geek84 Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Hi Folks Can you kindly name some tools which you have problems with handling or operating in order to do general household maintenance? My nephew is doing a project at school on DIY maintenance tools and problems which ordinary people face when handling or operating them. Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeSharp01 Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Gas pliers for me, I find they don't lock at the size you set them and / or end up being too wide to span with one hand so you have adjust them over and over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 35 minutes ago, geek84 said: ... Can you kindly name some tools which you have problems with handling or operating ... Almost all hand tools. I have Dupytrens, and had two fingers amputated (the little finger of each hand). The operation scars healed very badly, leaving the two outermost fingers curled over quite substantially. So I have some difficulty letting tools go - putting them down is worst. Losing two fingers means the loss of more than 20% of my grip strength. On the other hand, the curvature of my hand is superb for holding liquid soap, and since the outer fingers are locked in place, they make excellent hooks with which to empty cups from the dishwasher. Oh and prop a glass of wine base and stalk without needing to grip it. Ill wind that blows nobody any good eh? Now, I regualrly lift a 20Kg bag of chicken feed with the three remaining fingers - I would not have been able to do that before I lost the fingers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 28 minutes ago, MikeSharp01 said: Gas pliers for me, I find they don't lock at the size you set them and / or end up being too wide to span with one hand so you have adjust them over and over. Depends on the quality I find, I have had cheap ones in the past that “fail “ but now have good quality ones and the difference is chalk and cheese. You get what you pay for. 51 minutes ago, geek84 said: Can you kindly name some tools which you have problems with handling or operating in order to do general household maintenance? I think it comes down more to experience, most here are “hands on” with years of practice. Frankly even good tools in inexperienced hands will be difficult to handle, practice, practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Sandpaper and paint are the worst. You pick up a sheet fully expecting that a few strokes will remove a bit of paint and it just smiles at you and refuses to do anything more than lightly scratch the surface. The paint remains firmly attached. Then when you want paint to remain stuck it blisters and bubbles up, let's in water and allows your windows to rot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Saws can be a problem. They wobble about and jam in the cut. The key to using a saw is to start with a good workbench so the wood you are cutting can't move about, not even the slightest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Just now, Temp said: Saws can be a problem. They wobble about and jam in the cut.... Exactly - for me they wobble even more than normal. So I have an increased reliance on power saws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 (edited) This double bladed, adjustable hole saw. Silverline I think it was. It's lethal enough as it is in use in plasterboard, what's it probably designed for. It's horrible to use. The pilot drill in the centre just wanders as the plasterboard is so soft. You have to first screw something solid to the board. The instructions don't say that! Your average DIY'er would either consign it to the bin or hurt themselves! Tbf though, with some faffing it did the job Edited November 13, 2021 by Onoff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 6 minutes ago, Temp said: Saws can be a problem. They wobble about and jam in the cut. As they are relatively cheap I bought myself a new (quality) saw fir every job involving timber, last jobs saw got used fir lending out, one before that got used fir plasterboard!. No one was allowed to touch my latest sawn (or my chisels). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Cheap screwdrivers where the tips round off. Cheap drills that snap. Allen keys that are so badly formed the hexagon has unequal sides. Think Pounshop tat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Screwdrivers... If you only have a few, the chances of you reaching into your toolbox and pulling out one that's the right type and size are slim. If you have lots, the chances of you reaching into your toolbox and pulling out one that's the right type and size are slim. The optimum number of screwdrivers to have lies somewhere between N+1 and M, where M is the large number of different sizes and types that exist, an N is the number you currently have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonD Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 1 hour ago, Temp said: The optimum number of screwdrivers to have lies somewhere between N+1 and M, where M is the large number of different sizes and types that exist, an N is the number you currently have. I've always used that equation for motorbikes and mountain bikes. Now I'm glad to know there's a formal designation I already know for my tool collection too! 1 hour ago, Temp said: Saws can be a problem. They wobble about and jam in the cut. Japanese saw instead perhaps? 