c/carpenters

Vent: Why did nobody tell me I've been driving finish nails at the wrong angle for 15 years?

Foreman walked by last Tuesday and pointed out my nail gun was canted 5 degrees off from the stud centerline, and now I'm looking back at every crooked trim piece I ever installed and wondering how many callbacks I could've avoided lol has anyone else had a basic habit totally blow up on them like this?

Finally gave in and tried a track saw after years of improvising...

I always thought track saws were overkill, you know? I figured a circular saw with a straightedge clamped down was good enough. Been doing it that way for like 15 years on job sites around Portland. But last month I had to cut down a bunch of melamine shelving for a closet build, and every single cut with my old method had chipping along the edge. My buddy who does kitchens kept telling me to just borrow his Festool for a day, so I finally did. Man, the difference was night and day... no chipping at all, cuts were dead straight right off the bat, and I didn't have to mess with clamping every three feet. I'm still not sure I need to drop $500 on my own setup, but I get the hype now. Has anyone else found a cheaper track saw that works decent, or should I just bite the bullet on a nicer one?

Spent $80 on a good set of chisels and it fixed my dovetail frustration

Been fighting with cheap hardware store chisels for two years and finally dropped cash on some decent Narex ones. Has anyone else noticed how much easier layout work gets when your tools actually hold an edge?

I was dead set against cordless nailers until a job 2 months ago

Always figured battery guns were too weak for framing work. Been using my trusty Senco pneumatic for 15 years, never felt the need to switch. Then I had to sheath a roof on a 90 degree day in Phoenix with no generator nearby. Borrowed my buddy's Milwaukee cordless framing nailer and drove 3-1/4 inch nails into LVL all afternoon without a hiccup. Has anyone else found one particular tool that changed their mind about battery power?

Debate: Are those $300 track saws actually better than a circular saw with a straight edge?

I was super skeptical about dropping that kind of cash on a track saw, figured my 10 year old circular saw and a clamped straight edge did the same thing. But then I borrowed a buddy's Festool on a job in Chicago last month, cutting melamine for some cabinets, and the zero tear-out was unreal. Am I missing something, or is the convenience and precision worth the cash over sticking with the old method? What's your take?

Old timer on a job in Houston told me I was sanding against the grain on crown molding

He said to hold the paper at a 45 degree angle and follow the wood grain, not fight it, and after I tried his way on the next piece I never went back to my old method - anybody else have a simple tip like that from an older carpenter that completely changed how you work?

Oak trim trick I learned the hard way

I tried using an oil based stain on some red oak baseboards last week and it came out blotchy as heck. Found out I should've used a pre stain conditioner first to seal the grain. Anybody else run into this with oak?

Found that wet-brushing joist hangers before nailing actually saves time

I build decks in Austin and always fought with those joist hanger nails bending sideways or not seating right. Old timer at the lumber yard told me to dip the brush in water and hit the nailing holes before driving them. Figured he was full of it but tried it on a 14x20 deck last Tuesday. Nails went in clean every time, no more cussing and prying out bent nails. Anyone else use this trick or got a better method?

When I hit 10,000 hours building cabinets it really hit me different

I don't know why but the other day I was adding up all the time I've spent just on cabinet work since I started 22 years ago. I got to curious and figured out I'm at around 10,000 hours easy, maybe more if you count all the weekend side jobs. That number surprised me because I never thought of myself as some kind of expert, just a guy who showed up every day. My first set of oak cabinets back in 2003 looks like a toddler made them, all crooked doors and mismatched gaps. Now I can square up a face frame in my sleep and I don't even need a square half the time. It's weird how the numbers add up when you just keep at it. Anyone else ever stop and realize how many hours you've got logged in one specific thing?

That guy at the lumber yard who said I was wasting my time with hand planes

Last month at Builders Supply in Tacoma, this older guy saw me buying a No. 4 Stanley and just laughed. Said nobody uses hand tools for finish work anymore, that I should just get a random orbit sander and be done with it. I asked him how he handles tearout on figured maple and he just stared at me. He walked off after that. Anyone else run into old school guys who think their way is the only way?

Warning: wasted $200 on those cheap corner clamps from that online deal site

I bought a 4-pack of those aluminum corner clamps for $50 off some flash sale and they bent on the second use when I was building a set of cabinet doors. The jaws were so misaligned I got gaps in every joint and ruined $80 worth of maple. Anybody got a recommendation for clamp brands that actually hold up for cabinet work?

Tried pocket screws for a face frame after years of biscuits, totally different feel

I always thought biscuits were the only way to keep things aligned, but I grabbed a Kreg jig on a whim last month for a cheap bathroom vanity. The frame held square way easier and I didn't have to wait for glue to tack up. Anyone else ditch traditional joinery for pocket holes on certain jobs?

