Woodcarving is an exciting hobby that can be fun, rewarding, and relaxing. But before you dive into this creative activity, it is better to learn some basics. Wood carving has no strict classification since the same workpiece can combine different types. It combines many different methods, styles, and techniques, depending on the tools you use,…
click for the video As a framer I am always looking to save some time, or lower the repetitive stress on my body. The Simpson Strong-Tie Quik Stik is one of those tools that does both. I reviewed the Quik Stik for The Journal of Light Construction 1 year ago. This is one of those…
That is a question I get a couple of times a week. In some parts of the US or Canada wall sheathing is either installed vertically or horizontally and often it comes down to just a regional preference. In this short post I’d like to pass on some information that should shed some light on…
Let’s be honest, as framers or really anyone in the trades, pulling nails and “deconstruction” are part of the job. It is just a simple fact that we will make mistakes, or changes will be made after the fact. In this post I wanted to introduce you to the way we pull nails and the…
Last fall I had the chance to frame a cove ceiling. I don’t get to do this often, so I recorded the process. In the videos I’ll show how I layout and cut the radius on the rafters, layout and build the trammel arm, set up the jig, and then layout the elliptical inside corner…
What the What? We recently had a project where the mechanical design had no choice but to put ducting through the webs of the 14” I Joists. This didn’t seem like a big deal to me, we just submitted the design to the I Joist manufacturer for permission since it fell outside the prescriptive “Web…
The previous post shows how we layout stepped footings. This post is about forming the foundation walls. The foundation forming system we use, and its very common here in the PNW, relies on 1 -1/8” MDO plywood panels. We use the 2’x8’ panels because they are lighter, though still around 60-70lbs as they age and…
Over the years I’ve drilled concrete to install wedge anchors, Titens or threaded rod & epoxy. I swear half the time I hit rebar. Standard concrete drilling rotary hammer bits aren’t designed to cut rebar. That meant I had to buy separate bits, but they ONLY worked for rebar. As soon as I hit concrete,…
I recently had a roof with a snub hip layover valley. Normally I would frame broken hips from ridge to ridge, but in this case the engineer wanted each roof fully sheathed. This is maybe the 3rd time in 20+ years I’ve had to do this. Here is how I figured they angles. They worked,…
Diablo Rebar Cutting Bit I hit rebar whenever I’m drilling for concrete fasteners. Most of the time I hit bar when I’m drilling for structural connectors, like wedge anchors or Titens. but I hit bar drilling for smaller fasteners like split drives too. Part of the reason for this is that every year the amount…