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The Best Sanders for Hardwood Floors of 2023
It’s possible to use just about any sander for hardwood floors, but some can involve a long, laborious, and uncomfort...
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The Best Portable Sawmills of 2023
Sooner or later, homesteaders and folks who regularly convert trees into usable (and valuable) lumber may wish to own...
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How to Use a Router the Right Way
Woodworking can challenge your DIY skills and encourage creativity. However, sticking to the most basic tools can be ...
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The Best Power Tools and DIY Products Tested in 2022
Whether you need to upgrade some tools in your workshop or have some upcoming projects that require new gear, this li...
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The Best Palm Nailers of 2023
Palm nailers are light, compact, highly maneuverable, and easy to use. Just load a nail into the front, position it, ...
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How to Use a Lathe for Woodturning
As far as woodworking projects go, few are as satisfying as those turned on a lathe. But what is a lathe? A lathe is ...
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How to Turn Wood Accessories for Your Home
Woodturning is a fascinating hobby and not quite like any other kind of woodworking. Even though it involves a machin...
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The Best Sandblasters of 2023
A good sandblaster can make many tough jobs—including restoring antique cars, returning concrete to like-new conditio...
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The Best Nail Guns for Fencing of 2023
Using a nail gun for fencing is faster and safer than using a hammer. Nails themselves needn’t be held with these too...
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The Best Belt Sanders of 2023
A belt sander is a relatively common power tool that is used to remove layers of wood, metal, plastic, or other targe...
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The 10 Loudest Power Tools in Your Workshop
The sounds of grinding, vibrating, buzzing, and boring may be welcome signs of progress and accomplishment to DIYers,...
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The Best Cabinet Table Saws of 2023
Cabinet table saws, often just called cabinet saws, are the largest of the table saws, with huge power and tremendous...
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The Best Jointer Planer Combos of 2023
Buying rough lumber can save a lot of money and offers the opportunity to find and use interesting varieties. However...
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The Best DeWalt Table Saws of 2023
Table saws are a versatile staple of DIY enthusiasts, home woodworkers, and jobsite contractors, capable of accuratel...
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Plunge Router vs. Fixed-Base Router: What's the Difference?
DIYers and woodworkers (usually) love their tools. But, when two tools—like a plunge router and fixed-base router—app...
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The Best Chainsaw Sharpeners of 2023
Sharpening a chainsaw once meant working on the chain’s individual teeth by hand. Today’s best chainsaw sharpeners ar...
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The Best Echo Chainsaws of 2023
Although Echo offers several larger chainsaws for professionals, the bulk of its chainsaws are targeted toward homeow...
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The Best Milwaukee Drills of 2023
Milwaukee is a name that always features prominently in independent reviews of leading drill manufacturers. The compa...
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The Best DeWalt Miter Saws of 2023
Miter saws are, by far, the most popular cutting tool for residential jobsite use, and they’re also a versatile tool ...
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The Best Ryobi Drills of 2023
Ryobi, the featured brand of The Home Depot, differentiates itself from the pricier brand names in the power tool wor...
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The Best Husqvarna Chainsaws of 2023
Husqvarna has been one of the top brands of chainsaws on the market for more than 60 years. While you can expect to f...
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The Best Chainsaw Bar Oils of 2023
Before starting a chainsaw, be sure to top up the bar oil. Bar and chain oil is not the same as two-cycle oil, a type...
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The Best Plate Compactors of 2023
Nothing is as effective as a plate compactor when it comes to creating a solid foundation for hardscaping projects li...
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The Best DeWalt Impact Drivers of 2023
DeWalt is one of the most well-respected power tool brands in the business, so it’s no wonder that the company makes ...
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The Best DeWalt Drills of 2023
As one of the best-known and best-regarded names in power tools, DeWalt has a collection of drills that are highly re...
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The Best Milwaukee Impact Drivers of 2023
Impact drivers are the go-to tool when dealing with long screws and other large fasteners. An impact driver delivers ...
