Real Estate For Sale South West

Ten Critical Tools You Need to Stock Your Toolbox


Every time I hang a picture or measure a window, I carefully place my toolbox back in its place: an inconvenient corner in the back of the closet, next to the ironing board, underneath the winter coats, and behind a cabinet. Because I cant actually see in the closet, the next time I go to take out my toolbox, I have to squat down and reach blindly past the ironing board, beneath the coats, and around the cabinet to lug it out. When am I going to learn that I use my toolbox on an almost daily basis?

A well-stockedand easily accessibletoolbox can make anyones life a little, be she a homeowner, renter, or college student. The ten most basic tools listed below will put you in the right direction on the path toward complete tool sufficiency.

1. Toolbox
Not one to overlook the obvious, I would like to point out that the toolbox itself is an essential element of a well-equipped toolbox. My first toolbox was actually a plastic tackle box with a removable tray. It worked like a charm, holding my claw hammer, Phillips head screwdriver and a random assortment of nails and screws. Now Ive graduated to a fancy toolkit made of molded plastic where all the various tools and accessories snap into a particular place. If, like me, there are certain tools you use once a decade, the molded plastic option at least gives you a clue of whether the missing tool is long and skinny or short and square.

2. Home Repair Manual
Although technically not a tool, a good home-repair manual can open doorsliterally! Peruse the selection in your local bookstore or check out some online reviews of the most popular ones. All repair manuals will have the same basic information, so base your decision on the wording that makes the most sense to you and the pictures that you find the most helpful.

3. Hammer
Most often used for driving nails and breaking things apart, the hammer typically consists of a handle and a head. The most essential hammer to have in your toolbox is the claw hammer, which is useful in both driving in and removing nails. Other implements in the hammer category include: framing hammer, upholstery hammer, ball-peen hammer, rubber mallet, wooden mallet, and sledgehammer.

4. Screwdrivers
Screwdrivers tighten or loosen screws by applying torque. The typical hand-held screwdriver has a head that engages the screw, a shaft, and a handle. Screwdrivers vary in both size and head shape, and are identified by the screw heads they are used to tighten or loosen. The most basic screwdrivers are the slotted and Phillipsevery toolbox should have a couple of each in varying sizes. Additional screwdrivers include: PoziDriv, Robertson, crosspoint, Torx, and Hex.

5. Pliers
Pliers are used to increase gripping ability and leverage. However, within this category, pliers can perform slightly different functions. Cutting pliers sever or pinch off materials. Gripping pliers, as described above, are pretty self explanatory and include flat nose pliers, round nose pliers, and needle nose pliers. Gripping pliers are the most common variety, and are a tool no toolbox is complete without. Finally, crimping pliers are used in electrical work to crimp electrical terminals and connectors.

6. Tape Measure
Although tape measures can be made of cloth, ribbon, or metal, most toolbox tape measures consist of a stiff metallic ribbon, housed in a plastic case, which is self-retracting but can also be locked into place. Twenty-five feet is a good, all-purpose length.

7. Saw
A saw is used for cuttingthe type of material to be cut varies with the saw. A saw consists of a serrated blade, handle, and can be powered by hand, steam, water, or electricity. For your basic toolbox, a relatively small hand saw may be all that is required for minor projects around the home. In addition to the hand saw, back saws have a thinner blade that is reinforced by a steel or brass back. Frame saws stiffen the blade by placing it in a frame. For example, a hacksaw is a frame saw.

8. Putty Knife
A putty knife has a flat, flexible blade. Rather than being used for cutting, a putty knife is useful foryou guessed it!scraping and applying putty. Not too much to describe about this simple tool, but I can tell you that its handy in many different situations, and one of the most inexpensive tools on the list. Why not get it?

9. Wrenches
A wrench is used to create additional leverage in turning nuts, bolts, or other stubborn items. The most basic wrench is an open-end wrench, which is a solid piece of metal with a U-shaped opening at one end that grips the sides of a nut or bolt. More advanced wrenches include: a box-end wrench, which features an enclosed opening and is typically used with nuts or bolts that are hexagonal in shape; an adjustable end wrench or Crescent wrench (so called after the original patent holders brand name, Crescent Tool and Horseshoe Company); a socket wrench, and the Hex key or Allen wrench.

