For convenient drill bit storage and easy to see stock levels. I use a lot of drill bits and got fed up with rooting about in boxes to find ones I needed, so I decided to mount them on the wall in this simple storage unit. Grab a piece of timber, 2″ x 4″ (48mm x 98mm) in this case and mark a centre line along the narrow side. Space out your holes according to the drill bit you’re using, I used a 32mm bit and spaced out the holes …
Using the Atmosfire wood stove dry wipe glass cleaner. The first week with our new wood burning stove was a bittersweet time, I loved the fire but I hated the sooty glass each morning. I tried the web and found all sorts of solutions, from rubbing with damp newspaper and wood ash to using expensive, messy chemicals. Plus I seem to have to scrub hard to get it sparkling again. Then I found a dry wipe called ‘Atmosfire’ and my troubles were over. A few seconds each morning literally wipes …
This tip is probably one of the first things a new carpenter or builder will learn on site when pulling out big nails during a demolition job. As you might have already found out, big nails can be pretty tough to pull out and this is all to do with the friction added by pulling the nail at the wrong angle. This can pretty much lock the nail in place and you’ll need a lot of force to wrench it free. Fortunately here is a simple solution. Using a claw …
Especially if you’re using a budget welder. If you’re struggling with your welding, the first thing you should check is the quality of your connection to earth or ground; because you’ll never get a good weld going with a weak connection. It’s a fact that cheaper welders often come equipped with a small and weak earth clamp which makes getting a strong bare metal to bare metal ground or earth connection next to impossible. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution and it doesn’t even cost you a penny! This simple solution is …
…Because they don’t make em! Shocking huh? But making bearings is so specialized that machine manufacturers outsource their bearings from one of the handful of bearing manufacturers worldwide. This means the bearings in your machine are most likely a standard size and finding replacements is a cinch. Plus you’ll only pay for the actual bearing, no ‘middle man’ mark up whatsoever, result! Here’s how to find out what bearings you need without going to the machines manufacturer It’s really simple, all you need is a magnifying glass to read the tiny …
Tools, Tools and More Tools Arguably, the old adage that only ‘bad workmen blame their tools for poor craftsmanship’ is not strictly true as it’s quite difficult to produce good quality work with inferior tools; especially if they are blunt! Fortunately, good quality hand tools are more affordable today because of mass production and modern manufacturing techniques. Putting Together a Tool Kit If you’re starting from scratch I recommend you start by looking at tools in the store to get an idea of what they look like, what they’re called …
Putting together a basic or starter tool kit Your tool kit will evolve over time depending on the types of DIY you tackle, but to get you started here is a table taken from my book which explains all the different tools you might need. The list starts off with some basic tools and progresses through into the more specialised tools which you might need, again depending on what you’re about to work on. Power tools are nice but also a luxury, many jobs can be done perfectly well using …
