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Search for the answers to your home repair and home improvement questions.
 Saturday, November 7, 2009
Tip of the Day Categories » Tools

Tip of the Day


Tip of the Day Articles: Tools
Title Read Listen
"Let's Cut a Rug, Sam..."
Looking for an all-around tool...that's versatile, flexible and essential?
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A (Versatile) Snappy Invention
Thomas Hancock invented a stretchy, springy cord he first used for elastic waistbands in clothing.
Read Listen
A Measuring Device Is at Hand!
Thumbs up on this trick!
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Answer: Heat Gun!
Question: Want to remove old paint, vinyl baseboards, stuck bolts and more?
Read Listen
Assembling (The Day After)
Drill-wise and time-wise... squeeze every ounce... when kids are waiting... and speed counts !
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Ax Facts
How to keep your ax well-sharpened.
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Ax Facts
How to keep your ax well-sharpened.
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Back-of-the-Door Workshop
Need a workshop? But you have neither a garage nor a basement? Just "hang one."
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Basic Home Tool Kit
Put together a basic home tool kit, and you'll be prepared to fix a lot of things yourself, instead of having to call a repairman.
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Battery Charge Timer
Avoid destructive charge times with a helpful watchful eye.
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Beam Me Up, Scotty!
This little clip-on LED light is a great idea for spaces that are dark and tight.
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Beam Me Up, Scotty!
"Star Trek" sheds light on soup-can technology.
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Bits On Board
Want to carry drill bits with your cordless drill? Here's the ticket -- all aboard!
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Buying A Power Nailer
Choose the right type and size for handy women and men.
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Caulking tube hang-ups
How to put 'em in order and prevent drying out with a hang-up sorter.
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Chains -- The Weakest Link
Chains that break? No problem... here's how to fix 'em quick as a wink!
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Choosing a Hand Saw
Choosing the right saw is only half the battle.
Read
Choosing a Hand Saw
Choosing and using the right saw is the sign of a pro or a homeowner in the know.
Read Listen
Circular Saw Guides
How to cut "straight and true"... when a "wandering" saw blade is buggin' you!
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Circular Saws
Got a Christmas gift certificate? Why not tool on down to a home center.
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Cleaning blades and bits
Cutting tools a mess? Clean 'em with a surprise product you?d never guess?
Read Listen
Coffee Cans -- Everything but Coffee
Yes you CAN!
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Compass Stud-finder
Just a magnetic compass along a wall until the needle swings in. This indicates that there’s a nail (and a stud) below.
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Compass Stud-finder
Just a magnetic compass along a wall until the needle swings in. This indicates that there’s a nail (and a stud) below.
Read Listen
Convert Your Drill to Use a Keyless Chuck
If you've had an electric drill for a long time, it probably has a key operated chuck -- and chances are the key is missing.
Read
Cordless Drill Holster
How to fix a tiresome flaw with a simple answer for a quicker draw!
Read Listen
Cordless Drill Torque
What's torque? Clue: it governs a drill's "twist"-power for your work...
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Cordless Power Tools
How much power do you need? Pick a cordless tool that's right for you.
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Cushioned tool pegs
New tools for Christmas? Hang 'em on screws with slip-on cushioned protectors.
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Cutting the Power Cord
Which are better -- cordless power saws or corded plug-ins?
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Damaged Screw Removal
Tool news you can use to easily remove damaged screws!
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Doing the Jig
How to make a "quickie" jig for drilling -- not Irish folk dancing!
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Drilling Overhead?
This simple drill-bit trick stops dust "fall-out."
Read Listen
Duck Tape or Duct Tape?
When the army needed a strong waterproof tape, Johnson & Johnson created onet -- and because it was waterproof, everyone called it ?duck? tape -- as in water off a duck's back.
Read Listen
Earth-friendly Batteries
A new breed of battery called "nickel metal hydride" is earth- and environment-friendly.
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Electric Drill Keyless Chuck
A keyless chuck-replacement kit is the answer to your electric drill's lost key-operated chuck.
Read Listen
Electric-drill Basic Training
Select a high-quality drill to avoid worn-out arms, smoking bits and shoddy workmanship.
Read Listen
Extra-strength Screwdriving
Mission possible!
Read Listen
Fix Rusty Gardening Tools
All tools, including those used for gardening, are safer when they are sharp.
