I've signed up to a "basics of DIY" course, in an attempt to learn some new skills that might be of use in the immediate future. Having spent a few thousand pounds renovating my flat this year, I've wondered how much I could have saved if I'd been able to do some of the work myself. I'm no slouch with a paint brush, but I'm out of my depth with the more practical aspects - such as plastering, coving, making wooden box housings, building kitchen units, etc. The nice part of DIY is being able to stand back and admire your work, assuming that you've done the job well. The bad part is spending time and money on a botched job, that you have to pay a professional to re-do.
With these things in mind, I attended the first class last night, held at my old secondary school. Our tutor, James Hatter, clearly knows his stuff, and is keen to get on and impart his knowledge to us. With only six of us in the group it would be nice to have some introductions - maybe a brief chat about why we're there, and what we're hoping to achieve - but no, it was straight in, listening to him for 2 hours. I took copious notes, and learned a lot. He went through all the tools that you're likely to need when doing DIY tasks (hammers, drills, saws, etc.), and handed round samples of each, explained how to use them properly, what to buy, where to buy them, what safety precautions to take, etc.
I was amazed at how much I didn't know: a hand-saw, for example, cuts down-wards, assuming that it's not a "pull saw", which cuts when pulling back on the handle. Fifteen "teeth per inch" (TPI) is considered to give a fairly fine cut. For cutting "with the grain" on large pieces of wood, a "rip saw" is recommended. The width of the cutting blade (anything up to 3mm) is known as the "kerf". The choice of saw will be governed by the hardness of the wood: pine is soft, and will require a fine cutting edge, whereas oak or ash is hard, and will need something more resilient.
It's nice to be learning from an expert - I just hope that my first DIY creation (which will probably be a set of shelves) lives up to his (and my) expectations.
It's Halloween tomorrow... where did I put my spirit level...?
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