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
****ed-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)