Make Room for Adjustable Shelves

You can gain valuable storage space by installing adjustable shelves in cabinets and bookcases with plastic or metal shelf supports, commonly called shelf pegs.

You’ll need four supports per shelf. They’re designed to fit into one-quarter-inch diameter, 5 3/8-inch-deep holes bored into the interior sides of the cabinet.

The tough part is getting all four holes for each shelf to line up exactly. If they don’t, the shelf will wobble or tilt to one side. To ensure accuracy, make a hole-drilling template from a piece of one-quarter-inch-thick perforated hardboard (Pegboard).

Cut the template about 6 inches wide and tall enough to fit inside the cabinet. Use masking tape to cover up every other row of holes and all the holes in the lowermost 4 inches of the template. Clearly mark the top of the template on both sides.

Clamp the template to the cabinet with its edge flush with the front edge of the cabinet or tight against the face frame. Then select a vertical row of holes that’s back about 2 inches and bore a one-quarter-inch-diameter shelf peg hole through each template hole.

Unclamp the template and slide it back against the rear of the cabinet; bore a matching set of shelf peg holes.

Repeat for the opposite side of the cabinet, making sure to bore through the same template holes. The shelf pegs will align perfectly.

Flexible Design Tool

Seeing is believing, especially when you’re trying to design a curved outdoor project, such as a winding walkway, rounded deck or semicircular patio. To better visualize the shape and size of the proposed project, make a design tool from a garden hose or length of thick rope.

Lay the hose or rope on the ground to the desired shape. Adjust it as necessary to create the most attractive design. Then, walk about within the outline to determine if there’s adequate space.

For example, a walkway must be wide enough for two people to comfortably pass each other. For a deck or patio, set up the picnic table, barbecue grill or lounge chairs within the outline to ensure they will fit.

Once you’ve established the final outline, mark it on the lawn with spray paint or flour sprinkled from a can.

Easy Paint Easel

When painting a wood window, it’s always easier--and a lot neater--if you remove the sash from the frame. However, it’s often difficult to find a convenient place to put a sash while you paint it.

One solution is to make an easel out of a wooden stepladder. Set the ladder on a drop cloth, then bore a small pilot hole into the edge of the ladder rails. Tap a No. 8 common (not finishing) nail into each hole, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of each nail sticking out.

Rest the sash on the nails and start painting. When you finish one side, turn the sash over and paint the other side. Remove the nails before putting away the ladder.

Dust Catcher

Boring a hole into a drywall or plaster ceiling creates a surprising amount of dust, most of which ends up in your eyes or gets blown all over the room by the drill’s ventilating fan.

All you need to capture that troublesome dust is a small paper or foam cup.

Here’s how to put the cup to use:

First, chuck the bit into the drill and bore a hole up through the bottom of the cup. Then with the cup still on the bit, bore the hole into the ceiling. Hold the cup against the ceiling as you drill, and nearly all of the dust and debris will be collected in it. Empty the cup of dust before drilling the next hole.

Rust-Free Tool Drawers

Hand tools stored in workbench drawers often rust, especially if the workbench is in the basement, garage or backyard shed. One way to fight corrosion is to line the drawer bottoms with a piece of carpeting cut from a remnant or product sample that’s been sprayed with a generous coating of lubricant.

The carpet will help keep the tools from rolling around and banging into each other, scratching the finishes and dulling sharp edges, while the lubricant will prevent rust. Remove the tools at least once every two months and re-spray the carpeting.

Clog Blaster

An accumulation of hair and soap scum are the primary culprits behind slow-draining tubs and showers. You can often dislodge clogs with a drain auger or plumber’s snake.

If that doesn’t work or you don’t have a snake, try a blast of water from a garden hose. Remove the strainer or pop-up plug from the drain, then force the hose end down into the drainpipe. Tightly pack wet rags around the hose at the drain opening.

As you hold the hose in position, have someone turn on the water full blast for a couple of seconds, then quickly turn it off. Repeat this procedure three or four times before removing the hose and checking to see if the tub is draining more freely. If not, force the hose down a little farther and repeat.

Quick Tip

Remove small plastic nozzles from the tops of empty spray cans and store them in a jar of mineral spirits. Then, when a nozzle becomes clogged, just replace it with one of the clean spare nozzles from the jar.