In this post, I cover the soup-to-nuts planning, design, and implementation process, how we selected the projector, screen, and speakers for our setup, and some initial performance reviews now that the system is running. My hope is that if you’re planning a home theater for your house — especially if it is in a shared space like ours — this post can help you along in the journey. I’m working on a few follow-up posts on specific aspects of the project and reviews of the equipment I used.

Basement Game Room Setup

Our house is a traditional center hall colonial with a basement that we’ve roughly divided into four quadrants. Each quadrant has a separately-controlled radiant heated floor with a thermostat on the wall of the central utility closet. As you can see, we have a TV/Theater area, a pool table area, a game table area, and a piano/bar area, along with a long storage closet that runs along the back side of the house. The left-most side of that storage closet is where our A/V equipment (e.g., Receiver, 4K Blu-Ray Player, PS5) are stored out of site. Here’s the plan we created in PowerPoint for re-designing our space.

Our existing room setup (shown in the “before” picture above) included:

• A Sony 85″ TV
• A Marantz SR6014 Receiver Powering a 5.1 setup that included the following speakers:
• 3 Martin Logan Axis In-wall Speakers (Front Wall – Left, Center, and Right)
• 2 Martin Logan Electromotion IC In-Ceiling Speakers (Behind Couch)
• 1 Martin Logan Dynamo 1100x Subwoofer

Here’s a few pictures of the space with the 85″ TV before we got started on the upgrade:

Goals for the Project

Goal #1: Larger Screen. Of course, the primary goal of the project was to achieve a much larger and more immersive TV- and movie-watching experience. At the outset, we weren’t quite sure how large of a screen made sense for the space. Our couch sits about 11-1/2′ (138″) from the wall. Would a 120″ screen make sense or would that feel too big? What about 135″ or even 150″? I’ll cover more on that below, but ultimately, we landed at 142″ although from a strictly viewing-distance point of view, we could have gone even larger — even to 150″+ without an issue.

Goal #2, Improve Dialog: A secondary goal for the project was to solve a problem that has long irritated me about our current setup: center channel placement. When you have a large TV with any kind of surround sound system, the front center channel speaker (where most of voice track is played) must sit above or below the screen. An 85″ TV is a little over 40″ tall. If the mouth of a speaker falls around 30″ up on the screen, and your center channel is mounted 6-9″ below the screen (as in most set ups, including ours), it means that the sound of the speaker’s voice and the visual of their mouth are going to be disconnected by a whopping 3+ feet. I would always notice this when we watched TV or movies and it a little bit drove me nuts. Some people won’t be bothered by the visual-audio disconnect, and sometimes I could get lost in a film sufficiently that I forgot about it, but most of the time, it was a persistent irritant. So the secondary goal of this setup was to mount an acoustically transparent screen that allowed the center channel to be placed directly behind the screen, and therefore much closer to any on-screen speaker’s mouth.

Goal #3, Add Dolby Atmos: A third goal that emerged during planning was an upgrade of the sound system from 5.1 (meaning 5 speakers and 1 subwoofer) to at least 5.1.4 (meaning 5 ear-level speakers, 1 subwoofer, and 4 in-ceiling Dolby Atmos speakers).  We ultimately ended up with 6.1.4, a somewhat unusual set up that isn’t widely recommended anymore but worked well for our space). This image shows what speakers we already had, and which ones we added. Note: Our Marantz SR6014 is capable of decoding 11 channels (+ 2 Subwoofers) and powering 9. Since we ended up with 10 decoded channels, (the “6” and “4” in 6.2.4) we had to route two channels through an external amplifier.

Goal #4, Don’t Make Anything Worse: And the final goal: ensure we’re actually upgrading from the 85″ TV and 5.1 setup. This may sound obvious, but one concern when moving from a TV to a projector is picture quality due to projector, screen, and room integration. One of the reasons I didn’t install a projector in the first place is because it’s a lot more work to select the projector and screen and make sure they’ll work for the space. In addition, non-dedicated rooms present challenges, like light reflection, that must be dealt with for the picture to look good. Ultimately, we didn’t want a washed-out looking picture.

Screen Size: How Big is Too Big?

If you Google screen size and viewing distance, you’ll quickly be presented with a number of viewing distance calculators (like this one, or this one) that will almost certainly undersize the screen for your space. The primary driver seems to be that for standard TV, calculators recommend a 30°-35° field of view; for mixed use: 35-40°; and for cinema: 40°-45°. Our setup delivers a whopping 48.3° field of view. With potentially one exception, it is not too big. I’ll get to that exception, and why I still think you should target a 48° to 50° field of view, after we discuss aspect ratios.

Aspect Ratios: 16:9, 2.40:1, or Something Else?

As you’re probably aware, video content can be delivered in a wide variety of aspect ratios. If you’re 40 or older like me, the format you grew up with was 4:3. Around the late 90s, concurrent with TV’s transition from analog to digital, the industry migrated to the now commonplace 16:9. Movies are often filmed in 2.35:1, 2.39:1, or 2.40:1 (sometimes called CinemaScope). On a regular TV, Cinemascope will leave you with those familiar black bars on the top and bottom of your screen. And still more formats are in use today, including a new 1.90:1 IMAX format that is in-between 16:9 and Cinemascope and will leave you with smaller black bars at the top of bottom of the screen. Top Gun Maverick streamed via Prime and a number of Disney+ movies offer this format.

So which to choose? Well, it’s going to depend on a few factors: what content you watch the most; what your selected projector will support; your wall size, and your viewing distance. There are even solutions that involve projectors with lens memory and motorized masking screens that will allow you to have the best of all worlds. For us, those options were out of budget.

So, we selected 16:9 (in my view the “easy button” for a few reasons: 1) We tend to use the projector for TV (40%), Gaming (40%) and Movies (20%). And, because of our room layout, our projector options were very limited. The one we landed on happened to support 16:9.

But What About That “Too Big” Comment?

