Craft Tools & Techniques

Planar shear testing of rubber determines how much tension the material can take along a flat axis before tearing or otherwise failing to maintain its structural integrity. In most shear tests, the…

Some carports are freestanding structures, erected over a driveway beside a house. Others are built into the house in lieu of a garage. Still others are added to houses, either as an extension of a…

Dents of any size on your vehicle are unsightly. Not only are they ugly, but rust can form if the paint is cracked or chipped in or around the dent. You can pull minor dents from your vehicle and…

Shrink wrap is a thick, polypropylene sheet that shrinks when heat is applied, to form a tight, waterproof seal. The polypropylene is flexible enough to be shaped around a variety of forms, and quick…

Installing a cleanout door on the outside of your chimney gives you clear access to the bottom of the chimney to remove ashes and soot. If your chimney currently does not have a cleanout door, it is…

Nylon web belts have several advantages. They are sturdy and do not dry out or tear over time like leather belts, and they are strong enough to hang tools on or to be used for safety or climbing gear.…

The ash door on a wood stove is located at the bottom of the firebox. It’s where the stove’s ashes fall when they are burned. The ash door also has air holes in it that allow the draft…

Modern front projectors are predominantly one of two types: 3LCD arrays and Digital Light Processing. Epson, original equipment manufacturers of many other company's liquid crystal display projectors,…

Hanging speakers can improve the surround-sound home theater experience while economizing household space. For this reason, many speakers have built-in hangers or pre-drilled keyholes designed to…

When making a smoker or a keg cooler out of an old refrigerator, you'll most likely need to drill a hole in the appliance. These retrofitting techniques depend mostly on measuring correctly for the…

Drilling into a Kohler sink, regardless of its material, is significantly more difficult than drilling into wood or drywall. Standard drill bits that most people use on the aforementioned materials…

Water damage is never good news and the damage can become significantly worse if you allow standing water to sit on the top of your ceiling. By drilling a hole – or multiple holes – you…

Ice makers require an adequate supply of water to create a constant supply of ice. One method of supplying water to an ice maker allows water to flow from a supply line through a small hole. The small…

Water seeping through your carpet, wood or tile floor may be the result of a leak in the concrete slab. There are are plumbing pipes underneath the slab that can crack to due external pressures such…

When replacing a lock set on a door, you may find that the current hole is too small for the new set. This is especially true of much older doors, as the older lock sets were smaller than they are…

Installing a ladder in a loft is a straightforward operation that focuses on the flexibility and removability of the installation. Merely screwing a ladder to a loft will not offer the stability or…

Installing beams on your ceiling can provide a rustic look to any room and can increase the visual appeal of your living space. Because cedar offers warm color tones, beams made from this type of wood…

Sharpie brand permanent markers will eventually run out of ink with multiple uses, but sometimes you just forget to put the cap back on and the tips can dry out prematurely. Before you throw your…

Like many home improvement jobs, installing hardware on cabinets can be infinitely easier with the right tools. In this case, the best way to make this job go smoothly is to employ a jig. A jig for…

Shelves are useful in many applications, particularly in areas that you use for storage, like garages, basements and outbuildings. Putting up a shelf depends on several factors, of which the length of…

Most Frigidaire microwave ovens install over the range following the same procedure, though there re a few with minor differences. Installing a microwave is a good way to save counter space in a…

Anyone who takes their off-roading seriously inevitably will become stuck in the mud, high-centered or overturned at one point or another. When this happens, a winch may be the only thing standing…

A bandmill is a machine that cuts lumber out of logs. Similar to a sawmill with the exception of using a band saw blade instead of a circular saw blade. Most bandmills are portable so they are able to…

Many vehicles have plastic molding along the doors, over fenders, on front and rear bumpers, on the side mirrors and on the windshield wiper cowl. When all of these pieces are new, they shine and look…

Sinking foundations can destroy the structural integrity of a house. Since the early 1970s, different methods have been developed to cheaply and easily raise foundations in the process of sinking.…

