Family Handyman April/May 2022

I left a teaching career because I wanted to be able to point to my work at the end of a long day and say, “I made that.” After spending lots of borrowed money and five years becoming a teacher, and then only a handful more years in front of a classroom, I decided I wanted to work with my hands and learn carpentry. Working on houses was a new career for me. I had no DIY experience growing up, and my resume certainly didn’t include swinging a hammer—in fact, I had to buy one before my first day. The daily gratification woke me up (early!) each morning, ready to go. What I didn’t expect in the switch to a building career was the learning and problem solving, or how much I…

THE YEAR OF THE SMART HOME It’s not a matter of “if” you’ll buy a smart-home product in 2022 but a matter of which one. Manufacturers large and small are adding “connected” products to both real and digital retail shelves. Our eyes are on a few of these products for testing. The M-Pwr Smart Door is a collaborative effort that combines a Masonite door, a Ring doorbell camera and a Yale smart lock. It also features motion-activated LED lighting. It’s currently available for only new construction. Kohler’s PerfectFill smart bath technology will fill your tub to your preferred depth and temp. Program ideal tub settings for everyone in your home (photo above). How about smart lightbulbs that monitor your health? Yes, please. From Sengled, these lights can monitor your sleep, heart rate, temperature and…

VERSATILE TORCH It’s often called a kitchen torch—think creme brulee—but that’s just scratching the surface of its uses. The Bernzomatic Maker Precision Torch comes with an attachment that has a fine soldering tip. Remove the attachment’s soldering tip, and it becomes a micro heat gun, which works great on heat shrink tubing for wiring repair. Using the regular flame tip, I can solder copper pipe and make solder repairs on brass and woodwind instruments. My Precision Torch also goes camping with me—it’s a handy fire starter. The torch has an adjustable flame and the butane is refillable. You’ll find the Bernzomatic Maker Precision Torch Kit (about $30) at home centers, hardware stores and online. BRAD HOLDEN SENIOR EDITOR ALL-AROUND YARD TOOL Smaller than trees yet stronger than weeds, the flora surrounding the pond in my…

DRYWALL DUST SUCKER Vacuuming drywall dust with my shop vacuum clogs the filter—fast! To make the filter stay clean longer, I take an old T-shirt and cut it off below the armholes. Then I wrap the lower section around the vacuum filter and secure it with two heavy-duty rubber bands. When the T-shirt filter gets clogged, I just pull it off, shake it out and reuse it. And I’m recycling, too. BRIAN HAWKINS WINDOW PAINT SCRAPER It’s hard to paint the wood around windows without getting some paint on the glass. Scraping it off with a razor blade can scratch the glass, or you might slip and cut the painted wood or yourself. I make a scraper by cutting a bevel on each end of a 3/4-in. scrap of hardwood. It takes the paint…

A tape measure is a pretty reliable tool. You probably have several around your house and work area. They’re inexpensive and easy to use. So, do you need a digital measuring device? I mean, if it ain’t broke … right? But we love new digital devices, and we found three unique tools all promising a better way to measure. It just depends on what you need to measure. DIGITAL TAPE MEASURE The KOISS model K519 digital tape measure looks like any other tape, aside from the buttons and small LCD screen. This tool uses a standard pull-out, retractable, locking tape that reaches 16 ft. When you pull the tape across a board, wall or table—whatever you’re measuring—the LCD screen reads the length continuously. With the push of a button, you can set it…

I had to ask myself, “If most of my tools, both shop tools and lawn tools, run on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, why am I still buying single-use AA and AAA alkaline batteries?” The honest answer is purchase ease. One little AA power pack costs about a buck, maybe less, and packs of these are often located near the checkout so I never forget to grab a quantity when I’m out shopping. I heard about a company called Pale Blue that sells rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, and I purchased a four-pack of AA batteries online for $30. That price hits with a jolt—these batteries cost roughly seven times more than regular alkaline AAs. And when I think of all the items in my house running on AA or AAA batteries, I would need…