About Me

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Welcome to LRN2DIY! My name is Nils, and I’ve always been curious about how things work. As a young husband and father, money was scarce and I had to get scrappy with home repair and maintenance. I learned that the vast majority of repairs around the house are totally doable, and have gotten a lot of satisfaction out of fixing things myself.

I started a YouTube Channel in 2011 to show others that fixing things around the house isn’t that hard, and it has grown over the years. I’m so fortunate that this is my full time job. I love learning from others and helping others as well.

Over the years, I’ve collected a lot of tools (in the name of home repairs), and I love them. I love my cordless drills and drivers so much, I made a t-shirt about it! I make a lot of videos about how to use power tools, their features, when to do use which ones (like drill vs. driver), and more!

In my spare time, I like to work. Sometimes, my family makes me go to Disneyland with them.

39 thoughts on “About Me”

  1. Hello Nils, I enjoy your blog and am too a serious fixer. It’s too bad I never kept a list of all the things fixed here, items that others would have thrown away. (That’s the engineer in me).

    You had an entry about “How to Fix / Repair the Hook Timing on a Sewing Machine” for the Singer 6215c Sewing Machine. I’ve tried really hard to find out how to remove the carrying handle, to get at the top of this 1984 machine. Cannot find anything. Do you have any guidelines to do this. I can get the top loose, but the handle is in the way..

    To help you, I figured out how to free up the Reverse Button on this machine. Note that I really messed up and never did any maintenance on it (really not my style actually). This button was stuck in reverse. Firsts remove the bottom panel, opening access up to the middle. The whole issue is oiling of the sliding lever controlling this button. Works great now. My mother-in-law says that I would go around her house with an oil can, fixing lots of things. That’s probably true.

    Can you help here? Really enjoy your approach and blog. Well done!!

    1. Hi John, believe it or not I’m just now seeing your message. It had gone to my spam box so I apologize for that. Does your Singer 6215c look like the one in the video or is it different. Honestly, that’s the only one I have any experience with. I’m hoping you’ve made some good progress on it by now. Let me know and thanks for the stopping by the site!

      1. I mean nothing by this post just wondering, because if you did your own electrical work. did you have it permitted by a contracted electrician.

        1. Hey Daniel, no problem at all. Since you commented on the “about us” page, I’m not sure which project you’re referring to but I work with electricians on anything major but not on small things that don’t require a permit or an electrician’s help, like the TV wires or adding the outlet behind the TV.

  2. Hello Nils,
    I have watched many of you videos.
    I am also a DIYer.
    However I have an edge, I have 35 years in the construction area.
    My specialty is electrical design.
    I though perhaps I might be of some value to you.
    Please let me know if you are interested.
    My e-mail address is ctampir@live.com.
    I would very much enjoy working with you.
    Thank you,
    Chuck Tampir
    Senior Design Consultant

  3. Hello Nils,
    I have watched many of you videos.
    I am also a DIYer.
    However I have an edge, I have 35 years in the construction area.
    My specialty is electrical design.
    I though perhaps I might be of some value to you.
    Please let me know if you are interested.
    I would very much enjoy working with you.
    Thank you,
    Chuck Tampir
    Senior Design Consultant

  4. Hi Nils, I came across your website, in particular the kitchen table, its perfect for what i need. My only concern was with the plans, can you be more detailed about the table top? Especially the details about the 2×4 end caps and 2×2 side caps: how they were placed on the table top, and dimensions. PS: your video is very professional, yet down to earth. Keep up the great work and Im sure Ill be using your other plans soon.

    1. Hey John, thanks for visiting. On the end caps, I’m not sure I’d honestly recommend them. The problem is that the wood will shrink and expand more in one direction than the other, which means that while the table top may move a bit in one direction, the end cap will, by virtue of being perpendicular to the rest of the top, will move in the other direction. On my table this has resulted in a bit of a lip. Nothing huge, but not what I hoped for. I’d recommend leaving the wood out for several weeks first, or possibly omitting the end cap altogether. I had attached it with glue and brads at first, followed up with some pocket hole screws from the bottom side.

      As for the side skirts, it’s just a 2×4 ripped in half and then glued, tacked and screwed onto the table top. I countersunk all of the screws and that one worked out pretty well. If you have any specific questions, just let me know. The end cap dimensions are 3’6″ W x 3″ H x 1.5″ D. The side skirts are 7’9″ W x 1.5″ H x 1.5″ D.

      1. I used 2 x 4’s all the way around for the skirt and cut them at a 45 on the end, glued and finish nail throughout the perimeter. Just finished the table yesterday and I’ll update if anything abnormal happens.

