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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.

Want to see a new Fine Homebuilding tip in your inbox every day? Then sign up for the Tip of the Day newsletter!

  • Perpendicular Toenailing

    About 15 years ago, I started using a toenailing trick that makes it easy to start the nail without its slipping. I put the nailhead where I want to toenail,…

  • Cutting insulation

    I recently insulated my entire house with foilfaced fiberglass batts, and I found a good tool for cutting the stuff down to size -- hedge shears. That's right, but they…

  • Hinge-mortising jig

    I use a router and a jig to mortise hinges in doors and casement windows. By using a 1/2-in. diameter hinge-mortising bit and a standard round-cornered hinge, I achieve a…

  • Butterfly spool

    To avoid losing a ball of string when you're walking a plate, laying out a hillside or stringing a ridge, wrap your line around a butterfly spool. You can cut one…

  • Tablesaw moldings

    Here's a slick way to make a three-face brick molding in one pass over the tablesaw. Mount two different blades (I use an 8-in. blade and a 6-in. blade) on…

  • Site-Built Leaded Windows

    A few years ago, I worked on a low-budget addition that incorporated a lot of recycled materials. One way we were able to save money was by building fixed-lite windows…

  • Steam-Bending on Site

    While we were restoring a large Victorian building in San Francisco, we had to bend a lot of redwood trim around 4-ft. and 12-ft. diameter framed partitions and enclosures. Steam-bending…

  • Drilling From Two Sides

    While installing a set of oak posts and guardrails, I ran into a problem; The ornamental post-caps were over 4 in. thick and required four screws to attach them to…

  • Cutting Double-Angle Miters

    Recently the general contractor I work for was low bidder on the finish phase of a large Victorian-style office building. The job called for crown moldings, 20 raised-panel doors surrounded…

  • Kitchen Cabinet Jack

    Since I often work alone, I use these simple cabinet jacks, made from 2x4 scraps, to support kitchen wall cabinets while I adjust their final position. Set on a 36-in. countertop,…

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Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 332 - July 2025
    • Custom Built-ins With Job-Site Tools
    • Fight House Fires Through Design
    • Making the Move to Multifamily
  • Issue 331 - June 2025
    • A More Resilient Roof
    • Tool Test: You Need a Drywall Sander
    • Ducted vs. Ductless Heat Pumps
  • Issue 330 - April/May 2025
    • Deck Details for Durability
    • FAQs on HPWHs
    • 10 Tips for a Long-Lasting Paint Job
  • Issue 329 - Feb/Mar 2025
    • Smart Foundation for a Small Addition
    • A Kominka Comes West
    • Making Small Kitchens Work
  • Issue 328 - Dec/Jan 2024
    • How a Pro Replaces Columns
    • Passive House 3.0
    • Tool Test: Compact Line Lasers

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