Sanding sealers, also called first-coat sealers by some manufacturers, are recommended when refinishing furniture. Although using a sanding sealer is a good step to take regardless of the type of stain you are using, it is especially necessary when using water-based stains. Apply the sanding sealer after you have bleached your furniture, but before you have applied the stain. Sanding sealers provide an important barrier to keep the wood pitch and stain from bleeding into the water-based topco...
Applying topcoat is the final step in successfully refinishing your furniture piece. Water-Based Polyurethane Topcoats are strong, durable and are favored because they dry crystal clear, allowing the beauty of the wood grain to show.
Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to replace a pane of glass in a door. Steps:
Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to get rid of termites. Steps:
Tommy has finished the box frame with front work and blocking attached. Now it's time to make the astragal for the pediment. An astragal can be an architectural element used at the top or base of a column, and it is also used as a framing device on furniture. He drank extra coffee so his hands are nice and steady for the astragal work.
Taking a break from building the Bombe, Tommy tunes his hand plane by taking it apart and sharpening it. He demonstrates the power of the plane, showing how to flattening an uneven piece of wood. Using paraffin wax to glide the plane, he gets the piece of gnarly wood in perfect shape.
Tommy shows how to make a BIG dining room table (approximately 14' long) and walks you through the wood selection, milling, stickering, and routering out the top. As Tommy goes through this process he explains the science behind the wood. And don't adjust your computer screen, Tommy isn't turning into the hulk, just blowing off some steam.
Part of the charm of hardwood floors is their imperfections. Slight variations in grain and color, as well as the minor spots and specs in the wood help provide an aged-to-perfection look for your floors. However, you may encounter a cracked plank or damage to a section of your floor that doesn't look quite so attractive.
I turned my first ear plug purely as a challenge when the question was asked on a turning forum and nobody could provide an answer. I didn't know much about them, only a general concept of the shape I was going after.
Grab your thinking caps and get your hack on. Null Byte is officially seeking contributors on a weekly basis who are willing to take the time to educate the Null Byte community on anything, from hardware hacks to life hacks. Contributors that write tutorials will be featured on the Null Byte blog, as well as the front page of WonderHowTo (providing it's up to par, of course).
Wired posts a gallery of the original models of now iconic devices, with some fun tech-fetish facts. Did you know the first cell phone weighed a whopping 4.4 pounds? Or that the world's first super soaker was invented completely by accident? Examples below; click through for Wired's complete gallery.
A handy chart I put together so you can see all the collections at one time and decide what to focus on for whatever you may need!
In this tutorial, we learn how to swing a golf club like Tiger Woods. First, position yourself in line with the flag. Once you have put your ball on the tee, place a leaf in a line towards the direction you're aiming for. Use these two points to position your club on the ground, then stand with your body parallel to the club. From here, grip the left hand correctly and put the club on the ground. Place in the left hand so the shaft lies across the forefinger. It should fit under the heel of t...
Hardwood floors in older homes can be hidden treasures. You may not realize it, but under the dark finish, scuffs and scratches is probably a beautiful hardwood floor just waiting to shine through. Sanding off the old finish gives you a chance to get down to the bare wood and erase many of the scratches and dents. Then you can choose a stain that is more to your liking, or just put a clearcoat on the floor for a pleasant, warm appearance.
Hardwood floors in older homes can be hidden treasures. You may not realize it, but under the dark finish, scuffs and scratches is probably a beautiful hardwood floor just waiting to shine through. Sanding off the old finish gives you a chance to get down to the bare wood and erase many of the scratches and dents. Then you can choose a stain that is more to your liking, or just put a clearcoat on the floor for a pleasant, warm appearance.
Turning unused items into usable pieces of furniture is a great way to save money and create some really good-looking pieces for your room. And nothing beats repurposing old wooden pallets. Redditor BaconStripsandFishin used old wooden pallets and a month's worth of coffee to create his own unique coffee table. To make this, unscrewed all of the wooden panels (top and bottom), placed them all together, and then screwed them back in reusing those same nails. Once he had all of the board togeth...
There are many, many ways to open a beer. You can use a piece of paper, a water bottle, or, if you're feeling tough, you can even use your forearm. But why do that when you can make your own bottle opener for nothing?
The prescription for a sick CD? Toothpaste, MSG and wood polish, of course. About to chuck that busted CD? Not so fast, young grasshopper. Web editor Megan Miller demonstrates three ways to resurrect those scratched discs using stuff you probably already have sitting on your shelf. Fix scratched CDs DVDs and plastic.
Dovetails are an extremely old and effective wood joint. There are three types of dovetails, through dovetails (the most popular), half blind dovetails, and sliding dovetails. In this woodworking video tutorial, you will learn how to do a machine cut through dovetail. Cut through dovetails with a machine.
