Might not rule it out completely, you could add a removable fixing pin through it for example or dowel to stop the rotation. Flex on a ~1.2m wooden bar might be quite a lot though if the ends aren’t fixed.

Just need to be super sure how solid your blocks are, especially if it’s over the stairs etc.

Edit: after watching some people at my rock climbing gym do pull ups with 20-30 kg of plates to failure I might not be keen to do that unless on a concrete floor.

@sirromj – I 100% agree with scotroutes, run them to the floor, but I would likely fit a horizontal between them. This could give you a range of heights in case you ever wanted to try muscle ups etc.

Have you thought of a way to stop the bar spinning in use?

Unless you are full on “ninja warrior/professional rock climber” strong you will really struggle with any spinning, which limits how useful it would actually be.

I f***** hate the royals and prince Andrew is a horrid little s***, but this looks to me like a doddery old man trying not to fall over when doing something he finds physically challenging and being clumsy.

Even with “prince andrew” levels of entitlement I couldn’t imagine him thinking “ why yes, I will glad hand my daughter when the world is watching and we are paying tribute to my dead mother”.

Edit: He should have stepped back and not been in the public view given all the past history and financial bail out from his mum. Will be interesting to see how Charles handles him in the future as new head of the firm.

Hi Bill, do you have any particular projects in mind for the new kit or storage/work space limitations?

I got a cheap Dewalt 18v cordless drill years ago with a couple of little 2.0ah batteries, case and charger. Upgraded the batteries after a few years, then started picking up extra body only bits like a multi speed impact driver and angle drill when I could justify them. They have performed very well to be fair. More recently I got a Makita mini hedge trimmer. Due to an eBay error giving me two 18v 5.0ah Makita batteries, I bought a little 136mm brushed circular saw and body only angle grinder.

I agree with TheBrick / BatFink and others about not “going all in” on battery tools, having bought them when a job comes up has spread the cost a fair bit. Only do DIY at home and now have a socket in the garden so haven’t found corded an issue for other things. Some tools like bigger circular saws or grinders need large capacity batteries, otherwise it’s just better sticking to corded.

If starting again I would get a Makita drill and adjustable speed impact driver boxed set with 4-5ah batteries as they have a broader range of tools. Then get body only tools as needed when you spot a good deal. Picking up a big brand corded SDS or jigsaw should be doable for ~£100 each, then some good but cheapo stuff like a Katsu 1/4” corded routers, track saw, pillar drill or orbital sander.

Ok, so plantlock had arrived and it looks pretty good to be fair when it arrived.

Decided to lift a wobbly slab and re-do the grouting whilst I was at it, so they are sitting on an old painted concrete slab not sand and aggregate. Looking like a couple of M8 studs chemically fixed through the slabs and ~40mm into the slab on the back edge might be a goer really to stop someone tipping it over.

@sbtouring – Only short term to prevent opportunists, the rail is solid hardened boron steel though.

https://www.frontyardcompany.co.uk/products/plantlock

We have two cats who love trying to escape out the front of the house, so wanted somewhere to lock our bikes temporarily whilst getting the cats sorted inside to make it a bit easier.

Also for my family to use whilst popping round for a coffee etc., no way would you leave a bike out front overnight! 😂

Spoke to my wife, she is happy to see how it goes without fixing it into the flags. Then look at a larger planter or something else if it does go walkies.

All good points about whether it is worth it and the risk/benefits.

Sounds like unless it’s on a huge concrete pad with studs sunk in then it won’t make a huge difference whether screwed down or not in terms of being pinched.

Plan was 1x25kg 20mm gravel bag at the bottom then fill with soil. Might put two bags of gravel instead to give more weight or think about making a concrete pad for it to go on with some framing.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Slabs are ~32mm thick so going for the shorter ones sounds sensible anyway to be honest

A larger planter to fill the area is a good suggestion, unfortunately the steel one is scheduled to arrive today so is too late…

I am a bit conflicted to be fair, want to support people and be inclusive but have reservations based on things I have read or listened to in terms of competitive advantages.

The More or Less podcast did a very interesting episode on this subject, would say it is worth a listen.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0bnmpld

@walowiz – Thanks!

The regular sized ones go for a fair whack as well to be fair just not over four times the price second hand…

Agreed on Ortlieb being great, they are just bomb proof and kind of set the standard for me. I have a smart looking black Caradice Stockport bag to use in the office, but wanted a smaller one when not commuting which I though would be simpler than it was 😂

A little project on the go to make an adapter to use an Ortlieb 7l bar bag on my Brompton. Annoyingly the Ortlieb Mini O bags were discontinued last year and are now going for over £300 on eBay! 🙈

So I bought an alloy adapter plate off Amazon and a spare Rixen Kaul bracket I could adapt. A piece of 5mm thick aluminium off cut drilled out and fixed the plate onto.