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The Best Chainsaw Brands of 2023
Chainsaws are handy for all sorts of jobs, from cutting firewood and landscaping to demolition and construction proje...
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How to Use a Drill
One of the most important DIY tools is the trusty power drill. Equipped with speed and torque, a power drill can bore...
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How to Use a Circular Saw
DIYers have a wide variety of cutting tools available to them, but few are as convenient and versatile as the circula...
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The Best Makita Drills of 2023
Makita offers an impressive range of drills that are highly regarded for their competitive performance and excellent ...
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8 Handy Ways to Use a Reciprocating Saw
While it is a common tool in many DIY projects, some people still ask what is a reciprocating saw and what is a recip...
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Power Tools Substitutions: What to Do When You Don't Have Just the Right Tool for the Job
Most folks are familiar with the phrase, “the right tool for the right job. ” While there’s good reason for that adag...
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The 15 Most Useful Power Drill Attachments
Get more use out of your power drill with attachments that can clean, dig, mix, and more.
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10 Mistakes That Are Killing Your Power Tool Batteries
 Your Bad (or Misinformed) Habits are Killing Your Power Tool Batteries When asked which power tool brand someone sho...
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Find an Amazing Deal on Brand-Name Tools? They Might Be Fake
Power tools that look like those made by well-respected brands may not always be what they seem, especially if there’...
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The Best Stihl Chainsaws of 2023
The market offers numerous professional chainsaw brand choices, but few can rival the performance and reliability of ...
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9 Types of Batteries Every Homeowner Should Know
Electronics are so pervasive in our modern world that you can find devices for an incredible range of functions, from...
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The Best Drill Bits for Tile Tested in 2023
Drilling holes in tile—to install towel rods in a bathroom renovation, say—can be tricky. There's always a risk the t...
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The Best Weed Eater Heads to Repair Your Tool
Weed eater heads see a lot of abuse. Spinning at thousands of RPMs, bumping against the pavement, and plunging deep i...
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The Best Gas Hedge Trimmers for Maintaining Your Landscape
Hedges and bushes are assets to any home’s landscaping, providing much-needed privacy around patios and along propert...
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The Best Gas Chainsaws of 2023
Gas chainsaws have a reputation: they’re loud and sometimes hard to use. However, we've found that some of the best g...
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The Best Compact Circular Saws Tested in 2023
The best compact circular saws have balance, output, and ergonomics that match the work being performed, whether it's...
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The Best Chainsaw for Cutting Firewood for Your Home
Whether for cutting up downed trees for firewood, cleaning up after a bad storm, or doing some pruning around the yar...
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The Best Bench Sanders of 2023
Bench sanders are designed to sand down large surfaces quickly and easily, so you can finish a woodworking project fa...
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The Best Coping Saws for Cutting Molding
A coping saw is a handy tool for DIY woodworkers and professional carpenters alike. The standard coping saw employs a...
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The Best Chainsaw Chaps of 2023
A chainsaw is one of the most dangerous tools you can use. Even the most careful users face the threat of kickbacks o...
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The Best Benchtop Jointers of 2023
Instead of throwing warped or uneven wood into the scrap bin, DIYers could benefit from equipping their workshop with...
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The Best Band Saws of 2023
A sturdy band saw makes rip cuts like a table saw, crosscuts like a miter saw, and reduces the thickness of a board l...
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The Best Drill Bits for Metal Tested in 2023
Home improvement centers often dedicate an entire aisle to drill bits, which come in a plethora of types and sizes fo...
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The Best Bench Grinders of 2023
Many household and DIY projects require bladed tools or machines, whether it’s mowing the lawn or chiseling some wood...
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The Best Finish Nailers of 2023
Few power tools can save time like a finish nailer. These handy tools replace the arduous act of driving nails into f...
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The Best Battery Chainsaws Tested in 2023
Most of us associate chainsaws with the earsplitting growl of a 110-decibel motor. Thanks to quantum leaps of innovat...
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The Best Hearing Protection Tested in 2023
If you spend time operating power tools and machinery, you’re undoubtedly making a racket in the process. While most ...
