Ideas from Ed: Arbor Day (Part 1 of 2) (Volume 6, Issue 9)
When our house was built (1926-1927), there was a very small back porch. It was something like 5 feet by 5 feet – just enough to stand...
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edwardpetrus
- Aug 1
- 4 min
Ideas from Ed: No math for good measure (Volume 6, Issue 8)
It seems like I’ve been doing a lot of construction and woodworking lately, so some of my “Ideas” columns are based on tools that I use,...
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edwardpetrus
- Jul 1
- 3 min
Ideas from Ed: Chair scare (Volume 6, Issue 7)
My son Brian is a comedian. He told me “Dad, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that I nearly fell over when a leg on the...
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edwardpetrus
- Jun 1
- 3 min
Ideas from Ed: The reel deal (Volume 6, Issue 6)
If you’re old enough to know what this is, you’re probably no “spring chicken!” It’s a reel for wrapping up a rope clothesline! (If you...
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edwardpetrus
- May 1
- 5 min
Ideas from Ed: Spool table (Part 2) (Volume 6, Issue 5)
Welcome back to my project to save an old folding bassinet from the dump! The plan involved converting it into a small table. If you...
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edwardpetrus
- Apr 1
- 5 min
Ideas from Ed: Spool table (Part 1) (Volume 6, Issue 4)
I’ve never done a multi-part “Ideas” column until now. This one deserves the extra work because I wanted to show all the little steps...
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edwardpetrus
- Mar 1
- 4 min
Ideas from Ed: Puttin' on a happy (re)face (Volume 6, Issue 3)
Trends in woodwork, especially in kitchens, seem to come and go. When we bought our built-in-1926 house (1981), the non-original kitchen...
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edwardpetrus
- Feb 1
- 2 min
Ideas from Ed: The crooked edge (Volume 6, Issue 2)
As you likely suspect, to come up with “Ideas” columns, I sometimes need to draw from projects that I did prior to becoming the author of...
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edwardpetrus
- Jan 1
- 3 min
Ideas from Ed: The hanging of the mantle (Volume 6, Issue 1)
I love the way that title sounds like a murder mystery novel! In reality, though, I’m hoping to show the pretty cool way I installed a...
6 views0 comments
edwardpetrus
- Dec 1, 2022
- 2 min
Ideas from Ed: Plaster disaster (Volume 5, Issue 12)
This month’s article is one I never expected to write. I just never thought I’d need to write it, because I thought that everyone...
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edwardpetrus
- Nov 1, 2022
- 3 min
Ideas from Ed: (Tomb)stoned again (Volume 5, Issue 11)
I certainly take on some unusual projects, don’t I? My son’s cat recently passed away, and I felt obliged to make a tombstone for it,...
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edwardpetrus
- Oct 1, 2022
- 3 min
Ideas from Ed: Ground deck (Volume 5, Issue 10)
This month: Ground deck This month’s project falls into the category of “cover it up” work. It’s not restoration in any sense, but...
9 views0 comments
edwardpetrus
- Sep 1, 2022
- 2 min
Ideas from Ed: Latch catch (Volume 5, Issue 9)
The fun thing about writing this column is that the subject matter can range from a complex project to something very simple. My goal,...
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edwardpetrus
- Aug 1, 2022
- 4 min
Ideas from Ed: Ring my bell (Volume 5, Issue 8)
Every old home needs maintenance. Actually, every home does. It seems, though, that older ones are a bit trickier to keep up, for...
20 views0 comments
edwardpetrus
- Jul 1, 2022
- 3 min
Ideas from Ed: Sill-y me (Volume 5, Issue 7)
Sometimes working on an old house reminds me of fishing. You never know what you’ve caught (or found) until you get things out into the...
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edwardpetrus
- Jun 1, 2022
- 3 min
Ideas from Ed: Chair repair (Volume 5, Issue 6)
Stuff happens. It happens to all of us, as well as to nice old pieces of furniture. Maybe a chair has reached its lifespan and should be...
26 views0 comments
edwardpetrus
- May 1, 2022
- 2 min
Ideas from Ed: Nut or not? (Volume 5, Issue 5)
I’ve been asked a million times whether it’s necessary or at least recommended to wrap electrical tape around wires joined together in a...
9 views0 comments
edwardpetrus
- Apr 1, 2022
- 4 min
Ideas from Ed: Ceiling light done right (Volume 5, issue 4)
This month’s work was actually pretty simple, but the article may seem a bit over-detailed, because I tried to show a lot of the little...
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edwardpetrus
- Feb 25, 2022
- 2 min
Ideas from Ed: Plug that hole (Vol. 5, Issue 3)
I hate it when people do stupid things. A perfect example is the hole cut into the nice oak flooring, as shown in the picture below:...
8 views0 comments
edwardpetrus
- Feb 1, 2022
- 3 min
Ideas from Ed: Cool jigs (Volume 5, Issue 2)
I thought I’d do something completely different this month, and show you some of the “jigs” I’ve built to make various tasks much easier...
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