Read
Fixing a Hammer
A replacement handle will cost about one-third of the price of a new hammer.
Read
Fixing Your Hammer
A replacement handle costs about a third the price of a new hammer, and replacing a handle is easy.
Read Listen
Flat-free Tires
How to keep hand truck, wheelbarrow and lawnmower tires from going flat.
Read Listen
Frozen Nuts and Bolts
Load on penetrating oil. It works its way in through rust and gunk to lubricate the threads of frozen bolts.
Read Listen
Garden Tool Rust
Sharp tools are safer and easier to use.
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Gasket Plugs and Switches
A quick-and-satisfying home improvement.
Read
Give Your Tools Some Light!
Use a rubberband to attach a tiny flashlight to the side of the screwdriver or extension shaft of your socket wrench.
Read
Good Tools are Easy to Find
No need to be complaining about tools.
Read Listen
Grinder safety
How to properly use a grinder.
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Hacksaw blade protector
Save your blades from abuse?(more from storage -- than from use)?
Read Listen
Hammer, Slammer, Whammer
Some assembly required? Use (and don't abuse) the right tool for the right job!
Read Listen
Hammers and Hotdogs
Hammer heads have two types of faces -- smooth and corrugated.
Read Listen
Hand(y) Drill / Works Magic
When you're working in very tight spaces or in a when you're in a hurry, old-fashioned push drills often are the tool of choice.
Read Listen
Handy Dandy Toothbrushes
Among other things, old toothbrushes are useful for cleaning grout lines in ceramic tile.
Read Listen
Handy Dandy Toothbrushes
Among other things, old toothbrushes are useful for cleaning grout lines in ceramic tile.
Read Listen
Handyperson Update
Picking out gifts for mothers and daughters, wives, nieces and grandmothers just got a whole lot easier!
Read Listen
Head Lights
With beams like these in your plans... you'll light up a life and free up those hands!
Read Listen
Hi-tech toolbox
Tools have come a long way since the Stone Age - now they're very "Space Age."
Read Listen
High-tech Foam Rubber
When it’s time to replace your computer's mouse pad, don’t throw the old one away.
Read Listen
High-tech Foam Rubber
When it’s time to replace your computer's mouse pad, don’t throw the old one away.
Read Listen
High-tech Tape Measure
You'll be deighted at how today's new rulers measure up.
Read Listen
Higher-tech wheelbarrows
There's a new breed rolling out'that's everything a wheelbarrow should be?
Read Listen
Hole saw smarts / re-drilling
Need a larger hole for a new lockset in a door? For bigger and new drill with two.
Read Listen
Holiday Hammering
Complete projects better by using the right hammer for the job.
Read Listen
Hot Father's Day Gift Ideas
Time to go toolin' around.
Read
Hot Tip for Glue
Hot-melt glue guns (and glue sticks) aren't just for craft projects anymore!
Read Listen
How Long Should a Nail Be?
Nail-length formula.
Read Listen
In the Mood for a Power Tool?
Sometimes trial and error is fine, but tool info is better found online.
Read Listen
Interior Design Tools
Picture this!
Read Listen
Keep Cutting Tools Sharp and Therefore Safe
Sharp people know to use sharp tools.
Read
Keyless Chuck For Your Drill
When and how to chuck your chuck and get a keyless chuck replacement kit.
Read Listen
Knife-sharpening Tips
Use a whetstone, with a lttle water, as an abrasive surface for sharpening your carving knives.
Read Listen
Labor Day - Nailed
Hammer tips.
Read Listen
Labor Day - Nailed
Hammer tips.
Read Listen
Ladders and Safety
Discard rickety ladders pronto!
Read Listen
Laser Or Sonic Distance Meter?
Two types to consider?and a range in price (some smaller ? some bigger!)
Read Listen
Laser Tools / What's New?
With today's hot new laser tools, anyone can say, "Beam me up, Scotty!"
Read Listen
Magnetic Back Gloves
How to "get a grip"...and keep parts, tools and fasteners "close at hand!"
Read Listen
Make Do / Get-Me-By Tools
Improvise some basics with stand-in stuff and inside-info "pro" tricks!
Read Listen
Meanwhile, Back at the Wrench
Most knuckle scrapes are caused by the nut on your end of the wrench.