  5. Just finished building the farm table, it came out beautiful. Would lover to share some photos.

    1. That’s awesome, Steve! I’d love to see how it turned out! If you have a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account, you can post photos there with the hashtag #LRN2DIY or you can post to my timeline. If you don’t do social media or would prefer not to post there, just let me know and I’ll let you know how to send the photos to me so I an post them on the article page here. Thanks!

  6. Hey Nils,

    Here’s our table. We took your plans and modified them a bit to meet what mama was looking for. We ended up going 10′ long. This thing is huge. For ease, we took a sheet of 4×8 plywood and added a 2′ section in the middle to lengthen it. We sandwiched two pieces together for thickness, and added the 2′ piece on the end of the bottom sheet. Glue/screw, and we were set. Once we got it together, I wasn’t totally satisfied with the side to side sway. Had a bit, and I wanted to be able to dance on this thing if I was inspired. Took it all apart and added those diagonal braces between the two main beams. Now my whole family can dance on it if we wanted.

    Great Thanksgiving weekend project with my father at his home. Really enjoyed the time working with him again. Feel free to do anything you want with these photos. I’m not really a social media guy and have never hashtagged anything before. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Jeff Martin
    Queen Creek, AZ

    Dining Table

    Dining Table

    Dining Table

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/DceMWNwKTxULbhOu1
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/F51dsj6ct0I8nfbE3
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/wW8hezTS1JjROHFD3

    1. Hey Jeff, your table came out awesome! I really like the mods you made and the finish as well. Thanks so much for sharing with us!

  7. Hi there. I visited your site for your planter plans and got a message saying “The site you are trying to visit (www.lrn2diy.com) may include malware, phishing attempts, or disturbing content.” I’m a WordPress developer. Let me know if you want a little pro bono assistance figuring that out. Happy to help.

    1. Hey Kevin, sorry for the delay and thanks for the heads up. If you’re still seeing that warning, please let me know so I can look into it. I haven’t heard that from anyone else or experienced that but if it’s happened to you, it likely happened to others. Thanks!

  8. Nils,

    I’d like to chat with you about helping us with a cool project that you’ll be very excited about. . . .

    Would you please email me your contact information, phone number, and a good time we can chat.

    Thank you!

    Regards,
    Kevin Wade

  9. Hi Nils. I am looking at making your Pottery Barn table but wanted to check if the base is pressure treated douglas fir? I had assumed it was not but Home Depot and Lowes near me only carry PT or cedar posts in those sizes. Please let me know.

    1. Sorry for the long delay – I just now saw your message. I didn’t used PT wood but I know that the selection in hardware stores around the country (and in other countries) varies greatly so sometimes you have to find something else, or glue boards together. My brother in Mexico is using a smaller sized lumber for this table and adjusting the dimensions and cuts slightly based on what he has access to, for example.

  10. Hey Nils,

    You are the best. Thanks a million for sharing this project on your YouTube channel. This is a 2 weeks project that paid off today.

    Again, thank u!

  11. Hello,

    I’ve watched your YouTube videos, and they’re really helpful.

    I’ve mounted a tv using drywall studs in my high rise apartment. I am now trying to hide the cords. I bought a kit from the Home Depot that I think I actually saw on your channel. Problem is, I think my walls are really thick – I think they are a thick plaster wall. So I’m using my hole saw to try to be able to run cords through the wall, but the scrap that I’m drilling with the hole saw isn’t disconnecting from the wall if that makes sense. I know there’s some air back there somewhere (I accessed it to put in the drywall mounts), but I’m scared I’m going to drill a very large hole saw hole into my neighbors wall if I go much further. How do you r commend I get the thick plaster out?
    Help!

    1. Hello there, Lost and need help 🙂 I’m sorry I didn’t see your comment until now. I assume you got this worked out by now but I’d recommend using a sturdy slotted/flat head screwdriver to pry away the sheets you have so far and then keep going. It would be highly unlikely that there is nothing between you and your neighbors but a couple of sheets of drywall – they need framing to attach to. Make sure to always use a stud finder before you drill, too. Did this work out for you? I’d love to hear how things went. All the best to you!

  12. I have a tip for your tips on caulking. After you cut the angle of the tube, make a straight cut across the tube. With the straight cut you have a built in putty knife to smooth out the caulking and the corner edges leave a score mark if any seeps out beyond the sides of the tube. After the caulking dries you can peel or scrap the dried caulking to the score line. Using this technique eliminates the need for tape or smoothing with your finger since the flat cut has done this for you.

