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Do-It-Yourselfers Need a Third HandBy Jim Sulski Summary: Do-it-yourselfers are often working alone. Jim gives some tips regarding tools and techniques for providing you with a third hand. Do-it-yourselfers are usually just that - they work at home improvement projects
solo. Yet, as every do-it-yourselfer knows, there are often times during repair
and remodeling jobs that a third hand can really save the day. Rather than break down and call a friend, or hope for the help of a spouse, there are tricks and techniques that allow a single individual to continue to work solo. In fact, tasks that can be nearly impossible for one person can be easily accomplished in half the time, no less. What follows are a few hints for truly doing-it-yourself. One word of caution: On jobs that require a bit of risk - such as working on a ladder or a roof, or with power tools - no one should truly work alone in case of an accident. Have someone check on you from time to time to make sure all is well. CLAMPS, VISES AND OTHER HELPFUL DEVICES Clamps and vises were created not for kids to crush things but to hold things in place, allowing a do-it-yourselfer to free their hands for the more important work. For example, during a construction project such as erecting a bookshelf or fence, a simple trick is to clamp a level to a shelf, support or post, so that both of your hands are free to make sure that piece is level or plumb, and then secure the piece in place. A clamp can also secure a piece of window trim to the side of a building, allowing both hands free to nail the trim down, an especially nice luxury when working up on a ladder. Clamps are also a blessing when it comes to furniture or cabinet and countertop repair. Bar clamps, which can extend to several feet in length, for example, are the perfect way to hold together the sides of a drawer while it's being reglued or nailed together. Another simple assistant for the do-it-yourselfer are sawhorses. These very inexpensive devices allow you to rest one end of long pieces of wood or pipe or paneling while you work down on the other end. And attaching a clamp to a sawhorse to hold down a long two-by-four or piece of wood trim helps greatly when sawing. If you use a sawhorse to hold a piece of plywood or paneling up while you saw it, nail the wood piece to the sawhorse to secure it in place. Finally, don't forget even simpler devices such as tape, rubber bands and string. All of these common household items can be used to hold something in place. While working up on a ladder, for example, place nails on the sticky side of a piece of tape and then stick the tape to the top step of the ladder. This prevents having to place the nails in your mouth or have someone hand them to you one at a time. Or, a piece of string looped around a nail temporarily stuck in the wall will hold up the far end of a piece of two-by-four or crown molding while you secure the other end into its proper place. It will also allow you to easily manipulate the piece. A large rubber band can also do the job of the string. PROPERLY PLACED One of the most frustrating aspects of home improvement is trying to hold something in place against the wall while securing it with a screw or nail. The almost magical solution to this is to create a prop bar. For example, one of the simplest prop bars is to build a small rectangular frame with four pieces of two-by-four. The frame can be leaned against the wall and then support a shelf, a painting, wood trim, a light fixture, a small appliance, etc., while both of your hands remain free to screw it into place. Depending on the weight of the object, you might want to place something heavy at the bottom of the frame to keep it from sliding. Props can also help with more elaborate jobs. For example, holding a kitchen or bathroom cabinet in place, keeping it level, and screwing it securely into the wall is nearly impossible with just two hands. Instead, take a piece of one-by-two and nail it into the wall so that the top of the one-by-two is flush with where the bottom of the cabinet would be. Then rest the cabinet on top of the one-by-two and use one hand to hold it in place. Use your other hand to screw the cabinet to the wall. Once you've installed the cabinet, remove the one-by-two and fill the nail
holes with a little drywall compound. © by Jim Sulski. All rights reserved. February 22, 2005. NOTE: This column is distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022. This column may not be resold, reprinted, resyndicated or redistributed without written permission from the publisher. © 2005 by Ilyce R. Glink. Distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate. |
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