July 31, 2006
There is a dark side to having tons of windows: no matter how much you love the light or the view, at some point every one of those windows needs a treatment. In my case, that's 43 blinds, shades, or curtains. Multiply that by several hundred bucks and you find yourself wondering whether it might be better to simply brick over a bunch of those double-hungs.
That's how I felt until I discovered NoBrainerBlinds, which sells cellular shades, plantation shutters, window shades (pleated, roller, Roman, and woven woods) and Venetian blinds (aluminum, wood, and faux wood) at about half the price of other places. The products are identical to what you find in pricier catalogs, shipping is free, customer service is excellent, and the blinds are a cinch to install. True, the selection is somewhat slimmer than fancier venues but who really needs umpteen choices of edge binding? Two caveats: Make sure you order sample swatches because the pics on their Web site aren't exactly hi-res; and, as Norm might say, measure twice, order once.
NoBrainerBlinds, Three Brainer Tower, Houston, TX 77096; 888-466-2724; NoBrainerBlinds.com.
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July 28, 2006
photo courtesy of Lee Valley Tools
Old-school carpenters, like Norm, know that it’s wise to measure twice and cut once, but I sometimes find the easiest way to make an accurate cut is not to measure at all. Marking gauges date back to the palm-and-cubit days, but they’re still tough to beat. Instead of trying to squint out sixty-fourth’s, all you need to do is set the bar or beam and lock the headstock. Simply drawing the tool against a reference edge guarantees a sharp line that’s scribed onto the workpiece. This skin-deep cut doesn’t look like much, but it’s enough to keep a board from splintering at the chopsaw, or guide a handsaw or chisel when making a particularly fussy cut.
My problem with most gauges is size….most are too big to keep comfortably in my toolbelt. Luckily, Lee Valley has released a mini-gauge that’s found a home in my front pouch. With a 4½” bar, its reach isn’t as long the gauge I keep by my workbench, but it’s fine for marking out reveal lines when trimming windows and doors, or making a perfect half-lap joint for a picnic table bench.
The $16.50 gauge comes with bar that can be outfitted with a pin, wheel or blade (all included). Woodworking purists preach that there’s a right time to use each, but don’t that stop you from picking your favorite. (I like the way the wheel draws the head tight to the workpiece.) They’ll all work better than a golf pencil.
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July 26, 2006
My porch rail recently developed a bad case of bumps. Knowing that any adolescent acne should have cleared itself up sometime around WWI, I performed a little "detective work" with my cordless drill. The bit found what I feared: someone tried to hide new screws with an interior-grade spackling compound. What looked good at first quickly failed. Unable to adequately keep moisture out or grip the surrounding wood, the patches popped clean through the paint.
This time would be different. Having tried more types of fillers than a shady hotdog salesman, I’ve learned that epoxies rule. Of the epoxy pack, PC Woody ($8.99 for 6 oz.) possesses a few significant subtleties that help it win by a nose. For starters, PC’s ½-hour pot life gives me the time I need to mix up a good-sized batch—and fill more holes—before scooping another dollop from each can. Unlike some other epoxies, PC kicks slowly. This means that when it starts to stiffen, there's time to smear what’s left into a big hole. Second, the sticky, peanut-butter consistency is smooth enough to fill shallow gouges on the siding (their sander must have slipped), but also stiff enough to rebuild a missing chunk on the front step without sagging.
Last but certainly not least, PC wins my Goldilocks award for hardness. Give it a day or two to cure, and the partially cured patches sand much like the surrounding stock. When fully cured, the epoxy remains somewhat flexible to move with the wood, but the patches are tougher than my thumbnail.
Granted, PC isn't perfect. Despite claims to be "stainable," the light tan splotch would be hard to miss…unless you're standing on the sidewalk. (When looks really matter, I prefer counterboring the hole, then plugging it with a tapered plug.) But in this case, after one coat of primer and two coats of paint, even I can’t pick out the patch.
