r/DIY • • 1h ago

help What's the grass cutting tool called that I've seen stocked at old farms. It's basically hockey stick shaped but the teethed blade runs horizontal and it's swung like a golf club to mow down tall grass. I can't find one for sale so I'd like to make one, if anyone has any advice on doing that?

• Upvotes

The shaft is a skinny metal rod, as it comes down close to the blade it's bent a little so the blade runs level to the ground. I'd like to say 'scythe' but that's a totally different design. Edit: 'grass whip' is what I'm thinking of, thanks everyone.


r/DIY • • 20h ago

help Extension cord in bathroom?

0 Upvotes

Hey, I just bought an automatic litter box, but due to my apartment being a studio and my apartment having not many outlets, one of the few places I can put this automatic litter box is in the corner of the bathroom but i’m worried about getting the coord from where the bathroom outlet is (on one side of the bathroom and right next to the sink) to where the litter box is which is about 5ish feet away on the other side of the bathroom, my best thought is to get a weatherproof extension cord, run it up the side of the wall and across the ceiling and then down and have the litter box plug in right next to the other end of the extension cord, (so I don’t have an extension cord running across the middle of my bathroom). But being in a bathroom, in an old building with no HVAC for ventilation, i’m worried about having it plugged in 24/7 and with possible water splashes and moisture in the air/rusting. Is this a good idea? what should I do differently? Is this safe?


r/DIY • • 15h ago

help Powering USB through fabric?

0 Upvotes

I have a small mesh tent that is see-through for eyes, but an IR camera has problem seeing through. I don't think there is a way for me to paint it with some paint to meke the mesh not appear white on the camera. So I had an idea - I could put a small IR light inside of the tent to make the inside more visible to the camera sitting outside. But since the tent is zipped up I can't conveniently run a cable into it. So I'm wondering - are there any convenient ways of powering a small USB light through the fabric? The best solution I found so far was using some magsafe QI charger and receiver. I haven't tried it yet, I wonder if there are any more convenient options out there...

Has anyone ran a USB power through fabric?


r/DIY • • 19h ago

woodworking Looking for a Shop vac to connect to saw table.

3 Upvotes

I'm contamplating on buying a saw table to cut the wood and mdf to make Wainscoting in our house. And then of course we need a shop vac.

Can I just buy any industrial vacuum cleaner, does it need to have at least an hepa filter or is there anything else I need to look for.

We are in Spain and I don't want to spend a fortune on the equipment.

TIA.


r/DIY • • 14h ago

help Water invasion - from the sea

9 Upvotes

Hi all,

Not sure if I'm in the right group but I'm sure someone will have some idea.

So with the nature of the yard (brick layed - with steps into the yard....... natural drainage has become overly saturated), poor flood defences and the current weather - my grans yard is now water logged (thankfully due to the step into her house it's not invaded yet). However apart from a bucket and wellies ..... has anyone got a smart solution? I've had less than 12 hours of this problem and if the weather persists her property may become flood damaged.... Obviously trying to avoid that.

I've thought of siphoning it back over the exterior "sea wall" but that would take a few days even if it worked at all.

Any help is greatly appreciated.


r/DIY • • 12h ago

help Can I install a junction box and light fixture to the bottom chord of an open web floor truss with screws?

0 Upvotes

Also, can I just install drywall directly to the bottom chord as well?

Thanks!


r/DIY • • 11h ago

help diy rotary clothsline - need help with tube sizing

1 Upvotes

tried searching and could not find a single post or video about making one of these from scratch

want to DIY build a rotary clothsline, and it seems that the tubes dont need to be as thick as i thought, and id like help to size them

the size im considering to make mine:

- 180cm tall (100cm underground, so 280cm in total) each arm 150cm long

- its going to be fixed (not foldable)

- will use M10 hex head, 8.8 steel bolts and weld to hold it together


r/DIY • • 18h ago

help How to insulate/air seal second floor cantilever?

2 Upvotes

A second floor bedroom cantilevers about a foot over the inside of my garage on one side and the back yard on the other. During the winter, cold air flows right through, comes up through the hardwood floor, and the room gets very cold. The exterior side is sealed up and I would have to cut to get in, but the garage side is unfinished and I can remove the drywall on the bottom to get access. What I found was just some pieces of 1/2" foam board, daintily sitting there doing next to nothing. I would like to seal it up and insulate it the best I could from at least this one side. I figure if at least one side is done better, air would have a harder time flowing through. Since this is r/DIY I would like to do this myself and would prefer not to use spray foam (toxic to do myself and expensive to pay someone else.)

Any suggestions?


r/DIY • • 21h ago

help F1 front wing from cardboard

0 Upvotes

​

Does anyone know how to make an F1 front wing from cardboard? I tried to find a video but I only found this https://cz.pinterest.com/pin/799811215118624759/ with measurements and how to make it can someone please help? I just want to make myself a cardboard front wing as decoration to my room.


r/DIY • • 14h ago

help Mounting carbon monoxide and natural gas detectors

40 Upvotes

I live in an apartment that has a gas water heater and gas stove. The walls are completely tiled. Where would you suggest I mount them? I can’t* (edited to change to can’t) drill into the tiles. Do you think I can use command strips? Their manuals say they need to be mounted, but I just don’t know how I can do it without drilling which I’m not able to do.


r/DIY • • 7h ago

help Frigidaire ice maker not working

11 Upvotes

Any ideas? Water dispenser works fine


r/DIY • • 4h ago

carpentry Building a Desk

14 Upvotes

We are building an office in our third bedroom. We have bought a 2.6m wide 70cm long Sequoia desk top that almost stretches from wall to wall.

