It's important to get square cuts in wood when building certain projects. Square cuts allow you to create stronger joints and allows you to have your pieces fit together properly so that planter bench you're trying to build is straight and doesn't wobble.

There are a number of different ways that you can make square cuts in dimensional lumber such as 1x6's, 2x4, 2x6's, etc., which vary in price. Most will also allow you to make accurate angled cuts such as 45 degree cuts.

As with any tools, make sure to read, understand and follow all instructions that come with the tools.

Good

Speed Square and Circular Saw

Better

Miter Box

Power Miter Saw

A couple of days ago I received the following email from Catherine regarding cabinets that aren't square.

Hi,

I just found your site and love it. I'm new to woodworking and want to know what tools you use keep boxes square? I see a lot of 90 degree clamps out there and wonder if you recommend any of them? Also, what do you do if your project isn't square? How can you adjust it? Say a cabinet or bookcase for example.

Thank you, Catherine

In a follow up email I found out she's cutting her plywood with a circular saw and guide with pocket screw joinery. Since this is how I also cut my plywood I'm very familiar with the problems. There are four main problems that can cause your cabinets to not be square. In this article I'll discuss what causes cabinets to not be square as well as how to prevent them. At the end  I'll discuss what to do when things don't line up square.

I had planned to write a separate guide on how to buy a circular saw but Catherine's question brings up a lot of the points I wanted to address so I'm including that here.
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I use my Kreg-Min Pocket Hole Jig quite often but I always forget the settings for different wood thicknesses so I made this little table to look up whenever I'm using my Kreg Mini. There are three measurements that you need. The depth collar adjustment, distance from edge and screw size.
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Let's take a look at what the Ultra Tugger Cable Puller from Greenlee has to offer. Enjoy

GL-UT2 Ultra Tugger Cable Puller

For more details, contact us at (888) 797-3697 or visit Discount-Low-Voltage.com/Info

First, some information on visual fault finders:
Fault finders are designed to troubleshoot faults on fiber optic cables by sending a red laser beam through the fiber optic cable. Light generated by these units will escape from sharp bends and breaks in jacketed or bare fibers, as well as poorly mated connectors. They can identify faults in fiber optic jumper cables, distribution frames, patch panels, and splice trays. In addition, they can also be used to aid installation of AFL FAST fiber optic connectors.





Features and Benefits of the AFL HiLite:
- Compact, lightweight size
- Visible red laser source, 650 nm
- Easily locate faults in fiber optic cable, fiber jumpers, and more
- Includes 2.5mm adapter for popular SC and ST fiber optic connectors
- High power, 1 mW
- Universal connector interface for quick connection
- Easy to order from Discount-Low-Voltage.com


Related Posts:
Video: How It's Made - Fiber Optic Cable
Video: How To Terminate Fiber Optic Cable Using AFL FAST Connectors
Tutorial: Difference Between Loose Tube Fiber Optic Cable and Tight Buffered Fiber Cable
Whitepaper: Fiber Optic 10 Gigabit Ethernet Technology Overview
FAQ: Glossary of Common Fiber Optic Terms (A-E)

The Gerber Groundbreaker is more than just a pair of wire strippers. It's a multi-tool that in addition to being a multifunction wire stripper has plier tips, a hammering surface, a utility knife, a drywall saw and a multi-tip screwdriver. It comes with a sheath that hooks onto your belt that can also carry some other tools. It's not cheap. MSRP is $144 and as of right now it's selling for about $125 at Home Depot. At first I thought it was a little unnecessary but the more I've used it the more I appreciate having all the tools right where I need them.

This past weekend I was installing a couple of wireless switches that work in conjunction with my garage door opener. A fairly simple project and not the first time I used the Groundbreaker but it's the first project that unexpectedly required me to use much of the extra features of the Groundbreaker.

