You can find pre-cut and pre-dried slabs in lumber stores and stores that specialize in woodworking supplies. Online stores are a great place to purchase unique slabs made from rare varieties of wood as well. Look for slabs that are at least 2 inches (5.1cm) thick. You can cut the slab from a piece of felled lumber, or have a lumber mill do it for you. Choose wood that was felled during the summer. It will be easier to remove the bark later on. Knots, burls, and limbs often reveal surprising patterns and textures. Take these into consideration when picking your slab. If you choose to buy a slab from the store, you need to wait 1 to 2 weeks before you use this. This will give the wood enough time to adjust to the humidity of your home. If you cut the slab yourself, or had a saw mill do it for you, air-dry or kiln-dry the slab first. Secure the slab to your workbench with hand screws. Add a MDF (medium density fiberboard) strip if you need a straightening guide. Cut the slab to the length you need with a 7 1/4-inch (18-cm) circular saw.

Summary: Purchase the slab from a store if you want to minimize your work. Wait 1 to 2 weeks for store-bought slabs to acclimate. Cut the slab down to the right length, if needed.

If possible, commit several months to changing your lifestyle. Short term commitment to weight loss may result in a failure to maintain your weight. You cannot simply change your diet and exercise habits for 10 days and return to old habits. Fast weight loss requires a commitment to health, or you can find yourself becoming ill, malnourished and tired. You can even cause long term damage if you approach weight loss without all of the proper knowledge. You will be making rapid changes to your body, and you should make sure you are maintaining your health. Taking a multivitamin may help enhance your diet. Studies have shown that people are more successful at losing weight, and keeping weight off, if they work out with a partner. Consider working with a friend, colleague, husband/wife or family member. You have to eat! Your body needs to be strong and full of energy so you can burn fat the healthy way. Do not think you can cut corners by not eating at all. Be sure to eat a healthy diet and try and maintain a consistent calorie count. You will be tempted to give in, to eat more, or to do less. Keep yourself busy throughout the day to avoid these temptations. If you can, break up your workout throughout the day at times that you know will be tempted (for example, around lunch time or dinner time). Losing 10lbs in 10 days will be very difficult. You are making rapid changes to your body and it will change how you will feel. Stick with your goals and routine and push through it. You will thank yourself at the end!

Summary: Make plans to change your lifestyle for 10 days to 2 weeks. Visit your doctor if you have any health concerns. Start taking a multivitamin. Get a weight loss partner for 10 days. Do not starve yourself. Keep yourself busy. Stick with it!

about:addons into the address bar. This will load the Firefox add-ons manager. This will list all of your installed plugins. Set the drop-down menu to "Never Activate". The word "(disabled)" will appear next to the "Java (TM) Platform" entry. This will ensure that your settings take effect.

Summary: Open Firefox and type . Select the "Plugins" section. Find the "Java (TM) Platform" entry. Restart Firefox.

Steady the scallions with your non-dominant hand and hold a chef's knife in the other. Instead of placing the knife across the scallions at a 90-degree angle, hold the knife so it's almost parallel to the scallions. Making such an extreme angle will make very long, thin strips of scallions.
Summary: Hold the knife almost parallel to the scallions.