The Collegiate Handyman

Nooooooo

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:03:00 +0000

It's the end of an era. Norm Abram's wikipedia page reports that The New Yankee Workshop will not return for another season. Sad news indeed.

I'm going to hold out on hope that the fine journalists at wikipedia got this one wrong. They did say that Wood Magazine reported it, but they didn't provide a direct source (imagine that). I wasn't able to find any sources either.

If it is true, at least there are still hundreds of old episodes available.

Thankfully, Norm will still be around for This Old House.

Here is Norm on Youtube.

Entertainment Center Modification

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:01:00 +0000

Does this entertainment center look familiar? This general design has been very popular in recent years, however, with the increasing popularity of flatpanel LCD and plasma TVs, this design is becoming obsolete.

LCDs just don't fit well in these old entertainment centers. LCDs are rectangular due to their widescreen nature, and these enclosures are, for the most part, square. Plus, things are becoming increasingly streamlined. A bulky entertainment center like this is just out of place.

So what can you do with something like this? Well, you could try to sell it, but these are all over Craigslist lately. I couldn't get rid of mine for even just $20, and it was in pretty good condition. After I gave up on trying to sell it, I decided to turn it into a project...

As you can see, this entertainment center has a bottom area with adjustable shelves (glass doors are not shown in this picture), a center area for the TV, narrow shelves just to the right of the TV area, and one last shelf above the TV area (shelf not shown).

In modifying the design, the real challenge became how to rearrange it so that the particle board would not be showing. The problem is that it's not solid wood. It's particle board covered in a thin wood veneer. This really limited my options since just about any cutting would leave an exposed edge. I didn't want to mess with buying edgebanding and attempting to match the stain.

To make a somewhat long story short, I ended up basically dropping the top down to just above the bottom shelf area. All I really had to do was partially disassemble it, turn it on its side to make a cut, and then cut the side trim to the appropriate length. I connected the top to the rest of it with some dowels so that there are no exposed fasteners.

I'm really happy with the end-product. It has a much cleaner look and it's a lot easier to move (it was previously really heavy). The shelves make a great bookcase and there is still plenty of room to store all of the TV-related electronics. Now, I just need a LCD to sit on top of it...

Table Refinishing Project - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:56:00 +0000

Oops, it's been a while since my last posts. You see, I graduated a few months ago so I was no longer truly a "Collegiate Handyman." Well, I've returned as a student in graduate school. So I guess I might as well keep the blog going, right? Anyway, here is part 2 of the table refinishing.

As you can see here, I dismantled the table to make sanding easier. Doing so definitely sped up the process. I also discovered that the table is composed of a combination of plywood, a cheaper wood base, and oak veneer. That being said, the quality is still much better than any cheap veneer furniture made in China these days.

I picked up some wood putty to patch a few holes. Once it's dry and sanded, it's hard to tell where the holes were. It's important to get decent putty or it might not look right when stained. Alternatively, you could make your own putty by mixing fine sawdust with wood glue.I decided to go with a Bombay mahogany stain, mostly due to the fact that I already had a can of it. I did apply a coat of prestain for good measure, however, it may not be necessary since prestain is most commonly used for softwoods (oak is a hardwood).

The image above is after a single coat of stain. It will probably take 2-3 coats to get the deep, rich color that I'm looking for. It's important to hit the surface with a light steel wool sanding between coats to soften any grain that may have been raised during staining.

I'll continue this process with all of the pieces. It's fairly time-consuming, but the end result will be worth it.

Table Renishing Project - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Wed, 27 May 2009 03:43:00 +0000

It's funny how you never seem to realize just how much junk you have until you try to pack up and move. Like many people, I have that problem. However, my problems go a step further. I can't seem to throw away some things.

When one of my former roommates decided she didn't want this table, I jumped at the chance to add it to my ever-growing to-do list of projects. This table is well-built and solid, but it has many surface defects. It's the perfect candidate for resurfacing. Maybe I'm a pack rat, but then again, maybe I have an eye for seeing hidden potential. Although I will admit, I often bite off more than I can chew with projects.

Here I am nearly two months after moving and I'm just starting this project. It's a good thing that this one shouldn't be too labor intensive. What I plan on doing is essentially just sanding off the existing finish, doing some small patch work with wood putty, and then applying a new finish (I'm thinking a nice, dark Bombay mahogany).

Let me tell you a little more about the table itself. Like I said, it does have a lot of surface defects. That can be expected since it's 67 years old! Yeah, check out this picture of the drawer bottom. It says, "PROPERTY AIR FORCE, UNITED STATES ARMY, (serial number), LYCO. FURN. IND., WILLIAMSPORT, PA, 1942. I immediately had pictures of dollar signs in my eyes as I wondered if it had any value as an antique. In this case, I doubt it. However, if you ever go about refinishing an old piece of furnature, you should probably get an idea of its history before you start.

