How can you be sure your level is level or your square is square? Flip the levelPlace the level on any table. It doesn't even need to be a level table. Take a close look at where the bubble comes to rest. It does not need to be in the middle, just note where it really lands. Then rotate the le...
Where the teeth come out of the wood, you can get splinters. The faster the cut, the larger the teeth, the more perpendicular to the surface and the duller the teeth, the more splinters you will get.For a hand saw, the splinters are on the bottom of the wood. For a portable circular saw, the sp...
You can waste a lot of plywood if you don't make a cut diagram or cutting plan before slicing into a piece of plywood. One of the most common errors is not thinking about which way the grain of the surface wood is going. In some projects, especially with veneer finished plywoods, this is critic...
One of our viewers sent in this tip.Mark the wall where you want a curtain bracket.Cut a piece of wide masking tape perfectly square and tape it to the table.Place the curtain bracket into the corner of the masking tape and use a pencil to mark the screw holes on the masking tape. Now fix the ta...
The high tech laser lights first came into common use as pointers. School teachers use them to shine a dot or an arrow on a distant wall.Electronic tape measurers use them to indicate what surface you are measuring to.Infra Red thermometers use them to indicate what surface is being measured.Hun...
Rebecca from Cold Lake, Alberta wants to dim her three-way switchs. Can she do it? No and Yes. I know you like that kind of an answer. So read carefully. In fact I don't think I was perfectly clear about this when I did the segment on the TV show, judging by the confusion I heard after it wa...
32-1/2 inches.The rough framing should be 2-1/2 inches wider than the door itself. That leaves room for the 3/4 inch finish frame on each side of the door, and then 1/2 inch on each side for the shims between the finish frame and the rough frame.There are some tricks for building frames into new ...
Laying out one large piece of sheet flooring to fit into a room that is not square is not always easy. I like to first find the wall that is the straightest, or the one that will be the most visible if there is a pattern on the flooring that will look crooked against an odd angled wall. Tha...
Larry Gullins of G & G Electronics in Whitby, Ontario builds home theatres so we sought him out for some design recommendations.Locate the screen in the centre of a wall at the longest point in the room, not on the short side -- you need depth for the best effect. The best room shape is re...
What do you do with the wood plane in the first photo? Not only does the base adjust to different curves, but can be reversed for outside curves. This is the standard plane for making barrel staves and wagon wheels. Although I have never made a wagon wheel I have used it for finishing off ...
