On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 00:08:14 +0000, in uk.d-i-y John Rumm
wrote:
Phil Addison wrote:
8 snippity snip 8
I will rewrite some sections and see where I can go with them... I don't
fancy cutting it down to NT's suggested level of terseness since I don't
think that will serve the newbie that well
I don't think he meant it as verbatim copy ;-)
8 snippity snip 8
A reader first coming to a FAQ wants to know if it is relevant to him
(or her). He does not want to read 1/2 of it in order to find it is not.
So, is this FAQ going to be help a newbie to know in what areas he can
benefit from some power? Does it have some nitty-gritty advice for a
seasoned diy-er who knows he wants a certain tool and is it looking for
advice on what features to look for? Does it contain a run-down on
available makes and point out the good, bad and ugly? Of these, which
section carries the main emphasis?
Yup, I think I need to start working on the structure and organisation,
plus add an "executive summary" to direct readers to the relevant (to
them) sections.
I quite like Word's outline mode for that. Quite easy to drag whole
sections around, promote, demote etc. It does have a use!
8 snippity snip 8
The reader knows what DIY is! He is reading this FAQ because he wants to
know about Power Tools, and is keen enough to have already found the DIY
FAQ, or perhaps googled on 'power tools'.
Does he know what DIY "is" though? He may need some info to put his own
vision of DIY into a larger perspective.
Agreed. It is quite a difficult job to interweave these threads from
differing perspectives. Hot-links should help, as you say (later).
8 snippity snip 8
different, one end from the other. A £20 B&Q router looks a lot
different to a £300 one, and that's only 15:1.
Depends on what you know about routers I suppose.
Not a lot - that's why he's here ;-)
Mains or Cordless
8 snippity snip 8
If there is a link to this point (and there will be) it is where I
reckon most will jump first. Is there any way it can be brought nearer
the top of the document, rather than the in last 1/4?
In a web format, yup easy - the class titles can be hot linked to the
descriptions etc, the brand groups could be boxed out from the main text
which flows round it etc.
The next draft I may do on the web anyway so as to play with some of
these dears
OK. (dears/ideas??)
8 snippity snip 8
Bosch (green bodied), Black & Decker, Skill, Wicks own brand (grey
bodied), Freud, PPPro (B&Q), Ryobi
Can you explain the body colour significance? Do they promote the colour
as a distinguishing mechanism, or is it just today's fashion colour?
I was thinking of the way that Bosch for example have DIY tools that are
green (and of variable quality), and a pro range which is blue and on
the whole pretty good, etc. Wicks do grey bodied stuff which tends to be
decent brands badged for them, while the other colours (black mostly)
can be any old tat.
It's just that you put the colour in brackets. I (the reader) am not
sure if they just happen to be that colour, or if Bosch etc really call
them their Green Pro Range, or whatever. I don't want to march up to a
trade counter boldly saying "I want an xyz from their green pro range"
only to be told they are yellow this year. Its a trivial point - forget
it.
It would be helpful to explain what this extra "range of things you
might do" is.
I did hint at that (i.e. cut smooth and fast and in straight line... I
was kind of leaving the factoring the imprecations of that new found
ability to the reader)
I was looking for 'how the better performance is achieved', so that if
you say it is by e.g. having a sturdy sole plate, I can make a point of
checking the sturdiness of one I am buying. This is so I can pick up a
tool in a shop and check if it seems to have the pro features without
actually having to use it to see if it can cut straight and true. Mind
you, a dealer that would lend you one to try out as well would be nice -
some hopes!
This will do all of the things the budget one will do. However it is a
far more general purpose tool. It cuts quickly and smoothly with little
or no vibration. It is much better at cutting straight lines, and can
often be used with a straight edge or rip fence without the blade
wandering to €œinteresting€? angles.
This doesn't seem to offer an extra "range of things you might do", just
more accuracy.
You more examples would be good. The basic answer is stuff you would not
do with a low end jigsaw because the quality of finish matters, you need
a straight cut, it would take too long etc.
This may be getting too detailed, but are there specific examples of
what tasks can be done ok with a cheap one and a good one. I have a
cheapo jigsaw and its OK for hacking out cutouts for pipes under my
sink. Using it to cut some chipboard flooring to fit round a projection
produced some wavy cuts though - not that it mattered much, the skirting
covered it.
Tool less blade change is a given, as
I suggest "Blades can be changed without the need for Allen keys", as
or screw driver
Not possessing a pro jigsaw, just how is a tool-less blade fixed in?
8 snippity snip 8
What is it about the high-end jigsaw that overcomes the deficiencies
listed for the low end one.
Rigidity of design, accuracy of alignment of parts, accurate blade
support, decent effort made with the counter balancing of the mechanism
to reduce vibration, attention to detail like blowers etc, soft start,
feedback speed control, soft shoe covers, rip fence or beam trammel
attachment bush, motor rated for endurance and continuous use, better
dust extraction capabilities (i.e. some!), balance
Great, that's the sort of thing.
Tables for mounting saw, router.
Work Centres
We are presumably not trying to cover fixed workshop tools like
thicknessers, spindle cutters?
Not yet - another FAQ or section perhaps.... it is also not so much of a
newbie area.
Doesn't have to be; the pros can hot-link straight to it. Who knows,
someone with experience of these supertoys might feel like penning
something.
Phil
The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at
http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
The Google uk.d-i-y archive is at
http://tinyurl.com/65kwq
Remove NOSPAM from address to email me