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Thanks for the ideas. Looks like I'll need to do a bit of experimenting - I'll buy the magnets and see how I get on... Adam

Thanks. I've not heard of Forstner bits but it looks like they've still got a central guide. I'll investigate the router bit suggestion :) I've got a wooden shelf structured a bit like this. I want to place magnets behind it and use the vertical section as a knife rack. The magnets need to be...

Hi All, I want to make a 2cm hole part way through a 3cm piece of pine. The hole must stop within 1mm of the opposite face of the wood but must not break through at all. Can anyone suggest a method/tool to achieve this? Obviously a flat wood drill bit has a big spike in the middle which...

Heh. Thanks, that's a fair point - though I'd rather not make even more mess if I can help it! Adam

Hi All, I'm changing an existing 1-way + 2-way switch into a 2-way + 3-way and have removed the switch and back-box from the wall in the process. The existing back-box was "held" in place on some filler of some sort squished in against a load of plastic bags which were filling the void in a...

I did end up buying one of these so thought I'd write up some comments in case anyone else is ever interested... I've actually been quite pleased with it. It's handy and portable so for small jobs is very convenient. You can do the mixing (which is very easy and quick - much easier than...

Seems surprising. The chemical needs to be injected into the mortar bed for it to have any chance at all so I'd have thought it would be tricky to get it right from the outside. What are the walls made of? If the only purpose is to reassure yourself, I wouldn't bother. Retro-fitted chemical...

Thanks, so if there was a problem with the joists, what would happen - would there be any signs? Adam

Hi All, I have a ceiling with new and growing cracks in it and am wondering whether it's a cosmetic thing which can be "papered over" or something I need to treat more seriously. The house is 19th century stone (ground floor) and timber frame (1st floor). The room spans the ground floor...

Yes, I've read various things about them being snake-oil. I've no idea if that's true or not but this doesn't fill me with confidence: Really? Do you have any more information on the science of this? I'm happy to keep an open mind though - I'd be very interested to hear back from Poisonata if...

A condensation trap? Adam

Do you mean just wire both appliances direct into the outlet regardless of flex size? And in this case run the 2.5mm² from the outlet plate to the FCU, on the logic that the FCU prevents a current over 13A running down the cable (except in a hard-to-imagine situation where the short length of...

Hi All, I'm planning on changing my existing free-standing cooker for a 7.2kW induction hob and a 3kW integrated oven (not bought yet, but I'm trying to do some forward-planning). The existing cooker has a 6mm T&E cable running to a dual outlet plate. There is then a CCU and a run of 8m (1.5m...

You could replace the junction boxes with "maintenance free" ones. Yes, if you're sure that it's just a spur from the ring main and goes nowhere else. Adam

I don't. You jumped to conclusions and berated me for something which was apparently only in your head. Blimey,[/url] I've got a stalker. I guess I'll have to make up some pseudonyms in future. Yes thanks, for the whole lot, and I'm several hundred pounds poorer as a result. I'm not sure why I'm...

Sorry if I've upset you in some way, but your post comes across as kind-of nasty/condescending and frankly misleading. And you didn't even have anything useful to say. All in all, I feel like the world would just have been a slightly nicer place if you hadn't pressed "submit" :( Adam

Thanks, that's interesting. We do have overhead supply. But if you said above that computers aren't susceptible to lightening spikes etc, then presumably there's no need for surge protection even then? Thanks for the other replies. I guess all-in-all it makes more sense just to go with some...

Hi All, I'm planning on converting a (small) room into a study. I'd like to provide plenty of sockets on the ring - at least 5 doubles along the wall under where the desk will be. Is there anything in particular to take into account? Specifically, I'm wondering about surge protection (e.g...

Thanks[/url] for the constructive comments. In the end I found a helpful seller on eBay who cut & threaded the conduit for me :) My last problem is how to protect the cable from the sharp-ish ends of the conduit. Is there a standard solution for this? What do other people do? Adam

In one case because the socket will be hidden inside a built-in cupboard, so no clue from outside that there's a potential cable run. For another because I'd like to run a lighting cable down one side of a wall and then pass it through to the other side where the light fitting will be. And for...