All Entries in the "DIY" Category

How to Make Secret Compartments

Secret compartments are very convenient features of any piece of furniture. They allow you to hide and store items in hard-to-find places. These can be installed in a number of seemingly innocent items.

Most people place these compartments inside existing pieces of furniture. Most are placed inside an existing compartment to provide additional secret space. Bookcases, cabinets, and dressers are good examples of furniture for installing secret compartments.

Steps in Making a Secret Compartment

How to Cut Plexiglass

Plexiglass or “acrylic glass” is a kind of transparent material made of plastic. It is often used as an alternative to glass because it is cheaper to produce. However, unlike glass, plexiglass is more flexible.

How to Cut Glass

Glass cutting is a lot like cutting paper with a knife. All you need is a straight edge and a special tool specifically made for cutting glass. Glass cutting tools can be found in any major hardware store.

Since glass is very fragile, the width of the pieces that you cut should never be below six inches. Any thinner than 6 inches will be almost impossible to cut properly without breaking into pieces.

Learning how to cut glass properly takes some time and patience. You must first practice cutting on pieces of scrap glass.

How to Cut Crown Molding

A crown molding is a piece of decorated wood placed along the seams where the ceiling meets the wall. The top and bottom edges of the crown are both beveled (cut at 45 degrees angularly) so that both parts lie flat against the wall and ceiling to form a right triangle.

To deal with wall corners, two pieces of crown moldings may be joined together with a miter joint. A miter joint is made by beveling the ends of each component to be joined, usually at a 45-degree angle. Miter joints are also used when making picture frames.