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Transcript of 30169658 215 Great Building Tips
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25 years of great
CHAPTERS
Drywall 32
r Repair
r lnstallation
r Strategy
r Tidy Application
r Prep& Cleanup
r Rules
r Roofs
r Walls
r Floors
ElFinish arpentry6
rRules
r Cutting& Coping
r Installing rim'.
r Construction
r lnstal lat ion
r EfficiencyGuideline
2t DRYWALLL, Z REPAIR
a4 H.MEMADEI I MrrERLAMPs
.orrrf,i.tiluoll4
Painting 40
Framing 48
Cabinets 7A
www.finehome u d ng com
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Mechanicalystems80
r Electrical
r plumbing
DEPARTMENT
108
Editor'sNote
Benches
& Sawhorseslmproved sawhorse,Multipurpose art,
Knockdownsaw stand
Doors& WindowsRoutinghinge mortises,
Solowindow nstallation
EnergyEfficiencyCutting rigid nsulation,
lnsulated eaders
Ti l ingTechniques
Accuratediagonal i lecuts,Removing broken
ti le, Applying atexgro.ut
Math& MeasuringArch ayout,Measuring
odd shapes
TheThuntonPressInspiration for hands-on ivingo
6
B
r Roofing
r Siding
r Trim
Stringers
r Treads& Risers
r Rail ings
Outdoor paces102
. becks
r Porches
r Patios
28
11 6
Exteriors 86
Stairs 96
al al{lf DRYWALL-rAPE
^ I ( r D | S P E N S E R- -
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editor'snote
Welcome othe tailgateparty
AN OLD-TIMERONCE TOLD ME that the key to working effi-
ciently on any building project is to avoid stupid mistakes. I think
he had the answer to half the equation. Knowing that you should
measure a board twice before cutting it once and that you should
remove masking tape before the sun bakes it onto the window is
important. But it's the clever solutions to common construction
problems that make up the other half of the equation.
Builders are a resourceful, gregarious lot. They delight in com-
ing up with ingenious ways to do things faster, with greater
accuracy,and typically with tools and materials already on hand.
Luckily,builders like to share their ideas, whether standing in th e
checkout line at the hardware store or sitting on a tailgate with a
favorite beverage in hand at the end of the day.
For the past 25 years, Fine Homebuilding has
encouraged readers to submit their gems of use-
ful wisdom. The ideas are presented in ou r "Tips
& Techniques" column, where builders offer up
their job-site brainstorms, and they're scattered
throughout articles and other departments.
This special collection brings together some of
the best advice we've received addressing both
halves of the working-smarter equation. Here,
you willfind professional-grade guidance on
how to avoid mistakes and how to work more
efficiently, taken from a variety of feature articles on topics such
as framing, drywall, and painting. You also will find a wide range
of tips across he entire spectrum of tasks that make up this
occupation and this passion that we call home building.
ff you'd like to find ou t more about Fine Homebuilding, please
turn to p.121 fo r more information, or check out ou r Web site
at www.finehomebuilding.com. And if you've got a tip that you'd
like to share, send it in. Join the party.
-{harles Miller, special-issues editor
Editor
Kevin lreton
ExecutiveArt DirectorRobert Goodfellow
Special-lssuesditorCharlesMiller
ExecutiveEditor.fim Snyder
Senior Editor CharlesBickford
AssociateEditors
DanielS. Morrison,
Brian Pontolilo
Assistant Editors
Justin Fink,
Christopher Ermides,John Ross
SeniorCopy/ProductionEditor
ChrisHoelck
Copy/Producti on Editor Julie Risini
Deputy Art DirectorsDan Thornton, Marne A. Mayer
Art AssistantKrysta 5. Doerfler
AdministrativeAssistant
MaureenFriedman
ContributingEditors
Scott McBride, Rick Arnold,Mike Guertin,Scott Gibson, Gary M. K
IndexerHarriet Hodges
Publisher
Tim Schreiner
AdministrativeAssistant
Christina Glennon
Sr .MarketingManager
Carolyn Turoczi
SingleCopy SalesManager
Mark Stiekman
AdvertisingSalesManager
John Dyckman
CorporateAccountsManager
Judy Caruso
SeniorNationalAccountManagers
Joel Burger,JamesSpangenberg
NationalAccount Managers.
Charles Howe, Wendy Baxter,
MichelleErca
Ad SalesSupportAssociate
Sharon Zagata
FineHomebuildingBooks& VideosExecutiveEditor,Home building
Steve Culpepper
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G Photo:CharlesMil ler
Printed in the USA
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enches&sawhorses
The mprovedsawhorse:t has ips
My work as a carpenter who specializes n repairing and replacing exterior trim means
that I spend a lot of time fussing with long workpieces that have to be planed to fit.
As shown in the drawing below, I made some simple modifications to my sawhorses to
make the planing go a little easier.
First, I cut the ends of the sawhorse crossbars o create little liplike ledges on their ends
that are wide enough to support a piece of 1x stock on edge. Second, I bored f -in.-dia.
holes in the sawhorse crossbars to accommodate the stationary jaw of a bar clamp.
To use, I simply rest the workpiece on the horse's lips, clamp the stock to the cross'
bars, and plane away. - J O H N M I C H A E L D A V I S N e w O r l e a n s
2x4sawhorsecrossbars
Lip supportsworkpiece.
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A safer step stoolI've been a remodeler and a
handyman for more than 20 years
no% and in that time,I've really
come to appreciate the simple
perfection of my little step stool.
Itt made entirely out of scraps
rescued from the burn pile.
The thing I like best about my
little stool is its stability. Becausethe sidesare tapered, it's a lot
harder to tip over rhan a stool with
straight sides. ts l4-in. height
makes the stool narrow enough to
passbetween stud walls framed on
16-in.centers,but still tall enough
for rne to reach the top of a wall
in a room with 8-ft. ceilings.
_ M I K E N I E M E Y E R
Lawrenceburg,nd .
%-in. plywood
sides and top,
screwed and
g lued
1 4 n .
Rubbershoes
Holes in sawhorse crossbars
provide purchase for bar clamps.
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G Drawings: harlesMil ler
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Removable
casters fi t
in plastic
sleeyes.
C O N T I N U E D
Multipurpose cartTo move heavy or awkward items around a iob site, use his
small cart consistingof a l2-in. by l8-in. plywood base,2x2
curbs,and casterwheels.
As shown in the drawing below,I use he sort of casterswith
stems hat fit into plasticsleeves. y drilling right through the
curb, these sleeves an be slipped in from the top or bottom.Foam or carpet padding is great when I have ro move items like
vanities.The cart alsomakes a dandy mechanics-style crawler
Padded side
for accessing he under-
sideof sinks or lavatories,
and it'll scootaround fo r
low-level work on outlets
or baseboards.
With the recessed ide
of the cart up, I drag my
compressoraround,lug
paint pails, and move
bucketsof drywall mud.- P E T E RB L A C K M O R E
SaltSpringsland, .C.,
Canada
15 n. --->l
2-in'-dia' asters 'v
T[iple-duty stoolMy little work stool staysput,
or scootsaround on wheels,
depending on what I need t for.
As illustrated in the drawing
above, he stool s accompaniedby a dolly with 2-in.-dia. swivel-
type casters.
Most of the time.I use he srool
without it s dolly. Its l\Vz-in.
height is enough ro reachg\Vo
Notches fo r stool legs
of the construction iobs nsid
the house. It's also useful for
small children to reach the s
I put the stool on its dolly
when I want to scoot aroundclose o the floor for nailing
drywall finishing. It's even g
for waxing the car.
- J O S E P HS . K O W A L E
Ridley ar
,81h
in .
\zF-u /----:
II
1O1/zin.
II
It_1t:l'
- -
- - - - - ' >
- - ' ; ' ? . . - . - -
:h.JJS
2x12 base
'6ru".i;r'
aMadein
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READER ERVICEO. 9
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READER ERVICEO. 35
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Double-duty miter-sawI upgraded my miter saw
recently, and that got me look-
ing at commercially available
stands. Then I wondered
whether I already had com-ponents that could be recon-
figured into an acceptablesaw
stand. I did a little improvising,
and now I've got what I think
is a more adaptable saw stand
than any commercial unit I
reviewed_and it didn,r cosr
me anything extra.
The basic stand consistsof an
extendable aluminum scaffold
plank held up by a pair of fold-
ing sawhorses. used Werner's
PA 208 plank (Werner Ladder
Co.; 888-5233370). It weighs
401b., s 14 n. wide, an d
extends from 8 ft. to 13 ft., but
any similar plank will work.I
C O N T I N U E D
benchaffixed a power strip to
one of the sawhorses.
I made a pair of sup-
ports to hold up the ends
of long piecesof stock.The supports are mirror
images of each other,
and like the chopsaw,
the supports are
anchored to the plank
with C-clamps. Capping
the edges hat contact
the lumber with alumi-
num angle stock reduces
friction and makes the
rig easier o use.
Extendable aluminum
scaffo ld p lank
Right-sidesupport/stop
Aluminumangle
2 in .by 4 in .
Left-side
support/stoclamped oplank
\.__4
Winand
by 12in./
1 n.by4 in.by15 n .
Support/stopin mult iple-cutoff mode
Each support includesa movable stop that can be
raised above the support when
I need to make multiple cuts
(top detail),even up to 11 t.
long. For one-off pieces,I ower
Height o matchmiter-saw ase
the stop to the position where
its vertical edge can be aligned
with the saw's ence (bottom
de t a i l ) . - LARRYJAcoBSoN
Seattle
Verticaledge ofsupport/stop nfence-alignmentmode
A 45'bevelcollectswood chips.
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READER ERVICEO.48
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Slot or -- .crossbar
\
C O N T I N U E D
Roof framerrs sawhorseNo matter how careful you are, the metal fasteners n
sawhorses ventually encounter a spinning sawblade.
The inevitable result is aggravation and lost money on
a new blade. The drawing
shows the kind of sawhorses
I use when I cut roofs. The
design s simple, and the
material is scrapplywood.
Best of all. thesehorses
require no fasteners. nter-
locking plywood pieces tore
flat in the back of a truck,
and the crossbarcutout
can be adjusted to accom-
modate any piece of l umber
adequate o the task. I've
found that with a load of2xl0 rafters, need at least
a2x6 crosspieceo support a
dozen or more rafters.
_ W I L L I A MR A Y N S
Hurricane-tiesawhorseI stole the idea for this
sawhorse from a local
road crew. The horses
can be taken apart
for transport and
quickly reassembled
with a screw gun. The
knockdown connec-
tions all are made by
way of metal framing
connectors.
At thetop of the 2x legs,a pair
of hurricane iesacceptshe
Hurricane ies,
both s ides
Cut slots toplywood thickness.
Equaloheight ofin PartA
slot
crossbar.Below the crossbar
rail screwed o joist hangers
the leg brace stiffens the hors
I made a pattern out of har
board that gives me the profi
of the standard sawhorse.With the pattern,I can whip
up a new set from wood scra
whenever I need a worktable
- M I C H A E L D e Y O
Chil l iwack,B.C. ,Canunset,Maine
$rched bottoms-for stabil i ty nuneven round
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Strapsmadeof 2-in.-wide trips of 3/q-in.
plywoodattachedwith 172-in. crews
Puttinga new window in an old brownstoneIn Brooklyn, where turn-of-the-century brownstones and bricks are the norm, window
replacement often calls for some ingenuity. I have used both Bonneville and Andersen
brick-to-brick replacement windows. These units are custom-made to be % in. narrower
than the brick opening, with a brick molding already attached. In theory, they drop
into the opening and are strapped to the interior-wall framing with vendor-supplied
galvanized straps. Caulk the brick moldings to the bricks, and you're done.
But with solid-brick walls, what do you strap the new window to? When old windows
are removed, the area once occupied by the sash weights is now a large void. Rather
than make a mountain of
unstable framing in the void, I
improve on the strap idea. As
shown in the drawing, I screw
2-in.-wide strips of 3A-in.ply-
wood to the sides, bottom, and
top of the window. Now I can
attach the plywood strips to the
stud wall, shimming as neces-
sary to square to the window.
The strips then are cut flush
with the studs.
The strips also serve as sup-
port for jamb extensions or
drywall. Before installing the
drywall, I stuff the sash-weight
voids with insulation.
_ M A T T H A U S M A N N
Brooklyn, N.Y.
- \ , )
New window
r\ Stud wallBrickmolding
*s
shim as -/
Space ormerlyoccupie'd
by sashweights
:'-t::\\
N. \ . \ .,\rri.
necessary.
F IN E H OME B U ILD IN G
Once heyareaffixed toframing, cutstraps lush
with stud
20
S,ra "tt jVg
plywood trap
Drawings, xceptwhere noted: CharlesMiller.Photo his page: CharlesBick
Use a nail to markthe center of thestrike-plate holeLocating a passageset
in a door isn't too tough.
Heights are standard, an
many manufacturers pro-
vide a template with the
hardware. Locating the
latch hole in the jamb can
be more difficult. Here's
the most accurate way I'v
found to do it.
Close the door, and hold
tight to the stop. Then pu
a 6d nail through the %-i
pilot hole in th e door edg
unti l i t pierces he door
jamb; a pry bar provides
leverage if necessary.Now
drill holes for the latch an
the strike using arsAr-in.
spadebit. (A %-in. bit istoo small for most latch
mechanisms, and the trole
left by a l-in. bi t won't be
covered completely by the
latch plate.)
- T O M O ' B R
New Milford,Co
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%-in.plywood
Attach hinge leafto plywood.
Routerbasefollows template'scurue as it cutshinge mortise.
(drawing4).
FINE HOMEBUILDING
C O N T I N U E D
Routing hinge mortisesI had a fair number of doors hat needed anging,
and I wanted to take advantageof my router and
my 3/t-in.-dia.straightbit to makequick work of the
hinge mortises. had tried freehanding he mortises
with mixed results.So decided o make the hinge-
mortising templateshown n the drawingsbelow.
I startedwith a pieceof Vz-in.plywood, to which
I attachedhe eaf of a radiusedbutt hinge aligned
to the edgeof the plywood as t will beplacedon
the door or jamb (drawing l). Using the hinge as
a guide for the router'sbase, routed a shallow
groove n the plywood.
The insideedgeof this shallow
groovebecamehe cutline hat I fol-
6n
d-rT:v_..- .1
(
f
t
lowed with my jigsaw as I made a circular cut in
the template (drawing 2). Next,I cut the template
along the dotted lines (as shown in the drawing) to
make it more convenient to maneuver.
To cut a hinge mortise,I screwed the template to a
iamb and followed the curved edge of the plywood
with the router's base drawing 3). I used the same3/q-in.straight bit, set at a depth equal to the thick-
nessof a hinge leaf, to make the cuts. By the way,I
placed the screws that hold the template to the jamb
so that their holes will be covered by the doorstop
Router base
22
-RAy FREUDCherryHi l l , .J . and moved on. -SCOTT BRUCE GrandBlanc,M
Screw hinge leaf to
door stile, and cut
around its perimeterwith a utility knife.
Chiseling hinge mortisesI t ypically use a router and a template to cut mortise
or to enlarge existing mortises for new door hinges.
But for small jobs where it doesn't make sense o ca
along a lot of gear, I use a utility knife and a chisel
for the same purpose. First, I screw the hinge to the
door stile in the desired position. Then I score aroun
the edges of the hinge with the knife as shown i n th
drawing above. With the hinge removed, I chisel th
mortise to the thickness of the hinge. Now I can
reattach the hinge using the same screw holes.
- D A N IE L E . H ILL l l G r i s w o ld
Solo windowinstallationI had to install windows
in a new house by
myself. First, I cut a
couple of 2x4s about 8 in.
longer than the widest
window. Then I mea-
sured the distance that
the windows projected
from the house and cut
four blocks equal to
this distanceplus %in.l
screwed one block to the end of each2x4.
Working from outside,I installed a vinyl window
placed the 2x4s over it, screwing them to the wall on
sides. Now I was free to go inside and level the bottor
the window and center it in its opening with shims.
extra Ycin.letme move the window without interfere
from the 2x4s. When the window was centered and
level,I went back out and nailed it in place,beginnin
with the bottom flange. Then I pulled out the crossb
Crossbarwith blocks hwindow during i nstalla
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C O N T I N U E D
A stronger ioint where thecasing meets the stool
Common practice is to nail up throughthe stool into side casings.But biscuits
hold better than end-grain nails and
won't come out through the exposed sur-
face of the side casing.
-JOSEPH BEALS ll Marshf ie ldi l ls , ass.
Hanging heavy doorsWhen I have o musclea solid-core oor
into or out of its hinges,I eta drywall
lift (a ool designed or plac ingdrywall
on walls)do the heavy ifting. Unlike a
flat bar,a drywall lift features n ntegral
fulcrum (so don't have o set t on top of
a2x4 to get everage) nd a stirrup that
permitshands-free peration.As shown
in the drawing, when I'm ready o hang
the door,I slip a toe hrough the stirrup,
usemy foot to center he lift under the
door,and effordessly aise hedoor nto
position. You can ind these ools at the
big drywall-supplyoutlets hat cater o
the pros.Expect o spend rom $15 o $20
for one.
By the way, he sharpmetal edges f the
lift canscratchwood surfaces, o usuallycover hem with a ayerof duct tape.
_ T O M O ' B R I E N
New Milford,Conn.
likea Elayour Bas
rnsu[arcba[[pane[sfrom real nsulations the key to a comfortableand
basement.OvrX InsulatedSub-Flooring ile and Wall Pan30 yearsof proven echnology.The engineeredwood pan
in combinationwith STYROFOAMinsulation,an helpprotectyour investmentagainstwater and mildew.OvrXwill a
r" *"!.
ffi #ffiffitffi:i'lriL"T"1**"trT"JlHt""#ft*nREADER ERVICE O.54
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
Swim or exercise gainsta smoothcurrentadjustableto any speedor abili ty. Ideal for swimming,wateraerobics,ehabilitationand un. No traveling,no crowded pools, no heavy chlorine.
The 8'x 15' EndlessPool@ s simpleto maintain,economical o run,and easy o install insideor out.Modular constructionmeansmanysizesand optionsare available.
efreaOyown a pool?Ask about.n. (to S T L A N F
READER ERVICE O.62
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C O N T I N U E D
Thimming foam flush to studsI use foam insulation from an aerosoi can
when insulating around rough window and
door openings.The next day,I trim all the
excess oam away from the wall and the win-
dow frame with a mastic trowel (drawing
above). Its serrated edgessaw through the
foam,leaving the foam flush with the wall.
-KEITH METIERHighland ark,l l .
TWo ways tofix a door thatwon't latchIf the door contactsthe
latch-side stop at the top
but not at the bottom (or
the other way around)
and is difficult to latch,
the door is warped, or the
jamb is twisted.
- S C O T T M c B R I D E
Sperryville, a.
; ' i' t l * l
fTi'il; l '
t l' . 1 ' ,
' irf{i
Fix 1:Moving thehingecancornpensatefor warpingotwisting. A docanbe coaxe
into closingsmoothlybyshifting eithethe top orbottom hingeoutward at thjamb.
Fix 2:lf moving thehinge doesn'fixthe probleentirely, t mabe necessaryto move thedoorstopso tit contacts theentire latch sof the door.
WARPEDDOOR
TWISTEDJAMB
READER ERVICEO. 8
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
READER ERVICEO.12
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Wall-sheathingnsulation topsWhen I switched to blown-in cellulose insulation in the attics of
new homes, I saw the trouble installers had stapling cardboard
insulation stops between the rafters or trusses above the exterior-
wall plates to keep insulation from falling into the soffit.
I came up with the idea of extending the exterior-wall sheath-
ing above the top plate to become an integral insulation stop.
Instead of trimming 1 ft. off the last row of sheathing to end it
flush with the top plate, I let it run above the plate. I calculated
the height between the bottom and top truss chords at the point
above the outside face of the exterior wall. Then I deducted 1!zin.to leave a ventilation slot between the top of the wall sheathing
and the underside of the roof sheathing. and cut off the rest.
After nailing on the wall sheathing, I marked the roof-truss lay-
out along the top edge of the sheathing and squared down the
lines to the top-plate level, Before lifting the walls, I cut 132-in.
slots for each truss to drop into. The slots quickly positioned
each truss and allowed me to float the walls beneath until they
could be tweaked straight; then I could nail down the trusses.
Expanding spray foam seals any gaps between the truss and
the wall sheathing so that no insulationslips by. The extra work
saved me more than it cost me in time because the insulators
didn't have to charge for crawling on their bellies to staple
cardboard stops. -MIK E GUERTIN EastGreenwich,R. l .
A 2x6 providessheathingsupport.
2x4 stud fordrywal l blocking
Entire corner cavitycan be insulated.
1x3o rplywoodstrip
A hybrid corner that eliminates therrnal bridgrngContributing editor Mike Guertin a2x6 on the exterior corner and na
long hasbeenconcernedwith exterior a2x4 anda lx3, or a strip of plywoo
corners,which canbenotoriouscold together o form the nterior corne
cavities. lthough thermalbridging is Insulation hroughout he cornerca
a concernalong he entire wall, fram- ity eliminateshermal bridging by
ing alternatives uchasdouble-stud breakingcontactbetween he shea
wallsare not cost-effective. orners, ing and the drywall. Guertin says
on the other hand,carry essoad han that thecorner still providesgood
a typical stud and are structurally support or top platesand for nailin
more flexible. Guertin is experiment- (Although Guertin's building inspe
ing with a2x6 corner (photo left) that tor approved the corner, check with
can be insulated completely. He uses your local inspector before trying it.
%-in.OS Bsheathing
Fiberglassinsulation
1/z-in.
drywall
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G Drawings:CharlesMiller.Photo:Scott Ph
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Cutting rigtd insulationFoam-insulation oardsarehigh in R-value,
but they alsocanbe a nuisanceo cut---{spe-
cially oam boards hat are 2 in. thick. A
utility knife won't cut deeplyenough.A
kitchenknife works,but not very wellbecausehe triangularcross ection f the
bladebindsas he cut deepens. aws eave
roughedges nd spewstatically harged
insulationparticleshat cling to everything.
A2-in. putty knife doesa grear ob of
cutting foam nsulation.The trick is to
sharpenone side of
the blade. Teamed
with a straightedge,
a sharpened putty
knife cuts through
foam like butter,and its wide blade
keeps the cut from
wandering.
_ C H R I S L L I S
Brewster,Mass.
of
Insulated headers forcold climatesI've seena lot of different ways to
make built-up headers, rom the2x
traditional to the bizarre.The tra-
ditional method sandwiches Vz-in.
plywood between 2x material until
it matches the depth of the wall
studs. Unfortunately, this causes
two problems. First, the header
often isn't the exact thickness of
the wall, and when trim time rolls
around, you have unhappy carpen-
ters. Second, this kind of header has
no insulative value.
The drawing at right shows the
header that I've been assembling to
solveboth problems. Ir's essentiallyabox beam with plywood tops and bot-
toms, and sidesmade either of 2x or, my
favorite, laminated lumber. The result
is a header precisely the same dimen-
sion as the wall and a continuous void
the engthof the header or insulatio
My engineerhad no problemswith
the structuralcapabilityof this desig
The key s to provideadequate ailinthroughthe plywood nto the sides.
these eaders,Iused8d nailsspaced
the same enters s he perimeterna
in our plywoodwall sheathing.-B ILL WELCH Jackson,W
C O N T I N U E D
knife
Sharpen
Foam
insulati
8d na it\"[i\ \
Ir\\i \ \, t \ \
['\L l . t
N.,)
READER ERVICE O. 16
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
READER ERVICE O. 15
30
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Repairand how o
5 commonproblemsfix them ByMyRoN.FERGU
racksor holes n dry-
wal l , wet or stained
drywall, peeling oint
tape,poppednails or
screws. Any of these problems
means a drywall repair is inevita-
ble. I know that some people gri-
mace when faced with a dreaded
chore like fixing a hole in drywall.
The framing never seems o be in
the right place for attaching a
patch, and the quarter-inch layer
of joint compound used to fi x it
looks nearly as obvious as the gap-
ing black hole, except now drywall
dust coats the furniture and the
wall needsto be repainted.
Unlike most people in my busi-ness,I love walking into a drywall-
repair job. I savor the look on a
customer's face when I say,"Sure,
no problem. I ca n fix this in no
fime." The more severe he dam-
age, the more gratifying the look.
Over the past two decades, must
have faced every possible type of
drywall repair, and I have gotten
good no t only at patching holes
but alsoat permanently concealing
repairs and doing them as quickly
and easilyas possible.
MyronR. Ferguson www.that
drywallguy.com),uthorof Dry-
wall: Professional echniques
fo r GreatResu/tsTh eTaunton
Press, 005), ivesand works
in Galway,N.Y.Photosby Zach-
aryGau lk in .
@^ingpoppednails ndscrews
Nailsand screws ear heir headswhenthe dryrall panel is not fastenedfirmly
against he framing,when the framing
shrinksor twists, or when the wall or
ceiling s struckor moved slightly dur-
ing remodelingwork.
Protrudingfastenersare easy o fix.
Whatever the causeof the telltale
bulge, called a pop, the best remedy is
to refasten he panel near the popped
nail or screw. usuallypresson the
panel next to the pop and drive a dry-
wall screw nto the stud aboutlVzin.
away (sometimeson both sides),draw-
ing the panel toward the framing. I
removethe popped fastener or drive
it back nto the framing.
Covering he dimples is easy. f the
paper surfaceof the drynvallhasnot
been damaged, us t fill the depres-
sion with three thin coatsof joint com-pound, etting the compounddry
between coats, followed by light
sandingwith 1SO-grit andpaper.f
the paper has orn or if the core of
the drywall is damaged, t's best to
removeall loosematerial, il l the
holewith joint compound,and then
cover the areawith fiberglass-mesh
tape. (Youcan usepaper tape, but I
prefer self-adheringmesh ape.)This
approachalsoworks for any hole
2 in. wide or less.