So when is a 16:9 aspect, 142″ screen too big for an 11.5″ seating distance? The answer is with a few TV shows that use a lot of camera movement. An example would be certain HGTV programs, which use a lot of changing angles, zooming, panning etc. to keep you engaged in the show. With such a large screen, a lot of rapid panning and camera movement, especially with very bright content, can be a bit overwhelming.

But let’s talk about what absolutely DOES look amazing on the 142″ screen: everything else. Sitcoms, news programs, football, the olympics, most everything available on streaming services, and all types of movies are absolutely stunning at a near 50° field of view. And if you were to downsize your screen to make it suitable for the occasionally rapid-panning HGTV program, every other content format would suffer. So it’s a trade. In this case, I think the old adage is true: the bigger the better.

A Strategy for Testing Various Screen Sizes

We started the project by using blue painter’s tape to mark out potential screen sizes around our existing setup and going slightly larger than the internet calculators recommended. I marked out 120″. At first, this larger space seemed really big. But as we sat with it for a few days, it seemed like we maybe could go larger.

Around this time, a friend invited me to the Home Theater Enthusiasts forum on Facebook. I shared my space, plans, and a picture of our space and I got almost universal feedback: go bigger. So we taped off 135″ and after sitting with that for a few days, it seemed much better. 

But then my son asked, could we go any bigger? I started looking around at screen options. Many screen manufacturers make a 120″, 135″ and 150″ screen. Unfortunately, the projector that seemed to work for our space could not be properly located in our room to throw a 150″ screen. But I did find that a popular screen manufacturer, Silver Ticket, made a thin bezel 142″ acoustic screen that was a possibility for our space. So we taped out 142″ and sure enough, it still looked great.

My recommendation if you’re thinking about screen size and worried about going too big, tape out various screen sizes on the wall and sit with them for a few days. Remember: if you install a 16:9 projector and you watch Cinemascope (2:35:1) content, you’re going to have a lot of screen real estate lost to black bars at the top and bottom.

Can the Screen Touch the Ceiling in a Home Theater?

This question really concerned me when designing our space. We have 8′ ceilings and I didn’t know if it would look weird for the screen to be adjacent to the ceiling. The answer: it’s totally fine. You may have to deal with some light reflection issues off the ceiling that could impact contrast, but there is absolutely no drawback to watching a screen that is touching the ceiling and the light issues can be mitigated.

How to Select a Projector & The Throw Ratio Challenge

Selecting a projector is challenging. There are literally thousands of projectors for sale ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to $100,000 or more. They have wide variation in specs and it’s hard to figure out which one makes the most sense for a particular space. So how do you get started? Well, first things first, you need to understand the most important specification that makes projectors different from TVs: throw ratios.

The throw ratio of a projector is defined as: distance (from lens-to-screen) / screen size. So for example, if a projector has a throw ratio of 1.50x, it means that for the projector to throw a 142″ screen, the lens must be located 213″ (1.50x) back from the screen. For a throw ratio of 1.00x, a projector would need to be 142″ away to throw a 142″ screen. A projector whose widest throw ratio is 1.00 cannot throw a 142″ screen from 120″ no matter how you configure it.

So available throw ratios in your space create a major filter in the projector selection process. In our room, the back of the projector can sit no further than about 14’6″ from the screen. If it were to sit further back than that, it would be in the walkway that surrounds our pool table and tall people would hit their heads on it when playing pool. Since we knew we wanted at least a 135″ screen (and preferably a little larger) and the projector lens could sit no closer than 13’6″ from the screen, we were limited to projectors that with a throw ratio of 1.16x or less.

This shorter throw ratio, it turns out, dramatically limited our projector options. Many of the most recommended 4K home theater projectors have a minimum throw ratio of 1.35x or higher. This includes projectors like the JVC DLA-NP5, the Epson LS12000 and UB5050, and others.  Here were the other important criteria we considered:

• Throw ratio of 1.16x or shorter
• Native 16:9 aspect ratio 
• 4K (3840 × 2160) resolution
• Low input lag (<20ms) to support gaming
• An LED or laser light source (these last 5-6x longer than bulbs and do not dim nearly as fast if at all)
• High brightness (3000 ANSI lumens or higher)
• Lens shift capability that allowed for mounting in the right location to project the screen where it is located in our room
• Good reviews

The best resource on the internet for determining which projectors can work in your space is Projector Central’s Throw Ratio Calculator. Once you know the throw ratios that will work for your space, you can load them up into the calculator and have it spit out every projector that might work for you.

Our Projector: BenQ HT4550i 4K LED DLP Projector

After factoring in our other criteria, we backed into only one projector that met every one of our needs: the BenQ HT4550i. A detailed review of the BenQ HT4550i is forthcoming. I’ll link to it here when it’s posted! In brief, the BenQ HT4550i offered everything we needed for our particular space. Of course, it may not work for your space/needs, but if it does, we can wholeheartedly recommend this projector. It’s been great (with a few provisions we’ll share in the detailed review.)

How to Select a Screen for Your Space

Once you know your target screen size, and the projector that you want most for your space, I recommend buying the projector and having it delivered and setup before finalizing a screen choice. The reason for this is simple: with the projector in hand, you can order screen samples and actually project onto your wall (with the samples hung up) and decide which one looks the best for your space. As with projectors, there’s a lot of options out there for screens. Here’s the main options available when it comes to selecting a screen and some links to read more:

Fixed vs. Motorized: We knew we wanted a fixed screen for our setup. I would recommend motorized only if there is another purpose to the wall you’re using besides the home theater. Some folks may also choose motorized if the screen is in a formal (i.e., upstairs) living space and they want it to remain hidden much of the time.

Acoustic vs. Non-Acoustic: An acoustic screen acts as a window to sound, whereas non-acoustic screens do not. If you want to mount your speakers behind your screen, you’ll need an acoustic material. A secondary issue is how the acoustic capability is achieved: either by perforating the material or by using a woven fabric that is naturally acoustically transparent. Perforated screens can give rise to the Moire effect, but are available in a wider range of options.

