Some of you may notice, from the images in this article, that I upgraded to the latest version of Excel. Wow, what a difference. The “Ribbon” feature replaces the old drop down menus, making things much easier to find. The Help library is very user-friendly, and contains a huge amount of information.

For this article, I have put together a small spreadsheet (you can download a copy at the end of the article) that walks you through the process of determining your minimum hourly labor rate based on your personal and business expenses, and the number of hours you work per year. For you more established (older) guys this is old news. However, some of you younger guys might find this useful.

Many of the techniques I will use might seem nonsensical in this particular spreadsheet. I use them only to demonstrate certain features that you might find useful when designing and building your own spreadsheets.

In the following screenshot, you will see that I created a range of data showing some business expenses and their respective yearly costs. (Note: you can click any image to enlarge it.)

The expenses are totaled using the SUM command and are shown in orange. (If you’re already confused, see my previous article, An Introduction to Spreadsheets for some basics.) With Excel, you can convert a range of data into a Table. Converting to a Table gives you more power and flexibility with your data.

Simply highlight a range of data, select “Format as Table,” and choose one of the predefined styles; or, you can make your own style.

Once converted to a table, you have the ability to quickly sort the data and search through it, too. The one, small table above does not show the real power of this function. But imagine if you had a huge table of materials and costs to manipulate. Then the power of this program would becomes more obvious.

In the picture above, you can see the two tables I created, one for Business expenses, and the other for Personal expenses, with their respective totals. As I mention in the yellow note on the left (adding a note is a great way to help others use your spreadsheet), enter all your expenses as accurately as possible to get the maximum benefit out of this spreadsheet.

In the following picture, you can see my “Calcs” worksheet, which includes the totals from the “Expenses” worksheet. I use cell-highlighting to make the spreadsheet easier to use and understand. This can be useful if other people will use spreadsheets that you develop.

You can see that we have now calculated the “Unburdened labor rate,” based on the combined yearly expenses and the total number of hours worked per year.

The next step is to calculate the fully Burdened labor rate per hour worked. This is shown in the following image. This labor rate will obviously vary from person to person based on deductions and the amount of profit desired.

This spreadsheet is dynamic. If you change any of your expenses, or hours worked, all calculations will update automatically.

I also formatted the “And the answer is:” cell to turn red if the value in it is less than zero. Here’s how you do that (Note: This is for Excel for Windows. The Mac version is different): From the HOME ribbon menu, select Conditional Formatting > New Rule > Format only cells that contain. Enter the required data into the “Edit the Rule Description,” and select “OK”.

Now we have a usable fully burdened labor rate. This, by itself, is great information, but we can make our spreadsheet even more useful. This kind of data lends itself to “What if” analysis. In order to make that analysis easier to perform, I created a large data table, shown below.

This table uses the data from other pages (or sheets) within our spreadsheet, so it, too, will change when the input data changes. This table was quickly made using the “Fill” and “Copy” commands. This range of data covers 3,000 rows and 8 columns. To generate the column of “Hours worked per year,” I used the “Fill” command as shown below.

To use the “Fill” command, you simply select the starting and ending values, and either Row or Column sequence, and Excel fills in the values. In this case, I started with 1 hour and stopped at 3,000 hours. The balance of the table was created using the “Copy” command. In Excel you can copy down or across. Copy down is shown in the image below.

When the copy is completed, you have the option of copying the cell contents exactly, such as January, filling rows 10 through 21, or completing a series as shown above. Copying right is shown below, and works the same way.

Now remember that the Copy command uses relative cell references by default. That means when you copy down rows or across columns the cell addresses change accordingly. But what if you want to use the contents of only one cell as a part of a formula down many rows or across many columns? How do you tell Excel not to change that cell reference? This is accomplished by inserting the dollar sign ($) into the formula:

Look in the Formula bar, where it says: =Calcs!$D$12/A6. The $ sign in front of the D (column reference) and in front of the 12 (row reference) instruct Excel not to change the cell reference if copied down or across. In my example, I copied only down, so I could have placed the $ in front of the 12 (row reference) only, but out of habit I fix both row and column.