Fill dimples with three thin coatsof compound, but use tape if thesurtace s damaged.
Refastendrywall to the underlyingfram-ing near the popped nail or screw.
32 FINE HOMEBUILDING
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2 rtl l ing nd aping racks
Chip away loose material,andcut a V-shapedgroove along th e length of the crack.
Cracks in drywall usually are caused by structural
movement, such as the settl ing that happens in
new homes. Most often, cracksoccur on a seam, but
sometimes they can be found in th e middle of panels
over doorways or windows. (l n modular homes, cracks
in th e middle of panels can occur as a result of trans-
portation an d placement on a foundation.) In new
construction, I recommend waiting at least si x months
before repairing cracks to give the structure timeto settle.
Most cracksgo completely through the panel, so
just repair ing the surface s not enough. The first step,
as in all repairs, s to remove any loose material with
a putty knife or utility knife. Next, cut a V-groove
along the crack,opening i t up aboutVzin. and go ing
almost completely through the panel to the paper on
the back. Fil l the void with joint compound (for more
about choosing oint compound, see p. 35), an d cover
it with mesh or paper tape. Then smooth the area
with two or three coats of joint compound, blending
it into the surrounding area and l ightly sanding after
the last coat. l' m careful o let the compound dry
between coats.
'ffiffi,
'&
Fillthe groove with joint compound,and
apply sel{-adhering ape over the crack.
Applvthree hincoatsof
compound,
f eatheringit into the
rest of thewall.
#-,
frr
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3t"tching an old electrical-boxpening
Whenan outlet or a switch s eliminated, he
box may be removedor left in the wall. f the
box is left behind,makesure here are no live
electricalwires n it . (Wiredboxesshouldnot be
coveredwith drywalh hey shouldbe closedwith
a coverplate and remainaccessible.)Start by beveling he outsideedgesof the hole
with a utility knife o a 45ochamferall around.
Next, cut a drywallpatch he samesizeas he
beveledopening,and bevelback he edges o
fi t the hole. usea utility knife o adjust he fit
of the patchuntil itt snug.The patchworks best
when it sinksslightlybelow the wall plane, eav-
ing room for a thin layerof joint compound.
Spreada generous ayerof compoundonto the
edgesof the opening(or the patch),and press
the patch n place.Thencover he seamswith
meshor paperape, and two or three coatsofcompound.Sandafter the lastcoat.
Bevelthe edges of the wall opening,then cut a matching patch and bevelits edges.
Add joint compound to the opeing or the patch, then press thepatch into place.
Repairingwater-damage. 1 .
ceilrngs
A water leak usually unsalong he top of dryw
until tfindsa seamor corner,often looseningtape and the joint compound o createan exit.
Damage o the drywall tself s generallynot exte
sivebecausehe water doesn'tsit for too long.
Seams, owever,usuallyneed some work. Onthe leakhasbeen repaired, emove oose ape
and oint compound. f the drywall s loose, t ca
be refastened o the framing with drywall screw
Cover he seamswith paper or mesh ape; then
apply two or three coatsof joint compound.
Drywall saturated with water may loosenandsag. t will have o dry thoroughlybefore t can
be reattached.However, aggingareaswill be
difficult to reattachwhen dry because he dryw
can ake on a new shape. sometimes an ix sabefore the drywall dries by supporting it with a
temporarysupport or with furring strips asten
to the framing.Removinganywet insulation o
that it candry is alsoa good idea.
Aftermasking urrounding reas,emoveany oosedrywalland joint ape.
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Cover seams with meshor paper tape,followed by three coats of compound.
Paint the damaged area with a stain-blocking primer to prevent stains frombleeding through repairs.
Apply compound o taped seams;cover with three coats.
CHOOSE HERIGHT OINTCOMPOUND
Thereare two broad categoriesof compound:drying and setting. Within
each of those categories,different mixes are available hat dry faster or
slower, softer or harder,depending on your needs.
Drying-type ompound
Most drying-type compoundsare premixed and ready to use
right out of the bucket, but there
are different types. Taping com-
pound is used o embed the joint
tape for the first coat and to fill
for the second coat. lt is strong
and doesn't shrinkmuch.Topping
compound is a lighter-weight
compound hat is used or the
thin finishing coat. lt feathers out
nicely,dries quickly,and sands
smooth.All-purpose
ompoundcan be used or all stages. t's
availablen most lumberor hard-
ware stores. For small repairs, f
you don't want to buy more than
one bucket,usea topping or an
all-purposemix.
Whatever varie$ryou use, all
drying-type compounds require
an application emperatureof
at least55"F (thiscondition
applies o surface,compound,
and air temperatures). he
compoundmust dry thoroughly
between coats; drying times are
affected by temperature,
humidity,and airflow.
Setting'tyPe compound setting-type ompounds, hichhardenWhile drying-type compounds quickly,aregreat or repairwork.
cure as water evaporates,setting-
type compounds harden by chemical eaction.Setting times vary from
20 minutes o six hours,depending on the type used.Becausehese com-
poundshardenchemically, umidity and cooler emperatureshave ittle
effect on setting time.
Setting-type compounds are great for quick repairs,but they can bedifficult to sand.I like to use a lightweight setting compoundfor the
first two coats beforefinishing with an all-purpose or a topping) drying-
type compound.
The big drawback of setting-Upe compounds,however, s the inconve-
nienceof mixing them yourself.On the plus side,you can mix only what
you need and store the rest dry. For all but the smallestbatches, mix the
compound in a S-gal.bucket, using a mixing paddle attachmentwith a Vz-in.
electric drill. With setting-typecompounds,additivescan be mixed into the
batch to acceleratedrying time even more.
GREATBUILDING TIPS 2006
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5Repairingargeholes
When people have o repair
largeholes hat fall between
wall studs or ceiling oists,
they often cut the drywall
back o the framing o
createa spot for fasteninga patch.The problem s that
the repair he n becomes
much arger.
I try to keep the repair
as smallas possibleby not
attaching he patch o the
framingwhen he damage
is betweenstuds.For round
or square penings such s
those hat are created
when a light fixture is
removed), he patchcanbe measured nd cut to fit
precisely. or oddly shaped
holes, simplycut a patch
slightly arger ha n he dam-
aged area,hold it over the
hole,and trace around t
with a pencil; hen I cut out
the damagedarea o match
the patch.
To strengthen he repair,
I use urring strips o hold
th e patch. cut the 1x2stripsabout6 in. onger
than he holeand sl ide
eachstrip into the open-
ing, fastening t on both
ends with drywall screws.
Th e patch s fastened o
the furring strips with dr
wall screws,making t a
firm part of th e panelan
flush with the surface.T
method makes he patc
easy o conceal nd unlito crackor loosen.
To ape the patch, irst f
any arge gapswith joint
compound; hen coveral
the edgeswith meshor
paper ape. Because ap
Make a squareor rectangular patchslightly arger than the damaged area.
Hold the patch over the damaged areaand trace its outline onto the wall.
--"t'n--
With a drywall saw, cut along the pencilline, then test the patch until it fits.
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
::.*\*.*=*ii"
'---* t' ,*15
Strengthen the repair by installing 1x2 furring str4rs inside the wall cavity. Strips shouldbe 6 in. longer than the opening and fastened at both endswith drywall suews.
J
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tape is stronger than mesh
tape, I recommend it for
larger, more difficult repairs
and those that are attached
directly to wall framing.
Cover the tape and patchwith three thin layers of
jo in t compound, making
sure to feather out the
edges properly and not to
build up the patched areas
too much.
Repairs hat span wall
framing can be a real test
because of t he large surface
area they involve. I start by
removing the damaged area
with a utility saw, cutting to
th e wall framing. (For cuts
perpendicular to framing, I
first mark an outl ine so that
th e patch area wil l have
square corners.)
Because cut along the
inside of the framing, I have
to attach 1x2 furring strips
or 2x4s to studs for fasten-
in g th e patch. I make sure
that the str ips are flush with
or sl ightl y back from the
back edge of the drywall
surface. f possible, I us e
on e piece of drywall for the
repair. I leave about a 1/a-in.
gap to avo id damaging the
edges of the patch.
THREECOATSOFCOMPOUNDMAKEREPAIRS ISAPPEAR
The final step in all drywall repairs is
to coat the patch with at least three
(and sometimes four) layers of joint
compound-letting each coat dry in
between-followed by a l ight sand-
ing. No matter how carefully I patch
a sect ion of wa l l , the tape and jo in t
compound form a high spot or bump.
A poorly feathered patch can be as
not iceab leas the damage i t was
meant to concea l .
Th e key to avoiding an unsightly
high spot is spreading and feathering
the layers of joint compound over a
large area without building up excesscompound on any high areas. l ike to
begin each coat by a pplying a liberal
amount of compound to the entire area
an d then feathering the outside edges
first, working the compound smoothly
toward the thin layer left in the center.
The first coat should be as thin as pos-
sible while sti l l hiding the tape.
After th e first coat of compound is
dry, I use my trowel as a straightedge
to see how far the high spot projects
f rom the p lane of the wa l l . The b igger
and more not iceable he hump, the
more area I wil l need to cover with
joint compound to feather it into the
rest of the wall. (For small patches, I
just rub my hand over the repai r to
fee l how wel l the high spot is d isap-
pearing with each coat.)
The second coat is a fi l ler coau I fi l l
in any voids, feathering the outside
edges whi le keeping the compound
very thin on any high spots. When the
second coat is dry, I check the high
spot again (b y hand or by trowel)and apply more compound to w iden
the area further and to fi l l in voids or
unfeathered edges. This third coat of
jo in t compound increases he diame-
ter of the patched area even more.
Depending on the size of the repair,
each coat wil l f eather out 6 in. to
12 in. from the previous coat.
Attach the patch to the furring with drywall screws.
Spread a thin layer of compound over the seams, and applymeshor paper ape.
; . : ' : ' !..|,.....
( ; I t F , \ T I J U I I - I ) I \ ( ; T I I ) S ] I I { I t ,
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lnstallation
A self-mudding
drywall-tapedispenser
Peoplehavegivenme someprettystrangeookswhen I carrymy drywall-
tapingmachineontoa ob site.But
the machine'sooksare deceiving.As
shown n thedrawing at right,I built
theunit outof scrap2x4s,a2x6rand
1-gal.plasticbucket.The bucket s
affixed o the2x6crossbarwith four
shortscrews.
I made wo slits n the sideof thebucketwhere hey engagehe bottom.
The slitsare on opposite ides. he rear slit shouldbe iust argeenough o
allow drywall tape o passhrough it. The front slit shouldbeslightlywider
to allow both the tapeand a thin layerof ioint compound o passhrough it.
A roll of paper apehangs rom a2x4 upright toward thebackof therig.
I run thetape hrough the slits n the bucket,and thenI fill thebucketwith
thinned oint compound.Now I'm ready o pull the tapeout to thedesired
length, op it off with a razorknife,and apply t directly o thewall-no
premudding necessary.
Usingthis setup,wo of us tapedan 1100-sq.-ft.ousen five hours.
-cHRls MATISHAKelburne,l ta. , anada
DrywallkickerI hang drywall once n a while, but
not oftenenough o iustify nvest-
ing in a real drywall "kicker,"alevermade ust for lifting a piece
ofdrywall. Instead, modified
my pry bar by attachinga 3-in.
lengthof l-in.-dia.dowelwith a
bolt throughthe nail-pulling hole
that is countersunkn the dowel.
A little toe pressureifts a drywall
panel2 in. off thefloor._ A N D R E W K I R K
Independence, Calif.
piece ofdowel
rape emerses ith a thin t***i
cdatingof-joint ompound. -y'
2x4 upright
Rollof paper
Bucketofthinned ointcompound
Depthof score
When I slide his toolalong heedgeof a
pieceof drywall, theblades ut from bot
sides,making it quick and easyo remo
uniform strips rom a sheet f drywall.-BRIAN USH af ter
Drawings; CharlesMillcr. Photo: Mike Gucrtin and Randy O'R
-/
Drywalledge trimmer
Our crew uses in-line" framing for walls
to save umber (weight from above bears
directly on studs, and platesare joined with
steel splices).Because his style of framingallows a single top plate, our walls are a
little less han 8 ft. tall. The downside to this
technique is that we have to trim about an
inch off the ends of our drywall. This work
is tedious with a utility knife, and the $25
edge trimmer I bought didn't work very
well. I made my own trimmer by screwing
together some piecesof lx scrap to make
a cutting guide and attached a couple of
"snap-off'utility-knife blades o its top edge.
rF-ie:,-
Blades l ignedwith
1 scrap
;,r.$3-in.- longf -in.-dia.
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
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%o-in.-thickposter-boardstr ips
Ceil ing oists
Invisibledrywall butt joints
During 40 years n the trades,I've had a number of high-
end drywall jobs that required dead-flat ceilings-no
bulges allowed where the ends of the drywall sheetsabut
one another. This method is our crew's solution to the prob-
lem. I've inspected obs that we did 25 yearsago using thi s
method, and you still can't seewhere the butt ioints occur.
This trick starts with a sheet of plywood the same thick-
nessas the dr ywall. First, trim an inch off the width of the
sheet, hen crosscut t into 10equal strips. They will be
9%in. wide by 47 in.long. Next, staplestrips of Vrc-in.-
thick poster board to the long edgesof the plywood strip.
Before raising a drywall panel for installation, screw one
of the plywood strips to the end of the panel. The poster-
board strip goes between the plywood and the drywall. As
the drywall goesup, the butt ends are arranged to fall
etween the ceiling joists.When th e adjacent drywall
anel is screwed to the plywood strip, a shallow dip is cre-ted where the drywall bends over the poster board. This
hallow dip createsa hollow for the tape.
We tape our joints in the usual manner, beginning with
he butt joints. Once that joint compound has dried, we
ape the long edges. ncidentally, a 20-in.-long piece of
IVz-in. aluminum angle is a handy tool for leveling the
of joint compound over rhe butt ends. Using
we never had a joint show up on a punch
at the completion of a job.
-T l M HANSON ndianapo l is
I REMoDELTGTrP
Patchingholes n textured drywall
From ime to time, my work includespatchingholes n
drywall. And if the holesare in textured walls, either
orange-peelor knockdowntexture, I have o set up my
commercialsprayer o retexture the patch. Between
setup and cleanup, hat's a lot of work for a small.job.
As shown n the drawings, 've found a better way.
I begin a patchby applying mesh ape over the hole
(1).Then cover he meshwith all-purpose rlnrall
compound don't use setting-typecompound)applied
with a 4-in. taping knife. This processpatches he hole
but also clogs the crevices hat create he texture (21.
Once he drywall compound hasdried, I sandsmooth
the center of the patch. Then I feather the edges of the
patch with an old toothbrush dipped in warm water anda dry cloth. I work my way around the patch (3), eav-
ing a tapered surface hat makesa gradualtransition
to the smoothly sandedcenter of the patch. To finish, I
preparea mixture of water and all-purposecompound
thin enough to produce a splatter. Next, I suck some
of the mix into a turkey baster and practicesplattering
on a piece of scrapuntil I get the effect I'm looking for.
This step is important: Trialand error is the key to mak-
ing this techniquework. When 've got the right consis-
tency, 'm ready to texture the patch (4).
-DAVIDA. ROJAS asVegas
Gently scrub perimeter of patchwith a moistened toothbrush.
Apply new splatter texturewith a turkey baster,
GR E A TB U ILD IN GTIP S2006
Screws, 5 in. on center
Drywall dips over poster-board strips, creatingarecess or tape and oint
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Strategy7 steps o aprofessionalp.int job
BY FRANK SINICROPE
1. PRorEcr HEFLooR
AND PREPTHE WALLSI l ike o moveal l urnitureout or to the centerof the room
and cover t with plastic.To protect the floor, I roll ou t 4-mil
plasticand ape it to the baseboard.Unless 'm painting he
ceiling, t's necessaryo cover only the first 3 ft . or 4 ft. of
f loor from th e wall. Bluemasking ape is besU t adheres o
most surfaces nd peelsoff cleanly or up to 14 days.Th e
green ap e ca nstayon even onger.
Next, I makesurewallsand rim are clean, tain-free, nd
smooth.Nail holes,bumps,and cracks an be patched; f
they're ess han % in.deep, I use ightweightoint compound,
whichdriesquickly. Fo r ips on drywall ep air, ee p. 32).
Essentialpatching to
Use a 6-in. ting knife an
5-in-1 ool fo
wall prep.
os t peop le h i nk t ha t
painting the nterior of a
house sa iob that requiresjust a couple of tools, a high tolerance
for boredom, and very little experience.
Only after they've come to the end of
their messy first jo b do they begin to
wonder about that old guy in painter's
whites they once saw working at some-
one else'shouse. How could he paint an
ent i re room in a seamless lychoreo-
graphed sequence of brush and roller
strokes before hi s second cup of coffee
and no t spill even a drop of paintl I'm
not that old guy yet, but I am a paint-
ing contractor. People always ask me
how they can improve their painting
techniques. If you consi der the act of
painting on par with a trip to the den-
tist, the answers ahead will provide some
Novocain to ease he pain of your next
painting project.
Frank in icropesa paint ing ontrac-
tor in Hawthorne, .J.Photos y
Charles ickford.
ffire
reffircF
@
LongJasting, low-tack
tape is best (3M Corp.;
888-364-3577;
www.3m.com).
F IN E H OME B U ILD IN G
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[--*"t*-*,*****']
-tf
4d)*";
saF
-'*t;/'
@fi
"t.,
Easy does i t" Too much pressur-e
on the rol ler wi l l leave l ines n the^ ^ i - . + ^ ^ l l ^ - JP<1 i l L Lc l rVU r UPs ) .
r. i t i ; i i i : i i' i I ] i , : i . .+ i i l { . :< ; ; r- ; , i i i ;;
: - i , ; r - r , ; . , ' r , ' i ' : I : . i ' : i . r L j i a ! | { : t ; t i 5 { . ) i
: - r - : , . : 1 1 i ]i , , t i
: - : . . i i t i | . j r i . l i d i i i ; ,
i i , - . . t , , , , , , . r :' : - . r ' l. t , i r i , i i .p i . : : r- . r- i :.: ;1.
.;.,i.1.i : I ;.,:.- 1 i I I : i i.t ]; '!:, r.::fj -l :: :
:: j11 ,' j l ' .,:) : : i ;;, rr,rl; 1 r' -, i u,.: :: .:,'
i : , . - :t i i : , , ' ir f ; I i l ' : ; i : ' t t ) i : r r i i i : t ' , , ; ; . , ; , r . ; ' ;
. r :' l ' i , - . , , - , , i : , r , ; , ' l - 1 , - ,- . '
, , , i ' i - . , - , , i, . : . , , : . . 1 : - . , . : . , - ,
. : i : . . - , l . i . , i . . . : . ; , i : ' . . .
, , . i . . , , . i , ' , . . : ' ,, i , : . .
\
\1,'.Ll
4 2 t : i \ l H ( ) \ 1 t i l l l . t ) t \ ( , F
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. steRTwtNDows N THEND WORKOUTWARD
paint he muntinsof a window first, then move o
e frame.With a 21/z-in.ashbrush, angle he tip
edge and draw the paint along he
with one smooth stroke. lf you're unsure
your techniqueor don't want to bother,you can
glasswith blue tape or scrape he glasshe paint has dried.)Don't apply too much
window frame; also,open and close
e window while t's drying so that it doesn't dry
f the window is paintedshut, carefully un a
blade between he window sashand casing o
. BEcrNpANELED ooRs Ar rHE ToP AND woRK DowN
doors shouldbe primed with a high-quality
eliminatebleed-throughstains.Multiple inish
(usually wo) may be necessaryo get good cover-Ask your paint supplier o tint the color of the primer
as possible o the color of the paint you've cho-
Again, he secret o stopping lap marks s to use a
ast strokewith little paint and light pressure.
r Start by painting at the top of the doot panels irst,
rails, hen stiles.Here, esspaint is better to prevent
wo coats ightlyappliedare better than one heavy
drips or sags.r Be sure o keep the paint's eadingedge wet to pre-
brushmarks.A final light stroke across he panel
he intersections f the railsand stiles
agsand brushmarks.r When you reach he doorknob, useeven esspaint
get a seamless troke pattern.The trick is to brush
he knob with continuousstrokesand avoid
Masking s also an option, as s removing he hard-
which allowsyou to follow the grain.
o Be sure o checkyour work for drips, particularlyn
and alongdoor edges.As long as he paint
*illfairly wet, dripscan be erasedwhh a light brushstroke.
The proper order for
an even coat. To avoid
lap marks, paint the
muntins first, then the
window frame, and fin-
ish with the casing.
A ftnal brush stroke
defines joinery. No
matter how you apply
the paint, finish with a
stroke in the diredion
of the wood grain.
7. CLEAN PwtrH PLENwoF wATERFor latex paint, I first flood the bristleswith water,working out the
majorityof the paint. I use a wire brushgently to scrapeout all rem-
nantsof dried paint. f not cleaned horoughly, he brushwill lose lex-
ibility. usea little dishsoap o remove he tracesof oils hat are n latex
paint, inseagain, hen shakeor spin he brushdry. For a video ip on
cleaning il paint rom brushes, o to www.finehomebuilding.com.
Rollersare certainlyworth cleaning. f washed horoughly, hey
can be used repeatedly.Scrapeexcesspaint out of them with a
5-in-1 ool, then wash hem using he same echniqueas he brushes,
without the wire brush,of course.
GREATBUILDING TIPS2006 43
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stiltsthrough
square of ply-
makes a handy
work
finish is applied.
a door, for
a pair
stilts on the floor to
and
the
the top of the
as shown below._ M I C H A E L . S W E E M
Downey,Calif.
KEEPTHEEDGESCLEAN
Cleanedges where paint meets wood
When a painted surfacebutts up to unpaintedwood,
frustration lurks. Masking ape alone isn't enough toblock the paint completely. t flows into the minute
irregularitiesunder the tapet edge, leaving a fuzzy line
when the tape is peeled away.
We recently solved this problem in an entertainment
center that my companybuilt. As shown in the drawing,
the cabinetryhas painted uprighr and lacqueredshelves.
To get the clean ine we were looking for, we first
applied a strip of low-tack blue masking ape to the
shelf.Thenwe ran a thin bead of latex painter'scaulk
along the intersectionand wiped it with a moistened
finger a couple of times to remove virtually all the caulk.
We weren'tconcernedabout leavinga bit of caulkon the
parts to be painted, only on sealing he edge of the tape.
After we finished painting the uprights, we carefully
removedthe tape while the caulkand paint were still
wet. Result:A cleanpaint line without a master'shand.
A word of caution: f the caulk and the paint are dry by
the time you remove the masking ape, run a sharp util-
ity knife down the intersection irst.
-CHUCKGREEN shland,ass.
Paintedupright
Thinbeadof 'painier'scaulk
Lacqueredshelf
Easy-releasemasking
Use paint stilts tosupport work while inish
Paintingnext to carpet
Cutting in a baseboard hat borders a carpet can be
a bit messy. use 2-in.-wide, ow-tack masking apeto hold the carpet tufts away from the baseboard so
that the paint can be applied below the top of the
carpet line.
First, I lay the tape so that it runsabout 7s n. up the
baseboard 1). Takecare not to press he tape against
the baseboard.Next, press he tape onto the carpet
about 1 in. awayfrom the baseboard,and usea putty
knife to work the folded side of the tape into the
cornerwhere the carpet and baseboardmeet (2).This
makes he tape stick to all the carpet tufts right up to
the edge of the baseboard.Now when I tug the tape
toward the middle of the room, the tufts are pulledawayfrom the baseboard,and the baseboardside of
the tape can be worked down (3).This wraps the edge
of the carp€t and protests it from the paint. Pulling he
tape more from the room edge exposesmore of the
baseboard or painting! then pressing he room edge
of the tape to the top of the carpet attaches he tape
so that the gap between the carpe t and baseboard
remainsopen (4).
-A L LEMKE Hopewel lJunction,N.Y.
Work tape into cornerwith putty knife.
Keep tension on the roomedge of the tape asyoupress he knifeinto the corner.
Pull out the knife andpress the tape securelyto the carpet.
a
g
E
GREAT BUILDING TIPS 2006
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Prep& Cleanup
Strainingpaint for touch-upsBy the time a gallon of paint or varnish has been around long
enough to have been opened a half-dozen times and still not
completely consumed, you can be sure it has collected enough
dried gunk to leave an unsightly surface. It's time to strain the
paint. However, straining the entire contents of the can is messy
and time-consuming if you're doing just touch-up work.
As shown in the drawing,I take a different approach.
Instead of pouring the paint through the strainer, I put the
strainer in the paint.
I stretch the cheeseclothsffainer over the can and secure t
with a rubber band. The cloth hangs in the paint or varnish,
and the finish that accumulates above the cloth is free of con-
taminants; it t just right for touch-ups.
- D ON MA TH IS ia ma i l
Centrifugal forcespinspaintandwater off roller.
Direct waterjet alongedge ofroller.
Cheeseclothstrainer ecuredwith rubberband
Gal lon ish
Paintbrushgarage
Real painters clean their brushes every day. I am not a real painter. But
I often seal end-grain cuts and back-prime siding and exterior trim
with an oil-based primer. To save cleanup time at the end of the day,I
keep my brush in the rig shown in the drawing below.
My brush garageconsistsof a 1-gal. paint parl, a lx4 crossbarnailedto a doughnut-shaped plywood base,and a5-gal.drywall bucket with
a lid. To use t, I put several nches of paint thinner in the paint pail
and suspend the brush from the nail hanger so rhat the bristles are
immersed in the thinner. Then I cover the drywall bucket to keep the
thinner from evaporating.
This setup allows me ro go weeks without cleaning my brush. And
at the end of a long day of running siding and trim, it sur e is nice not
to have to deal with paint-thinner fumes and drips.
- J OH N C A R R OLL ur ham, .C .