White vs. Grey: Since the early 2000s most screen manufacturers are offering both white and grey screens. In general, white screens offer superior color reproduction and are appropriate for 100% light-controlled spaces. Grey screens will lower the black floor of a projected image and can be useful to obtain darker blacks in non-light controlled environments.

High Gain vs. Low Gain: High gain screens reflect more light back to the viewer, while lower gain screens reflect less. High-gain grey screens can offer lower black levels while still reflecting enough of the picture to show vibrant colors.

Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) vs. Non-ALR: Some screens have physical properties that allow them to reflect light coming from a specific direction while rejecting most other light. ALR screens tend to have a narrower watching angle but can allow a projector to be used in a brighter environment. Note: Some ALR screens are specially-designed for Ultra-Short-Throw (UST) projectors, while others cannot be used with USTs.

Regular Bezel vs. Thin Bezel vs. No Bezel: This is exactly what it sounds like. Most screens have a 2-3″ black velvet bezel around them. Thin-Bezel screens have a much smaller bezel (often <.5″) and No Bezel screens have… no bezel at all.

There are a few more factors, but these are the most important. I can’t stress enough that trying screen material in your space with your projector is really important. So plan to buy the projector first, and then purchase screen samples.

Where to Order Screen Samples

• Silver Ticket 
• Elite Screens
• Stewart Filmscreen

Our Screen: The Silver Ticket 142″ Thin Bezel WVS Acoustic Screen

Ultimately, we ended up choosing the Silver Ticket 142″ Thin Bezel Frame with ST’s WVS (Woven Acoustic) Material. It’s a white, 1.1 gain, non-ALR screen material that offers great color reproduction at a fraction of the cost of many other screens on the market. Our screen came in under $1,100 with shipping. It is a self-assembly item. It took us about 90 minutes to put together. The instructions were easy to follow, and I didn’t snap pictures through the whole assembly. Silver Ticket has a nice YouTube Video of the assembly process.

Audio Considerations & Dolby Atmos

I last upgraded our audio system in 2019 to a 5.1 setup with a fairly powerful receiver: a Marantz SR6014, which could decode 11 channels and power up to 9, even though we were only using it for 5.1 at the time. If you’ve followed audio at all, you know Dolby 5.1 surround sound has been around since the 1990s. Basically, the 5.1 means 5 speakers (Front Left, Front Center, Front Right, Surround Left, and Surround Right) and 1 subwoofer. After 5.1 came 6.1 (adding a single surround back speaker directly behind the primary listening position (PLP)), and then 7.1 (splitting that surround back into 2 separate channels), then 5.2/7.2 (adding an additional subwoofer), and so-on.

In the 2012 timeframe, Dolby released an entirely new specification called Dolby Atmos. The new specification decoupled the actual speakers in the room from underlying logical “objects” in a dome-shape around the listener, leaving it to the receiver to map the objects to the speakers in the set up. Atmos also gave rise to the addition of new height/ceiling channels that could augment the bed-layer channels. There are a wide range of possible speaker setups with Dolby Atmos, but the most recommended we’ve seen is 7.2.4 (7 ear-level channels, 2 subwoofers, and 4 ceiling channels – two in front of the PLP and two behind it.) I’ve heard of set-ups as crazy as 9.6.9.

Based on recommendations from my newly acquired forum buddies, I decided to pursue a Dolby Atmos setup for our space with a goal of expanding our 5.1 to 7.1.4 or 7.2.4 depending on whether I wanted to install the additional subwoofer. Ultimately, I decided that two surround back channels really didn’t work in our space, and landed on 6.2.4 with the following configuration:

• 6 bed-layer speaker: Front Left, Front Center, Front Right, Surround Left, Surround Right, Surround Back
• 1 Subwoofer and 1 Low Frequency Effects Transducer (runs on the second subwoofer channel).
• 4 In-ceiling speakers (called Atmos speakers by most folks).

Repurposing My Existing Speakers

Front Sound Stage: With the new, wider acoustic screen, we set about to re-arrange our front sound stage to put the L/C/R in-line across the front of the room. This required some relatively easy (but tedious) drywall work. Fortunately, with the screen hanging in front of the speakers, there was no need to do a lot of finish work.

Surrounds: In the old 5.1 system we had been using two Martin Logan in-ceiling speakers as the surround-left and surround-right channels. Technically, in-ceiling isn’t the best setup for 5.1, as all five speakers should ideally be located at ear level; however, many people use ceiling speakers for the rears when placement otherwise is not ideal. We repurposed those for Dolby Atmos speakers (see below). That left us needing new surround speakers at ear-level. We selected Focal 100 In-wall Speakers for our surround-left, surround-back, and surround-right. We chose to use a single surround back channel (instead of surround back-left and surround back-right) because with our existing artwork we couldn’t mount two speakers, but had a nice space where one would fit. Here’s our surrounds:

Dolby Atmos Speakers:

As mentioned, we re-purposed two in-ceiling Martin Logan Electromotion IC speakers that had been used as the L/R Surrounds for Atmos Ceiling Rear speakers. I was able to find two additional ceiling speakers to add in the Atmos Ceiling Front Speakers. Each of these ML Electromotion speakers has a built-in tweeter and woofer that can be aimed at the primarily listening position.

Pictures of the Finished Room

Here’s a few pictures of the Home Theater in Action! You’ll have to just trust us that it sounds amazing!

Pictures of the Home Theater In Action

Here’s a few pictures of the BenQ HT4550i in action!

Final Thoughts

This setup is absolutely awesome. The BenQ HT4550i produces a wonderful, bright picture that is just stunning and the Silver Ticket 142″ screen seems to be the perfect price-to-performance ratio for our environment. The upgraded Atmos speakers offer an amazing listening experience. It truly is next level TV and movie watching.

