Everybody likes a good fire don’t they? But sometimes they are a little dangerous and even against the law at certain times of the year. So the easiest way to ensure fire safety is to contain your fires by having them inside something that allows you to control it and prevent it from spreading. This is a scaled down version of a 200L (40 gallon) old oil drum that we used at work to burn diseased wood from house demolitions. I do apologize, but many wood worm were harmed in …
How to make a potting bench out of pallet wood A friend of mine lusted after a potting bench made from old pallet wood, and it just so happens that I’d just picked up a fresh load of single use pallets from my local tile superstore. Luckily (and unusually) this time it included some 2.4m long ones, perfect for the long back legs of a potting bench. Here’s how I made it… Most of the joints were assembled with outdoor wood glue and nails from an air nailer. On the more …
Use your own strength to break things apart You are stronger than you think! However most of your power often goes against you because your leverage simply tries to move the whole object instead. When you need to separate two pieces of timber for example, if you were to use a single wrecking or crow bar, all you’d achieve is the workpiece rolling around because you can’t adequately hold it still whilst you try to lever them apart. However, if you try the same thing with two wrecking bars, hey …
By Stitching it With Cable Ties… This winter I learned that plastic buckets break real easy when it’s cold outside. I managed to break not one, but two of my favorite plastic trugs by being less than gentle with the firewood loading this winter time. But since they don’t need to hold water (I use them for garden waste and for hauling firewood) I repaired them by drilling lots of holes along the cracks and stitching them up with cable ties. Here’s how… Simple and quick repair using cheap materials. …
If there’s a wrong way to do something, you can bet a consumer (that’s us) will find it. Even if it’s totally your fault because you didn’t spend enough time studying the instructions, you’re still likely to blame the company. This is why companies like IKEA spend fortunes producing instructions to ensure you get it right first time, after all, the end result is their reputation, not yours. But here’s the thing, don’t just grumble about it, reach out. Because we are so diverse, our opinion matters, it has a …
Using a mini hooked seal pick Sometimes you need to remove a ceramic tile you’ve just laid, and boy is there a lot of suction to overcome! There are lots of reasons you might want to remove a tile you just laid; you might’ve noticed a defect in the tile, or you forgot it should be a feature tile, or you simply need to add more adhesive behind it. Wet tile adhesive is designed to be super grippy to give it ‘non-slip’ properties and this can make removing them difficult without disturbing the …
Planning ahead can save you a lot of money when it comes to buying tools. Because you can now buy directly from China, which lets face it, is where most of these tools are being made after all. Now I don’t recommend this for all of your tools, because you won’t be able to buy well known brands. Save this tip for the tools you’ll not be using every day or where the slightly poorer materials won’t matter too much, or of course, if you’re on a tight budget. For example; …
