Family Handyman
Wire Straightener
Here’s a method that works really great for getting kinks and bends out of wire—even fairly heavy wire: Drill a hole in an 8-inch long piece of 2×2 or 2×4. Make the hole slightly larger than the diameter of the wire. Slip the wire through the hole and clamp the end of the wire in a vise. Then, using the wood as a handle, pull the hole along the wire with both hands. — Ruth Whitehead
24 / 45
Family Handyman
Get-a-Grip Shop Vacuum
Sick and tired of trying to pick up and move my shop vacuum with nowhere to grab, I finally mounted a large door handle directly onto the top. I used four 1/2-inch No. 8 sheet metal screws. Try it. You’ll wonder why you didn’t do this years ago. — Al Seibert
25 / 45
Family Handyman
Vinyl Siding Fixer
After installing vinyl siding on my home, I noticed that a few strips had come unhooked along the channel-and-lip horizontal connecting joints. The strips were installed too low. I was afraid I’d have to remove whole sections of siding, but then I discovered this simple fix: I unhooked the strip of siding above the loose joint, and re-nailed it higher. Then I used one of my wife’s metal crochet hooks, running it along the lip and pulling it down, while pressing with the other hand to snap the lip back into the channel. — Chuck Siefert
26 / 45
Family Handyman
Ladder Hammer
How many times has your hammer fallen off the top step of the stepladder and you had to climb down to get it? With a piece of old leather belt or canvas strap, and a 3/4-inch long screw, you can fix the problem for good. — Lin George
27 / 45
Family Handyman
All-Weather Plant ID Tag
Here’s how to make inexpensive identification tags that will always stay readable. Cut them out of an old aluminum TV dinner or foil pie pan. Place each tag on a soft surface and inscribe it using a ball point pen. The imprint will last indefinitely. Attach them to your plantings or anything else that needs weatherproof, permanent I.D.
28 / 45
Family Handyman
Portable Shoe Scraper
Here’s a quick and simple shoe scraper that’s portable but won’t slide around when you use it. Screw a large, stiff-bristle scrub brush to a piece of plywood about 12-inches wide x 16-inches. long. Your weight on the plywood base keeps it stationary while you scrape each shoe on the scrub brush. You can wash the scraper with a hose, and store it out of sight when not using it.
29 / 45
Family Handyman
Garden Hose Hanger
An easy way to make a sturdy garden hose hanger: Attach a large plastic pail to the wall with large flat washers and drywall screws at least 2-inches long. Store the hose accessories inside the pail and loop the hose over the outside.
30 / 45
Family Handyman
Big Sheet Carrier
You don’t have to struggle trying to lug around sheets of plywood or drywall. Just tie together the two ends of a length of rope about 18-feet long. Hook this loop around the two bottom corners of the sheet to form a handle.
31 / 45
Family Handyman
Thumb Saver
Here’s a way to avoid blue thumbnail misery when you make an occasional bad swing with a hammer: When starting a nail, hold it with your thumb and forefinger right under the head rather than lower down. You’ll be able to keep your eye on your thumb as well as the nailhead, giving you better aim. And if you do make a bad swing, your thumb and finger are more likely to be deflected by the hammer than squashed.
32 / 45
Family Handyman
Gutter Straightener
Ice coming off the roof can bend the spikes that secure gutters to the soffit fascia. To straighten the spikes without removing both them and the gutters, use a 2-foot length of angle iron and a heavy metal chain link with the center section cut out of one side. Working from a ladder (be careful!), you’ll find that the angle iron and chain link provide easy leverage to straighten out the spike and get the gutters back in alignment.
33 / 45
Family Handyman
No-Tip Garbage Cans
There really is a simple way to keep those garbage cans from getting blown over or dumped. For each garbage can, all you need are two 3/4-in. screw eyes and a 30-in. hook-end Bungee cord from the hardware store to keep them in their place.
34 / 45
Family Handyman
Garage Door Saver
Extend the life of your multi-panel wood garage door by keeping its vulnerable bottom section free of moisture. Run a bead of caulk along all the joints of the bottom horizontal rail where it joins the panels. Use a paintable caulk.
35 / 45
Family Handyman
Moveable Deck Umbrellas
Does your deck umbrella always seem to be in the wrong spot to shade you from the sun? Mount several sets of galvanized plumbing pipe straps on the deck posts or railing in key places. Use straps with a slightly wider diameter than the umbrella pole. Then just pick a spot and slip the umbrella pole through the straps until the bottom of the pole rests on the deck. You’ll get shade right where you need it.