Update as of November, 2025: The projector and screen are still going strong. We have over 1,000 hours of use on this setup now and it is just so wonderful to have a big beautiful screen to watch every night. We love it and simply could never go back to a TV. Even a 100″ television feels way too small when you’ve become accustomed to 142″ projection.

Questions & Comments

I certainly hope this helps you out! Stay tuned for a few follow-up articles on the screen and the projector itself.

I’m dusting off the proverbial sawdust from my testing bench and taking a look at an offering from Lowes.  Loweâ€s shipped us their new Matabo PHT Hybrid Multivolt 10″ 36V

 Sliding Compound Miter Saw (C3610DRAQAM) for test and review. This is my first time using a cordless miter saw so I’m excited to see how it stacks up against the many corded models I have experience with. Being a hybrid tool, there is also an optional AC Adapter that allows the tool to be used as a traditional corded miter saw. While Loweâ€s provided this tool for free, they are not compensating us for this review and these thoughts are entirely my own.

Key Features and Capabilities

• Hybrid power: 36 Volt 4AH Battery or AC Adapter 
• Portability: Cordless power allows for easy access to any job site
• 0-60 degree miter angle to the right and 0-55 degree miter angle to the left
• 0-48 degree bevel angle range to either side
• Work light and adjustable cut-line laser
• Bevel and Miter locks easily accessible on the front of the saw
• Excellent depth of cut for a compact saw at 12.5″ for 90 degree cuts and 11″ for miter cuts
• Adjustable vertical cut depth

Performance and Testing Features

The two biggest factors I look for in a Miter saw are cut quality and accuracy. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the 36Volt 4AH battery provides plenty of power, resulting in clean, repeatable cuts. Though the cut line laser is a bit finicky to adjust, once dialed in, coupled with the LED work light it makes lining up cuts a breeze. 

In addition to clean cuts, adjustability is also important. Having the miter and bevel locks at the front of the saw is a welcome feature and they function well. Not only does the Metabo HPT C3610DRAQAM have the usual adjustable miters and bevels, it also has a vertical depth of cut feature that could prove quite useful. By flipping down the black bar in the picture below and adjusting the knob, one can adjust the saw to only cut to a certain vertical depth into the material. 

Overall Impressions

Easily the most impressive thing about the Matabo HPT C3610DRAQAM is the power that the included 36 Volt 4AH battery provides. I put it through several cuts, including some older Douglas Fir 2x4s I had laying around, and it never once bogged down. The ample power combined with the extensive list of features makes this miter saw a strong contender for anyone looking for a reliable workhorse. Also, having the capability to adapt it to AC power makes this quite versatile. It can be used in a shop-type setting or easily packed up for a day on the job.

Where To Buy

Both the Matabo HPT C3610DRAQAM with battery and charger and the Matabo MultiVolt 36-Volt 4 Amp-Hour Lithium Power Tool Battery Adapter Kit are available at Lowes. It can also be purchased as a kit (C3610DRA) with the AC adapter, but then does not include the battery and charger. 

Matabo HPT C3610DRAQAM (battery and charger) – $669

Matabo HPT C3610DRA (AC adapter) – $669 

Matabo MultiVolt 36-Volt 4 Amp-Hour Lithium Power Tool Battery Adapter Kit – $169

Key Features of the KOBALT 80v Max Push Mower

Let’s get started with the key features of this mower:

• 21″ cutting deck – comparable to most small gas mowers on the market
• Three modes for handling clippings (bag, mulch, or throw)
• 7-level adjustable deck height w/ easy adjust lever
• 80v Max Battery w/ up to 80 minutes runtime and smart battery management
• Comes in standard push design as well as a self-propelled version (for an additional $100).
• Eliminates the need for gas and oil as well as oil changes.

Here’s my impressions of the mower, starting with right out of the box!

It’s Easy To Setup!

One thing we loved above the mower right from the start is the super-easy setup. Basically take it out of the box, straighten up the handle, charge the battery, configure it for either bagging, mulching, or throwing, and you’re ready to go. As you are probably aware, bagging grass isn’t great from an environmental perspective nor for lawn health. (We follow the old adage, “cut it high and let it lie”. This, along with other lawn care steps, provides optimal lawn health). My sons rotate through our lawn duty and were super excited to try this mower.

Battery Life is Good Enough for Our 1/4 Acre of Lawn

The single most important question we ask when we’re considering a battery-powered lawnmower is, How long will the battery last? Lowe’s says you get up to 80 minutes of runtime with this lawnmower. We’ve used the mower twice now to cut our lawn (each time removing approximately 3″-5″ of grass height), and it has been able to complete our quarter-acre yard without stopping in about an hour, leaving just 1 bar (out of 4) on the battery remaining. Given that we were down to 1 bar after a 1/4 acre, we suspect you’d need two batteries for anything larger than about one-third of an acre.

Battery Charge Time Is Just Over an Hour

A full charge requires an hour and fifteen minutes, but you can get over half charged in about 30 minutes. Still, this is probably a little too long for most people if you’re trying to use the same battery twice for one job. If you spring for the second battery (a fairly pricey option — see the price section below), you’ll get virtually uninterrupted mowing since the charge time is about the same as the run time.

Here’s a picture of the battery on the included charger.

7-Level Adjustable Deck Height

One really nice feature about the KOBALT is the ease of deck height adjustment. The mower has 7 settings (ranging from 1-3/8″ to 3-3/4″). Instead of needing to adjust height on each of the 4 wheels, you pull one lever (and it’s easy to move) and the entire mower adjusts. You can see the lever over the rear right wheel here.

Solid Mowing Performance

So far, the mower has performed great for us! We’re super pleased to finally be off of gasoline and the associated hassles of engine maintenance, oil, and regularly hauling gas cans to/from the gas station. We usually cut our grass when it’s 3-5″ higher than we like it – so the KOBALT is removing a fair amount of grass height for us.

