05/31/2011 - When Less Will Do
I am a sucker for the tools section of any hardware or big-box store. I can't help but look at those chop saws, drill presses, band saws and table saws and wish they were mine.

05/24/2011 - Call in the Experts
As I write this, a couple of carpenters are squaring up and adjusting our 15-year old Pella windows. A couple of the windows have given us problems since they were installed, and others have gotten worse over time.

05/17/2011 - Lost and Found
Last week, David from Omaha commented on how often we don't take a minute to find the right tool and use something else instead. He's very right about that; however, sometimes the right tool just can't be found.

05/10/2011 - Tool Dictionary
When my cousin Curt forwarded a virtual copy of the Tool Dictionary, I appreciated the humor and irony in the definitions. In case you haven't seen the list, it takes common tools from the shop and applies twisted definitions to them.

05/03/2011 - A Tool is a Tool, Except …
Last week, I picked up my handmade 16-inch, 12 ppi, hybrid-cut cherry handle tenon saw. Mark Harrell, owner of Bad Axe Tools and saw maker extraordinaire, handed it to me and set up a wood scrap so I could try cutting a tenon.

04/26/2011 - Make a List, Check It Twice
It's been eight years since our son graduated from high school and moved out (for the most part). It's been 7 years and 11 months since my wife first said, "I think it's time to paint his room a different color."

04/19/2011 - Check Tire Pressure
With the rising price of gas, the inevitable news stories will remind us to check our tire pressure to save fuel.

04/12/2011 - Need a Sticky Solution?
Need a sticky solution? Try the website This to That. It offers sticky solutions to any problem. Drop-down menus let you identify the two materials you want to glue together. Click on the button for "Let's Glue!" and up pops the sticky solution.

04/05/2011 - When a Tree Falls
It must be spring! Over the weekend, I donned protective gear—my heavy-duty boots, chainsaw chaps and helmet with face guard and hearing protectors—and got busy sawing.

03/29/2011 - Get That Lawn Mower Ready
Now if you are well organized, your lawn mower was put away last fall with a clean air filter, oil and filter replaced, gas lines and tank drained, and the spark plug removed, cleaned and replaced. If you did all that, all you will likely need to do is fill the tank, choke and start.