After day one of the project, I had already gotten a nice start on sanding. It will take a while, but I'm sure I'll eventually uncover some great looking wood. This picture doesn't do it justice, but sanding away years of use can really make a world of difference. I can hardly wait until I'm ready to stain. I think it will really look good.

I expect to make a few more posts on this project, so check back in and see how it's going from time to time.

Measuring Square Comparison

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:27:00 +0000

A measuring square is an essential tool for framers, but also quite useful for handymen. It is essentially a triangular piece of flat metal (or plastic) with a base on either side of one edge. Originally, one of its main uses was for assisting with laying out rafters, specifically, cut angles. Nowadays, it probably doesn't see too much use for that purpose, but it is still helpful when cutting angles. However, the uses don't stop there.

I primarily use my speed square for checking that corners are square, and as a cutting guide. It is definitely worth it to have one for those tasks. It can save a huge amount of time and needless frustration.

These are my two measuring squares. The one on the left is made by Swanson (the original Speed Square inventor) and the one next to it is a generic version. They both cost roughly the same amount of money - about $8-10. But there is quite a difference in quality and usefulness between the "original" and the "copycat."

First, the quality. They are both one piece of solid aluminum, but the Swanson is much beefier. The generic one is some sort of aluminum alloy. It doesn't feel like a strong metal. It kind of reminds me of cheap pewter jewelry. If I wanted to, I'm sure I could practically fold it in half. However, the Swanson feels much more solid. I can't help but notice the metal stamp of "SWANSON TOOL CO. INC. FRANKFORT, IL. 1987"

Now for the features. Well, they are nearly identical. I'm guessing the copyright ran out at some point and everyone jumped all over it. I mean, it's just a blatant copy, however, the Swanson does have some features which the generic does not. Take a look at the picture of the Swanson one above. See that diamond cutout near the top? That's to guide a pencil as you take the base edge and run it along a piece of wood. The cutout is at 3 1/2 inches, which is the actual width of a 2x4. This is useful for resawing a 2x6 or 2x8 into a 2x4, or for cutting out plywood to thicken a 2x4.

Those little nubbins on the cutout of the inner triangle are also pencil guides. They are useful for marking out widths from 1 to 2 1/4 inches in 1/4" intervals.

As a cutting guide, the Swanson really shines. In fact, this is what led me to buy the Swanson (the store that I was at when I needed one didn't have the Swanson). The generic version is about half as thick as the Swanson. This not only makes the Swanson more durable, but a much better circular saw guide. Circular saw baseplates are rounded up at the edges and don't usually have sharp edges. With the generic square, I've had my saw's edge ride up on top of the square as I'm trying to use it as a guide. This not only gives a poor cut, defeating the purpose of the guide, but it's dangerous! If it rides up too far you could be out a square, a blade, and even fingers. The Swanson's added thickness keeps the saw where it should be, beside the guide.

All things considered, I would definitely stick to the original and stand by the Swanson. Other generic versions may fare better than this one did, but at least you know what you're getting with the original.

Foggy Headlights? Restore Them!

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:37:00 +0000

Have your car's headlights dimmed over the years? Is it harder and harder to see at night? New bulbs don't help? Your problem may be foggy headlight covers. Over time, moisture between the cover and the bulb can cause the plastic headlight covers to turn opaque and let less light pass through. Of course, this can cause problems when driving at night.

What's the solution? Well, you could shovel out potentially hundreds of dollars for new covers, or you could restore the ones you have now for just one easy payment of less than $20!

No, I'm not Billy Mayes and this isn't an infomercial, but I did try a product intended to "restore" headlight covers. My girlfriend's car had the problem described above, and new covers were quoted at a ridiculous amount. Driving at night, especially outside of the city, was strenuous to say the least. The headlights were pretty dim.

Anyway, her dad, I think it was, got her this restoration stuff. It's basically a few pieces of increasingly finer sandpaper and some polishing solution. I was a little doubtful that it would work. Heck, it looked like I might as well take my power sander to the covers if this stuff was supposed to do the trick. But hey, it was either try this or she would have to find another solution, so we gave it a try.

Here we are starting with a rough grit sandpaper. The instructions say to keep it wet and give it a good 5 min per grit, and there are four grits! I wasn't too stoked about waxing on, waxing off for 20 min per headlight. But we stuck with it and went through the motions. I gave this product the benefit of the doubt and tried to follow the instructions and best as I could (stand).

Fifteen minutes later and still at it. The only thing that kept me going at this point is that it actually was starting to look more clear. I pressed on...

Hey, that really does look better! Here I am applying the polishing solution. Call me crazy, but I think this just might work...

Check out the before and after pictures. I'd sure say that worked. The headlight visibility at night definitely improved. This sure beat the heck out of buying new covers. The restoration kit was under $20 and I'm sure you can find them at auto parts stores. If you have foggy headlight covers, you might consider giving this a shot.