10. Awl
An awl is a woodworking tool, very useful for starting holes before drilling. Quite simply, the scratch awl is a steel spike with a sharpened tip at one end and a handle on the other. In actual woodworking, a scratch awl is used for scribing a line to be followed by a hand saw or chisel.

A bridging loan poses a sizeable risk to the loan lender because the old home may not sell for some time.

Open and Shut Case: Mysteries of the Stuck Window and Door Revealed


Sometimes, when opportunity knocks, you cant get the door open. Its mysteriously stuck. You move over to open the window of opportunity, and after much huffing and puffing, you realize you cant get that open, either. Whats going on here?

Learn all about how and why doors and windows stick and how to fix them, so youre not stuck the next time opportunity pays a visit!

Stuck Windows
Windows can stick for a variety of reasons. Often wood expands and contracts, moving parts have been painted over, or two surfaces may simply seem fused together. Some of the most common problems and fixes for stuck windows are:

Painted-over joint: Cut the paint with a window zipper (tool designed just for this purpose) or a putty knife. Hold blade flat against the sash and push the edge into the joint while drawing the tool along the surface.
Paint build-up: Similar to when joints are painted over, years of painting can also result in an accumulation that causes excessive friction. Use a paint scraper to remove excess paint from the window stop, parting strip, and blind stop. Raise and lower the sash throughout the process. For a lower sash, it is also a possibility to remove the window stop to sand and scrape the edges facing the window. If none of the easier solutions were successful, remove both sashes and completely strip the paint to the bare wood. Repaint the sashes and reinstall when the pain has dried.
Too much friction: Lubricate the sash channels with candle wax or talcum powder. This can also prevent painted surfaces from sticking together. If spring metal weather-stripping is found in the sash channels, reduce tension by using a hammer and block of wood to flatten the strip.
Just plain stuck. A sharp rap to the center rail, near the lock can sometimes break a bond between painted surfaces. The blow can be administered with the palm of your hand or a rubber mallet. Another option is to gently tap a wooden block again the sides of the sash.
New friction channels. If you have some extra time on your hands and are very concerned with preventing heat loss, another option is to install new friction channels. To do this, first remove sashes, weights and pulleys.

Push fiberglass insulation into the openings for the weigh cavities. Start at the top and work your way down with the aid of a flexible rod or stick.

Using a hammer and sharp chisel, notch the ends of the top parting strip to create the new channels.

Replace the sashes in the window frame between the two new channels. Tilt the entire assembly into the opening from the bottom inside.

Finally, reinstall interior stops according to the manufacturers instructions for adjusting tension. If windows are too loose after the stops have been installed, increase tension by hammering a wood block against the stop at nail placements. When the tension seems right to you, drive in several nails.

Stuck Doors
Doors can stick for many of the same reasons as windowstoo much tension, or painting over moving parts. However, with the addition of hinges, that also opens up a whole new area of possible reasons for stuck doors.

Door rubs against jamb. The solution to this problem differs according to which side the door is rubbing against the jamb on. If the door rubs against the jamb on the hinge side, you will need to shim the hinges out. Unscrew the hinge from the jamb and place a piece of cardboard behind it. Shimming out the bottom hinge may resolve the problem of a door binding at the top of the strike jamb.

If the door rubs against the jamb on the side without the hinge or against another part of the door frame, the door may need to be modified so it will fit. Mark the door with scribe lines so you know where to plane and remove the door (removing bottom pin first and working your way upward). Lay the door on a flat surface and plane the appropriate edges.
Loose hinge screws. To fix loose hinge screws, wedge the door open and remove the screws. Fold back the hinge, being careful not to lose any existing shims. Buy or whittle wood pieces to fit the holes. Add glue and push the wood pieces into the holes. Scrape the wood plugs until they are flush, fold the hinge back into place, drill pilot holes and drive in new screws.
Moving a stop. Sometimes its easier to move the stop than unwarp a door. If a door is binding against the hinge-side stop or will not close properly because of an improperly placed stop on the latch side, pry off the offending stop. Close the door and draw a line, along the doors inside edge, on the jamb. Nail the stop on this line.
Moving a strike plate. A latch and strike may get out of alignment because a house had settled. If the strike plate is too far away, shim it out with cardboard. If it is too close, unscrew the strike, chisel out a new mortise, drill pilot holes, and replace the strike. If necessary, use wood putty to fill the old mortise hole and sand until smooth.