Nai l hanger
1-gal .paint-th innerpail
The problemof latex overoi l paint
I'm amazed by how
often contractors an
homeowners alike a
ply latex paint direc
over a semiglossoil
ish without first rou
ing up the old surfa
or applying a prime
Before long, the slig
est ding can result in
large chip, exposing
old oil-based finish.
I've owned twohomes with this pro
lem, and I've spent
hours sanding off th
latex layer on more
doors than I care to
remember. Recently
stumbled upon a gre
stripping aid: water.
I've found that if the
latex surface is damp
ened with water a fe
minutes prior to san
ing, the topcoat will
easily off the oil-bas
undercoat with gend
prodding from 8O-g
sandpaper. A wet ra
al l you need. us t ma
sure the paint staysw
for a few minutes pr
to sanding. I've often
had entire sectionsp
away from a door.
Once you've remov
the latex, rough up t
basecoat with sandp
per and give it a coat
primer. Now you're
ready for a new topco
- J O N A T H
A P P L E B
Westfield
\
\of varn{W
Centrifugal oller
cleanerCleaning water-soluble
paint from a paint roller
used to be a tedious chore
until I came up with this
idea. Now after I've fin-
ished painting, I simply
attach an extension handle
to the roller, stepoutside,
and use a garden hose to
do the work. Directing a
stream of water along the
edge of the roller revsit
up to a good speed, so the
paint and water spin off the
roller. Be sure to perform
this operation well away
from anything that might be
damaged by the paint and
watery overspray.
_ M E L W O L P E R T
Weatogue, Conn.
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
Drywallbucket
\_--z
Plywood
base
1x 4 crossbar nai led to base
46
Brush uspendedn paint hinner
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FROMTHE RECYCLING IN
arrierI paint trimwork, I hate to waste
up and down the ladderget the right brush. could eave
brushes n the paint bucket,
soon would become a drip-
mess.
My solution is to cut the top off a
plasticantifreezeug with flat
then cut two slits in one of the
and thread a nylonbelt through
shown n the drawing. slide
e loosebelt ends hrough the loops
painter'spants, creating a paint-
carrier hat rideseasilyon my
have severalbrushesclose atThe carriercleansup easilywith
or paint thinner.
*MIK E E LL IS Seat t le
Plasticug with
bottom removedacts as paint canor funnel.
Cut rim into equal portions, and bendupward every other segment.
Low-budget paint mixer
The next time you need to stir some
paint and can't find a mixer or your
drill, makeyour own. As shown n
the drawing at right, I cut the r im of
a metal peanut-butter-jar id into a
seriesof segments hat can be bent
into an effective mixer. Drill a hole in
the center of the lid, and affix it to a
3/e-in.-dia.by 6-in.-long oggle bolt.Now use a pair of metal shears o
cut the lid into equal segments,and
bend up every other section. Mixing
even old paint is a snapwith this rig.
_ M I C H A E L J U P P E
Hudson, Ohio
Combo paintbucket/funnel
Instead of working directly outof a galloncan of paint or a
smallerbut hard-to-holdcof-
fee can, I usea chopped-down
milk ug . Not only s the buih-in
handlea plus,but the container
alsodoesdouble duty. When
l' m finishedpainting, just
removethe cap and set the jug
on top of the paint can. Any
leftover paint drainsback where
it belongs.
- R . 8 . H I M E S
Vienna,Ohio
:
Scraper leanup
Paintstripper combined with old paint or varnishmakesa stickygoo that can be tough to removefrom a scraper or a putgr knife.
To make an easy ob of it, I cut a straight slit about 2 in. long in a
large in can.Then slide he bladeof the knife nto the slit close
to where t joins he handle.When I pull the blade out, the old
finish falls into the can, ready for disposal.
-ROY VIKENBoise,daho
GREAT BUILDING TIPS 2006 47
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Rulesto know how good good
10 ways o workefficiently ndis enough BY LARRYHA
-ft was a coincidence hat another
Icontractorand I began raming
I houses ext door to oneanother
-I - on the same day. By the timehis housewas framed, mine wasshin-
gled, wired, and plumbed. It was no
coincidence hat the other contrac-
tor ran out of money and had to turn
over the unfinished house o the lend-
ing company, while I sold mine for
a profit.
Both houseswere structurallysound,
plumb,level, and square, ut every2x4
in the other housewas cut to perfection.
Every joint looked ike finish carpentry.
The other contractorwasbuilding fur-
niture, and I was framing a house.
Unlike f inish carpentry, framing
doesn't have to look perfector satisfy
your desire o fit together wo piecesof
wood precisely.Whether you'rebuild-
ing a house,an addition, or a simple
wal l , the goals when f raming are
strength,efficiency, and accuracy.Fol-
lowing the building codes nd the blue-
prints should akecareof the strength;
efficiencyand accuracy are rickier.
During 50 yearsof framing houses,
I've comeup with the following rulesto help me do good work quickly and
with a minimum of effort.
LarryHaun,authorof Th e VeryEffi-
i ient Carpenter Th eTauntonPress,
1999)and Habitat or Humanity:
Ho w to Builda House Th eTaunton
Press,2002),has been framing
houses or more han 50 years.He
lives n Coos Bay,Ore.
Don't movematerialsanymore hanyou haveto
Hauling umber from place
to place s time-consuming
and hard on your body.
Make it easieron yourself
every chanceyou get, and
start by having the folks
at the lumberyard do their
part. Make sure lumber
arrives on the truck stacked
in the order it will be used.
You don't want to movehundredsof wall studs to
get to your plate stock, for
instance.And floor joists
are stacked on top of floor
Floorsheathing
Wall and roof sheathing
sheathing, not the other way around.
When it's time for the delivery unload he building materials
as close as possible o where they will be used. Often, lumber
can be delivered on a boom truck, so stacks of lumber can
be placed right on the deck
or on a simple structure built
flushalongside he deck.
Once the material is deliv-
ered, don't move it any more
than you need to. Cut studs,
plywood, and anything else
you can right on the stack. lf
you do have to move wood,
plan so that you have to
move it only once.
Floor ram
EJWin
-/
Rooframbot
Cut 2x4s righton the stack.
Drawings: Christopher Clapp. Photo: Bnan P
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Cut top
plate to
exad
Iength.
Capor doubleplate canbe up to1/tin. short(not long).
yourlumbercounts
Thesedays, if you cull every bowed or crooked
stud, you may need to own a lumber mill to ge t
enoughwood to frame a house.How do you
make the most of the lumber that you get?
Use he straighteststock where it's absolutely
necessary: here it's going to make problems
for you later on if it's not straight.Walls,espe-
cially n bathsand kitchens,need to be straight.
Itt not easy o installcabinetsor tile on a wall
that bows in and out. Straightstock is also
necessary t cornersand at rough openings
for doors.
The two top platesneed to be
straight aswell, but the bot-
tom plate doesn't.You can
bend it right to the chalkline
and nail t home. lf you save
straight stock for the top
plates,you'll have an easy lt ime aligning he walls.
And every project needs
lots of short stock for i ,,blocking; ake bowed ,'
'
material and cut it into i
the cripples, eaders, ..and blocks.
",'
Use straightstudsfor corners, orrough openings,for top plates,andin kitchensandbaths.
Usebowedstock or bottomplates,blocking,cripples,and \\ /headers. \=-__/,
Builda hous€,not furniture
In other words, know your tolerances.Rafters don't have to
fi t like the parts of a cabinet.Nothing in frame carpentry sperfect, so the question is: What's acceptable?
You need to get started right, and that means he mud-
sills.Whether they're going on a foundation or on a slab,
they need to be level, straight, parallel,and square.But
there'sno harm done if they're cutlh in. short. A rim joist,
on the other hand,needs o be cut to the right length
(within thoin.) before being nailed o the mudsill.
When it comes o wall framing, the bottom plate also can
be th in. or so short, but the top plate needs to be cut to
exast length (againwithin the in.) because t establishes he
buildingt dimensionat the top of the walls. But the plate
that sits on top of that, the cap or double plate, shouldbe
cut % in. short so that intersectingwalls ie together easily.
Once you've raised he walls, how plumb or straight is
good enough? n my opinion, 1/ rin, out of plumb in 8 ft .
is acceptable, and a Tq-in. ow in a 50-ft. wall won't cause
harm to the s tructure or problems for subcontractors.Take
special care by framing as accurately as possible in kitchens
and bathrooms. Theserooms require more attention partly
becauseof their tighter tolerances,bu t also because he
work of so many trades comes together here.
Bottom plate
No more han % in . out of plumb n 8 ft .
Ri m joist cut to exact length (within l/rcin.)
t
fIf
\Cutting the mudsill up to 1A in. short (not long) is OK.
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7l Work in aEJ logicalorder
Establish n efficient routine
for eachphaseof work, do
it the sameway every time,
and tackle eachphase n its
logicalorder. n the long run,havingstandardprocedures
will save ime and minimize
mistakes.Let's ake wall fram-
in g as an example.
First, snapall the wall l ines
on the floor; then I cu t the
top and bottom platesand
tack al l of them in place
on the lines.Next, I lay
out the plates,detailing
the locationof every win-dow, door, stud, and
intersectingwall.
I pry up the top plate and
move it about I ft. away
from the bottom plate,which
I leave acked to the
deck. I scatter studs
every 16 in. for th e
length of the wall.
I nail he top plate
to the studs and keep
the bottom of the studs
snug against he bottom
plate. Thishelps o keep the
wall square, traight,and in
position o be raised. try to
establisha rhythm and work
consistently rom one end to
the other.Once the top plate
is nailedcompletely, pry up
the bottom plate and repeat
the processon the bottom.
It'sworth saying hat I didn't
just make up these steps;they evolved over time. Rec-
ognizing nefficiency s an
important part of framing.
2. Tack top and bottom
3. Detailplates or studs,doors, windows, and ntersectingwalls.
plates in place. yin'| ,/' '\| . ..t'"
\ . - r + "\ -----
--.
4. Pryup top plate.Bottom plate remains
5. Scatter studs every 16 in.
for the length of wall. Nai/ studsto top plate.
5 0 F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
6. Pry up bottom plate
and nail o studs.
1. Snap wall l ines.
,:.r.,r1..,
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f Keep he otherl trades n mind
you want to waste time
money when framing,
work, the plumbing, the
drywall, orfinish carpentry . Whether
do them yourself or hire
hese trades
unlessyou're
with them in mind
step of the way, your
be in the way.
For example, when you
on the double top plate,
he nails ocated over
tuds. This placement
he area between the
the elestrician
plumber to drill holeswith-
hitting the nails.
Don't measureunless ou have o
best way to save ime when you're framing a
by keeping your tape measure,your pencil,
your square n your nail pouch as much as pos-
have to use a tape measure o lay out the
accuratelyon the deck, but after that, I
plates to length by cutting to the
wall lines. I position the plate on the line,and then make the cuts at the intersect-
g chalkline.
Another time-saver s to make squarecrosstuts
or 2x6swithout using a square. Experience
shown me that with a little practice,anyone
n make these square cuts by aligning the leading
of the sawt base, which is perpendicularto
lade, with the far side of the lumber before
cut.
Center studsbehind tub formixing valve.
When nailing ogether thedouble top plate, align the nailswith the studs.
Behind he lavatory,center theopen areabetween studs or themedicine cabinet.
When installing extrawidetrim, include blocking foreledrical switches.
With pradice,you can makesquare cuts byaligning the froniedge of the sawtbase with thefar edge of theboard.
lnclude backingfor drywall.
-e G €
Trimming1/tin.
from a board's length
shouldn't require measuring.
Ripping (lengthwisecuts) onger
pieces also cin be done by eye if you
use the edge of the saw's base as a guide.
Trainyour eye. lt'll save ime cutting, and as you
develop, you'll also be able to straighten walls as
easilyby eye as with a string.
GREATBUILDING TIPS 2006 51
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gl Finish ne taskft beforegoing on to the next
My first framing job was with a crew that would lay
out, frame, and raise one wall at a time before moving
on to the next. Sometimescrew memberswould even
straighten and brace the one wall before proceeding.
We wasted a lot of time constantly switching gears.
lf you're installing oists, roll them all into place,and
nail them before sheathing he floor. Snap all layout
lineson the floor before cutting any wall plates, then
cut every wall plate in the house before framing. lf
you're cutting studs or headersand cripples, make a
cutlist for the entire proiect, and cut them all at onc
Tie all the intersecting walls together before startin
straighten and brace the walls.
Finishingbefore moving on is ust as important wh
it comes o nailingand blocking.You might be temp
to skip these smalljobs and do them later,but don'
Closeout each part of the job as well as you can be
moving on to the next. Working this way helps to
maintain momentum, and it prevents tasks from bei
forgotten or overlooked.
Ef,il:H:ff?s*,eYou don't need a mathematician o
know that it takes less ime to cut two
boards at once than it does to cut
each one individually.
lf you have a stack of studs that all
need to be cut to the same ength,
align one end of the top row, snap a
chalklineall the way across, nd cut
the studs o length right on the pile.
Or you can spread them out on the
floor, shovingone end against he
floor plate, snap a chalkline,and cutthem all at once.
Joists can be cut to length in a simi-
lar way by spreading them out across
the foundation and shoving one
end up against he rim joist
on the far side. Mark
them to length, snap a line,and cut
the joists all at once.
Also, don't forget to make repetitive
cuts with a radial-armor chop/miter
saw outfitted with a stop block, which
is more accurateand faster than
measuringand markingone
board at a time.
First, spread studson the plywood floorwith one end againstthe floor plate.
52 FINE HOMEBUILDING
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Don't cl imb a ladderunless ou have o
don't use a ladder muchon a framing ob
get to the second loor before
are built. Walls can be sheathedand
while hey're ying lat on the
Waiting until the walls are raised
on plywood sheathing
you have o work
or a
Both are
With a little foresight,
u can do the rafter layout
a double op plate while t 's
Otherwise,you'll
o move the ladder around he
b or climb on the walls o mark he
p plate.
Know hebuildingcode
codes exist to cre-
safe structures. Because
are not
of monitoring al l
of every project, your
s to know the
code and to build
it .
For instance, he code actu-
specifieshow to nail a
plate. You need
16d nails f you're nail ing
through a plate nto the end
of the stud, or four 8d nails
if you're oenail ing.When
you nail plywood or oriented
strand board (OSB) oof
sheathing, ou need a nail
every 6 in. along the edge of
the sheathingand every
12 in. elsewhere.And if
you're usinga nailgun, be
careful not to overdrive he
nails nto the sheathing.
Attach the
sheathing while
th e wallis sti l / on..''t the plywood floor.
A final word: lf specialsitua-
tions arise,consult he build-
ing inspector.He or she s
your ally,no t your enemy.
Get to know the building
code for your area.Get your
own copy of the IRC lnterna-
tional ResidentialCode) and
build well, but build eff i-
ciently,with the understand-
ing that perfection sn't what
is required.
Work safelywhateverthe rule
Working safelyshouldbeat the top of your prior-
ity list. Safetyglasses,
hearingprotection,and a
dust maskshouldbe the
norm, as shouldattention
aroundcoworkersor dan-
gerousdebris.
Safety devicesand
good intentions,however,
won't help f your mind
isn't on the work. Pay
attention,approach hework with a clearhead,
listen o that inner voice
that says, This is too
dangerous," nd be extra
careful oward the end of
the day.
Mark rafter layout on
top of the wall plate.
Roof sheathing is nailed every
6 in. along the edges and every
12 in. elsewhere. n high-wind
areas, sheathing along
th e eaves, rakes, an dridges is nailed
every 6 in.
7a-in.sheathing
The American Plywood
Association says there's no
reduction in strength for nails
overdriven by thc in. or less. lf
more than 20% of
the fasteners exceed1/ein., add one nail
for each two
overdriven nails.
2x8 rafter
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Roofs
Framing ig
I havea rapid,accuratemethod or assembling ny wall, flooq or
roof that uses tandarddimensions.My methoduses jig, which
is simply aZx4 notchedon 16-in.or 24-in.centerlineso receive
the framing members.Two such igs are handy,and for large-
scalework, four can help. To use, ust slip one memberat a time
into the ig until everythings n place, hen nail. No measuring s
requiredexcept or cutting pieceso length.The jigsreallyhelp
on long runsthat need o becoveredwith drywall, plywood,
etc.For trusses, verythingcan be assembled ith the igs, he ply-
wood started, nd thenthe igs pulled up. No nails o pull.
I put togethera 1000-sq.-ft. orkshop with this method-
mostlyby myselfand on evenings nd weekends.t reallyworks.
M.R. HAVEtTIS t. Albans,W.Va.
Roof-sheathingigWhen I'm nailing down the first row of ply-
wood sheathing on a roof that will have soffits,
I usea pair of jigs shown in the drawing to-position
the panels.Using these igs,I can ad-
just the amount of overhang to suit the fascia
detail by moving the blocks in relation to the
lip that supports the edge of the plywood. I've
found the jigs to be especiallyhelpful when I
am working alone and in need of a third hand.
_ J O H N S H E P H E R D
Charlottesville,a.
Notch
detail
A double-bevelplumb cutfor valley rafters
Mark two plumb lines he samed
tanceapartas he thickness f the
ley rafter 1) .Set he saw o 45o,
makethe first cut so hat the outs
linebecomeshe ong point (2).Cu
the inside line in the other direction but with the
same bevel (3). -R IC K ARNOLD Wi ck fo r
Hanger notch
When I have to
attach a rafter to a
beam with a joist
hanger,I find it help-
ful to kerf the rafter's
plumb cut with a
Skilsaw. Then I can
insert the hanger into
the kerf, as shown in
the drawing, and nail
it in place. The kerf
depth coincides with
the full cutting depth of my 7Yc-in.saw, so I don't have to mess with adjust-
ments. I also can stack the rafters and make one cut to kerf them all at the sa
time. This method is a lot easier han notching the rafter, and it provides a co
tinuous plane up the rafter to attach drywall.
_ G R E GH A L V E
Portland
Notches 24 in.
F--_------*l7:::: : -1: :_ ::=l j- - - *-i
+ __v_ +C*tt/zin.l V* *l'.-T;
Eli7, n.
or 16 in. on center
Jigs or trussassembly
lnsert hanger.
%-in. plywood
54 F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G Drawings, exceptwherenoted:CharlesMillcr. Drawing center ight: Toby Welles/DesignCorc. Photos his page;Brian Po
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piece, showing you where to finish the cuts.
Now you cdn put the pieces ogether with a
couple of 8d nails near the end of the splice.
Depending on how long the piecesare,
you either can assemble hem on the
ground and carry them to the
ridge, or put them together
in place.
Equa l/ ,
/
Splicing idge boards
As a framing carpenter, I frequently come acrossa ridge span longer than
the overall length of the material I'm using for the ridge. To extend the
material to the correct length,I splice ridge boards with a V-shaped joint as
shown in the drawing below.
My crew and I call this technique "penciling the ridges," after the big pencil-
shaped piece of wood that resul ts when the cuts are made. To begin the cuts,overlap the ridge material with the crowns pointing in the same direction.
The overlap should be at least equal to the rafter spacing (usually 16 n.
around here). Now take your tape and mark the rafter layout lines as shown
in the drawing. Draw cutlines from the center of the top ridge board to its
end, and make these cuts with the sawblade set % in. deeper rhan the cut.
This depth will put saw tracks in the bottom
I REMoDELTGTrP
SteppingupI recentlyadded three dormers on a
12-in-12 oot, using a toe-board and
roof-stair system that saved me a lot
of time, risk, and effort. As shown n
the drawing below, the stairs are made
of hvo 2x12 stringers with 16-in.-long,3/c-in.plywood treads. The uphill end of
eachstringerwas cut in a curved pat-
tern to keep the front edge from dam-
aging he shingleswhen it slid onto
the roof. The downhill end should be
notchedon the underside or a flat 2x4
toe board. I placedone ladder on each
side of the dormer layout and hookedeach over the 2x4 toe board that
was nailed at the eaveparallel o the
ridge. A 2x12 plank then could be laid
across he treads of the turo stairs, and
moved up and down the pitch of the
roof. Framing,siding,trimming, paint-
ing, and shingling he dormers and
surroundingareawere relativelyeasy,
and the system causeda minimumof
damage o the existing roof.
-WAYDE MILLANYDillon, olo.
Curved stringer preventsdamage o shingles.
Rafter ayout
Cutl ines
I like this detail because
it's clean and because
it holds together bet-
ter than a couple of
toenailed, butt-ioined
boards. t's alsosim-
pler than scabbing
on a plywood gusset
or a2x splice.
_R Y A N HAWKS
Flagstaff, riz.
Use8d nails o secureassembledidge boards.
Sheathingsteep roofs
When the pitch of a roof is 10 or more, we like to sheathe rom the top down.
This method requires a litde more staging, but it is much saferand saves ime.
Set the staging so that you're standing up between the rafters about 6 ft.
from the ridge. From the center of the ridge at eachgable end, measure
down 4 ft.r/q n., and snap a line across he rafters. Begin the layout witha full sheet on the line as you would if
starting at the eaves.After you finish
a row, nail it off completely, and lower
the staging toward the outside of the
building. Continue with the process,
completing the last course from the out-
side staging.
_ M I K EG U E R T I NN D R I C K R N O L D
EastGreenwich, .l.
10- in . i se1O- in .un
2x12p lank
2x4to eboard
16 n .
y./Y t
%-in. plywoodtreads
*q-.
hotos, except whe re noted: Mike Guertin and Randy O'Rourke G R E A T B U I L D I N G T I P S 2 0 0 6 55
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WallThehooterstickPlumbing and aligning stud walls canbe
quitea chore,sometimesnvolving the
better part of a five- or six-membercrew.
On a recent ob,I became cquainted
with the tool shown in the drawing below.Here in Austin, Texas, t's calleda hooter
stick,and I haven't found anything that's
bettersuited or adjusting ong, all, or just
plain awkward walls.
Basically, t is nothing more than two
studs, 2x4 block 20 n. to 30 n. long,and
an old hinge.To assemblehe stick, irst
cut a 45"V-notch n theend of one stud,
and scab he block flush to the bottom
end of the other stud. Then fasten he two
partswith the hinge.
To use he hooterstick, place henotchedend against he undersideof the
top plate,neara corneror an ntersection
with anotherwall. To brace he bottom of
the stick,you can useeither your foot or a
block that is tacked o the subfloor.Now
you're ready o push n the direction hat
you want the wall to move.The hooter
is an awkward pieceof equipment o
manipulateat first, but onceyou get used
to it, you will be surprisedat what you
cando to an outside wall full of offsets
and headers. _ P A U L W I L S O N
Austin, Texas
V-notch
- ,\"
FINE HOMEBUILDING
20-in. o 30-in.
The easiestway to keep he bottom plate of a framed wall from walking when it
is being raised s to toenail t into the subfloor.The nailsbend easilyasyou lift the
wall, and the bottom plateusually emains n the mmediateneighborhood f its
intended ayout.A more secure ystem seshe strapping hat binds umber oads.Cut it into l2-in.
pieces, nd nail oneend to the undersideof the bottom plate.The other end should
run under the wall and be
nailed into the subfloor.
Concretenailswill pierce
the stuff; or you can abuse
yourzhz-innailsetand start
a hole.The strappingcan
be e ft in placeand covered
by the finished flooring.
_ F E L I XM A R T I
Ridgway,Colo.
SheathingwallssoloFor those onerswho put up their own sheathing
here s a method that makes t simple for onepers
tocontrol a 4x8sheet f plywood or OSB. The keto put up the framed walls before he top platesar
doubled.As shown n the drawing at eft, make a
coupleof short 2x blocks,and clamp hem to the t
edgeof the sheathing.Make sure he blocks are flu
with the edge. No*, using the blocks as hooks, hang the sheathing on the
top of the wall and nail it home. The blocks will ensure that the sheathing
ends up flush with the finished height of the top plate.
_ J A M E SH U R
NevadaCity,C
Stud
Subfloor
-/
,* ;: ,.*-j_>
Toenail
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12-in. o 18-in. ca bwith 45' bevel
and wal l to
subfloor.
ft .
prop polesthree or four site-built
jacks like the one shown in
drawing above, a two-
lift 30-ft.- to
The jack
s made of a2x4 about 7 ft. long
ith three nailed-on scabs2 ft.
The scabs orm ledges to
upport the wall as t is lifted.
With the stud wall lying flat
o it, toenail each ack to the
floor so that its base s tight to
the wall's top plate. Now begin
at one end of the wall, and lift
it to the first notch. Move back
and forth along the wall,lifting
one notch at each station until
you've reached the third level.
From there, it's an easy push toget the wall upright.
_ E D W I L S O N
Seattle
Straighteningstuds
It's not unusual for a stud wall to have some sticks in it that bow in or out of the wall
plane, making it tough to do a decent job on the drywall or paneling. Here's how I fix
both situations. After identifying the bowed-in studs, I work on the worst one first.
Using a straightedge held vertically against the side of the stud,I find the high point
of the bow and measure across t for a notch that will accept a2x4 cross member.
Then I set the saw depth to make a cut iust a little deeper than the thickness of the
2x4 crossmember-about 1% n. Now I nail the crossmember to the bowed stud,
flush one end of it to the adjacent stud and nail it , and toenail the opposite end as deep
as needed to remove the bow (drawing left). To fix a bowed-out stud (drawing right),
I make a notch l3/c n. to l% in. deep at the point of the stud that is bowed out the
most. Then I drive a pair of 16d nails--one angled up and one angled d6q7n-1e
anchor the cross member to the stud. When the cross member is flush and nailed
with the adjacent studs, the bow is gone. This second method works well when the
opposite side of the wall is inaccessible--rovered with a shear wall, for example.
_ J O H N R I E D H A R T
Ventura,Calif.
Bowed
Angle nail
down.
