Rarely have I had tool failures, but this week has been an exception. Monday night I had a Dremel rotary tool die an ignoble death. Monday afternoon I went by Lowe’s to pick up some cut off wheels and saw the new quick change kits and picked one up for a little more than $20. Monday night […]
Archives for April 2010
Tools for Setting Tile:Tips to Save Time and Money
Installing ceramic or porcelain tile should not be an intimidating project and with the right tools you can get professional results. My first tile installations were many years ago and there was no internet and I didn’t have tile saws or lasers, but I was able to work around those issues. What I wasn’t able […]
Celebrate Earth Day
I have never been accused of being a tree hugger, but I do love trees and wood and I spent much of my time in the outdoors. For eight years my Boy Scout Troop wrapped seedlings for distribution. Each year we would wrap 1500 Bald Cypress and various other hardwoods. Well today is Earth Day […]
Laying Out Ceramic Tiles/Tiling a Sunroom with Porcelain Tile Update Number Two
Several factors affect tile layout. My suggestion is before installing the tile permanently, do a dry run. Lay out the tiles, dry(using no mortar) to see what works best for you. In large areas I usually use a focal point as my center, but if the focal point method causes me to have a small perimeter tile, […]
Henry Ford, E.G. Kingsford or Ellsworth Zwoyer, Who is the Father of Charcoal Briquettes?
This was almost a trick question. Ford receives credit for inventing the charcoal briquette, but did he really invent it? Nope, the patent preceded the Ford plant by 20 years and the patent belonged to Zwoyer. Ford had Kingsford acquire the land for the plant, and the most famous charcoal still bears his name. So really, […]
Tiling a Sun Room, First Installment
Many years ago I converted a porch into a sun-room for my parents. The room gets more use than others and has become a family room where everyone gathers to watch TV, talk or to just enjoy the view afforded by the walls of windows. In recent years, mom’s small dogs have slept there. And […]
Tool and Tech Trivia Question of the Day
Who invented charcoal briquettes?
Painting the Dock’s Metal Roofing; Dock Update Number Two
What a beautiful weekend we had to begin the dock renovation. Several sections of metal roofing on the fish house had to be replaced following a fall storm. Upon further inspection many of the panels that were still in place had to have new roofing screws installed and old screws refastened. The windward panels had begun to […]
Bathroom Remodel Update
Well it has been a few weeks since I updated the progress on mom’s bathroom renovation. The tile layers had begun their part of the job and they did a nice job and are not quite finished. So we began to think that maybe things were getting better. Alas, the cabinets were going in and […]
Impact Ready Accessories by Bosch Tools
Bosch Introduces Impact Tough™ Accessories Mount Prospect, Ill., March 26, 2010 – Bosch Power Tools and Accessories this week introduces a full range of accessory products specifically engineered to deliver outstanding performance when used with impact driving tools. Bosch’s new Impact Tough™ family of accessories is ideal for electricians, HVAC contractors, remodelers and deck builders. […]