Archive for the ‘General Construction Tips’ Category
Cutting In Line Using A Milwaukee Circular Saw
Here’s a power tools tip: If you’ve ever done an at-home project using a circular saw, cutting the exact size board can be a bit of a tricky thing. When making a cut with a circular saw, many people cut right on top of the line they’ve marked, and then they wonder why the piece they’ve cut doesn’t fit.
When I use my Milwaukee circular saw, I make sure that I account for the thickness of the blade. So, when I go to make my cut, instead of running the saw on the line I’ve marked and removing wood that shouldn’t be removed, I will make sure the edge of my blade is just touching the line I’ve marked and the saw blade itself will be cutting into the scrap side of the wood. Make your circular saw cuts this way and your pieces are sure to fit every time.
Drilling Pilot Holes Using Two Cordless Drills
If you’re familiar with using power tools to tighten fasteners such as wood screws, then you’re familiar with the fact that some types of wood can split or damage easily when a screw is driven in. If you are familiar with this, then you may also be familiar with drilling pilot holes for the screws. This removes most of the wood where the screw is inserted so it isn’t displaced outward. If you are not familiar with this process, this next section will take you through some easy steps.
To drill a pilot hole, locate where your screw will be inserted, and then choose a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the screw you will be using. Using a cordless drill, drill the hole. To insert the screw, you may use the same cordless drill to drive the screw, except you now have to change the bit for every screw, or drill all of the pilot holes first before driving the screws. What I like to do to get all of the work done at once is use another cordless drill. I keep the dill bit for the pilot hole in one cordless drill, and and screwdriver bit in the other. This saves a lot of time switching back and forth between bits.
You may use two corded drills for this project, but most people don’t prefer all of the extension cords and tangling issues that come with using corded power tools.
Home Built Studio Desktop Using A DeWalt Router
When I first got into building wiring systems for major media outlets, one of my first jobs was actually making my own home studio desk using simple materials that could be bought any any building materials store, and all the power tools I needed were a jigsaw and DeWalt router. Admittedly, I got some help, but it turned out to be something I could easily have done on my own.
We first bought a 4′ x 8′ piece of formica-finished particle board and some vinyl tap-in table edging. We then cut rounded corners and cut out a slight alcove with the jigsaw for my chair to fit in, giving the desk a “wrap-around” feel. We then took the DeWalt router and cut out a groove in the edge around the entire desk. If doing this yourself, you want to make sure the router bit will cut a groove exactly in the middle for the final step. When you have a groove cut, fit the tongue on the back of the vinyl edging into the groove you just cut. The fit should be snug, and may require some light tapping of a hammer to secure in place. Remember not to tap too hard or you could wind up scuffing the finish.
Re-Using Your Circular Saw Blades
On top of buying all the power tools you need for your workshop, buying circular saw blades can get quite expensive when you have to keep buying new blades all the time to make sure you get a good clean cut. As time goes on when you use your circular saw blades, a sap residue will build up, that can start to smoke and will dramatically reduce the effectiveness of the saw blade.
A quick method that many people use to get a longer life out of their circular saw blades, is to get a type of degreasing or de-gunking solution to remove the sap residue. A popular name brand solution is called “Easy Off”. Simply spray and let soak for about fifteen to twenty seconds. Do this for both sides, and wipe clean with a rag. Repeat if necessary. Complete this simple process, and you’ll be using your circular saw blades over and over again.
Tin Ceiling Do-It-Yourself Install With A DeWalt Nailer
Out of all the types of style ceilings there are out there, I prefer the look of a copper or tin ceiling because of all the textures that are possible from the shaping of the sheet metal. Putting in a tin ceiling can cost a pretty penny when done professionally though. When my father and I did the ceiling in his house we chose white painted tin, which came out looking very nice.
The power tools we used on the project were a DeWalt Nailer and a brad nailer. Traditionally, using a cordless drill would have worked. In fact, the recommendation from the tin ceiling manufacturer was to use a cordless drill to mount the pieces with screws.
Completing the project really wasn’t that difficult. First we hung up a layer of 3/4″ plywood to the studs in the ceiling to have a solid base for attach the pieces of tin ceiling to. We used the DeWalt Nailer for the plywood, and the brad nailer for the ceiling pieces. We started at one corner of the room and worked our way across the, one layer at a time until we wound up at the opposite corner. We mounted all of the trim around the room, and we were done in a weekend’s time.
Why Reconditioned Tools For The Holiday Season?
