Basic Stair Project
This was kinda tricky. I had to make sure the flat part of the stair stringer was level (using the little red torpedo level) while simultaneously making sure the post was close to being plumb, then clamp everything together. I just used my foot ... [... more]
Hammer Zone |
Cutting A Deadbolt Hole
I had purchased a door for a project on a friend's garage. My original plan was to paint the door in one of my garages and install the pre-hung unit already painted. I prefer to paint a door laying flat on sawhorses instead of hanging on the ... [... more]
Hammer Zone |
Fill In One Window, Put In Another
Jamb extensions can be made from any solid wood, or even plywood with an edge-banding of veneer. For many windows I make extensions from 1x4 clear pine. The ¼" thick wood I used here made installing the casing rather tricky because I could ... [... more]
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Connecting The Plumbing
I'll agree that most plumbers seem to prefer plumber's putty, but I believe it is an ancient material that has been surpassed by modern materials, such as silicone. Too many plumbers spend their time doing primarily new construction work, and do ... [... more]
Hammer Zone |
Insulating A Garage Ceiling
I discovered years ago that merely insulating the ceiling in a garage makes a HUGE reduction in heat loss. Before insulating the ceiling in this garage, I could run a kerosene heater with an output of 23,000 BTU's per hour and the temperature ... [... more]
Hammer Zone |
Tear Off
I've worked on at least half a dozen major roofing projects prior to this, some on steep roofs, some on low pitch roofs. In some ways I prefer working on a steep roof. For one, there is not as much bending over. And since roof jacks and ... [... more]
Hammer Zone |
T&G Wood Siding
Remember that my top-down approach is not the normal method of installing siding. This only works when the siding is face-nailed (nailed through the visible face, as opposed to nailing at the tongue). I used this odd-ball method because I had to ... [... more]
Hammer Zone |
Keeping Electrical Cords Off The Floor
While getting ready to sand and refinish a couple of hardwood floors, I needed to figure out a quick and easy way to keep some extension cords off the floor. Since the rooms were going to be painted afterward, it didn't matter if I put small ... [... more]
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Creepy Things Happen When You Don't Cover The Ends Of ...
In February I returned home from a week away. I checked all three rat traps. One had been tripped, but there was no critter. The next morning I woke up early, about 6 A.M., which is quite rare for me, especially in the middle of winter when it ... [... more]
Hammer Zone |
Water Supply
Bending tubing is rather tricky. If it is simply bent with bare hands, it can easily kink, and then leak. I don't have a tubing bender, so I used a PVC pipe fitting as a bending guide, in this case a 2" elbow. This actually worked quite well, I ... [... more]
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Removing Oil Tanks
One problem with cutting these oil tanks would be the weld seams at the corners. When steel is welded the nearby metal becomes much harder, and the weld metal itself is usually very hard. I suspect this would destroy most reciprocating saw ... [... more]
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Building A Soil Sifter
Deck screws would work too, but I would recommend pre-drilling the holes to prevent splitting this narrow strip of wood. In fact, using screws would be smarter, in case the hardware cloth gets ripped and needs to be replaced someday. But I wasn't ... [... more]
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