Search results for:

If the emphasis is on cheap, there are a few things you might already have at home:
Possibly acetone - try cheap nail varnish remover
Possibly isopropyl alcohol - try surgical spirits / rubbing alcohol
Possibly methylene chloride - try paint stripper but be aware of the fumes

I've used nail varnish remover in the past to remove excess thread locking compound during assembly - not sure how different it is when it's had time to cure...

Tap washer(s)?

Ah.
Mine's Welsh and I'm on (but not from) the other Clee...

You know the area?
I'm about 12 miles from Cleobury Mortimer - lived here since 1998 - 'clibber' is a new one to me!
Having said that, we're still regarded as newcomers, and I don't understand half of what is said just down the hill in the Corvedale...

Googled 'clibber lad!'
Still no idea.
Typo?

Tool bag from the local hardware store:

Handles cut and fitted with D links to use either as carry handles or straps.
Velcro straps underneath.
Fits MrsE's Pletscher / Raleigh 20, a cheap Aldi rack fitted to a mtb, and a home made rack on a bmx.
Cost: £5 for the bag, £2 for webbing and velcro, a hour or so with a needle and thread.

South Shropshire - a bit too far away to be of practical help...

I'm not against circular saws - would also be my first choice, but not as a first power saw in the hands of someone using it without training, without supervision and presumably without experience?

Opinion only - it's possible to argue either way.

Assuming accurate and deep scoring on both surfaces, and the blade cutting cleanly at right angles to the surface, the jigsaw should be on the inside (hidden) surface so that the cutting stroke is pulling the visible (outer) veneer into the board, and any scuff marks left by the sole plate are on the inside and will not be seen.

The advantage of having the saw on the outside is that you can follow the line that is on the visible surface and any slew due to the blade flexing sideways will not be visible. This assumes that your marking / scoring is deep enough to prevent the veneer from chipping or delaminating when the blade catches it on the up (return, non cutting) stroke...

I'd do it with the saw on the inside and be prepared to buy a deep pile carpet to hide the edge if necessary.

(Assumptions = weasel words to excuse poor advice if it doesn't go to plan)

Not disagreeing.
However, I have a need to spend time here being overly verbose and offering unsolicited advice. The alternatives are to start working through MrsE's idea of a job list or watch daytime TV...

I'd be looking for corded, pendulum action, variable speed, and dust extraction options, but there's probably as many opinions as there are users.

Clamps and a straight edge will work fine, especially for scoring and doubly so if you're compensating for a floor or ceiling that is not level.

If you're removing enough board to allow for some practice cuts before reaching required size, try following a scored line freehand. Jigsaw blades can bend and cut at strange angles under side pressure - such as pressing against a fence - and this can be easier to see / feel / correct if you're doing it freehand.

'Modern' laminates are often not melamine, especially in furniture (i.e.not a work surface) - sometimes it is little more than printed paper with a plastic coating which should cut through cleanly with a sharp craft knife / new blade as described above.

A jigsaw would in many ways be easier to use than a circular saw - certainly less scary and less likely to cause serious injuries / minor amputation if it gets away from you.
It is also easier (I think) to correct any drifting away from the line than with a circular saw - balanced against being more likely to drift in the first place. A hand held circular saw will give a straighter cut provided you can clamp the fence accurately and use it with confidence.
Further issues: most man made boards use a resin that will blunt or foul (or both) a saw blade - jigsaw blades are likely to be cheaper than circular saw blades. Dust control should be considered: circular saws are more likely to produce larger quantities of fine dust which present health and safety issues - even low exposure can be problematic to anyone with asthma or allergies - whereas a jigsaw at modest speed will probably generate larger sized particles.

On balance, a jigsaw might be better than a circular saw if you're new to this kind of thing. To put a level to it, I could allow students to use jigsaws under supervision, but the L.E.A. absolutely prohibited the use of hand held circular saws in school workshops.

tl;dr I'd use a jigsaw.

I'm assuming a proper job, not just chewing a bit off in situ with an angle grinder...

Strip down to a bare axle, fit a (possibly sacrificial) nut below the anticipated new end, mount in a lathe, remove excess material, chamfer end, remove nut, repeat at other end.

