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.
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com A garage door opener with options What’s a power tool company doing making a garage door opener? Changing the whole industry, that’s what! This game changer is called the Ryobi GD200. It has a powerful 2-hp motor under the hood, instead of a 1/2-hp like most other openers. Plus, it features a super-quiet, steel-reinforced belt drive rather than a noisy chain or screw drive. It also has an LED light, which should last as long as the opener itself. The light is activated by a motion detector and turns on whenever you enter the garage. But what really sets this unit apart are the seven ports. Each port receives a module of your choosing, including a fan, a CO and temperature sensor, a Bluetooth speaker that broadcasts and receives…
SILENCE PLEASE When it comes to construction equipment, we look for durability, portability and ease of use. Something we previously hadn’t considered is noise. In construction we are all used to equipment noise. In fact, so much so that we all wear ear protection at work. At the National Hardware Show we met Jeff Wood, President of Wood Industries Inc. and an award winning compressor manufacturer. He developed a line of heavy-duty compressors that are quieter than ever called the “Eagle Silent Series.” The series includes seven oil-free models ranging from a one-gallon up to 20-gallons. Our favorite is the Eagle EA-5000, a 2 HP, 5.5 Gallon, 125-PSI compressor that has an oil free double piston pump that’s really quiet. When a compressor runs at 49Db from 25', it’s worth…
A friend asked me to design garage cabinets that look great, hold a ton of stuff and don’t cost too much. So I dug up some plans for cabinets I designed and built a dozen years ago. My intention was to update and improve those plans, but I just couldn’t—those old plans gave my friend everything he wanted. And more. So if you’re looking for easy, attractive, economical cabinets, scan the following pages. Keep in mind that this cabinet system can easily adapt to your situation: You can build one cabinet or a dozen, adjust the height or width to suit your space, or combine closed cabinets and open shelves in different ways. You can even configure this system for a laundry room, closet or basement. WHAT IT TAKES TIME:…
Screws are the only fastening method used in this entire project. They make fast, strong joints. But screwing into melamine presents a few complications: STRIP-OUT: As with any other particleboard product, melamine strips easily if you overdrive screws. Go easy on the drill trigger as you drive screws home. Use coarse-thread screws only. Finethread screws will strip every time. Longer screws also minimize stripping. If this project had been built from plywood, 1-5/8-in. screws would have worked fine. But we used 2-in. screws to assemble the boxes. SPLITS: Particleboard splits easily. Never drive a screw into particleboard without drilling a pilot hole. We drilled 7/64-in. holes and used No. 8 screws. Even with a pilot hole, screws will split particleboard if you place them close to ends. Keep them at…
BUILD THIS IN A WEEKEND! If you would love to have a mudroom but just don’t have the space, this compact bench and shoe shelf may be exactly what you need. Mount it near the garage service door and you’ll have a convenient spot to remove and store your shoes or boots before going inside. There’s even a hollow bench with a flip-up lid to store your hats and gloves. A SEAT WITH STORAGE A hinged lid provides easy access to the compartment under the seat. It’s a perfect place to store hats, gloves and all kinds of other small stuff. 1 CUT THE PARTS Cut the boards to length, following the Cutting List on p. 27. Running your circular saw along a large square ensures straight, square cuts. Parts…
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com A good garage door will last decades, maybe even a lifetime. So it makes sense to spend a little extra time and effort making the best choice possible. To help you understand your options, we interviewed Dan Mueller, who has been in the garage door business for more than 20 years. Here are his 10 tips to help you spend wisely and get the features that are right for you. 1 Get an “in-person” quote Ordering a garage door over the phone or online is asking for trouble. Every garage is a little different, and a knowledgeable salesperson will check details like opening size and shape, headroom and side clearance, and even help you make design decisions. And if something does go wrong, there won’t be any question about…
