Sanding a drawer front smooth
Three grits of paper, one sanding block and a lot of patience on a rough drawer front.
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Latest videos
A new video every Sunday from my small apartment in Osaka: one small fix, filmed from start to finish.
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WatchSealing the balcony door gap for winter
A cold draught under the balcony door, and the strip that stopped it.
8 min
WatchMaking a repair checklist before you start
The page I fill in before any job: what is wrong, what I need and how long it takes.
7 min
WatchHanging tools where you can find them
One pegboard in the hall cupboard, with an outline drawn for every tool.
8 min
WatchA balcony shelf that does not lean
Marking the wall, drilling, and checking the level twice before the plants go on.
10 min
WatchStopping a slow drip under the basin
Turning off the water, finding the worn washer and putting a new one in.
11 min
WatchA pine shoe rack for a narrow entrance
Measuring a small entrance, cutting the pine and oiling it, with the rack in place at the end.
13 min- Watch
Gluing and clamping a wobbly drawer
A drawer corner that had come apart, glued and held in two clamps overnight.
9 min 
WatchRe-papering a shoji screen panel
Peeling off the old paper, pasting the new sheet and smoothing it flat on the tatami.
14 min
WatchTightening a loose cabinet hinge
The screw that keeps coming loose, and the match-stick trick that holds it for good.
6 min
Fix Notes
A short letter every Sunday: what I fixed this week, what went wrong and the one tool I used most.
“The one email I open the day it lands.”