The company that is machining the timber can fit legs but we cannot afford what they are pricing for this. They also mentioned that they would put a pair of square steel legs on either side. I think it’d need a middle support.

We aren’t going to have much weight on top of the desk, going to mount the screens to the wall and only have a few light weight items on top.

How do I find out whether I would need a middle support?

Is there any way to find some good legs for the desk that aren’t over £150?


r/DIY • • 18h ago

help Displaying signed cards

8 Upvotes

Hello guys,
my friend is a big fan of the Krefeld Pinguins (1st division ice hockey in Germany). They just got promoted this season. I’ve brought “Playercards” of the whole team and got most of them signed at the season opening. Now I want to display 3 of them in frame with some cut out pictures of the players (action shots and some from celebrating winning DEL2). How would you design the background? Which tools, apps? Any tips for the design, maybe even a prompt or a sketch?

Thank you for your input :)


r/DIY • • 12h ago

help Where to safely hang a chair swing on a vaulted ceiling?

0 Upvotes

I'm looking for advice on where to safely hang a chair swing on more of a chambered vaulted ceiling. The room was an addition and is currently a 3 season room. nothing but sheathing and shingles on the top of the trusses (roof). the top trusses are 2x6 boards leading up to the peak. i've included pics of where i was thinking, but open to suggestions. i've included a pic of the swing to get an idea. Please help me make this work. If it's just not possible, would be good to know as well.

Link to the pics: https://imgur.com/a/6VraVzF

Edit: I found some additional info on another fourm here (https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/108785/hang-item-from-top-chord-of-2x6-roof-trusses)

If i was to run a 2x6 board across 3 or 4 top cord trusses, it would distribute the weight enough to make this safe. Something like this: https://imgur.com/RfyhsJK


r/DIY • • 18h ago

help Adhesive for paver on top of cinderblock?

14 Upvotes

I'm using 6 cinder blocks as a foundation by a 6x8 shed (holding push mower and bicycle and gardening stuff - in other words, nothing heavy duty or heavy). I'll bury the cinder blocks to grade, sitting on paver base. A smaller she used to be on the spot for decades and frost heave didn't cause any major shifting, so I'm not too worried about that. I just ordered adjustable polypropelene joist holders to place over the cinderblocks. I'm assuming that, because the cinder blocks have hollow openings, that it would be smart to put a paving stone on top of the cinder block so that the joist holders have a more solid base. However, I'm concerned about the paver slipping on top of cinder block. Should I be concerned? Do I use something like Loctite PL Concrete Self-Leveling Polyurethane Sealant or Type S mortar?


r/DIY • • 14h ago

help Options for mounting fragile/light artwork on concrete walls?

7 Upvotes

I have a some acrylic LED wall pieces like this that I need to mount on a concrete wall. They're both a bit under 2.5 lbs. They come with a standoff screw wall mount set similar to this that aren't really meant for concrete walls. I'm hoping for suggestions that are easy and require simple tools, if there are any. The included standoff screw sets go into pre-made holes in the acrylic base board holding the LEDs.

My preferred idea is a concrete nail like this but I'm worried one hammer miss/bounce will land on the artwork itself and I'll damage it.

I usually use adhesives/command strips as the artwork I've had up is pretty light and would withstand a fall. I've also used concrete hooks like these semi-successfully for much heavier/fancier framed stuff. I say semi-successfully as the hooks have bent and I've had to find a different wall patch to put it on. I'm starting to wonder if we have metal behind the walls as well but the need hasn't arisen again to hammer in something.

I don't have a hammer drill or a concrete wall scanner, just tools for drywall, unfortunately. I don't mind getting a scanner but the hammer drill seems much as nothing I hang is terribly heavy (over 5 lbs). I'm also wary of making holes I'll have to patch later. However, I'm open to suggestion if what I'm looking for doesn't exist.

TL;DR: Can I use something simple like these concrete nails to securely mount acrylic/fragile artwork or do I have to go the full hammer drill route? I'd prefer not to make huge holes in the wall to patch later but I don't want to damage the acrylic base board with a missed hammer hit. Thanks for the help!


r/DIY • • 23m ago

help Help: Aquarium stand, mix of DIY + IKEA

• Upvotes

I've seen a few DIY aquarium stands on here and I was think of doing the same! Hopefully, I can get some answers for my specific needs.

I have a 15 gal AIO Waterbox Peninsula. I thought of using a 60x40x128 cm Besta structure and adding a 2x4 wooden structure inside it.

I've seen emscaping on YT make a DIY with a smaller Besta, but bigger aquarium (23 gal). So I was wondering if it was a reasonnable project, or if I'll flood my entire house?

To be honest I'd prefer a slightly smaller stand (1m), but it's either 128cm or 60cm with Besta. I'm open for ideas, I just want to stay in the same aestetic.

Thanks!