Tips + Tricks

SUPPLIES

Shop the products we used for this project in one place.

• Screwdriver
• 3/4″ Plywood
• Drill Press
• 1/8″ Drill Bit
• Jig Saw
• Jig Saw Blade
• 2″ Long Carriage Bolt
• 1/4″ Chisel
• Wood Glue
• Bar Clamps
• Drill
• 1/4″ Wing Nuts
• 1-1/2″Screws
• Stud Finder
• 2-1/2″ Screws

FYI: This post contains affiliate links to products we used and liked for our wood tv wall mount. As an Amazon Associate Gray House Studio earns from qualifying purchases. This is at no extra cost to you. We appreciate you supporting this site. Read our privacy and disclosure policy.

TUTORIAL VIDEO

STEPS

1. Our TV came with screws in the mounting holes so the first thing we did was to remove the screws with a screwdriver.

2. We used a piece of paper and pen to poke holes in the paper to make a template for transferring the mounting holes to a block of wood.

3. Once the holes were poked in the paper for each mounting hole, we marked the hole positions on a piece of plywood. We used a piece of 3/4 inch plywood.

4. The mounting bracket has two hinges comprised of four identical semicircular pieces with a hole in the center.

We made this template and then traced these pieces on another piece of plywood like the one we used in the previous step.

Our hinge template is available to download here.

5. Next, using a 1/8 inch drill bit on a drill press, we drilled four holes in the board that mounts to the TV.

This is the board we marked on in the third step.

6. Using a 1/4 inch drill bit we drilled holes in the center of the hinge mounting brackets. These are the pieces we traced in the fourth step.

7. To cut the four hinge pieces out we used a jigsaw with a scroll cut blade.

8. We used a 2 inch long carriage bolt to hold each of the two hinges together.

But as you can see in the second picture, the square neck prevents the head of the bolt from sitting flush with the surface of the hinge.

9. To fix that issue, we used a 1/4 inch chisel to square off each hole on the side of the hinge with the head of the bolt.

10. Next, we mounted the two hinge pieces located on the head side of the bolt to the mounting plate with the four holes in it. We added wood glue and clamps to hold both pieces centered between the holes.

11. First, we use our drill pilot holes for each screw.

12. Then we secured the hinge pieces with the screws.

13. To help align the other side of the hinges, we slid the other pieces over the carriage bolts and tightened them with wing nuts.

14. Then we marked the center point of each side of the hinges on the wide mounting board that we were going to screw into the wall.

15. We used those marks to drill pilot holes for the mounting screws.

16. We added wood glue to the hinges and clamped them to the large board.

17. Then we secured it with 1 1/2 inch screws.

18. We removed the two carriage bolts and separated the two sides of the mount.

We then attached the mount to the TV using 1 1/2 inch screws. Our TV uses M8 screws.

19. Before mounting the TV, we located the studs with a stud finder.

20. Then we anchored the mount to at least two studs with 2 1/2 inch screws.

We used a level to make sure our mount was straight.

21. Finally, we mounted the TV by lining up the holes in the hinge and securing them with the carriage bolts and wing nuts.

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HOW TO Use A Jigsaw Tips

DIRECTIONS WATCH

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DIRECTIONS READ

1. Safety Glasses and Ear Protection

It might seem self-explanatory but it is easy to forget to wear safety glasses, especially if you don’t normally wear glasses.

Believe me when I say the jigsaw is not a tool you want to risk it. Put on some safety glasses and eye protection before starting to cut.

2. Secure the Foot Plate

Grab your jigsaw and look for the screw or mechanism that locks the foot plate in place and double check that it is as tight as possible.

Most foot plates are designed to rotate allowing users to cut angles but rarely is that the desired application.

Usually if I ignore this step the screw will shake loose as I use the jigsaw and the plate will slowly rotate messing up my cut.

3. Choose the Correct Blade

All jigsaw blades are not created equally. Each jigsaw blade has a specific application and it is important to select a blade based on your material and cut design.

Left: Most blades are labeled by what type of material they cut and the type of cut. (i.e. wood/clean cut) The top two blades in the picture are for cutting wood and the bottom one is for cutting metal. Wide blades make it easier to cut straight lines while skinnier blades make it easier to cut curves.

Right: Be sure the cutting surface of the blade is at least one inch longer than the material is thick. As the jigsaw moves the blade up and down the blade can bend or break if it is too short and jams into the wood.

4. Clamp Your Project Down

Before starting to cut with a jigsaw always clamp the material to a solid work surface. It is difficult to hold the material steady and unsafe to grip the material being cut.

With the piece clamped down you can focus on the saw and where you are cutting without worrying about the work piece moving.

5. Keep Track of the Cord

It is easy to get in the zone when using a jigsaw. Often times the cord can get caught or pulled tight around the table or work piece and come dangerously close to the blade when doing curvy cuts.

