Thomas Martinez

To set a fence post right, you need to think of what’s underneath it: If the soil won’t drain away from bottom of the post, … Read more

You pick up a stack of white oak at the lumber yard; you grab it, lift it and boy, does it feel heavy! The heaviness … Read more

“Freshly milled lumber feels like it weighs as much as lead until you’ve lifted it enough times to have confidence in your calculations. Remembering that … Read more

There’s always a certain point of panic when you first buy a live edge slab. You stare at this huge hunk of oak or walnut, … Read more

In warehouses, mezzanine is a way to go vertical. When rent exceeds the cost of buying new property, it’s time to build out. This transforms … Read more

Measure that log using your diameter tape and record its small end diameter within the bark. The difference between hope and profit occur at this … Read more

On a hydraulic manifold, sometimes the cover bolt fails and metal yields but the ring doesn’t. Why? This happens because the metal give way in … Read more

You start to panic when a ten-inch log won’t fit into the corner. Too wide. Seat is too narrow. You didn’t notice the taper so … Read more

Just because two beams are shaped the same (e.g., an I-beam) doesn’t mean they act the same. Specificly, aluminum does not act like steel. Even … Read more

Here’s the scenario: You’re standing in a hardware store looking at a rack of black steel pipes. You want to construct a heavy duty shelving … Read more

Put the books on the shelf. Step back. Does it hold? Later gravity test that out too. A sagging shelf is your sign that something … Read more

Too many times you pick up steel plate that looks light on paper, only to find it weighs about as much as a lead anchor … Read more

When you imagine a steel beam failing, perhaps you imagine it snapping in half. That doesn’t actualy happen very often. In real world, a beam … Read more

Thickness isn’t what makes a board strong; it’s depth. Yes, a 12-inch beam will be heavy. But it’ll support more than a four-inch thick piece … Read more