Bathroom had a new fan fitted with a butterfly, so wanted to take off the old gravity flap from the outside vent to help with airflow.

Thought it would be a very quick job, but swiftly realised a few things were awry:

– Bathroom fitters did not re-connect the old vent hose so warm air going into the cavity
– Old vent cowl was only stuck on with silicone as the outside skin is not stable enough at the top to drill where the holes are
– Loose brick at the top could be waggled and a few others are also in a bad state
– New fan hole is ~15mm lower than previous, which meant the duct fouled the butterfly valve and does not slope outwards.

So had a panic, bit of a swear, took off the butterfly vent, connected the old hose, bodged in mortar to hold the loose brick and stuck it back on. 🤷‍♂️

Resigned myself to next year having to get a builder in to repair the loose bricks and in all likelihood brick up the hole before piloting from the inside and using a core drill from the outside. 🤬

Square drive screws, I still do not understand why they are still used when Torx has been around for ages! 🤷‍♂️

Another vote for a small black grindenstein, practically indestructible and just the right size for home use.

I think mine must have had about 9,000 pucks knocked into it by now and it’s still going strong.

Cafelat (uk based brand/designer of “Robot” espresso machine fame) also do a great square small knock box that would be better if stuck in a corner etc.

@mogrim – Good point, I had actually forgotten anyone could used anything else than the wi-fi plugs nowadays! 😂

I would still love a Moccamaster on a timer plug for the mornings if our kitchen had the space.

As coffee-snobby as James Hoffmann is, he still grinds the beans for his filter coffee the night before, which means you could likely get away with it at home…

Edit: You can get a Melitta Aromaboy for not a lot, that is likely closer to what the OP wanted at ~£30 plus a timer plug

I really like fancy coffee, it’s one of my hobbies actually 😬

Dog & Hat do a good rotating subscription offer.

Normally rotate through these getting 1-2kg and splitting it into small freezer friendly bags to use as needed.

https://www.crafthousecoffee.co.uk

https://www.djangocoffeeco.com/

https://www.coffeecompass.co.uk – note do roast more medium dark but do so very well

https://www.crankhousecoffee.co.uk

https://www.blackcatcoffee.co.uk

https://www.darkartscoffee.co.uk

https://www.smithstreetcoffeeroasters.co.uk/

Round at my folks helping them clear their loft of my old teenage junk and spotted a CD of the Llama Farmers. Still have a soft spot for them and Yellow is my favourite song.

Order now placed! Went with a green low 6-speed explore in the end. Carradice Stockport smaller front bag arriving shortly so should be all set.

@cynic-al – You were right, I was over thinking it.

Not super pretty but 100% curious cat proof removable boxing to cover the flexi waste from our new loo. Adopted two rescue cats just after and they get absolutely everywhere! 😭

Cheers guys, thanks for the advice 👍

@murray – It’s a Seiko 4R36-08L0 I think from the back of it.

I will have a scout round, if I need special solvents, glue or extra tools then I would need to weigh the cost vs chance of breaking it.

@Wally – Will give it a go. Is there a set way the watch glasses are measured, have a set of analogue Vernier callipers? I have the tools to open watch cases so worth a shot if it’s a few quid etc.

@Johnners – I’m not that clumsy normally honest 😂, my last quartz watch is at 10 years and counting but has a larger bezel around the face that acted as a bit of a buffer.

@airvent – Think you are right unfortunately, will have a look round at the dive style ones and try to be more careful next time.

Bit of a stick or twist question, should I get my watch fixed or look at a replacement?

Bought a Seiko 4R36-08L0 12 months ago for ~£180 as my old watch was eating batteries each year, but unfortunately dropped it on the laminate last night 😭

Seiko service center likely >£100 and 6-8 week lead time. Any reputable service place recommendations would be great.

Any automatic watch suggestions where the edge of the glass is not proud of the case? Ideally <£200 and not huge, fabric or silicone strap.

Urggghhh, I had forgotten about freewheels…

Last time I did this I had to have someone sit on the tyre and grip it as hard as the could. Then I stood and bounced repeatedly on the 14” wrench for it to come undone. Definite 50:50 chance of bending the wheel force level.

Is it a solid axel or quick release?

The Shimano spline tool has a hole in the middle you can put the skewer in done up finger tight to prevent it camming out unexpectedly if brute force tactics are needed.

@pk13 – Agree with you on the safety part, even the 1/4” ones can give horrific injuries.

So basics like eye & ear protection, no loose clothing/hair, don’t put down when moving, unplug before changing blades and think about the direction of cut and any obstructions are really important. Also clamp all your work and hold the router with two hands.

