When you try to cut a piano hinge with a hack saw, you often run into the problem that the hinge pin just rolls around, not staying put long enough to allow the saw teeth to dig into it.
Many piano hinges now have one of the two leafs crimped onto the hinge. That means that one leaf rotates on t...
If you want to install gingerbread trim so the screws don?t show, drill clearance holes through an open part of the trim towards the rake boards or fascia boards of the house. Drill pilot holes into the fascia so that you will not split it with long screws. Then screw it into place.
If you need ...
First use a hot air gun, or hair dryer, to warm the problem part of the tile.
Then carefully lift it slightly beyond the original problem.
Now, clean off the floor and the tile from the years of dust that has accumulated under this slightly curled tile.
Put contact cement under the corner.
Pu...
Elsa Mann shows how she makes tiled tables by hand.
Of particular interest is her homemade extrusion molding process which allows her to create ceramic edge trim for her tables.
She cuts the cross section of the trim into a piece of plywood. Then a clay press above the plywood forces the clay i...
When you need to cut heavy sheet metal, like the fire-rated door cover that we saw in this TV show, regular shears are not good enough. You could do it with a metal cutting blade in a jig saw, but that is very slow.
The professional will use electric shears that make the job easy, but they are o...
As wood dries out, it tends to twist and turn in all kinds of directions.
Generally furniture grade lumber arrives in a shop with a bit of a bow along its length, a bit of a cup across its width and maybe a twist to boot. How do you get this rough cut twisted lumber into perfectly straight and f...
This article deals with a block wall above grade. For a below grade block wall see Basement Perimeter Drainage and Leaking Foundations.
Bryan is faced with a totally un-insulated cinder block wall with 1x2 strapping and a plaster covering. He is thinking about stripping it back to the block...
Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Adhesives Product: Acoustical Sealant
Temperature Limitations: Product must be above +5 C (+40 F) -- but surface can be below freezing.
Rain Limitations: Apply to a dry surface.
Wind Limitatio...
Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Sealants (Caulking) Product: Water based caulking / Acrylic Latex
Temperature Limitations: Above +5 C (+40 F) to +15 C (+60 F) depending on brand
Rain Limitations: No rain for 30 min.
Wind Lim...
Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Sealants (Caulking) Product: Silicone Caulking / Sealant
Temperature Limitations: Above +5 C (+40 F) and below +27 C (+80 F)
Rain Limitations: Apply to a clean, dry surface - no rain for 30 min...
