How can I remove a reddish brown stain from an old coat rack so I can stain the wood black? Is there a particular stripping product that works with stain? The thing about stains is that they soak into the…
What kind of router should I buy? I’m a middle-aged woman, out on my own again, and I’d like to build the kind of basic furniture I need to set myself up in a mostly empty house. A router is…
Where can I buy creosote wood preservative? I used to find it on hardware store shelves, but not anymore. Creosote has been used to protect wood against rot since the 1800s, but it’s been phased out for use by consumers,…
What’s the best type of blade for cutting 3/4″-thick OSB with a circular saw? The blades I’ve been using bind and cut poorly. I’m ready to snap! Any kind of general-purpose carbide-tooth blade will easily cut through the kind of…
What’s the life expectancy of skylights? Mine are 25 years old, they’re leaking, and a roofer hasn’t been able to fix the problem. Where can I turn for reliable skylight replacement? I’m a single woman and don’t want to be…
What’s the best product to use for finishing the interior of pine windows? I want to leave the wood its natural colour, and I’m thinking of either waterbased urethane or tung oil. Which do you recommend? The interior surface of…
I’m sorry to hear about your trouble, and I’m also sorry to tell you that permanently removing warps in solid wood furniture parts is virtually impossible after the fact. If the warp is large enough to be an issue, then…
I’m looking to build a garden shed, but don’t know which way to proceed. I can be handy if I put my mind to it, but it doesn’t exactly flow for me. I’d like the shed to be 6-feet by…
I’m thinking about using a kerosene heater to warm things up in my garage workshop. Are these safe to use in a space where I plan to do sanding and finishing? I’m concerned about dust and fumes. I’ve been working…
How should a beginner set up a home woodworking shop given a $1000 initial budget? What tools make sense to buy first? My approach to equipping a workshop is different than most. Although many of us have to start small…
Where can I find the Bulldog Grip polyurethane caulking you’ve recommended many times? We’ve got full southerly exposure at the back of our house, and any caulking I’ve used on the windows and doors just bubbles and fails quickly. No…
We live in a 3-year old house, a bungalow with an open floor plan. It’s divided down the middle by a wall and several sets of pillars. We’ve been in the house for three winters now, and every year the…