Keeping toothpicks in your carpentry kit is a small trick that can be surprisingly useful when a screw strips out in wood. Once a screw hole becomes too loose, the screw may spin without tightening or fail to hold the material securely in place. Instead of abandoning the hole or moving the screw to a […]
Carpentry
Old Cedar, New Again!- Tip from Express Handyman!
Putting away your summer gear? To revive an old cedar chest or cedar closet, rub the inside with a fine-grit sandpaper to bring back the fragrance and help repel moths. For pro tips on improving your woodworking sanding technique, read this Family Handyman article.
Too Small to Clamp – Tip from Express Handyman!
This Express Handyman tip comes from Brent Williams, one of our Project Leads. Use painter’s tape to hold small projects or items that you can’t clamp or nail together while your glue dries. This works especially well with molding returns, caps and other items that don’t have flat surfaces to clamp to.
Stripped screw?- Tip from Express Handyman!
Have a stripped screw? Use a rubber band to get it out! Just place the rubber band over the head of the screwdriver and press it into the stripped screw to remove. Bonus tip-to prevent stripping a screw make sure to use the correct size drill bit, drill pilot holes, press down firmly and drill […]
How much is a dollar worth?- Tip from Express Handyman!
Out shopping and don’t have a tape measure? A dollar bill is 6.14” wide by 2.61” tall (but just think of it as 6” by 2.5”). This way you always have a reference in your wallet for a rough measurement. We wouldn’t recommend framing with this technique! For another helpful express handyman tip, click here!
A magnetic tip – Tip from Express Handyman!
Needing a magnetized screwdriver bit? You can drag a magnet one way on the metal tip to make it magnetized or you can attach a small magnet on the shaft of the screwdriver. Rare earth magnets work the best as they are very strong. The magnetic will travel through to the tip and voila! For […]
In a Pinch- Tip from Express Handyman!
Today’s Tuesday Tip! Do you know that in a pinch (pun intended) you can use your caulking gun to clamp wood as you wait to for the glue to dry. We wouldn’t recommend this all the time but we noticed the mechanism in the caulk gun works in a similar fashion to our hand clamps. […]
No more mess- Tip from Express Handyman!
When drilling a hole into drywall or plaster use painter’s tape to secure an envelope or piece of folded paper just under the area you are drilling to catch all the dust. This helps from needing to pull out the shop vac every time you need to drill a hole. For more helpful handyman tips […]