Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2017 i Family Handyman

The Rockler Silicone Project Mat is the perfect surface for gluing small projects. Excess glue drains into the little grooves instead of pooling and getting smeared all over. When you’re done, the dried glue just peels right off. The silicone also holds your board or project in place while you sand or rout it. And it’s super soft, so it won’t scuff finished parts. You can buy a mat at a Rockler store or at rockler.com for about $30. For more cool products, go to tfhmag.com/swl…

Expert advice from the job site. TREND: SMART APPLIANCES Every year the editors here at The Family Handyman visit the International Builders’ Show, which recently teamed up with The Kitchen & Bath Industry Show. We always find cool new products, modern building trends and a few fashionable new styles. The only downside was coming home to our own houses, which seem kinda dull by comparison. Here’s some of what we saw this year: Talk to Your Oven If it makes your house “smarter,” it’s popular. GE has a line of appliances that work in conjunction with Amazon’s voice-controlled Echo device. Now you can go anywhere in your house with an Echo nearby and ask Alexa (Echo’s persona) to preheat the oven. You can command your dryer to keep tumbling until…

Here’s a great collection of tool hacks for every level of DIYer, from beginner to advanced. These simple tips and techniques will help you get the most out of your tools. You’ll learn creative ways to use everyday tools and even how to modify them to do jobs “outside the box.” Got a tip of your own to share? Send it to submissions@familyhandyman.com. OUR ANNUAL TOOL ISSUE! 1. HANG YOUR ROOFING TOOLS Use spring clamps to keep your hoses, extension cords, and other tools and materials from sliding off the roof. Don’t try this on brittle or scorching hot shingles or you may damage them. You can create a handier hook by sticking the clamp in a vise and bending up one of the handles. 2. CLAMP WITH A TIE-DOWN…

I use a router for most of my woodworking projects. I leave my monster 3-hp router in the router table for the big stuff and prefer to grab a compact trim router for freehand routing. I recently bought a Ridgid 18-volt Brushless Compact Router to “possibly” replace my corded model. I knew I would love not having to worry about shredding a cord or having it get hung up on a corner. But I was a little concerned that a cordless router would be top-heavy or lacking in power—I saved my receipt just in case. It turns out my worries were unfounded: The router felt balanced and comfortable in my hand, and I noticed no measurable difference in power. Setting the bit height and dialing in the depth were easy…

SHARE YOUR HANDY HINT WITH US! A BETTER WAY TO REPLANT When I bring home new flowers or shrubs for my garden, I avoid yanking them out of their plastic pots by the stems because it can hurt the plants. Instead, I use a sharp knife to cut down two or more sides of each pot to free the plant, being careful not to tear the roots when separating the soil from the container. — LESLIE POEHLER CAULK CADDY Finding a place to hang a caulk gun on some ladders can be tough. And if you move the ladder a teeny bit, the caulk gun starts to swing and falls to the floor. I had a C-clamp handy, so I attached it to my ladder—now I have the perfect spot…

This cart would make a great addition to any workspace, but it’s especially perfect for a garage workshop. It brings your whole tool arsenal within easy reach during a project but takes up minimal floor space, leaving plenty of room for your car when the job is done. It’s also adaptable— easy to build as shown and easy to alter. You can add or subtract drawers and shelves to meet your needs.…

A reader asked whether you can use PVC plumbing cement to glue PVC trim boards together. You certainly can, but for some situations, there’s a better option. The cement used for plastic plumbing pipes sets up in seconds, while PVC cement made specifically for trim takes several minutes to fuse—a major plus if you have a complicated glue-up and need more “open time” to get all your parts aligned and assembled. You probably won’t find PVC trim cement at a local home center, but AZEK and Kleer are among the brands available at professional lumberyards and online.…

If you’re looking to save money on power tools, consider going the “factory-reconditioned” route. Most of the time they’re goodquality tools that somebody just changed their mind about after they opened the box, or they returned it because of a defect. These tools are sent back to the manufacturers, who fix whatever’s wrong with them and then sell them again at a discount. “The product is good and often comes with a warranty,” says Jason Swanson of Techtronic Industries, makers of Ryobi and Ridgid power tools. “All of our refurbished tools are inspected and rebuilt as needed by trained technicians.” You’ll find factory-reconditioned tools online at sites like cpooutlets.com, directtoolsoutlet.com and acmetools.com. MEET THE EXPERT Jason Swanson is vice president of communications for Techtronic Industries. He’s been in the tool…

Expert advice on repair, maintenance and gear. OUR ANNUAL TOOL ISSUE! Proper way to torque lug nuts Did you know there’s a right way and a wrong way to tighten lug nuts? Most people think tighter is better. Not true. Overtightening lug nuts is the No. 1 cause of warped brake rotors (called “brake rotor lateral run-out”). Warped rotors cause pedal pulsation and can increase your stopping distance. Overtightening can also break wheel studs. The stud itself doesn’t cost much ($3), but the labor to press out the old stud and insert the new one can run $50 to $75. Spin the lug nuts on by hand. Never coat the stud with grease, oil or anti-seize. Lower the jack only enough to bring the tire into contact with the road.…

