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A widowmaker has exposed live parts. Lack of a fuse doesn't, and in the case of a fault, the CU fuse may offer some protection. A widowmaker can kill you quite easily even with RCD protection.

4kW is quite a lot even when it's not in a cupboard.

Technically, alterations of the nature you describe require notification to building control. If you're not an electrician registered with one of the certifying bodies, then you need to notify them prior to commencing the work, they need to accept that you can complete the work, and then they...

Ah, the old "If it's plugged in it's not fixed" line...

You could always create a sort of skirting board effect by taking a plain board and sticking quarter round trunking along the top, giving a decent curved edge and something that's definitely within regs. Should be muc cheaper than skirting trunking.

I can't argue with that, my thinking was along the lines of "surely no-one would just nail straight into the skirting board", but thinking about it, that's a pretty unsafe assumption.

So where do you draw the line between a skirting board with a run of trunking along the top and a skirting board with built in trunking?

I was planning on replacing the MDF entirely, so it looks like a decent slab of then covered with hardboard is the way to go. Thanks for the tip.

I'm looking to replace the surface on the workbench in my garage. It's currently fairly manky MDF, about 7mm thick, 700mm deep and several meters long. What's the best sort of material to use? The bench is currently built on some old kitchen units, but I'm planning on strengthening it with...

All far more expensive than a small inverter and a printer you already own...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-Automotive-RINV300-Powersource-Inverter/dp/B000TLSLQ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335794794&sr=8-1 Check the printer's power requirements first though, if above 300W, buy a bigger inverter.

As Bernard says, no single, cheap device can handle the full range of caps available. For smaller caps, most decent multimeters will have a capacitance test function, sometimes called LCR mode (inductance, capacitance, resistance). You should be able to pick up such an instrument for under £50.

He was listing some of the people required for a house move, and proposing that striking public sector workers would be less than happy to find any of them on strike on their moving date.

That's not even close to true.

Got a new drill recently, a Bosch Blue 1600RE. I'm sure I saw in the booklet that came with it a reference to a form of attachment that the drill mounts to and turns it into a form of pillar drill, which would be very handy for a lot of the stuff I do. Anyone got any ideas if these things...

I can't work out exactly what anyone thought they might be able to use that for - why would you ever want to interchange between 240V and 110V?

By using the back of the case as a massive heat sink. Puts out 66W as useful light. I've no idea how they're dimmed, whether it's PWM of FET controlled current. What I do know is that they're bloody impressive lights.

Now you're misinterpreting my position. I'm not against in use testing of kit at all, it's the blind reliance on PAT that gets on my nerves. If you're using extension leads in a harsh environment, then I'd suggest that it needs to be tested far more than once a year, conversely office...

Pulsar Chromaflood 200's pull 200W!

That's not a statutory requirement, it's a condition of insurance. The problem with a PAT sticker is that it encourages users just to think "well it's got a sticker so it must be safe", and maybe it was. There's no guarantee that it still is, and a proper visual inspection would have made...