From 
Tennis Ball Parking Guide
by Our Readers
September 2, 2006
This could be the most popular handy hint ever! For perfect parking every time, thread a string through a tennis ball and hang it from the garage ceiling. Position the ball so your vehicle lands in the center of the garage when the ball touches the windshield.
Long-Term Storage
by Tina Campbell
September 6, 2006
One way to get rid of clutter in your storage shed or garage is to do what we did. Screw 16-in. scrap 2x4s at a slight upward angle to each side of a wall stud. They will hold a wide variety of yard tools.
Custom Storage Hooks
by The Experts At The Family Handyman
September 5, 2006
Get ladders, tree pruners, bikes, 2x4s and other unwieldy items off your garage floor with these inexpensive PVC hooks. For heavier items, you can make the hooks out of threaded pipe.
Tight-Quarters Painter
by Jon A. Kasperan
October, 1 2002
Did you ever wonder how to paint behind a toilet or radiator without moving or disassembling it? Try the world's thinnest disposable paintbrush. Glue an edge-painting pad ($2/pr.) to a paint stir stick for all your close-quarters painting needs.
Steppingstone Form
By Our Reader, Judith Perez
July 1, 2001
Don’t discard that partial bag of concrete mix! Build your own steppingstone form from a 5-gallon bucket. Cut around a 5-gallon bucket just above the handle. Set the cutout ring on a sheet of plywood and fill it with concrete. When the concrete has set, remove the form—you now have your first homemade steppingstone.
Crack Cleaner
By Our Reader, Douglas L. Schmidt
July 1, 2001
Cleaning the expansion joints in a sidewalk or the spaces between deck boards doesn’t have to be a tedious, on your-knees job. Insert a “screw-in” hook into the end of a broom and drag the hook through the cracks. The hook will pull out debris, which can then be easily swept up.
Hang-It-High Helper
By Our Readers, Joseph and Debra Wronkowski
July 1, 2001
With this extension pole, you can hang objects in high, hard-to-reach areas. Attach a spring clamp to the end of an ABS or PVC (plastic) drain pipe, and use the end of the clamp as a hook to lift items on or off a hook or nail.
Tile-Snapping Jig for Narrow Cuts
By Our Reader, Dave Irwin
July 1, 2001
Here’s a simple, homemade tile-snapping jig. Cut two 12-in. pieces from a 1x6. Sandwich a piece of wood slightly thicker than the tile between the 1x6s. Score the tile, and then slide it into the jig so the line falls on the edge of the 1x6s. Clamp the jig down and apply pressure to the tile until it snaps. It works really well for narrow pieces.
Movable Bike Rack
By Our Reader, Kitty Fay
July 1, 2001
Tired of that darn bike hanging in your way? Build this movable bike rack from a 2x4 and a pair of bicycle hooks. Cut four 3-1/2 in. blocks, stack two on top of each other, and screw them together. Now screw them on the end of a 4-ft. 2x4 and repeat the process for the other side. Drill a hole in the middle of the stacked blocks and screw in the bicycle hooks. Lay the rack across your garage ceiling joists, and hang your bike from the hooks. When you need to get behind the bike, simply slide the entire rack out of the way.
Don’t Brush The Dog—Use A Vacuum Instead!
by Simon Carter
June 2001
My dog has a heavy coat that requires a lot of brushing. I was constantly cleaning up the dog hair with the vacuum cleaner after I brushed her. It finally occurred to me that I could use my vacuum with an upholstery attachment to brush the dog. She was a little apprehensive at first, but now she loves it, and I do too. The vacuum sucks up all the loose hair so I don’t spend any time cleaning.
Place the car first, and sight up to the ceiling from the front and then from the side of the windsheild to approximate where the string should hang.
How about some tips for those of us without exposed beams (garage ceiling and walls are drywalled).
Hanging a tennis ball by a string in the middle of the garage doesn't work out very well if you have a dog. It either is a tease for smaller dogs, or a fun game for larger ones! htp://theunsurehandyman.blogspot.com
I had something like the portable bike rack described in July. The only problem is that I,an 80 year old male, very physically able, had problems turning the bike upside down and picking it up in the air to hook up. I had been doing this for about 15 years, when I changed systems. For $30 on line, I purchased a cable to pull the bike up. It is much, much easier. It is now easier to put the bike up every time I ride; otherwise it was just once a year.
I had something like the portable bike rack described in July. The only problem is that I,an 80 year old male, very physically able, had problems turning the bike upside down and picking it up in the air to hook up. I had been doing this for about 15 years, when I changed systems. For $30 on line, I purchased a cable to pull the bike up. It is much, much easier. It is now easier to put the bike up every time I ride; otherwise it was just once a year.
For painting behind a toilet it is better to use a small roller, about three inches long, about the diameter of a quarter known as a hot dog roller. The roller has a long handle and the refills are either cotton or sponge rubber and are inexpensive. Learned about them from a painter
I love the idea but here is an improvement! Instead of designing it to span four rafters, make two units to span two rafters each and then the unit can hung in either direction in the garage, i.e. parallel, or perpendicular to you vehicle(s).
To further help my mother navigate the parking problem, I used electrical tape to form an "X" on the wall in front of where the car was parked. She would line up the tennis ball with the "X", and this gave her left/right alignment coming in and out to avoid the sides of the garage door.
This is a good and cheap idea. Think of other things that can be stored this way. http://www.friendlyfixer.com
Great idea, but cheaper to go to the home store and buy design you want. However, forms can be made easily from scrap wood. :-) http://friendlyfixer.com