-out stud
\__=r
\,,.l,,,Notch 13/r n. to1% i n . deep
I REMoDELTGTrP
Header retrofit
Next time you put a built-up
header nto an existingwall, usea reciprocating saw to sever the
nailsat the top and bottom of all
the studs to be removed. Rotate
the freed studs 90", and align them
to one side of the bottom and
top plates.Next, place rimmers
(cut o their finished ength)at an
angleon eachside of the open-
ing. Raise ne half of the head-
er into place,and tap the trim-mers nto their vertical position
(dependingon the span,a mid-
support for the first half of
the header may be required).
Remove he original studs, add
the other half of the headen
and spike the halves ogether.
-FELIX MARTIRidgway,olo.
Toenail cross member as deep
as needed to remove bow.
Notchnodeeperthan
( l
Rotate studs to allowroom for the first half ofa two-piece header.
Plan ie w
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FloorsRubber an d
i lsent
7a-in.hole
fo r nozzle %-in.pine body
8d na
\I'1,
Gluesled
Call me persnickety, but I like to place a nice full bead of consrruc-
tion adhesive down the center of the floor joists before I lay down a
sheetof plywood subflooring. Too many rimes, I've been on a job site
where the glue was applied carelessly, esulting in an erratic line with
skips and unacceptably thin smears. f it's worth the expenseand
effort of gluing a subfloor in the first place (and I think it is), then it t
worth taking the time to do it right. The device shown above is my
solution to the problem. I think the best part is that using this gad-
get, I center the glue bead on the joist every time without having to
go back.
The glue sled, as I call it, is nothing more than a I%-in.-wide block
of 3/q-in.pine with a hole in it. The block issandwiched betweenVc-in.-thick plywood sides.The hole acceptsrhe nozzle of the glue
cartridge, and the rubber band loops over the caulk-gun frame, hold-
ing the sled in place. In use, he plywood sides ride along the sidesof
the joist, keeping the nozzlecentered.-I
think a3Ae-dia. ead ofglue is the ideal amount. And although I
don't obsess ver this detail, I can tell you that cutting the nozzle3/ain.
from its tip yieldsalrt-in. open-
ing for the glue to exit. f yourjoistsareon 16-in.centers,igure
on usingabout hree-quarters
of a 10.5-oz.ubepersheet f
plywood.Where sheets ome
togetheron one oist,you canget a fairly evenoff-centerbead
of glue by lifting up thesledand
angling he gluegun to the side._ H E R R I C K I M A L L
Moravia,N.Y.
Blocking rheader upportedbetween oists
Solo raming
A carpenter working alone can hold a
header, blocking, or similar framing mem-
ber in place for final nailing with a few bent
nails. I use 8d nails,driven about a third of
their length into the top edge of the work
and then bent 90". These ears will support
the piece until the first nail is set.
_ C R A I GS A V A G
Carpinteria, alif
The twister
One of the first
things we do on a
new framing siteto build a "twister
to help straighten
corkscrewed lum-
ber. Our twisters
made of two 3-ft.
2x4s and one 2-ft.
2x4. As shown in the drawing above, the
long 2x4s sandwich the short one, crearin
a slot at one end. To use the twister, we n
the twisted piece of stock at one end. The
we slip rhe2x4lever over the other end
and move the twister until the stock com
flush with its nailing surface. The twister
usually provides enough leverage that it
takes only one hand,leaving the othei fre
to swing a hammer or fire a nailer.
-SEAN SHEEHAN as in , o
Rubberband hooks
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I REMoDELTGTtPs
Beam stair
In the courseof building a family-roomaddition,we had toplacea 22-ft, glulam atop an old stud wall to carrythe weight
of a couple of rooms above.The glulamweighed almost 500 lb.,
and we had no accessor a crane,a boom truck, or a forklift.
After easing he beast nsidewith rollersand a ramp,we made
a "beam stair" fo r makingshort ifts, one end at a time.
Once the ceiling oists were shoredup temporarily,we
removed he old wall and nailed n three crippleson eachside.
As we framed adjacentwalls, we left out a stud on each side
for maneuvering oom. In front of the double-widthstud sPaces,
we built two temporary stairsteparrangements,dividing the
height of the lift into four intervals of about 22 in. each.
The stringerwas a 2x8 affixedo the crippleswith duplex nails
and tacked securelyat the bottom to the subfloor.The "steps"
were 2x6 blocks,eachabout 18 in. long, secured o the stringer
with four duplex nails apiece.They were canted toward the
stringera bit so that the beam wouldn't tilt forward onto us.
We lifted one end of the beam at a time onto a step until the
beam sat on the cripples.After more acking,prying,and shim-
ming, we nailed t in placeand added oist hangers or the
second-flooroists.
_ROBERT GAY SCAIIIE
Joist ower ha n header
Upside-downjoist hanger
Joist lift
During a recent
remodelingproj-
ect, we had to put
a new floor over
an old ceiling.The
crampedquarters
made t impossible o swinga hammer rom
below to bring the joists lushwith newly added
headersand beams.The drawingshowshow
we used a temporary upside-down oist hanger
and a crowbar o bring a joist flush, allowing ts
hanger o be installed n the right position.
- J I M L O C K W O O D
Brookline,Mass.
Adding new joists
I strengthened he originaljoists n my houseby sistering
on somenew ones.The typicalproblem s trying to get the
endsof the joists to fit betweenthe mudsillsand the subfloor.
When ilted, the joist is a bit too big to fit without serious
persuasion. o avoid his, I cut a wedge from eachend of
a new oist, allowing
me to tip the joist into
position easily.Then I
tapped in the wedges
and nailed hem in place
for full bearing.
_ R O G E R W E S T E R B E R G
Verndale,Minn.
Wedge is driven under new joist after installation.
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:RulesUse hese10 ips o get started
BYWILL BEEME
y first construction jo b wa s as a tr im carpenter's
helper during school summer vacation. All I did that
first summer was fetch and carry; I wasn't allowed to
measure,cut, or nail. I was told to observe. n doing
so, learned that finish carpenrry isessentially a visual exercise.
Even if the framer couldn't read a level, the finish carpenter's ob
is to make the doors, windows, an d cabinets work, an d to make
the house ook good. Finish carpenrry is more than interior trim. It
includes roofing, siding, decking: anything the owner will seeafter
moving in. Rough carpenters evolve into finish carpenrersby learning
how to measure, mark, and cut more accurately.With practice, split-
ting the pencil line with a sawcut and working to closer toleran
become second nature.
Perfect miters are only part of finish carpenrry. Finish carpen
must develop an eye for proportion and detail. They must learn
visualize the steps hat lead to the finished product. Now,I teach thskills to novice carpenters.To help make learning theseskills eas
I've organized the following ten rules of thumb.
Wi l l Beemer is d irector o f the Heartwood School in Wash-
ing ton , Mass.,and co-executivedirector o f the T imber
F r amer sGu i l d .
AVOIDUSINGNUMBEIt is usually more accurate to hold a board
place to mark its length (drawing left) rath
than to use a tape measure and i nvolve nu
bers. Sometimes, using a ruler or a tap
unavoidable. I use a tape measure on a lo
piece that's too difficult to mark in place,
generally, I don't like tapes.A tape can f
and change shape,and the movable end ho
bends easily,affecting accuracy.
A rigid rule is better than a tape for meas
ing lengths under 6 ft.; hence, he 6-ft. foldi
wooden rule takesover during trim and c
inet work.The best folding rules come w
a sliding brassextension that makes taki
inside measurements easy.Open th.e u
to the greatest length that fits berween f
points to be measured, and slide out the br
extension the rest of the distance.Hold it
that length, and carry it to the board to be c
(top drawing, facing page). No need for num
bers; ust mark the board from the extend
ruler. A combination square or a wood blo
of known dimension is the best way to lay o
Don't measure.
It is more accurate tomark trim in placethan to measureandthen transfer numbers.It's easy to misreada ruler or to confusenumbers whilewalkingto the saw.
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
tu*
Drawings: Dan Thornton. Photo:Charles Bick
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Diverging lines are obvious mistakes. With shingles or lapped siding, diverging starting
and ending points can be hidden a little at a time by slightly tapering the course widths. But
this technique doesn't work with other materials,such as tongue-and-g roove flooring, whose
course can't be varied easily.
Out-of-paral le l wal ls
Moldings hide the gap.
Floorboards don't have o be
a uniform distance from the
wall. As long as the base/shoe
molding covers t, the gapcan vary.
SPLIT HEDIFFERENI f y o u ' r e r u n n i n g c o u r s e s o f m a t e r
between two diverging surfaces,and y
s ta r t ou t w o r k ing pa r a l l e l to one , y
won't be parallel to the other. With de
ing, roofing, or siding, you can adjust
gap or coverage slightly at each coursethat the coursesare para l le l to the o th
surface when they reach it.
Th i s ad jus tmen t i s f i gu r ed eas i l y .S
that you're shingling an ol d house,and
roof measures 135 n. f rom r idge to e
on one end and 138 n. on the other. Div
on e of these igures by the ideal expos
pe r course,5 in. for normal three-tab sh
gles. Thus, 135 n. divided by 5 equals
th is is the number o f coursesat 5 in .
course . A t the o ther end of the bu i ld i
138 n . d i v i ded by 27 y ie lds 5V a n . L
ou t eac h s ide o f the r oo f us ing the t
different increments, and snap chalklin
between them. Wi th these ad jus tmen
the c ha l k l i nes s ta r t ou t pa r a l l e l to
eavesand end up parallel to the ridge.
In c as esw he r e the gap o r c ov e r ag
not ad jus tab le , as in tongue-and-g roo
flooring, yo u have to make up part of
discrepancy at the start and the re st at
end. Sayyou're install ing flooring betwe
tw o w a l l s tha t a r e I i n . ou t o f pa r a l
and you're leav ing a minimum expans
gap of Vz n. be ween the f loor ing a
the wall. Make the expansion ga p I in
each side of the wi de end of the room a
Vzin. at eachs ide o f the nar row end. S
molding and baseboardscover the gap
you're us ing a one-piece hin baseb o
you' l l have to r ip tapered f loorboards
the start and finish to keep the expans
ga p narrow and parallel to the wall.
Use boards as wide as possible as yo
star t ing and ending courses o keep c
verging l ines as ar apart as possible.M
sure the room width at both the wide anarrow ends, and subtra ct the expans
gaps . D iv ide these measurementsby
f loorboard wid th . Mu l t ip ly the rema
ders by hal f the board width. These w
be the widths of t he star t ing and end
str ips at the wide and narrow ends of
room. If these str ips are narrow, try a
ing ha l f a board width. As long as th
sums are less ha n ful l board widths,
them for the starting and ending str ip
Baseboar
*)
Floorboards la id to spl i t the di fference
62 F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
Hidden ap
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AVOIDEXPOSINGENDGRAINEnd grain absorbsstain and paint differently
from face or side grain; even if left natural,
end grain reflects ight differently. Unless you
want to emphasize this difference, plan your
installation to hide end grain or cut mitered
returns to cover it up.
A return is a small pieceof trim, often trian-
gular in section, hat ends a run of molding.
Tiaditionally, returns are used on stair treads,
window stoolsand aprons, butted head cas-
ings-anywhere a pieceof molding doesn't
end in a corner.
On a power mit er saw, the blade often
throws small returns to some dimly lit, inac-
cessible orner of the room. I cut them with a
small miter box and a backsaw.
FITTHEJOINTBEFORECUTTING O LENGTHIf you're coping or mitering a joint on a piece
of base chair rail, or crown, make sure that
joint fits well before you cut the other end to
length. You may need the extra length if you
make a mistake and have to recut the cope
r miter. If you had cut the piece to length
efore miscutting the cope or m iter, you'd be
rumbling on your way back to the lumber-
ard insteadof calmly recutting the piece.
Don't show endgrain. lt absorbspaint and especiallystains differently
from flat grain. If
a piece of moldingmust end abruptly,
cut a return for it.
Mitered
return
Fit the more difficult endbefore cutting to length.ln this case, he left sideis coped and the fit is
checked before the miter
is marked.
t
Coped joint
DON'TBEFUSSYDON'T
HAVETO BEthink ahead to see f what you're
on will be covered later, which is
the function of moldings. If the floor
wall undulates, you might be tempted to
or fill behind the baseboard o follow
he contours. In older houses,where walls
always undulated, you often see
baseboards,with the thin base-
molding attached to the wall and follow-
its contour while the shoe does he same
the floor. The thicker baseboard nstalls
easily because t doesn't have to
what the shoe and cap do.
Some joints don't
need to be perfect,
Baseboardwill hidethe ugliness where
the drywall meets
the floor.
Baseboard
The baseboard spanshollows in the wall and
floor. The cap and shoe are
flexible and confonn to ins
and outs, hiding them.
Base-cap
mold ing
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Trimming a room with baseboard and a minimum of perfed cuts.By following the numericalseguence in the drawing below, onlypieces 2 and 3 require pertect cuts on both ends. The chanceoferror is reduced by first coping them and then holding them in placeto mark their lengths. rhe copes are plannedso that any crackswillbe less obvious to people entering the room.
coped ioints. The first piece s butted to the wall. The second pieceis mitered as for an insidecorner, but the mitered end is cut off whereit meets the molding face, eaving a negativeof the profile that fitsperfealy over the butted piece.
Butt thisll end to
the wall.
PLANTHESEOUENCTO AVOIDPERFECTCUTS T BOTHENDSThere is usually a sequenceof trim insta
tion that requires he fewestperfect cuts.
example, with my method of casing do
and windows, only th e last cut on the hneed be perfect. Cu t this end slightly lo
and shave t with a chopsaw unril it fits
r igh t . One neat t r ick here : Push the c
ing up to the lowered, idie chopsaw bla
Raise he blade without moving the cas
then make the cut. The teeth are serslig
w ider than the body of the b lade, so
cut wil l take of f Vtz n.If you ha d insta
the head first, you then would have had
make an exact miter cut on each casing
to make th e joint turn out r ight.
The sequenceof installation also s imp
tant when runn ing t r im around a roo
whether i t 's baseboard, hair rail, or cro
molding. I prefer to work from right to
around a room because 'm right-hand
and generally do a faster,nearer job of c
ing the right end of a board.
Working my way around a room, I of
end up with a piece that needs o be coped
both ends, a challenge fo r even the bestc
penters. I try to plan my installation so t
this last pieceof trim is n the leastconsp
ou s place. f a coped oint isn't perfect o
it opens up over time, the crack is most vble when viewed at right angles o rhe cop
piece. Wherever possible, orient the cop
piecesso that people entering or using
room won't have right-angle views of the
\
IMi ter
,r-al{' ^ " , /
Lines
8
of sight
Gaps show along
coped end.
Coped joints lookdifferent from differ-ent angles. lf a copedjoint opens up, thecrackwill be obviouswhen viewed parallelto the uncoped pieceand nearly invisible
viewed parallelto thecoped piece. Plan hecoping seguence sothat crackswill be lessobvious along likelylinesof sight. Cracksalso will be lessobvi-ous f the uncopedpiece s stained orpainted beforeinstallation;rawwood sticks out.
Butt this endto wall.
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
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S MOREHAN
R SQUARErules of carpentry change from fram-
ork. Instead of keeping track
plumb, level, and square,you now must
parallel to the wallsThe eyesees iverging lines more
than it sees lumb and level.
The only exceptions are cabinetsand doors,
plumb to work properly.
floor isn't level, trim the door bottoms
to the floor rather than leave them
with a taperedgap. If the deck framing
out of squaie, run the decking parallel to
wall. If for some reason wo lines
separate hem as widely aspos-
o that the difference is harder to see.
But I hung it plumb.
A level door bottomover an out-of-level
floor hasa tapered,
eye-catchinggap atthe bottom. Trim the
door bottom so that
it's parallel o the floor.
It won't be level,bu tit'll look good.
Trimmed paralle
to the floor, the
door looks right
Unfevel loo, -/
i i r i i i l i
ti, .=,1,,[I Scribe the door bottom
/:
parallelto the floor.
RANDOMI f ind myself saying," It doesn't
the red flag goes up. Which end of
you cut first, which face is out,
yo u pu t the nails-this all matters,
you put into the details shows
raftsmanship in the entire job. "God
the det ails," said architect Ludwig
and th is is especial ly
carpentry. Occasional ly , t
but you first should consider
As your experience ncreases
becomesmore efficient, it will
to line up nails in an
pattern and to look critically at
oard asyou carry it to the saw.
Nothing is random. Even something as simple as decking benefits from thoughtful lay-out. The randomness left) looks sloppy compared with careful ayout (right).
r l
II
t '
\i
i ti l. t
t 1r litI
i-
II
I
i
I!t
fI
t
THE JOBusually has o complete a punch
before inalpayment is ssued,but some-
all the details wrapped up
pulling teeth. The clean-slateattrac-
of starting a new job can overpower the
the old. This temp-
good clients and lose eferrals.
Owner-builders doing their own work
tempted to move in t o a house
work is done, thinking it
will be easier o do when it's close at hand.
After a while , they don't notice the lack of
tr im, and it becomes harder and messier
to set up the tools and work around the
obstacles. t can be a strain on a marriage if
the bathroom doors aren't hung after a few
years of residence. advise owner-builders
to get everything done before they move in,
and contractors to finish all work before they
move on . They'll be glad they did.
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Cutting& Coping
Coping table
As much as I appr eciate the delicate craft
of coping moldings by hand, a jigsaw
is faster. To hold the foot of the saw in
plane with the 45o bevel on the end of the
workpiece whi le foll owing the lines of
the molding profile,I use the coping table
shown in the drawing at right.
The table is a pyramidal box with slots
cut into both sides or the molding stock.
After beveling a pieceof molding on the
miter saw,I slide the stock into the cop-
ing table. The box's dimensions allow
ample hand room for holding the work
steady,while my fingers remain clear ofthe blade. The saw rides on the angled
side of the coping table. I made the table
out of the sink cutout from a plastic-
laminate countertop, so the saw glides
easily over t he surface. The jigsaw should
have a roller guide and a fine-tooth scroll-
cutting blade.
-GRAFTON H. COOK Dowagiac, ich.
Molding stock extends through
slots in coping table.
-<==l*1i--,r;-_7_
Jigsaw base rides on' J - - - -
angled table.
Height of mi ter-saw able
Easiercoping with the jigsawCoping crown molding with an electric jigsaw is much easier when
you attach a radiused auxiliary base o the jigsawt standard flat base.
I was stumped about making this modification until I spotted a golf
ball on my shop bench.
As shown in the drawing below,I started by cutting the ball into
unequal parts. I did the cutting on my bandsaw after driving a
couple of 3-in. drywall screws nto opposi te sides of the ball to act as
handles. The screws kept my fingers a safe distance from the blade.
Then I made a perpendicular cut in the larger portion of the ball.
Still at the bandsaw,I cut a slot to accommodate the jigsaw's blade.
Next,I drilled a couple of r/e-in.holes in the saw's base,on oppo
sidesof the blade, for a pair of screws. positioned the slotted gol
ball as shown in the right-hand drawing and affixed it to the bas
with a couple of small screws.
This jig provides a pivot point right where the blade enters the
back side of the molding. As a result,I have the control to make
exact relief cuts. I have found that longer blades are useful for cu
ting big crowns. Different configurations could be obtained by
cutting the ball into segments of various sizes.
-J lM DELVINDesMoines,
Cut along
dotted lines.
Drilllh-in. hole in
both sides.
JigsawScrewgolf balltojigsawbase orcopingangled cu
Cut slot for blade.
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
saw base,
Drawings: Charles
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220 grit sandpaper contact-cemented o identicalmolding
Molding wi th
coped joint
up coped oints
above shows a trick that I teach my students
perfect coped joints. We use water-based
to glue a sheet of 220-grit sandpaper to
that has the same profile as the work-
a custom-made, contoured sanding block.
to make a few back-and-forth strokes
end of the workpiece smooths out unsightly
-DAVID JOHNSONClinton,owa
Acute angleson the chopsaw
A couple of years ago, I was doing some trim with my
friend Marcos Bradley. He was running basearound a
seriesof odd angles-2ngles he couldn't readily cut with
his chopsaw. After some thought, he assembleda jig simi-
lar to the one shown in the drawing below.
Use clamps or screws to
secure one of the jig's
fences o the saw's ence.
Clamp the workpiece
to the jig (block under
the far end of the long
pieces), nd you're
all set o cut accurare
acute angles.
_ F E L I XM A R T I
Ridgway, olo.
PLANVIEWOF J IG
Jig clamped
or screwed
to saw's
fence
1x2 ences
quarter-round rim
had to install alot of 3/+-in.quarter-round trim. I prefer coped corners to mitered
given the amount of trim required by this job, I had to find an expedient
to cut the stuff. As shown in the drawing,I devised a fixture that yields
with a minimum of effort.
I started with a scrap piece of 2x6 about 14 n. long. Using my tablesaw,
plowed a3/q-in.by 3/+-in.groove the length of the 2x6 to accommodate
trim. This groove holds the trim as t is cur by a
. hole saw from above.As shown in the drawing, the
saw is guided by a 1x4 guide block. I made this block out
3/+-in.by 3/a-in.
groove
1x4oakgu ideb lock(
\
1|/z-in.-dia.ole saw
t holds up well after repetitive cuts.
Using this rig makes coping quarter-round trim a
quarter-rounds of a different radius, simply
a groove to fit the trim, and use a hole saw that is
of the trim.
-M.P. WHIPPLE fton,N.Y.
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basehookfor
ool called a basehook elimi-
for a bevel square n some
Similar in concept o a siding
simply an L-shaped piece of a sta-
wood usedprimarily for
end cut of baseboardwhere it
standing moldings such asdoor
use he hook, lap it over the base-
it hard against he standing
scribing a cutline across he
Be sure he facesof your base
are perfgcdysquare o ttre edges, r
introduce a margin of error.
_ J I M T O L P I N
PortTownsend,Wash.
ngleblocksdo the finish trimwork for a small builder of moderatelypriced
Va. He has ound that it is actually essexpen-
have he walls plastered han to have drywall hung, hped,
and painted.Because laster s a hand-tooled product,
a itde uneven,and the basemoldings rarely end
plumb. As a consequence,I'veearned hat to keep the coped
tight, the 45" bevel needs o be cut at a small angle off
usually between88oand 92".
When I first startedcoping these oints, I useda bevel gauge
eachangle,and then I'd adiust the compound-miter
That iustI now cut five
of basemolding
88oand 92",in1"
As shown in the
the right,I test-fit
of blocks o get the
Then I readthe
on the block,
that number,
I'm ready o cut. No moreiddling.
-DENNISSMITH uf fo lk,a.
Two hardwood blocks,2 in. by 2in. by thin.
Basemolding
Gap causedby unevenwall surface
Tight fit indicatesthe proper angle.
Casing-reveal auge
When I install door or window cas-
ings, use he jig shown above o
fnake sure hat I get an accurate /+-in.reveal. t's madeof two squarepieces
of hardwood,rAin . thick, that are
glued togetherwith a Yc-in.offset.
This jig hasso many corners hat half
the time I grab it out of my nail bag,
it'sn he ight':l:lf'rl'*'"r,*o"
Fort Dodge, lowa
Cudahy
Test blocks
8s
GREAT BUILDING TIPS 2006
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ConstructionThis dimension is
equalto the width of
the block minus the
thickness of the blade.rimmingcabinetdoors
Here's a useful tablesaw setup for trimming the horns
off small frame-and-panel doors.
First, cut a piece of stoc k that fits between the horns,then rip the stock to about 2 in. wide. This piece s the
alignment block. Now move the saw fence toward the
blade a distance equal to the thickness of the blade, about
% in. With the saw running, just barely put the block into
the blade to make sure the fence has been moved a dis-
tance exactly equal to the blade's thickness.
Now put the block between the horns, and hold the
door and block against the fence as you cut off the horn. If
you've set t up correctly, the cut will be exactly flush with
the stile.
Lift the door up and away as soon asyou've cut through
the horn, and repeat the process or all the other corners
of the door. Be sure to clear the horn offcuts from the
blade asyou proceed.
-BRIAN EVEREST elson, .C . ,Canada
late
III
Router em p
Frame-and-paneldoor
Affixing a router template to aI've seesome carpenters use double-face
foam tape to hold a template in place for
routing. However, itbso sticky that I've
found it to be a do-or-die situation when
positioning the template. Plus, double-face
tape can damage finished surfaces.For
holding templates, I use ordinary hot glue
and masking tape (drawing left).
I cover the area under the template with
a layer of 3M blue masking tape. Then I
squeezea line of hot glue around the
perimeter of the template and stick it to the
tape. The router template in the drawing
Hot-meltg luegun )
Maskingape
gnment b
crosscut o fibetween hor
finished surfaceis made for outlet boxes that frequently
need to be installed in kitchen-island c
nets; it beats rying to run a sabersawo
a lacquered surface right at the edge o
raisedpanel.
I have used his method on all kinds o
materials, finished and unfinished, verti
horizontal, and upside down. The tape
vents damage to finishes, and on raw wo
it keeps the glue out of the grain. If the
plate isn't positioned correctly, I simply
it off, scrapeoff the glue, then try again.
-GREGGROOSSanFra
Drawings: Charles Miller. Photo this page: Daniel S. MoI N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
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panelswith a routercabinet-door panels with a traditional under-
router table can produce wavy cuts because t's dif-
to hold the panel absolutely flat ro a vertical fence.
To regain the advantage of a horizontal worksurface,
my router at 90o to the conven-
As shown in the drawing,
affixed the router to a piece of Yz-in.
plywood. The baseof the
n a shallow recess outed
the plywood. The plywood
plate attaches o a
top by way of twomachine screws driven
threaded insertsembedded in
One screw acts as a pivot
The other projects through
in the mounting plate. A
and a large knob on rhis
the mounting plate to
at the desired height relative
worksurface.
With the router bit below the work as the panel is passed
raise the panel with a seriesof shallow passes.
that the locking point is twice as far from the pivot
the center of the router bit. At this relationship,
the plate r/+in. atthe locking point lifts the bit % in.
-DONALD C. BROWNRuckersv i l le,Va.
clamps
clamps (known as
in our part of the
are mighty use-
putting pressure on
mitered frame during a
or nailing session.
