Routers and Router bits

I just purchased  a Black and Decker KW900 E router from Mach Power tools Chennai. Once again I must say I was very pleased with their service. I got the tool in two days of the order. It comes with six bundled router bits. There a lot of sites that describe router the terminology of router bits. However a BOSCH UK catalogue also describes it well and is probably a useful download. I have yet to find a place where router bits can be bought online. 

Hanging up your tools

I have always had problems finding my tools. A part of the problem lies with me. I am quite tardy when it comes to keeping back my tools. Sometimes zealous cleaning up by the maid or others at home changes the organized mess. Often it is my son who takes away a tool or so and misplaces it.
This tool hanger was initially started off  by my father. It was a waste piece of 1 inch block wood that was lying around. He fixed two metal hanging mounts ( I am not sure of the correct term) and used two nails each to hang up my hammers. It lay there for a long time until I decided to hang up some other tools. I chose the tools I would use often : hammers, pliers, screwdrivers and some clamps. Each tool is held up by two strategically placed screws. For screwdrivers and the nail remover there are some screws at the lower end too to stabilize them.
The piece is not finished but is extremely functional. It will be some time before I actually paint it. I can now recognize immediately if any tool is missing. As this is in my workshop (a.k.a. balcony) it is always available.
I plan to hang up more of these small wood pieces to hold my tools. I have seen peg boards on the net where everything is neatly arranged. I have never actually worked with pegboard. But until then this is how my tool ar hung up. 

How to get your power tools sanctioned

Politics starts at home. My wife and I both share the  responsibilities of the finance portfolio. However major investments (aka woodworking power tools) have to be budgeted for, scrutinized and first seen to be cost beneficial. Here are some of the tips that can help you speed up getting all your dream tools sanctioned.

1. Your birthday. If you have not been celebrating your birthday, start now. Within reasonable limits you can claim a power tool for your birthday. Keep in mind that you must be ready to shell out a reasonably similar amount for future birthdays for others in the family. You cannot be seen as one who consumes maximal resources. Upside : Easy to justify. Downside. Future financial implications can be scary.

2. Accompany your wife shopping. On every shopping trip abstain from purchasing the same amount as your wife. On the trip home perhaps it will dawn on the family that you have bought nothing for yourself. With a sigh say " O yes ... perhaps some other time" or perhaps say " I am a man of few needs..." etc. What this does is prime everyone when for the time when you ask for your table saw. Upside : Works with sensitive members of the family. Downside : If they catch on to your strategy you can go broke very fast with nothing to show for your efforts.

3. Make kitchen items. Be quick to put up every nail in the kitchen. Make shelves for pots and pans, masala racks and the works. Offer to make a kitchen table. Then suggest that a table  saw would help to make a really good kitchen table. It is worth a try.

4. Never pretend anything is easy. Do not undervalue your efforts, even to hammer a nail into a wall. Talk about good workmanship, the art of woodworking etc. Build up an aura about your work such that you are perceived as a good carpenter. A good carpenter deserves his tools.

5. Involve your family. Carpentry should not be your hobby. It should be the sacrifice you make with your time to help the family. Do not spend your time shut up in the workshop (if you have one) and leave your wife to take care of the kids. If you do so you will gradually be asked to do "something useful for a change". Instead promise your kids that they will be able to use your tools when they are older. Let them use some of your harmless tools such as spanners, or waste block pieces. Let them watch you (at a safe distance of course). Involve everyone in the process of hammering a nail. This is family time. Hammering, bonding. Let someone hold the chair, someone hand you the hammer, someone switch on the switch for the drill, and hopefully someone else clean up. This makes your fun, fun for the family. You just may get your power tool.

6. Think big. Talk  big. Of course you can make a bunk bed if you had a table saw! The chic furniture you saw in the shop is something you could make... of course if you had the right tools.  Once you say this repeatedly you may actually get what you ask for just to see if you can actually do it.

7. Let your wife see your blog posts before you post them. You would not want her to stumble on posts like this by accident would you!

8. Use your tools! There is no chance of buying new tools if you have not used your previous ones. This is common sense.

Wishing every potential woodworker the very best as they prioritize and plan how they would buy their tools. 

How to hammer a nail into a wall

Well I must accept that although this post is titled "how to hammer a nail into a wall", in reality I would not use a hammer and actually not even a nail. However this is often the most common thing one has to do to hang up things around the house, be it a calendar, a clock or some painting.
What you will need is a drill, a good masonry drill bit, water, wood piece or plastic anchors, screws and a screwdriver. If hammering a nail is the DIY thing you do most of the time, then it is probably helpful to keep the whole set of things in a small bag.

