Which file should you sue to sharpen and smooth

Files are inexpensive, handy tools which can be used for dozens of different jobs around the home and in the workshop. They are indispensable for many shaping and smoothing jobs on metal, wood and plastics, and they are often required for sharpening tools and garden implements.

Though files are made in dozens of different sizes and styles, the home handyman need only concern himself with a few basic types. These vary according to size ( length) , shape ( cross section) and coarseness of cut (the kind of teeth it has) .

How to fix a broken towel rack

Replacing a broken rod; installing the fixtures.

To replace a broken towel rod, you must first remove one of the fixtures that holds it in place. Unscrew it. Or, if you find no screws, pry it loose at the bottom, then pull outward and upward to remove it from the clips beneath. Replace the rod with a new one or with a wooden dowel; reset the fixture. Sand a dowel and seal it with three coats of enamel or polyurethane, sanding lightly between coats.

How to handle a travel emergency

Finding help away from home

If your car breaks down far from help, turn on the emergency flasher lights (or parking lights and a directional signal in an older car) and get the car well off the road if you can. Tie a white or red cloth to the handle of the driver’s door; raise the hood. Stay in the car until help arrives. If you can’t get the car off the road, turn on the emergency flashers, set up flares if you have them, and wait on the roadside. If you’re traveling in a group, stay together. When someone stops to help, ask him to call the police, highway patrol, or your auto club at the next phone box or tollbooth. Request the same aid from all who stop.