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The first skill we
would like to mention here is creativity, yes I'm sure
this is a surprise to you. We mention this because we
feel it is an essential part of being a
competent handyman and fitter. With the best will in the
world it is not possible for us to cover every
eventuality, and often you will be called upon to solve
problems which are not covered here.
General creative
thinking techniques include;
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Reversal, left
or right, top or bottom, inside or outside, I'm sure
you have the gist of this one now.
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If possible
leave it in the subconscious for a while, i.e. sleep
on it, it is amazing what can pop into your mind the
next day or maybe even the next week. However you
may not have the luxury of such a long time frame,
but you may be able to get on with some other tasks
even for a few minutes and come back to the problem.
Be tidy, whenever
it starts taking a noticeable amount of time to find the
tool or part you need next then maybe it is time to tidy
up.
Plan and be
methodical, you will
get a lot more satisfaction from a well executed project.
If possible do all the measuring first, next drill all
the holes, then put in all the screws.
For some
time saving ways of
measuring. |
Wood only comes in two types which are of interest when fixing brackets, hardwood and softwood.
Hardwoods such as Mahogany, Oak and Beech tend to be close grained and will be hard if you try to score them with your fingernail.
If you intend to use brass screws then you should be
aware that if the hard wood is of good quality then the
heads may twist off, pilot holing will help prevent
this. If screws are to be secured near the ends then
pilot holing may also be advisable to prevent splitting. It is normally possible to put screws straight into softwoods, but again if this needs to be done close to the end, then pilot hole to help prevent splitting. |