But miter clamps are noteasy o locate. As
in the drawing,I
my own pinchdogs
components
can be obtained easily:
clampsand drywall screws.
I first center-punch nd drrllVa-in.
n the aws of a springclamp. put
a bit off-center. his placement
permits the clamp to
reach a bit farther and
to grab the work at
odd angles.The offset
placement also allows
me to use a couple of
clamps at the same
time if I need to apply
extra pressure.
I run a #6 drywall
screw into the holes
in the spring-clamp
iaws.The sharppointsof thedrywall
screwswill bite nto almostany
_ S V E N H A N S O N
Albuquerque,N.M.
Accuratestaplingfor drawer assembly
I had a stack of melamine drawer bor-
toms and sides hat had to be stapled
together, and if the stapler'snosepiece
was slightly off-center or out of plumb,
I ran the risk of a staple blowing out
the face of a drawer side.
To ensure perfect alignment,I tacked
together a wooden sole with a regis-
Wood nosepiece registersagainstdrawer side.
Drawer id eBlocksscrewed oworksurface
Opposingwedges holddrawer sidesnug oblocks.
tration nosepiece or the stapler.The
sole, made of 3/q-in.plywood, envelops
the stapler's magazine. A piece of
solid stock planed ro rhe width of the
magazine fits between rhe plywood
sides,creating a flat, stable base or the
stapler. At the businessend of the tool,
I put a wood nosepiece hat extends
an inch below the sole. This nosepiece
registersagainst the drawer side and
the edge of the drawer bottom, hold-
ing them flush as the staple s driven.
-RICH VA N RHEENWest inn , re.
Direction
of feed
l/z-in.
plywoodmountingplate
Verticalpanel-raising i t
Adjustmentknob
1/a-in.-dia.
threaded nserts
#6
screw
drywal l
material.
GREAT BUILDING TIPS 2006
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CABINET ACKS,3 WAYS
1 ll Scissorslnstallingwall cabinetsby yourselfcan be a dangerous uggling act.
To keep them plumb and level long enough to install hem, use ascissorsack. A scrap of plywood atop the base cabinetsprovidesa
surface or cranking he cabinet into position.A 12-in.-sq.pieceof3/+-in. lyrood covered with carpet and attached to the bottom and
top of the jack protects the casework. | fitted my jack sleeve with an
old hole-sawarbor to raiseand lower it with my electric drill.
RONDeLAURENTISorth urora,ll .
2 // LegsI use hese
jacks o installupper cabinets
by myself. The
jacks have a 2x2
frame covered
with %-in.ply-
wood and are
braced with
2x3 legs . I line
the backsand
tops of the
jacks with car-
pet to keep
them from
2x3 legs
Zx2 frame K- t O n. ->l
scratching he walls. Rubber eet keep the
legs from slipping as I adjust cabinet height.
To use the jacks, I mark a level line on the
wall to show the bottom of the cabinet. I
place he jacksabout 6 in. insideeach end
of the cabinet and set the cabinet on them.
Moving the legs n or out adjusts he
height. When itt right, lfasten the cabinet
to the wallthrough holes n the hang-rail.
-DARRYL B. WEISER Dahlonega,Ga.
Wall cabinet
Scissorsac k
\
Hole-saw arbor
-a-.........c
':-- *
3 // Pipeclamps
As shown in the drawing to the right, my rig consists of trryo5-ft.
pieces of 7c-in. ron pipe attached to a 2x4 frame by way of threaded
pipe flanges.The movable part of a pipe clamp rideson eachpipe,
working side up, to support the arm assemblies. place he frame
on the floor, butt it up to a wall, and slide a cabinet onto the arms. I
raise he cabinet either by grabbing the clampsand pulling upward
while standingon the frame or by raising he cab inet by hand and
holding t up with one arm while raising he clampsone at a time.
This may sound a little awhrard, but it's not in practice.
ROY L. SAMUELSON Alameda, Cal i f .
ilIJ I
i
%-in.pipec lamp
\._-4
%-in.pipen ipp le , 0 n .long
1- in . y1/z-in.
bushing
%-in.pipec lamp
ARM ASSEMBLY ETAIL
GR E A TB U ILD IN GTIP S2006
tz-,n.p,p"nipple
- _UPPe, abinet'" '1
1 - in .
73
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Efficienc Guidelines
BY SVENHANSON n my years as a cab inetmaker , 've found
tha t i t ' s r a re l y the b ig s r r ok e o f gen ius
that makes the difference; rather, it 's the
avoidance of dumb mistakes. Simplifying
cabinet designs and standardizrngconstruct ion
have made me feel a whole lot smarter. By mak-
ing f rameless cab inets ,order ing the doors and
drawer fronts from an outside vendor, an d using
product ion-or iented j igs, I 've e l iminated a lo t o f
expensive router bits and stock preparation.
low theseguidelines, and you'll be able to go f
shop drawings to f in ished cabinets qu ick ly
accurately ,w i th a min imal number of expen
tools and mistakes.
Sven Hans on s a c ab ine tmak e r n Mar ie t ta ,G
a n d A l b u q u e r q u e ,N . M . P h o t o sb y D a n i e lS .
Mor r i s on ,ex c ep t whe r e no ted .
7 4 F I N E H O N 4 E B U I L D I N G Photo this page; Rober
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BUILD THE BOXES, BUT BUY THE DOORS Makinsabinetoors oublesthe amountof t ime needed o bui lda ki tchen, o I let someone lsedo it . Before star tbui ld-
ing cabinets, orderdoorsand drawer ronts rom an outside uppl ier. hey' re sual lyeady
(including anding nd in ishing,f specif ied) y the t ime 've bui l t he cabinet as es.t 'shard
for me to mee t he quality/price atio hat a shop delivers;wo suchsuppliers re www.scherrs
.comandwww. lakesidemould ing.com.omeothersmartcharacter ist icsreshownbelow.
Uppercabinet Doors and drawer fronts can
be ordered in any size and
in a wide variety of styles.
Factory-applied inishesare
an option, but ma y be hard
to match o cabinet boxes.
Us econcealed inges.They
are complex-looking nd
more expensive han other
types of hinges,but they'readjustable n three direc-
tions,making he doors
easier o install.
Base cabinetl-"':&o-.1iqa;
tr,i ;i..^: *
Simplify he joinery.Cabi-
ne t casesar e made from3/c-in.veneeredplywood.
Assemblys done with glue
and 17a-in.r im screws.
Use %-in.plywood backs
to square he cases.
The toe kick isn't part of the cabinet.Simplifycase
construction andcabinet nstallation) y setting the
cabinet box on a platform framed in 2x material.
Eliminate ixed shelves nbase cabinets.Drawers
and roll-out shelvesmake
base cabinetsmore use-
ful. With a dril l ing ig ,
drawer-slidehardware s
easy o install.
Use ull-extensiondrawer slides,Fo r
stickydrawers, rim the drawer width
where he slidesattachby moving he
drawer box through a tablesawwith
the blade height set at about 2 in.
fl
se applieden d panels.
Exposedscrews n casesides
wil l be hiddenwhen cabinets
ar e oined together. Fo r
end-of-runcabinetsides,use
finishedplywood panels.
O N L I N E E X T R ATo see a video of Sven Hanson making story poles for a
ki tchen-cabinet job, go to www.finehomebui lding.com.
G R E A T B U I L D I N G T I P S 2 0 0 6
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FINISH BEFORE YOU START Edgebandingndapply ing in ish rebest oneto b ig pieces,but not too b ig . My usuals t ra tegy s to r ip 4x8 sheets of p lywood in to 2x8
pieces,a s ize hat 's easy o f in ishand move. You ' l l have o go back and add a l i t t le edgeband-
ing af te r a l l he parts are cut, but work ing on 2x8 sheets i rs t wi l l get the work done fas ter .
Iron on the edging. Usingthe plywood as a ruler,snapof f a bunchof 97-in.-
long strips.With the helpof a spring clamp, bal-ancea strip on the topedge of the plywood sheet
so that it overhangseachend. With the iron on a hot(linen)setting, tack downone end of the edgeband,
then iron toward the otherend. To ensuregood
adhesion, cuff theplywood edge
beforehand
with 9)-grit
sandpaper, i
then c/eanthe dustfrom the
surface.
s,
Trim one edge at a timeEdge trimmers normally
both sides at once. That
fine for vinyl edging, butyou'll get smoother resu
with wood if you show sorespect or the grain. Pu
the tool apart, and workside at a time to avoid sp(www.vi utex.com 800 8
9663).
When the varnish has dI knockdown the bumps
before applying a seconcoat. Sandpaperworks fi
but I like o smooth the f
with a cabinet scraper.
Tip: Singte-edgeazobladesmake reatscraers or theedgebandin
::::-:-{*tclr
ff'!t l
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STICKWITH BASICDIMENSIONS bes inthe processby makinga cut-
l istof al l he parts ' l l need
(sides, ops, bottoms, backs,
etc.) and note the dimensions
both on the cutlist an d on an
unfinished nd of the part
(bal lpointnk wi l l last ) . use
basicdimensionshat d iv ide
well into a plywood panel.
To account or the sawkerf,
subtract 1/ain. from the follow-
ing sizes: in. and 9 in. work
well for drawersand toe-kick
s tock ;12 in . ,16 n . ,and 18 n .
work well for varyingdepths
of upper-cabinet ides, ops,
and bottoms; 24 in . is good
fo r base cabinets.
SPEEDASSEMBLYWITH SIMPLEJOINERYAND A LOW TABLEI rarely abbet cabinetbacksor dado drawerbottoms. nstead, fastenbacksand bottoms directly
to the edge of the plywoodwith polyurethane onstruction dhesive nd nailsor screws.When
assembling, use homemade ornerblocksand a low assemblyable o keep hingssquareand at
a comfortableworking height.
Corner blocks
are made with
shop scraps. Ply-
wood cutoffs with
square cornersand lipped sides
work well for
clamping cabinetsides ogether
or, as shown, or
drawer assembly.I use a drawer
side as a gauge to
space the blocks
properly.Then,
with front and
back standing,I wedge a sidebetween to keep
them steady while
fastening theother side.
Cornerblocks
Tip: Sandoff the finr'sh hat will
be glued. A rabbeted sandingblock allows me to do this quickly
and neatly. With a piece of A0-grit
sandpaperglued in the rabbet, Irough up the varnished surtace thatreceives the butt joint.
Cut plywood
efficiently. To avoid
making crosscuts n
full-sizesheets of
plywood,l rrp sheets
lengthwise, then
turn to crosscutting.
My shopmade cross-
cut sled rides n the
tablesaw's miter-gauge slots, making
precise crosscutting
easy o do.
The bottom is
structural. With
the drawer sides
assembled,use the
drawer bottomsto rackand hold
the boxes square.
I prefer plywood
over hardboard or
medium-density
fiberboard for the
bottoms (and cabi-
net backs)because
of its light weight,
durability, and ability
to hold fasteners.
",ll/G R E A T B U I L D I N G T I P S 2 0 0 6
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USE DRILLING TEMPLATES Becauseth ink that base cabinetswith f ixed shelvesare a sin
against common sense, f i l l them with drawers or
rol l -out upgrades. But instal l inga l l ha t drawer
hardware can be f in icky business. avoid a lot o f
mistakesby using a ful l -s ize emplate made f roml/q-in.plywood or melamine. My template defines the
posi t ions of the ho les or drawer s l ides n k i tchen
base cabinets (three- and four-drawer type), van-
i t y cabinets, nd i ledrawers,oo. I s imply o lor-
code he holes o minimizemistakes.
For upper cabinetswith adjustableshelves,
ensure accuratehole spacing by using a dr i l l ing
template, which I made with a piece of melamine
on a f r iend's ine-bor ing machine.You a lso canbuy a template from most woodworking stores
for around $25. Th is emplate's spacing ensures
consistencyan d lets yo u take advantage of the
Europeancabinetmaking system, with holes every
16 mm (% in.) hat al ign shelvesand hardware.
Notch f or 3 / t - in .fastening s t r ip
( , i ,^.,1 T.p -I" r ,Je-
i .^\,...t .i r Tr ?
r : i i i r ' , . . , t i ; . ' r . i : . - ' 1 . . , . ' i " i '
@@)
R.r/G*..... {}.--'*' 6.r,^J:
7a-in.notch
for face
f ra me s
l\
;
;
l ) r r l l T x , , P . ' w ^- l l l t l
C I o @) O
0l l l Thi ' R.ou * l / l t l 9 l " e f. t
o o oJ Ptrwar 61, ial. Glc- C"b.
Don't crawl into acabinet to installdrawer hardware.Do it on a benchinstead.With thecabineton its sideand the templatewedged in place,drillthe holes orthe drawer slideswith a cordless rill.Flip over the cabi-net and template,align the {ront edge,and drillholes n theother side.
Use a cordlessdrill to place
shelf holes
accurately. Setthis templateagainst hebottom of the
cabinet, andwork your wayup. The templateis symmetrical,but working fromthe bottom upavoids any prob-lemscausedby acabinetside thatmay havebeencut a bit shorterthan the other.
,r Dr,ll TLls Kew o-l Art R./e* t.'-riD**€ '-'L"f,3
f 0 @ @ o-it t1.,€
3, > . " t ] r
i$ tso$$F-
' i Bolfer'l / c'Li"t ?"{^lt"'Ll
' ! 1 1.\ ^
|i l - , t tT ! , r rRouAr l" . l Js Ll ,
eg30: ^rtl. ts rr F/.qcr,J ?i,- Cu."{e ,{ {Dtaq th.h.'I.{ srlo- _
{*a*r:r:.:^,"r,.,ii"
t- A 20-in.width allows he templar. ._-------->l
to be used for a vanity cabinet,
too. Place he template so that it is
flush with the front of the cabinet.
17hon . 21/z in.
11/a n.
Off-center
holes
allow th e
template
to be
used for
f rameless
or face-
f ame
cabinets.
*.
a
; * ' .t. ",t
& . . . i
. g - i
fr€]\. ' .,,*"
. : ':
/*.+,eFi'{i.r.
.* J
e . ' : ' - * 'i a$ i .
#it'
I+'i *, - . i". , '}i'l.i{*. ',,1
Tip: lnstall he cabin
backs last after drillingholes and installing'thehardware.This approaboosts your screw-drivcomfort zone by allowiaccess rom front or ba
'ti:ri
l!ii*r:
113/d n.
7 8 F I N E H O M E T J U I L D I N G
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INSHLL DOORSWITH A HINGE STICK European-styteinsesomein two piecesia cup and a baseplate.The cup mounts o the
door, and the baseplatemounts o the cabinetside.The twoparts then snap or screw ogether. Because hey're two-part
hinges, t's crucial ha t the correspondingpieces ine up, or theywont snap ogether. My hinge stick keeps he distancebetweenbaseplatesand the setback rom cabinet front consistent.Touse t, insert cup hinges nto the holes,and with hinges n the
closed position,screw he baseplateso thecabinetside.Test he operationof the hingestick. f all'swell, adjust he
bumperedscrews o the distancebetween he open door
and the cabinet.Now you can nstallal l the baseplateswith thestick n the open position.
The cup hole mustbe close to theedge of the doolor the door will rubagainst he cabinetwhen opened andclosed. You almostcan't be too close,but you certainlycan be too far.
About Ve n. willallow the door tooverlay he cabinetframefully withoutrubbing.With thecup hinge squarelyin the hole, setone screw. Ihiswill ensure hat allhinges are installedconsistently.
Set the adjustablebumpers after thefirst set of hingesis in place andworking well.
Drill holes all theway through sothat the stfck canbe used for left-or right-hingingandas a drillingguide.
Cup holes are drilledan equal distancefrom the end sothat the stick can beflipped top or bottom.
Baseplaternounts tocabinet.
Adjustmentscrews
Align the hinge stickwith the top of thecabinet, drill pilot holes,and drive the baseplatescrews. The bumpersensure consistent setbackon all the hinges.
The best way to borethe cup holes is to use d13h-in. Forstner bit witha depth stop in a bench-top drillpress. Set upa fence with reference
marks to ensure consis-tent alignment. Without abenchtop drill press, thehinge stick can make agood drilling template ifclamped to the door.
GREAT BUILDING TIPS 2006
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Electrical
hole
5\vtew
\
Site-builtwire spinner
Workmanlike wiring is easier o achievewith a wire spinner.The site-
built versionshown belowwas whipped up by electricianPhil Clements
in 15minutes,usinga handful of wire staples, few l6d nails,a fender
washer,assorted x4 offcuts,and short engthsof Romex cable.Phil
first nailed together a pair of 2x4s o make a postabout 24 in. tall,
then attached he 24-in.-longbasepieces.He stapledshort lengths
of Romex to createa loosecradle hat holdsa coil of wire as t comes
from the box. Hung from a nail in a ceiling oistor door header,Philb
wire spinner rotateson the washer ashe pulls and uncoilsflat lengths
of wire without twistsor kinks.
M. SCOTT ATKINSrl ington,Va.
Wire-nut 1
wrench
When wiring the 800-
sq.-ft.addition to my
home,I had o installabout 100duplex
outletsand switches.
Halfway through the
job,my fingerswere
blistered rom twist-
ing wire nuts.That's
when I got the dea
for this device.
I mademy little wrench out of lxl maple scraps. he hole
in its business nd hasslotson bothsides o accommodateh
wings on the sides f the wire nuts.The wrench'swide han
lets me get a firm grip to apply plenty of torque to the wire n
-RICHARD N ELSON Sa nLeandro,C
Clamp-nail ing
Sometimesan elecffic oudet or switch box has o go betwee
a couple of studs hat are so close ogether, here'sno room
for a hammer or a drill bit. In this case,I each or a C-clam
As shown n the drawing, a clampcan be used o squeeze
nail into the stud. For good
bearing, use oofing nails
during this operation.Occa-
sionally,I have o drill holes
in the side of the box for
the nails.
_D A V E K O HL E R
Clarks Summit, Pa .
Whenspace s tight, pull nailinto stud with a C-clamp.
1/z-in.-dia.
Bottom
Sawkerf lot for wire-nutw
Bent 16d nailhanger
2x4 base
\l i
\\\ \\ v
A I
80 FINE HOMEBUILDING Drawings: CharlesMiller. Photo his page:CharlesBi
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Electrician'stickThe next time you have o affix electricalboxes o
stud framing for switchesor outlets, ry using the jig
shown n the drawing at right to position the boxes
consistendy. make the jig out of a strip of 3/+-in.by3/+-in.pine.Two pairsof 4d nailsdriven through the
stick correspond o the threaded holes n the boxes.
To use he stick, position the boxesover the nails and
place he stick on the floor adjacent o the stud. Now
you can nail the box to the stud, andthe height will
be right every ime.
-SANTO A. INSERRA amestown,N.Y.
,I\[
Sectionfromplasticwaterbottle
4d nails
3/+-in.by %-in. pine
Clean cuts for recessedcans
ElectricianMel Minor installsa ot of
recessedight fixtures n ceilings. n some
cases, e has o cut a hole n the drywall
aswell asmount a fixture in the ceiling
joists.To keep he mess o a minimum, he
makes hecircular cutoutswith the clever
contraption in the drawing at left.
Although it looks ike a harpoon, his
tool is actually a jumbo hole sawaffixed
to a pipe extension.Mel madethe rig
out of sections f Yz-in. alvanizedpipe,
joinedwith couplings, nd a threaded
shaftat one end that fits into the chuck ofhis%-in.drill.
Beneathhis hand is a hefty section rom
a plastic5-gal.water botde.The water
botde sglued o a sleevemadeof PVC
pipe. When the shaft urns, the botde
remainsstationary s t catcheshe dust.
_GARY M. K A T Z
Reseda, Calif.
Outletbox
\
\
Ifi
\)
PVCsleeve
1/z-in.
galvanized
,rfl
w
Planning or unknownwiring alterations
Adding a new electrical oudet,
a switch, computer-qetwork
wiring, or a cable-TV jack is
pretty simple in single-story
homes. You have attack points
from the basement and./or the
attic to route wires through
walls. But I build and remodel
a lot of two-story homes. Run-
ning wires from a basement
service panel to the second floormeans punching holes in walls
and ceilings.
As a result,I've gotten into
the habit of installing at least
two 2-in. conduits from the
basement or service panel up
to the attic when I build a new
house. In houses hat I remodel,
I try to incorporate conduits for
future alterations while I have
walls open. Two conduits are
important because household-
current wires aren't supposed
to commingle with cable-TV,
phone, network, or other low-
voltage/communications wir-
ing. I flag the conduits in the
attic with fluorescent orange
surveyors'tape so that future
installers can locate them. I also
label the conduits at the service
panel so that the homeowners
know what they are for. And
if I'm feeling especiallygen-
erous,I pull a few stringsthrough the conduits to make
wire-pulling easier.My electri- :
cian has even had to use the
conduits right away while
installing the finish on a project
when he forgot a home run for
a lighting circuit.
_ M I K E G U E R T I N
EastGreenwich, .l .
GREAT BUILDING TIPS 2006 81
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Adjustingrecessed-canulb socketsOn a recent ob, I installeda row of recessed-lightixtures n a
kitchenceiling.These ixtureshaveadjustable ulb sockets.Generally,by the time a fixture is nstalledand the trim is attached,
the socket s almostalwaysout of position. f the bulb positions
are not the same, he whole installation ooks
sloppy, o t's mportant to get them uniform.
The first time I did this, I spenta lot of time
install ing he first bulb, removing t to adjust
the position of the socket o my bestguess,
reinstalling he bulb, and so orth. None of
this was helped by the fact that the R-40
flood-lamp bulbs requested y -y client
virtually filled the light-fixture's cavity,
making it necessaryo useonly my fingertips
to screw he bulbs n and out. As you might
imagine, several f theseexpensive ulbs
were casualtiesof this awkward handling. By the time I
finished, I was convinced that there had to be a better wayto do this job.
The solution was simple. As shown in the drawing at left,I mad
a Tlshapeddepth gauge hat registers n the
light-fixture's rim ring. The vertical eg of
T is equal o the distancerom the socket o
the faceof the ightbulb.
To set he depthof a socket,I oosents
bracket'swing nut enoughso hat the socke
will slideup and down, yetwill stayput with
out support.Then I hold the gaugeagainst
trim ring and either raiseor lower the socke
asnecessary.ighten the wing nut, and you'
in business.-BERTDAWKINSorthpor
Rotary ishing odWhen fishing a wire for a doorbell, I ran into a seem-
ingly impossiblesituation. I'd drilled the hole for the
bell push,and an angled hole through the wall plate
into the proper stud bay from the eellar.But try as
I might I couldn't get a wire from one to the other.
Itried fish tape, a weighted string, bell wire, beadchain, profanitlr, hooks, and probes. I couldn't find
any obstruction, but I couldn't find the wire either.
As my last attempt before ripping off clapboards, I
made the fishing rod shown at left. Starting with a
piece of l/r-in. dowel about a foot long. I drilled a
%e-in.hole acrqss he diameter about 7a n. from one
end. Through this hole I inserted a 15-in.piece of bell
wire that I securedwith a squaneknot, leaving the trro
ends equal. I then chucked the other end of the dowel
into an electric drill. Folding the endsof the wite so
that they stuck out ahead of the dowel like antennae,
I shoved the contraption into the hole in the plate as
far as it would go, and turned on the drill. At 1200
rpm, the ends of the wire whipped out centrifugally,.
lashingaround inside he wall and entangling the
weighted string left dangling from the bell-pushhole.
When I pulled the drill back through the hole in the
prate'ound":'J::il'::::f[Ti'H":::*".
EleCtriCal (continued)
R-40bulb
Socketadjustsupand down.
face
ICeiling
Cardboardgau9e
Hold gauge againsttrim ring to setsocket depth.
I neMoDELTNGrP
Recessed-canight fixture
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
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,(i l i
Plumbing
cRossSECTION
Rotate blocks to raise sink.
This unit will fit snugly between the
forms, and it can be wired to the rebar
and spreadersat the top of the forms to
stay in place during the pour. When the
forms are pulled awa\tyou have a cou-
pling embedded on each side, flush
with the wall and ready for another
length of pipe.
-D.A . FLEURy ur lew, ash.
Pipe-soldering last shieldAnybody who has ever sweat-soldered copper
pipes at closequarters in a wooden house knows
the feeling: The torch flame dances around the fit-
ting, glancing off an old floor joist, and some wood
smoke fills the air. Will this solderever meltl
I don't take any chanceswhen it comes to solder-
ing in a wooden building. I keep an extinguisher
on hand, and even more important,I don't let the
flame get anywhere near something flammable.
As shown in the drawing above, I use a pair of
brackets to support an old cookie sheet when I'm
working overhead. The cookie sheetshields he
ceiling, the brackets protect the joists,and the sol-
der can melt whenever it wants without me wor-
rying about it.
_ J O H N C A R R O L
Durham, .C.
Couplings t both ends
Cookiesheet restson brackets,
\ d iscarded galvanized-'. \
steel ducts, both sides i
Caulkingan undermountsink n place
I needed to affix a stainless-steel ndermount sink to a
granite counter that was already installed on its cabinet
bases.One of the problems presentedby the situation was
how to get a good silicone-caulk sealbetween the underside
of the counter and the rim of the sink. Rather than rely on a
bunch of bracesand shims to wedge the sink in place, I used
rope and a couple of wood blocks.
As shown in the drawing below,I placed a wood cross
brace over each bowl of the sink. Then I threaded a length
f small-diameter rope through a hole in each brace and
hrough the drain holes. On the underside of the sink, the
rope runs through a wood block under each drain tailpiece.
fter running a bead of silicone around the rim of the sink,
rotated each block, short-
the ropes and drawing
he sink upward with even
around the
rim. The resulting
is so strong it almostthe mechanical fas-
redundant.
_ A N D R E W H E P P A R D
Madison, onn.
