DIY disastersI just can't do power tools. They always fly out of control and end up embedded somewhere they shouldn't. I've no idea how I've still got all the appendages I was born with.
Add to that the fact that nothing ends up square, able to support weight or free of sticking-out sharp bits and you can see why I try to avoid DIY.
Tell us of your own DIY disasters.
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chthonic, Thu 3 Apr 2008, 17:19)
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Today's SermonGather round you gutter-minded b3tards, you failed DIY-ers, and all of you interweb work-dodgers.
Today Father Kaol will tell you some hard facts.
You may not like them, they may penetrate the wooden depths of your heart, they could even nail shelves to your very soul.
Mark my works, and mark them well.
What follows is a list of Sins, those most terrible of wood-based materials, that you should avoid like Satan's own dark meats.
Chipboard - This is foul rubbish, unscrewable, impossible to cut cleanly and totally unable to deal with the smallest drop of water without turning into a pile of Weetabix-like filth.
Laminated Chipboard - As above, but sandwiched between two sheets of cracky, flaky, terrible-to-saw plastic. Still gives you the Weetabix problem, if water gets in the ends.
Nearly impossible to screw into, or drill, without a huge piece of plastic chipping off.
MDF - Not so bad, as long as you use it correctly. Don't make shelves out of it, don't screw into the ends of it, don't feed it after midnight, and don't get it wet.
It needs a basecoat and a top coat when painting it to get a decent finish.
It'll snap like a brittle and fibrous biscuit if you put much weight on it.
Oh, and the dust will give you cancer, so wear a mask when sanding it.
Know your wood, my dear children, and choose it wisely.
I have no idea why I'm posting this... *shrugs*
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Cawl, Wed 9 Apr 2008, 12:52,
2 replies)
You forgot hardboardwhich is just one letter, and barely one degree of rigidity, removed from cardboard. It is singularly useless for drawer bottoms and wardrobe backs because of its lack of structural integrity, but it is widely used by Ikea et al for just these purposes.
Replace it with thin plywood at the first available opportunity. It's heavier and more expensive, but at least your pants won't all fall into the drawer below.
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K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 9 Apr 2008, 13:26,
closed)
Exactly right Mr. K2k6If you have to use man-made board, go for ply where you can.
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Cawl, Wed 9 Apr 2008, 14:15,
closed)
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