It can be daunting when you start to undertake your first few DIY projects, especially when they’re the kind of projects that involve tools that you can do some real damage with. Damage to the fixtures and fittings in your home is one thing, but damage to yourself or others is something else entirely. Before we talk about power tools in any way, it’s important to point out that you’ll always need to read the instructions and take safety precautions in terms of both protective equipment and making sure the surrounding area is properly prepared.
With the health and safety lecture out of the way, lets discuss a simple task that most people can undertake with exciting power tools (think ‘more power’ and Tim ‘the Tool Man’ Taylor!) at home without a huge amount of experience to draw on. Skirting boards are a common area of woodwork in the DIY’ers realm, usually replacing tired and worn ones with brand new wood.
To complete this task, most people will use a mitre saw. It’s possible with the good old manual tools, but the chances are you want an excuse to buy a new bit of kit to keep in the man pit you call the garage. Lots of people head down to B&Q without much more in their head than the fact that they’ll need to buy one, but there’s a lot to choose from, and a huge range of machines to buy. What’s more, some are cheaper than others, so how do you go about selecting?
Well, the web is your friend. B&Q themselves have a huge amount of tutorial information on their website, which often surprises people, as they’re just out to sell to you, aren’t they? Yes, of course, but what better way to sell something than to show off exactly what you’ll be able to do with your brand new mitre saw? There are also loads of specialist websites guiding your through the market, such as mitresawzone.com which has a huge amount of detail about what different makes and models of mitre saw can be used for, along with their top ten choices.
The good news is that buying from a reputable retailer – whether that’s a big chain like B&Q, or online from somewhere like Amazon, you can be confident that you’re going to get what you’ve paid for, and if anything goes wrong there’s a path of recourse available. Sticking with the well known manufacturers is sensible too – with familiar names like Bosch and Dewalt making products with a good amount of thought going into safety, with fitted guards and cutouts as standard.
Being careful is essential, especially when you’re learning to use a tool for your home improvements for the first few times. Make sure that you let someone know what you’re doing and where you are, in case the worst happens and you cant call an ambulance for yourself! The chances are slim, but no-one wants to injure themselves, let alone on their own with no help available. Stay safe and think!