PVC Anchor

To begin with determine if you are going to use plastic anchors or the traditional wood piece. Plastic anchors are much easier to work with and are hopefully easily available even in small towns. If not pick one up in a larger place when you can. If you need to use wood, using a knife gently shave off the wood to get a taper so that it fits into the hole.

Masonry drill bit 

Choice of drill bit : Use a masonry drill bit. These are different from wooden or steel drill bits. You can identify them by the slight extra bulge at the tip. Chose a drill bit that is a little smaller than your plastic anchor. As you drill the hole may become a little wider than you expect.
Drill : Preferably a hammer drill. It is noisier but quicker, especially if you are drilling through good quality cement.

Wood/Steel drill bit

Precaution : In days of concealed wiring and plumbing make sure that you are not anywhere near water pipes and wires. The last thing you would want is water gushing out of your hole or getting electrocuted. If you do not  have access to the plans (as would be the case of most people), make an educated guess, looking at where the junction boxes are, the switches are and avoid these tracks. Be careful when drilling in a bathroom. Do not drill in the line just above a tap.

Mark the point where you want to drill and drill away. Now you can drill quite deep if you are not careful. A simple way of determining the depth you should drill is to place a small piece of tape on the drill bit as an indicator of depth. If your house has good cementing, the first bit of drilling is usually the most difficult until you enter the brick.
Water : I do not know if this is good practice, but this works for me. I do not have a very powerful drill. I stay in a house where the cementing is so strong that it is so difficult to drill into the wall. When I feel I am making no headway, I dip the tip of the bit in water and insert it back into the hole. This kind of makes the drilling wet. Only a little bit of water, two or three times and I am able to drill a hole.
Place your plastic anchors into this hole. Screw in the screw using a screwdriver to the depth needed.

Never use a hammer on a screw

PVC Anchor snug in the hole

Hammering a nail directly into a wall rarely works. I find screws better as they can easily be taken out. Nails may rust and break on taking them out. If you are using wood instead of a plastic anchor, hammer the wood in. Using a chisel or a good side blow cut off the extra wood piece.
Do not hammer a screw. I personally feel hammering a screw is the mark of shoddy workmanship.
If you do have access to stainless steel screws use them wherever you can. They are more expensive but will not rust.
Precaution : Do not attempt to hammer a nail into very old buildings where the plaster is chipping off. As you drill you will make a large embarrassing hole in the plaster.

The final screw

Hang it  up

Jigsaw blades - more than meets the eye

When I first purchased my Skil Jigsaw, the hardware owner told me that it had  three bundled blades -  for wood, metal and a thin blade for curves. I was thrilled. Ever since I have been collecting jigsaw blades in my trips around Vellore and Ludhiana. Most of them come as multipurpose sets.
However I recently came across a Bosch catalogue  that details the various types of blades and their uses. There really is more than meets the eye and I suppose a carefully chosen and well maintained blade will be really worth its price.
Now to find someone who can actually source the blades. One thing I have learnt is to never be satisfied with what your local hardware guy can provide, as he will always provide the blade or tool that is fast moving and cuts or functions average. 

Dremel 2505 bar clamp

Dremel 2505 clamps 

This was my first purchase of bar clamps. I think they are also called quick release clamps. I decided to go ahead with the purchase after reading Indranil's post on his blog The Indian DIY and Woodworker.  The only one that I could identify for purchase online in India was the Dremel 2505 clamp. This came as a set of 2 which I purchased from Mach Power Tools, Chennai.
I must say I was very pleased with their service. They had an online chat support, and this helped clarify doubts. They responded well to phone enquiries and the person on the other end was able to clarify my doubts. Besides they shipped by first flight courier and I got the clamps in three days. That really is something. Here's to more dealings with them.
The clamps are small but provide sufficient grip. The rubber ends prevent damage to wood. I was able to clamp a piece of wood on to the dining table and drill out holes using a circular bit. There was no damage to the table. They are very easy to use. My four year old son  also uses them as a toy to clamp things that he wants.

A key chain holder

We always seem to have more keys than we have locks. Most of them end up in a box in a cupboard, but for the ones we actually use, this was a simple key holder. There is nothing to it actually. It is a piece of teak wood beading with hooks placed in it at regular intervals. The beading is screwed on to the wall with two screws (counter sunk to accommodate the heads). Each of the hooks needed guide holes to be drilled in first though. This piece is very easy to make. It has a nice simplicity about it too.