More tips for the jobsite

Use these valuable tips for the jobsite to sand a hole, drywall, get the dust out of cutting tile and more.

Doing away with dust

Cutting a variety of materials, such as cementboard, stone and ceramic tile, with an angle grinder and a diamond blade, often results in a large cloud of dust flying away from the material.

Here’s my solution. Wearing a rubber glove, dip a sponge into a bucket of water. Squeeze out some of the water, and then make the cut while holding the sponge securely against the side of the diamond blade..

The result will be a slight spray of water or a small stream, depending on how much water you have in the sponge and how you hold it. But for sure, there will no longer be any dust. Caution: Always follow tool safety rules and never remove the blade guard from the grinder. Working without a blade guard can pull your hand and the sponge right into the blade.

–Submitted by Stu Goldberg, Sacramento, California

Razor blade disposal

I found while working on the jobsite I was having trouble getting rid of used utility knife blades safely. If I threw them in a contractor trash bag, they had the potential to rip the bag or cut someone’s hand when disposing of the bag. I didn’t want to put it in the building owner’s trash cans.

Now I put used utility blades into an old prescription bottle. It’s small enough to fit in my tool belt and I can throw the bottle in the trash when it’s full. Even better: The bottle has a child-proof top.

–Submitted by J.D. Walz, Lowell, Michigan

Sanding inside a hole

To easily sand the inside of a hole and avoid splinters, wrap sanding paper around a medicine bottle or a cut-off section of a broomstick.

Sand the inside of the hole with this “specialized” sander.

–Submitted by Ruth Calleros, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Another use for electrical tape

When I’m working in an energized panel box, I always wrap my wedding band with some electrical tape as a precaution. It only takes a second but it’s effective and provides peace of mind.

–Submitted by Tom Poliziano, Johnson City, New York

One-man drywalling

Make two wooden triangles about a foot long. When installing drywall horizontally on the bottom of a wall, screw the triangles on the upper corners. Then lift the next drywall piece above the first piece and let it rest on the triangles.

Then you can put the second panel into position. That makes it easy for one person working alone to handle the upper drywall panel. Secure the upper panel partially with a couple of screws or nails before installing.

–Submitted by Jeff Cramer, Lake Delton, Wisconsin

Protect your drywall taping knives

Here’s a quick and easy way to keep your taping knives ‘nick-free.’ Simply take some ¼-inch plastic tubing and cut it a little longer than the knife you’re protecting.

Carefully using a razor knife, slit the tubing on one side. (If you had the tubing rolled up, you can use a heat gun or a hot water bath to soften it and straighten it out.)

Then after using and cleaning a taping knife, simply slide the tubing over the edge of the blade.

You can now pile the knives in a box, bag, etc. knowing the edges won’t get nicks that can transfer to your job.

–Submitted by Rick Wisz, Lathrup Village, Michigan