taking the big step

[martyboy]

hello all

I have just recently taken the big step from employed to self employed. I did my training at NETT during the summer and after my redundancy payment came through 2 weeks ago I am now a self employed tiler.

Its scary to start with (mortgage paymnets etc), but there are so many people willing to help, especially up here in Scotland with Busines Gateway who give you your own personal advisor, free business seminars and £1000 grant if your under 30.

One thing that has scunnered me so far is the plying, I keep breaking drill bits and when plying to chipboard the screw pushes the ply up rather than going through the solid board, sometimes resulting in cracked grout. Its driving me mad. any tips on this? I was thinking of starting to use hardy backer board but hear thats rather expensive (I could pass the cost to the customer but traditionally scots are quite tight and don't want to pay the extra!!)

Its a great forum you guys have got here, plenty of tips.

take it easy

martyboy (renfrewshire)
hail hail

 

[frogeye]

Hi Marty
from a fellow novice - welcome aboard.
You are right this is a really helpful forum and once I found the search button at the top, I found answers to all the usual questions.
As for your problem are you drilling a deep enough pilot hole? But don't worry if this is not the answer someone will pop by soon with a better suggestion.:yes:

The £1000 is a nice touch - I managed to get £100 from the Chamber of Commerce - paid direct to me too.
What is it to be 'scunnered'? I have never heard that before and I have met many scots in my previous line of work.
frogeye

 

[martyboy]

scunnered... as in when you have too many beers or too much KFC, you just get 'scunnered'. you know, as in sick to death. us renfrewshire folk have our own dictionary.

cheers
mb

 

[howard]

hi marty and welcom just stand on the ply and put the drill between your feet when screwing down your weight should stop it from lifting

 

[martyboy]

cheers howard, that shant be a problem seeing as i've put a pound or two on recently with all the drinking (scotland - italy match last week, 12 hour bevvy session!!)

mb

 

[frogeye]

Okay thanks for that - now added to my brummie dictionary.
had to Google Renfreshire too, was never up on Geography.
So that's two things I have learned tonight.
Off for a few heavies ( okay so they will be g & t's)
frogeye

 

[howard]

good job your not an england fan i did 24 hours drinking and turned grey overnight

 

[Dan]

Well done on the move forward mate, try drilling deeper, slightly bigger pilot holes before screwing into the boards.

You want the polit hole to just start you off in the board beneath the ply. Then the screw thread will dig in a pull the boards together.

 

[TheWrightTiler]

hello mate from a fellow jock, edinburgher to be exact

hail to the weegies who gace us davincis chippy in queen street

andy

hail hail

 

[a1tiler]

hi marty, welcome to the forum

 

[mjmcmil]

Ah, reading of the torture of drinking sessions pains me. 1/2 English'ite and 1/2 Jockanese i barely had time to recover from one session and a defeat before being immersed into the next!!!!!!!
Football should be banned! Too much of a rollercoater......

Marty, agree with the 'Business Gateway mob' am in touch with them myself.....

 

[NickH]

Marty, the pilot hole in the ply MUST be bigger than the screw or the ply will lift especially with full threaded screws

 

[Fekin]

Hi there

 

[brian c]

welcome from me m8,less of your hail hail nonsense.(WRTP)Brian.

 

[Saltire69]

No more nails on the floor and stand on the ply and screw. No need for pilot.