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July 26, 2006
If I truly had a problem, sure, I'd be the first to admit it in a Container-Store Anonymous meeting. But can you really fault me for believing in the power of ingeniously molded plastic to change my life?
Case in point: The Perfect Drill Case. My cordless drill came with a cheapo plastic briefcase. The tool was supposed to fit just so and there was a little niche where the screwdriver bits locked into place (but usually fell out except the one you needed, which was all but impossible to pry out). Whenever I opened the case, everything would spill willynilly including the sundries—pencil, tape measure, torpedo level, screws, anchors, razor-sharp hole saws (ouch)—indispensable to the simplest of drilling projects around the house. And, let's face it, life is too short to bother putting each and every bit back into its perfect little nook.
But this squat little case has changed all that. It consists of two components: a lift-out toolbox tray and the case itself, which has handles that swing up so you can tote it bucket-style. There's room for my cordless in the bottom plus a few odds and ends. Up top, I sort my bits in four lidded compartments: screwdriver bits, twist bits, countersinks, and, in one long bin, longer flat wood bits and wood augers.
OK, so call me an organizational addict. I might be screwed up, my screw bits are not.
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July 25, 2006
Stanley's latest version of their chalk line has a pretty cool, and unbelievably simple, new feature: a see-through plastic case that lets you see how much chalk is left. That way, you don’t climb up on the roof and realize you’re out of chalk. As Tom Silva said to me the other day, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Tom went on to tell me about a neat trick he does when snapping chalk lines to get straight courses of roof shingles: "We tie two chalk lines together, then have a guy on each side of the roof holding a winder. After snapping a row, one guy winds the line back to his side; after the next row, the other guy winds it back to his side. That way the line get re-chalked after every row, but you don't have to walk back and forth across the roof to re-set the line." Why didn't I think of that?
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July 25, 2006
Tom Silva, who has a boat that electrician Allan Gallant calls "a ship," was the first guy to turn me on to marine-grade paints and varnishes, which work much better than anything you can buy at a hardware store.
Last week a friend of mine up here in Maine who owns boats (not ships) and makes copper roofs for a living told me about Trailercoat, a moisture-cured-urethane rustproof primer designed for boat trailers. This stuff makes other rustproof paints look like kindergarten watercolors. In fact, you can paint it right over existing rust (just use a wire brush to get off the loose stuff first) and it will stick forever, and never ever rust again.
I recently used it on an old spark arrestor on one of my chimneys, which was rusted on top and causing orange stains to run down my roof. I could have bought a new spark arrestor for a lot of money, but for $20 I bought a 16-ounce can of Trailercoat instead. No more rust! Trailercoat is made by Pettit Marine Paints and is typically sold in marine stores.
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July 24, 2006
Visiting historic Colonial Williamsburg (and Jamestown Settlement) is one of those rite-of-passage expeditions that many families undertake at some point, intending to demonstrate to their kids how lucky they are not to have to whittle their own toys out of tree limbs and eat boiled pinecones for breakfast. But after a couple of days steeped in pre-Revolutionary rah-rah and quaint days of yore, you’re ready for a return to modern civilization, not to mention a little instant gratification.
That’s when you head to Williamsburg Pottery, a legendary discount extravaganza (and, granted, a tourist trap in its own right) and indulge in unbridled consumerism just like the forefathers intended. You have to see it to believe it, and it does take some stamina to get through all 200 acres of deals in this bizarre bazaar. Among the highlights: a lamp workshop that can turn just about anything into a lamp (bring grandma's coffee grinder!), a print and frame department, garden & greenhouse centers, "Treasures of the Orient" (truckloads of “Made in China” gewgaws and furniture, the ultimate in trade-deficit browsing), the requisite ye olde year-round Christmas shop, and, of course, the ceramic factory that started it all.
For my money, it’s a landscaper’s dream. We scored a pair of lovely concrete urns that retail for $50-$200 at local nurseries for about $11 apiece and the prices on shrubs can't be beat. A great antidote to colonial overload on the Jamestown/Williamsburg pilgrimage, but next time we’re bringing a truck.