Wood block
ipe couplingspipe or conduit through a
foundation wall with no
patch and without cutring holes in
forms sounds too good to be true, until
this trick. Cut a piece of the
you need, and attach couplings to both
so that the total length of pipe plus
exactly matches the thickness of
wall, as shown in the drawing.
his page:Tom O'Brien
Wood crossbraces
G R E A T B U I L D I N G T I P S 2 0 0 6
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Seala drain penetrationin a foundationwall
I've been searching for a better way
to seal he gap around a drainpipe
where it exits a foundation wall.
The standard technique that most
builders in my area use is to pack
the gap with mortar or hydraulic
cement. But lately, plumbing
inspectors have been frowning on
this practice becauseany shift in the
soil during frost cycles can crack a
rigidly installed pipe.
Instead of mortar,I now use ow-
expansion urethane foam to fill the
gap around the pipe. This is the
Foundation all
Hole in foundation
Soi l ine
Roof vent-stack lashing Urethane
foam
same stuff I use to sealcracks and
crevices hroughout the house to
reduce air leaks. Once the foam
has cured,I apply a layer of roof
cement to the outside of the wall.
This is the thick stuff, the kind of
roof cement that you spread with
a trowel. Then I slip a roof vent-
stack flashing over the pipe and bed
the flashing in a %-in.-thick layer
of roof tar.I lap the tar over the
edges of the flashing to promote a
better seal.
At backfill time, care must be
taken to prevent damage to the
flashing. This extra care has pre-
sented no problems, and I've had
great luck with the results.
_ M I K EG U E R T I N
EastGreenwich, .l.
t a r
84 FINE HOMEBUILDING
Plumbing (continued)
Trimmingpipes n place
As I set he plasticshowerpan nto itsmortar
bed,I saw heproblem.The drainpipewas% n.
too ong, he pipe wasglued n place, nd the
plumber was onggone.Becausehe clearance
around thedrainpipeamounted o no more than
about % n. on eachside,no sawof mine would
beable o trim the drain below he surface f the
showerpan.
To solve heproblem of
cutting he pipe,I madea
tubing cutter hat works
from the nsideof the
pipe.For a cutter,Iuseda
drywall screw.As shown
in the drawing above,I
ran a 2-in.drvwall screw
through a small block of wood. To this pieceof
wood,I affixed a small handle,which also unc-tioned asa depth stop. n use, hehandle ests
atop he end of the pipe.Then I turned the device
with the point of the drywall screwbearing
against he nsidesurface f the pipe.After a few
turns, pulled out the cutter andset he screwa
little deeper.n no time,I'd cut through thepipe.-WALTERGORR ittsburgh,a.
Drainpipe
Cutting plastic pipe
While on oneof my daily inspection oursof the ob site,I sawout of the cornerof
my eyea plumberdoing what looked ike an aerobicexercise hile standingshoulder
deep n a narrow ditch.With sweat unning down his face,he was rapidly pulling back
and forth on a pieceof nylon mason'sine. When I askedhim what he wasdoing,he
gaveme one of those ou-ignorant-dweebooksand replied hat he was cutting a piece
of 4-in. ABS plasticdrainpipe.
Sureenough,he ust had madea perfectlystraightcut through the pieceof pipe.The
pipe wasalmost otally buried n the narrow ditch, n a position hat would havebeen
tough to reachwith evena reciprocal aw.The plumber
had threaded he ine under the pipe,asshown
in the drawing. Then he useda quick saw-
ing motion to cut-maybe burn is a better
lsyrn-ths pipe n half. The trick to doing
it right is to useenough ine so hat you canmake ong passes,umping back and forth,
or up and down as he casemay be.Don't
stop,or the ine will seize n the melted kerf.
It turnsout that mason'sine will cut ABS
and PVC pipe,schedule 0or 80.The method
is equallyuseful or flush-cuttinga pipe
where t emergesrom a wall or a slab._ C R A I GS A V A G E
Carpinteria,Calif.
2-in. drywall-screw ut
Nylonmasol ine
A3A-in.by %-in. handle also undionsasa.depthstop. ^
handle o cut pipeinside.
erYrTwistfrom
\
)
A' )I
\
\ :
Plast
Pipe.
\
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UNHEATED ARAGE
12-in. rostproofsill cocksZ--
H OU S E IDE
SharedwallFreezeproofing garagesink
Every shop needs a slop sink, so I decided to install one in my attached
garage workshop. Because live in a cold climate and wanted to use the
sink year-round, frost protection was mandatory.My solution was to
locate a plastic laundry sink on the wall shared with the house and to use
frostproof sill cocks for the hot and cold water supplies. These valves
normally are used for outdoor faucets and are available in both 8-in.
and l2-in. lengths. The supply lines run up from the basement nside
the shared wall, protected from the cold by the warm interior of the
houseand its insulation.
The tailpiece from the sinkt drain takes a 90o turn by way of a lVz-in.
horizontal PVC drainpipe, which penetratesthe rim joist before joining
a P-trap in the basement. Putting the P-trap in the basement keeps its
contents frorn fr eezing.
Whether it be for washing paintbrushes or just for scrubbing my dirty
hands, the slop sink has been a satisfying addition to the workshop.
-KARL JUULGlenmont , .Y .
Ho t and coldsupply ines
Trap
To buildingdra in
Garage
floor
Dril l ingholes n EPS
I neededo drill an 8-ft.-longhole n the EPS(foam)
coreof a stress-skin anel n order to installa vent pipe
for a kitchensink. I don't know of anyoff-the-shelfbits
or holesawsdesigned or a task ike this, so mademy
own, usinga pieceof the samepipe hat would end up in
the hole.With my copingsaw, cut teeth n the end of a
pieceof ABS pipe.A coworkeruseda Surform plane o
sharpen he teeth.
I mounted he otherend of the 2-in.pipe n a
2%-in.-dia. ole saw. t fit perfectly. hree drywall
screwshrough the slots n thesideof thehole saw
securedhe ABS. Presto! hada holesaw8 ft.long
attached o my Yz-in.Hole Hawg drill. It easily ut a hole
in the foamthat was heexactsizel needed.
Hole saw
- J l M F R A N D E E N S o q u e l , a l i f .
Screws
I REMoDELTNGrP
2. Cutsection away'
from halved coupling.
PVC-pipe atchTo ix a leaking oint in a PVCwater-supply ine, I start by cut-
ting a coupling n half, makingsure o remove he stop in the
middle. I then cut one of the halves n two. The ratio should
be about 600loo 40o/o, ith the larger piece ust big enoughnot to break as t is pushedonto the pipe like a C-clip.
I shut off the water and drain the line to let the joint dry out.
Then I apply multipurpose glue, made for ABSand PVCpipe,
to both the pipe joint and the patch. With the factory-edge
side of the modified couplingtoward the leak, I snap he
patch over the pipe and slide it hard against he leaky oint.
Someglue should squeezeout. Le t it dry overnight, and the
water ine s ready or use. -BRUCECALDERWOODiaemail
3. Coat with glue,then snap modifiedcouplingonto pipeand slide against eak.
cutting eeth(
\
LeakingPVCwater pipe1. Cut coupling in half
G R E A T B U I L D I N G T I P S 2 0 0 6 85
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Roofi g
Shingle ut table
On a recent roofing job, my brother askedme tocut several undlesof shinglesnto starterstrips
to usealong the eaveand rake edges.As shown n
the drawing below,I madea simplecut tableby
nailing a lx3 along the bottom edgeof a 2-ft.by
3-ft. scrapof 3A-in.orientedstrandboard(OSB).By
setting hecut tableon a pair of sawhorses,I ould
work with it at a comfortableheight.A lx4 prop
on the underside ilted the table o a better position,
and I cut a 3-ft.-longby 7-in.-widestripof %-in.
OSB asa rip guide for cutting shingles.
I seta pile of inverted shinglesagainst he lx3
stop.Then I adjusted he bladeon my utiliry knife
so hat it just scribed he surfaceof one shingle
when I ran it along the 7-in. guide. I wasdone
cutting the starters n half the time it ordinarily
takesme.-I foundother
shingle-cuttinguses
for the table, oo. By
restingal2-in. trian-
gular framing square
(sometimesalleda
SpeedSquare)against
the stop,I could
make accuraterepetitive rosscuts
for rakestarters r
trim shingles or end-
ing courses t walls._ B R U C EG U E R T I N
Coventry,R.l.
3-ft.by 7-in.ri p guide
1x 3stop
Roofsheathing
Waterproofmembrane
Drip edge
MembrancoversgaP
\..tt',
" \
Fascia
lce-dam prevention
The drawing aboveshowshow to modify the typical roof-edgedetato seal he gap between he fasciaand the roof sheathing rom ice
dams. run waterproof membranea coupleof inchesdown the fasc
to apoint below the top of the gutters.Becausewaterproof membra
aren't rated or exposureo sunlight,I cover he membrane'witha
pieceof flashing that runs from the edgeof the roof sheathing o the
middle of the fascia.With this detail, cebuildups forming up from
the gutter might get under the drip edge,but they can't get through
CHUCKGREEN shland,
Drawings, cxccpt whcre notcd: Charlcs Millcr. Photo this page: Roe A. Os
Starterstrips
1x 4prop
FINE HOMEBUILDING
Z-ft. by 3-ft. scrapof plywoodor OSB
the gap.
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Shingling rom the top downlot of people think I'm kidding when
sing the praisesof shingling a house
the ridge down. Quite to the
shingling a roof from the top
(we're talking asphalt shingles
can be faster than going from the
up, and it alwaysgives a better
For example, starting at the ridge
working down savesyou from
over the materials you just
On a hot day, the wear and tear
asphalt roof can be considerable.
On roofs requiring staging, you can
the duckboards and scaffold sup-
to the deck without special
They'll also be convenient ro
on your way down, without fear
the roof.
In reroofing, there is an additional
Becausedebris slidesdown
only the old roof, you can redo only
coursesat a time as you feel
removing.
The trick is to have several starter
and initially to nail theseshin-
t the top only. As shown in the
abbve, snap a line below the
that gives you a comfortable reach.
should be an exact number of
his page:Bill Phill ips
Start first course with nailsonly
Tuck owercourseunderthis row.
)
Second startingcoursebeginsan equal numberof exposuresbelow the first row of shingles.
courses rom the eave, asdefined by the
shingle exposure. Now nail your first
course of shingles with the lower edges
following the line, but tacked along
the top only. Shingle upward from this
course to the ridge in normal fashion.
Move your staging down, if need be,and snap another line an exact number
of coursesbelow your first one, again
within a comfortable reach. As you
prepare to nail down this second srarter
course, don't forget to start with a full
tab or a half tab at the rake, depending
on whether you have an odd or even
number of courses o lay. Shingle
upward to the initial starting course,
which you will lift out of your way to
allow the lower course to tuck under
it. With the lower course safely nailed
in place, you can nail the initial srarter
course of shingles in the normal fashion.
Repeat this sequenceas often as neces-
sary to reach the eave.This technique is
simpler to do than it is to describe,and
in my experience, this method becomes
part of the permanent repertoire of all
who try it.
E M A N U E LA N N A S C H
Halifax, .S.,Canada
I nEMoDELTNGrP
Asphalt-shng e reroofing
Have you ever noticed the wavy pattern
on a roof with two layersof asphaltor
fiberglass hingles? his s due to the
uneven hickness f the shingleswhere
they overlap,whichcancreateas many
as six thicknesses.
To preventshinglebuildupon the typi-
cal 5-in. exposure oof, trim the first rowof new shingles o 5 in. and the second
row to 10 in.,and butt them against he
bottom edge of the old courses bove.
Theseshingleswill work as spacers hat
allow the new roof to start a different
overlappattern that misseshe old
bumps,with a 3-in.exposureon the first
row and a normal5-in.exposure rom
there on. This method letsyou butt the
new shingles gainst he bottoms of the
old. First, hough, makesure he cours-
es on the old roof are straight.Yournew roof now will lie flat.-JACK McGH IE Tucson, r i z .
Original
-nias"r@
==FTHEWRONGWAY
roof\
G R E A T B U I L D I N G T I P S 2 0 0 6
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ROOfing (continued)
Removing damagedshingleSome oof repairs-nail pops, or example-require replac-
ing singleshingles.Removing the damagedshinglewithout
damaging the surrounding shingles s the tricky part. Thisprocesssbestdonewhile shinglesare coolenoughnot to
melt underfoot and warm enoughnot to crack. n the sum-
mer,I handle his part of the repairbefore8 a.m. n the win-
ter, I do only emergency epairs.
1 First, break the bond createdby the seal-downstrips
below and on the two courses bove
the shingleyou want to remove.This
stepmay'bedifficult with somenewer
laminatedshingles: 5O-yearhingle
with a 110-mphwind warranty has
an aggressive dhesivebond. In these
cases,I ut the adhesive tripwith apry bar.
2 With the bondsbroken,I can
remove he four nailsholding the
damagedshingle.
3 Before remove he shingle,
though,I have o remove our more
nailsdriven through the courseabove.
4 Now I canpull out the damagedshingle,slip in a newshingle, nd renailall the oosened hingles.
When refastening hingles, on't pur new nails n the old nailholes; hey'll pop right out. Insread, ail nexrro the holes, ndput a dabof sealant ver he old holes.While your caulkgun
is handy,sealdown all the loosened hingle abswith a dabof sealant. -STEPHEN HAZLETT kron,Ohio
1- in.-widetop b lock ,4 n.long by % in. hick
Exposure lus 1 in.
Cedar-roofshinglingguideA few yearsagoat a cedar-shinglemanufactu
er'sseminar,he ocal ep showeda film of a re
professionalnstallingshingles. his guy wasnailing so ast that the entire room burstout
laughing.Roofing sonly part of my repertoir
and that levelof skill isn't n thecards or me.
When I do installwood shingles,Iset he
courseso a pencil ine that I mark usinga sim
guidemadeout of a 4-ft. to 5-ft. engthof %-in
plywood.To makethe guide,I rip the plywoo
to a width equal to the exposureof the shingle
plus in. I affix l-in.-wide,4-in.Jong,Vz-in.
thick stopblocks o the undersideof theplywo
at eachend asshown n the drawing at left.
I position he guide so hat the stopblocksca
the buttsof thepreviouscourse f shingles, n
I draw a line along the top of the guide to loca
the buttsof the nextcourse.Next,I move he
guideup,lay its bottomedgealong his ine,an
mark another ine along he top of theguide.O
course,he shingles over his ine as hey're a
down, but theguideprovidesa referenceine f
nailing on the eadingedge.As a control,I sna
chalklineevery ew courses.-ARNE WALDSTETNreat arrington
Markingguide
FINE HOMEBUILDING8 Photos this page:Daniel S. Mor
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Shingle older
Roofswith a 5-in-12 o a 7-in-12pitch canbewalked, but shingles
awaiting nstallation end to slide.To keepshingleswithin reachas hey
are nstalled, usea shingleholder madeup of a str ip of lx4 about 8 ft.
long anda2x4 blockand wo 4x4blocks,3r/zin.long.
Attach the blocks o the strip by nailsdriven through the back of thelx4. A 40-in.space etween he blocksaccommodatesither 36-in.or
lm shingles. t the top of the 1x4,I drilled aVz-in.-dia. ole,which I
threadovera roofingnail drivenhalfway nto the roof. I place his nail
just above he top of the groove
of the shingle 've already
installed n the previous
course.When I move
the shingle older,I
justpound n that nail
all the way, and the
,....nextcourse verlapst,
r r ' : . . - J O H N C A R R O L L
: "' Durham,N.C.
Shingles est on4x4 blocks.
I REMoDELTNGIPS
Shingle leanup
Stripping he old shinglesoff a house s a messy ob by any-
body's standards. he accumulated iecesof cedaror asphalt
tend to rain down around he house,often damaging ragile
landscaping. o prevent his problem, use a sheet of 6-mil
poly to act as a combinationprotectivebarrierand tarpaulin,as
shown n the drawing below. I staple the poly to the top piece
of a 2x4 frame, making sure
that the top edge of the
poly is doubled and
wrapped around
the horizontal2x4.
Thisarrangement
savesa lot of
cleanup ime
and leavesmyclientssmiling.
- C H A R L I E
W O O D H O U S E
Kensington, Calif.
Holder ssecuredby apartiallydrivenroofing nail.
--\.:i
-- ,/' --a-' .-/
-
a
Exposure lushalfof doublecovera9e
Wirehook
Centerl ineof holes
Lengthequalshalf
of doublecoverage.Wire hook
madeof 1O-ga.copperwire
Slate-roofrepair
The drawing above showsmy method for
replacinga broken roof slatewithout
exposedwire.
After removing he brokenslate,drill a pair
of holes n the new slate.The distance rom
the bottom edge of the s late to the center-
line of the holesequals he exposureof the
slateplushalf ts double coverage that por-
tion of the coursewhere three slatesover-
lap one another).The bent endsof a 1O-ga.
copper-wirehook pass hrough the holes.
The rest of the wire hook passesunder the
replacement late and hangson the top edge
of the slate directly beneath t.
-RANDYE. MEDLIN aur inburg,.C.
'(/.
GREATB U ILD IN GTIP S2006
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Siding
Nai l as
safety stop
a---/-'.,7----
-----?7
A site-madesaw guidefor cutting vinyl
-
Cutting vinyl soffit and siding marerial
be done quickly and accurately with a sa
guide.I usually have a commercially ava
able guide on site. Once in a while, thou
it goes missing, and I have to improvise.
In one such instance,I noticed a few
scrapsof 1x6 shiplap siding on the burn
As shown in the drawingr l cut two piec
33 in. long and, with their rabbeted edge
facing one another,laid them upside dow
atop a couple of 2x6s.With the 1x6 piece
set at a distance equal to the width of my
saw's base,I screwed them to the 2x6s.T
setup made a nifty little slide guide for c
ting vinyl siding or squaring lx or 2x sto
The sawkerf in the far 2x6 indicares rh
cutline. In the near 2x6,a nail actsas asafetystop to keep the saw from acciden
tally backing out of the guide.
_ W I L L R U T T E N C
Valdost
Kert markscutline.
V.inyl offit orsidingmaterial
1x sh ip lap id ing
S5w base ridessiding rabbets.
2
)
z n:
Cleancorners or manufactured idingI've been installing a lot of nonwood siding over the past few years,such as cement-basedand hardboard lap siding. To complement their clean look, I've taken toinstalling custom-made steelcorners. As shown in the drawing below, the corners
have flanges that are nailed to the wall and act as ntegral flashings in caseanymoisture gets behind the siding. The siding abuts the projecting corner of the metaltrim details.
A local metal shop makes the corners from steelgutter stock. This material isi-nexpensiveand comes n brown, white, or primer. The steelcorners hold paintbeautifully. Before I started using these corners,I used cedar corner boards. Theywould shrink eventually,leaving a cracked caulk joint. With steelcorners, rhar
problem is a thing of the past.
RICHARD ARBYMer l in , re .
1 i n . r r , r r t
1- in . olds
ShingleTLC
I had to replace windows in a 30-year-old
house that was covered with cedar shing
and try as I might,I found it impossible
to scar some of the shingles with my ladd
Also,I had to remove some shingles o tr
them, which further damaged their face
After thinking about th e problem,I
decided to try reviving the shingles with
a very soft wire brush. I brushed with the
grain, starting at the top and working
down. I first tried a small spot in an unob
trusive placeand found that the shingles
had a nap like suede or velvet. Brushing
with the grain pushed all the fibers back
into the grain lines that emerge as the
shinglesweather with age.I brushed al l tshingles around each window about a foo
out from the casings,and then I spraysd
them lightly with a hose o clean the wall
of fine particles.When everything dried,
evidence that any work had been done w
_ R I C H A R D E . R
Doylestown,
Outsidecorner InsidecornerInsidecorner
at bay windowOutside cornerat bay window
90 F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
barelynoticeable.
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CLAPBOARDIDING
Scribing curved clapboard ends
I had to apply clapboardso the side of a garage hat has
archeddoors, which meant that I had to cut the ends of the
clapboards o match he changingarc of the trim around he
doors. I think the method I came up with to mark the curve
worked out better than the typical scribing echnique. As shown
in the drawing, I cut a pieceof scrap sheet metal into a strip
about 8 in. ong and % in .
wider than the curved rim.
I laid the metal ight against
the trim and held it with a few
finishingnails.Then I rubbed
a pencilalong he edge of the
metal, held a clapboardagainst
it, and pressed irmly. The backof the clapboardnow had a
perfectly curved cutline to fol-
low with my jigsaw.
_ R I C K B O I S V E R T
North Dartmouth, Mass.
Tar-paper plinesensurealeakproof oint
Placedunder eachbutt joint and at the
windows, he splines ap the lower course
by th in . and guide any water that enters
the joint to the outside of the clapboards.-MIKE GUERTINast reenwich,. l .
Finishing ails
Gang-cuttingangled clapboards
The next time you're cutting clapboards hat run from a verticalwindow
or sidewall o a rake board, ry this trick.Cut the roof angleon one end
of five clapboards l stack hem and cut them all at once with an 8%-in.circularsaw).
While he pointsof the clapboards till are lined up, slide a squarealong
the bottom edge of the top clapboard.As shown n the drawing, align the-exposuremark (in his case4 in.)with the edge of the clapboardend.
Now, mark the edge of the top clapboard, lip the square,and extend the
mark across ll the clapboards.Slide he boardsso that the pointed ends
line up with the marksabove hem, as shown n the drawing. Measure he
Problem:Lay out and
first clapboard,and you're
readyto make he cut (l
gang-cut the clapboardsbetween the window
suggesta 1O-in. ower
miter saw for this).
After about 15 clap-boards, t's a good
idea to remeasure
becauseerrors have
a tendency to
accumulate.
_ R A N D A L L S M I T H
Barrington, N.H.
and the rake board. Rake board
First, ind theexposure with
a square.
/-4-in' exPosure
p-Roof angle
Markthe bottomedge of the topclapboard.
Next, extend the markacross all the clapboards.
-*t4fif \..4t:.-47--
'l'z'Z::V ,
/Now, spread the boards so
page: Andy Engel GREAT BUILDING TIPS 2006
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sheathedmy workshop with 1x6boards oined
galvanized plines. his methodgets
out of the width of a board. For the
used2-in.-widegalvanized teel, om-
strap ogethershipmentsof bulky
thin stripsof nylon or plasticalsocould
used).My wall framing consists f 4x4son
2-in.galvanized-steel spline
1x6siding
with platesat top andbottom and
il. I ran eachpieceof sidingover my
a l-in.-deep kerf in eachedge.
had a board n place,I nserteda full-
spline n the kerf. The neighboringboard
he protruding spline. kept nailsaway
the splinesand left a little playbetween
boards o allow for woodexpansion.-J O NATHAN DAVI ES Queensland, Australia
hingles
seen number of tips or cuttingoutside
on shingledwalls,but none s assimple
as he method shownin the
above.As illustrated, usea bearing-
flush-trimmingbit in a small router to
the overlappingshingleas he bearing fol-
the profile of theguide shingle.
W I L LH E S C H
Atascadero,Calif.
Guideshingle
Birdhouse ent box
I often remodelor add on to
older wood-clapboard ouses.
When I'm facedwith unsightly
holes n the walls,suchas he
dryer vent picturedhere,
offer to conceal hem with thissimplebit of craftsmanship. he
"birdhouse" smade rom scrap
clapboards nd trim stock, akes
little time to fabricate,and really
impresseslients.
I position t so hat the roof
nestles irecdy undera clap-
boardor flash t with a thin strip
of copper f needed, hensize he
box to allow the ventflap to
open,or whateverelse 'm cov-
ering to function.The sides re
trim stock5/4 cedar n this case,scribed o theprofile of the clap-
boards.The roof isa clapboard
sizedappropriately, nd the
front isclapboardswith half
the revealof the wall they're
mountedon. Hidden cedar
cleats reused or attachment.
Theseboxesnot only solve
little problemsbut alsoare a lot
of fun to build.
-ED WEBER Locustv i l le , a.
4
3 Scribebirdhouse sidesto clapboardprofile.
5 Afirsides and top to cleats. Finishsiding scraps. Leavebottom open.
GREAT BUILDING TIPS 2006
5 rri^ birdhousesides o scribemarks.
_-__z_
7 o$r-*nt holehasbeencutin clapboardiding.
2 hstatlvent flap.
---")
4 etti" cleats aboveand to sides of vent flap.
with
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Trim
Markinga squarecut on a round column
Recently,I had to cut an 8-in.-dia. wood column to length.Because he column was too big for my miter box and
needed to be cut exactly square,I mulled over my options.
A colleague recommended using a piece of rosin paper
to encircle the column at the required length. When the
edges of the paper were aligned,I marked my cut and
used a jigsaw to lop off the unwanted portion of the col-
umn. Note in the section of the column how I angled the
jigsaw a'bit to create a slight back cut, ensuring a tight fit
where the column sits on its base.
- P A TR IC KA . MoLZA H NOr egon ,W is .
Roof sheathing-- \
Blocking for crown
. , r t '
,' ' t" ' '
Rafter tai l Soffitnailerblock
Bedmold ing
Spacer lockson
Soffit
Corrugatedvent strip
tb-in. enters.1
Frieze //
Circulatingair ---------vZ
Siding ucts --//
Column section
behind frieze.
Framed nd sheathedwall
Stealthventing for a traditional boxed eaveOrdinary strip or button-type soffit venrs can ruin the look of a
complex eavedetail, such as the one shown above. Instead,I hold
the frieze board off the wall sheathingwith spacer blocks; a hid-
den vent strip allows air to enter and circulate into the rafter bay
Specialblocking attached to the rafter tails provides nailing for t
inside edge of the soffit and for the flat crown molding.
-ROBERT WEATHERALLpswich,
8-in.-dia.wood column
Hanging asciaboards
Even with two people, t canbe pretty
precarious ut thereon theend of arafter,straining o supporta heavy as-
cia boardwith one hand while trying
to line up a miteredcornerand sink.a
galvanized16dnail with theotherhand.
With the helpof a simple ig, one person
cando it comfortably.
