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What's in your tool bag?

I always say a joiner needs good tools. Here is a handy list of the essentials when approaching any joinery work:

Hammer. Essential for all joinery worth whether hammering nails down into wood or using the claw to break up and remove wood for replacement.

Handsaw. Make it at least 22 inches - the longer the better! Needed to cut materials to accurate sizes.

Chisels. Invest in a range of chisels – from 6ml to 25ml – to chop locks and hinges out.

Keep it straight with a two foot or five foot spirit level.

Battery drill. As a minimum, an 18 volt drill complete with auger bits will make life so much easier when drilling doors out putting screws in.

Smoothing plane for a fine finish.

Oil Stone. To deliver the best, your tools need to be in good nick. Use an oil stone to sharpen and hone.

Tape measure – not strictly a tool, but essential for taking accurate measurements to plan the joinery where all the above tools will be needed!

But always remember, a good joiner never blames his tools!

When the time is right

Have had some good press lately, the most recent being a short column in the Newcastle Chronicle. The piece ended with me saying that I will be looking to take on an apprentice to train and pass on all my joinery knowledge and skills.

Yes I will be looking - when the time is right. If you’re interested please email me your CV and when I am in the position to take on an apprentice I will go through all the CVs that I have received and will take it from there…Unfortunately I just don’t know when exactly that will be – hopefully sooner rather than later.

Don’t move home – improve your home!

I have spoken to a number of people recently who plan to do home improvements instead of selling up and moving on. No surprises there given the current economic climate. Moving home is an expensive business anyway. The Woolwich reckons it costs around £16,000 to move, and there's also stamp duty and land tax to shell out for too.

So, apart from the fact that it’ll make your living space so much nicer, the right kind of home improvement should also help you retain or even increase the value of your home. Loft conversions, extensions and improving the essentials in your kitchen and bathrooms should help increase the appeal of your property when you do finally come to sell.

Other improvements that can add value include new carpets and laminate or wood flooring.
But remember, if you get it wrong or bodge it, you could knock thousands off the value of your property!

Over 500,000 people in Britain have made such a hash of their DIY they have had to make a claim on their home insurance – ouch! (But this doesn’t surprise me if bad advice is followed – see post underneath!).

Carrying out work on your home can be rewarding but very costly to correct if not done properly.
To avoid costly mistakes, follow these simple rules.

1. Take safety precautions. A simple drilling job could turn into an extremely expensive mistake if electrical wiring is damaged!

2. Make sure your tools are up to scratch. Poor quality tools are dangerous and will never help you achieve a high-quality finish. Ever.

3. If a job is beyond your abilities, hire a professional to do it for you.