iPhone App for the DIY Handyman

Just found this handy iPhone application for all the DIY handymen out there.

The "iHandy Carpenter" turns your iPhone into a Plumb Bob and a Level in one go.

Here is the info from the website:

- THE PLUMB BOB, SURFACE LEVEL AND BUBBLE LEVEL BAR
Calibrate it first before any serious usage!

- USE THE PLUMB BOB TO MEASURE THE VERTILITY OF A WALL
Two ways to test the verticality of a wall:

1. Put your iPhone back-to-back onto the wall you measure (Recommended).

If the shadow of the plumb bob is on X axis (y equals zero), it then indicates your wall is perfectly straight and vertical to the ground. Please note that in this way the reading of "x" does NOT have to be zero.

The back of 3G iPhone is not totally flat. But it's accurate enough just to use the flat part of your 3G iPhone.

2. Put one edge of your iPhone on the wall you measure.

If the shadow of the plumb bob is on Y axis (x equals zero), it then indicates your wall is perfectly straight and vertical to the ground. Please note that in this way the reading of "x" does NOT have to be zero.

- HOW TO MEASURE THE SLOPE OF A SURFACE

A few ways to measure the slope of a surface:

1. Use the Surface Level (Recommended).
Put your iphone onto the inclined surface (The edge of iPhone should be in line with the slope direction of the surface. To verify this, just to check whether the reading of "y" is around zero).

The reading of "x" is the slope angle of the measured surface.

2. Use the bubble level bar
Put one edge or back of your iPhone stick to the inclined surface (The edge of iPhone should be in line with the slope direction of the surface).

The reading is the slope angle of the measured surface.

If the surface is almost vertical to the ground, we suggest that you use the plumb bob tool to measure the surface instead.

Click here to go to the website for more info.

The iHandy Carpenter is available in iTunes App Store.

Website Images - Off Topic

This post has nothing to do with DIY or being a handyman, but I do also have an interest in websites and have found this new resource for cheap images that can be used on websites and any other material you need to add a professional touch to.

The site is Graphic River and most of the files can be purchased for as little as $1.

Click here to have a look at the Graphic River site.

This is another similar site, but this time for Flash files, and is called Flash Den. Once again very cheap, and great quality. And the best part is that you are buying all the source files including the code. This is great if you are trying to learn the Flash software.

Click here to see the Flash Den for yourself.

King Gee Jack Of All Trades

I have caught the last 2 episodes of a show on Channel 9 at 12.30pm called "King Gee Jack of all Trades".

I must admit the show looked very promising, with 4 guys battling it out to see who is Tradie of the Year, but the show ended up being quite disappointing. With more than half of each episode allocated to showing fluff, you don't really get to see much building of anything.

However, if you watch the last few minutes of the show to see who the winner is of that episode, you can then enter their online competition to win Cat® mini excavator or skid steer loader.

Click here to go to the competition website.

Joinerystock - advertise your excess stock

I received an email from Tim Richardson, the director of a new online service called Joinerystock. The site has been set-up as a resource for businesses to advertise and sell any unwanted stock that they may have lying around.

The site is very new, (only 5 weeks old), so to get things going, there is no charge to place your ads... for the time being at least. So now is the perfect time to give this new site a test drive.

Here is what Tim had to say:

This website has been designed for Kitchen manufacturers, Cabinetmakers, Shopfitters and Stonemasons to be able to advertise their excess or unwanted stock. I have found your DIY resource site and thought you may want to ad a link to Joinerystock so DIY people can look for bargains and small quantities of MDF, particle board, stone, glass etc. Joinerystock is only 5 weeks old and already has members in NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, WA.

Click here to go to the site.

I'd be interested to hear any feedback on this new service.

Chalk Line - Must Have Tool

Here's an article on one of those handyman techniques that I take for granted. It is as simple as stretching out a piece of string covered in chalk, and then giving the string a flick. Now you have a straight line marked out in chalk. The first time people see it they are not sure what is going on, but after that first time, it is easy to perfect.

Here is a link to the Readers Digest site that shows a step by step guide to using a chalk line.

How to Make a Box Kite

Keeping the kids occupied on the weekends and especially over the school holiday periods can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. So why not keep them occupied by making something together and then spending some quality time outside having some fun.

Over on the Readers Digest site I found this great article on how to make a simple box kite.


These kites are constructed with 6mm timber dowels, called spares, with short lengths of plastic tube for flexible joints. The sails are made of Tyvek, a light, moisture-resistant, tough and inexpensive material. It’s easily decorated with paint or felt-tipped pens and doesn’t tear easily.

Click here to read the complete article and also to download a PDF with the instructions.

This article originally appeared in the Dec '08/Jan '09 issue of Handyman magazine.

Building and Pest Inspections - Childs Property Inspections

Having a property inspected before purchasing is a must. You need to make sure that the building is in a sound condition and to identify any building defects. Especially that it has no termites eating away at your potential new investment.

Childs Property Inspections have been in business for well over 10 years and are staffed by well trained and qualified professionals. They have completed over 30,000 property inspections are highly respected in this industry.

Not only is it important to have a property inspected before purchase it is advised to have regular inspections for that extra peace of mind as a home owner.

Childs Property Inspections offer a number of services including Pre-Purchase Building Reports and Pre-Purchase Pest Reports. There prices are quite reasonable and they also offer a combined Building/Pest Report to save you money.

Click here to see samples of their inspection reports.

Childs Property Inspections service all areas of Sydney, Central Coast, Newcastle, South Coast, Southern Highlands, Blue Mountains and Central West NSW.