Archive for August, 2009

Selecting Small Power Tools

If you have used hand tools for any amount of time for drilling holes, driving screws, or hammering nails, then the first time you use a power tool for the same job, you will feel an incredible sense of possibility. Things don’t take near as long to do or require a large amount of […]

A Field Guide to Large Power Tools: Jointers and Planers

Both the jointer and the planer operate on the same principle: a series of knives on a roller pass over or under the surface of a piece of wood, taking off a tiny layer such as 1/32nd of an inch. Where they differ is in their purpose as well as the dimension of […]

An Old Paint Job

If you have an item of furniture that needs to be painted because the wood is not beautiful enough for stain and polyurethane, then you might consider giving it an old paint job. Or perhaps you have just made your first woodworking project but you want it to look like it has been in […]

Hanging Things on the Wall

When you decide to hang a picture or a hat rack on a wall, of course you want the item to stay on the wall and not come crashing down in the middle of the night, scaring the dog who then wakes all the neighbors with his barking. In order to hang something successfully, […]

Electric Dryer Maintenance

Although many household appliances are complex, the electric dryer is actually fairly simple. It consists of a motor that spins the drum, a heat element, some controls, a way to get rid of damp air, and a lint filter. While you can occasionally have problems with the drum not spinning or the heating […]