Simplify Door Replacement with a Lock Installation Kit

Irwin Tools Wooden Door Lock Installation Kit

As the owner of a large, somewhat nervous Lab (see note†), from time to time I find it necessary to replace doors she’s damaged. In truth, finding a replacement door is not usually very difficult because the sizes of door slabs are fairly standard. What is difficult is moving the hardware from one door to the other. I’ve picked up a couple of simple tools along the way to make it possible. One is a butt template, the other is my Door Lock Installation Kit, made by Irwin Tools (their catalog number 3111001). When it comes time to install the lockset, this tool makes life a lot easier.

Now This is a Hot One!

BernzOmatic 2 Piece Brass Utility Torch Kit UL100

There’s something seductive about using a propane torch for soldering: the scent of hot metal, the sizzle of solder flux beneath the flame, the nearly invisible blue flame, and that faint tang of incompletely burnt light hydrocarbons tickling the cilia at the back of your nose. Yeah, sweating pipe – it’s my latest addiction: no namby-pamby soldering irons and little globs of solder on wires for me, gimme that graceful cone of blue fire any time.

OK, buy me that graceful cone of blue fire… my tool of choice is an everyday ordinary brass torch from the people who brought propane torches to the masses: BernzOmatic. My Dad had one of these puppies at least forty years ago (hmmm, wonder where that one disappeared to?), so it's made by a venerable company. I picked up one of their UL100 kits when I started sweating pipe myself this past spring, and here’s what I got:

How to Make Putting Up Fence a G-Rated Task

Cooper Tools Heavy-Duty Fence Pliers BMC-3276

My dad was a quiet man, a man not much given to “blue” language;neither of which traits I confess I didn’t fully inherit. However, there were a couple of incidents that could usually make my dad loose his cool and mutter an oath or two (and not always under his breath, either). One of those things – for both of us, in fact – is a good shot on the thumb with your hammer.

How to Save Cash When Die-ing

Irwin Tools Hexagon Die HNS6520, 1/4" #20

Years ago I was headed north through California’s central valley in a fog that would give London a run for its money. I reached for the the truck’s sideview mirror to make an adjustment and, to my horror, it came off in my hand. The next day, I asked my father-in-law if he knew of a junkyard (now promoted to “auto salvage dealer”) to buy a replacement mirror, but he had a better idea. A small threaded rod in the guts had broken, so he just rummaged around in his workshop for a matching piece of rod stock, dug out a die and a big wrench, and in a few minutes he’d fashioned a replacement. Almost two decades later, it’s still in there. “I gotta get me some of those!” I thought at the time, and soon after, I did.

Center Yourself with a Best Way Dowel Center Set

Best Way Tools 25860 Dowel Center Set

Every woodworker learns pithy adages from whoever teaches him (or her) the basics. “Measure twice, cut once” is probably the best-known, but another one my dad taught me is, “It’s all about the joints.” There are many ways to join two pieces of wood, and the most elegant ones don’t involve nails or screws. Doweled joints are an excellent method for making a strong joint without visible fasteners: you simply drill a hole in each piece, stick in a short piece of dowel, and glue the two halves of the joint together.

He said “Simply”: Ha!

A Tasty Solution to a Woodworking Dilemma

Bench Dog Plastic Bench Cookies (4-Pack) 10-035

As a member of the fraternity of woodworkers I share a couple of their most infamous traits: a) a propensity for buying a new tool for just about every project I start, and b) a gigantic collection of bits of scrap wood to be used in making jigs and as clamp blocks or props. The significant problem with using wood scraps to raise a piece off the workbench is that the smooth wood is slippery, allowing the workpiece to move as I sand or rout along an edge.

The Added-Torque Option: Craftsman 10-Inch Flex Handle

Craftsman ³⁄₈-inch Drive 10-inch Flex Handle

A homeowner’s tool kit is not complete unless it includes an assortment – make that a set (or two) – of socket wrenches and the necessary drivers. These tools come in a range of drive sizes, where “drive” refers to the dimensions of the square bit that plugs into every socket and allows you to turn it. Drive sizes range from ¼ up to ¾ inch , though the biggest drives are only needed for work on large machinery. Most homeowners get by quite well with either ³⁄₈- or ½-inch drive set, which as a rule comprises seven or eight sockets and a ratchet.