Before turning the jigsaw double check that the cord is safely behind the saw and not under the piece being cut.

6. Cut from Outside to Inside

Start by cutting away the material that surrounds the outside of the object. Leaving the inside until the end helps keep the work piece strong and prevent breakage.

7. Drill Holes for Internal Cutting

To cut out internal shapes without cutting through the outside of an object drill a hole larger than the width of the jigsaw blade.

With holes drilled the jigsaw blade can move freely through the material and begin cuts anywhere.

8. Make Multiple Cuts

Even when you use the skinniest blade for curvy cuts there are times when the jigsaw just can’t turn quick enough.

The trick cutting out small objects with tons of curves is to make multiple cuts in the same location from different angles.

SUPPLIES

• (2) 5″ K-Style Aluminum Gutter Pieces
• Offset Snips
• 5″ Aluminum End Caps for K Style Gutters
• Black Paintable Caulk
• Vise Grip Pliers
• 5″ Hidden Rain Gutter Bracket Hook Hangers
• Drill
• 5-Inch Galvanized Slip Joint
• Downspout Outlet
• Rivet Gun Kit
• Downspout Clips
• (2) Aluminum Downspouts
• 3″ x 4″ Aluminum Elbow
• Downspout Extension

FYI: This post contains a few affiliate links to products we used to make this project. Gray House Studio does receive commissions for sales from these links but at no extra cost to you. We appreciate you supporting this site. Read our privacy and disclosure policy. You can also easily shop our recommended products here.

STEPS

1. The span of the roof over the patio is 16 feet wide and since the gutters that can be purchased from our local hardware store only come in 10 foot lengths we had to use offset snips to cut the second section of gutter to the correct length.

2. Before hanging the gutters on the eave of the roof we installed the end caps on each side of the gutters.

We will eventually be painting the gutters to match the eave so we used a black paintable caulk to seal the joint between the gutter and the end cap.

We used a pair of vise grip pliers to crimp the cap to the gutters.

3. There are several different types of hangers to secure the gutters to the eave of the house.

We chose to use gutter bracket hangers that slide into the gutter and can’t be seen from the ground when the gutter is installed.

We used our drill to secure each screw through the siding into a roof rafter.

4. To make certain that the maximum amount of water enters the gutter and stays in the gutter, we installed flashing under the shingles and over the back edge of the gutter.

This prevents water from getting underneath the shingles and on the roof sheathing. For the seam where the two pieces of gutters connect, we wrapped a slip joint over that seam and applied caulk to prevent leaking.

5. To allow the gutter to drain effectively, the gutter was installed at a slight angle and on the low side we installed a downspout.

To install the downspout, we marked a hole the size of the downspout outlet. Then we used a drill to make a hole next to each place where we marked to make it easier to cut open the hole for the outlet with offset snips.

6. The downspout outlet was installed with a rivet gun and rivets to avoid having the sharp point of a screw being exposed through the bottom of the gutter.

After we installed the connector we used caulk to seal all the seams inside the gutter.

7. The downspout pipe is held to the siding of the house with downspout clips.

8. One foot off the ground we turned the downspout away from the house using an an elbow piece to allow the pipe to have a gradual slope.

Once past the house the downspout was finished off with a plastic flexible pipe.

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SUPPLIES

• 1 sheet of 16 gauge sheet metal
• Scrap Wood
• Sharpie
• Offset Snips
• Clamp
• Yard Stick

FYI: This post contains a few affiliate links to products we used to make this project. Gray House Studio does receive commissions for sales from these links but at no extra cost to you. We appreciate you supporting this site. Read our privacy and disclosure policy. You can also easily shop our recommended products here.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE

1. First we used a yard stick to mark the correct size for the bookend on the piece of sheet metal. It is easiest to use a sharpie to draw on the metal. The width of the bookend should be at least two inches smaller than the book’s width.

The height of the piece of sheet metal needs to be almost twice the height of the book because you will be folding the piece of metal in half and you want it tall enough to support the book without sticking out the top.

2. Once the size of the bookend was marked, we used a pair of offset snips to cut the metal.

If you are planing on buying snips, pick a pair out that is angled and the blades turn at the end.

The angled pairs are made to be specific for the right or left hand so be sure to pick the tool that matches your dominant hand.

The angle in the tool works well for long cuts because the handles does not interfere with cutting the material.

3. Finally, we bent the sheet metal in half. In order to bend the piece of metal it is helpful to use a clamp and clamp the sheet metal under a scrap block of wood.

The wood provides a straight edge for the metal to bend over.

The bend should be made at the center of the piece of metal. Once the bend reaches 90 degree the bookend is finished.

4. To make the bookend “invisible” place the vertical piece of metal inside the front cover.

When you place additional books next to this book they will cover up the bottom piece of sheet metal making it appear as if the books are free standing on their own with no support. That means your invisible bookend is working!

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