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The Best Power Tool Sets of 2023
When you find yourself in need of some new power tools, consider buying an entire corded or cordless tool combo kit t...
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Solved! What Is an Impact Driver?
Q: When shopping for the right tool for the job, I see so many choices. Cordless drill, hammer drill, and impact driv...
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The Best Palm Sanders Tested in 2023
The finishing touches on a woodworking project can transform decent work into stunning craftsmanship. Using just the ...
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The Best Hammer Drills of 2023
A hammer drill is a multipurpose tool that bores holes, drives screws, and drills into stone, brick, metal, and other...
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The Best Drill Bits Tested in 2023
When one is assembling a tool kit for home improvement, maintenance, and construction projects, one of the first item...
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The Best Cordless Drills Tested in 2023
With many of today's tools running on powerful, long-lasting batteries, DIYers aren't limited by the length of a cord...
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What's the Difference? Snow Blower vs. Snow Thrower
Today’s snow removal machines make quick work of clearing the white stuff from driveways and sidewalks—saving your ba...
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The 12 Best Tools Powered by Batteries
Don't let tangled cords get in the way of your home projects. These innovative tools help you get the job done all while running on battery power.
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Bob Vila's 14 Best Tips for Drilling
Every homeowner encounters a bit of drilling sooner or later in their list of projects—whether that's installing curt...
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Solved! How Long Does Gas Last?
Q: I have a gas lawn mower and a gas generator, and I worry that the gas in those tanks has been in there too long. D...
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Proceed with Caution: 10 Power Tools That Can Kill You
From circular saws to cordless drills, power tools simplify and speed up building and remodeling projects as well as general woodworking tasks. But when used inco...
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How to Use a Chainsaw
The chainsaw—a portable power tool that cuts wood via a fast-moving chain that rotates around a guide bar—can make sh...
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Genius! Scrub the Tub with... Your Drill?
When his wife started her new job as an attorney, Mark Evitt took on a different role, too: househusband.  Since he w...
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Bob Vila Radio: Every DIYer Needs a Random Orbital Sander
If you’re looking to create a really smooth finish on woodwork, your best bet is to use a random orbital sander—a pow...
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How To: Cut Cement Board
Do-it-yourself types depend on cement backer board for numerous projects, including tiled walls, flooring, and even c...
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Bob Vila Radio: Every DIYer Needs a Rotary Tool
If you're a do-it-yourselfer and you're not familiar with oscillating tools, such as the type made famous by Dremel, ...
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Bob Vila Radio: The Basics of Drilling Through Metal
Provided you have the right tools, it's not difficult to drill through metal. But for the job to go smoothly and the ...
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Bob Vila Radio: Choose the Right Saw Blade for the Task at Hand
When it comes to using reciprocating saws, choosing the right blade can make your jobs a lot easier. Among the many r...
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Bob Vila Radio: Reciprocating Saw Safety
Reciprocating saws—the ones with a motor and a thin, straight blade that juts back and forth—are one of the most usef...
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9 Handy Uses for Your Cordless Drill/Driver
Some folks swear by their wet saws for cutting tile, while others couldn’t bear to part with their trim router. But there's at least one power tool that any DIYer...
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Bob Vila Radio: Circular Saw Safety
Although circular saws are one of the most useful tools you can have in your toolbox, they can also be one of the mos...
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Quick Tip: Circular Saw Safety
 Here's some important safety tips to remember when you're using a circular saw. Remove jewelry and loose clothing fi...
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Quick Tip: Jigsaws
  For a saw that can handle the curves, look for a good saber saw. Sometimes called a jigsaw, it has a small blade th...
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The Dremel Multi-Max: Who Let the Tool Designers Loose?
Because of the popularity of the Dremel rotary tool, most people perceive the Dremel brand as a bastion of the arts-a...
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Disk Sander
Sanding disks are prefabricated disks of abrasive paper. They can be mounted on a variety of tools, including the rad...
