All How-To Topics
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How To Make a Woodworking Spring Clamp out of PVC Drainpipe
8 commentsYou can't buy a half dozen clamps for a buck—but you can make your own for less than that
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How To Save a Miscut Board From the Scrap Bin
39 comments"Measure twice, cut once" no longer applies once you learn this easy fix for a board that's been cut too short
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How to Clean a Large Paint Roller
10 commentsYou'll feel like a kid again when you use this slick tip for cleaning the messiest of painting tools
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How To Make a Reciprocating-Saw Blade Guide Block
2 commentsThis simple tip will help you cut studs more-accurately when making new rough openings in existing walls.
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How to Avoid Complicated Fractions When Measuring a Workpiece
7 commentsIf you need to divide a piece of wood by some inconvenient fractional number like 11/64, you could do some complicated math in your head, but there's a better way.
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How To Drill a Long Thin Hole for Running Small Wires
2 commentsDon't buy an expensive bit that you'll only use once. Make this custom drill bit for running wire for doorbells, thermostats, or other low-voltage equipment.
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How To Stop Paint From Bleeding Under Masking Tape
6 commentsIf you need to keep a straight, clean line between a painted surface and a varnished surface, you could try free-handing it the way the great painters do, or you could put down some masking tape and...
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Make Your Blowtorch Safe
4 commentsPropane torches have tippy bases on one end and flames coming out the other. You could keep a fire extinguisher handy, but there's a better way.
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Prevent Pneumatic-Nailer Blowouts When Installing Trim
3 commentsIf you're hanging moldings and the nails keep blowing out the side of your trim stock, you could just swear a lot and keep your putty handy, but there's a better way.
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How to Stop Sawdust from Binding Up a Holesaw
6 commentsChuck Miller shares a tip on how to evacuate sawdust from a holesaw without pulling the saw in and out of the cut.
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How To Cut Tenons for Deck Rails with a Tablesaw
2 commentsA round tenon is a solid way to secure a baluster to a deck railing. Chuck Miller shows how to make a simple jig to cut your own in this episode of "There's a Better Way."
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Get a Sharp Edge on Knives, Chisels, and Planes with a Homemade Strop
2 commentsKeep this simple tool in your nail pouch and you'll never have an excuse for working with a dull blade again.
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Make A Custom Hole Saw To Remove Stripped Screws
5 commentsTired of scrapping good wood when a stripped screw won't budge? Chuck Miller shares a tip for using, of all things, an old golf club to painlessly pull stubborn screws.
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Plane Doors More Easily With a Shopmade Jig
Scott Gibson shares a tip to keep doors and other big workpieces secure and level.
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Keep Your Truck Tailgate Clear With a Simple Gravel Shield
2 commentsDon't let the back of your pickup get jammed up with soil or stone dust. Chuck Miller shares a tip for making a movable cover to keep your tailgate free of debris.
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How To Hang Drain Lines so They Stay Straight and Secure
4 commentsPlumber Bruce Norman shares his secret to keeping PVC waste pipes right where he wants them.
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Scrap Your Nail Set and Make Your Hammer Work Harder
13 commentsFine Homebuilding reader April Uno shares a new way to countersink nails with a single custom-made tool.
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Roll Compound on Drywall Seams for Faster, Easier Taping
10 commentsAdd a little water, grab a paint roller, and speed up this tedious job.
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A Money-Saving Tip for Protecting Your Truck Bed
2 commentsLearn about a simple way to keep your truck bed clean without buying an expensive tarp.
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Use a Scrap of Electrical Cable to Make a Flexible Flashlight Stand
1 commentRomex isn't just for electricity anymore! Make your own handy light snake with a few wraps of this easily-formable wire.
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How to Paint Fiber-Cement Siding
Painter Jim Lacey shares some tips for caulking and painting fiber-cement siding. read more
Are you a Tipster?
We're on the hunt for great reader tips to demonstrate online and include in the magazine.
If you have a tip that you would like to share, visit our new Readers Quick Tips blog to post text, photos, and links to videos. Or, send us an email at: quicktips@taunton.com
About this Blog
Have your ever been frustrated building something and mumbled to yourself, "There's got to be a better way."
Well, thanks to the contributions of our great Tipsters, and the talent of Fine Homebuilding Special Issues editor, Chuck Miller, help has arrived.
Each week, Chuck demonstrates a tip sent in by readers like you or something he learned on a jobsite.
So enjoy, and don't forget to come back each week for a new tip.
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