Once the formula was entered, I copied it down. The only thing changing in the modified formula during the copy is the divisor, which, in this case, is the contents of cell A6.

VLOOKUP

Using the same method, I completed my rather large data set. Now I can start performing “What-If” analysis. In the picture below you can see how the function VLOOKUP can be very useful.

In the formula bar you can see the formula: =VLOOKUP(E11,’Data Fields’!A6:F3005,6,FALSE).

The formula is comprised of the following parts: VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup]). The “lookup_value” in this case is the contents of cell E11 (currently 2000). The “table_array” is ‘Data Fields’!A6:F3005. The “col_index_num” is 6 and the “range-lookup” is FALSE.

So here is how it works. Type a number of hours worked per year into cell E11. The VLOOKUP function then returns the value on the same row in the “table_array,” but in the 6th column. In this case $42.39. The VLOOKUP function makes the “What-If” analysis much quicker.

What if I want to input a labor rate and find out how many hours I need to work to cover my business and personal expenses? Easy, but we have to add two more columns to our data range in the Data Fields sheet. The picture below shows how that was quickly performed.

I copied the “Burdened Labor Rate per Hour” part of the data range, and using the Paste Special command shown above, selected Paste Values. I did not want the formula, just the Value that formula created. Then I copied the “Hours worked per year” data range. I then converted that range of data to a Table. Once converted to a Table, I sorted the Burdened Labor Rate per Hour in ascending order. Now I can create another VLOOKUP function. This is shown in the picture below.

Now I can enter a labor rate and the new VLOOKUP formula I entered returns the number of hours needed to work from our data set.

Additionally, I added some simple calculations to show the labor hours broken down to weeks and months. A note about the VLOOKUP function: If you enter a value that is outside of the data range, the VLOOKUP function will return a value of #NA.

At this point in our spreadsheet development, you can start experimenting with different scenarios with time and labor rate. With a few keystrokes, you can determine the financial impact of moving your external work shop into your garage, working more or less hours, raising your hourly rate, or going into another line of work all together.

Charts

Let’s look at another feature in Excel. Charts can be very useful tools to help understand data. They can also be a great sales tool. Creating charts in Excel is very easy. Simply place your cursor where you want to place your chart, select Insert, choose the type of chart you want, and Excel will open a dialog box asking you to select the data you want included in your chart. These actions are shown in the pictures below.

. . .

Using your mouse, highlight the data, select OK, and the chart is created. Once created, you have complete control over all aspects of the chart. Double-clicking on the chart or axis brings up other dialog boxes, which allow you to change the font, color, scaling, data sets, and format, to name just a few. In the picture below you can see the simple line chart I created showing how the Burdened labor rate changes based on hours worked.

The following Pie chart shows the relative size between yearly Business expenses. Use your imagination, and let the powerful charting features of Excel help you better understand your data and sell your services to your customers. People are visual creatures—we love pretty pictures with lots of color.

Hopefully you found the Excel features I discussed, and the Labor rate calculations, useful. It never hurts to review your costs every few years. Things change, and you need to be able to modify your labor rates based on your market and business needs. You cannot make those changes without solid information. Just dropping your price by 15% to get the job may be required at times. But, if you do, you now have a tool that will help figure out the REAL cost in money and time on a yearly basis.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below, and I’ll do my best to answer them.

If you’d like to download the spreadsheet used in this article, you can do so by clicking HERE.

When a framer builds a roof, they first establish the PITCH of the roof—4/12 or 6/12. That pitch is the angle the rafters follow. All of the cuts made to that rafter—the ridge cut, the plumb cut, and the birdsmouth are all measured off the BACK of the rafter—off 90 degrees to the angle of the roof.

(Note: Click any image to enlarge.)

That’s why most miter saw gauges are set up off 90 degrees to the back of the fence! In fact, some miter saws even include roof pitch angles on the miter saw gauge.

