Update: The desk dilema / Wall fixiings

Jan 14, 2006 7 Replies

Just a quick update on the dilema the earlier post on wall fixings (dry-lined wall / battens for built-in desks) - in case anyone is interesed.



In the end I decided against legs-all-around, simply because I really wanted / preferred the idea of the (already cut) desktops being wall-to-wall and gaining much of their rigidity from the walls (so, rubber ducky decision point reversed!)



I then decided to use the simplest of the wall mounting methods (frame fixing plugs - thanks Mike Clarke), with the intention that if that wasn't sufficient, to progress to the next easiest (the dowel idea - thanks - Set Square) and finally onto what at work we agreed is the best solution, albeit the most disruptive - the embedded batten in wall, up to the block - thanks David Lang).



Anyway, to cut a long story short, the frame fixing screws/plugs worked a treat. I think for this application where 99% of the force is a sheer force applied down onto the battens, and supplemented by a couple of legs at the front then these do appear ideal.


Now, a couple of whinges -



Why does DIY take, say, 2 hours, but the shifting of 2 person's worth of junk in and out of another room (our bedroom, in this case) take 4? (hint: good idea using the bedroom - gave me incentive to move all the stuff back afterwards, that or sleep on the couch).



Why can we buy frame fixings with a posidrive head significantly larger than a "size 3" (whatever that is) - Wickes sell these, as do CPC (for significantly less than the sheds); But at 17:00 on a Friday evening you can't buy a suitable screwdriver? (the sheds only sell toy-screwdrivers, it'd seem).



Why then, do I have to consign my 10mm x 115mm, £1.50 for ten packs of frame fixings to the shed, and buy a pack of 16 for £10 from B&Q, just so that I can buy a screwdriver to fit? (B&Q sell frame fixings with smaller driver-sized heads).



Why do all the small independent tool stockist lock their doors at



17:00, when they advertise that they open 'til 17:30? (glares at Speedwell Tools / Preston)

...and Finally, why do a job like this on the weekend when the missus is off partying with her sisters - those frame fixings take some serious screwdriving - knackered my wrists - now what'm I supposed to do with the rest of the weekend?



(Sorry, but in case you hadn't noticed, I was getting mightily pissed-off on the whole screwdriver debacle - something to do with travelling a total of some 20 miles in rush-hour traffic over a period of nearly 2 hrs to buy a bloody screwdriver, and failing)



Can't even have a wnak then. ;-)

What did you screw the fixings in to? Incidentally, I've found that using PVA to stick the battens to the wall gives extra grip.

|...and Finally, why do a job like this on the weekend when the missus is= =20 |off partying with her sisters - those frame fixings take some serious=20 |screwdriving - knackered my wrists - now what'm I supposed to do with=20 |the rest of the weekend?

Got the answer to knackered wrists. If it is hard to screwdriver into anything, take the screw out, run a larger pilot hole into the wood/wall plug/anything. Then put a little penetrating oil on the screw. Cooking oil works as well. Soap off a =

1/2 used bar also works, if you don't mind the screw rusting in *solid*.=20

--=20 Dave Fawthrop

17,000 free e-books at Project Gutenberg!
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He probably doesn't even like Chinese food

Into?, that crappy aerated concrete block, I guess (although the DeWalt made quick work of it, I'm of the belief that a blunt spoon could have as easily bored the holes.

(And yes, deliberate attempt at humour in my first post :)

PVA?, All that'd bond to would be the paper skim on the plasterboard?, maybe it'd help but to be honest I don't think the battens are going anywhere in a hurry.

Did they not have the right size spiral ratchet or impact driver bit? Those are what I tend to use for larger screws.

Lol, no, no, and thrice no. Hence my annoyance.

... and my reason for buying new frame-fixings from a place that sold a suitable screwdriver for em.

I was contemplating (although remember I was racing against the clock) trying halfrauds - maybe auto work needs bigger "man-sized" tools?

Big pozidrives are often used for stuff like car door hinges.

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