When it comes to home improvement, you need information you can trust. Inside each issue of The Family Handyman, you’ll find see-and-solve expert repair techniques, a variety of projects for every room and step-by-step, do-it-yourself photos.
A welder with a brain I own a MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welder, but I don’t use it often enough to remember all the settings, so I end up ruining a lot of material getting reacquainted with the welder. A steep relearning curve is not a problem with Lincoln Electric’s new POWER MIG 210 MP. All you need to do is enter the type and size of the stick or wire electrode and dial in the steel thickness (up to 3/8 in.), and it automatically sets the right power for the job—you can hit the ground running every time. The kit comes with just about everything you need to do stick, MIG and flux-core welding—including sample wire spools. The welder is super portable (40 lbs.) and works with both 120-…
You can entertain and feed your guests without ever having to leave your shish kebabs unattended. This “grillzebo” is big enough to accommodate most standard grills but small enough that it might just fit on your existing patio. Customize your own grillzebo with lighting, grill accessory storage, wine glass racks or built-in coolers. With the help of a buddy, you can build it in a weekend. All the building materials are available at home centers. We built ours from Western red cedar because it’s resistant to rot and insects and it looks great. You could save about $400 by building yours from pressure-treated wood. The cedar will require some upkeep over the years, but the metal roof is maintenance free. This beefy project is built to last a lifetime ……
What’s up with infrared grills? It sounds pretty high-tech, but the concept is relatively simple. Infrared grills have a mostly solid, corrugated grate between the flames and the food. The grate protects food from flare-ups—ideal for fatty meats. It also distributes heat more evenly, allowing for consistent cooking across the grill. More control also means less gas consumption, up to 30 percent less. The one downside is that you can no longer blame your burned burgers on a hot spot. A threeburner Char-Broil model like the one shown here is available at Wal-Mart for about $285. Grill on the go A lot of grills are claimed to be “portable”—usually that means they’re just small. But Char-Broil’s rugged Grill2Go has actually been designed to be hauled around. It has a sturdy…
WHAT IT TAKES TIME: 1 weekend COST: $120 per sofa, plus cushions SKILL LEVEL: Beginner TOOLS: Drill, jigsaw, circular saw, basic hand tools My original plan for this patio set included sofas and separate end tables—because every patio needs seating and a place to set cold drinks! Then it hit me: Why not combine both into a simpler, sleeker, rock-solid design? The result is a sofa with extra-wide armrests that double as small tabletops. It’s easy to build and easy to customize: You can adjust the width to suit both your space and the seat cushions you choose. I’ve provided dimensions for two sizes (see p. 34), but you can make it any size you like. SELF-DRILLING SCREWS work great for this project. The screws drill a pilot hole into…
FUR FILTER FOR DOG BATHING I used to pay to have my dog bathed because if I washed my dog in the bathtub or shower, I’d end up with a clogged drain. Not anymore. To keep fur out of the drain, use a mesh-type scrubbing pad. In a shower, clip the pad to the drain plate with a bobby pin. In a bathtub, wedge two pads under the stopper from two sides. The pads catch fur but let water flow through. Lucy Rusert A sure fix for loose screws To secure a machine screw that keeps coming loose, add a few drops of superglue to the screw’s threads. Put the screw back in quickly; you have only a few seconds before the glue sets. Joe Patto Note: If you may…
A sagging, cracked concrete pad at an entryway says anything but welcome. And it can go from eyesore to disaster if it slopes toward your home’s foundation and directs rainwater right into your nicely finished basement! If your old pad needs replacing, you’ll be happy to know it’s a fairly easy task. In fact, you can replace one in a single day. Here are some tips for building a new home for your welcome mat. 1 Start with a sledgehammer A 10-lb. sledgehammer is usually all you need to bust up that nasty old pad (and get a good workout in the process). To protect the house from flying chips, cover any nearby glass with a sheet of 1/2-in. plywood (shown at left). And be sure to wear goggles to…
