Working with your hands
Posted on | May 23, 2009 | 1 Comment
For most of you, I don’t have to go on about what this entails. But it seems that many people have missed out on the tribulations and of course the absolute joy of hands on, head scratching labors. See this New York Times article. I’ve been erratic in my postings of late. My knees and back, along with this economy have made getting work done a bit more difficult. Instead of fighting the circumstances, I’ve created a newer playing field for myself. I’ve written a book. It’s not about carpentry. I’ll leave those kinds of books to Andy Engel, he’s bound to do a far better job than I could. He is a walking, talking, measuring, board-cutting, construction encyclopedia, and he loves it like no one I’ve ever met. I believe there’s sawdust in the man’s veins. Andy’s first book, Building Stairs (For Pros by Pros)
I spent a good amount of my creative energy of late writing a novel (it’s been a life long dream). While I won’t give up working with my hands, I will be splitting my creative energies between the two. If you liked that New York Times piece, the author’s book is available from Amazon and you can link to it below. It is certainly going to be on my summer reading list.
One Tough Little Miter Saw
Posted on | April 2, 2009 | 1 Comment
When I first saw one of these Makita mini-sliding compound miter saws on a job site, it looked like a play school version of a grown-ups saw. It’s a tiny thing, and I couldn’t imagine wanting to use it in place of my 12-inch sliding compound miter saw. But, you know the old saying: Big things come in small packages.
This little saw has an 11 3/4-in. cross-cut capacity, and will cut a 2X8 at 45 degrees in a single bound. While 4X stock will choke this little guy, not much else can. It has 9 positive stops for mitering and the four-post slider is as accurate as all get out. Weighing in at just under 28 pounds, this bang on the mark, lightweight saw cuts like a heavyweight. And at the end of a long, hard, fast-paced day (especially for us experienced carps) I’m happier lifting this little mighty might into my truck than I am lugging my 12-in. saw.
Taking the smell out of a skunked dog
Posted on | March 28, 2009 | No Comments
While I know this has damn little to do with carpentry, it has to do with my day to day partner in the truck. I take my dog, Liza, to work with me as often as I can. She’s a great ice breaker and doesn’t let anyone near my (her) truck. Last night, my wife let her out at 3 a.m. after chasing one of those black and white striped “cats” she came back smelling worse than road kill in August.
I don’t want that kind of smell lingering in the truck at all. So I mixed a potion of equal parts (sort of) baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and dish detergent, hauled her into the tub, and gave her a bath she didn’t really want. And today, she’s truck ready without any lingering stench.
How to Repair a Damaged Compressor Hose
Posted on | March 18, 2009 | No Comments
It’s a sure fire, son-of-a-bitch moment when you’re about to install a tricky piece of trim and you hear a hiss so loud you think it’s a snake with a megaphone. But the reality is, you’ve damaged your compressor hose. It happens. You don’t have to toss the hose, though. A repair is pretty simple.
I used a splicing coupling to make the repair. I cleaned up the two ends I wanted to join with a razor knife, and then I put the coupling in the middle and fit the loose ends over it. After tightening the nuts with a wrench, I had an air tight seal and could get back to work. The repair only took a couple of minutes.
There are a number of products available on the market. I think this coupling cost me five or six bucks, which is a lot cheaper than a new Flexeel hose. But that coupling can scratch delicate surfaces so be sure to pad it with some duct tape or cloth wrap.
Low VOC Construction Adhesive
Posted on | January 21, 2009 | 2 Comments
Last year I had to install bamboo plywood instead of drywall along the interior walls of an addition. Talk about pricey. The architect had specified a solvent free construction adhesive to be used for the installation, and I remember one carpenter saying, “This stuff’ll never hold, smell it.” I didn’t give it a whiff. I just went to work.
I guess if gas can go unleaded then construction adhesive can be solvent free, or green. Some adhesive manufacturers are taking the green building in stride, and are using post consumer recycled products in making the 10-ounce and 29-ounce tubes for the adhesives. In fact, I found out that there have been solvent free construction adhesives at work for the better part of twenty years. It’s just no one made a fuss about VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) until recently. Solvent free, low VOC construction adhesive must pass the same rigourous ASTM D 3498 and AFG-01 tests as their solvent based competitors. So, it’s got to be some pretty tough stuff.
And it is.
While the solvent free, low VOC construction adhesives are nonflammable, non-toxic, and clean-up with water while the adhesive is still wet, they aren’t as hardy when it comes to temperature fluctuations. A solvent free glue joint will fail at 150 degrees F where as the solvent based one won’t fail until nearly 200 degrees F. While the solvent free adhesive will bond frozen substrates the adhesive in the tube must be kept at 40 degrees F and not exceed 100 degrees F. I guess using a cooler might help keep it insulated from the job site atmosphere. One other draw back is that the solvent free adhesive won’t bond to many metals.
But, as VOC legislation becomes the norm we’ll be using more of the solvent free stuff. And with the bamboo, we had a change order come through and had to tear out a couple of sheets of bamboo. It was no picnic. In fact, the framing failed before our glue joints did.
Mighty Miter Clamps
Posted on | January 5, 2009 | 1 Comment
Collins Miter Clamps are the third hand I’m glad I have. When dealing with a fussy assembly, whether it’s on the job or for a woodworking project in my shop, these little spring clamps are a real help. Before discovering these clamps, I’d span the miter with my hand, apply pressure to the glued joint, and fire a few brads into it for good measure. Not only do the clamps help by keeping constant pressure on a miter, and won’t wiggle-waggle, using them greatly reduces the risk of accidentally shooting myself in the finger with a brad.
