24 Comments
Sep 25Liked by John Birmingham

Next stop, angle grinder.

I don't like owning these things, they are a painful necessity. I like to think that I gain a ManPoint (TM) each time I use one of these.

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I’m going to give you some advice my friend from trial and error and 30 yrs or so of construction. Get yourself a nice set of bits for your dril . Various sizes. Find one with a slightly smaller diameter than the screw . Drill a hole before you set the screw . Saves a lot of cussing and sweat

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author

Ah yes, this I did learn very quickly, after destroying the one and only bit that came with the drill. Back to the hardware went I! Home with me came an arsenal of drill bits.

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Also lubricate the screw, just drag the threads over a bar of soap.

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Indeed! As I was eventually advised by the Learned Ones at Bunnings, having returned after destroying my first drill bit. I may be a Power Drill Guy now. But I am also Silicon Man!

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yeah, i second that. Pre-drilling a smaller hole has saved me countless hours of swearing. My problem is that i just moved from a metal frame and plasterboard house to an aged (1885) double brick. I hate attaching things to masonry/brick (especially after a dozen years of the opposite).

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You need a need a hammer drill preferably a rotary though be careful if the bricks are fragile they'll shatter. Also drilling the hole prevents splitting the timber especially near the edge.

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yeah the hammer switch is almost always on these days. But being an old 140yr old house using those old bricks i get very nervous! I've even resorted to using glue to hold the crumbly bits together before the plug goes in. Makes hanging a picture a long arduous journey.

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If the bricks are that soft try no hammer just a masonry bit.

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yeah - it varies. Been driving me mental - its soft in some sections then there is a hard as nails bit behind it. And it will differ in spots all over the same wall. I melted a (admittedly very cheap) masonry bit going through the first soft part and then hitting the hard bit behind it (thinking "i just need another 5mm" and not thinking to put the hammer part on... learning curve). So many different things to learn going from a house that was built new, to a house that was built 140yrs ago.

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Sep 25Liked by John Birmingham

well I'm sure this will end well.

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Sep 25Liked by John Birmingham

Only one? Battery powered or using real, out-of-the-wall volts?

My guess is that the comment about the power-driven screws implies the battery variety. I agree with Bill: drill leads for regular screws.

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So what tool haus did Jane get sorted into when she purchased her drill? Makita, Ryobi, DeWalt, Black and Decker etc?

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author

We are now House Ryobi.

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How deeply satisfying is doing something with your own hands? Back in the day, when I was playing in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism), I loved making my own armour, shields and so on. Knitting chainmail, hammering armour into shape. I was no skilled metal worker and I made a mess of it half the time, but it was so great.

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Things will never be the same in Brisbane.

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A power drill and a high pressure hose is all a suburban dad needs to feel like a real man on occasion.

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I think, "I am the guy who’s wife just bought a power drill", says it all. A real handyman would have bought his own drill. Is it pink?

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Hold on. I didn't know pink drills were available. Point me towards the correct aisle, my credit card is burning a hole in my pocket.

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"Is it pink?" How very dare you sir 😂

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Be careful - they bite. My mate has a large selection of drills etc. Using a bigun one day it caught and wrenched around tearing a tendon off the bone. That hurt but moving on two weeks later using the other hand, did the same thing to the other wrist as well. Two ops later and without hope of ever getting full painfree movement back, he went snow boarding only to fall off. Thought the rehab needed more work due to the new pain. Drove back to Brissie, still in pain and eventually went to the Doc to find he'd fractured both wrists. I have since locked mine away.

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This just proves that exercise and DIY are dangerous and should be avoided

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