Everyone's been in the following situation. You're sitting there at a nice bar, chatting up a smoking hot member of the opposite sex when all of a sudden they drop this bomb: "Can you engrave on wood in Photoshop?" The next thing you know, the night spirals into blackness and you wake up in a puddle of your own tears with some half-eaten beef jerky hanging out of your mouth.
There can be areas of preparation you may not have anticipated before you start your project of installing your laminate flooring.
There's something about the world of steampunk that fascinates me. WonderHowTo has plenty of steampunk projects, like the hardware chess set, binocular goggles, and even a lesson on fashion. But nothing screams steampunk more than nevets_mcd's hard drive case.
There are many different types of deadbolt locks, including ones that use levers, keys, or combinations. After picking the right one for your door, you just have to drill a hole and chisel out some extra wood to install the lock. Install a deadbolt properly.
Audubon's Flute Audubon in the summer woods
Welcome to Minecraft World! Check out our advanced tutorials and come play with us on our free server.
Below, two different sets of schematics for mixing cocktails: the first is the "Engineer's Guide to Drinks" designed some time in the '80s; the second is a set of sleek infographics for mixing the perfect drink, from Brazilian illustrator Fabio Rex.
There are many ways to open a bottle, but you have to admire the simplicity and karate-esque action required in Instructable member Carleyy's scrap wood method. Don't be deterred by the use of power tools in the video below. All you really need is a piece of scrap wood, one nut, and one bolt.
Apple software engineer Andrew Carol built a fully-functional replica of the Antikythera Mechanism, the world's oldest known scientific computer. The 2000-year-old analog device was used by the ancient Greeks to predict the year, date, and time of future solar and lunar eclipses accurately to within two hours. Carol put together the 110 gears (made with 1,500 LEGO Technic parts) in just 30 days. See how it works below. For more information, check out Fast Company's interview with Carol.
Instructables user BrittLiv uses a moldable silicone called sugru to sculpt this awesome doorstop of South Park's miraculously indestructible Kenny McCormick.
Engineer-turned-artist Jim Campbell's recent installation "Scattered Light" converts New York City's Madison Square Park into a ghostly world of light bulb pixels. Campbell dangled 2,000 floating LED light bulbs programmed to display shadowy human silhouettes passing by.
Robots have a long-standing obsession with tandem bikes. The first song ever sung by a computer? "Daisy Bell." If you don't recognize the title, you might nevertheless recognize the song's famous refrain: "But you'd look sweet/Upon the seat/Of a bicyle built for two." That was 1961. Fast forward nearly forty years and robots aren't merely singing about bicycles built for two, they're riding them. Take Joules, for example:
Get Equipped Have (to USE) Six Wool Gloves
The kite in this how-to video is a terrific flyer and exciting to make! You will need ripstop nylon or equivalent, bamboo or wood dowels – 1/8” – 2 @ 36”, tape (cloth) and double stick tape, string (packaging type) 30’, a hobby stick, scissors, a ruler (yardstick), a pencil/pen, magic markers (permanent type), toothpicks (3 pieces), and the step-by-step instructions in this video kite-making tutorial. Make a suruga kite.
Learn how to build a terrific Barn Door Kite, just follow along with this how-to video. Use your imagination and you'll being soaring the friendly skies in no time! You will need a plastic sheet, wood dowels, cloth tape, ribbon, and scissors. Build a barn door kite.
Outdoor furniture is made of a lot of different things: Wood, iron, aluminum, even plastic. Dust, dirt, mold, mildew and moss on your outdoor furniture can be cleaned off almost immediately with a pressure washer. Watch this how-to video and learn to use a pressure washer to clean your outdoor garden furniture. Use a pressure washer to clean outdoor furniture.
Learn about a traditional northwest style of cooking with aromatic pieces of wood called planking. You'll create great seafood recipes. Plank grill seafood.
Make a fully functional electric guitar with a cigar box and some wood. This is brought to you by Geek Dad from Wired Science. Make a cigar box guitar.
This type of wood flooring isn't nailed or glued down, it floats on top of the floor and fits together like a puzzle. It's like a wooden carpet. Install a glueless hardwood floor.
This video will show you how to build a full-featured router table that is portable, lightweight and easy to store. All it takes to put a compact, versatile router table in your shop is a half sheet of plywood, a small supply of solid-wood lumber, a handful of hardware, a router mounting plate, and one of the newly designed routers. Build a stow-and-go router table.
You can make a plain-looking wall into a great-looking rock wall by veneering it with fieldstone. The techniques are the same for block, poured concrete, or even a wood-frame wall. Install stone veneering.
