Grabbing a screw handle or shaft with a pair of clamping pliers to get some torque usually leaves nasty scars on the screwdriver. Try simply drilling a hole through the handle that will receive a standard screwdriver shaft. That turns the screwdriver into a "T" drive tool, and leaves no sharp e...
When driving screws into wood it is best to drill both a pilot hole and a clearance hole. The clearance hole allows the screw to turn freely without the threads biting into the first piece of wood. The pilot hole is sized to allow the threads to grab to a maximum without forcing the wood sidewi...
There are over 2000 window manufacturers in Canada, and with all that competition, each one wants to make homeowners, renovators, and builders believe that their windows are easier to install than the other brand. This has led to a lot of very poorly built windows that are often difficult to ins...
Mila from Ottawa, Ontario writes: "We are buying a new home and have a choice of 2" x 10" solid wood kiln-dried joists or "Trust Joists" (JLE) Pre-engineered floor system. If you were buying a house for yourself -- which would you choose?"I just love it when people try to nail me down like that,...
You have probably seen this gadget called Squeeek-No-More in the store or at home show demos and wondered if it actually works. It does, under certain conditions.
The idea is to drive a screw into the floor, perhaps right through the rug, have the threads hold in both the floor joist and in the ...
When a lath-and-plaster wall has loose plaster, you shouldn't just put more plaster over it, because the base is no longer solid it will quickly crack again. Either remove the loose plaster, or secure it down.One way is with special "plaster washers". These are light curved washers made out of ...
Fastening to concrete or masonry? We've got three problems: choosing the right fastener, choosing the right tool and then doing it right. Here is some product information and trouble shooting tips.Power Actuated nailingExplosive shot nailling is the most common but the weakest of the serious ...
Driving a screw directly into wood forces the grain of the wood apart. Soft wood will crush a lot and allow the screw to force its way through. Hard wood is much more likely to simply split when the screw forces its way between the wood fibres. Either hard or soft wood will split when you scre...
When you are looking for professional tool quality, in a DIY package -- here are two great tools.The Rock-Eater is the best drywall saw ever made. The blade is far more rigid than an ordinary saw to allow it to be of a higher temper. That gives it a much sharper piercing point and best of all i...
When the screw driver end of the screw is stripped, and you can't get a hold of the head with a pair of Vise-Grips, then you need to resort to some destructive removal. The goal is to remove the dead screw, without damaging the material around it.Create a SlotYou can often use a hack saw, or a Dr...
