Roy Berendsohn

POP Projects is a collection of new and classic projects from more than a century of Popular Mechanics. Master skills, get tool recommendations, and, most importantly, build something of your very own.If you want to work with metal, there’s one thing you have to confront: You need heat. With it, you can make the toughest metal submit to your will. Without it, you’ll never gain full mastery over this stubborn material. Over the years, I have been frustrated by my inability to work hot steel. I’ve…

Many people struggle with fastening to concrete–and other masonry surfaces, such as brick and concrete block. Turns out, there’s nothing to it. The best way to fasten to it, especially for DIYers, is to just dill a hole and drive a screw. The job’s bad reputation was well earned but is out of date. Years ago, fastening to concrete was difficult and hit or miss. If you’ve ever tried driving hardened-steel nails into concrete or tried to make anchor sleeve holes with a wobbly rental masonry drill…

One of the best ways to clear your lawn of autumn leaves is to mulch them into small particles that break down and return to the soil next spring. The tool to do that mulching is your mower. If you have six inches of leaf cover or less, this may be easier than using a cordless leaf blower to get them off the lawn or or by using a rake to gather them onto a tarp and drag somewhere for disposal.If you have more than six inches of leaf cover, the method will still work, but you’ll have to remove se…

It’s always good to learn new things. The other day I discovered that it’s fun to build a knife. I received a $40 kit of parts from knifekits.com. Tucked neatly inside the box was also a single sheet of general instructions with an exploded illustration of the knife to be built. I went from loose parts to a well-executed knife in about two hours.The tools I needed were a pair of locking pliers, a ball peen hammer, a bench vise, and a random orbit sander. I’ve linked to those tools below and I a…

A fire extinguisher is more than a tool that puts out a fire. It can be the arbiter between life or death. Putting out a fire early can mean the difference between a small, smoky mess and widespread wreckage. Consider this: Fire with access to air and fuel, will double in size every 30 seconds. In three minutes, a fire that starts out the size of one 5-gallon bucket becomes the size of 64 burning buckets. Just 180 seconds after it begins, a fire can be transformed from a nuisance to a room-size…

A hole is nothing. Or more precisely, it’s the absence of something—wood, metal, concrete, or any number of different materials. Since holes are nothing, why do we care about them and how to make them? Well, even though they may be nothing out of something, it’s important to know how to make a hole by using a drill bit quickly and accurately. And by accurately, I mean that you use the right drill bit for the job, and can put that hole right where you need it. The resulting hole should have a re…

There are lots of small details that move the needle from a good paint job to one that’s great.

When we discuss big DIY projects, we tend to emphasize power tools, building materials, and accessories. Often, we forget to mention just how important it is to plan properly and to remember a range of small items that are easily overlooked. The absence of any one of these, from contractor trash bags to bug spray, can cost you dearly.Below, we have a list of essentials, though you probably have others to add to our list. Stock up before beginning your next project.The Three Phases of Any DIY Job…

We need gear for work, for play, even to make a great dinner at home. That’s why in preparing for our annual awards package, we spent the past year working on our houses and yards, camping and grilling, and performing nearly miraculous feats with technology. If it sounds like fun, it is. We love gear, and preparing the Gear of the Year Awards is always a blast. But it’s also work that we take seriously because we want you to shop with confidence based on our recommendations. Then we want you to…

I’ve got no problem with people who have dirt under their fingernails. It shows they work for a living. I also have no problem with the absence of dirt under someone’s fingernails. Maybe that person has a blue collar job, maybe white collar, or maybe they’re retired. Whatever.Dirt or no dirt, I do know that today it’s easier than ever to protect your hands and to clean them once they become dirty. Dirt, paint, adhesive, grease, glue, and caulk: All of these substances are easily removed.I know…