Read Listen
Measuring and marking cuts
How to measure and mark like a pro…so everything fits where it’s supposed to go…
Read Listen
Measuring With Everyday Stuff
One dollar plus one quarter equals 7 inches!
Read Listen
Mini (5-in-1) workshop
No room for a home workshop? Now you can have one?
Read Listen
Miter-helper for Martha
Are cutting precisely mitered corners driving you crazy?
Read Listen
My Friend, Flipper
Spatulas -- they’re not just for cooking anymore.
Read Listen
My Friend, Flipper
Spatulas -- they’re not just for cooking anymore.
Read Listen
My kingdom for a (saw)horse
Need an extra sawhorse? More workbench surface? How to "iron" out the problem.
Read Listen
Nail gun injuries
How and why accidents happen and what to do so it doesn't happen to you.
Read Listen
Nail Holder Hammer Tips
Hammer the nail you're aiming for, not the one on your finger.
Read Listen
Nailing Tips: Avoid Split Ends
Pointed nails act like small wedges and, when driven, often split wood along the grain.
Read Listen
Nails vs. Screw Guns
Nails are not the best of fasteners.
Read Listen
New 007 Tools of the Trade
If you want to handle problems as the pros do, start by peeking into their toolboxes.
Read Listen
Oh Say, Can You C-Clamp?
Making a quick spring c-clamp.
Read Listen
One-Switch Shop Trick
Learn how a single click can get things up and running super-quick!
Read Listen
Palletmania
Pallets: They're stacked, racked, loaded and hauled from floor to ceiling and wall to wall.
Read Listen
Pencil Tip
A flat pencil will never roll away from you during a project!
Read Listen
Pinch An Inch (Ruler-Wise)
Trouble with accurate tape measurements?especially in that very first inch?
Read Listen
Plastic Razor Blades
A new kind of scraper (and "feel") in many ways beats blades of steel!
Read Listen
Pop (Rivet) Culture
A great little item... just got better... it's "pop rivets" that are threaded !
Read Listen
Power Tool Trends
Women are having a big impact on tools.
Read Listen
Power Tools "All aboard"
New drills without a cord now have more handy goodies on board!
Read Listen
Pressure Washers: To Buy or Not to Buy
Pressure washers are great for all kinds of stuff around the house.
Read
PVC Bungee cord holder
Store bungee cords right and remove the one you want without a fight.
Read Listen
Quick draw screw bits
Keep extra screw bits aboard?even if your drill is old and has a cord?
Read Listen
Rollaway tools? Say: ?Nuts!?
How to make 'em stay put with just half a fastener set.
Read Listen
Rust Busters
How to keep tools and parts rust-free, lookin' new...and shiny as new!
Read Listen
Rusty Gardening Tools
Here's how to get rusty garden tools out of the Stone Age and into petunias, roses, basil and sage.
Read Listen
Sandpaper "True Grit"
Numbers on the back of a sheet of sandpaper tell how big the abrasive particles on the other side are.
Read Listen
Sandpaper Downsizing
How to downsize sandpaper so that it's a handier sander and scraper.
Read Listen
Sandpaper Terminology
Sandpaper, technically known as "coated abrasives," has confusing but important numbers printed on its back.
Read Listen
Sandpaper: File It
A 'smooth' trick for storing and filing sandpaper by true grit.
Read Listen
Sawhorse Make-do
Use your trusty ladder as sawhorse and save the day, Tom-Mix style.
Read Listen
Sawhorse Round-up
A well-thought-out sawhorse can make tasks easier!
Read Listen
Screwdriver Imperative
Today's a sale day. Why not tool on over and pick up a simple screwdriver set with an assortment of tip styles and sizes at a super-friendly price?
Read Listen
Screwdriver Imperative
Today's a sale day. Why not tool on over and pick up a simple screwdriver set with an assortment of tip styles and sizes at a super-friendly price?
Read Listen
Screwdrivers 101
Never hit your friend with a hammer!
Read Listen
Screwdrivers 101
A good grip on a screwdriver provides maximum drive-power; get one that’s tough and made of forged steel.
Read Listen
Selecting an Electric Drill
Get a good drill; take care of it and it will take care of you.
Read Listen
Sharp Saws = Good Saws
How to keep your saw blade sharp...and tell when teeth are way too dull.
Read Listen
Sharp Tools Are Safe Tools
Tools, especially power tools, are not toys.
