Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2023 i Family Handyman

What comes to mind when you hear the word sustainability? Resourcefulness? Creativity? Community? Quality? Those are some of the defining terms we use when discussing sustainable home improvement here at Family Handyman. If they hit home with you too, perhaps you’d also agree with the idea that sustainability has become an overused word, yet an under-realized practice in our world. Our team aims to change that. We want to help demystify stigmas around sustainable products and empower readers to find new ways to embrace sustainable living. We want to help you truly live out the word’s meaning, and we’ve dedicated this entire issue to that goal. We believe sustainability isn’t just one thing. It’s not simply using “green” materials, recycling soda cans, owning a rain barrel or powering your path…

When I first encountered the General Angle-izer Digital Sliding T-bevel, I thought it seemed gimmicky. Once I started using it, I was sold. When you use a standard sliding T-bevel, you often still have calculations to do. The digital version helps with that. For instance, if I need to bisect an angle, I don’t need to draw it like I learned in junior high. I can just divide the angle shown by two. Also, it makes angle duplication a snap. It’s like having a digital protractor and a sliding T-bevel. And the tool is accurate to within 0.3 degrees. The buttons on the Angle-izer allow you to read the reverse angle, flip the display and enter an angle into the tool’s memory. It requires a CR2032 battery, but the good…

CELLULOSE INSULATION A green product derived from recycled materials, cellulose insulation comes in a loose-fill or blow-in form. It is treated with boric acid to repel mold and pests, is safer to install than fiberglass because it doesn’t contain carcinogens or gases, and is noncombustible. Cellulose provides a good sound barrier, and it costs about the same as fiberglass. Cellulose is Leiner’s preference. “This insulation provides thermal protection, and our customers are happy with the product,” he says. “New construction is beginning to use cellulose insulation because it is better for the environment and is the best product to install.” For every inch of thickness of cellulose insulation, there is an R-value of 3.5. Most homeowners know insulation affects a house’s energy efficiency and sound barriers, but it also affects…

Interested in building something from reclaimed wood? Shipping pallets can be a great source of material. With 5 billion of them circling the globe at any given time, they shouldn’t be hard to find! Chances are that local businesses have some they’d like to get rid of, either for free or for a reasonable price. Just be sure to ask permission before stocking up. If you’re eager to try your hand at turning scrap wood into something beautiful, I’ll show you how to turn pallets into a beautiful, refined headboard. 1 GATHER AND DRY WOOD Gather and break down three hardwood pallets. Allow the wood to dry indoors for a couple of weeks. Check the wood’s dryness with a moisture meter. Its moisture content should ideally be between 7% and…

Pleasant scents can lift our mood and help us destress, so it’s no wonder that people buy air fresheners, candles, aerosol room sprays and other products. The problem is that many of these products contain harsh chemical compounds, and many require open flames, batteries or electricity. Reed diffusers are a safer option that give you control of the ingredients. Making your own is easy and inexpensive. ■ Round up a clean glass container with a narrow opening to help prevent evaporation. Often you can find one at a thrift store. ■ Measure ¼ cup of sweet almond oil and mix in 12 drops of lemon essential oil and 12 drops of lavender essential oil. Pour the mixture into the glass container. ■ Add diffuser reeds (available at discount and home…

Over and above doing the installation yourself, you can control window replacement cost in these ways: ■ Install windows with a simpler design than the ones you’re replacing, such as solid panes instead of panes with grids. ■ Stick with standard colors and sizes. ■ Replace several windows at once so you can buy them in bulk. ■ Pay by cash or check. A window supplier who incurs a 3% swipe fee for a credit card usually passes on that fee to the consumer. ■ Look around for seconds. Builders often sell unused windows on craigslist.com or Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore. ■ Choose Energy Star windows, which qualify for any applicable energy efficiency tax credits. The federal Residential Energy Efficiency tax credit expired in 2021, but some state and local…

DOGGONE BAD MEASURING! I was installing a new icemaker water line. First I measured from the outside wall of the kitchen to the location of the tubing at the back of the refrigerator. Then I went downstairs to the basement and measured from the outside wall to the same spot. I drilled the hole through the floor and went upstairs to admire my handiwork. But the hole wasn’t where I thought it should be. I suddenly remembered that the house floor cantilevered over the foundation, and I had drilled the hole 18 in. in front of the refrigerator. After a bit of a hunt, I finally found the hole in the hardwood floor—directly under the dog’s dish! Without skipping a beat, I cut a piece of 3∕8-in. dowel, plugged…

facebook.com/thefamilyhandyman pinterest.com/family_handyman youtube.com/thefamilyhandyman instagram.com/familyhandyman tiktok.com/@familyhandyman READER PROJECT LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON Inspired by Brad Holden’s editor’s letter recounting his backyard doover (June ’23, p. 2), reader David Moore shared his family’s story: “When I was growing up, my dad was not one to pass up on anyone’s offerings. One day, someone offered him some used brick—A LOT OF BRICK. He loaded up me and my brother, and off we went. We filled the truck with as many bricks as it could hold, and back home we went to unload them. In the ensuing days, it was our chore to clean and stack them. After what seemed like an eternity, we finished handling the approximately 2,000 bricks. “This was in about 1970 to 1972 when I was 11 or 12, but…

Twenty years ago, I didn’t think twice about toting heavy sheet goods around in the standard body-breaking fashion. Today, however, I do think twice (or more) about it. If there’s an extra body around, I ask for help. The folks at Kreg are always coming up with innovative products; notably, they’re the go-to brand for pocket hole jigs and accessories. Their Panel Carrier is a real back saver. You just slip it over the edge of the sheet you want to carry. Lifting up on the handle closes the jaws securely. With your hand right at shoulder height, just lift and walk away. If you’re under 5 foot 6 or so, the Panel Carrier is less convenient. It’s available at home centers or online for about $25.…