Used to think you needed a full shop to do crown molding...

I always passed on crown molding jobs cause I thought my little job site saw and miter box couldn't handle it. Then last month a buddy showed me how he does it with just a coping saw and a cheap miter saw stand. Tried it on a 10x12 bedroom and it came out perfect. The trick was coping the inside corners instead of trying to miter them. Anyone else skip the fancy powered miter saw for coping?

Took me 6 hours to figure out why my miter saw cuts were off by 1/8 inch

Spent an entire Saturday fighting a 1/8 inch gap on crown molding cuts before I realized my saw stand was slightly twisted from moving it around the shop. Finally squared it up with a framing square and a 4 foot level and it cut perfect after that. Has anyone else had a simple setup issue mess with their accuracy for way too long?

Rant: why does nobody talk about joist layout direction on decks?

I spent 10 years running joists along the long way until a 60-year-old framer pointed out I was adding 20% more lumber cost for no reason on a 12x16 deck last summer. Has anyone else caught themselves doing something boneheaded for way too long?

Switched from a combo square to a speed square for rafter cuts and it's night and day

Am I the only one who thinks pocket screws get way too much credit?

I was building a set of kitchen cabinets for a client in Austin last month and used pocket screws for the face frames like everyone says to. But when I had to adjust a door hinge later, two of those screws stripped out completely. I ended up switching to dowels and glue on the next cabinet and it felt way more solid. Has anyone else run into this issue or am I just using the wrong kind of screws?

That $90 digital angle finder I bought last month was a complete waste

Picked up a digital angle finder from Home Depot in Cleveland for a roof rafter job. Thing kept losing calibration every time I bumped it against my belt. Spent more time resetting the zero than actually cutting. Went back to my old Swanson speed square and finished the whole roof line in 2 hours. Has anyone else had bad luck with those electronic angle finders on actual job sites?

Finally nailed scribing a countertop on the first try today

Been doing kitchens for about 8 years now and I always hated scribing the backsplash to the wall. Today I took an extra 15 minutes to map out the low spots with a contour gauge instead of my usual eyeball method. Fit like a glove on the first drop in, no caulk hiding anything. Anyone else have one of those little tricks that saved you hours of sanding?

Old timer told me to stop using my speed square for layout and I thought he was nuts

This guy Bob, been framing for 40 years, saw me marking rafters with my speed square on a job site over in Denver. He said 'put that thing down and grab a framing square, you're gonna mess up your birdsmouths.' I brushed him off at first. But after 3 houses with some funky roof lines, I finally tried his way. Turns out he was totally right. The framing square gives way better control on steep pitches. Has anyone else had an old school trick that actually worked better than the modern way?

Old timer told me to stop using belt sanders on trim and he was right

I had this older guy named Bob come by my shop last month while I was sanding some oak window casing with a belt sander. He said I was gonna ruin the profile and I should use a detail sander instead. I figured he was just being old school and kept at it. Well after I burned through the edge on the third piece I finally gave it a try. His way took a few extra minutes per section but the finish came out way cleaner. Has anyone else had an old timer call them out on something that turned out to be solid advice?

Had a chat with a retired cabinet maker at the lumber yard yesterday

He saw me loading up birch ply and asked what I was building. When I said a set of kitchen cabinets he just shook his head and told me I should be using maple ply for anything I want to last 20 years. Made me wonder how many shortcuts I've been taking without even knowing it.

That day last week when a stud finder failed me completely

I was marking out new electrical boxes on a remodel in a 1970s house. My stud finder kept beeping solid across a whole 4 foot section. I figured it was just old lathe and plaster throwing it off. Nope, they had laid 1/2 inch plywood behind the whole wall as backing. Took me an extra 2 hours to rework my layout. Has anyone else run into weird hidden backing that messes up your measurements?

That old contractor who called my digital level a toy

I was framing a wall on a remodel in Portland last week and this guy in his 60s walks over, looks at my digital level, and says "you trust that thing?" He pulled out a 4-foot torpedo level from 1985 and showed me a 1/16th bubble gap I completely missed. Made me wonder how many jobs I've done that were just a little off because I stare at a screen instead of the bubble. Anyone else had an old timer call out your tools like that?

Read about this trick for laying out stair stringers with a framing square and a couple of clamps instead of those little stair gauge buttons

I was reading some old Fine Homebuilding forum post from like 2012 last night and this guy was saying he ditched the stair gauge buttons years ago because they slip too easy. He just clamps a straightedge to the square at the right measurement and runs it down the board. Tried it this morning on a set of 7 risers for a porch rebuild and it was way faster. No adjusting the buttons every time they bump loose. Anyone else do this or am I late to the party?