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Latest Database Entries

  • Trimming Edges

    Drywall cuts best when you score the paper and snap the board. When cutting near the edge of a piece of drywall this is not an easy task. Here are some tips from how to clean up a rough cut to seeing how professionals "double score" small cuts near the edge.  The tool is called a "Drywall Strippe...
  • Creating Tapered Joints

    How to turn a "butt" joint into a "tapered edge" joint -- creating a valley for compound and tape. Why bother? This technique allows for a wall or ceiling that would normally have a "tape bump" to be perfectly flat. That could be important under certain lighting conditions, or when a straight ed...
  • SCELLEMENT CONTRE LE GAZ SOUTERRAIN

    S’il était possible de créer une barrière parfaitement étanche entre les gaz souterrains et la maison, aucune autre mesure de contrôle du radon ne serait nécessaire. Mais, à ce jour, cette perfection ne se retrouve sur aucun site de construction. Meilleure sera l’étanchéité de la membrane au rado...
  • Tooth Breakage & Wear

    All blades wear and the Japanese teeth can break off, but with certain techniques you can make them last longer than usual.  At times you need to make the cut despite the knowledge that it will scrap your blade, like using the nail cutting bi-metal blades to cut a hardened screw or an ancient squ...
  • Digging out Material

    Whether you are removing grout from between tiles, or removing caulking between two deck boards, usually boat deck boards, the oscillating tool has special blades for each task.   The grout removal tool has carbide grit on three sides and the blades come in various thicknesses, both full round a...
  • Blade to miter slot Adjustment

    The miter slot, grooved right into the table, is the only thing on a table saw that is not adjustable. Since we cannot change this slot, we should line up the whole rest of the saw to this one important, but fixed part of this machine.  Many woodworkers were never aware that the entire motor hou...
  • Table Saw Basics

    Welcome to Table Saw Basics -- a one hour course on using a table saw accurately and safely -- a good starting point for table saw beginners, some interesting jigs for experienced woodworkers. The series of videos that are listed on the left were deemed by Popular Woodworking to be the most comp...
  • Wood Bracing for Doors, Windows, Cupboards and Shelves

    Steel stud construction often requires wood backing for heavy objects like cupboards or sinks and you need to plan ahead to do this right.  This video shows heavy plywood backing, which works for most things.  But the same techniques can be used to insert a 2x6 or even 2x8 on the flat behind the ...
  • Radial Arm Saws

    No video - but an entire book Scroll down to:   Download the book Principles of Precision - excerpted from the book If you own this book and have a question, or if you just what to say what you think about the book, add  to  "Your Blog comments" at the bottom of this page.  If you are not su...
  • Cutting Crown Molding

    The theory of cutting crown molding is very simple - the reality is rather complex simply because although we can set our miter angles quite precisely, it is far more difficult to set the bevel very precisely.  In addition, when the corner to cover with the crown molding is not exactly 90 degrees...
  • Bevel Cuts

    Where push sticks are essential tools with a table saw, hold downs are essential tools for cutting bevels on a miter saw.  Using the trick of "mating shims" can permit cutting all your molding bevels on the same side of the saw. Anyone cutting angles will want to know about the SawSet protracto...
  • Miter cuts

    To get accurate and clean miter cuts it is essential that the wood does not slip along the fence.  At 90 degrees that is not a problem but when we move to a miter angle the blade itself wants to force the wood to slide out of place.  Here is a very quick look at clamps, non-slip fences and even ...
  • Working With Steel Studs

    Metal studs are straight and never shrink -- but you do need to know how to work with steel studs and how to attach drywall to steel studs if you want to avoid problems.
  • Proper Metal Stud Screws

    You need special screws when you build a steel stud wall -- not just any sheet metal screw as the head thickness can cause problems with the drywall.
  • Ghosting-Dust Marks

    In some houses there are strange dark marks that seem to follow cathedral ceiling joists, or even wall studs. Paint as you like and they keep coming back. You need to know what causes these marks if you want to eliminate them.
  • Sound Proofing Layers

    There are many elements to good soundproofing. Here is a look at how these materials layer over each other.
  • Avoiding Errors With Resilient Channels

    Here are the details on sound proofing resilient bars or channels. One of the most important details is to install these supports with the proper edge up -- and avoid short circuiting the sound path with your screws.
  • Hanging Things on Metal Studs

    We often say that heavy objects that need to be hung on the wall must be attached directly into a stud. When you have steel studs, this can require special blocking before the wall is built -- or special attachment tactics if you want to go directly into the steel stud without wood blocking.
  • Introduction

    Most of the material in this Drywalling section was originally developed for an interactive DVD.  It was a tough marketing decision between selling DVDs or getting web sponsorship to pay for such a production but feedback from you has said that you would prefer to have access to all of this infor...
  • Using Resilient Channels

    Installing drywall panels onto resilient channels is one of the first lines of defense against sound transmition through walls or ceilings. Here is a summary overview of their use.  Notice there are more details in one of the videos which follow.