If you want to introduce alternative power supplies around the home and garden or even live totally off-grid in your boat, caravan or yurt and need a practical introduction to solar power and 12 volt supplies, here is an essential guide to the subject. Not only will it save you money, it will show you how to run your lights, laptop, DVDs and music, and even your tools and household products, from a simple 12 volt system. Be in control of more of your home's own energy supply, develop a low impact way of living and be prepared for power cuts and for power down situations in the future! Do It Yourself 12 Volt Solar Power begins with a lesson in how electricity works and the main components of a DIY solar system. The author uses clear diagrams and terms. There is, of course, more technical information as the book progresses, but don't worry, this no-nonsense guide provides a useful, back-to-basics approach for the layperson. This is a reference book that will help you trouble-shoot and get the best value for money from what you can find hidden in the back of the garage. Quirky and humorous, it also shows you how to make a sun following system using just a bicycle wheel, a pallet and the motor from a CD player!

We all have household projects that we keep putting off because we don't quite know how to go about doing them or we simply don't have the time. Now, Trade Secrets can help you shorten your to-do list by teaching you how to complete those projects quickly, safely and effectively. This book will walk you through big projects and also provide tips and tricks that will make the jobs simpler. The tips and techniques include:
Putting together a kit of essential tools Tips on basic wall repair Understand how to choose and install proper blinds How to repair holes in plaster How to hang a heavy picture Tips for sanding a large area How to build a home theater system The basics of upholstery Common exterior paint problems and solutions How to sharpen a mower blade Fixing a sluggish garage door Understand how to choose and install proper blinds

Next time you have a project to do around the house, just check Trade Secrets for the proper procedure to follow, tools to use and tricks to speed and improve your work. You'll be done in no time and your house will look better than ever.

In this fresh and contemporary look at the world of workbenches, Lon Schleining takes us on a guided tour of a wide variety of classic, modern, and specialty benches and offers hundreds of options for choosing or building that perfect bench and its accessories. The Workbench looks at the classic subject with a focus on helping readers find the right bench and accessories for their needs. The object is to guide the reader through making critical choices, including whether to buy it or build it. Even long-time woodworkers dream of the perfect bench and the time to build it, and for them the real enjoyment is in the planning. With 279 color photos and additional illustrations, this book provides in-depth information along with the inspiration to fulfill workshop dreams.

Carving Kitchen Tools is the beginning of your woodworking journey and is a practical guide to creating your own beautiful utensils. From the all-important wooden spoon to butter knives, salad servers and spatulas, Moa Brannstroem Ott shows you how to create kitchen implements that will bring individuality and personality to your home. As well as this, Carving Kitchen Tools explores the variety of different woods, their properties and the whittling techniques to which they are most suited. With step-by-steps to illustrate the correct grips for knife and wood, tips on how to source your wood and details on the tools you need, this book is the perfect guide to this surprisingly simple and mindful craft. Projects include: Butter knives Frying utensils Straight spoons Curved spoons Salad servers Kuksa cups

This volume in Collins & Brown's bestselling Ultimate series reveals all the skills a woodworker needs. From selecting tools to joints and finishing, all the basic techniques of woodworking in this book are illustrated with clear step by step instructions and diagrams. With these thorough directions and some practice you will soon be able to create almost anything from wood. Whether you are a novice or an experienced woodworker, this book will become an indispensable reference source that you will use time and again either to learn a new technique or to remind you of a specific detail.

This latest volume in the Workshop Practice Series presents a general overview of the grinding, lapping, honing and polishing of metal, as well as the materials used to make grinding wheels, belts and papers. The uses of various machines and grinding mediums are described, including the off-hand grinder, modern miniature hand drill/grinders and toolpost grinders. There are also instructions for making a small barrelling machine and other suitable devices.

With clear, concise instructions and 345 detailed photos, Ron Hampton takes the reader through every step required to turn and finish wooden works of art on the mini-lathe. Eight separate projects are turned and finished here, including a cherry goblet, several mushrooms, a turquoise bowl inlay, potpourri pot, leather Indian pot, stone bowl, Hawaiian bowl, and an ornamental bird house. A gallery of other designs is provided for inspiration. Every tool required is listed and explained along with a variety of tool rests. Tool sharpening techniques are discussed and valuable safety tips are provided. This book is perfect for the beginning and intermediate wood turner and will provide valuable ideas for those more advanced.