36 / 45
Family Handyman
Trailer Wire Holder
I finally got sick and tired of the trailer wiring harness hanging down behind my pickup truck. It looked ugly and was always exposed to the elements. The solution: a magnetic key storage box. Cut a slot on one end of the box just large enough for the wires to pass through. Place the connector in the box and place the box on the hitch bar or any other steel horizontal surface under the vehicle. — Ken Maretka
37 / 45
Family Handyman
Plywood Concrete Mixer
If you have a batch of concrete to mix, but nothing to mix it in, use a 4 x 8-foot sheet of 1/4- or 3/8-inch plywood. Place a few bricks or scraps of 2×4 under all four of the plywood corners to form a shallow, concave mixing tub. Clean the concrete off thoroughly, and when you’re finished, you can still use the plywood with the other side up. — John Gandolfo
38 / 45
Family Handyman
Firewood Shelter
Here’s a low-tech, no-hassle shelter for keeping your firewood dry. Drive two stakes or poles into the ground 6-feet apart, and about 16-inches out from the wall. Stack the firewood between the poles. Cut two holes in a sheet of 2-x 8-foot corrugated fiberglass so it will slide down the poles and rest on top of the firewood. If you keep the pile somewhat level as you use the wood, the fiberglass will keep sliding down the poles to provide a snug covering for the wood. —Jack Curran
39 / 45
Family Handyman
Perfect-Fit Crown Molding
When you’re installing crown molding against a textured ceiling, here’s a way to get a nice, tight fit: Cut an 8-inch piece of the molding you’re putting up, and staple a piece of medium-grit sandpaper over the top edge. Then hold the molding in place against the wall and ceiling exactly as it would be attached, and slide it back and forth to sand the area smooth. Not only do you get a perfect fit, but the slight ridge formed by the sanding helps hold the molding in position when you nail it. — Mark Swinson
40 / 45
Family Handyman
Tree Bark Protector
When you mow the lawn, does the sharp lower lip on the front and side edges of the mower occasionally cut the bark of your trees? A pair of plastic car door edge guards from an auto-parts store can help solve the problem. They slip neatly onto the edges of the mower, stay put and leave no marks on the trees.
41 / 45
Family Handyman
Big-Time Grass Catcher
Tired of emptying the small grass catcher of your riding mower every five minutes? Build this large catcher that mounts in a lightweight garden trailer. The five panels are screwed-together 2x2s with ordinary window screen stapled to the insides. The panels are assembled with hooks and eyes, so the whole thing can come apart and hang on the garage wall. The back panel unhooks for emptying clippings onto the compost pile. The chute is made from flexible clothes dryer duct and fittings. Experiment with the ductwork first to see how high your mower will blow the grass, and then determine how high to build the catcher.
42 / 45
Family Handyman
Lawn Fertilizer Markers
So you fertilized your lawn last week, and now you’ve got some streaks of pale grass where you missed, and some really dark streaks where you hit twice. To prevent this, use two short lengths of wood as markers. Whenever you start a new row from either end of your run, drop a marker at the edge of the line of the fertilizer. Aim for the marker as you proceed, and move the marker at each end every time you make a turn. It works with a broadcast spreader as well. — Jim Carabetta
43 / 45
Family Handyman
Find Tiny Items On the Floor
Doesn’t it drive you nuts when you drop a small item on the floor and you can’t find it? Here’s some help. Lay a flashlight on the floor, and shine the beam slowly in a circle so it just skims the floor surface. The shadow cast by the lost item will help you spot it. — Gary Stewart
44 / 45
Family Handyman
Hollow Door Fixer
If you have a sizable hole in a painted hollow-core door, here’s a quick way to fix it: Completely fill the hole with spray foam insulation, so the foam is about level with the door surface. Allow it to dry overnight. The foam will expand slightly as it dries, forming a slight mound. Slice off the mound with a razor knife so the foam is slightly lower than the door surface. Apply one or two coats of drywall compound, sand it smooth when dry, and paint. — Richard Loeb Jr.
45 / 45
Family Handyman
Splashblock Anchor
Do those plastic downspout splashblocks tend to wander away from the foundation of your house, allowing water to seep into the basement? To prevent this, drill two holes through the hefty corners of the plastic at the back end. To anchor it, drive two large spikes through the holes into the ground. — Joseph Perrone
