Tool Chart

There are times in life where we get anxious because we want to do something. We stand up on our new roof or in the … Read more

Here’s the scene: You are standing in an otherwise-empty space, facing a beam to support across a gap of, say, thirty feet. There is no … Read more

In your basement, there’s a blank wall staring back at you. Then there’s that hole you framed to support a staircase… Which might brings down … Read more

A two-by-four is not what you thought. Walking through doors of your lumber yard, you imagine yourself holding a piece of wood two inches thick … Read more

Before beginning to frame, decide what you will do; will there be a ridge board, or a ridge beam? A ridge board is simply a … Read more

The dream begins with a sketch of the ideal deck. What will it look like? How about the view? The evening breeze? Then you open … Read more

At some point during a remodel, you arrive at the math. It’s when you’re standing on an area that used to have a wall there. … Read more

Maybe you’ve been in a house where you walk across floor and feel a slight but disturbing bounce. It is not a structural problem; the … Read more

A two-by-six, in your imagination, is typically thought off as a real two-by-six-inch board of lumber. Actualy it’s one-and-a-half by five-and-a-half inches. And that difference … Read more

Ever try holding a piece of trim against a wall and finding that the nail you chose doesn’t quite hold the wood? Or worse, splits … Read more

How many times have you been confused at hardware store by the name of the nails you want? Well, with the penny system you can … Read more

Staring at a wall of screws can make you go a little crazy. A piece of wood? Grab some wood screws. Drywall anchors? Get a … Read more

You should pre-drill pilot holes, because splitting wood and stripping out screw heads is no way to start a project. It wastes precious lumber in … Read more