Tips & Techniques

Sometimes you’ve got to dig a hole that’s deeper than the range of a basic post-hole digger. Extending the handles is one solution, but it’s not easy to do and…

Protect surfaces with this DIY solution that uses foam pipe insulation and duct tape.

When I need to bore an especially clean hole, such as one for a screw plug, I typically apply the simple principle of opening up my wallet; I use pricey,…

The drawing shows the spindle applicator I use when I hang tar paper. It consists of three 1-1/2-in.dia. plugs cut from 3/4-in. stock, a pair of 1/4-in. by 3-1/2 in.-dia. Plexiglas…

Coping crown molding with an electric jigsaw is much easier when you attach a radiused auxiliary base to the jigsaw’s standard flat base. But I was stumped about making this…

When I’m working in my shop, I always have the benefit of a large cabinet saw with an equally large extension table and outfeed table to support large panels or…

Random-orbit sanders that can suck up sawdust as they make it are a wonderful invention. But for them to work properly, they need to have the holes in the disks…

Plenty of commercially available sawhorse brackets are on the market, but I’ve found that the ones I weld up for myself suit my needs better than any I have seen.…

In Brooklyn, where turn-of-the-century brownstones and bricks are the norm, window replacement often calls for some ingenuity. I have used both Bonneville and Andersen brick-to-brick replacement windows. These units are…

With a couple of simple modifications, you can turn your tablesaw into a jointer for straightening a bowed edge on a board. As shown in the drawing, begin by screwing…