6 DIY Fails Where Common Sense Was Obviously Lacking!

The whole point of this blog is to help you guys with your DIY questions and to explain it all in the most entertaining and easiest way to understand. Unfortunately there are those people who don’t choose take advice, think they don’t need any help when it comes to doing DIY or – and there’s no easy way to put this – are just plain stupid. Take, for example, this cutting tool fail that we posted a while back. Thankfully the Internet is awash with videos like this, although it really does make you despair for the future of our species! On the positive side though it gives us perfect fodder for a blog post on DIY fails, and a bit of a laugh too!

Roof Repair Fail

There are two main things that you should do when you clamber up on a roof to assess damage or carry out any repairs; 

1. Use a decent ladder that’s big enough to have at least some length over when it reaches the roof.
2. Don’t do it on your own. Have somewhere there to support the ladder when you’re climbing up and down it.

This guy does neither of those things. In fact, he uses a step ladder! The height of the roof may not look like much, but one bad fall can do a lot of damage regardless of the height you fall from.

More DIY fails below the fold!

Here's What NOT To Do When Using Cutting Tools

I used to have a book called the The Darwin Awards; which you've probably heard of as it was pretty popular and a film based on some of the stories from the book ended up being released (the book itself is a pretty fun, if a little morbid, read). For those who haven't heard of it though it basically documents stories of people who have died due to doing something stupid. For example, cutting a tree branch off with a saw when you're sat on it is one of the things that would earn you one - provided you die of course. Funnily enough the safety tip I'm going to give you today is similar to the branch story, except you can substitute the branch for a massive pipe.

Although the video is titled 'welding accident' the guy sat on the pipe is actually using a cutting torch. Clambering up on the pipe to cut it probably ran through his mind as a good idea, although anyone else with an ounce of common sense will know that the pipe is going to be harboring a lot of tension. What happens when you slice something in half with a cutting tool that's holding a lot of tension? It fires off and flings anyone whose unfortunate to be sat on that half into the air.

To be fair on the bloke it's a tough job to handle when something as big as this pipe is under tension, but following safety procedures (e.g not sitting on the thing) can be the difference between a safe and trouble-free cut to suddenly finding yourself halfway in the air. Practice safety using cutting tools and you will be fine.

(Via Toolmonger)

Video: Making an Axe in the Most Artistic Way Possible

How do you make a video about making an axe one of the most captivating videos you’ll watch today? You simply cut out all the normal babbling you see in the majority of how to videos, insert some soft folk-type music and present the viewer with artistic shots of every intricate detail that goes into building an axe. Basically you hire some guys from Latvia, because the above example perfectly demonstrates that they're pretty good at making axe making videos - and making axes too of course!

The video shows the lengthy and labour-intensive process that hand-crafting your own axe takes you through. It’s an ancient process that has become lost in today’s world of mass manufacturing, and it’s good to see that some people out there are still practising the art of smithing. It’s a skill that will take a lot of training, plus your own forge, but will ultimately be one of the most rewarding skills you can learn.

There’s something pretty special about hand-crafting your own tools, and the feeling of using a tool that you put hours of work into creating is probably one of the most rewarding things you can feel. That doesn't mean you can’t go out and buy an axe, after all we’re not all blessed with our own forge and these expert skills, but as tool lovers we can still appreciate the process that goes into creating a proper hand-crafted axe. It also makes us want to grow a beard and stroke it while musing what we can make next. Maybe we can make a chisel as the follow up video shows?

Recycling Tools and Inspiring Generations to Learn DIY

“The satisfaction of being able to do it yourself is one of the great bonds with the tools” says H.G. “Skip” Brack, who runs Liberty Tool in the US state of Maine. As a budding DIY enthusiast myself I’d completely agree. If I completely a DIY project after a lot of hard work, and usually at least a few failures, I feel a great sense of happiness and satisfaction whenever my eyes fall on that completed project in my home. You could pay someone else to do it, and indeed many will with our busy lifestyles, but doing the job yourself is going to teach you valuable tool skills that too few people have these days.

Of course, the fact that few people have these skills is why those who do have those skills are in high demand and get a lot of work in the first place. Learning the craft not only lets you do your own DIY but also opens up new opportunities for employment in the future. In an age where unemployment is rife, with cut backs and closings of thousands of businesses means that few of us are safe having a backup plan isn’t a bad idea at all. If you've always wanted to be independent and run your own small business then learning a raft of DIY skills is a good direction to go.


There's No Place Like Here: Liberty Tool from Etsy on Vimeo.

In this video, made by the online crafts store Etsy and accompanied by a blog post, Skip talks about how people who are able to use tools will play a major role in the future of a sustainable economy. The mission of the shop is to recycle old tools and sell them at affordable prices to local craftsmen, or indeed anyone who likes to get their hands dirty. Liberty Tool is a treasure trove for anyone even slightly interested in tools, and you've got to commend the guy for maintaining such a massive collection. It's people like Skip who are keeping the trades of old very much alive, but as with many areas in the retail sector the Internet now plays a large part in the choice of where to buy new tools. Are local DIY stores in danger of disappearing due to this?

Online retailer Toolbox.co.uk does try to be conscious of the fact that people need affordable tools in today's economy, especially if their livelihood depends on it. It's not the same experience as walking into a local tool shop like Skip's, but they continue to offer cheap high quality tools from top brands such as ROK power tools and DeWALT power tools. Scott Morris, head of marketing at the company, told us that professionals are a big portion of their customer base and it’s important that they get hold of low price tools quick in order for them to continue their work.

"We're massive DIY fans ourselves of course, and we get as excited about new tools as a child would with a new toy. We've grown up getting tools from local DIY stores, especially when the Internet wasn't around, so of course we wouldn't want to see these places vanish. I think there will always be a place for places where you can pop in and grab the part you need quickly, but then again there's a big need for a website like us where you can order the tools you need in bulk at competitive prices. Thanks to the myriad of ways that you can buy tools we think that it's never been a better time to get into a hands on profession. whatever service the customer ultimately ends up using" finished Scott.

Meanwhile, Skip will stay in his shop; collecting and maintaining tools from around the state and encouraging new generations to pick up a hammer and get to work.

Tools image by Ian Britton on Flickr. Used under a Creative Commons license.