As part of the campaign to equip the Old Cotswold Outhouse only with British kit I have moved out the Elektra Beckum p-t, which I was using as a planer, but have for the moment kept the Delta thicknesser. I'm hoping I cn survive with just a thicknesser, using hand planes to get boards roughly smooth first. It saves so much space only having the thicknesser, and there is an excellent thread on Wood Haven showing how to make tipping storge for a bench thicknesser, to hide it away when not in use. If the top of the cabinet is levelled with the top of my Coronet tablesaw (as one person suggests) I can use it as an extension as well. The thread to look for is Thicknesser storage/stand by 9fingers in October 2010 (apologies I can't get the direct link on my phone!).

This will be something of a challenge. The shed has become a timber store and milling area in cases of emergency, with a big bandsaw and planer-thicknesser. Hopefully we won't have to use them often, because the Old Cotswold Outhouse now has a Coronet Imp bandsaw and the Consort tablesaw, and we've bought the planer and thicknesser attachments for the Consort from Derek Pyatt. They have yet to be fitted, but once they are we can hopefully lose the Delta thicknesser, which has been brilliant, but is noisy. Then all I have to do is find a pillar drill (perhaps from Meddings) and a lathe. We already have a Multico mortiser.

Obviously there's no problem with hand tools, but power tools are an issue. The idea of the moratorium on overseas products only goes as far as those that have perfectly good British alternatives. There are few British-made power tools, and though you don't need many, I'm not sure life without a Bosch 10.8v cordless drill/driver is worth living, and I can't see how we can use the Woodrat without a router!!!!