I tack one jig near each end of the
fascia,driving the nails just far enoughto support the fascia. Then I lower the
fascia nto the slots n the jigs (cut the
slots a little oversize to prevent binding).
The jigs hold the fascia n approximately
the right place while I adjust it for align-
ment and nail it in place.
-NEAL BAHRMAN entura, a l i f ,
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G Drawing top right: Rick D
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Plastic container with lid keepsprimer from drying out.
smaller container.
he life of exterior trimy priming he end-grain uts
r maximum durability,I back-
exterior components such as
boards wirh 100% acrylic primer.
t what about the ends of these
If they also are primed and
together, end-grain splices
last over the long haul. Withour
end-grain cuts will soak up
quickly and begin ro rot.
problem is rhar end-grain cuts
be painted until they are cut and
by the carpenrers.
Priming boards can be a potential
for carpenters, so I devised asystem to make the processgo
as possible.As shown in
drawing above, I keep the primer
a clear plastic container with a lid
on it. A paint pad also ives in the con-
tainer, resting in a smaller plastic box
to keep the pad's handle out of the pool
of primer.
Now when the carpenters are run-
ning exterior trim, they can easily
swab the ends of the boards with a
pass rom the paint pad (a paint pad
is much faster than a brush because
it carriesmore paint). I used this
technique on the last spechouse that
I built, and it worked grear. The car-
penters billed me for only a couple of
extra hours of work becauseprimingthe end-grain cuts barely made a dent
in their speed.
_ B Y R O NP A P A
Durham, .C.
\._
Primeend-graincutsduringconstrudion.
WAY
RIGHTWAY
Backerboard
Caulk
;_j=)Backerboard
Trimboard
Caulkneedshelp tostay lexible
Caulk that is allowed to bondto all sidesof a joint cannot
expand and contract without
becoming unstuck. A foam
backer rod enablescaulk to
behave ike an accordion in
response o seasonalexpansion
and contraction.
_ J O H N M I C H A E LD A V I S
bottom eft: Christophe Clapp
Caulk
Trimboard
New Orleans
95
Zero-maintenancecrown molding
I recently enclosed the porch on our
house,and in doing so,I neededa
crown molding for the gable-end
bargeboards. I didn't have to look far.
By ripping some lengths of alumi-
num gutter, as shown in the drawing
below,I was able to fashion'inexpen-
sive, zero-maintenance crown mold-
ings that match the gutrers. I ripped
the gutter into two portions,leaving a
Save this
piece
for drip
edge.
1. Ril
|( " '
N2. Fold flapupward. 3. Drill nail holes
on 12-in.centers.
Aluminum ascia
l-in.-wide flap on rhe crown-molding
pieces. bent this flap by hand over
a pieceof Vz-in.stock. Then I drilled
through this folded edge on l2-in.
centersfor nails. The rest of the gut-
terl I'll use t for drip edgeson my
next project.
_ J A C K M U R P H Y
Pittsburgh, a.
GR E A TB U ILD IN GTIP S2006
Roof sheathing
1- in .a luminum nai l
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StringersA fast, accurateway to makemortised stairs
The typical approach to stair-building is to cut
bird's-mouth notches n a pair of stringers, hen
affix the treads to the tops of the bird's mouths.
Cutting mortises n the sidesof the stringers o
accept he treads s far stronger, so I deviseda ji g
to lay out and cut mortised stringers quickly.
First, lay out the stair's ise and run on a piece
of Yz-in.plywood. The plywood (1) should be big
enough to work as both a router template and as
a layout tool for the next mortise.
Next, cut a slot in the plywood deep enough to
accommodate the depth of the treads.The slot's
width should equal the thicknessof the treads,
plus a bit of wiggle room. Align the plywood ii g
Rise
Guide slot {or mortise
equals depth of treads.
4. Secure treads
with three corrosion-
resistant screws
or nails.
clamps can come in handy at this point for drawing the opposin
stringers toward one another. They should not be so snug that y
have to pound things together, and not be so oose that the asse
wil l rack.
I prefer screwing the stringers o the treads (4) as nsurance ag
the stringers'warping and pulling the nails out of the end grain.
- R IC H A R DWA S H U R NP enobs c o
1. Clamp ig tostringer.
Guide cleats,
both sides
Room for router to
maneuver w i th in
dotted l ines
Mark herefor topof nextmortise.
2. Router with
bearing-guided
bit follows slotcontour, cutting
tread mortise.
:\
3. Cut treads to equal
lengths, and snug
them together
with pipe clamps
or a block and
hammer.
on the stringer, and affix a pair of guide cleats o each side of the
jig. The cleats egisterthe
jigon the stringer and give you purchase
to clamp the jig. Clamp the jig to the stringer, and use a router with
a bearing-guided bit to cut a3/q-in.-deepmortise (2). Make more
than one pass o cut the full depth. Before moving the jig, draw a
line across ts top edge to mark the edge of the next mortise. Cleats
on both sides et you flip the yig and rout the other stringer.
Cut all the treads o equal lengths (3). Set one end of the first
tread in the first mortise of one stringer. Bring the other stringer
to it . and set the tread in its first mortise. Continue from one end
to the other, getting all the treadsstarted n their mortises. Pipe
Stable stringersand an accurate ayout
A few years ago,I read a Fine Homebuilding article by a carpenter who laminated 3/q-rn.
plywood fo r stringer stock because x stock tends to shrink, which makes treads sag. t
occurred to me that an LVL (laminated-veneer lumber) would be even better. Although
LVL stringers remain stable,LVLs aren't always straight, so check for crown before lay-
ing them out. LVLs come in standard l3/c-in. hickness, n standard widths, and in almost
any length.
LVLs cost more than 2x stock, so be extra sure of your layout before cutting. I prefer
to use ocking pliers with a framing squarewhen marking the layout because hey have
more surface iding on the stringer stock and are more accurate han stair-gaugestops.
Also, they're easier o find in your toolbox.
F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
- J O H N S P I E RB l o c k sl a n d , . l .
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bolts hookof 2x4s.
2x4 bending orm
2x remjaw
Balcony
subfloor
Anchor-boltclamps
To build a circular staircaseon site,I needed about 100 clamps.
C-clamps were too slow to install and tighten, too valuable to leave
on a job site, and too heavy to lug ar ound, so I devised two kinds of
clamps that use Yz-in.anchor bolts and 2x framing lumber.
To laminate a stringer, I start by laying out the stair plan on the
subfloor. Then I make a bending form by securingZx4s to the lay-
out lines. The 2x4s become part of the clamp. The top of each remov-
able jaw is secured to its 2x4 with a 6-in. anchor bolt. The bolt's hook
fits througha%-in. hole in the side of the 2x4;aspacer block of suit-
able thickness takes up the bolt's unthreaded portion. The bottom
of the jaw is secured to the form by an 8-in. anchor bolt through the
2x4.In use,I insert the top bolt first, snug it to keep the assembly
together, then run the bottom bolt through. I use an electric impactwrench with a deep socket to tighten and remove the nuts quickly.
For handrails,I use a seriesof clamp brackets,as shown in the
drawing. Here, they are screwed to a balcony subfloor to laminate
a simple curved handrail, but they also can be affixed to stair treads
to laminate spiral handrails. -ROBERT J. D ICK Lovet tsv i l l e , Va
frame
Handrai lclampsscrewed osubfloor
va>
Eight-in.bottomanchorbolts runthrough 2x4s.
Plywoodgusset
stress relief
has taught me to cut stringers out of 2x stock carefully. If
goes even a litde bit beyond the intersection of the rise and
can create a weak spot that either can weaken the stringer or can
one of the ears that support the treads to fall off if it's bumped
installation. The drawing below shows how I avoid the problem.
After marking the layout for rise and run,I bore Yz-in. -dia. keyholes
the backs of the treads and the bottoms of the risers are ro meer.
use a circular saw to make the bulk of the cuts, stopping short
the cuts with a jigsaw.
keyholes provide stress elief, minimizing the
of a sawcut-induced crack weakening the
I've been using this technique for the
or so years,and the method hasn't failed
yet. _ M I C H A E L S T A N D I S H
West Roxbury Mass.
Plywood
gusset
2x4 cleat
Reinforcinghe first stepThe bottom of a stringer can be weakened if you have '.
to cut the first step shorter rhan the unit rise to allow
for tread thickness (usually I in.)and if the stringer is
notched for a2x4 floor cleat. Because he wood wants to
split along the weak diagonal grain,I always beef up the
carriages by screwing and gluing a piece of plywood to
the sides.
- MIC H A E L v o r . r ECKBAR-FRABBIELEewOr leans
Strengthening he roughstringer's first step withglued and nailedplywoodgussetsensures hat thestringerwon't breakacross he weakdiagonalgrain.
Finishcutouts,taking care notto overcut.
Bore1/z-in.-dia.
holesat insideintersectionofriseand run.
w,',!,1
/Lay out riseand un intypical manner.
2x stair stringer
exceptwhere noted: Robert Goodfellow. Photos:Roe A. Osborn.facing page, his page op and bottom eft:CharlesMiller.
Rough tringer\
Y--li t r ' i il i , / i l//" L'1'
i . {
f
/GREAT BUILDING TIPS 2006
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Treads& RisersGaugemeasures him hickness
In many cases, tair stringers are built by the framing carpenter,
who is long gone by the time you come along to make a silk purse out
of an old sow's ear. Although many framers do a great job, it's n your
best nterest to build the rough stringers yourself,,or at leastcheck
them with a level and rule before you bid on finishing the stairs.
A tapered shimgauge, cut froma scrapof wood and calibratedby the 16thof an inch,makesa handy gauge for
determining shim
thickness.
Leveling across the width of
a tread rs easier with a 10-in.
Ievel cut from a larger level.
Extension caps screwed
to each end of the level
accommodate cupped treads.
hffi{lu'llu*,Y)
block
I make a shim gauge out of a scrap of wood. I measure along
edgesof the shim and make marks every Vrcin. n thickness. t
color in every other segment with a marker. After I've got the g
made, I rip shims of different thicknessesand keep them on ha
Some people use shingles as shims, but their tapered profile givthem uneven bearing; the surface to be shimmed only hits the h
point of the shingle.
To use the gauge,I simply slip it under the tread or behind the
riser (inset drawing at left) that needsshimming and tap it in un
the tread is level or the riser is plumb. I note the mark on the ga
remove the gauge, and replace it with one of my precut shims. O
you have the shim in place, the difficult work is done. Then it's
a matter of fastening the tread or riser to the stringer.
The whole processof shimming treads is slowed or voided if
center stringer is too high. When cutting my own stringers,I el
nate the possibility by overcutting both the treads and ri sers of t
center stringer by %in. to3/sin. When I install the treads, leve
and shim the two outside stringers. Then it is simply a matter o
gluing and screwing a lYz-in. cleat to the center carriage, which
brought into contact with the finished tread. I use the same pro
for the risers.
- M I C H A E L v o r . rD E C K B A R - F RA B B I E L E e w O
colored marker
for easy
reference.
Fitting stair treads
Cobbled together out of scrapplywood, the jig shown in the
drawing below makes it easy o fit sta ir treads between a pair of
walls or skirtboards. To use the jig,loosen the wing nuts and lay
it across he tread cuts of the stair stringers with its back tight
against the riser cuts. Then extend the legs so that they're snug
against the walls
or skirtboards.
and tighten all the
nuts. Remove the
jig carefully, place
it onto the tread
stock, and scribe
the end cuts on the
stock. When cut-
ting, leave ust a
trace of the cutline
for a perfect fit._ R O B E R T
P L O U R D E
Atlanta
* \
Fill in with /
Woodlevel cutto 10 n .
Cuppedtread
Shoftened level fits on treadWhen leveling treads from front to back, it's handy to have a sm
level. For years,I used a2-ft.level, bu t I was constantly knoikin
off the step because t hung off the end of the tread. I've also nev
found a small bullet level that didn't seem ike a toy. To solve th
problem,I cut down a larger wood level to 10 n. and screwed s
extension blocks of wood on the ends. The blocks extend past th
bottom of the level and give me an accurate read on cupped trea
- M I C H A E Lv o r , r E C K B A R - F R
New O
Drawing bottom eft: Charl
1/+in. by 1/+in. carriage bolts
Extend egs or asnug fi t againstwallor skirtboard.
98 F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
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RailingsCovering newel-post bolts
Sometimes he only way to fasten he newel post s to
anchor t to the stringer.Often, the bolt holes ou have o
drill are at anangleother than square o the faceof the
newel. Off-angle holescan be hard to plug, and when you
do plug them, hey usuallydon't look right. Insteadof
pluggingholes, saw%in. off the aceof the newel with a
bandsaw, rill and install he bolts,and then glue he piece
over he holes.The bandsaw imits the lossof stock o
about Ytzin.-hardly noticeable<r you can plane offr/+in.and make a new faceplateo glueover he holes.
- M I C H A E L v o r ' r E C K B A R - F R A B B I E L E
Cutting a 1/e-in.
sliceoff the edgeof the newel witha bandsaw,and
gluing it backonafter running nthe bolts, coversthe holesandmakes or a neat,finished look.
New Orleans
Newel post
1. Make plumb cut at endof handrail.
l *! [
\t rj "'
Hidden handrail
connectionI recently needed to fasten
a handrail to a wall and
didn't have room for a
rosette to secure the hand-
rail becauseof the minimal
clearance o the outside
corner. So I devi sed an
invisible bolted connection
through the rail into the
wall framing. As shown in
the drawing, the lag bolt is
hidden beneath a wedge-shaped cap taken off the
top of the handrail.
The first step s to make
the plumb cut on the end
3. Lag-bolthandrailto wallframing.
,.u.,..1
The 1/a-in.
slice of
newel is
glued on .
of the handrail (1). But don't cut the handrail to length yet. Now
rotate the miter saw's able to make about a70" cut, and take off the
wedge-shaped cap that will cover the lag bolt (2). Thp. the cap back
onto the handrail so that it is flush with the radiused top of the rail.
Notice that it's a little short becauseof the material removed by the
sawblade. Recut the end of the rail so that the cap and the rail end i
a flush plumb cut.
Next, drill the necessaryholes to receive a lag bolt and washer, an
the shank hole (3). Cut the handrail to length, run home the bolt,
and glue the cap in place (4). Sanded and stained, the cap seam is
nearly invisible.
-WALTER D. COLTONWellsboro,
Lag bolts
F,:*,*\"\.
l;
4. Conceal bolt
Circular-rail enter finder
For finding the centeron oval or round handrails hat havebeen
fit and either permanentlyor temporarily astened,Imodified a
marking gaugeby letting a evelvial into thegauget beamand
replacing he metal scribewith a pencilheld n placeby a woodwedge.An auxiliary enceprovides he additionalheight hat is
needed o compensateor the ncreasedength of the pencil.By
watching he evelvial,I can keep he beamhorizontalas run the
gaugedown the engthof the handrail,and I make a pencil ine
along ts bottom center.
On a similar note,I've found that one of the most useful ools or
both shop work and work in the field is a regular marking gauge
with themetalscribe eplacedwith a mechanical encil.
- M I C H A E L v o r . r E C K B A R - F R A B B I E L E
Modifying amarkinggaugeeases he processof finding the
center of a circularor ellipticalhandrail.
Pencilwith
into beam
N wedge\- replaces
metal
scribe.
Drawing top right: CharlesMiller
NewOrleans
GREAT BUILDING TIPS 2006 9
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Railings (continued)
Pinpoint stair-rail accuracyIn my experience,he oints n the handrailarewhat people
reallyscrutinize.They are easy o see, nd f a misalignedjoint doesn't atchyour eye, our handeventuallywill find it
instead.Here'sa tip to help keep hoseointsbetweenhandrail
sections,uchas he ntersection etween he easing nd the
rail,alignedproperly.
As shown n the drawing, I set wo little brads nto the
rail, then clip off their heads, eaving
pointed brad ends above
the rail bolt. Now
when I draw the tw o
pieces together by
tightening the nut
on the rail bolt, th e
handrail sections
won't twist._ S T E P H E N .T O B I N
Ridgefield, onn.
Spindle-hole sizing gauge
The diameter of the top, or thin end, of a tapered spindle can
decreaseas he spindle gets onger. Therefore, the hole drilled into
the handrail for the back spindle on a tread can be smaller than the
hole for the front baluster.
I take a block of wood and drill a seriesof different-diameter holesin it. The holes are drilled at the same angle that the spindles meer
the handrail. After I cut a tapered spindle to length, I plug it into
the sizing gauge to determine which size hole fits best; hen I bore
the hole in the rail. To save ime, it's best to have rwo or three drills
chucked up with the bits you most
likely will need.
- M I C H A E Lv o r . r E C K B A R - /F R A B B T E L E
. r . . . " 'NewOrleanr
\
PlumbingbalustersWhen layingout a handrail o drill holes or balusters, usea
plumb bob o get a vertical ine from the marks I've laid our on rhe
treads.Rather han fiddling with the plumb bob's tring engthon
each readand waiting for the bob o stopswinging, mark the
stringat the heightof the front balusterand the rearone.When I g
up to the next tread,all I have o do ishold the ine on the mark fothe particularbaluster ocationand hold it on the rail. The referen
marksmean don't have o fumble with string ength.
Here'sanotherhint: I've found that usingbraidedstring,as
opposedo the morecommon wisted-strand tring,helps o keep
my plumb bob rom spinningand swingingaround when thebob
hang ing f ree . -MICHAEL von DECKBAR-FRABBTELE ew Or l ea
Marking he plumbline with a felt-tippen makesa quick
referenceor plumbingsuccessive ets ofbalusters.
Mark
line with
colored
pen.
Distance A is the
approximate height
of the front baluster;
distance B is the rear
baluster.. "1
, J . - \
\\I
Railbolt
Testing he fit of a taperedspindle n a block withdifferent-sizeholes drilled init determineswhat size holeto drill in the handrail.
Handrai l sections
Clippedbrads
Holesdri l led n1/sz-in.incrementsat angleof handrail
1OO FINE HOMEBUILDING Drawing top Ieft:CharlesMill
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Judicious grinding
of spade bits
makes them bore
holes in diameters
between stock
sizes. Beveled
corners preventtearout.
Paint
indicates
modified
bits.
Regroundspade bitswork better
The worst thing in
the entire world that
can befall a stair-
builder is to hear his
just-installed treadssqueak. The second-
worst thing is to
have the spindles rattle.
For spindles not to rattle,
they have to fit perfectly in
their holes. To make a per-
fect fit,I modifv common
spade its. tt easy o grind down
the bitsby %z n. (o rYain. on each
side).So, or example, nsteadof jumping
from'A in. to rVrcrn..vou'll havea bit that's2Vtzrn.
Another hint: Because he newly mod ified bits will have their former
sizes stamped on them, it's important to paint new numbers on the sides
of each bit. One time, a carpenter who was setting a balustrade went
into my toolbox without my knowledge and bored 35 holes with what
he thought was a3/+-in.bir.
Another thing about spadebits: When boring at an angle, say, nto an
oak handrail, a spade bitb 90" corners tend to tear out chunks of wood
as the bit starts a hole. Grinding off the corners makes a clean cut by
producing a scraping action as the bit spins into the wood. I grind a long
lead on some bits to make them useful for grinding holes in steep hand-
rails. The long lead establishes he bit in its hole before the shoulder
engageswood.
- M I C H A E Lv o x D E C K B A R - F R A B B I E L Ee wO r l e a n s
Beveled corner
Grind 1/cein.
off each side.
Grind aIongerIead forangleddrilling.
Cappinga pipe rail
I occasionally use lVz-in.-dia.
steelpipe for handrails. It is
plenty sturdy and easy o grip,
but it needs something other
than a lYz-in.-dia. cap threaded
on its ends to look presentable.
As shown in the drawing,I use
a 1-in.-dia. cap threaded onto a
1-in.-dia. nipple instead. wrap
the nipple with a couple of turns
of electrical tape to ensure a
tight f it. The nipple is held in
place by a3Ae-in dia. stovebolt
that is run into a hole drilled
and tapped into the pipe and
nipple from below.
_WA LTE RD . C OLTON
Wellsboro, a.
Baluster auge
Some staircases all for square-ended balusters that fit
into a groove plowed into the underside of the handrail.
Becausebaluster lengths can vary as much as3Aen. for a
given position on each tread,I made a baluster gauge that
employs the sliding metal ruler taken from the end of a
folding rule.As shown in the drawing below,I let the thin metal ruler
into a piece of wood a couple of inches shorter than the
shortest baluster. Small wood straps hold the ruler in place.
A leve l vial secured with Bondo makes plumbing easy.
- MIC H A E L v o r , r E C K B A R - FR A BB IE LEewOr lean
Baluster engthscanvary.On railswith a grooveplowed on the underside,thisgaugemakesquickwork of findingthe proper ength.
Groove
plowed nhandrai l
Gauge length
is shorter
than shortest
baluster. extension from
folding rule
11/z-in.pipe
ra i l i ng
\l - in . n ipp le
Elearic|ro" \*c-in. stovebolt
Level vial
let in an d
secured wi th
Bondo
101rawins bottom eft: CharlesMille G R E A T B U I L D I NG T I P S 2 0 0 6
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Hl=height ofinstrument
Masking ap e
Z-\
Gradestick
Mark Hook tapemeasurensawkerf, hewrap the tapover and dothe grade s
Decks
Measuringpostson unevengroundWhenever I build decks,I place the piers and then cur posts
to carry the girders that will support the deck framing. The
bottoms of the girders are in the same plane, but all the piers
are at slightly different elevations.The problem becomes how
to calculate the length of each post efficiendy. As shown in the
drawing to the right, the method I've devised eliminates
almost all the calculations. I simply read the length of each
post off the scaleon the grade stick. Flere's how my system works.
To start, calculate the height of a post needed for one of the piers,
for example, pier No. 2. Suppose ts post needs tobe l2%in. from
the top of the pier to the bottom of the girder. Have a helper hold
a lxZ grade stick atop the pier, and shoot it with a builder's level.
(Note: The grade stick must be long enough to shoot the lowest
pier.) Mark your HI(height
of instrument) on the grade stick andmeasure down 123/ain.Now use a handsaw to make ar/t-in.-deep
sawkerf at this line.
Insert the hook of a tape measure into the sawkerf, and wrap a
pieceof masking tape around the blade of the tape measure so thar
it's secured to the grade stick. Now run the tape measure over the
\rr,ld.r 's level
Pieril;--'----
s_PierNo
PierNo. 1
top of thegrade stick and backdown past he sawkerf.Lock the
tapemeasure, nd wrap a couplemorepieces f tapearound he
stick and the tape-measure lade o hold things together.
Return to pier No. 2 and shoot he gradestickonceagainwith tbuildert level.The crosshairshould ine up with the 123/t-in.m
You are now ready o shootall the remainingpiers.What you rein the evel s the engthof eachpost.
This proceduremay seem ike a ot of trouble,but it goesmorequickly than reading his tip. And you canapply hesamemetho
to all kinds of post-and stud-lengrh alculations.
WI L GORDON PotterVal ley,C
Masking ap e
<14
iSr
Gypboard concreteformsWe recently did a foundation iob in very crumbly, sandy soil. The first task was to
set27 pier blocks in pier holes that were 18 n. on a side and12 in. deep. But by th
time we had dug down a foot, we often had a hole that was more than2ft. across
the top and growing. Faced with filling these craters with concrete, we calculated
that we would waste more than a cubic yard.
Instead of ordering extra concrete, we transformed four sheetsof gypboard into
form boxes. We cut the sheets nto 6-ft. lengths and scored them along their length
at 18 n. on center,leaving the face paper intact. Perpendicular to thesescored ine
we cut the board into l2-in.-wide strips. These strips then were folded into square
boxes,placed in the oversize holes, and backfilled. The forms not only savedcon-
crete, but alsogave us an accurate way to calculate our ready-mix order.
-SUNRISE BUTLDERSanta ruz,
1O2 FINE HOMEBUILDING
Gypboard orm foldedwith facing ntact
Drawings, cxceptwherenored:CharlesMiller. Photo his page:CharlesBick
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PorchesStan with clamp open,then close t to applypressureo the decking.
webbing to make
a bearing point.
Clamping ongue-and-groove oards
A clever method for clamping deck boards usesa pry bar as a bearing point for
pipe clamp (p. 103).Simply insert the pry bar into the gaps between deck board
then hook the clamp to the pry bar; repeat asnecessary.But what if there are n
gaps between the deck boardsl
I ins talled tongue-and-groove decking on my porch, and as a consequence,I h
to use other clamping methods to draw the boards together. I used the rim jois
the bearing point for one end of the clamp until the 12 ft. of pipe could no lon
reach the boards. So I came at the problem from the other side.
As shown in the drawing at left, I turned the clamp's tail stop around so t
it was positioned to push on the workpiece. Then I used a grinder to remov
a bit of the webbing from the back of the screw clamp. This step created a
bearing spot that gave me some purchase on the opposite rim joist. Now I
could screw the clamp to its full open position, then turn it toward its closed po
tion to push on the deck boards. This trick made getting the boards into positio
easy and fast.
_B E R N A R D H . D E R B Y S H IR E ew tow n ,C
Tongue-and-
groove block
wi th tongue
removed
->
Ri m oist Grind away
RAILING DETAILSTHAT KEEPROT AT BAY // 5:ilJI,K#AHO
781/z-in. by 81/z-in.
/*:*d pine cap
Mold ing
iBlocksoregisternewel
%-in. blocks
Moistureproofrailings
lbuild porch ail ings
that prevent water
from collecting. Before
assembly, he spindles
are sealed, sanded,
and primed. Two coats
of marineepoxy seal
the top rail.
The spindles 1% n.
sq. at each end) are
held together at the
top with a %-in. by
1%-in.subtop rail
and on the sideswith
stepped molding. The
top rail is fastened
from below to elimi-
nate exposed fasten-ers. At the bottom of
the railing, he spindlesare sandwichedbetween 272-in.byrYrc-in.shingle molding. I install he railing sections4 in.
off the porch deck and toenail them to the posts with 8d
galvanizednails.Long sectionsof railing are supported with
pressure-treated blocks wedged underneath.
