DIY

It doesn't matter whether you're in the office or at home in the study - wherever you keep your PC and phone line, there's a good chance you'll have a myriad of unsightly wires and cables trailing from your desk, which can often end up in a tangled mess. One way to counteract this is to fit a simple cable tidy device into the top of your desk to round up all the wires and despatch them neatly out of site.

You'll need a good power drill for the job, along with a special hole cutter attachment.

Cable tidies normally come in two sizes, 60mm or 80mm, and featured within our HowTo.tv video, we fitted the smaller cable tidy using a 60mm cutter drill bit, which has a conventional drill bit at it's centre.

Before undertaking any work with an electric drill, you should always consider your personal safety, and wear safety goggles at all times.

Modern drills do not require a chuck key as the drill bits can be tightened and loosened by hand, once inserted.

Use a tape measure to calculate the exact positioning of your cable tidy, ensuring it is not too close to the edge of the desk, or to the legs. Mark the desired position with a pencil, then drill a test hole with a smaller drill bit, which will pave the way for the larger cutter.

If you are happy to proceed, fit the cutter and align the protruding conventional drill bit with your test hole. Drilling slowly at first, work through the desk with the regular drill bit, stopping short of the point where the serrated cutter meets the desk surface.

By this stage, the standard drill bit may be though the underside of the desk. Once you ensure that the drill bit is straight, with the serrated teeth just above the surface, start the drill and hold firmly as the drill cuts with a circular motion. Do not cut straight through the desk without checking that the drill is coming through cleanly, as you may get splintering of the wood, and a jagged,unsightly finish.

The centre piece should drop cleanly though the new hole once finished. Vacuum away the dust, and drop your desk cable tidy into place.