Very Low Maintenance

It probably goes without saying, but the best part of owning a battery-powered mower is the elimination of gas and oil from the setup. No more trips to the gas station with gas cans is a really nice thing. The only regular maintenance this mower requires is blade sharpening, which you should be doing on your gas mowers anyway, but which is more important on this mower since dull blades can negatively affect battery life. If you’ve never sharpened a mower blade, it’s simple and you can follow that link for tips.

Price & Recommendation

The KOBALT 80v Max Mower comes in two varieties, the standard push mower (shown in this article) which retails for $499, and a self-propelled version of $599. Here’s the links for both.

• KOBALT 80v Max Push Mower
• KOBALT 80v Max Self-Propelled Push Mower

You can also purchase the mower without a battery or charger (currently $329 for this option which makes sense if you have other KOBALT tools already)

• KOBALT 80v Max Push Mower (Tool Only – Doesn’t Include Battery or Charger)

Perhaps the biggest drawback of all these large battery tools is the price of extra batteries. A second 6.0Ah 80v Max battery runs a whopping $229. We know there’s a lot of technology that goes into these batteries and we are hopeful that prices will come down on them. That said, this battery replaces hundreds of gallons of gas you’d otherwise have to buy, so in that sense the pricing isn’t insane.

• 6.0Ah KOBALT Battery (stand-alone)

After just two rounds of mowing with the KOBALT we can definitely say it’s a huge improvement over our gas mower. The major pluses are elimination of the need to keep gas on hand and the instant-on nature of the mower (no gas means no choke/start-up activities). We recommend this mower to anyone looking to cut out the gasoline.

If you haven’t ever changed the oil on your car before, this is a great project for the beginner Car DIY. Be sure to check out my previous article first if you’re unfamiliar with the basic process of changing the oil in a vehicle.  Now for a few oil change tips and tricks!

Tip #1 – Save Those Containers

I briefly touched on saving your oil containers to store your spent oil for delivery to a recycling or disposal facility. However, other plastic containers can work just as well, and if you buy in bulk like our family does, chances are you have plenty of them to choose from. 

Tip #2 – Wear Gloves

That may seem like a silly tip, but I honestly hadn’t thought of it until someone else suggested it to me years ago and it makes cleanup so much easier because no matter how meticulously careful you are you will get some oil on your hands. 

How Does The Wrench Perform?

Here you can see I’m using the Milwaukee M12 FUEL long-reach 3/8″ ratchet to loosen the oil plug nut on the oil pan. Measuring a total 11.5″, this tool really shines for jobs like this, where using a traditional wrench is a stretch and quite awkward to get enough torque on a bolt.  With a max 55 ft-lbs of torque, the Milwaukee wrench is on par with it’s more cumbersome pneumatic competitors. If I have one complaint, it’s that the tool feels heavy in the hand, though not ergonomically uncomfortable. Having said that, the reason it is so heavy is because it’s built to last with metal internals that are sure to give you several years of reliable service. The power trigger also has good feedback and is progressive, meaning the more you pull it down, the faster and more forceful it moves. Forward and reverse are adjusted via a traditional switch on the head of the wrench. Overall, I was impressed with the quality of the wrench and could definitely see using it for many projects in the future. 

Tip #3 – Quality Matters

I know at least part of the reason you’ve chosen to change your own oil is to save money, but please don’t cheap out on oil and filters. Choose a brand name synthetic oil and your engine will thank you with increased performance, economy, and longevity. For oil filters, I prefer to get the OEM filters from the dealer. Call around or search the internet though because like everything else at car dealerships, prices vary widely. I tend to stock up so I don’t have to visit the dealer every time I need to change the oil. 

Tip #4 – Use the Doohickies 

Yes, that’s the official technical term. No, please don’t fact check that. In all seriousness though, if your vehicle has a cartridge style oil filter and you follow my above advice regarding OEM filters, chances are it will come with a little plastic drain (doohickey). There will be a smaller cap on the end of the filter housing that is typically removed using a 3/8″ ratchet wrench or a hex wrench. Remove this and then clip the drain into the exposed hole. Doing so releases an internal spring valve that allows the oil to drain out of the housing before removing it completely, which equates to less mess. When you pull the drain out it will pull the rubber o-ring seal out with it. Not to worry, this is intentional and your new filter comes with a new one you should use anyhow.

Tip #5 – Oil Your Seals

The new gaskets / o-rings on your oil filter will seal better with a little lubricant. Dip a clean finger into a container of new motor oil and rub the oil on the new seals before installing them. 

That about sums it up for my oil change tips and tricks. I’d love to hear some of yours!

Spring has arrived and here in the Mid-Atlantic that means the sounds of mowers are filling the air! If you are like me replacing your blades with a sharpened set when you prepped your mower for winter at the end of last season was not on your todo list.  Maintaining sharp blades on your mower is important for both the health of your lawn and to reduce stress on your mowerâ€s engine. Dull blades pull at the grass stressing roots and tearing the grass blades, leaving your yard more susceptible to disease.  Using the right tools makes swapping dull blades with sharp ones a surprising simple maintenance task. Plan to do this at least twice each mowing season.

Changing the blades on your riding mower

Project Time: 30 minutes

Cost: $0 – $25 (if replacing with new blades)

Difficulty Level: Easy

Materials Needed:

• Flat head screwdriver
• Needle nose pliers
• Milwaukee Impact Wrench 
• Impact socket
• Breaker bar
• Torque wrench
• Socket
• Replacement or already sharpened set of mower blades
• Scrap 4×4 wood
• Work Gloves

Other Featured Products to help organize and carry your tools:

• Milwaukee 22 in. PACKOUT Modular Tool Box Storage System
• Milwaukee M18 Lithium-Ion Cordless PACKOUT Radio/Speaker with Built-In Charger

Be sure to check out our amazing Home Depot Coupons before you buy to save yourself some money!

STEP ONE

Gather your tools and materials. In this post, I am using my Cub Cadet XT1 riding mower which has a 42” deck. 

