DIY Manual for Home DIY Tips

Power Tools have made our lives a lot easier over the past few decades. Tools have become cheaper and more accessible to everyone, but we still need to be aware of how to use the Tools properly. Once you have read this section on Drilling Tips drilling tasks will seem like a breeze for you.

A few things to remember before you start drilling:

1) What type of drill and drill bits do I need?
2) What am I drilling through?
3) How will I get rid of the dirt?

What type of drill and drill bits do I need?

Find the area that you will be doing the DIY Drilling in and make sure you have power close by for drilling. If not, you might need to get a cordless drill to perform your DIY Drilling job. It is always good to start drilling with a smaller bit first and move progressively to a bigger one (especially when drilling into a wall) so make sure you have the correct bits readily available to avoid running around once the DIY Drilling job has started.

What am I drilling through?

You might be drilling into a wall, pipe or even ceramic tiles and each of these surfaces will need a little different technique to complete the DIY job.

When drilling into a tube/pipe please remember the following:
- One of the biggest challenges when drilling into a round object is keeping the object still. The best way to get around this is to rout a "V" channel into two blocks of some scrap wood.
- Now place a length of dowel into the tube/pipe to fit snuggly. Cover the dowel with wrap paper to fit more snugly if necessary. This will reduce the distortion of the tube/pipe when you clamp it in a vice.
- Now place a "V" channel block on each side of the tube/pipe and clamp it into a vice.
- Finally place a third piece of scrap wood on top of the pipe/tube ensuring it fits between the other 2 pieces of wood. Drill through the 3rd block and then through the tube/pipe. Remember that the looser the fit of the pipe between the blocks the less accurate your results will be

When drilling into ceramic tiles the following must be remembered:
- Stick a few pieces of masking tape on the area of the tile that you are going to drill into.
- Mark the exact spot on the tape where you are going to drill.
- When starting the drill apply light pressure and drill through the tile. For two speed drills make sure to use the slower setting. Also ensure that the "Hammer" action is off.
- You might feel a slight jump as the bit reaches the wall after drilling through the tile. Once this has happened you can switch the drill to "Hammer" action if needed.

What to do with all the Dirt

DIY drilling can result in quite a bit of dust so you want to make sure that you collect it before it reaches the ground.

Here are some tips you can follow:
- While drilling let someone stand next to you with a vacuum cleaner and suck up the dirt as you drill.
- Paste a small envelope beneath the drilling area with tape. This will catch most of the dirt falling down.

Are you a wood working fanatic? Check out WoodWorkingFromHome for great projects to tackle.

Sticking to the following few Sanding Tips can make a sanding project go a lot easier. You can either do the Sanding the manual way with sand paper and a sanding block, or get yourself a orbital sander to do the work.

An orbital sander works by moving the sandpaper in a series of very small circles to achieve a great finish, irrespective of the wood's grain.

Sanding Tip 1 - Keep it Clean

To clean the sandpaper on a orbital sander, run the handle of an old toothbrush across the surface. The heat created by the friction causes the plastic handle of the toothbrush to melt slightly and pick up debris stuck to the sand paper.

Sanding Tip 2 - Don't go Against the Grain

Remember to always sand with the grain. The slightest scratch resulting from sanding against the grain can be very difficult to remove and the wood's fibers will tend to be lifter more as well.

Sanding Tip 3 - Sanding Concave Surfaces

When you are going to sand a regular concave surface, use a dowel stick of slightly lesser diameter. To sand a more complex or irregular concave surface use a pack of playing cards end on. By pressing your fingers on the top of the cards it will conform to the shape of the surface you want to sand.

Sanding Tip 4 - Explaining the Sand Paper Grit Values

The rougher the surface you want to sand the more grades of sand paper you may need to use to get the wood to the expected quality smoothness. The grades are as follow:

- Coarse - 50 to 60 grit: This is for removing paint and sanding rouger surfaces. It can also be used for shaping.
- Medium - 80 to 100 grit: For sanding previous painted surfaces and for use at the intermediate stages of sanding; usually after using the 50 to 60 grit.
- Fine - 120 to 150 grit: This is used for final sanding before applying the finishing touches such as paint or vanish
- Very Fine - 160 to 240 grit: For smoothing primer or paint.
- Extra Fine - 280 to 320 grit: For smoothing in between undercoats.
- Super Fine - 360 to 400 grit: For us in wet-sanding varnish, lacquer or car body paint for an ultra smooth finish. Using water with this grade of sand paper will also keep the surface cool and prevent the surface melting.

Remember to visit the WoodWorkingFromHome website for fantastic Wood Working Projects.

What You Will Need To Build this Simple Wall Mounted Shelf System

- Two 1.8m Lengths of Pine 44 x 44mm
- Two 8mm Shield Wall Anchors
- 25mm Dowels - Quantity dependant on the number of shelves
- Drill
- Circular Saw
- C - Clamp
- Hacksaw
- Wrench

1) Use a 185mm Circular Saw to cut the 44 x 44mm Pine in two. Clamp both lengths lightly together and mark a drill point across both at the 100mm centre, down the centre line of each beam.

2) Attached a 25mm spade bit to you drill and drill each hole through the beam. When the tip of the bit reaches the far side, stop and flip the beam over and complete the hole. This will avoid the wood chipping.

3) On each one of the beams at about three quarters of the way up the holes have to be drilled only until the tip of the spade bit penetrates the bottom surface. Complete the hole with 8mm shield wall anchors.

4) Position the uprights against the wall; mark the posts for the shield anchors. Drill the two holes and attached the upright to the wall.

5) Cut the 25mm dowels to the correct lengths. Although the shelves are not designed for heavy weight it should carry reasonable weight if the dowels are fewer than 300mm in length.

6) Tap the dowels into the holes at the pre-drilled intervals and slide the shelves into position.

Basic plumbing is something you will have to do from time to time around the house. Learning "How To Change a Tap Washer" will really make that basic chore easy to do.

Before starting this DIY job make sure to turn off the water supply to your home. This tap is usually at the end of a property and is marked. If you live in a complex or flat make sure to ask your caretaker for help.

When changing a hot water tap washer and if you have an equal pressure system, turn of the main water supply and open a hot water tap. Let the water run until the flow stops. Also make sure to turn of the power supply to your geyser to ensure the element does not burn out.

Below you will find 5 steps to the answer for "How To Change a Tap Washer":

1) Remove the handle. In some makes of taps the screw is fitted on the side and in others on top.
2) Next remove the dome or plastic insert. To avoid damaging the chrome when the dome is too tight make sure to use a cloth when you use a wrench or pliers.
3) Screw off the brass valve assembly.
4) Remove the nut holding the washer in place. Replace the washer and tighten the nut.
5) Reassemble the tap in the reverse order of disassembly. Make sure the tap is closed and then turn the water supply on slowly to test the leak. Remember that the tap now has a new washer and does not need to be closed as tight as before. Tightening too much too fast will result in you doing another replacement quicker than you think.

I trust this answered your question: "How To Change a Tap Washer" and hope this will save you some money and frustration.