Weather-resistant ewelpostsThe trick to this long-lasting newel post is the vented
plinth. The base s made from shaped 5/4 by 21h-in.
pine, and the corners are mitered, biscuited, andglu
together with epory. I glued four 2%-in.-sq. y %-in.-
blocks to the bottom corners for feet. Two wood bloc
that slide nto th
hollow post and
vent lateral mov
ment are glued
the top of the pl
The entire asse
gets two coats o
marineepoxy.
To vent the top
a %-in.plylood
subcap overhan
the post by %e
on each side (og
molding hides hedges).Semicir
3-in. cutouts:all
airflow. Secure
beveled top cap
with constructio
adhesive.
Subtoprail
\-z
1 0 4 F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G Bottom drawings: Robert Good
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Alignment marks
register balusters.
\
5/4deckingsPacers
2x2baluster
1x4bottomrail
=J
etup or porch ailingsshowsa simple ndexing fixture to
railing. In this example,I assem-
railings hat had 3l-in. balusters, 2x4 top rail, and
rail. The key to the system s a pair of 5/4-in.
madeout of a coupleof 8-ft. engthsof decking.
Set a sheetof 3/t-in.plywood on a pair of sawhorses,
of pieces f straight,5/4-in.decking
the plywood. n this case,Iplaced hem 3l in. apart.
the balusterspacingon the two pieces f
Flere, he balusterswere on 5-in. centerswith
paces etween hem. Now place he top and bot-
rails against he outsideedges fthe decking,spread
nd align their edgeswith the spacingnail everythingoff and affix the trim.
It takesme about15minutes o assemble -ft. sections
railing using his method,and the balusters re all
lumb. -MtcHAEL FoRTUNA rting, ash.
Gazeb - ayout te mp ateDuring the construction of an eight-sided gaze|.cr.,Iameup with a simple
layout template o set he eight posts n the ground at equalmeasurements.
In this gazebo,the nside facesof the oppositepostsare l0 ft. apart, so
began here.As shown n the drawing below, first lappeda pair of l0-ft.
2x4satright angles o one another.Then I drilled aYz-in.-dia. ole hrough
the exact enterof the ap oint.
I used al2-in.length of Vz-in.dowel asa stake o pin the centerof the
template o the center of the gazebo ite and marked the positionsof the
first four posts t the end of each2x4.I rotated he template emporarily o
dig the first four holes, then
I put the template back in
place to set the posts (they
should be touching the
ends of the template as they
are set n concrete). Once
the first four posts were
set,I rotated the template
45o, with equal measure-
ments between all posts,and repeated the process.
_ K E N M A C K L I N
Sarnia, nt.,Canada
l l
Locate irst four posts,then rotate the template45o o locate the secondgroup of posts.
I
2x4
f r"pV, rail
4x4 gazebopost
Layout emplate/made of 10-ft. 2x4s
lt,,'
W.
\- a ,1rP+'- l '
/ - ^
.11it
Half- lapoint,Q, screwed ggether
screenscan be more than difficult to stretch screening evenly acrossa frame without bags,
and zigzags. With the help of a stretcher board, though,I can get professional
every time. As shown in the drawing,I run the screening a few inches long
After stapling the screen to one of the short sides of the f rame,
aple the other edge of the screen to a stretcher board. With the screen attached
hang the end of the frame that I'm working on over the
table and press down on the stretcher board to tension the screen. I staple
to the frame with my free hand. After removing the staples rom the
repeat the processon the unstapled sides of the frame. The bcreen
out straight and taut.
Wood frameframe on two
sides.
Temp6rary taples
Stretcherboard
-DAVID TOUSAIN Coon Rapids, owa
GREAT BUILDING TIPS 2006 105
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Patios
Lineof cutBrickchisel
1x 6chiselgu ide
4-in.by 4-in.by 1/+-in.angleiron,6 in. on g
2x4 stockcut at45" holdsangleiron n place.
Cutting patio curvesThe thoughtof having o cut curves n concrete av-erscanbe ntimidating,but it shouldn't imit thedesignof a patio. To cut curves n paver patios or ourclients,we usea cutoff sawwith a diamond blade,3/+-in,braided ope,and a pencil. In our area,acutoffsawwith a diamond blade rents or about$90a day.)
First,lay out thepavers o hat theyrun beyondthe curveyou wish to cut,asshown in the left photo
above.Then usea engthof 3/q-in.braided ope,which bendsand holdsa curvewell, to layout theradius,and mark it with a pencil.
Finally, after lighdy scoring he pavers n placewiththe saw o make a smoothcurve,removeeachpaverand complete he cut (photoabove ight).
_ D I C K H E N R Y
ChapelHill,N.C.
BrickcutterThe deviceshown at left is a simplebut effective rick cutter harworks by shearingabrick betweena fixedangle ron and a brick chisel.Using thebrick cutter s notas asbreakingbrickswith a masonthammer,but you will get moreaccurate utsand a lot waste.To make thecutter,file a true edgeon the outsidecorner of a shortpieceof angiron andplace t on a heavybase, uchasa beamoffcut,with the outsidecorner acing
Securehe angle ron by placing hemiteredend of a2xtight against achside.On one sideof theangle ron, positiona lx6 on a thick block to acrasaguidefor the
brick chisel.Be sure o set heguide high enough to clear he thickest brick you plan tocut.Adjust theguide's engthso hat when the bevelsideof thebrick chisel s held tighagainst he guide, the point of the chisel s directly over the edgeof theangle ron. On topposite ideof theangle ron, placea supportblock to cradle he brick.
To use hecutter,place hebrick on topof theangle ron with your mark centered vits edge.Position he chiselon top of thebrick, bevel side ight against heguide. One otwo blows with a heavyhammer shoulddo the ob. For facebrick, cut thebrick Ysin.the wastesideof the mark, and clean up the exposededgewith short,controlled paringstrokes f the chisel. -w l LL FOSTER berdeen,W
Bumpers implifystair constructionSome clients asked me to improve
the steps that led from the street to
their front door. The old stepscon-
sistedof crushed stone held in place
by some decaying railroad ties. We
wanted to follow the same arcing
path around bushesand trees,but
with materials that would hold up to
the elements. Stepsof cobblestones
and bricks seemed right, but the
thought of all the complicated form-
ing that it would take to fashion con-
crete footings for the stepsconcerned
us. A trip to a masonry-supply yard
led to the more affordable solution
illustrated in the drawing.
I happened upon a stack ofcon-
crete parkingJot bumpers. They
were straight, with flat tops and
bottoms, and about 5 ft. long. Perhaps
bestof all, theywere ight enough or me ro maneuverby myself.I arrangeda dozenof thebumpers n the required arc,adjusting the
height and spacinguntil I had the layout right. Then I securedeachbumperby driving 2Vz-ft.lengths f rebar hrough the holescast nto rendsof thebumpers or that purpose.
After paintingthetopsof thebumperswith concrete onditioner,Imortared rows of cobblestonestop eachbumper to create he risers.Then I filled in thespacesetweenadjacent iserswith tampedearthaa ayerof bricks arranged n a running bond patrern or treads.Thesestepshavebeen n place or yearsnow and are nonethe worse or weadespite ur wicked New Englandwinters.
-BOB J EPSON J R. M i l t o n ,M
Base , . \iN
Cobblestonesmortaredto concretebumpers
21/z-ft.lengthsof #4 rebar
106 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photos this page, acing page:Chris G
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A GOODPATIOSTARTSELOWTHESURFACE
I
For a lastingpatio, nothing is more important than getting the stone
base irm and flat. I excavate the site 9 in. to 10 in, below finiehed
grade to make room for the base,To engureprop€r drainage,slope
the excavation about th in. per foot. I extend the excavationand the
stone base10 in. to 12in, beyond the perimeter of the final patio
to allow for minor adjustments in patio gizeand to provide stability
at the edge. Oncethe excavation s complete, begin spreading he
stone, ABC stone, which includes all gradations from dust to 1'h-3n,-
dia. gravel,can be packed lat and densewithout losing ts drainage
properties. Apply the base in several 2-in. to 3-in. layers, wettingit down to aid compaction. To pack and flatten the layers, I rent a
pfate compactor (about $75 a day). Repeat the layering process
untilthe base s 3 in. from the finished elevation.
I generally use concrete pavers for patios, so my next layer is a
maximum of 1 in, clean, coarsegand. nitially, start with a little
more sand han it appears need. After runningthe plate compac-
tor, l'm closeto the target elevation.-DICK HENRY hapelHi l l ,.C.
b__g
Fine ethered friendRunninga plate compactor is a boring job
(photo below), but it mugt be done before
pouring a concrete slab.The last time I
was faced with a day behindthe bouncing
handlebars, decided to automate the job.
Plate compactors are designed to creep
slowly forward in a straight line. My job
was to get it to turn without me. As shown
in the drawing above, I tied it to a gtake
driven in the center of the excavation. Each
revolution of the compactor shortened the
leash, resulting in circles of everdecreasing
diameter. This left me free to take care ol
other tasks on the site as I kept track of
the machineout of the corner of my eye.
I still had to finish up the cornercby hand,
but the trick
saved me a lot
of time, andwear and tear
on the wrists
and elbows.-MARKWHITE
Kodiak, laska
Brick-path creed
All walks, drives,and patiosshouldbe constructed o ensureproperdrainage.Concrete idewalksare normally flat,but walks madeof brick, tile, or paving
blocksshouldhavea slightcrown built into them.The crown promotesdrainage,
minimizing the effects f the freeze-thaw ycle,and eliminates uddling.
Before aying a brick path, usea wood screedwith a slight arch o contour he
sandbed.The screed asa notch cut into eachend,asshown n the drawing. The
notches,which areV+n. shallower han the thickness f the brick I'm using, ide
on the path'swood borders.Before use he screed, moistenand tamp the sand
to minimizesettl ing
Ro DG.ETTELMANN ncentown,.J .
- f'
, . .
Drawing t op left: Dan Thornton GREATBUILDING TIPS 2006 , .O7
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Accurate iagonal ile cutsFor a bathroomremodel, my client requesteda horizontal ow of
square,dark tiles orientedvertically, ikediamonds,as a decorative
border. As shownin the drawing, two rows of white triangular tiles
flank the diamonds.The challenge: utting the white tiles at a 45o
angle, as accuratelyas possible, nto two equalportions.Any
error would createan installationnightmarebecauset would be
doubled. f I cut a piece%r in. off center, or example,one side
would be % in. bigger than the other.Tocut preciselybut efficiently,
rigged up thejig
shown n the foreground of the drawing.My first step was to buy two inexpensive riangular plasticsquares
($3 each).Next, I made wo identicalcuts on the squares.Todo
this, I hooked he fence of the squareover the right side of the
sliding able on my tile saw,making sure hat the other side of the
squarebutted against he saw ence. Wth eachsquare n this posi-
tion, I made he cutswith the tile saw.Becausehe blade on thetile
saw s designed o grind through ceramicmaterialand not the compositematerialof the
squanes, made these cuts in severalpasses, aking off a little each ime. When done, both
squareswenecut preciselyhe same,with the cut parallel o the fence of the square.
Next, I clampedone of thesecut squareson the sliding able to the right of the saw-
blade. As before, I hooked he fenceof the squareover the right edge of the sliding able
and butted the edge of the squareagainst he saw ence. used a 1-in.C-clamp hreaded
through one of the holes n the sliding able to hold the square n place. n this position,
the cut edge just kissed he right side of the sawblade.
After clampingdown the first square, used another1-in.C-clamp o affix the other
squane o the left of the sawblade. But first I had to cut away half of the fence on the
squareso that it would lie flat on the table. I used acopingsaw ollowed by a belt sander
for this task.After sliding he edge of the squareagainst he fenceof the saw and
positioning t so that the cut end just kissed he left sideof the sawblade, clamped he
square o the table. The spacebetween the two squaresequaled he width of the kerf
created by the sawblade.
When using he jig, I slid a tile into the V-shaped pace ormed by thetwo plastic
squares.As the drawingabove shows, his spaceheld the tile at a45" angle,with the cor-
ner of the tile in line with the sawblade.After a few trial-and-error uts andminuteadjust-
ments o the positionof the squane n the left, I achievedprecise,uniform results. was
able to cut the 100 triangularpieces hat I needed n about 20 minutes.- J OHN CARROL L Du rh a m,N .C .
Simple iig forcutting small tileCut with a wet saw, small
glass iles often are difficult
to hold and cut accurately.
I make an L-shaped cut in
a larger piece of tile and
use it as a jig to hold the
smaller tiles in line with
the sawblade.
_ T O M M E E H A N
Harwich, Mass.
'F: .P'^>4
1 08 FINE HOMEBUIL DING Drawings:CharlesMiller.Photos:CharlesBic
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C O N T I N U E D
Removing a broken tileWhen I'm calledon to replace broken or
chipped ile,I prefer o removehe offend-
ing tile using ananglegrinder outfitted
with a 4-in.diamond blademadeby Pearl
Abrasive $42;www.pearlabrasive.com).This approach sgood for thick, sof t-bodied
tilessuchassaltillo,but it works on others
aswell.The tile mustbe arger han 4 in., or
there won't be room for the grinder blade.
If the tile issmaller han 4 in., I usea
hole saw o cut out the centerportion of
the cracked ile. Although it'sa slow pro-
cess,'m left with a hole n the tile that
is pried easilywith the tip of a chiselor
a screwdriver.
1. lsolate the victim.To keep he neighboring iles ntact,the first step is to score he groutlines with a utility knife. A few lightpassesdo the trick.
2. Protection is prevention.Before cutting, it' s a good ideato maskoff any nearbycabinetsor furniturewith plasticand tape.On the floor, angle brackets apedto the surrounding iles protectthem from inadvertent slipsof the
grinder'sblade.
3. Diagonal cuts open up the tile.With both hands irmly holdingthe grinder, carefullyplunge heblade into the tile's center and cutdiagonally,hen along he tile's sides.A helper holds he vacuumhose o
'catch the dusty exhaust. Editor'snote: A two-sided guard, such asthe DeWalt DW4705,provides muchbetter protection when cutting with adiamondwheel.)
4. A junky tool still has its uses.Usinga hammerand an old chiselor .putty knife, I work from the outsidetoward the tile's center,carefullyprying out the pieces.
Beforestarting,I make sure o maskoff
any surrounding cabinet acesor furniture.
I also usemetal anglebrackets o protect
neighboring tiles from possible vercutting
(photo2). Following the four steps hown nthe photosbelow, use he grinder to cutan
X in the tile to be removed. usea Dremel
tool fitted wi th a small #7134diamond-
point bit (www.dremel.com)n the corners
where the grinder can't reach.Once the
tile is removed,I scrape ut anyremaini
thinsetwith a putty knife and an old chi
and I vacuumthe substrate. then make
sure he replacementile fits,mix a smalbatchof thinset, rowel it into the space
set he tile. Once he thinsethasdried.I c
grout the ile'-JANE AE.N Berkerey
. I 1 OFINE HOMEBUIL DING
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C O N T I N U E D
The dust-isolation borSometimes have to make a lot of dust in finished
spaces---{utting tile in a kitchen, for example.
In thesesituations, control dust with a dust-
isolation work chamber made from a translucent-
plastic storage box.
I cut the bottom off the storage container, then
use duct tape to securea sweatshirt over the open-
ing. The arms of the sweatshirt are the openings
for my hands to reach the tools I need. Tools and a
worklight pass hrough the neck opening, which
then is clamped shut around t he power cords.A
hole in the box side accepts he nozzle of my shop
vacuum. To keep dust from leaking ou t around
the edges of the box, I affix strips of stick-on foam
weatherstripping to the lip of the container.
To us e t,I turn on the tool and the vacuum,
and look through the t ranslucent sidesof the con-
tainer to chart my progress.Be sure to empty thevacuum o[any potentially flammable contents,
such as sawdust, before trying this operation.
- D ON MA TH IS i a ma i l
r't '1
.'ot,iE --i
Translucentstorage bo
with bottom removed
Corded tools are fed
through sweatshirt
neck opening.
Worklight
Cutting tool
Vachose
)
/
Foam weatherstr ipping
websitelately?
finehomebuilding
The Thunton PressInspiration ferrhands-on l ivingo
READER ERVICE O. 32
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techniC O N T I N U E D
Applying latex grouVcaulkwhen it came ime to fill the gap betweenour tile counterand itsbacksplash,I ickedup a coupleof tubesof latexgrou/caulk ina matching color.The stuff comesn big toothpaste-rypeubes,and once t has warmed up abit, the grout flows pretty well----orat least t doesuntil the tube hasbeen educed o aboutone-third
full. At that point, the tube becomes o small that it'shard tocompress noughto squeeze ut the remaining grout.
To get a bettergrip on the diminishing tube,I turned to acoupleof spring clamps. usedone to clamp off the bottom ofthe rolled-up tubeand the other to compress he
remainingwad of grout. I
found that by vary-
ing the pressure
appliedby the
clamps,Icould regu-
late the flow of the
grout, right down to
the ast ittle bit._ C H A R L E SM I L L E R
Newtown, Conn.
2x4 frame
l : lj r
Installing large ceiling tilesBefore this job,I had never installed l2-in.-sq.'by %-in.-thick
tiles over my head. I proceeded to bed them in thinset and
squeeze hem to the concrere board above my head, iust as I
easily done with 4x4 ceramic tiles. I had three of them in plac
when a tile whizzed past my ear and shaftered on the edge o
the tub. At that point,I realized, "This technique doesn't wor
A colleague who is a highly skilled tile installer gave me the
advice I needed to get the iob done. I built the2x4 frame sho
in the drawing above. It nearly reaches he ceiling, with abou
Vz-in. clearancebetween the thickness of a tile and the top of
frame. I pieced together the puzzle this way: Trowel thinset o
tile, slide it above the frame, and shim it in place. Two days la
I removed the frame, and the tiles stayed put.
- B ILLP H ILL IP S ur ham
Marbleceil ingt i les
Springclamps oaxthe last bit of groutfrom its tube.
f' - Str;ms'Uearing-on'n' , i' ' '-frarneworksippon ,! :.
.
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READER ERVICEO.61
114 FINE HOMEBUILDING
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math&measuring
Adjustable torystickFor thoseof usplain'vanillaboys and girlswho don't fike o remembernumberson tapes or whichside of the mark to use,story stickscan simplify a number ol measuringsituations.you can buy
commercially vailabfegadgets hat do the same hing {theyare calledbar gauges},but
l'd rather make my own, Here'show.
I start with a piece of garden-variety3/e-in.copper pipe about 4 in. long.
As shown n the drawing, I drill a hole in its sideand soldera1/*in,
brass nut to the pipe, centered over the hole. A l-in.-long r/a-in.
machinescrew with a knob on one end screws nto the nut. The
screwactsas a clamp,bearingagainsta?/e-in. owel that hasbeen
split in half. To use his device, simply loosen he screwand let
thedowel halvesslidepastone anotheruntilthey bearagainst
the surfaceof the target. Let'ssay t's an inside meaEurementor
a window amb: Extend he dowels against he opening,clamp,
transfer o workpiece,and cut. No numbers equired.
Another option is to add nail points o eachdowel hall,as
shown in the drawing. Th.y can be used o transfer outside mea-
surements.For measuringdiagonals,as n drawer boxesor pic-
ture frames,bevelthe endsof the dowels so that they tuck into
90ocorners.
%-in.dowel,split n half
%-in.nu t soldered
Optionalnailpointsfo r outsidmeasurem
Optiobeveltips fomeasd iago
'l6d
Cap affixed omachine crew
1x 3stock
)Loosenscrew,slidedowels apartto desired ength,and tighten screw
Clampedsquareregisters short pointof miter.
-PAUL K. KINCAIDLawrence,an .
Short-pointmeasurementAny pieceof mitered trim has
two points on its end. The
acute angle at the very tip of
the workpiece is called the long
point; the short point is the
obtuse angle on the inside edge
of the trim piece. Measuring
from the short point is a
recurring problem: There is no
place to hook your tape.
The next time you need to
finding circle centersWhen you must find dead cenrer on a circle, this tool can h
you to get spot on. To make it , dado a couple of lx3s to fash
a 90o half-lap joint. Then glue and screw the pieces ogethePick one edge of the longer arm as your scribing edge,and
drive two l6d nails through the short arm. The distanceof
nails, A and B, should be equidistant from the scribing edg
To use this center-finding
tool, set the nails against
the circumference of your
circular object, and scribe
a line down the long arm.
Now rotate the tool a
quarter-turn or so, and
repeat the process.Where
the two scribed lines cross
is dead center.
This gizmo can be any
size,but the two nails
should be no less han a
quarter of the diameter
apart, and no more than
three-quarters of the diam-
eterapart. T.H. RtcHARDS
Mont-Tremblant, ,ue., anada
Mitered
en d of
tr im
Hook tape oit
measure from a short point, try rhis trick. As shown in the drawing,
use a spring clamp to affix a square to the end of the workpiece. It
can be a SpeedSquare, a combo square, or a tri square; just make
sure to align the blade of the square with the short point. Now you
can hook your tape measure to the square'sblade and rest assured
that yoir are measuring from the right point.
-BRUCE GU E R TIN ov en t r y . l .
116 FINE HOMEBUILDING
square's lade.Centeratintersedionofscribed ines.
Half- lapjoint, glueand screw
Scribedge
Scribe theedges.
7n-in. opper -- \
Drawings: harlesM
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C O N T I N U E D
Calculating the radiusof an archSometimes it's useful to know the radius of
an arch or head casing long before the shop
work takes place. I have found that the fol-
lowing formula provides p recise dimensions
96 in.
and takes advantage of the simple calculators
on the market. Even calculators without a
square-root function can handle this one:
Rise2+ (Span/2)2
2 x Rise
For instance,ett assumehat an arched
opening eading from a dining room to a
greatroom has84-in.-tallsides, he span s
96in.,and the centerof the arch s to be 96 n.
above he floor.The rise sthen 12 n. as
shown n the drawing above.When you sub-
stitute he numbersand reduce he formula.you get:
Rise2 (Span/2)2
2 x Rise
122+ (96/2)2
2 x 1 2
144+ 482
24
144+ 2,304
24
2,44824
102
The radius s 102 n., with no errors esult-
ing from inadvertentstretchingof chalklines
or other mechanicalimitations,suchas ry-
ing to lay out a curve with a 102-in. adiuson
a pieceof plywood that's only 96 n. long.
-CHARLES W. DAVIS Watsonvi l le, al i f .
11 8 F T N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
End height
Use ape toscribe archwith a pencil.
Pivot point
Centerheight
Tape#1
Chalk l ine
Arch layoutHere's a way to lay out arches that need
have specific heights at the ends or cente
even though the spans vary. First, snap a
long chalkline on the floor (drawing lef
Lay your material at one end, square to
the line. After determining the span, en
height, and center height, put the end o
tape measure #l at the center height, an
stretch it out next to the chalkline. Hook
tape measure#2 on a nail located at the
height, and stretch it out at an angle so t
it intersects tape #1. Now move tapelt2
until the numbers on both tapes match
the chalkline. Put a nail in the chalkline
this point. This is your pivot point. Hook
one of your tapes over it and use t as a
giant compass o trace your arch. For hu
arches,you can make one half and use a pattern.
_ S P E N C E RH O M
SantaMonica
Arch trammelI discoveredhis technique or laying out wide, shallowarches t a shipyard.
On a clear, lat, wood surface, uch asa subfloor,draw a straight ine as ong as
arch will be wide, asshown below.Drive a finish nail at eachend of this baselin
so hat about I in. of the nail'sshank projectsabove he floor. Find the center of t
baseline, nd draw a perpendicular ine extendingup from the center,making a
invertedT. Decide he height of your arch,measure long he perpendicular inefrom the baseline, nd drive a third finish nail at the apex.
Now find two straight lx boards,eachone a litde longer than the length of the
baseline.Snug one board againstone basenail and the apex nail, and lay the othe
board against he other base ail and the apexnail. Where the boardsoverlap,m
them for a half-lap joint. Then cut the joint and screw he boards ogether.
Pull out the apexnail, and hold a pencil n its place.Now slide he boardsalon
the baselinenail guides rom right to left to mark the arch. As a variation, you ca
mount a routerat the apexand cut or mold arches f any size.
rERRYZEVEDO orval
Half- lapoint
securedwith screws
Nail m.arks apex.
Nailguide Baseline
'L__
Replacenail at apex with a pencil, and slide trammelalong, pivoting on nailguides, to describe arch.
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C O N T I N U E D
lrregular sheathing
piece goes here.
Measuring odd shapesOne day when I was trying to figure out
how to cut an irregular six-sided pieceof
roof sheathing,another carpenter showed
me a trick used by boatbuilders to mark
the outline of oddball workpiecesquickly.
The method is called tick-sticking. To do
it, all you need s a scrap of plywood and a
pointed stick.
As shown in the drawing, begin by
affixing a plywood scrap to a point along
the edge of the hole in need of sheathing.
It 's handy but not necessary or the scrap
to be near a corner. It will give you a ready
point of reference.
Now take the stick and lay it across he
plywood scrap so that the point of the stick
touchesone of the cornersof the hole. Drawa line along the edge of the stick, then mark
a "tick" on the stick and a corresponding
tick on the plywood scrap.Mark them both
#1. Do this for each corner,assigningeach
one numbers.
I work from left to right as make my
marks, but you can use any order thatsuits you.
Once all the marks have been recorded,
place he scrap of plywood next to the
material you are going to cut and reverse
the process. ay the stick on the lines, align
the ticks, and note the positionsof the
corners.Connect the corner marks, anyou've go t the outline of the workpiece
This method is accurate,easy, heap,a
low-tech.
Plywoo
s c ra P
- P H I L L I P C A R P E
Nelson,B.C. ,C
plywood scrap. . ';..\<o--../
Transfer marks
to workpiece.
Draw
line
' ; ,- Mark reglstrdtion
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