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Finishing Sanders
Names like orbital sander, pad sander, and oscillating sheet sander are used to identify finishing sanders. You'll fi...
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The Compressor
The compressor is a machine that compresses the gases in the air around us to pressures greater than that of the norm...
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The Plate Joiner
The world of woodworking got along quite nicely, thank you very much, without the plate joiner. Yet making furniture ...
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The Shaper
For those woodworkers for whom a molded edge, a contoured decorative curve, is the difference between a proper job an...
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The Thickness Planer
The planer is a tool for woodworkers who require large quantities of planed stock and who elect to buy it rough cut. ...
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The Jointer
The very name speaks to the nature of this tool. If you aspire to be a joiner, a person who specializes in fastening ...
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Basic Grinding 101
I've never seen the guy so angry: His wife used a favorite chisel to open a paint can and my friend Dominick took it ...
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The Bench Grinder
The bench grinder is to the workshop as the trainer is to the team. It doesn't run out on the field when a tool goes ...
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Drill Press
The drill press is a fixed-in-place version of the simple hand drill with a worktable beneath. A hole at the center o...
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Radial-Arm Saw
There are always ongoing debates within a universe of people who are committed to their work. One such argument among...
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Band Saw Safety
This is a powerful cutting tool and must be used with proper respect and care. The Saw Table. Keep it clear of debris...
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Jigsaw
The jigsaw resembles the band saw in that the workpiece is presented to the blade atop a small table (nine inches by ...
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Band Saw
Some cabinetmakers of distinction assert that the band saw is the single most important stationary tool in the worksh...
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Tilting Arbor Saw
For many woodworkers, the single most important workshop tool is the table saw. Though it is most often referred to b...
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Freestanding Saws
In the thoroughly equipped workshop, there are more tools than you could shake a furring strip at. You know the works...
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The Router
The router has, in recent years, become something of a must in the cabinetmaker's and even the finish carpenter's wor...
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Electric Drills
The electric drill is about as versatile as a tool can get. It drills holes of many kinds, of course, but it can sand...
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Keyhole and Reciprocating Saws
Keyhole SawNot many years ago, I would see keyhole saws in use almost daily; now, for many carpenters, keyhole saws h...
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The Saber Saw
A rule of thumb in the tool world is that the smaller the blade, the greater the variety of cuts. One tool that demon...
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The Hand-Held Circular Saw
The circular saw was invented in England at the turn of the nineteenth century, though there is considerable disagree...
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Quick Tip: Table Saw Techniques
Your table saw can perform a remarkable number of tasks. There’s probably enough to fill a website, especially when a...
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The Portable Table Saw
For on-site work, a portable table saw is more practical than larger, heavier table saws. It rips and crosscuts; it m...
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Table and Radial Saws
One of the crowning achievements of many do-it-yourselfers is to purchase a stationary bench power tool. Unless you'r...
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Power Saw Blade Sense
When you are cutting wood, one of the first decisions to make is what type of circular saw blade will give you the re...
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Pneumatic Nailers for Homeowners
Pneumatic nailers, known as nail guns, have changed the way builders work, and are as common on the job site nowadays...
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Top Tips for Choosing and Using an Air Compressor
Paint a house, fix a fender, build a deck, shingle a roof, pump air into your car's tires — you can do it all with th...
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Bob Vila Radio: Power Drill
A power drill does more than just drill holes. With different attachments, it also drives screws, turns a sander, or ...
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Bob Vila Radio: Lithium-Ion Batteries
Cordless power tools, and now lithium-ion batteries, have revolutionized the home improvement world. But anyone who’s...
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Bob Vila Radio: Tool Tip - Circular Saws
If those holiday gift cards are burning a hole in your pocket, a good circular saw is something you really shouldn't ...
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Bob Vila Radio: Tool Tip - Power Sanders
Good sanding can make or break a woodworking project, so every do-it-yourselfer should have a power sander in the wor...
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Top Tools 2012: DeWalt 12v Pivot Reciprocating Saw
Why You'll Love It: The DeWalt 12v MAX Pivot Reciprocating Saw is the cordless little brother to the bigger, more-pow...
