Tom Haldane

Tom Haldane writes every guide on Workshop Basics. He has been making and repairing things in home workshops for most of his adult life, starting with a corner of a rented flat and a folding bench, and now works from a single garage with a timber bench, wall storage and a modest set of hand and portable power tools.

What Tom writes about

• Planning and fitting out garage and shed workshops
• Choosing and checking hand tools and portable power tools
• Workshop safety habits, protective equipment and dust control
• Sharpening, measuring and marking, and fixings
• Looking after tools and batteries in damp UK conditions

What Tom is not

Tom holds no trade qualifications. He is not an electrician, a health and safety professional, a structural engineer or a time-served joiner, and the guides never present his opinion as professional advice. Where a guide touches on electrical work, building regulations or hazardous materials, the facts are checked against official sources and the guide tells you when to bring in a qualified professional.

How Tom works

Practical advice in the guides comes from doing the jobs described: building benches, setting up storage, sharpening and using the tools. Facts and figures are checked against standards, regulators and manufacturers' published instructions, as described in how we research and our fact-checking process. Tom does not accept free products, payment or sponsorship.

Guides by Tom

All twelve guides are listed on the guides page. Good places to start are planning a home workshop and workshop safety and PPE.

To report an error or suggest a topic, email [email protected].