Drive a Screw in Each End to Paint a Board on All Four Sides at Once
A screw in each end of a board, resting on sawhorses, suspends it in the air so nothing touches the wet paint. Coat all four faces in one pass and let it dry on the screws.
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Tips
Anchor a Wood Screw in Concrete With Trimmer Line in the Hole
Drill the hole, stuff in a length of string-trimmer line, and drive an ordinary wood screw — the threads bite into the nylon, the nylon jams against the concrete, and the hold is plenty strong for everyday fastening.
Find Where a Tree Will Fall With the 45-Degree Vial on a Level
Sight along a level at the treetop with the 45° bubble centered and you're standing one tree-height away — geometry's answer to 'will it hit the shed,' accurate to about a foot.
Patch a Hole in a Rubber Flat Roof With Primer, Seam Tape and Two Coats of Sealant
Clean, prime, tape over the damage, seal it, bed geotextile into the sealant, seal again. The fabric layer is what stops the patch cracking where the roof moves.
Make a Tamper That Compacts as Well as a Bought One From a 4x4 and Plywood Offcut
A square of plywood screwed to the end of a 4x4 post is a hand tamper. You size the plate to the job, which a bought one won't let you do.
Coil an Extension Cord Into a Tangle-Free Bundle With a Built-In Hanging Loop
Grab both ends of the cord in one hand and loop the doubled cord into your other hand until about three feet remain. Wrap that tail around the bundle and pass it through the top — the wrap cinches the coil tight and leaves a loop to hang it by.
Pull a Broken Fence Post and Its Concrete Out of the Ground With a Strap and a 2x4
Loop a ratchet strap around the top of the concrete footing, pull it tight, then wrap the strap around the middle of an 8-foot 2x4 and stand the board on edge. The board is a lever long enough to lift a 48-inch anchor straight out — no digging, no post-puller.
Build a Six-Tote Storage Rack From Nine Sticks of Lumber
Five 8-foot 2x4s and four 8-foot 2x2s cut down into two ladders joined by four rails, with rungs every 13½ inches so each tote slides out on its own pair of rails. The whole cut list is five numbers, and it came to about $30 in materials.
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