In a Quandary Over a Specialized Tool. Q: DEAR TIM: A compound miter saw has bubbled to the top of my power-tool wish list. I think I need one to put up some crown molding and wonder if it's necessary. Would it be better to get a sliding compound miter saw?.

Tricking the Wind, and Other Tips for Setting Posts. Q: DEAR TIM: What is the preferred method to set fence posts? My five-foot-tall, solid-picket privacy fence has had some issues over the past 10 years. The latest problem is posts set in concrete that have snapped.

As the Market Turns: Real Estate TV Still Has Stories to Sell. The real estate market may have cooled considerably, but not real estate television.

Toward a Peaceful, Healthy Coexistence of Plants and Dogs. Those who love both their dogs and their gardens often seek ways to protect their plants from the stress of daily dog traffic.

Stocked Up and Safe at Home. Whenever winds knock out the electricity in rural St. Mary's County, the lights stay on and the fridge keeps humming at Jackie St. Clair's waterfront home, thanks to an emergency generator out back.

Home Front: Spring Cleaning, Curb Appeal, and Bathroom Vanities. Post Home staff editors Annie Groer and Jura Koncius are here to answer your decorating-related questions.

A Solution to the Particleboard Problem? Particleboard has made veneered wood furniture, cabinetry and hardwood wall paneling affordable, although it's probably almost invisible in your home. Nonetheless, it's still a subject of controversy because of its health and environmental effects.

Home Front: Wet Basements, Finding a Mover, Housekeeping Help and Welcome Terri! Post Home Section staffers Jura Koncius and Terri Sapienza help with your decorating dilemmas.

Prof. Lerner's Reading List For Garden Design 101. When it's time to rest from weeding and watering, consider some books on landscaping that will educate you about planting techniques, what to install and how to design.

Help for Your Hands, Feet and Plants. Good footwear, gloves, tools, irrigation and plant-enhancing materials can make gardening safer and more enjoyable. Here are some new products that my associates and I have tested recently.

Do-It-Yourself: Squeaky Wood Floors. Q Our older house has developed squeaky wood floors. What can we do to alleviate this?.

Your Thoughts Have Turned to Vacation, but Don't Go Until You've Done These Chores. There are several important tasks you should tackle in the garden before you leave for your August vacation.

Seeking Shelter in Your Garden. Gardens existed before gardeners, but gardeners can claim credit for the idea of shelters and trellises, structures that allow us to come closer to and enjoy our plants more in their natural setting.

Getting Easier to Get Big Loans. The gears of the mortgage market are starting to unlock for borrowers needing big loans. In expensive markets such as Washington, that covers most people looking to refinance or move up from an entry-level home.

The General's Gem. The evidence of where the great once lived can come down to some peeling wallpaper in an upstairs room.

Resting on a Peninsula, With Little Pretense. Cabell P. Bragg seems oblivious to what many would consider his million-dollar view of the Patuxent River.

Never Pay In Advance To Fix Your Credit. Picture this: You're eager to take advantage of today's troubled real estate market and buy a foreclosed house at a fire-sale price. But you don't have much money for a down payment. And your credit files are scuffed up with late payments.

A Chance to Make a Real City Out of Tysons. Tysons Corner presents an extraordinary challenge and opportunity. No longer suburban, Tysons begs to be properly urbanized through visionary planning. Such planning could radically yet constructively transform one of the nation's most unattractive and dysfunctional environments.

For Modern Whimsy, A Reach Back to Towers and Turrets. In the collection of magazine clips and photographs that Faye Guercio gave her architect for her home renovation, she began to notice an inadvertent recurrence of turrets and towers. It wasn't long before she realized she wanted one, too.

A Garden Haven With a Storied Past. Situated on 32 carefully landscaped acres just off Wisconsin Avenue NW in busy Tenleytown, the McLean Gardens condominium complex is lovely all year, but certain seasons highlight its best qualities.