The holiday season is here again and finding the perfect gift for that handy-man in our lives is upon us. Some people have more stuff to fix around the house than others though, which means more power tools will be needed to get the work done that much faster. Buying a lot of power tools can get quite costly though, which means methods of saving money must be discovered.
A great way to save on power tools, is purchasing reconditioned tools. When someone buys reconditioned tools, they know they are getting name brand power tools that have been repaired by trained factory personnel. All reconditioned tools come backed by the original factory warrantee, which covers all power tools for defective workmanship and materials. The savings when buying reconditioned tools can be huge, especially when bought in bulk. This is not just beneficial for do-it-yourselfers, but large construction companies that buy large amounts of power tools could benefit greatly from this. Like-new tools at used tool prices? Sounds like a deal to me.
I’ll bet that just about every home owner reading this right now has painted at least one room in the house by themselves at some point in their lives. If you’re not used to the usual routine, just getting the paint prepaired for the job can be very time consuming, especially if the jobs are bigger and more paint is required. The bigger buckets of paint involved, the more need for power tools there is.
I like to use a cordless drill with a paint paddle attatchment to mix paint when it’s in five gallon buckets. There’s no telling how much time you will actually save compared to using a paint stick to stir. Stirring the paint by hand can take a long time, not to mention the cramping that occurs in your hand after a while. The cordless drill doesn’t cramp up, and it’ll have your paint all mixed up and ready to apply in no time!
Hand-Made Beveled Edges Using A Makita Grinder
Many times in stone work or carpentry, you will come across an edge of a stone, paver or piece of wood that looks like it has been cut diagonally. This is called a “beveled edge”. Usually, these beveled cuts are professionally made, either at the manufacturing facility, where the paver is set in a cast or on-site by a professional. There’s a do-it-yourself technique for accomplishing this in a pinch with your own power tools at home though.
In masonry, it’s common to cut a piece of stone, and then have a need for beveling an edge to match the other edges on the paver. I usually grab my Makita grinder and a carbide blade. I start at one end and slowly shave down the edge making long , smooth passes. This technique is not absolutely precise, but it will certainly do in a pinch, and can come out looking quite nice to where it would be difficult to notice unless someone got on there hands and knees with a magnifying glass.
One time at a good friend’s house, we all got a bit too tipsy, and wound up tearing down a good portion of the fence for fire wood. It seemed like a good Idea at the time, but in the morning, it was quickly discovered that a new fence was needed.
Building a fence in your own backyard can get pretty costly though, this is why most people that are good with there hands wind up doing it themselves. It’s not that hard, you just need a few simple tools to get the job done. You’ll need, a post digger and a dry line. You’ll find that using a tape measure and level are going to be of use as well. One of the only power tools you’ll need is a cordless drill, unless you prefer dragging an extension cord across the lawn, then you may uses a corded drill. Don’t forget your work gloves either. You can catch quite a splinter handling the wood all day.
After your fence posts, slats and concrete mix are purchased, you’ll want to run a dry line the length of the fence line you wish to install. Along the dry line, then dig your fence posts at a distance specified by the fence instructions to ensure they’re in a straight. Use the level to make sure that posts are straight up and down. When the posts are straight, set them in the concrete mix. Next, you’ll want to attach the sections of pre-fabricated fence to the posts using your cordless drill. Use your level to make sure all of the sections are evenly mounted. This job can take anywhere from a weekend to a week depending on the size of the fence.
Cutting stone with a circular saw can be a bit of a tricky practice. If you are going to attempt to cut stone with a circular saw, before your even start, make sure you are using a diamond blade. Using another type of blade is going to turn out in disaster.
There are many factors that must be weighed to determine whether or not you can cut stone with a circular saw.
The first factor being the type of stone you are cutting. The second factor being the depth of the stone. If the stone isn’t too thick, you may be able to get away with using a 7 1/2″ circular saw on a softer stone like slate. If the stone you want to cut is more course like concrete pavers, than using a worm drive circular saw is recommended, also provided the stone isn’t too thick. Personally, I wouldn’t try to cut any stone over about 3/4″. Any stone thicker than that, I would strongly suggest cutting it with a wet saw. In fact, if you own a wet saw, I wouldn’t even consider anything else. For the rest of us that don’t have the room or money for a wet saw, using circular saws or any other cutting power tools such as grinders can be effective, provide you have a handle on what you’re doing. Just remember, keeping the blade wet helps make a smooth cut and to keeps the blade sharper longer. You can use a garden hose to accomplish this. I’ve even seen someone fill up a plastic soda bottle with water and poke a little hole in the bottom, so the water would slowly trickle out on to the cutting surface. Pretty clever!