Home DIY

In the spirit of doing shit they are not qualified to do. I spoke before a out some kind of semi-temporary floor covering to help with dirt and dust management. I didn't want to use the construction site type stuff so got a big fuck off roll of runner off eBay and attacked it with a staple gun. No fancy corners, that would have looked worse than what I have done (knowing me). Still need to do the ground floor hallway and loft stairs/landing.

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This chap used a hand-held router (and warns about how it likes to tip over mid-cut).

His design isn't quite what I'd go for, and I think your overview is pretty close.

I've wanted an excuse to get a biscuit jointer thing for ages, which I might use in preference to tongue-and-groove for everything.

Agreed on the seasoned wood, you'd be surprised at the lack of sawmills in SE23 though, sadly.

The chap in the link considered the mortice and tenon situation and decided on floating tenons, which if I understand things correctly is basically a big biscuit joint.

By all means, buy a biscuit joiner if you want one. But you could also make a custom base plate for the router. A wide flat plate with two parallel batons that straddle the edge of the timber you want to cut pockets/mortices into. I've seen a lot of people do this for cutting out lock recesses etc.

My router is that wee one that you recommended - I doubt it would cope. It might fit into a recess large enough for a floating tenon sized for a carriage door.

(I will buy a larger router if this project goes ahead/I do actually buy the garages).

No pattern matching?

You've obviously never spent any time on FB quilting groups.

One thing I’d note is that those doors are visibly warped even in the thumbnail. Look how the right hand door kicks out at the bottom.

Pretty easy to get a crowbar in there...

I get the security concerns - what could be made more defensible/secure, hardwood doors, the existing metal up and over, or a new roll-up?

Cursing.

Personally, I think the sectional up and overs are the most secure as they don’t have any external elements to grasp onto…

It’s what I have (not mine in photo).

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I'd delete that if I were you.

I reckon he may struggle to make those ;)

Lol. Would rep

Roll up with deadbolts. My old lockup in Turnpike Lake withstood some pretty determined attempts on its integrity.

Rather than tenons half laps would be simpler.

Have you considered torsion boxes? Make a wood grid and then skin it with thin material?

These are really interesting - thanks.

Another watch for you, for the install.
RC is more than capable of making the doors, but bought them in as making them wasn't worth while.

https://youtu.be/Sitp1D7au94

I wouldn't go for biscuit joints for two reasons:

1. You really need the T&G because it runs the full length of the planks and will provide much-needed stability to prevent warping. It can also be glued along its whole length. (But, a tip here, is paint the tongues first with at least one coat on the visible outside face so when it all contracts due to weather you don't expose bare wood.)
   
2. Biscuit joints are, to a chap like yourself who goes for the best available, very much the poor relation to Festool's domino system. Still no good for this job, but for other carpentry you'll want Domino and in the end you'll wind up buying into that. The correct (read: perfectly good enough and very cheap) gateway drug while you're developing your carpentry skills is dowels and a Kreg dowelling jig. That is still what I use.)
   
   

A hand-held router is all I have at the mo, and somewhere upthread is a lovely oak and leather desk I made with routed fingerpulls, so you can do a great job with the cheapest of them. But they do like to tip. You need a lot of patience and to take great care. If you're using hardwood it's a lot more difficult not to end up with burned wood, gouges etc and hardwood is a lot more expensive.
You can buy or make cheap tables for them, but a garage door is a big thing. I like Aaron's suggestion of making a custom baseplate for the job. I think that may work as well as a table for cutting grooves and tongues, but for making thin fenestrations I think a table may be the only way.

Floating tenons may work very well. Good shout.

Oh, incidentally, if you want electric doors you can get a kit that adapts the widely used Hormann up and over opener if you have the height. If you don't then the FAAC actuators for bifold/concertina doors can also be used for single-leaf doors.

I've used half laps because I can't/am too scared/unskilled/lazy to make tenons. They don't have enough strength and they do nothing to prevent warping.

I won't be making doors like that again.

Shelly range of devices should do the trick. There is an open source version of the firmware that makes the Shelly1 compatible with HomeKit.

https://github.com/mongoose-os-apps/shelly-homekit

The T&G vs biscuit/domino thing occurred to me after I posted, largely driven by the memory of the woodwork in Monmouths Borough Market shop - it looked great when they put it in, then the planks shrunk slightly and exposed all the joining pucks.

Not sure where to post this but as there's a possible element of DIY I figure this is the best place.

Looking to replace a dated gas fireplace with an electric one. What options do I have for hiding the power lead? I'm thinking of running a plug in the chimney behind and then an isolator on the chimney brest wall so I can isolate if needed.

Other option is to remove the plug and feed the cable through some conduit, again through the chimney brest and plug straight to a socket nearby.

Or do I just sack it off and leave it open behind the gas fireplace. No heat source, no faff.

Am I missing anything?

Question about cellar shelving. Given it's always going to be a little damp down there, am I asking for trouble getting getting something with MDF shelves (like so)? Is it just a case of slapping a bunch of Ronseal (or similar) on it?

I'd stick with those cheap all-metal shelves if I could get them 400mm deep without having to jump up into the "so professional, so pricey" bracket.

2 things are broken - best to get someone in or DIY-able? (by people with little skill and no expertise):

• A short bit of accordion-like flexi waste pipe which goes from the back of the loo to the connection to the waste pipe. It turns a right-angle to get to the external wall and has basically frayed apart. Not sure if a consequence of rat action (no evidence of them) or why it should have broken.
  
• Thermostat - it's a basic old Honeywell one, it has a dial to set the temp, and nothing else. But the dial has lost its 'grip' so no idea what we're calibrating to really. It's also positioned next to a draughty kitchen door. Could DIY replace with the same model but would like to get one with a timer and ability to move the heat sensing bit around, but the wiring diagrams don't look relatable.