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4.0 SHIMS - DO-IT-YOURSELF - DIY TIPS

A shims are a surprisingly simple device for solving a variety of problems.

The classic shim problem in the wobbly table at a coffee shop that spills your coffee every time you move. If you take a couple of pages of a magazine and fold the page in half over and over again, you will soon reach the right thickness to shim this wobbly table. Simply wedge the shim under the leg or table support that shows a space. Push the shim in slowly as shimming too much will cause the table to wobble on the other side.

The ideal shim is tapered. You simply push the shim into the space until the shim is very snug. Cedar shingles are perfect. They can be cut into thin narrow strips and then cut or broken just above the point where the shim makes contact.

But wait there is more. My father once gave me a pair of binoculars because the eye piece had become loose and would not adjust properly along the screw like threads. I folded a small piece of paper and stuck it between the eye piece and the threads. It took a minute to find the right number of folds (thickness) for the shim, but soon the shim had taken up the slack and the eye piece was focusing just fine. My Dad laughed and said, "If I had known that it was that easy, I wouldn't have given them to you."

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