Tuesday 5 June 2012

Showing my thinking

Almost every day, I/we learn something new. On other days, we/I learn something old, or re-learn something I/we should probably have remembered. Let me show you what I mean.


This is a scrap bit of kitchen worktop we were given which will become the sink holder for the tree bog. I made a template, marked it out, then needed to cut the hole without the benefit of a jigsaw. Thinking myself clever, I cut a 30 mm hole with a drill. The battery went flat, I found the spare battery was already flat, so I used my second drill, ran another battery down on that, changed to a 25 mm cutter thinking it was sharper then stopped when the drill started to smoke from the back end.

'Sod it', I thought, and used that saw to carry on cutting, which was Very Hard Work (even using wax to help keep the blade running smoothly). It was also Very Slow Work and I started thinking it would take DAYS to finish this small job.

Over a coffee break, I thought it might be worth using a smaller drill bit (like 8mm) to make a series of small holes that could be joined up by the saw. I tried it and did all that before the battery ran down.

I'm pretty sure it'll only take another hour or so to finish (which I'll get back to when at least two batteries are charged up). I'm also pretty sure I've been told this information before.

6 comments:

Arch ( or as Alex calls me in French Le Twat said...

There are a number of ways of achieving the task you are engaged in ( no doubt finished by now ) chain drilling is a good choice, you only need do it for about 4 inches to get the nose of your hand saw through then your away then repeat for the other three sides ( or is it a round bowl ?) as a posed to chain drilling the whole thing ( feel sure that's not what your doing Unless a round bowl ! )
( pay no attention to me as a carpenter one can be a wood bore at times like this !!!!!! X )
Would lend you my jigsaw if I was closer to hand if I could find it ?

Hope the rains missed you mud back here a pain or what.

By the way have you noticed your not swearing these days on your blog is that a sign that things are sweet ?

Arch said...

That's interesting our mobile broadband is so slow I have just had sight of your basin top that your cutting out and it's round ! And that's a very small saw suppose its better than burning it out with a hot poker ?

By the way if you found it hard going to tell the truth in the trade those keyhole saws like the one your using are all but never used as there hopeless

But hey needs must hats off to you am sure you made it work, abit like the sythe hard hard work but it takes you back to how it was once and it was the only way and what a hard life

the devolutionary said...

Yes it was round (well, oval) and it didn't take long at all with the machine-gun method (chain drilling - a new expression for me). The only way it could have been harder was to use a hand drill instead of cordless, but that's my concession to modern tools while the electricity is still with us.

Waiting for two days of sun together before breaking the scythe out again. Bought a second scythe so we can work twice as fast. Looking forward to it!

Arch said...

With up to date power tools fast is very fast I started with hand tools and still use them and it's good to know how to use them as at times there the only way but in business now to stay affordable for people you have to be fast Very fast to make reasonable money or slow and very cheap !

Arch said...

Is it in yet ? Can't wait to see it is it going to be mains water etc or rain water with solar bug blub ?

Really think your missing a trick not getting the story on vid
That's just me your the Daddy

Happy days to all at Ecovallee

the devolutionary said...

Oh, to have enough time to make a video. Actually, it's not the shooting of it, it's the putting it all together. I do have plans for two videos this year. The first in a few weeks, the second in a few months...