On Unix-based systems, you can use AWK scripts to affix time stamps to your log files. If you use "systime," the output is the seconds since the system epoch, which is usually the seconds…

"Need for Speed: Most Wanted" was released by EA in 2005. The cross-platform racing game has a marker system for acquiring vehicle upgrades and other items to help you advance in the game.…

Rubber ring molds are made of silicone synthetic rubber. Sizes run from the single cupcake pan to cake pans large enough to bake a wedding cake. They are easy-release because of their flexibility and…

Casting cement with the aid of a mold within a frame is a way to create detailed copies of molded models that possess the strength of the concrete used in the casting. Mixing a concrete casting is…

The operation of oil rigs is closely monitored by state and federal government agencies. These agencies set specific regulations which influence operating procedures, allowed drilling and safety…

Brother stamps are a must-have for offices that use the same type of wording and signatures for a variety of applications. Whether it's important that you stamp the date on documents or you need a…

Bells have their place in almost every culture in our world, and they may evoke any number of historical memories, nostalgic feelings and musical inspirations. Bells have often been made to…

You can protect your valuable camera equipment without spending a fortune by learning how to cut foam rubber and turn any old suitcase or bag into a durable camera case. You don't even need to be…

Shaker-style footstools have a simple form that gives them their distinctive look. Basic, thin legs support a plain wood or woven top with sideboards around the top between the legs. These footstools…

Concrete tiles come in many shapes, sizes and designs to match a variety of decorating situations. Although a number of concrete tiles are available for purchase, you can create your own tiles at a…

A track carriage is the assembly of wheels that carries a load through a series of enclosed tracks. Garage doors use carriage tracks to raise and lower the garage door. Most enclosed track uses…

Electronic drum kits use a sound module triggered by sticks hitting a velocity-sensitive pad. While the pads have an aura of mystery to them, the signal is created using the piezoelectric effect, the…

A profile page on IMVU is your personal site and displays your content to other members of this social networking community. When you first create your profile, IMVU gives you a page that has a preset…

Expansion joints are a necessary part of any concrete project. Because cement – an ingredient in concrete – tends to expand during the warmer months and shrink during the cooler months,…

Shrink wrap window kits help insulate windows to keep warmth in and lower energy bills. The kits are available in many home improvement and general merchandise stores. The kit contains double-sided…

A microwave oven hanging from a countertop is convenient because it is easier to reach than one hanging over a stove. A front-vented microwave oven is most appropriate for hanging under a countertop…

Adding legs to a vintage sink turns an ordinary vanity sink into a free standing model. If you want to keep with the vintage theme, use brushed steel or bronze-style legs that look like they came from…

You might have a preconceived idea of a cast-in-place kitchen countertop as a plain gray concrete slab. This is typically not the case. With the many coloring agents available, it’s possible to…

Adding a Miele 4062-14 coffee system adds more functionality to your kitchen without the need for hooking up water lines or hard-wiring anything to your home electrical system. The unit uses a power…

The metal traditionally used to make Boeing aircraft is 787 titanium composite. In addition to its popularity in aviation, the metal has gained recent appeal as a roofing agent due to its corrosive…

The NXT 2.0 is a programmable robotics kit manufactured by Lego in 2009. The kit was released as a follow-up to the first-generation kit sold in 2006. The kit includes 619 pieces and features the NXT…

A wooden countertop adds natural charm to the kitchen and gives the space a rustic look. Woods like oak and maple provide a strong and durable countertop surface and give the kitchen striking color…

Countersinking a screw is a standard skill that most carpenters and construction workers learn relatively soon in their careers. Countersinking will allow you to screw together materials such as metal…

A stamped concrete overlay is a good way to refinish old, cracked concrete surfaces. Many colored concrete release agents are available on the market, enabling a do-it-yourselfer to give the stamped…

Installed on the exterior of a building, clapboard siding consists of wooden or composite planks fastened to the wall in a horizontal orientation. Also known as lap-board siding for the way the bottom…