GRAND Magazine - July 2009 - 44

Level: Wondering if that picture you’re hanging or chair rail you’re affixing is straight? We can opt for the high-tech laser levels with the cool red lines on the wall, but standard “torpedo” levels with the air bubbles in three clear, liquidfilled vials that give visible proof of a surface’s level feel like real, salt-of-the-earth tools. Screwdrivers: A screw’s “drive type” is defined by the shape or design stamped into its head, which a screwdriver blade fits into in order to drive or extract the screw. Multi-bit screwdrivers with a full set of interchangeable blade bits that can be instantly switched to suit any project are hot, but we keep the old-fashioned kind in several sizes (from watch screws to the truly immense) and five or six sizes of the Phillips bit as well. Pliers and wrenches: Both pliers and wrenches provide extra grip and leverage, and we need one of each. They’re not interchangeable. Pliers are the best for pulling out nails and bending and cutting wire. Grab a wrench when you need grip combined with extra torque for tightening and loosening pipes or turning nuts and bolts. Utility knife: A utility knife—also called a box cutter, razor knife or carpet knife—is made up of a hollow plastic or metal handle that houses a retractable razor blade. Utility knives are incredibly useful tools for any DYI-er, regardless of skill level: they make quick work of slicing through cardboard, drywall, carpet, thin plastics and even linoleum. 44 GRAND JULY for your shed.” At first it was easy to keep the shed idea going, but after the porch went up and Grandma’s tool storage took on a decidedly playful look, Denise had to drape a large tarp over the front of the building. To further complicate matters, Christmas vacation began, and the girls stayed with her each day from 7:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. “Those last couple of days I was out there in the dark with a drop light putting polyurethane on the floor at 6:00 a.m. before they arrived.” With tops of spice jars as knobs for the stove and an old cabinet as a cupboard, the playhouse was completed. Denise hung a wreath on the door, stuck poinsettias in the flower boxes and wrapped the mailbox in Christmas paper with a note inside telling the girls to go out to Grandma’s shed. On Christmas Day, squeals of delight echoed up and down the street. A few days later, Denise overheard one of her granddaughters tell her little friend who was admiring the playhouse: “Go ask your grandma; she’ll build you one.” G GRAND BUILDERS! Send us your photographs of the playhouses, tree houses and doll houses you’ve built for your grandkids. If your project is selected to appear in GRAND, we’ll have a readers’ choice, and the winner will receive the revolutionary Autoloader Classic Multi-Bit Screwdriver  from Cable Organizer . Deadline for submission (jpg attachments only; 300 dpi high-resolution photos) is September 1, 2009. Click and connect to more resources instantly where you see this symbol:  2009

GRAND Magazine - July 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - July 2009