Read Listen
Sharpening Knives
Follow these steps and you're sure to be a pro when carving this year's Thanksgiving turkey.
Read
Shedding Some Light on Drilling
For great results, try our drill.
Read
Shop Vacuum Savvy
The wet/dry shop vac is the handyman's choice.
Read Listen
Shoveling a White Christmas
Shoveling snow is tough work -- as strenuous as prolonged running at 9 miles an hour.
Read Listen
Single-handed Pliers
A simple "conversion plan" lets you use pliers with just one hand!
Read Listen
Soft "C" Clamps
How to soften your C-clamp grip without having things slip.
Read Listen
Squares and levels
How to check these tools…to be sure they’re doin’ what they’re supposed to do…
Read Listen
Stand-up Cordless Drill
How to make your cordless drill stay put with a do-it-yourself big foot.
Read Listen
Starting Y2K on the Level
On the level -- some are off.
Read Listen
Straw Poll on Straws
Drinking straws are versatile.
Read Listen
Strengthen Nail Strength
The smoother the boards fit, the better the nails hold.
Read Listen
Struck Tool Maintenance
Struck tools need special care.
Read Listen
Stud Trek: The Next Generation
Tools that find studs go "beep," now they also center and go deep!
Read Listen
Super-duper Vacuum Cleaners
Super-duper Vacuum Cleaners might be worth the cost!
Read Listen
Sure-shot applicators
Why struggle with bottles and tubes when there's a medical product you can use.
Read Listen
Swiss Army Knife
They do anything...and everything...and today there are many combinations.
Read Listen
Talking Tape Measures
How never to feel like a dummy again.
Read Listen
Tape Measure Maintenance
Accurate measuring is the most important part of any project.
Read Listen
Tape Measure Tip Tip
Tab-hook ends on tape measures are designed to slide back and forth -- just a little bit!
Read Listen
The Old Nail-in-the-Drill Trick
Good tricks are appreciated in the shop.
Read Listen
The Scoop on Screwdrivers
With today's screwdrivers, no more bent shanks, broken handles, injured wrists and stripped heads.
Read
Think You Know Power Tools?
Better learn about power tool 'trigger locks' (to avoid the "school of hard knocks.")
Read Listen
Thoughts for your Penny
To always get the best price, buy nails in bulk instead of those expensive little packages.
Read Listen
Tick-tock Trailblazing
To find due south, point the hour hand of your watch toward the sun.
Read Listen
Tight Spot Screwdriver
How to maneuver in a tight spot with things you probably already have.
Read Listen
Tool Belts And Holders
How to prevent the ups and downs of home improvement and repair.
Read Listen
Tool deja vu (all over again)
Having extra tools is smart and right now's a great time to start!
Read Listen
Tool Recycling
How to put old tools to work building homes for those in need!
Read Listen
Tool Safety
Some tool habits are good and some are very, very bad... know which are which.
Read Listen
Tool Time? Think Quality
Be wary of tools that are "new and improved." The manufacture probably just found a new way to "improve" his bottom line.
Read Listen
Tools -- The Perfect Gift
If you've got a new homeowner or renter to buy for, tools will be a welcome gift.
Read Listen
Tools for Women
Looking for that special gift for the ladies in your life? Think tools! (No, really!) Here's more...
Read Listen
Tools: Buy, Borrow or Rent?
To buy or not to buy.
Read Listen
Toothbrush Recycling
What to do with your old toothbrush once it's polished its last fang.
Read Listen
Top of the Ladder
The top step of a ladder isn’t for standing.
Read Listen
True-grit Hand-sanding Tips
Power tools are great but many projects still require traditional hand work.
Read Listen
Understanding Sandpaper
How to choose the grit…that sands things down or smoothes it!
Read Listen
Using Extension Cords
The power that an extension cord will deliver is determined by a couple major factors -- the guage of the wire and the length of the cord.
Read
Utility Knives
A valuable tool to have on hand is a utility knife.
Read Listen
Vise Advice
Tool abuse is a crime.
Read Listen
Vix 'Hinge' drill bit
There's a specialty drill bit that makes hinge holes 'perfect' so doors will fit.
Read Listen
Wider Miter Cuts
Two-by-six sawing "tricks" gets more "'blade" into 10-inch miter saw cuts.
Read Listen
Wrench Basics
How to avoid wrenching pain!
Read Listen

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