A Carpenter’s Pencil That’s More Like a Pen Legend has it that the classic rectangular carpenter’s pencil was invented so carpenters would have a marking tool that wouldn’t roll off the roof. Those pencils may stay put, but sharpening them is a fine art, they leave a wide mark when dull, and they’re not up to the task of marking on dark woods and metals. Enter the FatBoy. The FatBoy pencil looks and feels like a hefty pen....
Family Handyman Work Smart Table saw kickback happens when a board trapped between the blade and the fence gets flung back at you after the cut is completed. The results can be dangerous, as you can see from the photo above. This particular mishap occurred while I was ripping 1/4-in.-thick splines for a hardwood floor. I made the mistake of using a push stick that was so shredded from overuse that the board kicked back and blew right under it, skewering my chair....
What is a tile cutter? A manual tile cuter is a simple scoring tool used to cut straight lines in ceramic and porcelain tile. They are used by tile installers. Here are the basic components of a tile cutter: Handle Carriage Base Slide Rails Scoring wheel Breaker Guide/Ruler Stop Support Wings How is a tile cutter used? Place a tile on the base of the cutter. Grab the handle and run the scoring wheel (usually forward) across the entire face of the tile....
With winter around the corner, you may be thinking about stocking up on ice melt or rock salt for your driveway. If snow and ice are a way of life for you each winter, understanding how these work products can help you make an informed buying decision while keeping your property as slip resistant as possible. What Is the Difference Between Ice Melt and Rock Salt? Rock salt and ice melt are both designed to melt through snow and ice on driveways, sidewalks and other surfaces....
Whether it’s the whimsical Victorian roofline, the neoclassical floating staircase, or just the anticipation of what treasures might be waiting under the floorboards, it’s easy to become enthralled with the idea of restoring a historic home. “There’s definitely some cool stuff about old homes and the way they are built,” says Neil Stevenson, a Charleston, South Carolina-based architect and consultant for the celebrity home renovation series Rucker’s Reno. “Often the rooms are huge and there’s high ceilings, old heart-of-pine floors, multiple fireplaces, and everything is built as solid as can be....
Your bed should be a haven, an escape from the troubles of the day. So keeping it clean and fresh is a no-brainer. It’s no wonder, then, that a TikTok video titled, “How to Make Your Bed Smell Like a Dream” drew more than 570,000 views and 32,000 likes since it was first posted in late 2020. I decided to try out the procedure. But first I spoke to author, speaker and TV personality Leslie Reichert, aka The Cleaning Coach....
Those gardeners who lock their sheds and hang up their tools until spring are missing out on a great season to garden — winter. There’s still lots to do, indoors and out. Winter gives me time for one of my favorite things — sorting all my seeds and deciding what to plant in the spring. I browse through seed catalogs and scroll through websites, looking at all the new and old varieties....
Upgrading a Backyard With Low Maintenance Options Recently we designed and built a backyard living room, a spot where you could put up your feet and enjoy the company of family and friends around a fire. Stuck in the Midwest in late winter, we decided to take the project on the road — all the way to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Your backyard may not look like this, but these stylish, low-maintenance options are adaptable for any yard....
According to the latest Producer Price Index data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of building materials in U.S. residential construction has risen nearly 20 percent in the last year. Building material costs have steadily trended upwards since the start of the year, increasing 4.9 percent in 2022 alone. Costs of gypsum products, ready-mix concrete, softwood lumber and other materials fluctuated dramatically over the last year. Factors like inflation, persistent demand for housing and supply chain challenges created an unpredictable landscape in the construction industry....
Tile is tough stuff and can look great for years or decades after installation. Grout, on the other hand, doesn’t always perform as well. It can stain, discolor, crack or erode. In the worst cases, it allows water to enter walls or floors, which leads to much bigger problems. Bottom line: Your choice of grout is at least as important as your tile selection. Home centers carry high-quality grout, but they don’t make choosing it easy....
Most DIYers recognize the importance of using the right tool for the job. But while they may spend hours researching what drill to purchase, they often fail to give enough consideration to what will actually be in contact with their work material: the drill bit. Choosing the right drill bit is about saving your single most important resource — your time. So for peak efficiency, it pays to understand the different types of drill bits, and which one is right for your project....
Shawn Frederick/Getty Images When your lawn is overrun with weeds, spot-spraying or pulling them by hand might seem like a good idea. But at a certain point, it may be better to cut your losses and simply start over. The rule of thumb is this: If your lawn is 50 percent or more bare ground and weeds, it’s best to kill off the entire lawn and replace it with new grass....
I am a creative, competent adult (much of the time). So why does choosing a paint color make me feel like such a moron? I dread going to a home center or paint store “to get some ideas.” The multitude of choices feels so overwhelming that I immediately forget what my house looks like. Not only that, if you take a leap of faith and decide on a color, when you bring it home and actually get it on the wall…what appeared to be a nice, rich gold in the sample chip is actually sort of green next to the blue drapes....
Replacing a hardwired smoke alarm is a piece of cake. If you purchase a smoke alarm from the same manufacturer, you might be able to use the same wiring harness. You simply disconnect the existing smoke alarm and pop in the new one. You can do this, too. To be safe, turn the power off first, of course. If you can’t find the same unit, consider purchasing a wiring adapter, which converts the wiring harness from one manufacturer to another....
Your dog is doing it again — munching away on grass as if it was a sheep. Then sometimes they stop, hunch over and throw up the lawn salad a few minutes later. Your dog is not alone in this habit. Many dogs are grass eaters, and many of them also taste-test flowers, vegetables and tree greens as they wander around outside. No one really knows why dogs eat grass, but there are a few theories....
Is there a more time-consuming (or boring) chore than vacuuming? Probably not—but cleaning doesn’t have to take hours! It’s possible to stop vacuuming entirely by purchasing iRobot’s Roomba robot vacuums on sale for Black Friday, without breaking the bank! Roomba deals enable you to save time and energy—learn how to get the most out of your new Roomba. Best Black Friday Roomba Deals Roomba i7 via merchant The vacuum features a three stage cleaning system that pulls stubborn dirt out of hard-to-reach places inside the carpet....
Unlike many of my peers, I’m not a strictly meat and potatoes guy. I’m big on side dishes as well. When I venture out for barbecue or a steak dinner, I’m usually more excited about the sides than the huge slab of meat in front of me. Salads, vegetables, soups, rices and pastas are all my wheelhouse — and I have the waistline to prove it. I’ve also become a late-arriving enthusiast to the smoking and outdoor cooking craze....
Autistic children have different needs than other kids, so a well-designed bedroom that meets their sensory needs while remaining functional is extremely important. For kids on the spectrum, their five senses can be hypersensitive, which means some kids get upset if too much is happening around them. They may find a particular noise overwhelming, or a light too bright. If they become overstimulated, they will start stimming (self-stimulation), which is their way of regulating themselves....
mattxfoto/Shutterstock Every year, you can celebrate the first day of May by watching dancers weave ribbons around a maypole. This tradition dates back centuries and is as woven in origin theories as the ribbons themselves. So what is the history of the maypole, and why do we still celebrate this festive holiday by dancing around it? A Brief History The tradition spans multiple regions with historical evidence tracing it to Rome, Western Europe, India, Latin America and Northern Africa....
There are generally two types of people who install lap pools — serious swimmers, or those with narrow or shallow backyards. Whichever category you fall into, it’s best to learn as much as you can about lap pool basics before you decide to jump in. What is a Lap Pool? A lap pool is long, narrow and rectangular, usually installed in-ground, although they can be built above-ground as well. As the name suggests, a lap pool is designed for swimming laps, so they need to be long....