These spring clamps are strong. They stay put with pronged tips that will indent soft woods. But, these indents are barely noticeable, especially on hardwoods. I recommend that you use the company’s proprietary pliers to apply them. The pliers make it easy to open the clamps to their full 2-inch width and place them with a surgeon’s accuracy. A pack of twelve clamps and the pliers will set you back about 50 bucks, which sounds pretty steep until you start using them. Then, you’ll wonder how you got along without them.
The Collins Tool Company web site is worth browsing. Or, you can click onto these similar tools available at Amazon.com.
Posted on | December 19, 2008 | 1 Comment Courtesy of Toro Tools Hot-Diggity-Dog my life just got a w(hole) lot easier. With spring still a ways off for us in the Northeast, planning for a great outdoor project is the right antidote to winter. Many of you are thinking decks, fences, pergolas, or gardens. Such plans rarely consider the “my aching back” reality of such efforts. Suffer if you like, but I won’t. This year, I’m selling my post-hole digger to someone I don’t like. The reason? There’s a great tool in town. It’s the Toro Dingo. The Toro Dingo is a 20-hp, track driven utillity loader that you steer and control as you walk behind it. It’s like a souped-up wheelbarrow with plenty of useful attachments. This machine is completely hydraulic powered and can dig a Sonotube footing in no time flat with an auger attachment. (I’m told that there are over thirty attachments available for this machine including one for mixing concrete.) And with a bucket attachment you can move tons of gravel, bluestone, dirt, or turf without breaking your back. And, the machine is a snap to use. When I say it’s a snap to use, that’s what I mean. If you can play Pac-man then you can use this machine, and the controls all make perfect sense from the get go. There’s no need for the operator to push or pull this tool, and it can get into some pretty tight spaces. I rent one whenever I need it, and it fits in the back of a standard pick up. But, I prefer towing it on a trailer. Some rental places will even deliver the machine to you for a nominal fee. Last Spring I had to dig a dozen 54-in. deep footings for a deck. I ponyed up my 200 bucks for an all day rental, but I was done well before lunch. My only complaint was when I hit some large stones. But then again, when is it ever easy dealing with large stones?
Posted on | December 10, 2008 | 4 Comments I run a few miles of crown molding every year, or so it seems. That’s a lot of overhead work. And having a lightweight nail gun is a blessing. My Bostitch N62FNK-2 15 Gauge 1-Inch to 2-1/2-Inch Angled Finish Nailer But what really sold me on this gun is that it’s oil free. Why is oil free a bonus? Normally, I’d have to carry around a small, easily lost oil container, and start each morning by adding a few drops to keep the moving parts lubricated. But you know what happens to an open oil container don’t you? It attracts dirt and gets messy as all get out. And if you put a little too much oil into your gun (it happens) you can leave some small splats of oil recoil from driving a nail. And in stain grade oak, that will leave a long-lasting stain. A mark I would not be proud of leaving behind. This gun has also passed an abuse test. Once, while working over a bluestone patio, I accidently kick the gun off a scaffold. I didn’t expect the gun to survive the 12-ft drop. But it did. The gun got a few new scratches and won my undying respect.
Posted on | November 26, 2008 | No Comments In the upcoming issue of The Journal of Light Construction, Gary Striegler outlines his take on what makes a great walk-in closet. You can read that article here. DeWalt has its own version of reality TV with “Top 17 Finish Carpenters.” I’ve had a blast checking over the entries and the step-by-step photos of some of the work. It’s inspiring and informational. If DeWalt runs this contest next year, I’ll certainly throw my hat into the ring. For those looking to gussy up the mudroom with some good-looking, affordable storage solutions, Workbench Magazine has some nice lockers complete with drawings here. If you’re still hunched over your table with a ruler and drafter’s tools to make plans, this free, I repeat, free drafting tool might make your life a whole lot easier. Google Sketch Up is a free download that’s worth a bundle. Gary Katz has an excellent tutorial available for free as well. For kitchen storage nothing beats an old fashioned pantry. This updated version was found on Woodweb and is certainly worth a look.
Posted on | November 24, 2008 | 3 Comments I hate wrestling cumbersome sheets of plywood or MDF onto my table saw. In fact, I’m never going to do it again. Instead of pushing a 4 X 8-foot sheet of plywood through a saw, I now use my circular saw and a guide track. The product I use is the Eurekazone SGS-1 EZ Smart Guide System. I like this system because I don’t have to purchase a proprietary saw and other tools to make it work. It works with the tools I already own. The track comes in handy 50-inch sections that can be clamped to your work piece without interference. You can connect sections of these tracks together, kind of like Hot Wheels tracks to create a long straight edge. The system comes with a removable base that affixes to your circular saw and rides the track like a slot car. The base comes with an anti-splintering insert that gives you clean cuts without any tear out. The only drawback to this base is that it limits the depth of your saw cut. While this isn’t a problem when cutting plywood or flooring, it can be a bit of a pain when you need to trim down some doors. The benefit to this system is that I have a lightweight, extremely portable saw system that cuts stock with the same astonishing accuracy as my table saw. But, after a hard day of making cabinets or built-ins, packing up this saw system is a hell of a lot easier than wrangling a table saw into the back of my truck. A carpenter friend of mine has this to say about the EZ guide. For more information about the EZ guide please visit Eureka Zone. There are some very good Youtube demos, too.
Save Your Back With A Toro Dingo
Why I Prefer Bostitch Nail Guns
Storage Solutions From Around The Web
An Easier Way To Cut Sheet Goods
About
I’m a sawdust making, tool buying, work boot wearing kind of guy. When I’m not building something useful, usually for someone else, I’m writing about it for Fine Homebuilding or This Old House. I’ve spent most of my adult life honing my craft and now I want to share what I’ve learned. From tool reviews to how-to this blog will explore a bunch of interesting stuff. So strap on a tool belt or crack a cold one and let’s have some fun.
