Woodwork and home DIYs may not be everyone’s thing.
On the other hand, if you know someone trying to save on home repairs or who enjoys working with wood, they might find these bits of information to be know-how gold.
A carpenter’s tricks
1. Lubricate screws with bar soap
Even when you pre-drill a pilot hole, there’s a huge chance of screwing things up (pun intended). Try installing wood screws in cabinet stiles to join them together.
There’s a big chance you’ll break off a wood screw just trying to screw those two maple cabinets together.
Try this tip. Take the screw and run it along an old bar of soap, you can screw it through a bar of soap too, and you’ll end up lubricating the threads.
You may find the screw now turning easily.
Smooth and sure
It’s smoother, making the process easier, and helps avoid ruining screws or the wood.
Wax might be better.
The downside to this soap trick is that the glycerin found in most soaps makes screws hygroscopic.
They can and will draw moisture, prematurely rusting screws, and even cause staining in some woods.
You can try using screw wax, beeswax, or even paraffin, or seek out some glycerin-free soap.
2. Conceal screws inside the wood
You will have to ‘peel’ up a section of the wood using a sharp chisel and a wooden mallet.
Add the screw underneath the peeled section and then glue the wood back down over the top of it.
Moisture helps
Another tip here is to wet the area first. This makes the grain more flexible which will help it bend back later.
Keep it light and angled
Be sure to angle the chisel so it doesn’t dig too deep into the wood. A wooden mallet helps to control the angle. Light taps will do.
If you have control, then do as the video suggests.
Go easy on the glue. You don’t want to end up making a mess on the wood.
3. Hammer without cracking the wood
It’s called a pilot hole. If you just go ahead and hammer a nail into the wood, chances are you’ll find cracks around it.
Especially when you hammer near the edges.
But you will have to make sure that it all fits right.
You’ll find that the small holes will require less force when nailing or screwing into the wood.
Mark your target
Starting with pilot holes does add a bit more work.
If you’re new to this, mark the spot first and make sure the drill is pointing straight down. Ask for help if you have doubts.
The key to drilling a good pilot hole is choosing the right size drill bit.
When drilling a pilot hole for a nail, the right drill bit should be slightly smaller than the nail’s shank.
These aren’t absolute rules as there are many other ways of working with screws, nails, and wood.
However, these tips are a good start, especially for first-time DIY-ers.
See exactly how to put these tips to use in the video below!
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