Williamsburg Pottery, 6692 Richmond Road, Williamsburg, VA 23188; 757-564-3326; williamsburgpottery.com.
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July 24, 2006
Same old story: I have no storage space, but sometimes I need a big ladder. One tall enough to change the lightbulb in the bedroom without balancing on the footboard, or high enough to paint the
crown molding without doing a ballet toe point. Most step stools, though, are clunky and cumbersome, and take up too much room in my small space.
But I just found out about these great step ladders from Cosco. The Rockford Wood 2-Step Stool has this rich mahogany color that matches nearly every piece of furniture in my living room, so I can actually leave it out without it looking like I'm in the middle of one of my "projects." The Max Work Platform has this cool top shelf that holds all manner of tools, from a paint bucket to screwdrivers in the holes on the handle. That's a lot smarter setup than the way I usually balance my hammer on the top step—or worse, under my arm—as I work.
But even better, both fold up super thin—3 inches for the taller ladder and 2 1/2 inches for the step stool. That means I can slide the Work Platform away in my bedroom closet and still have room for my clothes, and I could stash the step stool behind the easy chair in my living room. And when you live in a tiny apartment like I do, compactness is the best feature any piece of equipment could have.
Rockford Wood 2-Step Stool, $39.99; and Max Work Platform, $59.99 at target.com.
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July 24, 2006
Call me Ms. Safety Queen—or at least Ms. Very Cautious. In my last post I told you how to avoid cuts and scratches with an ultra-safe blade—well, now I’d like to introduce you to the nifty Thumbsaver. With a comfy rubber handle and magnetized, notched head, this ergonomic aluminum wand will work magic on your every hammering need, according to manufacturer FW Tools.
So far, I’ve hammered in a few nails without a black and blue digit to be seen. I noticed it can also help to keep your finger from smarting while driving in a screw that you're holding on to. I’m pretty sure I can thank the gadget (and not my burgeoning DIY expertise) for shaving a minute or two off my usual hammering time by steadying my hand enough to clobber the nails straight the first time, so I’m more than satisfied with its performance.
You might think this is overkill if your hammer has a magnetized nail starter. But many of those are set too deep to use on smaller finishing nails, which are more likely to be the cause of a profanity-filled mishap. And while the tool might seem unnecessary for your run-of-the-mill jobs, it is particularly handy to have around when you have to hammer while executing acrobatic maneuverings or risky balancing, like banging in roof nails or on overhead beadboard. Plus, when a tiny nail falls in a really hard to reach place—because really, falling in plain sight would make things all too easy—the Thumbsaver’s again a stress saver with it’s powerful magnet.
So if you haven’t quite mastered the art of hammering à la Norm or Tom and would like to avoid the pain of a sore thumb and the potential scolding for being a potty mouth, a $12.95 investment will get you the original Thumbsaver and it’s handy, pocket-sized version.
FWTools, Franklin, TN; (888) 257-9198; thumbsavertool.com.
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July 24, 2006
You can probably tell by now that I am a man of many jigs. The Jig-It shelving jig from Rockler lets you drill perfect holes for shelf support pins when making bookshelves. It comes with a high-grade self-centering bit that aligns perfectly and automatically stops at the correct depth. It’s one cool tool if you’re building bookshelves.
One bummer about the way Rockler sells this tool is that you have to buy it with the standard 1/4-inch self-centering bit. That's fine if a) you don't use European/Canadian 5mm pins or b) you don't use those little brass shelf support sleeves—which I just used on my latest bookshelf project because they add a lot of strength and look cool. If you use either, you'll need to spend another $19.99 (beyond the $26.99 for the jig and 1/4-inch bit) for either the 9/32 bit or the 7/32.
It's a minor point in the grand scheme of perfectly straight shelf pin holes. But Rockler beware: If some manufacturer offers a jig without forcing us to buy the darn 1/4-inch bit, you'll read about it here first.
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