The first step in sharpening any hand saw is to sandwich it into a vise or between two pieces of wood that can keep the metal from vibrating, and driving you crazy, while sharpening. This is not just for comfort. If the blade vibrates too much, the file cannot dig into the metal.Next you ne...
David from Kingston, Nova Scotia had a question about a floating shelf he was trying to build himself, but before answering his question I wanted to show some commercial 'floating' shelves that you can purchase.Just what is a 'floating' shelf? It is a shelf that appears to have little or not...
The subject of baseboards came up when Less from Lannigan, Saskatchewan wanted to know how deep trim nailing should go into the wall. The answer is simple, the length of the nail more complicated. A trim nail should go 3/4 of an inch into the stud of the wall. But then you have to add to t...
The best tool to use for sanding curves is a drum sander. The thing interesting to note is that drum sanders come in all kinds of sizes and even different textures aside from all the different grits and types of sandpaper.For very small work, there are miniature drum sanders that are used wi...
In woodworking a slot is a channel usually made to receive another piece. It is either designed to be a tight fit to hold something together like shelving or T&G flooring, or a sliding fit to permit things to move. A little research on vocabulary will tell us that a dado is a slot cut a...
The right bit for the right hole can make all the difference in getting the job done well.The first photo shows a power auger. You can't see in the photo but this particular drill is 18 inches long. The key to it working well is that screw head that actually pulls it into the wood for you. D...
Jon welcomes Ron Sheppard of Perfect Post Hole in Toronto, a company that will come and use its power equipment to dig your fence or deck holes for you. If you want they will also install the posts.A service like this is a perfect example of how to combine hiring a contractor for the hardest wor...
I always had the feeling that caulking from toothpaste like squeeze tubes had less body than caulking from gun cartridges. I recently received a whole array of caulking from Sascho, a manufacturer with a great line-up of products and it included a Mildew Free Sealant for bathrooms in a sque...
Foam guns are the air sealing tool of our epoch. We all use them. We all kill them. We all wish they would last longer and clog less. Of course there are as many different qualities of single component poly-urethane foam guns as there are different qualities of foams — at least we can be happy t...
For my TV show we took the cameras to Vince Way-Nee's shop where he told us his story about the demanding but satisfying hobby of turning burled wood.Take note of his dust protection system. He has a full face mask with a cotton skirt around it and a filtered air pump on his back. This feeds coo...