NO JOINTER? NO PROBLEM Not all of us have the room or the budget for a dedicated jointer machine. Here’s a great way to true the edge of a board with a router. ■ Make a jointing guide by ripping a 6-in. strip from the factory edge of a piece of plywood. Be sure your jointing guide is a little longer than the boards you’re jointing. ■ Install a bearing-guided router bit in the router and clamp your jointing guide over the board you’ll be jointing. Let the edge of the board project just beyond the factory edge of the jointing guide all along its length. ■ Run the router to joint the edge, keeping the bearing firmly against the factory edge of the jointing guide and the router base…

1 BUILD A CLOTHESLINE People have been drying their clothes outside for millennia. (Sunshine is the best disinfectant, after all.) Tumble drying your clothes, especially on a high heat setting, is rough on fabrics. It also takes energy. Why not reduce your footprint by building a clothesline? Jhánneu Roberts, sustainability expert for Opendoor’s 2023 Eco-Forward Cities, says using a clothesline is a great way to save energy and extend the life span of your clothes. “It’s also a great way to enjoy some fresh air while doing your laundry.” Many space-saving options are available. While you’re in laundry mode, think about switching to cold water. “Washing clothes in cold water uses less energy than hot water,” Roberts says. Bonus: “Many detergents today are formulated to work just as effectively in…

Extend the life of old concrete by fixing broken, crumbling areas before the problem gets worse. A properly done repair will last decades. We’ll show you how to create a durable concrete patch to fix two of the most common problems: spalling and broken corners. PRO TIP Use an old saw if you have one. Concrete dust is really hard on electric tool motors. CONCRETE PATCH: SIZE UP THE JOB Concrete can be intimidating, but with the proper tools and techniques shown here, even a novice can make a durable patch on the first try. Sawing concrete with a special masonry blade may be new to you, but if you’ve handled a circular saw, you’ll quickly get the hang of it. It’s less hazardous than sawing wood. However, the blade…

Window replacement isn’t all that complicated, and in many cases it requires minimal exterior work. You can often remove old sashes from indoors after prying off the molding, pop in pocket windows and replace the molding. Some homeowners may have the DIY skills to install their own windows, depending on window type and placement. Experts like Owczarzak say most shouldn’t attempt it. It takes a contractor from two to four hours, on average, to install a replacement window. But unless you’re skilled, it will likely take you longer. Consider the following before you decide to DIY: ■ Contractors get a discount on replacement windows unavailable to homeowners. ■ Contractors are better equipped to handle problems, such as windows that don’t fit exactly and crumbling or out-of-square window frames. Owczarzak says…

My brother and I, a medical doctor and an IT professional, started a small hobby ranch where we raised Tibetan yaks. One day we rented a fairly large wood chipper to mulch a pile of branches and small saplings. We positioned the chipper to send the shredded mulch into the bed of our truck. After about a half hour, I noticed the chipper discharge spout was no longer discharging into the bed. It had shifted upward, broken the rear window and completely filled the cab with wood chips. We were plucking chips out of it for months. Two morons who should have stayed with medicine and computers.…

Have you ever used a 5-gal. bucket as a sawhorse? I think most of us have been down that road. The team at Bucket Builder took that idea and ran with it, creating a heavy-duty molded plastic universal lid. It’s modeled off of the Home Depot bucket, but it fits most 5-gal. buckets. The top securely holds two 2x4s flat, or one 2-by on edge. The bottom is molded for holding pipes or other cylindrical items. The lid can snap on to either the top or bottom of a bucket, providing lots of versatility. With two buckets and two 2x4s, you have a sturdy assembly bench or sawhorse. Need a taller work surface? Start with two buckets, each capped with a Bucket Builder, then stack another upside-down bucket on each…

WHAT IT TAKES TIME 2 days COST $300 SKILL LEVEL Intermediate TOOLS Drill, tape measure, level, circular saw, jigsaw, miter saw, table saw, multitool, pocket hole jig, clamps, safety glasses This project is just the thing to organize your kitchen waste. It’s not hard to build your own in-cabinet station that will hold not only your garbage but also recycling and compost. The convenience of this setup will make you wish you had made one sooner. 1 CUT THE PARTS Cut the parts (A-E) using a circular saw and a guide. Finish the smaller cuts on a table saw. 2 CUT THE ANGLES Cut the partition (B) angles using a circular saw. I’m using a track saw, but you can use any circular saw and a simple shop-made guide to…

1. ASSESS THE SEVERITY OF THE DAMAGE. If your driveway is full of spalled areas and broken edges, the surface is probably severely weakened. It’ll continue to deteriorate, and chances are the patches won’t last. 2. CALL IN A CONCRETE CONTRACTOR (search online for “concrete contractors”) to help you assess the situation and ask for a price on complete replacement. But keep in mind that contractors are in the business of selling concrete. With their labor costs, it’s usually cheaper for them to replace than repair. We had trouble finding a contractor who would even do patching. 3. IS APPEARANCE IMPORTANT? A patch will be lighter-colored than the old concrete. Even after weathering for a few years, the new patch will probably still stand out. One way to hide the…

I’ll tell you right off that working with electricity scares the heck out of me. But I had to replace an outlet, so I shut off the proper circuit breaker and checked the outlet with a voltage tester. The power was off. OK, no big deal. I started unscrewing the wire from the outlet, and just as the screwdriver touched the head of the terminal screw, someone sent me an email, which caused the phone hanging at my hip to vibrate. Thinking I was being electrocuted, I threw the screwdriver across the room, where it crashed right through the window. This is one time that hiring an electrician might have been cheaper.…