I stacked it flat with stickers like everyone says but the humidity in Houston got to it anyway, what do you guys do for long term storage?
That's 10k feet over 8 years of doing trim work in new builds around Dallas. Never again taking a job that's nothing but crown - my neck and shoulders are wrecked from looking up all day. Anyone else reach a number that made you swear off a certain type of work?
I was framing a shed roof in Portland and kept messing up my hip rafter cuts with the combo square. Swapped to a speed square on the fly and got the angles right on the first try after three screwed up pieces. The pivot point on the speed square just made more sense for those steep pitches, you know? Has anyone else found certain squares just click better for specific cuts?
I was trimming T-molding on a laminate countertop job in Denver last Wednesday and my cheap bit started chattering on the third pass. It left a jagged edge that looked like a beaver chewed it. I spent 4 hours sanding and filling that one counter before I gave up and drove to a real tool supplier. The replacement bit was $38 and cut through the next three countertops like butter. No chatter, no burn marks, and I finished the whole job in the time I wasted on that first one. Has anyone else had a cheap bit ruin a whole day of work?
I was installing new OSB on a garage roof in Phoenix and realized my nail gun was missing every third shot because the air pressure was too low. Had to pull 12 sheets back off and redo them with a handheld drill and screws. Anyone else deal with a stupid air pressure mistake that cost you a whole afternoon?
I was working on a renovation in St. Paul, framing a new interior wall. Got the top plate nailed in, bottom plate down, everything looked square. Went to set the first stud and realized I'd completely missed the joist above by about 4 inches. Had to pull the whole top plate and sister a new piece onto the joist underneath. Took me an extra hour and a half, plus I wasted a good 12 foot 2x4. Has anyone else had to deal with old houses where the joists don't line up with anything?
I was framing out a closet shelf and figured I'd save a few bucks with one of those cheap laser levels from the hardware store. Cost me $40 and it looked fine in the box, but when I set it up it was shooting the line about a quarter inch off on one end. I didn't notice until after I'd cut all my boards and went to install them. Had to redo the whole thing and ate the cost of the wood. Anyone else get burned by a budget tool that just couldn't hold a calibration?
I picked up a set of Japanese chisels from a booth at a woodworking show near St. Louis. Paid $300 for the set of 6, thought I was getting top quality. First time I used one on some oak it chipped at the edge within 5 minutes. Turns out they were overhardened from a bad batch. Has anyone else had luck getting a refund from a traveling vendor or am I just out the cash?
I was out in Buford, Georgia last Thursday finishing a HardiePlank install when my caulk gun just locked up solid. The plunger rod bent like a pretzel and I couldn't get any sealant out for 20 minutes. Had to take a Sawzall to the damn thing to pry it open and finish the bead by hand. Any of you guys had a brand name gun fail on you in the middle of a big job like that?
I built a 10x12 shed in my backyard last month and thought I needed a fancy digital angle finder to get the roof rafters perfect. Spent $200 on this thing with Bluetooth and a phone app, thinking it would save time. Turns out, a $15 speed square and my old protractor did the same job in half the time. The digital one kept losing calibration after I dropped it in the dirt too. Anyone else get tricked into buying overkill tools for simple projects?
Bought a knockoff track from Amazon for my cuts. It moved mid-cut and ruined a sheet of walnut. Anyone else stick with brand name tracks only now?
I was framing a roof last week on a house outside Austin and this 65 year old carpenter walked up. He said I was overcomplicating my layout with a speed square and showed me how to use a simple story pole instead. Took me 10 minutes to mark 12 rafters after watching him. Has anyone else picked up a trick from an older carpenter that just blew your mind?
I was skeptical that a warped 2x4 could give me a cleaner cut than my aluminum guide, but after watching a guy on a job site in Austin do it I tried it last week and it actually worked perfect. Has anyone else ditched fancy tools for a basic lumber trick that surprised you?
I was up in Lancaster County last weekend visiting family and saw this old barn from the 1800s. Every joint was cut by hand with a chisel, no nails anywhere. Has anyone else come across old timber framing like that and just stopped to look at how clean the cuts were?
Had a coffee break with an older guy named Pete at the lumber yard last Tuesday. He told me I was wasting time by not letting my apprentices do more of the layout work themselves. It hit me that I've been hovering over them instead of teaching them to problem solve. Has anyone else had a moment where a stranger's advice made you rethink your whole approach?
I was doing a bathroom trim job last week in an old house near Austin and kept messing up my caulk lines on the baseboards. They came out all uneven and I had to wipe and redo them like 3 times. Then one of the guys on site told me to wet my finger with soapy water before smoothing it out instead of just using spit or dry finger like I always did. Man it made such a difference the caulk didn't stick to my finger and I got these clean smooth lines on every joint. I finished the whole bathroom in half the time it normally takes me. Has anyone else tried this or got another trick for getting perfect caulk joints?
Guy next to me hit a knot and a piece of nail sheared off right into his cheekbone, you could see the blood through his safety glasses, so has anyone else had a close call that made you upgrade your PPE?
I was fitting a new oak handrail in a house out in Bethel, about 3 years ago. I put my full weight on this one tread to test it (dumb move) and the whole thing just cracked right down the middle. The homeowner walked in just as I was picking splinters out of my jeans. Has anyone else had a hidden defect like that catch them off guard?
He said he was paying $75 a sheet for 3/4" sanded plywood at Home Depot, which seemed high to me. Has anyone found a better deal locally or is that just the new normal?
The guy had every single job he ever did logged in a pocket notebook, including lumber costs down to the penny. Home Depot prices today are roughly 12 times what he paid for a 2x4 in 1957, which I figured out after comparing a dozen entries. Has anyone here ever found an old trade journal or notebook that changed how you look at your own work?
Did a job last week for a kitchen reno in Austin and the client insisted on MDF for all the cabinet doors. By day three I had dust absolutely everywhere, my sinuses were wrecked, and the stuff barely held screws. Then I had to go back yesterday to fix a hinge because the board started swelling near the sink. Why do people keep using this garbage when plywood or even solid pine lasts way longer? Anyone else refuse to install MDF cabinets or am I just being dramatic?
I was on a job site in Denver last week and this engineer was reviewing some load points on a deck we were building. He said it kind of offhand but it made me think about all the times I've seen guys rush through nailing patterns or skip hangers just to save 10 minutes. Has anyone else noticed engineers getting more picky about framing details lately?
I spent 10 years marking lines with the spur facing the wrong direction until an old timer at a job site in Portland set me straight... He said I was wasting time because the gauge was just scratching instead of cutting clean fibers. Has anyone else had a simple habit change like that totally improve their joinery?