Friday

tip-o-day

I am back dammit.
I spent some time over the weekend using this very blog to research various important facts - such as the timing of the arrival of pollen dust, did we have ants in 2006, and how many years did I skip crabgrass control.
I am realizing I can't remember a damned thing.
But my blog can!

Today's tip is how to keep doing over-the-top, out of your league, DIY projects as we age.

I learned while re-framing our screened porch
yes...I said re-framing, and yes... we just had it built last year. See...so what happens when you spend alot of money on something but you are really not completely satisfied with the result - well, just change it! I will post about this fun project.
I digress
So I noticed that its getting harder and harder for me to do heavy work over my head. Evidently I am not as strong as I used to be...or I am just getting noticeably lazier. Either way - placement of your ladder is key.
Say you are trying to screw in a fairly heavy pressure treated header with 3" deck screws -- so place your step ladder in a position where you are dead infront of the current screw you want to drive. Whats key is to place it far enough away so you can lean your weight into the drill. This will help drive it home. Move the ladder for each screw you need to drive instead of trying to reach. Reaching really diminishes your torque. Also don't forget how handy a good set of clamps are. This way you don't have to hold a board as you hold the drill.
These small changes to your work habits will get you through a project well enough ... at least well enough to still be able to uncork the wine later.