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My mum has issues with damp walls. They've been injected twice but still the walls are damp, some areas appearing darker than others and some walls only detected as damp using a conductivity-based detector. My understanding of the treatment that should have happened is that a chemical mixture...

I'm helping a friend with a fairly basic woodworking operation. I need to inset a round metal doorbell push button into a piece of wood and I'm going to use a plunge router with a straight bit and a guide bushing. The problem is creating the template. The template needs to be 2.5 mm wider...

I would like these heavy duty bags for my bike but they're expensive and I think I could make my own much more cheaply. I was just hoping to get some advice regarding what types of timber would be suitable and whether other types might be rendered suitable by a protective coating. Thanks for...

My mum in an effort to reduce the chances of her boiler breaking down fills her sink for dish washing with water she boils on the stove. In the winter she has the heating on but not usually for very long. I was wondering whether trying to use the boiler as little as possible actually has any...

I live in a rented apartment and one of the curtain rails has an issue in that the curtains can just slide right off. I'm guessing that the system was designed so that this doesn't happen. What seems to be missing? I have a couple of pictures (click to enlarge). Thanks. What is this piece?

My glass blender has a crack in it. I'm not sure when or how that occurred. It does not seem to leak but nonetheless, if anyone has any suggestions on how to repair the crack I'd be grateful.

I tried to use a router sled (with a bowl shaped router bit) to plane/thickness some pieces of timber salvaged from some pallets (I saw a cool project I wanted to emulate but without buying a thicknesser). The problem is that I would "plane" (can I call it that?) one side of the board and then...

I'm just trying to learn a little about woodworking but I'm having problems with my plane. I only own a single plane (it's an Axminister No. 7). My problem is that when I try to use it, the blade is pushed back in relation to the breaker so that the breaker ends up in front of the blade. I think...

I received an old Black & Decker Workmate free via Gumtree. It's usable but the handles have both broken. Does anyone have any idea how I could effect a repair? There are small holes through the diameter of the handle as shown in the photographs - they go all the way through. Can the old handle...

The forum software appears to make provision for YouTube links but something must be broken. When typing a new message there is a YouTube button, two buttons to the right of the URL button. However, I can't figue out how to make it work. The following possibilities are incorrect...

Hi. If I'm making a shelf by connecting two boards along their edge with dowels do I varnish each (after drilling the holes for the dowels) board and then connect them or connect them and then varnish the final article?[/b]

I would like to make the clamp in this YouTube video.. My problem is that I can't understand how the spindle works at all. It's a pretty bad video which spends way too long on unnecessary parts and none whatsoever on critical areas. I don't understand how spindle is attached to the washer and I...

Via the gassaferegister.co.uk website, I can get a list of registered engineers. (Incidentally, most of them I'd cross the street to avoid; what's with the severe frowns?). Is it safe to just choose at random or whomever looks least demonic in their ID photograph? I'm not going to use...

I want to use my router in a router sled to plane/thickness boards. I've read that a "bowl and tray" or "dish" router bit is the most appropriate for this application. Axminister has one but it's out of stock. Anyone else know where I can get one that looks like this? If not, I guess I'll order...

I would like to create something in the rough shape shown below. My bike already has a pannier rack on it and I'd like to affix this structure to it, probably with plywood or similar forming a platform on the bottom, either side of the wheel. My question is what sort of steel tubing should I use...

Hi. I'd like some probably pretty basic advice. I want to rip (which I think means to cut longitudinally) timber into precise widths. An obvious option would be a table saw with a fence but that's also fairly large. It's not out of the question. I suppose the same applies to a band saw. However...

Hi, I was wondering what options I might have to get free timber. I live in Edinburgh. I've tried Freegle and found one listing but it's already three weeks old so probably too late. What happens to timber discarded at "community recycling centres" (i.e. the dump or whatever else it's...

I want to place a coat hook on a hollow door. Do these appear suitable to you? I don't actually see how they could possibly work and they just look like ordinary wall plugs to me. Should I opt for something more expensive? Edit: I found these Plasplugs which are of a similar price per unit...

I bought a box for electrical connections. It's cheap but it's the only one Wilkos had and it's a long walk to Screwfix so I'd like to make do. I have some queries regarding the box. What's that thing in the middle; it appears to be threaded and goes to a raised square on the inside. The box...

A couple of years ago, mum had someone repaint the front of the house. The old white paint was flaking away to the red paint underneath. There is damage to the window sills, even though the painter covered them with masking tape. We presume that this was caused by paintstripper, but don't know...