How to start a fire
YOU’RE ON A CAMPING TRIP (that’s you, not me, I hate camping) and you want to cook up some baked beans (why is it always beans?). So you reach for your matches, or your lighter, and you realise you’ve left them both at home. There’s a simple solution. Gather some dry twigs, place them in […]
How to tie up a boat
AT SOME POINT you’ll find yourself in charge of a boat. It may be a rowing boat on a river, or something larger like a cruiser on the Norfolk Broads. There you are, sailing merrily along, and you see an enticing stretch of bank where you want to pull up. But how do you stop […]
How to hang a swing
HANGING A SWING from the branch of a tree is a lot easier than it looks. There are just four steps to follow. Tie a weight, such as a hammer, to the end of a piece of rope and throw it over the branch. Do the same with the other end of the rope, so […]
Easy sawing
DESPITE MY AVOWED love of power tools, especially the cordless variety, there are times when you need to use a handsaw. And these can be cumbersome devices in untrained hands. There are two key rules when using a handsaw. First, you should hold the grip so that you point your index finger along the length […]
Do it today
I HAVE A NUMBER of mottoes which encapsulate the way I feel about a variety of quotidian activities. Here’s my somewhat controversial one about DIY: Never do it properly when you can do it today. It’s flippant, of course, and not meant to be taken entirely seriously. But there is something deeply satisfying about starting […]
Measure twice
MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE is such an old carpenter’s motto that it now sounds trivial, but it’s the most sound piece of DIY advice I’ve ever been given. Far too often I’ve measured up, cut a piece of wood to the right length, and then found it doesn’t fit. Measure it, go to cut the […]
The right multi-tool
SWISS ARMY PENKNIVES are very cute and make great birthday presents for 13-year-olds, but they’re much too clumsy to use as serious tools. Far better are multi-tools of the Leatherman/Gerber style, which incorporate a strong pair of pliers (the most useful tool of all). All multitools come with screwdrivers and knives, and most have a woodsaw […]
Go cordless
THERE HAVE BEEN MANY OCCASIONS in the past when I’ve wanted to do a simple job, such as drilling a hole, sawing a piece of wood, or using a glue gun to join two objects. I have plenty of power tools, but the hassle of finding an extension lead, plugging it in, trying to avoid getting […]
Tools: start cheap
WHENEVER I NEED a new tool of a kind that I haven’t tried before – a table saw, a pair of pliers, a hack saw – I always start with the cheapest one available. After a few days’ use you can figure out what to look for when buying a better model. When buying a table saw, it turns out […]