Welcome Back / How to Use a Stud Finder

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:17:00 +0000

Well I'm back. I apologize for the hiatus, but I've been on a blogging break. I had a nice winter vacation and now school is starting up again. Hopefully I'll soon be back in the swing of things and get some regular posts on here again.

I've built up a decent amount of ideas. Here are some posts to come:
- Cleaning the 'fogging' from your car's old headlights.
- More WD-40 tests.
- Cleaning my keyboard (I haven't done it once in a good five years).
- X-mas gift update.
- Roof snow removal.

Also, I'm going to start adding videos to my blog. I've figured out how to do it, but I'm afraid you'll have to put up with the poor video quality. I'll be taking the videos on my digital camera. It gets decent image quality, but low frame rates so quick motion will appear jumpy.

About a month ago I finally acquired a stud finder. Trust me, this is an essential handyman tool. Sure, you can find studs the old-fashioned way by knocking or tapping on a wall and trying to feel and hear the difference between a stud and empty space, but I've learned that roommates and neighbors (if you live in an apartment) find that method particularly annoying.

This stud finder was just $5 at the local home improvement store. It's about as cheap as they come (heck, the two-pack of 9-volt batteries were almost as expensive as it), but it gets the job done. As far as features go, this is plenty.

The tool has a series of lights that flash and blink as you approach the stud. When the top green light illuminates, you know that you've found the center of it. Check out the video; it works.

So do you have any more blog / video ideas for the new year?

Free Samples - Are They Legit?

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 01:38:00 +0000

I'm a sucker for good deals, especially free things. Every few months I get bored and try searching for free samples online. I've done this a couple of times in the past. It's always interesting to see which offers are actually real.

So I thought I would share with you some links to supposedly free samples and as I get them, I'll confirm that they actually work. A lot of the times the offers look pretty sketchy, so I certainly don't fill out all of the ones that I find. But a lot of the times they are from legitimate companies and I do get a sample.

Here we go:

#1. Free calculator from AlterigoPartners.com.
Status: Applied for on Dec. 6th.

#2. "Here's my opinion" post it notes.
Status: Applied for on Dec. 6th.

#3. 2009 Nothing but hotties calendar.
Status: Applied for on Dec. 6th.

#4. Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz (these scare me).
Status: Applied for on Dec. 6th.

#5. Reach flosser sample.
Status: Applied for on Dec. 6th.

Whew, that's it for now. It's a lot of (boring) work to find offers that might actually work.

College Football Recap for Thanksgiving Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:21:00 +0000

Just South of North gives some good coverage of the post turkey day college football games.

I'm glad there were no mention of Washington teams this time. Yikes.

Drill Accessory Case Comparison - Stanley, Dewalt, Milwaukee, and Other

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:59:00 +0000

Drill bit accessories are essential to anyone who owns a drill. They commonly include all sorts of drill bits, screw bits, and nut drivers. It's very convenient to grab your drill, an accessory case or two, and get started on a project. I personally own a few such accessory cases, and I'm going to compare them. However, it isn't my goal to focus on the contents, instead I'm going to focus on something almost equally important, the case itself.

These accessory kits make great holiday gifts for your handyman / handywoman, but it's important to consider the cases in addition to the contents. For more gift ideas, check HERE and HERE.

I've found that there is a wide range of quality in the cases, and it doesn't always correlate with price or brand. Let's start with this no-name brand of drill bits. This came as a "free bonus" with a sawblade wall clock. It was on a good sale and I needed the clock, so why not? It's always good to have an extra set of drill bits, even if they are only good for spacers.

Pros:
The quality of the case shell is decent for the most part. The latch looks cheap, but seems to function decently enough. Well, that's about it for the pros...

Cons:
The hinge is made of flexible plastic and looks like it could wear out. The biggest problem is how the bits are held in and how closely they're spaced. Basically, they are way too close together to grab and they are held in waaay too tight. You would need to be a bodybuilder with baby carrot fingers to get these out. I think it would be easy to bend the smaller ones, or even snap them off completely, when removing or replacing them.

Verdict:
This case is basically useless. As soon as I need them, I'm going to take all the bits out and toss the case.

Here's an interesting one. Dewalt is know for high-quality tools, but they are a bit pricey. Sure, you get what you pay for, but there shouldn't be that many problems with it, right?

Pros:
The case shell is very durable and the latch works great. I'm not sure if they meant for it, but most of the cases I've seen seem to be somewhat modular. If you had a few similar Dewalt cases, you could probably interchange some of the components. See the bit holders in the picture above? Those can be removed and switched around. It's possible to make a custom case based upon your specific needs. That's a very smart move on their part. The individual pieces are easily removed, but...

Cons:
The pieces are very difficult to get back into their holders! It's possible that it needs to be "broken in" with use, but it seems like they could have had a much better system.

Verdict:
It's a annoying to mess with trying to get the pieces back in after you use them, but overall, it's a good case.

