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How To Form Small Concrete Projects The Easy Way
5 commentsYou may be surprised at the tool Chuck Miller uses to make sure his concrete pour goes as smoothly as possible.
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How to Make a Drain-Pipe Plans Holder for Your Truck
How do you keep construction documents from getting buried under piles of tools and materials in your truck? Chuck Miller shows a couple of super-easy ways to fit a simple storage space for plans into any pickup.
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Build This Simple Router Jig and Mill Your Own Molding On-Site
4 commentsDon't bother bringing your router table to the job-site. All you need is this home-made jig and a couple of clamps to mill perfect molding on the fly.
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How to Stop The Ladder on Your Truck From Whistling
4 commentsDoes your extension ladder howl when you're driving down the road? Our latest 'Truck Tips' video has a quick fix for that. Plus, see an easy way to load ladders without breaking your back.
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A Sliding Dump Bed Makes Unloading Gravel Fast and Easy
6 commentsPut away your shovel and save your back. Make your truck do all the work, with this simple homemade bed liner.
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How to Drill Level Holes In a Fence Post: Drill-Bit Plumb Bob
6 commentsLearn an ingenious trick for leveling your drill bit when boring horizontally through a thick piece of wood.
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How to Safely Store Bits in Your Router Case
6 commentsGet your router bits to stay put and stay sharp.
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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
16 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
7 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
11 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
11 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
2 commentsSave valuable leftover paint without the danger that it will gluck up your walls
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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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