Build a versatile piece that looks greatoutside or inside your home

B Y V E R N G R A S S E L A N D D A N C A R Y

Storage Bench

WO R K S H O P

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Perfect for a deck, patio or pool area, this solid-cedarbench is designed to provide comfortable seatingand ample storage. Though it’s built to withstand

outdoor exposure, it’s handsome enough that you mightdecide to keep it inside to hold blankets or firewood.

Construction requires only a few woodworking powertools: a router, a table saw, a drill and a jigsaw. We cut thegrooves and rabbets using a table saw, but you could use arouter table and a straight bit. Pocket-screw joinery keepsthe frame assembly simple.

Note: The 1x6 and 1x8 cedar that we bought at ahome center is 7/8 in. thick. If you are using 3/4-in.-thicklumber, you’ll need to make the appropriate adjustments.

Keep seat cushions and other small

deck accessories dry and out of

sight in this cedar storage bench.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL ANDERSON

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G A R A G E

Almost any vehicle can tow a railer if youinstall the right receiver hitch

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LIZ ANDERSON AND MICHAEL WESTHOFF

B Y M I K E T A V I S

Gettin’ Hitched

As a building maintenancetech, I carry a lot of stuff toand from the job site. After

trading my aging pickup for a morefuel-efficient, compact grocery get-ter, I realized that although my newvehicle could haul of all my tools, Iwould occasionally need to tow atrailer loaded with large materials.And that meant installing a receiverhitch.

A receiver hitch consists of asquare or round steel tube that boltsto your vehicle’s frame and accepts adraw bar with a towing ball (photo,

p. xx). Many trucks and SUVs comewith a factory-installed receiverhitch, but most cars, vans andsmaller crossover vehicles do not.Luckily, thanks to the large varietyof after-market hitches, you shouldbe able to find one that will fit yourvehicle, and you’ll only need basicmechanics’ tools to install it your-self.

THE RIGHT HITCHBefore you buy a receiver hitch, youneed to know the towing capacity ofyour vehicle and how much weight

you plan to pull. Trailers are rated bygross trailer weight (GTW – the totalweight of the trailer and its load)and tongue weight (the downwardforce of the trailer on the hitch ball— typically about 10 percent of theGTW).

You can find the towing capacityand tongue-weight limit of yourvehicle in the owner’s manual, andyou should never exceed those lim-its. (If you’ve misplaced the owner’smanual, check online or consult alocal dealership to determine yourvehicle’s towing capacity.) You may

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Not that long ago, welding machines were a fan-tasy; rivets were one of the few ways to effec-tively join two pieces of metal. Some of his-

tory’s greatest structures — the Golden Gate Bridge,the Eiffel Tower and the Titanic — owe their existenceto this type of joinery, and rivets remain an integral

Blind rivets provide a practical, easy anddecorative way to join metal

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL ANDERSON AND LIZ ANDERSON

Rivets have been used for more than 150

years to effectively secure metal. Add them

to your metalworking arsenal to broaden

the types of projects you can create.

B Y M I K E B E R G E R

A Riveting Experience

M E T A L S H O P

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P R O J E C T S

You don’t have to be obsessive-compulsive to settile, but it helps. In all seriousness, with a littleplanning, any careful DIYer with an eye for detail

and the right tools can achieve great results with tile. Akitchen backsplash is a good project for a first-timer; here’show to get started.

PLAN AHEADWith tile, investing time in the planning stage reallyhelps you to avoid headaches later. The first step involvesbasic math: How much space do I have, and how manytiles will it take to fill that space? Careful measurement isessential, but you will encounter slight size variationsfrom tile to tile. Sheets of tiles on a backing material suchas paper, fiberglass mesh or plastic dots vary in size even

more than single tiles. Even tiny size differences canquickly add up to a noticeable discrepancy from yourplan. That’s why I like to dry-fit a row of tiles before Ibegin so I can see exactly where I will need to make cuts.

Another important factor to consider when buyingtile is whether you want whole tiles in the corners andalong edges. If so, you’ll need to select tiles that fit intothese spaces. If you don’t mind burying your cuts in thecorners and under cabinets, you’ll have more leeway inchoosing tile size.

Even after careful planning, it’s easy to make mistakes,so buy about 10 percent more tile than your square footagerequires. If you mess up when cutting a tile, save it; youmight be able to use it in a corner. Corners are often irreg-ular, so the tiles at the end of each course may need to be

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL ANDERSON

A tiled backsplash is an easy upgrade to any kitchen or bath.

With proper planning and the right tools,any DIYer can set tile like a pro

B Y M I K E T A V I S

How to Tile a Backsplash

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