DIY Tips and Tricks!

DangerMouse

i'm still lost on the whole test tube thing....
owell, when yer kid buys you a gross of pencils and you leave them all around your shop just to be sure one is in reach, why does the wife come in and pick them all up, bundle them, and then hide them in the nether reaches of space, never to be seen again? who knows? but that's why i hang a mini-sharpie on a string around my neck while i work.

DM

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to see some of my original magic tricks and trick boxes!

DangerMouse

on another note, i got sick of trying to repair cheap dustpans that split, cracked or simply broke in half while using, so i made my own.
also got tired of trying to carry in armloads of firewood, so with my (wife's) handy-dandy sewing machine, an old broom handle and some old jeans, *presto* a firewood carrier!

DM

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to see some of my original magic tricks and trick boxes!

4just1don

PSSSSST! dangermouse- I THINK they mean sticking it where the sun dont shine,,,,dont think they were meant for that area...just a figure of speech,,like sticking your foot up somebodys__you know!!

Termite

Nestor, you posted an unsafe electrical tip and I pointed it out. You then took the thread way off track from productive (with some DIY humor and do's and don'ts mixed in) to unproductive with a pointless and unrelated post about making test tubes disappear in corn oil. If you're sensitive and can't take a little criticism for such an odd post...And subsequent odd posts...Then don't post them. Stick to the topic. Discuss things like patching drywall, tools, safety, or framing methods...You know...DIY-related topics, not science class topics.

Termite

I really like the firewood carrier DM. Very creative, and probably as good or better than you could buy at the store!

jamiedolan

Nice Post, FYI; there is a bunch of info and review on toilets on the terry love plumbing site. I spent a few hours reading it one night and found it quite interesting. He found one toilet that is low water and almost never clogs. I don't remember why exactly that model was special, but it had to do with how it caused the siphon to form I think.

Anyway from a practical DIY standpoint, I would love to have a toilet that doesn't clog.

Jamie

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Jamie Dolan - Neenah, WI

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DIYtestdummy

Light bounces off everything. The way our eyes work, we need a little "help" to see certain things. Without getting too deep into medical/scientific theory, facts, and data arguments, Proteins will "fluoresce" because the concentration of phosphorus. Rodents, like rats and mice, spend their days whizzing and pooping and wallowing in it. Someone told me that mice only quit stinkin' when they're dead...

There are many other uses for UV lights. The show clubs don't have them to make the G-strings glow in the dark...


DM - I have the same problem with my pens and pencils "DISAPPEARING," along with other items I strategically place for projects. Wives are too efficient in this respect. It sucks, 'cause her memory is getting as bad as mine - "I know I put it away, but I don't remember where!!!"


Here's one I haven't seen yet - If your screwdriver or drill driver bit won't hold screws, rub it with a magnet.

If you insist on standing on stacked 5 gallon buckets instead of getting a ladder, put the heaviest on top. (OSHA will actually allow 2 with this method - what?)

If a 30 minute task takes you 2-3 hours, get a helper and a 6-pack...make sure the 6-pack is still there for the finish!

If all else fails, read the directions in the native language the product was made in.

Buy "Made in the USA." Seems to make life easier.

Make friends with the mom's and pop's and the knowledgeable people at the "good stores" so you spend a lot less time at the return counters in the big box stores.

Cut 3 times - it's still too short.

Fudge in 60% on top of your budget for each DIY project. The rest is to celebrate a job well...done? I hope?

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"Aw! Why does everything that only happens to stupid people happens to me?" - Homer J. Simpson

micromind

If you need to kill power to a receptacle and there's no panel schedule, first turn everything sensitive to power failure off. Like computers and such. Then get a drop light and a long extension cord. Plug the cord and light into the receptacle in question. Walk over to the panel, and turn breakers off, one by one. It'll be obvious when you get the right one.

If the 6/32 screw that holds a receptacle to a plastic box strips out, a sheetrock screw works wonders. Use a long small one, a big one will split the box.

When squaring up a 90 degree corner, like a planter box or something like it, use the 3-4-5 rule. Measure 3' along one side, and make a mark. Measure 4' along the other side, and mark it. A true 90 will measure 5' diagonally between the marks.

