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I’m looking at setting up/purchasing a spray booth, but, not having much experience with them, I want to make sure what I decide upon meets both performance and safety requirements. It will be used for spraying a variety of finishes, of which shellac probably raises the most complications. I...

This week my shop vac (Metabo - only a year old) has started to produce a slight burning smell from the from the exhausted air when switched on. Once the vacuum is switched off the burning smell disappears instantaneously, and so attempts at locating the source by immediately opening the vac up...

I wondered if anyone had any advice on household electrics issues. Our upstairs lights have started to interfere with each other and are flickering. Most concerning is that there is a loud buzzing/crackling noise coming from a certain point under the floor upstairs where we know there is wiring...

Before we get around to fixing down floorboards that have been lifted for joistwork/plumbing etc., I want to be confident that everything that sits below is as future proofed for our needs as possible. With that I mind, there’s a short-term plan to build a workshop at the bottom of the garden...

I wondered whether anyone more electrically minded than myself could shed some light on induction hob issues I’m having. We installed a new induction hob and bought appropriate magnetic pans, although the performance whilst perfectly functional has been disappointing. To give some numbers; the...

Since we moved into a Victorian end of terrace, the floorboards in the bay window half of the lounge have always been a bit bouncy. Our reluctance to raise them all has now been overcome due to being necessitated by central heating pipe work. It turns out the existing joist work in the area is a...

Can somebody clarify the difference between the Bosch GEX 150 and Bosch GEX 150 Turbo tools - is its a case of power, or function/features too? I'm looking for a dual action sander (i.e. random with orbital action or orbital action alone) - I can see the turbo version offers this, but am...

I've had a look on some more specific forums but I always seem to get good advice here, so here goes.... Whilst we’re having other works done to the house, we’re thinking of replacing the original (150+ years) mains supply lead water pipe with a modern MDPE version. The house is a Victorian...

As some of my recent posts have probably suggested I’m trying to plan a floor restoration, so continuing on that theme…… Is there any inherent difference between a floor edge sander and an orbital disc sander? I know it’ll take longer, but I understand that a random orbital sander can be used...

I’m looking for a belt sander mostly for the purpose of sanding some floorboards, and having done some reading the Makita options seems fairly well respected. However, they offer two models with similar specifications around the same price point, and I am struggling to understand the practical...

I’m looking for a bit of advice on restoring Victorian pine flooring in the house we have recently moved in to. Downstairs the floor has been an exposed wood floor for a long time and looks to have been previously treated, whereas the majority of the floors upstairs have been under carpet...

Record Power are advertising their updated CX3000 extractor achieves airflow of 2000 m³/h, up from 1200 m³/h with the older model. However, the motor has a power rating of 750W, increased from 560W. I’m certainly no expert, but having been looking around online at chip extractor type machines...

Just out of interest, roughly how long can the reusable respirators be expected to last (e.g. 3M 4000 series)? I occasionally hoover mine out and wipe it down and I’ve never noticed any extra pressure on breathing through it, but I’m guessing it may need replacing at some point. I appreciate...

Has anybody had any experience or come across any reviews of the Draper WDV35LMC 230V Expert 35L vacuum/dust extractor? For a M-Class machine it's got decent specs and is reasonably priced at £330 on Amazon, but obviously real world performance is what matters and there appear to be no detailed...

Is there a way to compare the performance of the filter ratings in the power respirators (e.g. TH1P in the JSP Powercap, TH2P in the Trend Airshield) to those used in the normal half mask respirators (e.g. P2 in the Trend Airace, P3 in the JSP Force 8)? I get how the TH2P performs better than...

Any advice for using EU sourced power tools in the UK? I know voltage isn’t going to be an issue, but I just wondered what’s the best long-term solution with regards to plugs, i.e. adapter/rewiring to a UK plug /other etc.

Has anybody had experience with the Trend T35A vacuum, as there doesn't seem to be a lot out there in terms of hands on reviews. On paper it seems a decent specification for the price; m-class filtration, power tool take off, filter cleaner, 4200 l/min airflow etc. This is pretty much...

Slightly off topic, but I’m guessing a few people here might have relevant knowledge. A house that we’re looking at potentially buying is end of terrace house, but it turns out the entire semi-detached wall is single skin/half brick thickness (i.e. 4.5”). Its the standard two storey with a...

From experience, what's the best way to go from a cost/quality perspective when building an workshop? Including electrics I was ideally hoping to get something done for around the 15-18k (circa 20 sq m), so just want to make sure I make the most of my budget. It's going to have to be kept under...

I’m planning a new workshop that is to be built and am trying to make sure I have given due consideration to everything. I have very little experience with electrics, and although I’m not building the workshop ultimately I need to give directions/advice and so I need to be sure of myself first...