I love this Milwaukee set. It's in about the mid level price range, but I'm very happy with it. It wasn't until I got this set that I really started noticing the cases as well as the contents.

Pros:
The shell is very sturdy. It has rubber along the edges, possibly for added protection, but it doesn't really seem necessary. The latch is a little loose, but works fine. The thing I like best is that it's extremely easy to remove and replace the bits. It's a very simple concept, but not every manufacturer understands it. Perhaps the case is a little big for its contents, but it makes it really easy to quickly grab what you need, use it, and put it back where it belongs.

Cons:
I can find no problems with this case besides the gimmicky rubber armor and slightly loose latch. It's pretty bread and butter. It would be nice to have some innovative features.

Verdict:
A great case. This should be the baseline for all drill accessory cases.

Stanley has been in the homeowner market for many years. A lot of other companies, like Dewalt, have branded themselves as tools for professionals. I have mixed feelings about Stanley. On one hand, they are working to catch up to the "professional" companies, but on the other hand, they still make things like this...

Pros:
There are some great features in this case, but they aren't executed that well. On the left side, those two rows of bits flip up for easy removal, but it feels cheap. On the right side, those three rows of small bits are removable, which is a very nice feature. But again, it feels cheap.

Cons:
The shell is horrible. It's a hard plastic outer shell with a flimsy plastic interior. Imagine it like a box of chocolates. You know the cheap plastic mold that the chocolates fit in? That's what like the inside of this case is like. The plastic practically crinkles when you touch it. The latch works, but it will quickly wear out. The individual modules are barely held into their spaces. I'm afraid to get this case near an open flame for fear of it disintegrating.

Verdict:
This is a horrible case, but the contents are great! I know I said I wouldn't judge on contents, but we've seen that good contents don't necessarily mean a good case (cough, Dewalt, cough), and this goes to show that a crappy case doesn't necessarily mean bad contents. If they took the flip-up idea and the removable row of bits, and put those in a better case, they would really have something.

Conclusion:
Don't take it for granted that expensive or name-brand kits will have good cases. Many times, cases are just as important as their contents. If you're looking at two products with similar contents, consider the cases. Three of my four cases have almost all the same contents, but I know which one I'm going to grab 90% of the time because of the ease of use.

Review: Swiss Tech Utili-key (Utilikey)

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 06:15:00 +0000

The Swiss Tech Utili-key is one useful tool. Or should I say, six useful tools. Here is their official website with more information.

Anyway, if you're looking for a good stocking stuffer for the holidays, I would definitely recommend the Utilikey. I received one last X-Mas and it's been on my key ring ever since. I'm not the kind of guy that carries around a pocket knife with him, so the knife feature comes in handy from time to time. It's actually pretty sharp and not awkward to use.

Here is the Utilikey pictured next to a typical car key. As you can see, it's about the same size. I like to keep my keyring pretty light and this definitely doesn't clutter it up. It really does just feel like another normal key.

Here it is partially opened. I'm surprised at how well it's made. You can't tell from the picture, but it actually locks itself into place when it's either fully opened or closed. There is no chance that it will open in your pocket and fall off (or stab you in the leg).

It's about 5" long fully opened. It is about the size of a ballpoint pen.

As you can see, it has about a two inch knife (semi-serrated), a bottle opener, both a phillips and a slothead screwdriver, and apparently, a micro eyeglasses screwdriver. I've gotten the most use out of the knife and the bottle opener, but the screwdrivers did come in handy a few times.

If I didn't already have one of these, it would definitely be on my wish list.

The Utilikey runs about $10-15 and I think it's a great gift. Keys are something people almost always have with them. It's easy to lose track of a multi-tool or pocket knife.

I have but one gripe about it. To use the bottle opener, it has to be fully opened. This results in you putting a lot of leverage on a skinny little piece of metal with one very sharp end. I've had a few close calls with it slipping off the bottle while trying to pop the cap off. It gets especially tricky after opening a few bottles in relative quick succession, if you know what I mean. Besides that minor issue, I have no problems with it at all.

In addition to its usefulness, it's just plain cool, isn't it?

Can WD-40 Fix / Clean It?

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:08:00 +0000

I'm going to start a new, ongoing, set of posts about one of the handyman's best friends - WD-40.

Did you know WD-40 has its own fan club? Did you know that there are over 2000 uses for WD-40?

A wise man once said, "if it moves and it shouldn't, use duct tape. If it doesn't move and it should, use WD-40." Truly words of wisdom. I'm going to start looking for places to use WD-40 around the house to see just how many uses I can find for it.

Use #1 - Cleaning sticky glue from carpet.
We had a major spider problem when I moved into this house, so I bought some sticky spider traps. They work great. They are about the size of a postcard and have very sticky glue on one side. You just lay them down and wait for the spiders to get stuck on them.

