Black & Decker’s Guide to Great Woodwork

How many of us have thought on a Sunday, to try and fix that shaky dining table or put up a new book shelf, but either failed or didn’t know where to start? Working with wood can be a little tricky at first but it’s not impossible. Everybody needs to start somewhere and just like any art-form the basics matter the most. This week we’re going to help eliminate your starting troubles by giving you five basic tips that you should know before you start your weekend project.

Safety Always Comes First

Safety is the most important part of any project. If you’re prepared, then nothing can go wrong. This means wearing the right protective gear, using the right tools and picking the perfect space.

Do a Tool Check

Before you dig in, do make sure you read up a little on your project and know which tools you’ll need and what the correct way of using those tools are. Using tools incorrectly can be dangerous and could leave your table or book shelf looking a little off.

Buy The Right Material

Ensure that you are using high quality wood and other materials as nothing is worse than spending hours of effort on something only to have it splinter and hurt the people you made it for.

You’re Only Human

Making mistakes is all part of DIY. You’re allowed to make a few when you start as; with constant practice you’ll get better over time. Remember, failure is the stepping stone to success.

B&D is Here to Help

If you get stuck along the way, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on our Facebook page. We’ll definitely try our best to direct you out of trouble.

For information on power tools, head over to our website and you’ll be able to find the one you’re looking for. www.blackanddeckerindia.in

B&D Buddy – 7

Dear B&D Buddy,

I am a newcomer to DIY and am very interested in creating a unique piece of furniture on my own. When I check online DIY forums, I hear about so many technical sounding woodworking tools that I don’t know where to start! Please help.

Confused in Chennai

Dear Confused,

We have all gone through this stage when getting into serious DIY for the first time; so don’t let this make you hesitate to jump in! These are the most common tools that you will need for woodworking:

• A saw for cutting the planks of wood to the desired sizes
•  A router for cutting in precision and with angles and curves where needed
• A planer for removing a surface cut and leveling the pieces, in thicknesses such as 2mm at one go
• A sander that can level for finer thickness and help in sanding your wood.

Depending on the project that you embark on, you may need at least 2 or more of the above. Do check out our range of woodworking tools from B&D here.

Easier Said than Done!

B&D Buddy

How to improve home safety with Black & Decker

DIY is not only about making new pieces of furniture, but is also a great way to feel independent and be able to childproof and make your home safer. Thinking about the safety of our homes is important not just where infants are concerned but even for slightly older children who might need a lot of moving space for their physical games and activities. Here are some ways you can do it:

Smoothing edges: Most young parents worry about the sharp edges of pieces of furniture like center tables that can be dangerous for young children if hit into. You can use our woodworking tools to smooth these edges and give it a good finish so that everyone can breathe in peace.

Installing safety gates: The staircase can be quite scary if the entry is left open, and parents or babysitters are left with no option but to keep looking out so that the kids do not venture into that area. The easy solution is to install a safety gate, that you can try making yourself if you feel like it. Another option is to buy a readymade model and use equipment like a drill kit to install it yourself.

Bridging the gaps: Large gaps in railings or window grills are not a good idea when adventurous kids are around. You can use our metalworking or woodworking tools to construct additional pieces that can close the gaps on the grill. These can be attached temporarily and can be removed once the children are grown up.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grandwills/5748699537/

Increase height of displays: To put away all breakable items above the reach of children, you can put up very simple wall shelves using just a single plank of wood with some angles to keep it up. They look elegant and nice, and are very easy to DIY.

We hope that these tips help to improve the safety of your home and let kids enjoy themselves without fear of getting hurt. Do check out our website for more details of our appliances that can help you achieve this: http://www.blackanddeckerindia.in

Woodworking tools from Black & Decker

Once you gain a little experience in the DIY arena, carpentry or woodworking is one of the most rewarding activities to indulge in. It can help you create a piece of long-lasting furniture that you can proudly display in your living space. At Black & Decker, we provide you a range of woodworking tools ideal for the amateur as well as for professional users. Here’s an overview:

Saws: If the word saw brings an image of a jagged edge metallic implement to your mind, then you will be delighted to see the advanced tools offered by us. These can help you cut through not just wood, but steel and masonry too. You can choose between circular saws and different models of jigsaw based on your need. In case of doubt, our store personnel will be happy to help you match your requirements.

Planers: Planers help to remove the surface level material that helps when you need to ease doors and windows that have expanded with the change in seasons. Another use would be removing surface coatings or even smoothing uneven surfaces. Choose the model based on the depth of cut you need, and the power delivered.

Router: These tools are very useful for making grooves in wood, such as those needed in decorative shelves or for simple carving patterns. With the stable design that can be stood up both ways, we would not be surprised if you mistake the B&D Router for a small robot.

Sander: The Sander is used at the end of the project to provide finishing touches such as sanding, varnishing or removing rust. Our sander model is very lightweight and easy to use, with the palm grip design making it ideal for single-handed use. It can also operate at a high speed to get your job done faster.

