Why you should never start a plumbing repair on Sunday afternoon
The supply houses are shut, the hardware shop closes at four, and every plumber in town is either off or charging emergency rates.
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How to fix a wooden door that sticks in the winter
Before you touch a plane, work out why it is sticking. Half the doors I have been called to fix did not need any wood removed at all.
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Repairing drywall holes so they actually disappear
The reason most patches show is not the filling. It is that people stop too soon on the feathering and then paint over an edge you can see in raking light.
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How to replace a rotted deck board safely
One soft board is rarely one soft board. Before you cut anything, take a screwdriver and probe around, because the board rotted for a reason and the reason is usually still there.
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How to measure and cut baseboards without wasting wood
Most of the waste I see on a baseboard job comes from two things: cutting before thinking about the order, and trusting that the corners are square.
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Safe ways to use a circular saw for home projects
A circular saw is the most useful power tool a homeowner can own and the one that hurts the most people. Forty-one years and I still respect it more than any other tool in the van.
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How to care for your hand saws so they last a lifetime
I have a rip saw that belonged to my father and it cuts better than anything I could buy today. It cuts better because it has been looked after, not because they made them better…