One day I tried cutting one of the traps into strips to tape together to make one long trap. I stuck it across the bottom of my door so that the spiders would have to hit it when they snuck under the door. Well, of course I ended up stepping on it later that day. I got it stuck to my carpet, and the sticky residue is still there months later.

Here's the before image. It lost a lot of its stickiness as it got dirty, but it definitely is not coming off that carpet easily. Armed with an old toothbrush and a can of WD-40, I attacked the spot.

After letting it soak in for a few moments and giving it a little elbow grease with the toothbrush, the stain is mostly gone! Looks like WD-40 did the trick.

Effectiveness: 10/10. This couldn't have been easier or more effective.

LED Flashlight Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:36:00 +0000

A good flashlight is essential to any handyman. It is one tool that isn't used all the time, but when you need it, you really need it. I've accumulated five flashlights over the years. Four of the five are the LED type. LEDs are 'light-emitting diodes.' They are great for two reasons. First, the 'bulbs' practically last forever. Chances are, your LEDs will never need replacing. Secondly, they use much less battery power compared to conventional flashlights, so they last a lot longer.

Here are my five flashlights. From left to right, they are:
Streamlight 7 LED. 4 AA batteries.
Rayz 30 LED. 3 D batteries.
Rayz 1 non-LED. 2 AA batteries.
Rayz 9 LED. 3 AAA batteries.
Rayz 1 LED. 1 watch battery.

To compare these flashlights, I set my camera up on a tripod in my basement. With the room lights out, I used each flashlight as the sole light source for each of the following pictures. The camera exposure was the same each time, and no flash was used. The pictures speak for themselves.

Streamlight 7 LED. 4 AA batteries. $20 a few years ago - This is my oldest flashlight, and one of the best. I've crawled around many pitch black ceiling spaces as a cable tech with this flashlight and it's never failed me. Well worth the investment.

Rayz 30 LED. 3 D batteries. On sale for $10 along with the next - This gives the Streamlight a run for its money, but then again, compare the sizes. This is a big flashlight. It's like the Mag Lights that security guards and cops beat people with. Except this one is light weight and made of aluminum. Probably not very good for beating up crooks with. Honestly, I expected better.

Rayz 1 non-LED. 2 AA batteries. $10 and came with the previous - Quite a big difference compared to the other LED flashlights. It's nice that the beam is focused, but there sure isn't much light ouput.

Rayz 9 LED. 3 AAA batteries. On sale for $6 along with the next - This is a solid flashlight. It's small, but puts out a lot of light. It came packaged with the keychain flashlight below for only $6 on sale! I bought one and tried it out at home not expecting too much. I was so impressed that I went back the next day and got another one for my car.

Rayz 1 LED. 1 watch battery. On sale for $6 with the previous - As you can see (or rather, can't see), this keychain flashlight is best used as a keychain flashlight.

I'd say that the Streamlight barely edges out the big 30 LED and the smaller 9 LED Rayz flashlights. Not quite as good of a deal, but it's held up over the years.

At any rate, LED flashlights are now very common. If you have one of those old cheap plastic flashlights lying around, you know, the kind where you can actually see it get dimmer as you use it, I'd suggest that you invest in a new LED type. The next time the power goes out or you need to look for something in a dark place, you'll appreciate a good flashlight.

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:33:00 +0000

Remember, it's us or them.

Oh yeah, that turkey fryer you have, that's a bad idea. Don't burn your house down.

How-to: Replacing a Clothes Washer

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 05:40:00 +0000

A washer and dryer. These are two essential items for any college house. I mean, how are you otherwise going to wash your clothes? Take them to a laundromat? Hah, I don't think so. You'll wind up going quadruple-duty on that Star Wars shirt you got when you were 12, skimping out on an undershirt with dress shirts (who are you, Magnum PI?), and worst of all, eventually stealing your roommates socks. After all, they are always the first to run out. Let's not even start on underwear.

Up until yesterday, we had a washer that only kind of worked. It washed everything just fine, except it didn't move itself through the different cycles. So basically, you had to manually change the setting from wash, to rinse, to spin, etc, every 10 min or so. That sure was a pain.

So we got the washer and dryer from our old house and hauled it over (the new people that moved in were going to buy it but didn't pay up, so we repoed it). Here is how to go about replacing a washer:

First of all, unplug / disconnect everything. It's usually just a power cord (do that first), a hot and cold water connection, and a drain tube. You'll probably spill some water, but don't worry about it.

Next, muscle that sucker out of there. This will probably be the hardest part. Washers are a lot heavier than dryers. It's definitely a two person job. We had to haul it down some steps too. It would be awesome to have a hand truck for this part.

Notice the drain pipe on the bottom-left. That usually just pulls right out of another pipe in the wall with no problem.

Whao! What is that nastiness on the bottom of the wall?

Looks like we could have some water damage. Let's take a closer look...

Do I even want to take a closer look?