A basic rule-of-thumb with single phase motors. At 120 volts, the breaker size is HP X 20. At 240 volts, it's HP X 10. Example, a 1-1/2 HP motor operated at 120 volts should be on a 30 amp breaker. At 240 volts, a 15 will do. (Note, this is for actual HP of induction motors, not advertised HP such as a 6 HP air compressor, runs on standard house current; or a 3.5 HP vacuum.)

Rob

gma2rjc

PS:
Gma2rjc: You said:

Nestor - I wasn't trying to ridicule you, but if that's the way it came across, then I am truly sorry. Your posts are always interesting and informative and I wasn't kidding when I wrote about showing my daycare kids the disappearing test tube trick. I didn't realize it bothers you to have someone kid-around with you, so I'll try to be more careful next time.

Tip: If you have a screw loose and it won't stay in the wood, put a wooden match (without the end that burns) in the hole and and the screw will then go in tight. A toothpick works well for smaller holes.

If you're doing a job that requires you to change the blades on your utility knife a lot, a small bottle with a childproof cap makes a good container to keep used razor blades in so you don't have to throw them in the trash loose where someone could get cut. The cap won't come off if it gets bumped or dropped.

DangerMouse

i can't let this thread go without a big cheer for ceramic magnets! open up old HDD cases and grab those magnets, they're handy as heck! i used one on a bandana to hold roofing screws, then nails by the handful. i have them mounted on the inside of the woodbox door too, they hold the hatchet, poker, handles for the manual wood splitter, etc. they also keep the door closed! and the lightbox above the dining room windows..... and the not so secret hiding place..... Building a secret compartment bottom of page 1
and they play a part in my 'magic' boxes.....

DM

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to see some of my original magic tricks and trick boxes!

gma2rjc

That's really clever DM....

DangerMouse

tnkx kc... i've never seen anything at stores for carrying logs. but never much looked either.
and yeah, i'm not dense... i kinda figured out the whole disappearing test tube thing right off, but just didn't understand what it had to do with anything, and why it got said. but hey, i've said some silly things here too, so no biggie.

how about some good drywalling tips? like the do one side of a corner, then the other side the next day tip? or how about some tape/mud tricks? lots of people here have problems with lifting/bubbling tape. (ok, so _I_ do)

DM

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to see some of my original magic tricks and trick boxes!

DangerMouse

a few more:
1: when wiring up in my attic, i'm running furring 12" above the height of the blown insulation.
2: the sharpie around my neck string lables EVERY wire into and out of every switch/junction/outlet box. line in/load out, switch1/switch2, etc. makes my job lots easier!
3: i got all 22" outlet boxes to make stuffing excess wires easier.
4: any other wiring tips from you electric pros?

DM

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to see some of my original magic tricks and trick boxes!

Leah Frances

I too, am a ceramic magnet fan - I glue them on the bottoms of dust pans.

I use my Brother label maker to label all my wires at every possible location - where it leaves a box, where it enters a wall/ceiling, where it exits the wall/ceiling, where it enters a box, and what each wire does once it gets in the box.

I use my sharpie for leaving myself notes. My right work glove says 'THINK' and my left glove says 'DON'T BE STUPID'. My electrical pliers say 'TEST BEFORE YOU CUT'. My hammer says 'Don't pry on good wood'.

When using a rotary tool to cut out a opening in the ceiling you can make a quick and easy dust shield with a piece of disposable storage ware - I think mine's a 2 quart. And I've even seen them tricked out with portals for shop vacs.

I use the little half aprons waitstaff use at chain restaurants (heck mine evens says, Applebys). Here's the trick I wear it backwards over my hind-parts - the stuff I keep in it is just as accessible and it doesn't ever get in my way when I'm working.

I use zip ties to put hangers on anything that will stand still. I make them big enough to hang over a door knob - inside most doors in my house you can find a utility knife, tape measure, flash light, dust pan, you name it - I hang it.

But without a doubt my favorite DIY 'trick' that I have learned is to use screws with a star drive - what I spend on fancy screws I make up with never ever stripping a screw and not having to junk phillips bits after every 10th screw. Sure I may be screwing (get it?it was worth reading all my ranting, wasn't it?) the next person who owns the house. But the efficiency outweighs my fear of Karma.

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If I could only remember to THINK about what I was doing before I did it.

Termite

I might have to try that! Very creative and kinda humorous!