Roy Berendsohn

I’ve got no problem with people who have dirt under their fingernails. It shows they work for a living. I also have no problem with the absence of dirt under someone’s fingernails. Maybe that person has a blue collar job, maybe white collar, or maybe they’re retired. Whatever.Dirt or no dirt, I do know that today it’s easier than ever to protect your hands and to clean them once they become dirty. Dirt, paint, adhesive, grease, glue, and caulk: All of these substances are easily removed.I know…

We need gear for work, for play, even to make a great dinner at home. That’s why in preparing for our annual awards package, we spent the past year working on our houses and yards, camping and grilling, and performing nearly miraculous feats with technology. If it sounds like fun, it is. We love gear, and preparing the Gear of the Year Awards is always a blast. But it’s also work that we take seriously because we want you to shop with confidence based on our recommendations. Then we want you to…

There are lots of small details that move the needle from a good paint job to one that’s great.

When we discuss big DIY projects, we tend to emphasize power tools, building materials, and accessories. Often, we forget to mention just how important it is to plan properly and to remember a range of small items that are easily overlooked. The absence of any one of these, from contractor trash bags to bug spray, can cost you dearly.Below, we have a list of essentials, though you probably have others to add to our list. Stock up before beginning your next project.The Three Phases of Any DIY Job…

A hole is nothing. Or more precisely, it’s the absence of something—wood, metal, concrete, or any number of different materials. Since holes are nothing, why do we care about them and how to make them? Well, even though they may be nothing out of something, it’s important to know how to make a hole by using a drill bit quickly and accurately. And by accurately, I mean that you use the right drill bit for the job, and can put that hole right where you need it. The resulting hole should have a re…

A fire extinguisher is more than a tool that puts out a fire. It can be the arbiter between life or death. Putting out a fire early can mean the difference between a small, smoky mess and widespread wreckage. Consider this: Fire with access to air and fuel, will double in size every 30 seconds. In three minutes, a fire that starts out the size of one 5-gallon bucket becomes the size of 64 burning buckets. Just 180 seconds after it begins, a fire can be transformed from a nuisance to a room-size…

It’s always good to learn new things. The other day I discovered that it’s fun to build a knife. I received a $40 kit of parts from knifekits.com. Tucked neatly inside the box was also a single sheet of general instructions with an exploded illustration of the knife to be built. I went from loose parts to a well-executed knife in about two hours.The tools I needed were a pair of locking pliers, a ball peen hammer, a bench vise, and a random orbit sander. I’ve linked to those tools below and I a…

Pumping new life into an old mower is easier than you think.

Learn to handle this basic tool and take one step closer to being an expert woodworker.

Believe it or not, autumn’s cooler and milder temperatures make it the ideal time to clean the outside of your house.