| DIY

Listener Response: "Good morning! I enjoy your show each week, and heard your comments this morning on replacing shower door rollers. Several months ago our shower door started to function poorly, and I found one of the rollers had worn out. I went to the local hardware and plumbing store to pick up replacements (as always in these situations, if one of a set wears out it's best to replace all of them) but searching the plumbing section alone and then with a clerk no shower door rollers could be found. On a hunch, I walked over to the "screen and patio door" area and, lo and behold, found a good stock of exactly the rollers I needed. Best of all, because these (shower door) rollers hadn't sold well to (patio door) customers, I got all four for less than I'd normally have paid for a single roller, though frankly they're not expensive even at full price. Fifteen minutes later, our shower doors opened and closed like new." Gary from Pearline, MI

Last week I was in a safety seminar that our staff attends annually and as we were moving through slides I grabbed my smartphone and posted these 10 Safety Tips on the ThompsonTrio FaceBook page. I have not posted the catastrophic photos that illustrate the importance of these tips as a courtesy. Here they for the benefit that heightened awareness will bring you. Safety Tip #1 - Ladder 4:1 Rule - means don't make your ladder angle more than 75 degrees. If your ladder is 10ft tall, make sure the base of the ladder is at least 2.5 ft from the house. Safety Tip #2 - Cut away from your body and hands so you don't stab yourself with a utility knife. Safety Tip #3 - Don't use a flat head screwdriver to pry stuff. Use a flatbar or prybar. Screwdrivers break. Safety Tip # 4 - Duct tape is not a suitable fix for cracked handles on a hammer or sledgehammer handle. Safety Tip # 5 - Spend $10 on safety glasses that are comfortable and may even look semi-cool. If they aren't comfortable...you won't wear them. Safety Tip #6 - Don't ever let your skin (fingers/body) come within 3" of a saw/power cutting blade. Use a push stick when using a table saw. Safety Tip #7 - Take off your rings and watches before doing ANY carpentry or home repair projects. Pay $30 to have your rings re-sized so you can easily remove them. Safety Tip #8 - Remove strings from your hooded sweatshirts that you work in. Make sure your work clothes are not loose or "holy." :-) Safety Tip #9 - Your children, grandkids, spouse, and friends want to be able to talk to you when you're 60 yrs old so wear good ear protection when u work or even mow the lawn (only $10). Safety Tip #10 - When you rent equipment please pay attention to the operation & safety instructions. It will speed up your learning curve, you'll get more work done, it will keep you safe! There you have it. Safety tips that are commonly avoided and very cheap personal insurance.