Tricks Of The Trade

Journeyman T

Tricks of the Trade

I’m posting this in general discussion, because I want to include tricks from several trades:

• Carpentry
• Including Decks & Fencing, Finish Carpentry, and Framing.
• Flooring
• Not only Ceramic & Stone Tile, but Wood & Vinyl Tile as well.
• Drywall
• Roofing
• Windows, Siding & Doors
• Excavation & Site Work
• Residential & Commercial Construction
• Remodeling

Please restrict your posts to actual building tricks only. This excludes tips on business, as well as tips on “were to get the best deal on whatever.”

Here’s an example of what I mean:

Framing:

To speed the removal of door plates, wait until framing is complete before installing the jack studs. Then cut the plates off with a circular saw set a 1 - ½” depth, using the king studs as a guide.

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reveivl

I cut the door plates about 1/2 way through from underneath during layout, come back later and it takes two strokes with a saw and no chance of hitting the concrete or sub.

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From where does knowledge come? If you need to know what is in a box, you could ask someone (not reliable), you could pray, (not useful), you can consult with the scripture (not helpful) or you could open the box (science)

thom

I blunt the metal tips on my "Cat-of-nine-tails" so as not to so seriously injure my guys that they are unable to work.

Journeyman T

Speaking of blunting tips, blunting nail tips can prevent splitting. Simply blunt the point of the nail with a hammer before driving it into the wood.

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wackman

Heard that years ago when I was an apprentice, along with running it through your hair to "grease it", and neither seemed to work any better than normal for me. I'd watch all these apprentices blunting the point or rubbing 16d on their head like fools and decided we were being hazed.

dirt diggler

no kidding!?

makes sense more i think about it

good tip - i will try that

TempestV

most of the time when your hands are sweaty, the sweat on your hands will do the same thing. and Blunting/lubricating does work to keep nails from spliting the wood.

TempestV

pushing a nail into the female end of an air hose to push on the air valve makes a great easy to carry blow nozzle for blowing sawdust off a floor or whatever.

(rather old, but I thought the blunted nails were too) the back of your tape is a great place to write your cut list- the pencil rubs off with a smuge of your finger

tacking the top and bottom plates of a wall together with 8's when cutting them to length and doing layout keeps them identical

Journeyman T

The best way to lubricate fasteners is with either bee’s wax, or Akempucky.


Jamestown Distributors / McFeely's

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TempestV

I've heard of carpenters hollowing out a cavity in the base of their hammer handle to press some bee's wax into for that purpose

WNYcarpenter

I doubt it's new to anyone, but when trying to set deck joists alone I'll tack a 16 to the top of the board at the opposite end and bend it over. It allows me to nail off my end while the opposite hangs from the rim joist. The easiest is to use joist hangers of course, but a neat trick to keep up your sleeve anyway.

I'll use your tips tempestv...thanks!

Tscarborough

Blunting nail points causes them to crush the wood instead of split it. My Grandfather taught me that when I was 5, and I still do it on trim and thin wood.

My tip:

On new construction, brick or rock, immediately after washdown (once it dries, of course), use a penetrating sealer on the bottom 2'. This will prevent splash-back stains from the dirt.

supercrew

or just cut the plate at the king and run the jack to the subfloor, makes for a stronger opening.

slap staple the sill seal to the bottom to the green plate, keeps it in place.

when using TGI,s run the furthest walls rim board first, lay your joist on layout, then snap a line across the front wall to length and then cut all TGI's at once..(major time saver)


before sheathing the wall, mark the bottom n top of the inside jacks on the plates, mark the plywood top n bottom when you get there, snap a square, cut, nail, perfect opening..

when filling a new chalk line, pull out a "normal" amount of line...then fill.

when siding a gable....run a piece level with the siding and another up the rake to create your angle(pattern)

when siding a gable...Always snap the soffit line from the peak to the birdbox so the pattern works....

when sidin ANY wall, ALWAY measure the total length 1st and do the math so you dont end with a 1' piece.

Never work for anyone that you have heard say "im the person who pays you".


oh yeah...when finding a center, use 2 tapes and just find the corresponding marks, faster than a caculator and no double checking.

when plumbing...the stuff runs downhill.

ok im done.

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i only work off drawings

dreamwvr

TO ATTACH WOOD TO CONCRETE DRILL THROUGH BOARD AND INTO CONCRETE WITH A 3/I6 BIT, INSERT A PIECE OF TIE WIRE, THEN HAMMER IN A 16D DOUBLE HEAD NAIL. VERY STRONG AND PULLS OUT WITH HAMMER OR BAR. I USE THIS ALL THE TIME IN FORMWORK. SPACE ABOUT 12 TO 18 INCHES. 2 8D NAILS WORK WELL 2.

Chris G

Never adjust your seat whiie braking or accelerating.

ajbackhoe

When setting pipes in your drainfield, set grade stacks dead center in the trench and use plumbing strap to fasten the pipe to the top of the stake every 10 feet. Then put your stone in, pipes stay on grade and on center. Works great for us guys that do it alone.

Alan


aoconstruction.net

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A O Construction Inc.
Attleboro, MA 02703
Email: alan@aoconstruction.net
www.aoconstruction.net

wackman

I'll have to give this trick another try then, I't been a long time and I've never seen anyone do it except that first time I was told about it.

Heres a good one: When removing trim that is attached with casing nails and you need to put it back on, to keep from having pry marks or cats paw crushes use a punch (about 1/8" wide and 2" long) to just push the nail all the way through. Works great on cedar and other soft woods.

Rich Turley

Just pull the nail from the backside. No larger opening from the punch and if the holes have been filled it leaves them filled, then you can nail in a different spot, which is ideal anyway.

Rich

TempestV

To expand on Rich's comment- a pair of channel locks works wonderfully for this task

boman47k

Since we are posting tips that some of us think of as well known but not necessarily so in differnt areas, I'll post one. Maybe two. Got a nail not wanting to come out the normal way with a claw hammer? Put the claw on it near the substrate and pull it sideways down toward the substrate. Repeat until nail release.
Prying sideways with a flat bar seems to make base and trim less likely to split if you intend to reuse it. Of course don't try to loosen too much at a pry, work down or up the length in increments.

Anyone who has driven a 16 p nail in some of this old wood just far enough that bends and does not want to come out will appreciate the claw turned sideways ( if they did not already know about it).