Tool Calculator

We start here: most people envision red clay or concrete pavers, and we end there: a heap of surplus bricks whose origin they will never … Read more

Most shop mistakes happen in that second millimeter. You turn your saw to forty-five degrees (or whatever number appears), make the cut, and then hold … Read more

With two hands, you grab a typical 8-in. Concrete masonry unit. Diameter concrete masonry unit. Immediately, you realize someone had to invent forklifts. Dang thing’s … Read more

Framing a roof? That means nailing two-by-fours into triangles, right? Wrong. Building math are far more complicated than that… And reality is far less forgiving … Read more

Local building inspectors reject your attic plans because they don’t have an engineering degree, but you don’t either. All you really need is a basic … Read more

With a few keystrokes (your total height and floor space) the calculator do all of that tricky trigonometry so you can concentrate on seeing if … Read more

There is a long stretch of railing. There is a pencil. And a square in hand. No clue where to drill holes in that railing. … Read more

But most homeowners use nominal sizes: lumber sizes is just names, and they are not realy what they say. A two-by-four? Nope, hold up, that’s … Read more

Accurate weights matter: Forgetting a few pounds of stainless steel will cost you in the long run. You might find yourself missing something like three … Read more

Mulch is like money: Most of us think it’s something we can get all the time. A couple of bag here or there should patch … Read more

I think most people imagine that when they install a handrail, it’s just some piece of wood screwed into a wall. Try cutting one, though, … Read more

So there you are at the lumber yard, pressing 2-by-4’s of pressure-treated pine against yourself and feeling how wet it is. You think: This would … Read more

For most of us, beam sizing is something we learn the hard way: we wait until our living room remodel requires a new opening, only … Read more

The math of roofing gets tricky. Looks collide with drainage. And most people start with a fuzzy idea in their head and end up at … Read more