In-line switch is easy to install and easy to use

Turning a table lamp off and on should be easy enough. But if it's located in a hard-to-reach area or has a switch that is hard to push or turn, you will love this. You easily can add an in-line switch to the electrical cord and use that instead of the one located on the lamp.

Check your hardware store or home center for one of these switches. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and are fairly inexpensive and very easy to install.

First, you need to unplug the cord from the outlet. Never try to work on any wiring that is still "hot," or you could get fried!

Determine the best place for the switch to go. You probably will want it to be somewhat concealed but easily within reach.

Most of these in-line switches will require you to take the switch apart and make a cut in at least one of the wires before inserting it into the switch. Use a good wire cutter, and if you are only to cut through one wire, make sure you don't accidentally nick the other one. Just follow the package directions, and this part should be very easy to do.

Once you have inserted the wire into the proper position in the switch, you should then be ready to replace the cover on the switch. This usually is as simple as installing a screw and tightening it down.

It's really that simple, in most cases. You can then test your switch by plugging the cord back into the wall and turning the lamp on. Then turn the in-line switch to turn the lamp off and on. It's a great way to resolve an issue that might have been plaguing you for years!

Baking tighter dowel joints: Let's get cooking! No, we're not making cookies, but if you are going to use dowels for your joinery, you can cook them. It might sound crazy, but what this does is bake the moisture out of the dowel. Then when you insert the dowel into the joint with some glue, it will absorb more of the glue and give you a tighter joint. Just place the dowels on a baking sheet and heat them for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees before using them. They also will be easier to install in the joint, since excess moisture does make the wood swell a little bit.

Homemade sawhorse: A sawhorse is a great helper in and out of the workshop, partner. It provides a temporary work surface for many projects. You can buy a variety of ready-made sawhorses, or you can make your own. If you are going to do it yourself, take some time to add some special options to your version. One of the easiest plans uses a sheet of plywood, cut in half and hinged in the center. You can add a chain or rope on the sides, installed at the right spot, to keep the sides from spreading too far apart. We like the chain and nail or hook option because it's fully adjustable for different heights, which could come in handy for a variety of projects. When you are ready to pack it away, it will fold flat and be much easier to store.

Super hints

• If you are going to move, use clothes as packing material to eliminate the cost of buying it, as well as the cost of additional boxes. Bundle paintings, mirrors and other flat items together for more protection during the move.

• If you are tired of greasy shop stains on your clothes, do what I do. Keep a spray bottle of laundry pretreatment right on your work bench. When you slop on your clothes, go ahead and pretreat as soon as it happens. By the time it hits the washer, the stain may be long gone. Whoever does your laundry will appreciate the forethought, and you won't forget to pretreat later.

• A large mirror is a great asset to a bathroom, but make sure, when hanging it that the wall is flat. A bulge in the middle can crack a mirror when installed tightly at the edges.

Q. We recently installed a tile backsplash in our kitchen. It looks great, but I want to protect it from stains. What should I use?

A. Just use a grout sealer. A penetrating sealer is the best type for a kitchen. Just read and follow the directions to the letter. You have to be careful not to leave any on the surface of the tiles. You will want to repeat this every couple of years so it will continue to provide a good level of protection, especially in a kitchen.

Q. I have an old chair with a broken caned seat. Is it hard to restore?

A. Caning isn't that hard, but does take some practice and patience. If you are really interested in trying your hand at it, check out a book from the library and see what you think. You can find caning supplies in stores and online. It won't cost much to buy the supplies, and you might enjoy it.

Q. Our roof turbine vents are making a loud groaning noise as they turn in the wind. I can't see how or where to lubricate them, so does that mean they must be replaced?

A. From the roof side, remove the turbine from the base. It's held by a couple of sheet-metal screws. With the top of the unit off, you can let the long spout on a can of aerosol lubricant shoot some of the stuff into the socket where the shaft fits into the bearing. If that doesn't solve the problem, you can buy just a turbine part to install on the old base.

Q. My standard toilet-paper holder keeps falling off the wall. The original screws are stripped out, and won't hold in the drywall anymore. Now what?

A. Drywall anchors are your next option. You can use the plastic type or the more permanent Molly bolt anchors. Both are easy to install and won't require any specialized tools. This should take care of the problem once and for all.

Reader tips

• I have a great tip for your readers about painting. We have shutters on our house, and you have to remove the hardware to paint them. Then it's hard to get them back up afterward. What I do now is just loosen the hardware enough so that it's out of the way and I can paint around it. Then, when the paint has dried, I just tighten the hardware back down. This way, it's still accessible and not painted over, and I don't have to take the shutters down and rehang them.

• I love to cook outdoors on my grill, but I hate cleaning it afterward. My tip for quicker cleaning is to use the foil that you cooked or stored your meat with as a cleaning scrubber. Just wad it up and use it to scrape the grease off the grill before it has cooled all the way down. The grease comes off easily with the foil scrubber, and it will work much better when it's still warm. I find that if I do this as soon as I can, the rest will be much easier later on.

• You both would be so proud of my first caulking job. The caulk in my bathroom was worn and ugly, so I removed it all and put in new grout. I had trouble smoothing it out at first but found a great tool right in my bathroom. I used the round end of my toothbrush to smooth the grout lines. They all look perfectly the same and very smooth. The toothbrush was easy to clean and, since no grout was on the bristles, it is still my toothbrush. I actually want to do another grout job now, maybe a bigger one. It was really fun.

• Our extension ladder is just tall enough to get to the top floor of our home. We had to buy a longer one for this house because of the high ceilings. It's too hard to store in the garage, so we keep it outside along the side of the fence. I installed hooks to hold it, and chains so we can lock it in place. The chains were added after a neighbor told me that a thief had used his ladder to gain access to his guesthouse over the garage. It's a great way to store it, and it's safely out of the way and not accessible to the wrong person.

• My wife and I like to go antiquing. Recently we ran across a whole collection of string dispensers that someone was selling. Basically, these were all containers that you would put string or twine into and then run the end out of a hole on the piece. You would pull out the amount of string you need and then cut it. They were all very decorative and expensive, but it got me thinking that I could do the same thing for my shop by just putting the string into a plastic jar with a hole drilled into the lid for the string to come out. I created it, and it works great. It might not be a collector's item, but it works for me.

Shoptalk

• Broan Trash Compactors are even more convenient than ever, and by compacting trash by 80 percent, you make fewer trips to the curb. If everyone used them, we could make fewer trips to the landfill, creating fewer landfills, less carbon emissions from trucks and so on. The latest line is attractive, easy-to-clean, lockable and built to last. Check them out at www.broan.com.

• Sanding to remove rust on outdoor projects is a must before applying your topcoat of paint - or at least it used to be. Krylon is coming out with Outdoor Spaces Rust Converter. Just spray it right on rust, and the unique formulation chemically transforms the rust into a waterproof, paintable surface that is protected from future rust. It comes in a variety of colors and finishes to match your existing decor. Check it out wherever Krylon is sold, or online at krylon.com.

• Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or visit the Carrells' Web site at thesuperhandyman.com.

© 2009, Cowles Syndicate Inc.