The bandsaw is a woodworking favourite and this highly visual guide covers all there is to know about working with one, from basic uses to some of the more advanced. The bandsaw is a woodworking favourite and the workhorse of any wood shop. Craftsmen and women turn to this practical tool for a wide array of tasks - cutting curves, ripping stock, making a variety of useful joints, using guides and templates and transforming thick boards into veneer. Now woodworkers can learn to make the most of their bandsaw in this valuable addition to the acclaimed "Complete Illustrated Guide" library. The format is highly visual, covering all there is to know about working with a bandsaw from basic uses to some of the most advanced techniques, including shaping operations and sophisticated joinery. Safety and bandsaw maintenance complete this essential guide.

The new Festool (R) Domino DF 500 Joining System simplifies the difficult, slow process of joining. Consisting of the Domino joiner and Domino tenons, it uses a revolutionary cutting method, simple indexing features and adjustable mortise sizing to make flawless mortises every time. The unique shape and construction of the tenon itself is much stronger than either dowels or biscuits. It is rotation-free and provides a large gluing surface for superior strength. This user's guide gives a complete, easy-to-understand explanation of the Domino system, and step-by-step instructions for its use and applications. The Domino is covered in detail, including settings, adjustments, and variations, as well as accessories that can be used to make the work even easier. Several applications include joining edges, butt joints, and complex miter joints. The Domino joining system, as all Festool tools, is designed to work with the Festool CT Dust Extraction System. This system, including it various accessories, is also explained in detail.

Whether your home is a city apartment, country cottage or large and rambling house, it is your space and should be well cared for. The secret is managing the upkeep without feeling overwhelmed. As a hotelier, Francis Brennan has gathered unparalleled expertise in home maintenance and care, and this year, once again, he has compiled his Homekeeper's Diary to help you manage household tasks month by month. From getting organised to gardening, cookery and a whole host of useful tips, it's a practical bible which you can delve into daily to discover all the information you need to keep your home looking its best.

In this valuable book Tubal Cain takes the reader beyond the superficial or the simply practical with explanations of the composition of steel, its additives, and the effects of different temperatures on its constituents. With a grasp of what changes are actually taking place in the metal the care needed in following the practical processes described becomes understandable and will lead to better and more consistent results. Flame, salt bath and furnace heating are detailed, with information on accurate measurement or recognition of temperature levels. For the average small workshop operative or model engineer the discourses on tool material, hardening and tempering will be of most use, and in this connection this book replaced the author's earlier Hardening and Tempering Engineers' Tools, providing a broader-based, more detailed and up to date examination of the subject.

A handy, practical resource that makes it easy to keep track of your essential homeowner information for future reference As a home buyers, you have a million things to deal with. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to overlook some. By prompting you with the right questions, providing fill-in-the-blank spots, and addressing everything from foundation to roof, this helpful journal takes the hassle out of organizing your house files. It offers a single, go-to source for recording everything. From up in the attic to down in the basement, this book highlights more than 25 different areas, making it easy to record information about any size or type of home. Each chapter focuses on a separate room and includes prompts like model number and warranty info on appliances, type and color code of paint, and year and make of roofing materials. Also included are handy sidebars with tips, tricks, and reminders for keeping information up to date and performing regular maintenance. Perfect as a housewarming gift or just as a way to stay organized, New Home Journal is a valuable resource for homeowners who want to take care of their home for years to come.

This book is written by America's master of traditional woodcraft.For thirty years, Roy Underhill's PBS program, ""The Woodwright's Shop,"" has brought classic hand-tool craftsmanship to viewers across America. Now, in his seventh book, Roy shows how to engage the mysteries of the splitting wedge and the cutting edge to shape wood from forest to furniture.Beginning with the standing tree, each chapter of ""The Woodwright's Guide"" explores one of nine trades of woodcraft: faller, countryman and cleaver, hewer, log-builder, sawyer, carpenter, joiner, turner, and cabinetmaker. Each trade brings new tools and techniques; each trade uses a different character of material; but all are united by the grain in the wood and the enduring mastery of muscle and steel.Hundreds of detailed drawings by Eleanor Underhill (Roy's daughter) illustrate the hand tools and processes for shaping and joining wood. A special concluding section contains detailed plans for making your own foot-powered lathes, workbenches, shaving horses, and taps and dies for wooden screws.""The Woodwright's Guide"" is informed by a lifetime of experience and study. A former master craftsman at Colonial Williamsburg, Roy has inspired millions to ""just say no to power tools"" through his continuing work as a historian, craftsman, activist, and teacher. In ""The Woodwright's Guide"", he takes readers on a personal journey through a legacy of off-the-grid, self-reliant craftsmanship. It's a toolbox filled with insight and technique, as well as wisdom and confidence for the artisan in all of us.