*Note: I use Milwaukee PACKOUT Storage System to organize my frequently used jobsite and cordless power tools. Being on wheels makes it easy to transport to the project site and keeps my most needed tools close by. Also, I just acquired the Milwaukee PACKOUT Radio/Speaker System. This was the first outdoor project in which I got to try it. Ten speakers provided a full 360° sound, and kept me jammin†to my favorite radio station. This speaker system is also perfect for a construction site or an outdoor party, but even when just putzing around the garage.

Position your riding mower on a level surface, disengage PTO, shut off the engine and engage the parking brake!

STEP TWO

Note: Deck removal varies by make and model, so augment this step with instructions from your ownerâ€s manual.

Start by lowering the deck to provide easy access to the deckâ€s connections.

Remove the bow tie pin from each side located at the rear top of the deck and slide the deckâ€s lift arm apart from the deck post mount. (Tip: Sometimes these bow tie style cotter pins are a bit stubborn, especially when new. Use needle nose pliers to grasp the pin and a flat head screwdriver to help expand the pin to aid with its removal.) Now move the deck lift lever to raise the deck lift arms, so that they are tucked up and out of the way.

Remove the bow pin from the front deck lift rod and slide out the rod.

With the deck now detached from the lift arms, slide the deck forward a couple inches to make it easier to remove the belt from the engine pulley (located at the front). On this mower an engine pulley keeper prevents the belt from being fully removed from the pulley. While the keeper can be removed, I simply apply pressure to the keeper on its left (facing forward) until it pops through the hole securing it to the mowerâ€s frame (see red arrow) and slide it downward, creating a gap between the keeper and the pulley that the belt will clear.

The final step required to remove the deck is to detach the Power Take Off (PTO) cable spring from the deck. Carefully slide deck a few inches to the right side of the tractor to provide better access to the PTO cable spring. Then push the idle pulley (arrow in top right picture below) toward the back of the deck to create slack in the PTO cable (middle right picture below) and contract the PTO spring. Then unhook the spring. Be careful to avoid pinching injuries!

Now just one final bow tie cotter pin to remove which secures the PTO cable to the deck. 

STEP THREE

Now that the mower deck is completely detached, carefully slide it out from under the mower. Roll it to a grassy surface and flip the deck over so that it is resting upside down.

STEP FOUR

Some mowers are equipped with a lock that prevent the blades from spinning while removing (or tightening) the flange nuts. Chances are that unless you have a commercial mower, you will need to use a block of wood to prevent the blades from turning when removing the flange nuts. I keep a scrap piece of 4×4 for this purpose, but even a piece of firewood will do the trick.

STEP FIVE

Remove the nuts securing each blade to the spindle assembly. Note: High torque requirements and weeks or a season of cutting grass can make these nuts stubborn to remove. An impact wrench makes this painless. I use my Milkwaukee M18 FUEL 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Impact Wrench, but alternatively you can use a breaker bar to loosen these nuts.

Now replace with a sharpened (or new) set of blades. Hand tighten the nuts and then complete tightening using a torque wrench according to your ownerâ€s manual. This Cub Cadet specifies tighten the flange nut between 70 lbs-ft and 90 lbs-ft.  (Tip: Keep a spare set of blades on hand. This way you can sharpen your old blades on a rainy day or have them professionally sharpened at your local small engine service shop, so they will be ready for a midseason swap.)

STEP SIX

Now reattach the mower deck by completing the removal steps in reverse order.

• When reattaching the PTO cable to deck mount eyelet, position cable collar through eyelet and secure the bow tie pin so that the pinâ€s belly is seated in the collarâ€s notch (inset image 1 and 2 below).
• Lower the deck lift lever, so that the lift armâ€s can be positioned on the deck mounting rods (inset 3 and 4). 
• Do NOT forget to reposition the pulley keeper post through the mowerâ€s frame (inset 5) after looping the belt back in place around the drive pulley. 
• Finally, inspect all connections and ensure the deck will raise and lower (inset 6).

STEP SEVEN

Congrats you are done.  Now go ahead and lay down some big league outfield-styled lawn stripes in that yard!

Hi Iâ€m Jason. I know a little about a lot — which occasionally gets me in a sticky situation. Fortunately, the DIYer community is always there to help get my projects back on track!  I enjoy time outdoors, researching and collecting tools, gadgets & gear, as well as craft beer and mixing cocktails.

I want to share a bit about the new Ryobi ONE+ 6 piece combo kit and the 60 piece bit set. Both are a great value, and if you’re in the market for a combo kit or a nice bit set, they are worth your consideration.

The combo kit is especially nice if you’re new to the ONE+ platform and looking to get a jump on a number of tools. It includes a drill driver, impact driver, reciprocating saw, circular saw, oscillating multi-tool (OMT), and a flashlight. It also includes a charger, two batteries (1.5Ah and 4Ah), and a big bag for $299 at The Home Depot.

Is it odd that I’m really excited about the bit set? The 60 piece, multi-material, drill and driving bits are good for wood, metal, masonry and plastic. That covers a lot of bases, and it’s all stored in a nice clamshell that keeps everything organized. The bit set is currently priced at $21.97 which is a great deal for DIYers and pros alike.

Read on for more details about both offerings from Ryobi!

Ryobi 18v ONE+ 6-pc Combo Kit

If you’re familiar with Ryobi, you’ve probably come across the ONE+ line up before. ONE+ is the Ryobi 18 volt platform, and they have a significant number of tools available. You need a grease gun? They’ve got that. Pex crimp? Yeppers. Soldering station, wet-dry vac, and band saw? Uh huh. So it’s no surprise that Ryobi can bundle some of the more common tools together. Here’s a few details about each.

This combo kit includes the drill driver and impact driver that are often the first two purchases for anyone jumping into the world of power tools. The 1/2″ drill can power through all kinds of materials with up to 500 in. lbs. of torque. Meanwhile, the impact driver boast 1800 in. lbs. of torque. You may be wondering why you want both. The answer is clear after you give the impact a try- it makes driving all kinds and sizes of fasteners a breeze.