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Top Tools 2012: Rockwell Sonicrafter X2 Oscillating Multi-Tool
Why You'll Love It: The Hyperlock clamp delivers 1 ton of clamping force, while its Universal Accessory system let's ...
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Top Tools 2012: Ridgid 18v Compact Drill Driver and Impact Driver
Why You'll Love It: The Ridgid 18v Compact Drill Driver and Impact Driver delivers outstanding performance, solid bat...
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Top Tools 2012: Milwaukee Cordless 18v Cut-Off/Grinder
Why You'll Love It: This cordless grinder combines a 9,000 rpm motor, convenient paddle-switch, and tool-less accesso...
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Bob Vila Radio: Tool Tip - Nail Guns
As time-saving tools go, it's hard to beat the pneumatic nailer; aka the nail gun. But before you run out to get one ...
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Bob Vila Radio: Tool Tip - Table Saw
You don't have to undertake too many do-it-yourself woodworking projects to understand that a table saw is a must-hav...
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Bob Vila Radio: Drill Drivers
Did you know the right drill bit can make or break the job?LISTENListen to BOB VILA ON DRILL DRIVERS, or read text be...
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A New Wave of Brushless-Motor Power Tools
Brushless motor technology has been around for a while, but only within the last couple years have power tool manufac...
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How To: Clean Your Power Tools
Like everything with moving parts—your car, your computer, your body—your power tools will last longer and work bette...
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Top Tips for Using a Floor Sander
Use a floor sander effectively in order to complete your hardwood refinishing project more quickly and easily.
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Making Friends with a Detail Sander: Refinishing Your Front Door
I love wood. Maybe it’s the way the surface glows when sunlight suffuses the grain, lighting up any room with golden ...
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Why Every DIYer Needs a Thickness Planer
The thickness planer is not the most versatile tool in your arsenal. In fact, it really only does one thing: it plane...
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Quick Tip: Tool Maintenance
Tool Maintenance. Whatever your storage arrangements, keep your tools clean. After use, remove any sap or resins from...
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Protective Gear
There's nothing hard about wearing safety goggles or earplugs or a respirator when they are needed. The cost for such...
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Everything You Need to Know About How to Sharpen a Spade Bit
Spade bits, it seems, are always encountering nails, at least in the kinds of rough drilling chores that renovation w...
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Power Drivers
Power drivers are, for practical purposes, redesigned and re-engineered electric drills. Drills and drivers look much...
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Milwaukee Tool Introduces a Refreshed Lineup
I traveled to Milwaukee, WI, a couple weeks ago to visit the headquarters of the Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation ...
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Removing a Hazardous Tree
A large rotted tree is removed for safety reasons.
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Building Planter Boxes
Bob Ryley is in the garage workshop building a planter box for the sunroom.
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Sanding Wood Floors
In the sunroom, Howard Brickman is at work sanding the floors.
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Home Technology Update
Bob meets up with Tim Woods (of the Internet Home Alliance) in the basement of the Quechee home to hear about the progress made integrating the connected home tec...
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Skylight and Gable Window Installation
Bob goes up to the attic of the Victorian project house, where an ODL tubular skylight is being installed. Also, Bob looks back at the installation of windows on ...
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Installing a Brick Walkway and Porch Lighting, and Milling the Railings and Balusters
Contractors put in the brick walkway. Forester Moulding and Lumber replicates the porch railings and balusters. Also, new security and sprinkler systems are insta...
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Wood Floor Repair
Bob and homeowner Gavin repair and refinish a 75-year-old oak floor. Because the new patch floor panels have a different thickness from the original, a belt sande...
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Removing Trees from the Project Site
Bob joins contractor Bob Ryley and the tree removal specialist to discuss clearing the site. Special tips on chainsaw use and safety are provided.
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Building a Medicine Cabinet
Bob helps contractor Bob Ryley hand-craft a medicine cabinet using a radial arm saw, Dado blade, router, screws, and carpenter's glue.
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