If you have the correct die, this could be used instead of a nut - removing the die or nut after cutting and chamfering should correct any deformation of the thread caused by cutting.

The unwanted material could be removed by repeated facing off using a carbide tipped tool, but I've had good results from mounting a Dremel with cutting disc on the cross slide - slower, but less clamping force needed at the chuck and so less likelihood of distortion.

With care, patience, a hacksaw and smooth jaw engineering vise, you could trim the ends manually - not everyone has access to machine tools - the trick with the nut to re-form the thread would be essential in this case.

If it is only a few mm, I'd consider living with it. I've shortened a BMX axle because I have no use for stunt pegs, but Mrs.E described it as engineering OCD...

@cruffiton, @Emyr – thanks for the input. Have spent some time review hunting - it looks as though Schwalbe have the edge due to availability and an apparent resistance to pointy things. The last few punctures have been thorn, thorn, loose barb from barbed wire (may have been a short bit of baling wire) and thorn. No prizes for guessing the hedgerow species of choice in this part of the world…

I'm about to replace the original chromed wheels on a 1980s Raleigh Alpha with polished (Rigida) alloys - is there an obvious tyre upgrade from Michelin World Tour (27 x 1 1/4) worth doing?
Main use is rural lanes, i.e. potholes, mud, diesel, cowshit and thorn hedge debris joined together by random tarmac...

The Kodak Complete Book of Photography predates digital but covers most of the basics - suitable for an enthusiastic newcomer perhaps? I'm pretty sure it's out of print but you might find a second hand copy in good condition and a similar age to the camera...

Or for just monochrome:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-White-Handbook-Roger-Hicks/dp/0715311247

There are quite a few variations, but you might get lucky. I've yet to find anything specific to the version made by Trojan under licence...

Try the DelOrtto link on:
http://projectmopedmanual.info/manuals.html

Same K-dregg?
http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/speed-bike.32238/page-7
Idle curiosity, nothing more. Link to page 7 because it's the only one still with a photo.

Read fail on my part...

Would 'close to eye height' would mean little or no shadow detail at the road surface and a consequential loss of depth perception?

I know coal mining and cycling are different, but helmet mounted lamps (close to eye height) seemed to coincide with tripping over obstacles and tool/working errors, whereas a hand held lamp (waist height when walking, held by an apprentice for other work) seemed to allow better judgement of distance and uneven ground.

Worked in the dark too much, tend not to cycle at night by choice...

Typical motor and pump efficiencies are around 85% each, making the pump-motor combination somewhere around 72%, and small bore pipe loss would drive this lower still. M.I.T. suggest a measured efficiency as low as 60% (http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/36699/77549265.pdf?sequence=1)

Compare this with a chain and derailleur efficiency of 93 - 98%. Even if your design had a similar overall weight, you (the rider) would need to provide around 30% more power to achieve a similar performance.

It's the sort of thing you might do to prove it can be done, or if styling takes priority over engineering...

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/172374/?offset=5675#comment9990084

More a discussion than an answer, and nearly a year old - the world has probably moved on a bit more...

I've got an elderly PNC 2100A that works reasonably well on plastics and wood (less so on metals) - what have you got in mind?

Any Question Answered page 1580 for some dehumidifier discussion.
We have two dehumidifiers: both seem to work better in a warm room, but they are addressing a symptom not the cause. In my case, the main issue is condensation on windows and Mrs. E's insistence on drying things over radiators rather than in a condenser dryer which oddly seems to work best in a cool room.

Large number of small compartments with sorted contents immediately visible and not behind / under other useful stuff. Old school solution to workshop organization - fails when your hands are cold and you drop the jar, hence more lids than jars. Been there, done that, replaced jars with plastic organizer cupboards which are safer but somehow less satisfying than a 'free' system that can be expanded until storage area = floor area without filling the floor.
#oldgit (whatever that means)

I was going to suggest 'The Complete Plain Words' by Sir Ernest Gowers as an old fashioned (i.e. printed) possibility - my copy dates from 1963, priced 3/6.

When I looked to see if it was still in print (a revised version is) I found it as a free download - not quite an online guide but getting closer...
http://www.scribd.com/doc/217456602/Complete-Plain-Words-Sir-Ernest-Gowers-pdf