I was please to see Ryobi included the reciprocating saw. Recip saws are useful for lots of different jobs ranging from demo to framing to building a deck. This recip features a 1″ stroke and variable speed trigger.

Next up is the 5-1/2″ circular saw. This is smaller than the more common 7-1/4″ or even the 6-1/2″ which means you have a more limited depth-of-cut. Even so, the lack of a cord and the compact design make it easy to manuever.

The multi-tool is another exciting item. I’ve used my multi-tool for cutting door jambs, plumbing cut outs, scraping caulk off the wall, and tons more. OMTs are one of those tools that make life easier, and before long you wonder how you ever managed without one.

Lastly, Ryobi included a 160 lumen, LED work light.

60-pc Multi-Material Drill and Drive Kit

I like this bit set for a few specific reasons. First, you can drill through a variety of materials including wood, metal, brick and plastic. All the driver bits are impact rated to withstand the higher torque applications. And lastly, it’s a great value.

Head on over to your local Home Depot or go online to for the RYOBI ONE+ 6PC Combo Kit and RYOBI 60 PC Drilling and Driving Kit.

Ridgid was kind enough to supply us with their Cordless Drywall Screwgun, which is part of their new Octane line of brushless tools. I already owned a several-years old corded version by Ridgid, which I honestly wasn’t too impressed with. Up until now, whenever I’ve had a drywall project to complete I find myself reaching for my cordless drill driver or impact driver to get the job done, while the corded gun sits in the box. Read on to find out why I’ll be reaching for this tool instead from now on. 

What You Get

Along with the screwgun, Ridgid packs in some nice accessories… 

• Drywall Nose Cone – With tool-less attachment and screw-depth adjustment. 
• Collated Attachment – Also with tool-less adjustment (some manufacturers sell this as a separate accessory)
• Two Long Bits – one square head and one phillips head
• Two Phillips Head Bits
• One Bit Hex Drive Bit

Notable Features

By far the coolest feature Ridgid has incorporated in this screw gun is Power Drive mode. Once activated, the motor only turns on to drive screws when pressure is applied to the surface you are screwing into. To make things even more efficient you can also lock the trigger with a button on the handle. Power Drive mode makes for a more efficient workflow while maintaining battery life and keeping the job site quieter. 

The nose cone and collated attachments both clip on and off without tools, making them a breeze to switch between. Screw depth adjustments on both are toolless in nature as well.

Performance

Whether in the automatic Power Drive mode or manual mode, the Ridgid drywall gun performed well. Once I achieved the proper screw-drive depth this tool was unstoppable and allowed me to drive more screws, more accurately, in a shorter amount of time. What more can you ask for?  

Value

It’s been my experience that Ridgid tools offer a great balance of performance and value and this tool is no exception. It’s available exclusively through Home Depot at $149 for the bare tool if you’re already heavily invested in Octane batteries or as a complete set with two 2 Ah Octane batteries, charger, and carrying case for $299. 

We’ve long been fans of the Bosch Daredevel Spade Bits! They cut faster, last longer and are well worth the investment! Back in October of 2018, Bosch sent us their new Daredevil 12-piece spade bit set to try out. The short of it is that their performance was surprisingly impressive. The screw-tip point and contoured paddle cutters really do work to pull the bits through a workpiece with ease. You can check out my original review here on our sister site Toolbox One. Bosch recently sent us the 6-piece set so I’m revisiting my review from two years ago and fit them just as impressive as I did two years ago. 

Testing Claims

In the original article, I timed the speed it took to go through a standard 2 x 4 using 5/8″ bits, and while Bosch claims speeds up to 10x as fast, my findings were closer to 3-4x as fast, which is still quite notable. Add up the time and physical exertion saved, and the small uptick in price for these premium bits starts to make quite a lot of sense.

Let’s Test It Out!

 If pictures are worth a thousand words, then videos must be worth even more. Check out this quick side-by-side comparison video of me drilling through two 2 x 4s using a competitor’s standard style 3/4″ spade bit vs. the Bosch Daredevil 3/4″ spade bit. After you watch the video be sure to pick up a set at your local Home Depot for under $11.00!

I told Jocie that if love were measured in dining room tables, she should feel the abundance. This is, in fact, the second dining room table that I’ve built, and the first one turned out great (IMO). So why build another? The first table missed the mark in that Jocie’s vision and my execution didn’t quite coincide. That probably never happens to you, right? This time around we made sure to better communicate, and I’m pleased to say, the table is absolutely amazing.

You can see from the pictures that the table is a bit more modern with a black metal frame and a much thicker top. We opted for a bench along one side and four chairs on the other. This dining table is also a good bit bigger. We were able to host family over Christmas, and we really packed a lot of people at the table.

Now building this table isn’t for everyone. It requires a good bit of skill and some tools that not everyone will have on hand. I tagged my brother-in-law for the welding, and I had the shop at the lumber yard do a bit of work to make my life easier. Read on to learn how we put this table together.

How to Build a Wood + Steel Modern Dining Table

Make Time: A week plus finish time

Cost: $800

Difficulty Level: Advanced

Materials Needed:

• 8/4 x 8′ pine boards for the tabletop and bench
• 1-1/4″ square steel tube
• Threaded feet (sometimes called elevator bolts), corresponding nuts
• Wood biscuits
• Wood glue
• 2″ wood screws
• Stain and polyurethane
• Metal primer and paint

Be sure to check out our amazing Home Depot Coupons before you buy to save yourself some money!

STEP ONE – Building the metal frame

The table and bench frame are made with 1-1/4″ square steel tube. My brother-in-law is awesome, and he brought over an arc welder, chop saw, grinder and all the necessary safety gear. It took us a solid day to weld all the joints. We would often setup the joint, tack it in place, and recheck all our angles before actually welding the joint. After that, we would clean up the weld with a cut-off wheel and flap disc.

