We set out to talk about home wiring and other domestic electrical work when we created this website. However, most of our updates have focused on the exterior of the home. Notable examples include the garden, particularly featuring garden lighting and security/CCTV systems.
Today, we’re going to continue in that theme. The summer months are coming fast, and the ever popular decking projects start to come to mind. More people than ever before are turning to self installs, as it’s a relatively easy project for a beginner to complete. It can be quite time consuming, but you can see the deck coming together quite quickly, which is good for staying motivated. With other projects requiring mitre saws, getting angles spot on is critical. With decking you have more margin for error, as it’s relatively easy to correct or mask mistakes.
Anything involving chopping up wood is the kind of task that men are particularly drawn too, but more often than not, they’re likely to rush into starting without really thinking the project through.
That’s not an attempt to spark a battle of the sexes, just a thinly veiled reminder about the importance of proper planning, at the very least some calculated estimates of the amount of timber you’ll be needing!
Choosing the right mitre saw is key. Do your research well and the time will be more than paid back once you get cutting. Choosing well from the sliding compound chop saws will make things very straightforward, but you’ll need to make sure that the machine can handle the depth of the wood you’re looking to cut. Read a Lumberjack mitre saw review for a great example of an affordable chop saw.
One you get the tools home, take safety seriously, as you’ll be way behind schedule (and probably not be ready for summer!) if you have to factor an unexpected trip to A&E into your project plan. You’ll also feel a touch foolish going to work with a bandaged finger, or worse still a missing thumb! Yes, if a mitre saw can chop a piece of wood, it can certainly managed a DIY amputation too if you’re not using the power tool safely.
It’s not just the tools you should research ahead of time, either, it’s also the way to fit together your wood. Most people build deck in sections, but there are different approaches, and you really do need to decide on your approach before you pick up the first piece of wood. Here’s a great guide from Wickes:
http://www.wickes.co.uk/howtoguidetimberdeck
Once you’ve planned and built your decking, why not go back to our garden lighting ideas we referred to earlier? You can take the effect a lot further, and decking is great for hiding cables under, so you don’t need to dig them into the ground or chisel out wall channels!