What do you do when you need furniture for a specific space or purpose in your home and nothing you find fits the bill? Build your own!

This book is comprised of 20 furniture projects based on the popular I Can Do That method presented in Popular Woodworking's ICDT video series hosted by Chad Stanton. These projects look good, are well made, yet at the same time achievable for even a beginner with an inexpensive (but decent) set of tools. You'll find clear instructions with complete step-by-step photos, illustrations and cutting lists to help you every step of the way.

The first guide to timber framing written specifically for beginners! Expert Will Beemer takes you through the entire process from start to finish, beginning with timber sourcing and ending with a finished building. Using full-colour photos, detailed drawings, and clear step-by-step instructions, Beemer shows you exactly how to build one small (12' x 16') timber-frame structure - suitable for use as a cabin, workshop, or studio. He also explains how to modify the structure to suit your needs and location by adding a loft, moving doors or windows, changing the roof pitch, or making the frame larger or smaller. You'll end up with a beautiful building as well as solid timber-framing skills that you can use for a lifetime.

The fun and easy way to repair anything and everything around the house
For anyone who's ever been frustrated by repair shop rip-offs, this guide shows how to troubleshoot and fix a wide range of household appliances-lamps, vacuum cleaners, washers, dryers, dishwashers, garbage disposals, blenders, radios, televisions, and even computers. Packed with step-by-step illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions, it's a must-have money-saver for the half of all homeowners who undertake do-it-yourself projects.

Find fast answers to woodworking questions! From fasteners to finishing, angles to adhesives, this portable guide is packed with helpful charts, lists and illustrations to move your woodworking projects along. Need to compute an odd joint angle, select appropriate hardware, or pick the right finish for a project? You can consult this book for solutions to those dilemmas and many more. It's the ideal size to stash in a toolbox or bench top, where you will refer to it again and again.

FEATURES

- Dozens of charts and lists providing key woodworking facts, figures and formulas at a glance

- Clear, quick-reference illustrations of angles, joints, mouldings, fasteners and more

- Demystifies woodworking math, including conversions and geometry

- Portable, durable format perfect for hands-on use in the shop

Pyrography, the art of 'drawing with fire' by burning designs onto a medium, is an ancient craft practised worldwide. This book presents 25 original pyrography projects in easy-to-follow step-by-step style that are suitable for the absolute beginner to master. The readers will love the clear and simple format which takes away the mystery behind achieving great results. The 25 projects include: door plaques, coasters, key fobs, letter opener, coat hook hanger, jotter board, picture frame, letter holder, trinket box, bread board and many more...This book includes detailed information on tools, equipment and materials. It is suitable for beginner level, with clear instructions and illustrations. All techniques are fully explained and illustrated in full colour throughout.

Frame Carpentry from the editors of Fine Homebuilding provides the best field-tested information on framing efficiently, safely, and the right way the first time. No source of knowledge on framing is better respected or more widely followed than that provided by the authors of Fine Homebuilding magazine. At 240 pages with more than 350 illustrative on-the-job photos and drawings, Frame Carpentry distills centuries of hands-on builder-tested methods and techniques as the finest builders in the country pass on their hard-won trade secrets for better construction. You'll learn how to: frame a gable wall build a hybrid timber-frame floor lay out and cut roof rafters choose the right header for a wall work with pressure-treated lumber The book covers the basics of framing, as well as more advnced techniqes on framing for energy efficienty, wind-resistant framing, and framing with double-stud walls. There is also up-to-date information on the latest framing tools and materials. Frame Carpentry will serve as your definitive guide to framing.

Kumiko is a delicate and sophisticated art created by assembling small wooden pieces into beautiful patterns, and Matt Kenney's latest book offers step-by-step instructions for 10 patterns, with a level of detail that cannot be found in print elsewhere. Also included are cutting diagrams for several original decorative wall panels that make use of the patterns taught in the book. In The Art of Kumiko you'll learn Kenney's methods for making Kumiko, which combine the accuracy and efficiency of modern woodworking equipment with the precision of hand tools to create beautiful pieces. You'll also learn how to incorporate Kumiko in both furniture designs and as stand-alone framed panels that pay homage to this centuries-old craft.