Having read a few horror stories about people being chased by or holding the work directly in the cutting path I would really like to avoid repeating their mistakes…

For the money the Katsu 1/4” routers are very hard to beat, they are effectively the same as the Makita ones and compatible with all their accessories and rails/plunge bases.

For £40 and corded it should last you years for bits of DIY. Just get a decent starter set of trimming, chamfer and rounding cutters from somewhere like Axminster.

Will try and get a direct link:

101748 Katsu Electric Hand Trimmer Wood Laminator Router Joiners Tool 220V 710W

@ecrs – Would not even think about expanding bolts or drilling through to be honest, if it blows the bricks it could mean a much bigger job. A lot of people use epoxy fixed studs on gates to stop the expansion damage risk.

Sharkbait suggesting a wait and see approach is sensible. If security is a concern, how about removing one screw per hinge to ensure they are not undersized and replacing with a security screw or drilling/filling the head?

Prevents it being simply unscrewed, but not a complete nightmare to remove if you need to in the future with a Dremel cutting disc etc.

Thanks for the further inputs, will have a think about it.

Could be worrying too much about the rear derailleur to be honest, had thought it was worst of both worlds i.e. regular maintenance of a normal geared set up and the added service complexity of a hub gear.

Fair point on the utility cycling, actually slightly excited to have a bike where I can just use normal shoes for once 😂

@cynic-al – I do my own servicing so not sure how it is irrelevant? One of my requirements was low maintenance, looking at the jockey wheels does not fill me with confidence on their 6-speeds. Pic taken from a Cycling UK thread is below, a lot more books and crannies than I expected.

Pricing from Ben was £795 for the conversion kit on top of the base price for a Brompton if he supplies or the donor bike you buy. Not sure I wrote that it was “£800 all in” from my previous posts, as that would be an absolute steal.

Edit: slowol was too fast for me… 😉

Custom Brompton Order Form

@cynic-al – You might be surprised! Well, not really if you live somewhere properly hilly, but Mott Street did just about make it into the top 100 hill climbs book, with Lippits Hill and Theydon Bois pretty close. I do use the smallest front chainring for them on my proper bikes.

Cost is higher I agree by ~£800 but looking at the Brompton 2-cog rear derailleur it just looks like the worst dirt trap imaginable.

@ratherbeintobagoe – I winced when checking adding a belt drive Rohloff, top of the line F&F disc, full dynamo lighting added £5,150.00 to the bill. With base bike you are looking at nearly £6,500 😬

Thanks for the link to Ben’s page, I did have a chat with him previously but he has limited colour options without a respray (I know, I know priorities… 😂) for the frames he stocks.

At 5’8” I thought the medium height curved bars are likely too tall, as I do prefer a bar drop on my other bikes. I couldn’t spot any three speed Sturney hub gear bikes with the low bar option when looking around unfortunately or likely would have gone for that.

@shermer75 – Based in Barking, but do cycle around the Essex lanes and wouldn’t mind some gearing flexibility in case it is used for other stuff to.

@countzero – Counterpoint is the involvement of the Soviet army “with females” in WWII. A staggeringly dark end to an already terrible part of history, that isn’t ever really mentioned.

Not saying women can’t be good soldiers at all, but putting those examples in without the wider context from the time of what the larger majority of the forces did is a bit one sided.

I will get off my soap box, but I will be interested to hear what comes out in the news over the next six months if it is fully occupied and progressively annexed.

I have a small lawn and a push along manual mower, it’s great if you use it a couple of times a month.

If you buy one make sure drive for the cutters is from both wheels, gives much more power and better manoeuvrability on muddy lawns.

Some people have strange views about stuff like this, a bit surprised people have forgotten what happened to the female German population with the Russians in WWII.

Also the fact that mass rape is used as a form of ethnic cleansing and means of subjugating civilian populations. Happens today in conflicts today, Sudan and Ethiopia etc.

All for gender equality, but I think in this case focusing on previous military personnel that are trained (regardless of gender) and men that might have a shorter readiness curve in terms of physical capabilities might get them better prepared sooner. Also leaving a smaller stick for them to be hit with in terms of reprisal threats.

Obviously a horrific situation, wish armed conflicts were a thing of the past and agree that we need to do something different or we will just keep repeating the same patterns leading to broken people.

They took it out and put in a much lower one which matches the height on the other side of the bathroom.

Happy with the result, only down side is they ran out of time to plumb the loo back on after grouting the tiles.

@cheekyget – Ground floor bathroom in an extension, agree on not spotting drips. We had to get all the valves replaced on moving in due to small leaks.

@cheddarchallenged – Agree with you on the water, not on the floor but practically touching the tile boxed in surface. Condensation on the tiles wasn’t exactly kind to it previously and that was with a larger gap at the bottom.