  13. Nils
    Love the DIY dining table and plan on making my own off of your plans. I am confused when I read the cut list as it shows to cut four 1ft x 9inches. They look much longer than that. My wife is short but not that shout. Please advise.
    Thank you

    1. Hey John, that measurement is actually correct. That’s the height of the legs of the “H”. The “H” also sits on top of a 4×6, and then has another 4×6 on top of it, then the table top. Add those all up and it comes out to 30″.

  14. Hi
    I saw your 13 tips to 3d printing and being a total nuwb I couldn’t follow some of it. In particular the raft. How is the thing your making detached from the raft?

    Thanks from the emerald isle.

    1. Hey George,
      The raft is attached loosely to the print in the same way that supports are attached. There’s a very fine connection and they can be broken away with minimal impact or remnants. I very rarely do rafts and almost always get by just fine with a brim or skirt.

  15. Hello, I wanted to know what software you use for your 3d printer. Is it something you need to buy a subscription for or could you point me to some resources as I am planning to purchase the printer you show on your YouTube videos as well as the pi but I am hoping for a little guidance as to what the set-up steps would include to go from planning the design and moving the applicable 3d print file to the machine to print.

    Sorry if you covered this before here. Any help would be appreciated.

    Ryan

  16. Hello Nels,

    My son for his Boy “Scout Eagle Project is building planter boxes for an elementary school.
    We really like your planter box plans and have made one to show the school.
    My sons prototype is 2 feet by 4 feet but the school wants 4 x 8.
    My question is what software or program did you make your plans in ?
    We would like to make plans with the correct dimensions.
    Thank you,
    Ken

    1. Hi Ken, sorry I didn’t see your message until now. I used Google Sketchup, which is free to use online. If you end up working on it just let me know and I’ll share the original file. Good luck!

  17. Hi Nils, My name is Wayne and I watched your Video on YouTube – ‘How To Hide Your TV Wires in 30 Minutes’ – From Mar 15, 2017 – On that video you used a ‘Stud Finder’ that is WAY COOL !!! Please tell me the make & model No#. of the stud finder that you used? – And Finally….On THIS web page – “ABOUT US” says “fix just about anything (except cars).” Your in luck – I’m a ‘old school’ GEAR HEAD. Gear Head is the term for anyone who has’been involved with transportation vehicle’s. Example = In recent years, the auto industry has been installing on-board computers in their cars. – BAD Idea for us consumers. – I’ll tell you why I think so – IF you want to know? No point in my going on and on about something you don’t care about. As to “We’ve been married for a long time.” CONGRATS – Keep up the good work, and maybe someday you’ll make it to where me and mine are at. – Best Regards, Wayne The Gear Head

    1. Hi Wayne! Thanks for stopping by. The stud finder is called a Franklin and you can get it here: https://geni.us/lgVT. It’s always good to meet someone who knows cars! I totally get what you mean about the computerization of cars (and other areas too). The more proprietary, the more microchip based our cars are, the less we’ll be able to work on them, repair them or enhance them ourselves. As a software engineer, there are aspects of the digitalization that are really exciting to me but because most of that is closed off to end users, it doesn’t do me or any other consumer any good. As for our marriage, I’m sure you’re right – we’ll probably never catch up (I hope!). We just celebrated 20 years and life has been good to us. Thanks again for writing!

      1. Thanks Nils For the new stud finder! – I’d really like to talk to you, but in this public forum, I’m hampered to speak about myself. – If you email me, I’ll try and give you a smile or two and maybe some insight.

        Best Regards, Gear Head Wayne

  18. Hello Nils,

    Just found your youtube channel this morning and have been stuck to my seat for over 2 hours just watching your videos. Great work and very inspiring. I have a question regarding hiding wires behind the for for my TV. I live in a townhome and I’ve already mounted my TV, now I want to hide the wires etc but found that there is another piece of wood layered in between the drywall. It looks to be about a half inch thick or so. I also found steel beams (I’m assuming that’s what they are) instead of studs. My problem is that I don’t have enough room to install a organizer kit or anything to run wires through because of the limited space in between the drywall and that extra piece of what looks to be plywood. Thoughts?

  19. Dear Nils
    Could you tell me the brand and model number of the articulated and tilt TV Wall Mount you used in your YouTube video. The link supplied https://geni.us/n70e6k identifies a JustStone model number ARL506D-ST which doesn’t match the very neat and robust unit used on your installation video.
    keep up the excellent DIY videos – they are very well done. The JustStone brand will be an import for me in Australia.

  20. Watching your youtube videos for the first time. I feel like a new student! Thanks. My background is as a USMC Aviation Radar Fire Control Tech (4years), Central Office technician for SWBell, and Engineer with SWBell and AT&T (total 41 years), and currently brushing up on networking. Wow, I am so far out of date, and I find you videos on almost every aspect of DIY projects are very educational.

    Thanks!

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