On a Wednesday evening, January 7, 1959, Americans would learn of a new substance– cyanoacrylate. Eventually, it would become known as super glue. Chemist Harry Wesley Coover, Jr. appeared as a guest on the popular TV show, “I’ve Got a Secret.” Dressed in a crisp suit and tie, Coover used a single drop of the adhesive to bond two pieces of steel. A minute or so later, he and host Gary Moore were hoisted into the air by the bars. American society hasn’t been the same since. Fast forward less tha…

Simplified furniture refinishing is exactly what it sounds like: a shortcut to quicky clean up a piece of furniture. In many cases, you can leave it right where it is, open the windows for a little ventilation, and spread a couple of painter’s tarps around it to protect the nearby floor and walls. That’s it.Less than 30 minutes of work with a handful of products are all you need to produce remarkably good results. Below I show you the table on which I demonstrate just how easy this is. The table…

Everyone needs a wrench. I’ve seen tool sets consisting of a can opener, a single screwdriver, a hammer with a plastic handle­–and an adjustable wrench. All stashed in a kitchen drawer. I’m not one to look askance at such a collection. It served the owner’s need, and that’s that. But the fact that it includes a wrench is telling. Even the most humble tool set is not complete without one.How did the universal importance come to be? It started long ago.The word wrench is itself a delightful tour…

Cold weather robs us of mobility, enjoyment, and safety. Cold-stiffened muscles dulls our movement­–and our senses. Before you know it, you can’t concentrate on whatever it is you’re trying to do, whether it’s working in the garage, hanging Christmas lights, doing a construction project outside, or just relaxing outside with a little work.There are several solutions to being cold, but the easiest is to take a cordless and portable, heat source with you. The last several years have seen a breakt…

Do corded power tools still matter? They do to me. I own as many corded power tools as I do cordless power tools. But I wondered about it the other day when I picked up my corded worm gear circular saw, plugged it into a 120-volt outlet and made a few cuts. I don’t use that saw as much as I used to. I’m just as well off making a few cuts with a small and light cordless saw. Still, if you need a nearly indestructible saw, the Skilsaw worm gear comes as close as possible to that high-water mark.Bu…

Concrete cracks. That’s a fact of construction life that has been with the human race since it began building with concrete three millenia ago. The problem spurred the Romans to develop and perfect a self-healing concrete that incorporated crystalline calcium. When a hairline crack formed in Roman concrete, and water gained entry through it, the water and calcium mixed, forming a crack-filling sealer. This stops the leak and halts further degradation. Modern concrete, good as it is, lacks this f…

I’m all business when it comes to tools, so I hesitate to describe any tool as fun to use. On the other hand, no other word better describes Klein Tools’ pocket size laser level, a $40 gadget that is productive, easy to use, compact, and versatile.Some background on laser levels might be helpful in understanding why I’ve come to the conclusion that this tool fills the fun quotient.Why Lasers MatterEvery construction project, from hanging the simplest shelf to erecting an office building, begins…

The wall outlet that that serves your home office desk is dead. There goes your productive morning. Now what?As annoying as the above scenario is, diagnosing and repairing a non-functioning outlet is fairly simple.We run through some simple diagnostics below along with listing some products that can help you get back to a productive day as soon as possible.Where to BeginIn the scenario above, it appears that the outlet that serves your home office desk is dead. The crucial word here is “appears.…

For more than 120 years, Popular Mechanics has been a heavy duty brand. We see no reason to change that now. That’s why producing our annual Tool Awards package involves countless hours of staff time, as we search, cross check, test, speak with manufacturers, write, and critique our results. It’s worth it to us, because tools are important. And we know that tools are important to you, too. Sure, we’re tool users here and we enjoy tools in their own right. But they’re important because they help…

The lubricant you purchase for home and shop maintenance is some of the most expensive oil you can buy. In terms of chemical products, it’s among the most expensive materials that you regularly purchase, on a per-weight basis. Eight dollars will buy you a quart of motor oil, but will get you only about 8 oz. of spray lubricant used for home and shop maintenance. Essentially all of the motor oil will be put to use lubricating the engine of your car. It’s anybody’s guess how much of that spray lu…