Believe it or not, a Christmas tree won't stay upright on its own. Instead, you need a stable Christmas tree stand that can accommodate the type and size of tree you have. We researched dozens of the best Christmas tree stands to help you find the right one for your needs, whether you have a real tree, an artificial tree, a small tree, or a behemoth. The stands in our guide have a track record of durability, performance, and easy setup. We also outline the size and type of tree each stand is meant for. Check out our guide to the best Christmas tree skirts once you've chosen the right stand for your tree. The best Christmas tree stands in 2022 Best Christmas tree stand overall: Krinner Tree Genie Christmas Tree Stand, available at Amazon, $82.79 The German-engineered Krinner Tree Genie Christmas Tree Stand is easy to set up in a couple of minutes and keeps trees up to 12 f...
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Six Simple Tools Every DIY-er Must Have
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Image: Mega Pixel (Shutterstock)
While power tools maybe be the most exciting components in your tool collection, basic hand tools can be every bit as enticing, and perhaps even more essential. There isn’t always a powered solution for every problem you’ll run into over every job that needs doing in the shop, and keeping the low-tech essentials on hand will make your home improvement projects go easier and get done faster. Here are six of my favorites to get you started.
A spring-loaded nail set
It’s not exactly sophisticated, but a spring-loaded nail set can really come in handy when you need to take care of nails that are popping out on molding or to finish off a project that has some protruding nails. You place the tip of the nail set on the head of the nail, pull back on the end, and release. This efficient little thing will help keep your nails flush without a hammer, and it won’t mark the surface of your wood. You can get one for about $14, and it fits in your pocket.
Flat bars
While a large cat’s claw or crowbar is a common shop tool, a good flat bar is essential when doing any kind of woodworking. A flat bar can be used to correct mistakes when nailing molding or wooden parts and to separate pieces that have been glued, and it won’t mark the surface of your wood. To put pressure on a stripped screw, you can use the nail-pull cutout or the edge of the tool to lift up on it while unscrewing. Using a flat bar to leverage a heavier piece or wood while leveling the feet is also very convenient. At about $15 for a set, flat bars can also help with pulling staples and peeling up linoleum.
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Super stylish STEM learning. These Mann Magnets Gear Toys are a simple and stylish way for kids to learn to problem solve in a STEM setting. With this set, kids can group and design, creating more complex gears as they learn.
A specialized pencil
If you’ve ever had a tough time lining up your marks when drilling holes for hanging a picture or shelf brackets, a deep hole mechanical pencil is just the thing. To trace your drill pattern from one piece to the next, this pencil will fit into a drilled hole and sink through a few inches of material, making marking a breeze. If you’ve ever struggled to register peg holes or make hardware holes, this is the tool for you. At about $11 for a two pack, these pocket-sized pencils are a great addition to a DIY tool kit.
All-in-one wire tool
If you like to do work on low-voltage wiring projects, say for LEDs or electronics repair, a self-adjusting wire stripper and cutter is the tool for you. A cleanly stripped wire and an easy cut makes wire connections that much faster. Rather than switching between tools and gauges, you can use this one combination pair of cutters for multiple sizes of wire, and save your hands the struggle of wrestling with a dull tool. At about $20 a pair, these are a good bet for wiring projects. (As with any home repair involving electricity, make sure to only perform electrical work you are qualified to handle.)
A magnet on a stick
When you’re working on a vehicle or an appliance, dropped hardware can be a real drag. An adjustable, telescoping, lighted LED pickup magnet can be a lifesaver. If your screws roll under the air conditioner while you’re cleaning the coils or if you drop your washers into your engine, a magnet on a stick is helpful. A magnet on a lighted stick is even better. About $8 will get you a tool with a swivel and a light that can get into all kinds of barely reachable places.
An equal spacing tool
For measuring and marking, there’s a tool that can divide up your spacing evenly. To measure for equidistant shelves, to mark lines for bracing or paint, or to make sure that seams are evenly spaced on a fabric project, an equal spacing tool is your best friend. You can use the tool at any spacing up to its maximum, and it will divide your markings equally without requiring you to do math—just stretch it out and mark where the points fall. For about $13.50, it will be a helpful addition the next time you are hanging anything with more than one mount.
I recently watched “ the greatest film of all time ,” and the most boring one. In retrospect, the title alone should have been a sufficient warning: Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles . Alas, I’m old enough to be a bit nostalgic about massive telephone address books. And massive it is. Clocking over 200 minutes, Chantal Akerman's 1975 dreary drama follows three days in the monotonous routine of Jeanne, a widow, a mother, and a prostitute. I watched Jeanne’s autopilot existence, until, staring at her back as she washes dishes, I decided to fast-forward a couple of minutes, only to discover she was still at it. And Jeanne is equally thorough when she’s busy baking, cleaning, folding laundry, or shining her son’s shoes. She speaks so scarcely and mechanically, that it’s impossible to detect any emotion or volition beyond her carefully controlled chores . Watching Jeanne Dielman is what the word “painstaking” was invented for. Chantal...
Stored procedures: like functions for your SQL. A stored procedure is a batch of SQL statements created and stored on a database. You can reuse a stored procedure over and over again. A stored procedure can accept parameters, run a query, and return results. Many users can call a stored procedure and different applications can call it with different parameter values. What Are the Benefits of Using Stored Procedures? Apart from allowing multiple users and applications to reuse it, a stored procedure has other benefits. It is easy to modify. You can change a stored procedure when necessary and these updates will be reflected for all users. Furthermore, you don’t need to redeploy your application when you modify the stored procedure. It reduces network traffic because the server only passes the procedure’s name over the network and not the entire query. It improves database security since users don’t have direct access to tables. To make...
Believe it or not, a Christmas tree won't stay upright on its own. Instead, you need a stable Christmas tree stand that can accommodate the type and size of tree you have. We researched dozens of the best Christmas tree stands to help you find the right one for your needs, whether you have a real tree, an artificial tree, a small tree, or a behemoth. The stands in our guide have a track record of durability, performance, and easy setup. We also outline the size and type of tree each stand is meant for. Check out our guide to the best Christmas tree skirts once you've chosen the right stand for your tree. The best Christmas tree stands in 2022 Best Christmas tree stand overall: Krinner Tree Genie Christmas Tree Stand, available at Amazon, $82.79 The German-engineered Krinner Tree Genie Christmas Tree Stand is easy to set up in a couple of minutes and keeps trees up to 12 f...
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