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How To Modify Your Sawhorses to Hold Trim Better for Scribing and Planing
All you need to do is bore a few holes and cut a couple notches in your sawhorses to make them real multitaskers.
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How To Drill Pilot Holes Without a Bit
2 commentsSometimes the right tool for the job isn't a tool at all. In this tip, watch Chuck Miller make a pilot hole by working backwards.
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Keep a Paintbrush From Drying Out Between Coats
14 commentsWashing a brush after every coat of paint can be a real drag. Follow this tip and your bristles will stay straight, and the brush should stay wet for days.
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Folding Trick Makes Sandpaper Last Longer
1 commentLearn an old carpenter's trick for getting a sheet of sandpaper to last. All it takes is two folds and a quick slice with a knife.
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Make a Kinked Tape Measure Last Longer
2 commentsSee how a quick snip out of a cracked measuring tape stops the split from spreading.
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Nifty Drywall Patch
6 commentsThis video combines two tips into one - first, a quick way to make an access hole in drywall, and then an ingenious way to close it back up.
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Snake Wires With a Tape Measure
5 commentsSnake wires with a tape measure When upgrading the electrical outlets in my kitchen I needed to pull a wire from the bottom of the wall into the attic. As shown in the drawing (location), I used an...
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Save Spray Foam
8 commentsDon't throw away half-full cans of spay foam. Save them for later use with this tip.
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Make a Tool-Actuated Vacuum
9 commentsGet suction on demand with this easy and inexpensive retrofit.
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Secure Old Plaster in a Pinch
16 commentsDon't let sagging plaster get you down. If you're in a pinch, you can secure it with an item from your plumber's tool kit
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Snake wire through old walls
10 commentsDon’t let narrow wall cavities filled with plaster prevent you from running new wires
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Easy Pick Up Trick for Spilt Screws
6 commentsDon’t cry over spilt screws. Save time and your fingertips with this clever pick-up trick
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Save Your Old Paint
Save valuable leftover paint without the danger that it will gluck up your walls
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Asphalt-Shingle Cutting Guide
2 commentsHere is a little jig I made for cutting asphalt shingles for cut roof valleys
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Make a Simple Clamp for Perfect Miters
4 commentsConvert a spring clamp and two drywall screws into a strong miter clamp for assembling tight miter joints
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Submit Your Tip!
Submit your tip! Share what you know and help others to work smarter and faster.
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Spray Painting Screw Heads Without the Mess
4 commentsA no-mess, no-fuss approach to spray painting screw heads for use with cabinetry, fixtures, and other carpentry projects
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Reinflate Tubeless Tires on the Job Site
9 commentsGot a flat? Instead of heading to the nearest gas station, try this easy technique that saves time and money.
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Snap a Diagonal Chalkline
5 commentsDon't let your chalkline slip. Here's a tip for snapping diagonal lines on panels.
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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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