How to install over the range microwaves and other helpful tips
Readers share how to install over the range microwaves, how to make easier sandpaper cuts for a pad sander, and tips for making a prick punch.
How to install over the range microwaves
If you’ve ever installed an over-the-range microwaves you know how frustrating it is to trim the template to just the right size and then get it taped to the underside of the cabinet (hoping it stays in place) to drill the bolt holes, only to find out when you lift the microwave in place your holes are not lined up with the microwave.
Now get holes in the exact location without ever having to use that annoying template and save time doing it. Once you have the back bracket mounted to the wall, install the bolts into the top of the microwave and screw them all the way in.
Take one of those little adhesive-backed felt pads that go on cabinet doors to prevent scratches and stick one to the top of the each bolt head. Use a Sharpie (I prefer a small stamp pad) and blot the pad.
Next lift the microwave into place as if you were installing it. When you push it up against the underside of the cabinet the pads will leave a clear mark where you should drill the holes. As long as the microwave is sitting in the back bracket correctly, you’ll have perfectly placed marks every time.
Take the microwave down, drill the holes and you’re ready to install (don’t forget to take the pads off the screw heads).
–Submitted by Bryan Knudsen, Las Vegas
Cutting sandpaper for a pad sander
I use a pad sander and needed a quick way to tear full sheets of sandpaper to the correct size. Here’s what I did:
I cut a piece of ¼-inch plywood to 10 inches x 14.5 inches and fastened a 12-inch hack saw blade to the plywood, using a small nut and bolt.
I positioned the cutting edge of the blade 4.5 inches from the left edge of the plywood, which put it 5.5 inches from the right edge of the plywood.
Now I can put a whole sheet of sandpaper length-wise under the blade with the edges aligned to the left side of the plywood and tear it. I get clean edges and I can make a whole stack of cut sandpaper, ready for easy changes. It also lets me tear more than one sheet at a time.
–Submitted by Barbara Jording, Daphne, Alabama
How to make a prick punch
To make a simple prick punch is (a prick punch is used to create precise dimples in metal for layout work or before using a center punch) you’ll need:
• Nail
• Drill bit
• Hack saw
• Broomstick
Cut a section of a broomstick in a size that is comfortable enough to use as the prick punch handle. Drill a hole in one end of the wood stick large enough to accommodate the nail. Cut the nail head off, add glue to the nail and insert it into the handle hole. You now have a prick punch.
–Submitted by Narciso Balbuena Pagan, Westel Chapel, Florida