Family Handyman March 2022

I started working in a small cabinet shop around 1991 after scouring the Yellow Pages (early Google) for a place that could use some inexperienced help. I laminated miles of countertops and glued together hundreds of acrylic “pull tab” boxes. Not very glamorous stuff, but I learned how to use all the power tools of the trade, and I knew I wanted more. After that shop closed, I did some house building and remodeling before starting at a two-person cabinet shop. In that basement workshop, I discovered traditional hand tools and all the possibilities they open up. During that stint, I became a stay-at-home dad and worked at the cabinet shop on weekends. When our kids started school, I found freelance work, spent weekends at the cabinet shop and added in musical…

When we decided to salvage and refinish a vintage console stereo, we didn’t realize how difficult it would be to find the perfect “piece of junk” for the project. A growing number of independent retailers are available to help with that task, whether you want to do the work or purchase finely refinished furniture. Find Furnish is a Minneapolis-based store that sources and sells vintage furniture and more. “At least half of what we do is refinishing and refurbishing furniture,” said Eric Wivinus of Find Furnish. “We have people on our team who specialize in woodworking or refinishing or working with metal. We also sell pieces that are still in the project stage, and people can bring those back to life as they want.” Brian Wilcox, one of the store’s founders, travels…

SUPERB SQUARES The Woodpeckers brand is known for its high-quality, accurate tools for woodworkers, and these Mini In-Dexable squares definitely measure up. If you do mostly rough carpentry, you’re likely fine without them. But if you’re venturing into fine woodworking and cabinetmaking, consider upgrading your tools. This Woodpeckers square set is something you should splurge on. You’ll use the squares for accurate assembly of components and layout, as well as machine setup. Each has cutouts every 1/16 in. for parallel marking with a pencil. There’s also a detent at each inch as you slide the head down the blade. The shoulder mechanism slides out of the end of the head to hold the tool perfectly level with your workpiece. A full set of Mini In-Dexable squares (about $250) includes 4-in., 6-in. and 8-in.…

WIRELESS WALL SCONCE I wanted to add a few wall sconces in my hallway, but I didn’t want to tear open the walls to run the cable and a switch. I came up with a wireless version that looks like the real deal. I mounted a sconce to the wall and glued a puck light to a 3/4-in. male threaded PVC fitting. The fitting then screwed into the lightbulb socket. These puck lights are battery powered and include a remote control switch. BILL McNAMARA CUSTOM-PROFILE SANDING BLOCK I was refinishing a piece of furniture and had trouble sanding away the finish on the decorative molding. I tried a sanding sponge, but even that was missing some of the detailed crevices. After learning how a contour gauge works, I was inspired to grab a deck…

I don’t mind cleaning my hard-surface floors by hand occasionally. Sure, it is a chore, but the results are quite good, and I can do it all with simple cleaning liquids and rags. The problem is, it can take a couple of hours to move all the furniture and sweep, clean and dry the wood. So I do it infrequently. The Tineco Floor One S5 is a wet/dry vacuum designed to clean hard-surface floors, and its smart capability adjusts the cleaning power automatically. It has separate tanks for clean water and dirty water, and a soft cloth roller for cleaning. Cordless, this device includes a dock receiver that plugs into a wall outlet for charging. I was hesitant to run the wet cleaner over my wood floors on the first go. So,…

Its flickering cry for help caught my attention before it flashed its final light. That was the last incandescent lightbulb in my house, and it went dark. Elated, I quickly screwed in a new smart bulb and now feel as if my home has left the 20th century behind. Dramatic? Maybe, but the shift from heated wire filaments to LED bulbs that we can talk to is as big as it sounds. To replace that last old-school bulb, I twisted in a new Solana smart LED bulb from Bulbrite, a company that has been in the lightbulb business for more than 50 years. Bulbrite’s Solana smart bulb lineup includes standard bulbs in a range of lumens; globe, chandelier and reflector-style bulbs; and Edison-style bulbs with visible filaments. We tried a Bulbrite…