We hope this introduction to our woodworking tools is useful, and would increase your interest in checking out our range. We look forward to hearing more from you, and here’s our website information for more details and contact information:

http://www.blackanddeckerindia.in

Who is our target consumer? - Black & Decker, India

At Black & Decker, we have a wide range of products that can be used for a variety of tasks. If asked who our target consumer is, the answer can vary widely depending on the type of product. For example, we can expect the following to be our users or target consumers for the following range of products:

Homemakers: For our range of cleaning products, from steam cleaners to vacuum cleaners and pressure washers, our intention has been to keep the equipment easy to handle and use, to fit easily into a regular cleaning schedule. These don’t require a regular change in settings, are ergonomically designed for easy use and are made for effective cleaning.

DIY Enthusiasts: Those interested in DIY can choose from our cordless tools or corded ones like our drill kits as well as many other power tools to help with their projects. The Home Utility Kit is a very approachable first purchase for the DIYer. Another tool that we always like to focus on is our RapidRoller that can be invaluable for DIY paint jobs.

Avid Gardeners: We hope to help gardeners with keeping their grass trimmed without needing to bend and strain their backs for it – just try our Grass cutters. B&D also has a lawn mower as well as hedge trimmer models to help with easy maintenance of green areas. Some of the other tools like Blowers can also help with keeping the garden and outer areas clean.

 

GR3400 Lawn Mower

Professional use: Some of the gardening tools mentioned above can be used by professional landscapers as well. Our metalworking and woodworking tools are also equipped with accessories and settings to make the life of a professional much easier.

As you can see, Black & Decker tools do not limit their use to a single type of consumer, but are made with keeping in mind a variety of needs. Do go through our website and you are sure to find one that matches what you are looking for!

http://www.blackanddeckerindia.in

How to ensure safety during DIY? - Black & Decker, India

Many of us are just entering the realm of DIY and may wonder how safe it all is, especially if we get into using power tools at home. There are a lot of measures taken by companies who manufacture the tools to ensure that the tools are safe for use, but we need to also ensure that any other precautions needed at our end are in place. Here are a few of them to set us thinking:

Learn about the device: When buying something unfamiliar to you, ensure that you see a demo of the device before buying it. There would also be someone to help out with understanding the correct grip and position for using power tools so that you can ensure that they are used effectively and in a safe manner.

Safety Goggles: In most DIY projects involving woodwork or metalworking, the use of safety goggles is a must. Even with the best tools, some projectile objects are to be expected, and it is always better to keep sensitive areas like the eyes covered up.

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Gloves: Your hands need to always be protected, in any activity from gardening to carpentry to other more intensive projects like metalworking. A good pair of thick protective gloves should be available in most good hardware stores and any places selling power tool equipment will also be able to guide you in procuring the same.

Protective clothing: In the case of metalworking, you might need a full set of protective gear which covers all your clothing as well as your head and face. This may be more relevant for those in the professional sphere but it cannot miss a mention here.

Cleaning up: From the time you start working even on craftwork projects with your children, clearing up the space at the end of an activity is an essential learning. Pins or scissors lying around can be a danger to younger children and toddlers, and similarly wood chips or other tools must be cleared up and put away immediately as well.

If you think something has been missed out in the above list, do leave us a comment and we will update accordingly. Do have a look at our website for our world class tools that can aid you to safely embark on the DIY journey.

http://www.blackanddeckerindia.in

Woodworking DIY Tips for Beginners - Black & Decker, India

This interesting article puts across the fact that woodworking DIY may indeed be approachable to women too, and one big reason is that easy-to-handle tools are now available so much more easily. Black & Decker offers a range of power tools to assist you with DIY Carpentry jobs around your home. Let us also go through a quick orientation on the basics that we need to ensure before embarking on such a project:

Do your research: Woodworking does not involve just taking wood and tools and going for it. It is also important that we understand the project we are starting, from the type of wood to use to the finish that we want for it. Plywood is usually one of the easiest to work with for beginners, though older and antique kinds of wood also have a lot of charm.

Don’t overreach: When it’s just the first or second time we are going to try something, it’s best to take up smaller projects first, such as a stool or a simple table. Chairs can come next, and basic cabinets, but that bed or dressing table with drawers had better wait a little longer. Similarly, you can go for one of the easier finishes such as sanding and polishing, that can always be redone at a later stage if you feel more confident.

Think about your space: Both in terms of your workspace, as well as where you are going to put the finished product, plan it out well. The workspace could be a garage area in which case you can afford to leave the pieces lying around, but if it’s a part of your living space then it must come with enough storage to put tools and pieces away every day.

Remember to clean up: While a workshop may not need intensive cleaning, floors of the living space definitely need a complete clean up every day as wood chips or slivers lying around can be tough to handle for younger children or crawling babies.

We hope these tips make the project more approachable for you and we would love to hear more about what you are starting work on. Do check out our website for details of our woodworking and other tools:

http://www.blackanddeckerindia.in