2 hours ago, geek84 said: DIY maintenance tools and problems which ordinary people face when handling or operating them. I think that with a lot of these problems it's actually down to not knowing how to use the tools, or the task at hand. It's a bit like someone who doesn't know how to ride jumping on a bicycle and blaming the bicycle when they fall off. The solution for me would be a number of demonstration videos and drop-in demonstrations to show how to use them, even for those tools we think are so simple they don't require any training. Years ago when I started building motorcycle engines I was always surprised by how much my ability to use basic tools improved over time. So there is much skill in using an adjustable spanner well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 2 hours ago, Onoff said: ...The instructions don't say that! Your average DIY'er would either consign it to the bin or hurt themselves! Tbf though, with some faffing it did the job I thought it was just me. Thanks so much for the technique, Clive. I'll use it from now on.... Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 2 minutes ago, ToughButterCup said: I thought it was just me. Thanks so much for the technique, Clive. I'll use it from now on.... Ian Wear a face shield rather than goggles too and decent gloves. Very easy I would imagine to come unstuck with this thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 1 hour ago, Temp said: Screwdrivers... I got so annoyed by the same issue, After the delivery of our windows where the packaging was all fastened with Torx head screws, I decided to use only Torx heads, and only the sizes dictated by a set of Wera Torx drivers. I lack the power in my hands to hold screwdrivers properly to Pozi or crosshead screws. Torx compensates for that issue quite well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 2 hours ago, Onoff said: This double bladed, adjustable hole saw. Silverline I think it was. It's lethal enough as it is in use in plasterboard, what's it probably designed for. It's horrible to use. The pilot drill in the centre just wanders as the plasterboard is so soft. You have to first screw something solid to the board. The instructions don't say that! Your average DIY'er would either consign it to the bin or hurt themselves! I have a similar hole cutter, except mine came with a big clear plastic dust collector that is fixed to it (dust collector remains stationary while cutter rotates. The dust collector has a rubber "seal" around it's edge and when that is pressed against a ceiling has the effect of keeping the whole thing still, and I have never had a problem with the pilot wandering. Screwy's still sell it, though i don't recall mine being anything like that expensive https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-adjustable-holesaw-with-cowl-29cm-9-piece-set/2571v Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Just now, Onoff said: Wear a face shield rather than .. I found that out the hard way a couple of years ago. A wasp got caught between the back of my safety glasses and my eye. It took exception to the restriction and stung me just below the eye. We held a funeral for the wasp. It was well attended - by our two dogs and cat, each of whom had suffered at the hands of our little friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 (edited) 46 minutes ago, ProDave said: Screwy's still sell it, though i don't recall mine being anything like that expensive Mine was under a tenner. https://www.toolstation.com/adjustable-hole-cutter/p44999? Edited November 13, 2021 by Onoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 5 hours ago, Onoff said: This double bladed, adjustable hole saw. Silverline I think it was. It's lethal enough as it is in use in plasterboard, what's it probably designed for. It's horrible to use. The pilot drill in the centre just wanders as the plasterboard is so soft. You have to first screw something solid to the board. The instructions don't say that! Your average DIY'er would either consign it to the bin or hurt themselves! Tbf though, with some faffing it did the job That looks mental. Draw a circle and use a jab saw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 I stuck a Stanley knife in my leg. It was a proper red one, not a Mickey Mouse retractable one. Some of my adjustable spanners have the adjust left handed, and others right handed. Oh, and my sissors, they are right handed, (expletive deleted)ing useless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 1 hour ago, Mr Punter said: That looks mental. Draw a circle and use a jab saw. Philistine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Potter Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 54 minutes ago, SteamyTea said: Some of my adjustable spanners have the adjust left handed, and others right handed. Oh, and my sissors, they are right handed, (expletive deleted)ing useless. Are you selling your left handed adjustables? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 59 minutes ago, SteamyTea said: Some of my adjustable spanners have the adjust left handed, and others right handed. For years, it irritated me that I simply could not remember which way to turn the worm wheel on an adjustable spanner to tighten it. I have at least 4 adjustable spanners. It was not until one day I put 2 of them down side by side that I noticed one had a left hand thread worm and the other a right hand thread worm. No wonder I could never remember which way tightens it, because it depends on which one I had picked up. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 35 minutes ago, Gus Potter said: Are you selling your left handed adjustables? No, I just use them upside down. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now