Thomas Martinez

Why Do So Many Masonry Projects Fail? This happens because of bad assumptions on how high something is going to be. Yes, maybe you draw … Read more

If you feel that specific shudder when someone walks across a second floor and the room below seem to breathe with them, you might have … Read more

A few variables goes into selecting the right steel joist. Span; this determines beam depth. Spacing… This dictates flange width. Deflection limit and live load; … Read more

And then you have one of those Morse tapers that just will not seat right. Looks like the right taper. Feels like the right taper. … Read more

Pull the string tight and pound in that stake. Feels good, doesn’t it? You are not measuring by looking. You’ll have trouble later when you … Read more

Sometimes there’s nothing more frustrating than purchasing an improper fence post. You dig the hole, mix the cement, and sweat in the middle of the … Read more

Deck plans are easy to start with: A budget, a dream. But most people has no idea how to do math when it comes to … Read more

In this case, there’s a line on the ground (a line of T-posts and wire). It is straight line unless you attempt to follow it. … Read more

Building a deck is one thing (you need some lumber and some nails). Until you get out there and break ground, then the real work … Read more

There’s a truck load of concrete mix sitting in the driveway and a heap of bent looking steel in the front yard. You look at … Read more

Your wrist is at an angle of sixty degrees, not ninety, and you’re using a breaker bar as if you were delivering forty pound feet … Read more

The general rules around tenons are pretty straight forward. For example, most woodworkers follow this rule: the tenon should be roughly one third as thick … Read more

Everyone assumes a 6×6 post is hunk of lumber you toss in some concrete and move on with your life. That’s a mistake, and a … Read more

The problem with most estimates for pipe welding projects is they is based off arc time. If it takes a welder forty minutes to strike … Read more