For the feet of the table and bench, we added a nut inside the tube for the adjustable feet. This is great because the floor may not be perfectly flat. I also predrilled holes for later to secure the wood to the frame.

STEP TWO – Cutting biscuits and glue up
For this project, Jocie wanted the top about 2″ thick, and you won’t find boards that thick at the local big box store. I headed over to a local lumber yard and the selection was amazing. The mahogany was especially beautiful, and it was especially expensive. I wasn’t prepared to fork over $1400 just for the lumber so I went with white pine. It’s much softer but also cheaper. I did splurge by having the lumber yard run the boards through a drum sander and a joiner which made the glue up a lot easier.

I used my DeWalt biscuit jointer to cut #20 sized biscuits on all the boards including the benchtop.

I opted to glue a few boards at a time to make better use of some of my shorter clamps. And I always used some scrap wood to protect the edges. I also used some other scrap to make sure the boards stayed flat.

After the gluing was completed, I trimmed off the ends with a circular saw.

STEP THREE – Sanding
It took a lot of sanding before I was happy with the face of the tabletop and benchtop. I started with an aggressive belt sanding to remove dried glue. After that, I used my orbital sander working through 80, 100, and 150 grit sanding discs.

It was about this time that I realized there was a crack in one of the boards, and I’m not sure how it got there. Regardless, I used a bow tie on the underside and a little touch up with wood filler.

STEP FOUR – Staining and Painting
Jocie handled most of the staining, painting the metal frame and even sealing the wood. She started with a metal primer spray paint and followed that up with a oil-based paint in our sprayer.

Before staining, it’s important that the wood is clean and completely free of dust. I broke out the new NXT shop vac from Ridgid.

This vac is great. It’s a 16 gallon, wet/dry shop vac. The large wheels and handle make it easy to maneuver, and Ridgid includes all the accessories you’d expect with on-board storage. Combined with a 6.5 peak HP motor, this shop vac delivers rugged construction and lasting durability.

Jocie used a dark walnut stain, and the pine soaked it up. After it dried, she applied about 6 coats of polyeurethane to seal and protect the wood.

STEP FIVE – Assembly
At this point, all that was left was attaching the tops to the frames. I used long wood screws with a wide head. Hats off to Jocie who helped me carry this beast inside (without dropping it!).

I love the way the table looks, and I love how many people can sit together. We’ve already had a blast hosting and playing board games. Fingers-crossed this is the last table I build for some time.

It’s a frustrating thing… to have a snowblower and not be able to use it. If you’re in this situation, there is hope… Here’s some things to check.

Snowblower Start-up Maintenance

Check for Bad Gas – Many people don’t add stabilizer at the end of the season and the gas goes stale / collects moisture. If you’re in this situation, the solution is to drain the gas tank, and refill it with new gas. Manufacturers recommend filling the tank with new fuel and adding stabilizer prior to storage. This will maintain freshness for about 9 – 12 months. It used to be the case that draining the tank was the best method for storage. However, due to the ethanol fuel blends, this has changed.

Check that the Gas/Oil Mixture is Correct – If you have a two-stroke snow blower, you need to be sure the gas/oil mixture is correct. Our Toro snowblower takes a 50:1 mixture. Other blowers will take 40:1 or 30:1. Check the owner’s manual. Most 2-stroke oil cans will give you instructions to get the proper mix.

Make Sure You’re Using the Electric Start Option – Most mid-to-high end snow blowers come with an electric starter and a pull starter. The only time you should use the pull starter is if the snow blower has already been running and you’ve turned it off briefly to clean it or add gas.

Check the Choke – Just like a riding lawn mower or gas string trimmer, you may need to choke the engine increasing the fuel to air ratio. There’s usually a slide lever somewhere on the blower used to control the choke level.

Prime the Engine – Most snow blowers have a primer button on them to prime the engine. This is very important, particularly if you previously ran the lawnmower out of gas.  Priming the engine moves fuel through the fuel lines and into the carburetor.  Our Toro snowblower recommends pressing the primer button twice. We’ve found it actually requires more like 8-10 pumps to get going. Be careful not to over-prime, however, since it can flood the engine. Prime the least number of times required to get it started.

Check the Throttle – For starting, the throttle should be set to full-open to get the most amount of fuel flowing to the engine. Some snowblowers have throttle control, and will usually indicate the ‘start’ position on the throttle selection lever.

Check the Blades for Lock-up – Ensure that the blades can move freely. Make sure the snow blower is off and disconnected from power, then check whether the blades can be moved by hand. When in neutral, locked blades shouldn’t prevent a lawn mower from starting, so this is rare.

While you’ve outside fixing your snowblower in the cold, be sure to bring your Ridgid 18V Heated Jacket with removable hood. I love this jacket for working in the snow. It has three heat settings and three different zones, so as you get working and warmed up, you can reduce the heat or target where you are still cold. might be a great holiday gift for that special person in your life (or yourself)!

Snowblower Engine Checks

If you’ve made it this far in the list and you still aren’t getting it started, it could be something a little more complex. Consult the owner’s manual for assistance with these.

Check/Replace the Spark Plug – You should be able to find a replacement spark plug at the local big box.

Check/Replace the Fuel Filter – Some snow blowers will have a small fuel filter on the fuel line. This can become clogged over time and constrict fuel flow to such a great extent that it won’t run.

Check/Replace the Engine Air Filter – If the snow blower has a dirty engine air filter, it can degrade performance. We’ve never seen an air filter prevent a snow blower from starting, but it’s still something to check.

Check/Clean the Carburetor – If you let untreated fuel sit in the snowblower from last season, there’s a chance the carburetor needs to be cleaned. The carburetor may be gummed up or rusted due to moisture. The number one problem for small engines (like on a snowblower) is problems with a restricted carburetor.

(photo: joebeone)

P.S. Our friends over at Charles and Hudson give us some more Blizzard Preparation Tips … worth a read on a cold Winter day.