'm guessing one major difference would be the amount of labour to do it (ot any job on a farm)
In the late 60s when I was maybe 10, dad had us exploring some landscape around Lincoln. We found loads of clay pipe remains in a recently ploughed field. When I say loads, there really were lots, every step you could ind a piece of stem or bowl. I guess it tells you there would have been lots of labourers.
Same with ditch digging, etc etc.
No doubt they were probably a lot stronger than us nowadays all the same...

 

[Jameshow]

I'm guessing one major difference would be the amount of labour to do it (ot any job on a farm)
In the late 60s when I was maybe 10, dad had us exploring some landscape around Lincoln. We found loads of clay pipe remains in a recently ploughed field. When I say loads, there really were lots, every step you could ind a piece of stem or bowl. I guess it tells you there would have been lots of labourers.
Same with ditch digging, etc etc.
No doubt they were probably a lot stronger than us nowadays all the same...

Yes loads of long lost trades and jobs that were done by hand, top and bottom sawer etc etc.

 

[Time Waster]

Industrial revolution meant the mostly rural workforce moved to cities and towns to work. Agriculture was once the largest employer until the revolution. It goes to say how bad must agricultural labourer have once been that they would rather work in a dark, satanic cotton mill!!!!

 

[simongt]

It goes to say how bad must agricultural labourer have once been that they would rather work in a dark, satanic cotton mill!!!!

One advantage being that they were at least in the relative dry of a mill rather than being out 'in all weathers'.

 

[tyred]

I think it is incredible that if you go back to the late 1800s (and i'm not suggesting that was when you were in your 20s) all hedges were cut by hand, farm labourers in the winter would do it all with sickles and scythes. what absolutely brutal work it must have been

I may have cut them by hand but I did use a Fordson Dexta with a buckrake to move the cuttings.

 

[Wheelspinner]

Ryobi and Milwaukee are owned by the same company, have been for 20 years. I have some Milwaukee stuff and they‘ve been good, not used Ryobi.

Bosch have always done two “grades” of power tools: green for the home DIY job market and blue for the tradesman market. IME, the green are generally poor and the blue are decent.

Black and Decker and Dewalt are the same company, just different brands. Dewalt was always the trades market and seem to be good.

Makita have a cheap(er) line which are red, called Maktec. Cheap for a reason. The usual blue range are generally pretty good.

AEG had a big marketing push here and sit in the premium price bracket with Milwaukee and Makita. My experience is they are also pretty decent, with the caveat that the one I use most (drill/driver) has a chuck that is not especially durable or accurate.

Our major chain store for this stuff has some generic label range that is surprisingly decent if you get lucky. I’ve got a rotary hammer drill that cost peanuts because I wanted it for one job only. Nearly 15 years later it still works fine, can’t kill it. Butfor “precision” tools, not so great.

If I was starting over and to pick one brand now I’d probably go with Makita, back up option would be Milwaukee.

With regards hand tools, Fuller are ok, Wera and Facom are good. The difficulty now is that manufacturing quality has significantly declined for many of the “good” brands and what used to be great are now…. Not. I’m looking at you Sidchrome, Craftsman etc.

 

[CXRAndy]

I've moved to Milwaukee products..
My last purchase was an electric chain saw. I already had the batteries for my other tools. What a great piece of kit. So much quieter than a petrol version, well designed re cleaning and tightening the chain with handy tool clipped into the body. I can park it up for months not worry about stale fuel or gummed up carburettor.

 

[Gillstay]

Makita electric hedgecutters are fabulous.

 

[Gwylan]

Makita electric hedgecutters are fabulous.

Can I get a hedge to justify such a purchase?

 

[CXRAndy]

Ever the reason to spend money on tools. I'm doing a little wood project, created some templates, which I cut out in thin ply to check they fit, they do, but poorly fit. I tried to be clever and cut near the line to save sanding work.

Anyhow, seen as the actual material is much thicker, I decided to cut away from the line by a few mm and buy a battery 13mm wide finger sander from Milwaukee. I bought the bare tool as I got the 12v batteries with a deal on an electric heated jacket

I've got some 40-60 grit belts, to make easy work of the sanding. Roll on Tuesday

 

[Gillstay]

Can I get a hedge to justify such a purchase?

Just go around clearing near footpaths.

 

[simongt]

I agree with this point of view, doing gardening tasks by hand is therapeutic.

At the cat sanctuary I volunteer at, I've been tasked with a fair bit of weed clearing. It was suggested tyhat I could use an electric strimmer, but I 'suggested' that this would leave all the weed roots intact so they would just regrow in a very short time.
Thus I'm perfectly happy to dig said roots out by hand using a trowel and a digging fork and do a 'proper job' - !
With the added advantage that it helps to keep me flexible - !

 

[simongt]

all hedges were cut by hand,

There's a YouTube video of a hedgelayer teaching a young landgirl how to lay hedges, probably mid 1940's He's tolerant of having to teach a lass, but it's very instructive even now.