Archives for January 2009

Sharpening a Push Mower

Those of you that own a hand powered push lawn mower or a manual lawn mower may be aware that when they have been used for a while, they do not cut as easily. Some signs to look out for that your manual mower may need sharpened are: if it seems to pull at the grass without cutting it or if it is damaging the grass blades and not cutting them uniformly. That and if it is taking extra effort than usual to cut the grass, you probably just need to sharpen your mower’s blades.

How Insulation is Made

Fiberglass has essentially been available throughout history as glass makers have experimented with it since the early 1800’s. However, it was not until finer tooling became available that it was able to be developed into what is commonly known as fiberglass today.

Fiberglass that is now used as insulation wasn’t invented until 1936. In 1938, Russell Games Slayter from Owens Corning began the manufacturing process. The Owens Corning company was the first to mass produce fiberglass insulation and remains the industry leader today.

Care and Maintenance of Bamboo Flooring

Carry, do not drag the furniture to be placed in the rooms with your bamboo flooring. Make sure to place felt or rubber pads beneath each furniture or chair leg. This will protect the floor from scratches when moving furniture, and from dents caused by the weight of your furniture. Replace these pads periodically. Wheels should have a hard plastic caster of at least 2” in width to prevent damage from occurring.

High Traffic Areas

Mortise and Tenon Joints

mortise and tenon picture Mortise and tenon joints are commonly used in woodworking to connect one piece of wood to another, usually at a 90 degree angle. The first piece of wood has a tenon which fits into the second pieces mortise. A tenon is a square extension off of the first piece of wood that is usually smaller then the rest of the piece of wood.

Landscapers Tool List

catapillar d5 bulldozer Here we will build a list of tools a landscaper should have and explain why they need them. This article will be handy particularly for readers who may be thinking about going into the landscaping business. Landscapers use a variety of tools in their trade and not all use the same tools to accomplish the job, but we will cover as many possibilities as possible and explain what the best tool is for each job.

Hand Tools

1. Small spade: This tool is used to dig holes for annuals, dig up weeds in hard to reach spaces and to carefully dig around root balls of smaller plants.