First, the switches came in that annoying plastic packaging that needs to be cut open and I used the Groundbreaker's utility knife to do that. I needed to strip a ground pigtail to connect it to the switches and the grounded outlet box. Always need pliers when doing electrical work and the Groundbreaker's plier jaws and wire bending loops worked perfectly. The switches have a wire antenna that needs to be fed down the wall and I was able to use the drywall saw on the Groundbreaker to slightly enlarge the wall opening around the bottom of the outlet box to feed the antennas through. The only thing I didn't use was the hammering surface. I really tried to think of a way to use them on the project too.

The saw, driver and utility knife are located on the handles and can be used with the handles still on the Groundbreaker. If you find that a little too cumbersome for some work, the handles are removable.


More importantly. Everything was right on my belt within easy reach when I needed it. I didn't have to waste time running around looking for a half dozen different tools that are in various locations as I realized I'd need them. Seems like have the time I work on any DIY projects I'm running up and down stairs or out to the garage looking for a tool.

Not only the tools that are part of the Groundbreaker but other tools that are important when doing electrical work. A loop on the bottom of the sheath can hold a couple of rolls of electrical tape. A tool holder on the right can hold a screwdriver or a pencil and the pocket on the left is the perfect size for my Milwaukee Non-Contact Voltage Detector. In addition to being a voltage tester it has a little flashlight on it so I could have a good look inside the box when I needed to. I also keep a philips head screwdriver in the pouch but I use the Groundbreaker's screwdriver for slotted screws.

Everything I need to do some electrical work around the house is right there in one place ready to go when I need it. The belt loop unsnaps so you don't even have to take off your belt and a flap on the back of the sheath slips in your back pocket so it doesn't flap around as you move.

This is how I normally keep the Groundbreaker sheath set up. Non-contact voltage detector in one pocket, philips screwdriver in the other, a pencil in the main pouch and a roll of electrical tape on the loop. It's always ready to go.



But still.... It's expensive. At first look I thought it was neat but I don't think I would spend that much for it. As luck would have it, I needed a new set of wire strippers at the same time the Groundbreaker was made available to me for free so I could review it. The more I used it the more I appreciated the multitool aspects of it over individual tools. It has saved me quite a bit of time. So let's look at what it would take to create a Groundbreaker experience with individual tools and how much it will cost.

Multifunction Strippers $22.76 -- The Klein 1001 Multipurpose Electrician's Tool has similar features to the Groundbreaker as far as wire stripping, cutting, terminal screw cutting and crimping goes.

Pliers $29 -- Klein Tools 9" High Leverage Side Cutting Pliers.

Screwdriver $16.99 --Milwaukee 10-in-1 ECX Multibit screwdriver.

Utility Knife $5.97 -- Stanley Quick-Change Retracting Utility Knife.

Drywall Saw $7.97 -- Milwaukee 6" Fixed Jab Saw

Pouch $29.98 -- Dead On Tools HDP222496 Electricians Professional Pouch

Total: $112.95

The price of the Gerber Groundbreaker doesn't seem too high anymore when you compare it to individual tools of similar quality. Plus you get everything in a smaller package that doesn't take up a lot of space or weight on your belt, toolbox or drawer.

For me, I just like having a small compact set of tools I can grab and go when I occasionally need to do electrical work. I don't know about you but I've tried to set up individual tool kits in the past and it never pans out. If I did build the electrical tool kit above it wouldn't be long before everything went missing. If I needed a utility knife, screwdriver, pliers, or drywall saw and my electrical pouch was closer than other tool kits, I'd grab it from there. Slowly the tools would make their way to other areas and tool storage cases, defeating the whole purpose of being able to grab one set of tools quickly to get the job done fast.

Is the Groundbreaker worth the high price? Yes in my opinion.

At first I thought the Groundbreaker was overpriced and a bit gimmicky. The more I've used it the more practical I realize it is. It's also a very well made tool with a Lifetime Limited Warranty. Gerber is one of Fiskar's brands. You probably know them from the high quality scissors and outdoor cutting equipment they make.