Yep, water damage. I would say that this picture actually does do it justice. That's just nasty. See that pipe right in the center with the "residue" on it? That's the drain for the two toilets in the house. I'll leave it at that.

But seriously, it's not *that* gross. The toilet drain wasn't leaking. All that mess is from a leaking water pipe. That will be another blog sometime, but for now, I'm going to hide all of this with the replacement washer. If I can move it...

New and old washers side by side. Not shown: my hernia.

Ironically, the new washer is the exact same model as the old one. Two of my three roommates probably won't even realize I replaced it and will figure it magically replaced itself.

All that's left to do now is reconnect everything. Make sure you get the hot and cold connections right. It's probably a good idea to try to get it somewhat level, too If it's really out of whack, it could get damaged by spinning off center. Now, after all this work, will you get the old one out of there?

DIY Shower Curtain

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:01:00 +0000

Here's a little background. I live in a basement. I have my own bathroom. It is gross (to be fair, it was gross before I moved in). I have a tiny cubicle of a shower that's about 3 feet square. It has no shower door.

Within a few days of moving in, I realized some sort of containment system for the water spraying everywhere would be nice. So what I did was cut upon a nice big trash bag and hang it from a bar that goes across the opening where a door would be. This worked fine but it doesn't do anything to help the grossness of the bathroom, granted, it does keep most of the water contained in the shower.

Well tonight I decided I would class things up a bit.
Needed are a tape measure, an utility knife, a large piece of plastic (this is important. I used the plastic bag that came with a new mattress) and if you're really classy, some magnets to hold your new "door" closed. Oh, you'll need a hot-melt glue gun, also.

Like most projects, it begins with some measurements. Note: you can see my old system here. It worked fine, but I suppose it was gross, and a little creepy.

This is the mess of a plastic bag that I had to work with. Cutting it was a pain. I'd suggest making rough cuts and then making it precise, or as precise as you care to make a DIY shower curtain...

Hot-melt glue guns are awesome. Sure, this one is a little small, but it works fine. Use a few drops of glue to tack together the plastic to make a sort of tube that you can slip through the bar across the opening. Well, assuming you have that. Of course, assuming that you are actually using this as a guide to make a DIY shower curtain. In which case, I hope you aren't. You should probably just go buy a shower curtain. But anyway, let's see how this ends.

Here it is. The picture isn't too great, but it's a DIY plastic shower curtain; what did you expect?

This took me maybe 10 minutes. If I gave it a good 12 minutes I'm sure it could be much better. I wasn't too precise on the cutting.

It is held shut by two little magnets glued to the curtain and the frame on either side.

I think it will work nicely. A black trash bag was so depressing. Maybe now I can take a shower and imagine that I'm not living in a basement. But hey, at least it's not my parents' basement, right?

Well, they would at least have a shower door, so I guess that's a toss up.

Winerack

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:42:00 +0000

I made this winerack for a coworker of mine.

It's made out of birch plywood with veneer edging. I added a nice Bombay mahogany stain to it. I think it turned out pretty well and she's happy with it. I'll be making another identical one for her soon.

I like making wineracks and I'd gladly make custom ones for people.

Check out my other blog, The Vino Newbie, for more information on this project.

The Carabinger Trend

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:11:00 +0000

What's with these carabinger things popping up everywhere? They started off with climbers, and now they're all over the place. I can walk around campus and practically every other person has a Nalgene bottle attached to their backpack or yuppie bag with one of these.

I got my first carabinger, seen here, at a conference. I'm a sucker for free stuff, so I grabbed one. Looks like a cool (questionable) keychain, right? Well I immediately tried out the compass - worthless. It doesn't work at all. North shows one way, then shake it around, and it will point in another direction.

It gets worse. Etched into the metal is this, "NOT FOR CLIMBING - CHINA." So I can't even climb with it? What if I was lost in the wilderness? After hours of wondering in circles due to the faulty compass, I finally find a cliff that I can rappel down to safety. I find a rope lying there, and I always have my trusty carabinger keychain for situations like this, but no, not for climbing. The cheap thing snaps and I fall to my death.

The one part that actually does what it's supposed to is the little keyring on the end of it. So at least if I fell 80 feet, the keys would probably all stay on the ring. I guess that would be convienent for the people that had to pick up my pieces.

Is this a Communist China plot to kill dumb Americans? Oddly enough, I'd say capitalism is to blame.

Do yourself a favor and invest in quality items, especially tools. This carabinger / compass keychain is cool in theory, but in reality, it's really only good for a keychain.

The Collegiate Handyman's X-Mas Wishlist

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 06:03:00 +0000

I'm sure I'll be editing this later, but here it goes.

My Christmas wishlist:

Robogrip pliers
These are awesome for, well, grabbing things. A good pair (or two) of pliers is essential for any handyman. I've used these before and I really like them. One nice feature is that you can use them with one hand. A lot of other similar pliers require a second hand to adjust the jaw size.

