Issue 202
Features
-
Is Your Heating System an Energy Beast?
Here’s how to spot the signs and boost the efficiency of your furnace, boiler, or heat pump.
-
New Winders for an Old House
Don’t even think about tackling these space-saving stairs without a full-scale drawing and a pair of dividers.
-
Beyond OSB: Wall Sheathings That Multitask
Can a product that provides structure, housewrap, and even insulation save you time and money?
-
Dress Up a Vent Pipe With a Copper Boot
Flash roof penetrations with a soldered copper pan and sleeve for an elegant detail that lasts a lifetime.
-
Sweat-Equity Renovation
An 1890s bungalow is returned to its original beauty by an ambitious husband-and-wife remodeling crew.
-
Tool Test: Portable Thickness Planers
The best tools offer precision board-surfacing without sacrificing convenience and durability.
Article
-
Plumb Perfect Prehung DoorsBelieve it or not, you need the level only once, and that’s before you ever touch the door.
-
How to Build a Shopmade Planer TableThis low-cost adjustable table prevents snipe.
Video
-
There's a Better Way: Minimize Circular-Saw TearoutThis zero-clearance circular-saw base ensures the edges of your plywood cuts stay clean.
-
Precision CaulkingNext time you need to fill small holes in synthetic trim, keep your clunky caulk gun in its holster and use an epoxy syringe instead.
-
How to Make Basic PEX ConnectionsA plumber demonstrates how to connect PEX components with a push-fit fitting or a clamp ring
-
Direct Water Into Gutters With a Kickout Flashing DiverterA proactive approach to flashing one of a roof's most vulnerable intersections.
-
How to Change the Blades on an Index-Bladed PlanerA shop pro teaches you how to extend the life of your portable thickness-planer blades and how to change them once they're spent
-
How to Change Standard Thickness-Planer BladesJohn White demonstrates his simple method for changing planer blades
-
How to Change the Blade on a DeWalt DW735 PlanerAn expert gives you a look under the hood and shows you how to change the blade of our tool test's "best overall"
-
Build Like a Pro: How to Make Basic PEX Connections
Plumber Bruce Norman demonstrates how to connect PEX components with a push-fit fitting or a clamp ring
