Carpentry tips from intelligent people for home renovation and repair - hiring, working, managing - for women, children and pets

Any bed headboard may be hung directly on the wall, and the bed pushed up against it.

Tennis balls cut in half, alphabet letters, blocks, and animal figurines all make great drawer handle pulls for kids.

For decks, purchase pressure-treated wood two weeks before building to give the lumber time to dry out and adjust to moisture conditions in the yard. Wood will eventually crack if it is nailed or screwed in place while it is wet.

Hardwood must be pre-drilled before inserting nails or screws to prevent the wood from splitting.

About 10 minutes before you begin work, use a fan so it is blowing out an open window, and open a door or window on the opposite side. This'll get a breeze going before you generate fumes or sawdust, helping to keep the air clean and dust from settling.

When using a circular saw, grasp it with both hands so you always know where both hands are.

If you can no longer smell cedar when opening a cedar closet, rub some sandpaper over the wood to open the pores to release the fresh moth repellent within.

When driving screws with a drill, never, ever, let the driver bit spin in the screw-head. One bbrrrttt of spin puts a hundred screws of wear on the bit!