A 48" level
You usually don't need a level all that often, but when you need one, you really need one. Looking around my room, I can see a few things that I probably should have used a level on. Sure, I have a 12" level, but at least a 48" type is needed for anything larger than a picture frame.

Take special care with a good level. For one, they are pretty pricey, but more importantly, they are easy to damage. One good drop can ruin one. What good is a level that isn't level?

A chisel set
Chisels used to be a woodworker's best friend. A sharp chisel to a woodworker was like a sharp knife to a chef.

Chisels may be used less with powertools so common, but there are certainly times when a sharp chisel can do a really good job. Plus, a hammer and chisel can really vent some frustration.

A variety of sized comes in handy.

It's important to keep chisels sharp. When they are dull, you end up forcing things and that can get dangerous. Which leads me to the next item...

Sharpening blocks
A good set of sharpening blocks will pay for themselves after just a few uses. It's essential to have sharp knives and chisels.

Don't forget, these can just as easily sharpen your kitchen knives.

It really is safer to have sharp knives and chisels. This is a great investment.

Gift card
Of course, you can't go wrong with a gift card!

Yes, it's a little impersonal, but when the recipient is running through the store like they're on a shopping spree, it's all worth it.

Tools: 10-in-1 Screwdriver

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:31:00 +0000

I thought it would be nice if I started posting about some of the tools that I've collected over the years. I have no motivation for advertising particular brands, but I will try to describe my rational for choosing what I did.

So let me start with a great screwdriver. In fact, I would go so far to say that this is probably the only screwdriver you will need for most projects you face. Needless to say, this is a great start for building a basic tool collection.

This is the Klein 10-in-1 screwdriver. I got it for a summer job a few years back doing low-voltage electrical work. It runs about $12 at most places I've seen. I've had it for about four years, and it's never let me down. When I need a screwdriver, I grab this one about 90% of the time.

What makes it so special? Well, for starters, it really is 10-in-1. It has two phillips, two slothead, two Torx, and two Robinson (square) tips. In addition to that, it also provides two different sizes of nut-driving ability (I thought about it, and that's probably the least funny way I could say that). One nice feature is that you can just pop off the end of it and throw it in a drill. Heck, it even works as a drill extention.

I only have one issue with this screwdriver. Probably the best thing about it is that you can use any old 6-sided screwbit tip for it. However, it doesn't lock in when you do. I wish it used a different mechanism to hold in the bits so that generic ones worked too. Also, it's not magnetic. That's a handy feature sometimes (but then again, sometimes you *don't* want a screwdriver to be magnetic).

This has got to be one of the most reliable and useful tools that I own. If you're looking for a screwdriver, or even a set of screwdrivers, you might want to consider this one. But be careful, I know a lot of places sell low-quality 4-in-1 screwdrivers or ones that appear to be similar to this one. I can confidently say that Klein makes high-quality tools that should last many years.

Growler Lamp

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 01:56:00 +0000

So I was tidying up the garage today, and I found this broken old table lamp. About two years ago, I got the cheapo lamp at a local evil big-box store. Within a month that thing broke. One of the "metal" legs gave out. So I pulled a MacGyver and attached the workings of the lamp, which amazingly still worked, to an empty beer bottle.

It was quite handy, but the 12 oz. beer bottle didn't serve as a good base. I didn't give it much use. Back to the garage this morning, and I'm wondering what I can do with it. Well, I decided to use it with a growler bottle which would serve as a much better base.

This is an easy project and here's how to do it...

You'll need the workings of a lamp. I discovered today that you can easily get everything you need at your local home improvement store. It's all very easy to put together if you have all the pieces. Of course, you'll need the growler bottle. Here's the tricky part, you'll want to be able to pop the lamp part off if you ever need to use the bottle. So the best solution is to attach the lamp part to a cork, which fits snugly in the bottle neck. So go get yourself a cork too.

Here, I had just drilled through the cork and attached the lamp part to it with a bolt. Be gentle when drilling through the cork, since it is a cork and all...

Depending on your lamp pieces, you may not have this problem. I had to find some way to attach the bulb holder to the shade holder. I used a cable tie and some hot-melt glue.

Here's the final product. Not too shabby, huh? It might be a good idea to fill the bottle with something to give it a solid base. Grain or hops would be appropriate. Beer is probably not a good idea.

Not shown is how I did the wiring. It's pretty simple. Just attach the wire to the two connections on the bulb holder part. Pretty easy stuff.

This is a fairly easy project and it sure won't take all day. In fact, this went very quickly and I didn't run into any problems at all.

I hope this inspires you.

Broken Office Chair... Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:44:00 +0000

Not again! Why can't a good office chair last more than two years without breaking? Remember this?: http://collegiatehandyman.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-2-fixing-that-busted-office.html

This time, my friend was just sitting there, albeit perhaps leaning back a little too far and maybe a little intoxicated, then WHAM! He's on the ground and there is a chair arm flying through the air.

