Skills and Techniques - Page 536 of 644

My local auto-parts store sells a 6-in. dia. metal dish that has become part of my carpentry-tool library. Its distinguishing feature is a magnetic base, thoughtfully coated with a nonmarring…

I own a Victorian house that needed some exterior trim repaired. One detail that was in an especially sad state was the 12-in. wide fascia that runs under the roof…

Setting a toilet single-handedly presents a tricky problem: If you don't accurately line up the closet bolts with the holes in the base of the toilet bowl, you can damage…

Q: I want to build a shed with a gambrel roof, but I’m not sure how to frame and cap the section where the roof changes planes. Can you shed some…

If you have to dig in soil that clings to your shovel, especially during the rainy season, you know how frustrating it is to be scraping the dirt off the…

Pick a fan that's quiet and powerful, and keep the duct short.

I've taped and tied a lot of electrical cords together to keep them from pulling apart during use. Problem is, tape is pretty inconvenient when I need to take the…

As I put up a layer of foam-board insulation on my ceiling, I ran into the problem of how to cut the holes for the ceiling-light electrical boxes. As luck…

The next time you're remodeling an old house and have to tear out the knob-and-tube wiring, save the porcelain insulators. They make great knife sharpeners. Steve A. Morris, Lynchburg, VA

A molding head on a radial-arm saw shapes the coves, and plywood forms support the moldings.