See more info and current pricing at HomeDepot.com.

Moving large, heavy sheets of plywood or drywall can be a real pain, even with someone helping. All that bending over to pick up heavy sheets, lifting them up and moving them to their final destination from where the truck dropped them off is tough. Especially if you have to go up or down a flight of stairs.

The night before a big drywall delivery I could already feel my lower back starting to ache just thinking about it so I tried to come up with a cheap solution to help me move drywall down to my basement.

I looked online for tools that would help carry drywall and I found some good choices below:


Problem was I thought about this too late and there was no way I could get something before the delivery truck came the next morning. :(

Panel Carriers Back View

Using some scrap I had laying around I came up with a couple of panel carriers that made it much easier to move the drywall the next day.  I was going to have some help which is why I made 2 panel carriers but I'll include a modification at the end that could work if you have to move panels by yourself.

The measurements don't have to be exact and you might want to suit them to your height and arm length to make them more comfortable.

Tools Required

• Saw (circular, miter saw, hand saw anything that can cut 2x4's and some plywood, doesn't have to be pretty)
• Drill
• Kreg Pocket Hole Jig (optional but recommended)

Materials

For 2 Panel Carriers

• 1 - 2x4 8'
• 1 - 1/2" plywood enough to make 2 roughly 5" x 6" pieces.
• 2 - metal handles (garage door type)
• 2 - industrial castors
• 4 - Kreg SML-C250-250 2-1/2-Inch #8 Coarse Washer-Head Pocket Hole Screws
• 16 - 2" wood screws.
• 12 - 1" wood screws

Construction

The panel carriers consist of a few simple parts.

The top handle is a 4" piece of 2x4 screwed into the upright using 2 pocket hole screws. If you don't have a pocket hole jig you can just use 2 1/2" wood screws from the face of the upright but the pocket screws feel sturdier to me.

An upright 2x4. This is going to be around 34-38" long depending on your height and arm length. The height of the upright should put the top handle around waist high so that you can easily move the panel and lift up the carrier to go up a curb or one or two steps.

At the bottom of the upright attaches a roughly 6" 2x4 with 4 2" wood screws.

To keep the panel from slipping off the carrier a piece of 1/2" (or 3/4" whatever scrap you have) is attached to the front of the bottom 2x4. The top should be about 1.5-2" above the bottom 2x4 so that it forms a lip.

Use 4 1" screws to attach an industrial grade castor to the bottom 2x4 piece. The wheels are optional but if you have a lot of sheet goods to move they make the job easier.

A metal handle like the type used on the bottom of garage doors can be attached to the back of the upright towards the bottom. This handle is used when moving sheet goods up or down stairs. I played mine around 4" from the bottom of the upright but try and figure out the correct placement that would be most comfortable for you.

Using the Panel Carriers

To use the panel carriers, simply lay the panel carriers on the stack of drywall (or plywood), slide 2 sheets of drywall off the stack and into the lip of the panel carrier, Lift the drywall and panel carriers up 90 degrees to vertical at the same time. Use one hand to guide the panel carrier, the other to keep the panels from flopping off the carrier and then just roll away.

If you have to carry the drywall up or down stairs the bottom handles come in handy to keep the panel from hitting the stairs and getting damaged. The person on the lower end of the stairs needs to be able to hold the panel from sliding down.

If you need to move drywall or plywood sheets yourself you can try attaching the two panel carriers together using a couple lengths of 2x4 as show in the photo below.

Panel Carriers Connected

Almost all woodworking projects require joining two pieces of wood together. There are a number of different joints that can be used to create a strong connection between 2 pieces of wood but the easiest and most affordable way for the DIYer is to use pocket hole joints. Kreg makes the most popular pocket hole jig on the market.

Kreg makes a number of different pocket hole jigs that range in price from very cheap, to somewhat expensive. This post will help you decide which Kreg jig to buy.

Why Pocket Hole Joints?

Kreg Mini Pocket Hole Jig