GOT A DIY QUESTION? Finding answers is easy at familyhandyman.com. Just use the search box at the top of the page to get expert step-by-step help with your projects. GOT A HANDY HINT OR TIP FOR US? To share your information with us, submit a copy of your original contribution, including photos and/or sketches, by email to: submissions@familyhandyman.com Or mail to: The Family Handyman, 2915 Commers Drive, Suite 700, Eagan, MN 55121 Please include your name, mailing address and email address if you have one, and indicate to which department you are submitting. We reserve the right to publish your submission in any appropriate department, or elsewhere. Contributions will not be acknowledged or returned. RIGHTS By submitting material to us, you grant Home Service Publications, Inc., its parent company subsidiaries,…

Painting is not my favorite chore. I’m a fan of any product that can make the job cleaner, faster and less frustrating. That’s why I love this paint can lid from Shurline. It has a spout, so there’s no spilling or splashing when you pour paint into a roller pan, and the paint doesn’t ooze out all over the front of the can. And never again will I have to clean out the rim before replacing the lid—hallelujah! The spout folds down, so I can still stack my cans, and the nonstick surface means latex paint drips or runs just peel right off. Reuse one for each paint job or buy enough of them to permanently replace all your steel lids. If you go that route, be sure to transfer…

Our best tips for getting your project done right. OUR ANNUAL TOOL ISSUE! Dadoes, grooves and rabbets are the workhorses of cabinet and bookcase construction. They’re used in woodworking projects to make stronger joints. Dadoes and grooves are flatbottomed recesses that strengthen supporting shelves and connecting panels. A dado runs perpendicular to the grain of the wood while a groove runs parallel to the grain. A rabbet is like a dado that’s missing a side. It’s essentially a notch cut into the edge of a board or piece of plywood. You can cut dadoes, grooves and rabbets in many different ways. In this article, however, we’re going to show you a simple, foolproof cutting method that requires only a router, a pattern bit and two straight guides. HOW A PATTERN…

MEET THE EXPERT Reuben Saltzman (top right) is the president and co-owner of Structure Tech Home Inspections, a Minnesota home inspection company. He grew up remodeling homes and learning about carpentry, so he knows his stuff. Check out the company’s website, structuretech1.com. OLD SPARKY There are at least two things wrong with this picture (three if you count the dead mouse). Nonmetallic (NM) cable should never enter a metal electrical box or service panel without the protection of a proper clamp. Eventually the sharp edge on the entry hole will cause the cable sheathing to wear through, creating a short and a fire hazard. In addition, an open hole will let in moisture, bugs and critters and wreak havoc like gnawed wire insulation, nests and electrocuted mice. THE RIGHT WAY:…

Charger cables for cell phones usually last only a few years before the insulation starts fraying on the ends. Replacement cables cost $8 to $30, but there’s a cheaper solution. If the insulation is cracked but the copper wire inside is still intact, try covering the crack with a couple of layers of liquid electrical tape ($5 to $10 per bottle). Performix and Gardner Bender are two brands that get lots of positive reviews online. Just be sure not to let the cable touch anything until the liquid tape dries completely.…

OUR ANNUAL TOOL ISSUE! If you own a cordless gas nailer, you know how convenient it is. But that convenience quickly gives way to aggravation when it starts acting up. If you can hear the fan running on your nailer, but it only fires intermittently when you pull the trigger, don’t take it to the repair shop—new gas may be all you need! Fuel cells have a “best used before” date printed right on the can. Old fuel cells lose internal pressure over time, so manufacturers recommend buying only as much fuel as you need to finish the job. You can buy new ones for about $12 to $15 at home centers.…

This Distianert Endoscope Inspection Camera has a 13-ft. cable that lets you snake behind walls and peek inside appliances—even grab wires or retrieve nuts and bolts from tight quarters. Just download the app and plug the 2.0-megapixel inspection camera into any on-the-go (OTG) compatible Android smartphone or tablet or into a USB port on a Mac laptop. Move the camera into position and adjust the light intensity switch to get the proper illumination. Watch your screen to get the camera into the right spot. Then snap a still shot or shoot video. For long runs, tape the cable to a stick to feed and aim the camera head. The unit comes with a cloth storage bag and three attachments: a 90-degree mirror, a hook and a magnetic tip. The video…

Find THE DIY QUIZ ANSWERS! PP. 92-93 Put on your thinking cap and take this month’s quiz to see just how smart you are when it comes to DIY. Here’s how it works: • There are easy, intermediate and really tough questions all mixed together. • There may be more than one correct answer! • Get the answers and your DIY rating on pp. 92–93. 1. The best time to apply crabgrass preventer is: A. After the second mowing in the spring. B. When the soil temperature ranges from 55 to 60 degrees F. C. As soon as the grass begins greening up. D. When certain flowers are blooming. 2. True or False? It’s good practice to wrap plumbing threads with Teflon tape and coat the tape with pipe thread…

Slow and steady saves your face My neighbor was having trouble starting his riding mower at the beginning of the season. He decided to drain the old gas in the tank and replace it. But instead of patiently siphoning out the gas, he came up with the brilliant idea of using his wet/ dry vacuum to suck the tank dry. After about a minute of that, the vacuum ignited and the top blasted off like a missile, leaving a huge fireball in its wake. I saw my neighbor later that day, and it wasn’t pretty. His hair was singed, he had no eyebrows, his skin had a charcoal hue and he clearly didn’t want to talk about it. Eventually he got the mower up and running, but I’m pretty sure…