24 handy hints for your workshop

No need for fancy hand tools with built-in LED lights, opt for this lighted screwdriver hack instead. When working in a dark space such as inside a cabinet, make your own lighted screwdriver by taping a keychain-size flashlight to the shaft. It’ll shine the light right where you need it.

Using a handheld screwdriver in tight spaces can be very frustrating, especially when there isn’t enough room to hold the screw in place with your free hand. Here’s a solution for how to magnetise a screwdriver situation: Attach a small magnet to the shaft of your screwdriver. The magnetic magic will travel through the metal of the screwdriver, down to the business end, holding the screw right where you need it – with no hands!

This trick for how to magnetise a screwdriver works with other tools, too. Magnetise the head of a hammer to hold a nail, add a magnet to the metal bit in a power drill/driver to hold a screw – you get the idea.

Did you know that you can use a caulk gun as a clamp? It’s perfect for gluing up small projects such as a cutting board. Just place a couple of pieces of scrap wood or cardboard at the ends of the caulk gun and then squeeze the trigger to apply pressure.

Check out our essential guide to clamps.

Rather than take up space in a drawer or cabinet for storing rolls of tape, mount an old paper towel dispenser to your wall or pegboard. It can hold several rolls of duct tape, painter’s tape, etc, within easy reach. And unlike stashing tape in a dark cabinet or cramped drawer, the paper towel holder makes it really easy to find the specific tape needed for different jobs. A dowel-style paper towel holder designed to sit on top of a countertop would also work for corralling rolls of tape. And it’s portable, so you could take it with you for painting and repair jobs around your house.

Even when using a flush-cut saw I take precautions to save wood surfaces from marring. My trick for trimming dowels is to cut a hole in a thin piece of cardboard or plastic and fit it over the dowel. This way the blade never touches the wood. The remaining dowel sands flush in a snap. – Brad Holden

Here’s an easy way to tear tape and get a starting edge at the same time. Simply fold the tape under at a 90-degree angle to the roll. Then, with a snapping motion, pull the tape against the edge of the roll. The tape tears, leaving a triangular starting tab. This won’t work with plastic tapes; those must be cut. — Chris Henrichs

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Source: Family Handyman