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Tips & Techniques

Tips & Techniques is a collection of methods, tools, and jigs that our readers have devised to get things done on their own construction projects. Email photos and descriptions of your tips to us at [email protected]; post them with the #FineHomebuildingTips hashtag on Instagram; or upload them to FineHomebuilding.com/reader-tips for a chance to have them featured in an issue of Fine Homebuilding Magazine. Plus, we pay for any tips we publish.

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Pitch Block for Stair Stringers

An alternative method for laying out stairs without a framing square.
Diamond Blade and Rigid Foam

A diamond-bit masonry blade creates a cleaner, easier cut than scoring with a knife.
Sawblade Storage

Half of a lid from a plastic bucket stores multiple blades on the wall of your shop or work van.
No-Scratch Metal Bucket

Adding a plywood bottom keeps floors safe from scratches when using a bucket as a tool caddy.
Road-Ready Construction Documents

A piece of PVC pipe prevents documents and building plans from being damaged by water and tools.
Improvised Hammer Loop

When you have no tool belt, use a scrap of 12-ga. electrical wire.
Easy-Clean Putty Knife

Cover the blade with packing tape to make cleanup super simple.
Better Fit for Baseboard

A drywall screw acts as an adjustable shim for making tight inside corners on trim.
De-dusting Holes in Concrete

Electrical-wire sheathing makes a great extension for fitting into tight places with your compressor's air nozzle.
Add Leverage to a Small Hammer

A PVC-pipe sleeve add length to a handle to make nail pulling easier.