I was busy building a garage, I've mentioned it before. A kitset 6m x 3.5 m one from Trade Tested here in NZ, it came in several cardboard boxes, not very big ones, and did those boxes not seem like nearly enough to carry all the bits needed for a building that size.
It turned out to be so lightly built and difficult to assemble that I abandoned the build half way through, it took me a couple of hours to dismantle what had taken me an awfully long time to get built, then a day to make up a complete pre nail wooden kit from 3x2 wood including five roof trusses, and a day to stand all that up and put the cladding from the kit onto that.
We've now got a robust and tidy building that will withstand a good blow.
The point behind this epistle is, apart from dont buy one of those cheap garden or garage kits, is that I had some serious trimming of sheet metal to do, and tinsnips just did not cut it ( pun intended of course)
So I want off to the hardware store to find a metal cutting blade for the skilsaw, not a cutting disc for an angle grinder, this is a sawblade specific to sheet metalwork.
Found one, near enough a hundred bucks. That was enough of a shock that I had to go and browse in the aisle where all the toys are ( read, power tools, I'm a sucker) to get my breath back.
I found there one of those "twinsaws" that are advertised as being able to cut almost anything, this was very similar to the Ozito brand one in this link http://www.bunnings.co.nz/ozito-1200w-125mm-corded-twin-cutter_p00318797 but was the very cheap Bunnings brand XU1 version. $65 . The saw blade went back on the rack., and I took the twinsaw home with me.
The thing cuts like a Samurai sword production line test dept. It cuts anything up to about 1/8in like butter, its not a high quality tool and I dont expect it to last forever but it pretty much paid for itself in an hours work.
I dont think I'd buy this brand if I were serious, but the Ozito one is a reasonable deal and the quality is reasonable for a tool that is not in full time use.
A word of warning though, they're not good for cutting wood, they are specifically built for sheet and light sections of metal.
Interesting tool though, useful.
John Welsford
I presume that the tin shed you built came with no wooden framing at all - I nearly bought one but a builder friend talked me out of it and said get tin shed with wooden framing for three reasons - stronger, easier to build and once built you have framing to attach shelves, bench etc. ---- which I did and now have a great little shed that was not too difficult to build. It's a 'Duratuf' Kiwi MK3A (3.3 X 2.5) which was small enough not to require a council permit and fitted the footprint of the old one well.
ReplyDeleteYour builder friend was right, I;'e heard several hour stories about these cheap shed kits, and mine, being a 6m x 3.5m one was bigger than most, and worse than most.
ReplyDeleteMy brother in law bought one at about the same time, has yet to put it up. That will be interesting to watch.