How to Drill a Perfectly Straight and Square Hole without a Drill Press

Sure, every once in a while, you want to intentionally drill a hole an at angle. Sometimes, compound joinery demands it, or you're going for a stylish, contemporary look on a project.

But most of the holes we drill - I'd hazard to say a good 99% of them - are intended to be drilled straight on, perfectly perpendicular to the surface. You can do this precisely with a drill press, but many makers don't have one, and they require specific set up and work that's small enough to be placed on the table. 

So that leaves the cordless drill. A tool that, when balanced on the tip of a drill bit, can be easily canted and slanted off square in every single direction, especially when you're putting force behind it. But the task is not impossible.

Yes, DIYers, you can drill a perfectly 90° hole with a cordless drill. Here's how it's done.    … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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How to: The Easy Way to Remove Pencil Marks from Your Woodworking Projects

Saws are exciting, and chisels and hand planes look really great on top of your workbench. But if you ask me, the number one most-important, guaranteed tool I use on every single project is: the No. 2 pencil.

It's essential for everything from sketching to measuring to layout and marking parts, and its "easy to remove" nature makes it perfect for seeing now, disappearing later. Except, have you ever actually tried to remove pencil from wood before applying a finish?   

… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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'American Made' and 'Flatliners' Target Spots in the Weekend Box Office Top Five

As of the end of the day Wednesday, the month-to-date gross is less than $6 million shy of becoming the largest September ever. Much of the month's $620+ million is thanks to the record performance from It, which has grossed over $272 million domestically and $500 million globally. The month should become the largest September ever by the end of day today and this weekend offers one last chance to add to the total with new releases including Tom Cruise's American Made and Sony's Flatliners ...

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These are the Best Bottles of Whiskey Under $20

There are times for spending on an investment bottle, but there are even more times for enjoying something perfectly good that cost less than an Andrew Jackson. None of them are going to blow your mind, but you know that already. But - seriously - if you're having fun and it's more about the conversation than what's in the glass, twelves drinks of anything palatable for less than twenty bucks is money well spent.    … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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How to Clean Your Entire House in 45 Minutes: A Modern Man's Guide

Your bachelor pad. Your family home. That apartment with all the architectural detail and the amazing view. Wherever you live, houses get messy. And they stay that way, until you clean them. When your plans to let someone inside ends up happening before your hopes of getting your home back to normal, then it's time to clean it. Quickly. 

You don't have the time to deep clean and scrub, so make the little bit you have count. If you're smart and focused, you can pull it off in the running time of your favorite record.    … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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How to: Make a Simple Wooden Passive Smartphone Speaker

Happy Monday, ManMakers! Today, I'm super excited to share an exclusive project with you. It's an excerpt from the new book Build Stuff with Wood, which is all about making cool woodworking projects with the most basic of tools.

The book is written by Asa Christiana, the former editor of Fine Woodworking magazine, and, I'm proud to say, a close friend of mine and all-around good guy. It features a variety of everyday objects you can make armed only with a cordless drill, a circular saw, and a jigsaw, plus a small palm router on one or two. There's a section on setting up a workspace, building a basic tool kit, and how to get great furniture-quality results from construction-grade tools. (Plus, a nice section on shop safety featuring a few photos of yours truly.)  Plus, the intro is written by Nick Offerman, so...enough said!

… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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ManMade Reader Poll: What's Your Favorite Stephen King Novel?

So... I realized something over the weekend. I was listening to a podcast that had intended to have a conversation the new Dark Tower movie, but since it was, apparently, completely boring and not worth discussing, they decided to chat about their favorite Stephen King books, movie adaptations, mini-series, etc. And it hit me:    … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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