How-to

[If you haven't crossed Marc's DIY Eichler House Facebook page, you should check it out. It's probably the most useful social-media board out there for Eichler-related-repair stuff. The intel below is pulled from a few topics on that page.]

The operation and repair of the original Nutone exhaust fans has come up a few times in the past few months. While the original fans aren't very powerful, they did — and can — work and potentially alleviate more drastic measures in venting your Eichler kitchen or bathrooms. Like anything that's nearly 70 years old, parts wear out and could use a refresh. Fortunately, in the word of Eichlers, the original parts were so simple that repair — versus replacement — is often possible.

[A captivating video of our exhaust fan vs. a paper towel. See the above FB post for that.]

First, it's important to think about air movement and how that works: motor speed, fan size, fan blade shape all come into play, but in realistic terms, you're only going to pull so much air with an 8in fan blade within a 9in tube. So, keep your expectations realistic. If you do need industrial-level exhaust, you might be better off looking to other systems.

… when living in a 70 year old house, you should expect to get your hands dirty every now and again — it’s part of the adventure.

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Rebuilding Your Exhaust FanRead More »

Yes, you can fit Ikea's Utrusta hinges (specifically the 153-degree type) to older Akurum cabinets (w/ Integral hinges) with slight modification. You'll need:

• gumption: this is not a direct bolt-on modification and it finds you drilling larger keyholes in your now-discontinued doors
• 153-degree hinges: these are available new at IKEA
• 9/32 drill bit
• a steady hand
• the original Akurum T-style mounting plates: Perhaps you already have these mounted — if not, you'll need to find some or drill new pilot holes for the flat Sektion style — even more nerve wracking.

At first glance, the older Integral hinges and the 153-degree Utrusta are identical. They are not. They're close — and usable — but they are not direct bolt-on replacements. In order to use them, you'll need to drill larger keyholes in your doors. If you have your old/existing T-style mounting plates, you can re-use them (they are a direct bolt on), but if you don't, you'll either have to find some in an Integral set or drill new holes for the Utrusta / Flat-style as the hold configuration between the cabinets are different (side/side vs. top/bottom). Neither are hard, but if you're not careful, you can screw up a door that is no longer made. Here's how to do it and avoid catastrophe:

You can see the key "nuggets" are a bit larger on the Utrusta necessitating that you either shave them off or drill slightly larger keyholes in your doors.

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Fitting Ikea Utrusta hinges to Akurum CabinetsRead More »

You know those little red straws on WD40 (and other aerosol) cans that you always lose? Never lose them again.

I've been using Velcro One-wrap tie-wraps around the workshop for a number of things, but the handiest has been as a red-straw-retention device.

How? Follow these four easy steps:

1 // Discover that the tape on the can is useless

2 // Get a wrap-tie ready

3 // Loop the tie and thread the straw through. Tighten.