It's the classic 'lean too far and end up ass over teakettle' scenario. Wheels are a nice convenience on an office chair, but they can quickly go from your best friend to worst enemy in a split second. To recreate this incident and warn everyone of the dangers of leaning back too far, I've enlisted the help of a local 3rd grade sketch artist. Here's what he came up with:

Please excuse the simplicity of this illustration. I hope you get the point - DON'T LEAN BACK TOO FAR!

Now, what to do about that arm? Well, first gather up all the pieces; those are probably important.

In this case, three screws along with the arm went flying. The screws actually tore out of the wood, so we'll have to get creative to reattach it, since those screw holes won't work with the screws anymore.

If you can't find the screws, you'll have to go get some new ones from the hardware store. You may need longer ones if this next step doesn't work for you...

Here you can see that the screw holes are torn up. Now I could use longer screws, but I managed to find all three and I plan on making them work.

This picture is actually of me in the process of turning that bracket around. I'm going to use those screws on the other side of the wooden arm support. Genius!

If you have access to a drill, predrilling the holes makes it a lot easier. Otherwise, wrestle them in there.

That's it. You're office chair lives to break again.

Google Goofs #2

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:34:00 +0000

What the hell? Is that cat supposed to be Facebook? I'm guessing that is some kind of German Shepard or something. I don't really know what's going on here.
Wait, is that even a real dog?

Who comes up with this stuff. So the guys at Google say, "hey, let's just write this program that assigns random images next to our news stories, that way we don't have to do anything at all!"

Brilliant!

Google Goofs #1

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 05:38:00 +0000

I like news. Sometimes it can be pretty entertaining stuff. I tend to avoid the talking heads of television news, so that leaves me with the written form.

The problem for me is that I don't get the newspaper, so I'm left with the strange world of internet news sources. I don't have any particular source, well unless you count Google's news search engine found at news.google.com.

I find that Google News is a pretty good way to find a wide range of stories from a variety of sources.

However, over the last few weeks I've noticed that the pictures they show next to the story links don't always match up with the headlines. Now I can understand that it's a search engine, and the headline story title comes from a different source as the picture, but still, sometimes it is just strange... or funny, or just plain offensive.

My goal with my ongoing Google Goofs post is to point that out with screenshots. The only editing I do to these pictures is cropping out the extraneous information. The rest is left to Google.

Here is the first, but I have a few already that I'm sitting on until next time.

Skin cancer? Tax blunder? Looks to me like he's really up to Middle-East oil drilling.

Anti-Theft Your Computer

noreply@blogger.com (Blogger) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:26:00 +0000

This unlucky beer could be your computer. Do you have roommates who always forget to lock the doors? Do you live in a sketchy neighborhood? Is your computer worth more than your car? Is there a high probability of looting in the event of a natural disaster?

If you answered 'yes' to any of those questions, you might consider protecting, what for many is, your most valuable possession.

Think of all those mp3's you've "legally downloaded" over the years... What about all of those DVDs you've ripped as "backups"... Those pictures of your ex girlfriend that you've been keeping in a "safe place" (folder named 'Boring old tax stuff') as future blackmail...

How would you live without your computer?

Fear no more, here is how to anti-theft your computer for less than $6.00, and it doesn't look half bad either.

What you'll need:
- Enough 1/8" plastic coated cable for the job. Buy extra just in case, or measure carefully.
- One hasp that a padlock can fit through. This is normally in with fence / gate hardware.
- A hammer.
- Cutting device (or measure what you'll need and have them cut it at the store).
- A drill or screwdriver.
- Oh, two little things for securing the cable ends in a loop; just ask them what it is and they'll know.

You can get that stuff, excluding the tools, for less than $10, and maybe even the lock too.

Alright, once you have that you'll need to find a way to fasten it to your computer. This one was easy. Just make a loop with the cable, then pound down the little aluminum clips to fasten it. Make sure you pound it pretty good so that the cable can't possibly slip through the clip. But don't go crazy and shatter it.

Here, I just looped the cable through the hole in the back of the iMac and then through itself. This one was easy, but you might have to get a little more creative with some other computers.

You might try bolting the hasp through the computer case if you have a PC. Odd are the would-be thief won't come prepared with a screwdriver and wrench anyway.

I attached the hasp to the underside of the desk so it would be hidden and made sure the screws that came with it wouldn't poke out the front.

From there, just close the hasp and attach the cable with the padlock.

I used a hasp like this because when it's closed, the screws are covered up by the hinge cover. That way, the would-be robber can't just unscrew it. Duh.

How effective is it? Well here's a tip, just measure out how much you need and have the guys at the store cut the cable. Unless you have bolt cutters.

There you go, now you just need to change your screensaver password from 'apple' or 'swodniw' ('windows' backwards, pure genius) to something a little more secure and you'll stop getting tubgirl backgrounds, too.