But those angles just confuse finish carpenters. Finish carpenters are always bisecting corner angles—which is easy to do with a protractor.

A 135 degrees angle looks like this:

A 135 degree angle is an OBTUSE angle. The miter for this corner is 67 1/2 degrees. That's easy to cut on your miter saw. Just set the saw at 22 1/2!

But the angles on a miter saw gauge are off 90 degrees to the angles on a protractor, which causes a lot of confusion. Some carpenters opt to use a Starrett Protractor. But I prefer to have the guys on my crew use a standard protractor, so they’ll know at a glance the difference between an acute angle and an obtuse angle. That means when they visualize the miter, they’ll be starting off on the right foot!

A 22 1/2 degrees angle is an ACUTE angle. You can't cut that miter on a miter saw without an acute angle jig.

Miter saws didn’t always come with miter saw gauges that were set 90 degrees off from protractors. Back before framers used miter saws, finish carpenters could use a protractor to read corner angles without any confusion.

Miter saw gauges like this one (see photo, right) were easy for finish carpenters to use, and didn’t cause another problem: Let’s say you’re installing base molding at a corner that measures 86 degrees. You first bisect the angle and determine that the miter should be 43 degrees. But when you set your saw at 43 degrees and cut the piece, the miter is NOWHERE near close! That’s because 43 degrees on a standard power miter saw gauge is really 47 degrees.

The easiest way to solve this whole problem is to use a Sharpie to mark your miter saw gauge with protractor numbers.

In fact, some manufacturers include protractor angles on power miter saws:

I just wish they all did!!!

• • •

AUTHOR BIO

Jesper Cook was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1977. He grew up in family homes in both Sweden and Denmark until the age of 18, when he moved to Los Angeles, CA.  He has worked in the construction trade for over 10 years, gaining experience in everything from movie sets to tile installation.

More recently, he has focused on high-end finish carpentry. He is currently a Project Manager at Millworks By Design, a finish carpentry company located in Agoura Hills, CA.

Jesper enjoys SCUBA diving, mountain biking, and especially photography, which he practices in his free time. Recently married, he and his wife, Julia, spend their vacations traveling Europe and visiting castles, museums, and other historical sites. He often draws inspiration for his finish carpentry work from classical architectural details that he has photographed in cities throughout Europe, such as Paris, Rome, and Seville.

I’ll start off by explaining the details of casing joinery and describing how to measure for new casing around a door frame. I also talk about making a cut list, so when you cut your casing it will be perfect the first time.

——————-

Chapter 2: Part 1

A serial publication of excerpts from Trim Made Simple by Gary Katz

Training techniques for apprentice carpenters and serious DIYers

——————-

Most trim carpentry revolves around using a miter saw. In this article, I’ll introduce fundamental techniques for cutting correct miters in casing—techniques that I’ll build on in later articles for baseboard, chair rail, and crown molding. I’ll demonstrate a simple system for cutting casing that will help you cut each piece of molding to exactly the right length—every time. In future articles, we’ll use elements of the same system for cutting other types of trim.

Before installing new casing, the old molding must be removed, without damaging the wall or the jamb. I’ll cover the best and simplest tools and techniques for that job, too. Then I’ll demonstrate two ways for installing moldings: the time honored one-piece-at-a-time method, and a new way of pre-assembling casing that ensures tight miters and a neat job. By the end of part 2 of this story, you’ll be able to install new casing with confidence.

Tools

Installing casing is not only the easiest trim carpentry chore but requires the least amount of tools. Buy good quality tools. Good tools work better and last longer.

Utility Knife for cutting loose old casing
Spring clamps for assembling perfectly tight and flush miters
Trim Gauge for marking exact reveals on jambs
Wire cutters for removing old nails from a jamb or wall
5-in-1 tool for prying casing loose from a wall, and scraping old caulking off the jamb and wall
Prybars for removing old casing from a jamb and wall (they work best in pairs)
Nail sets for setting nails just beneath the surface of the casing
Thumb Saver for starting small nails in molding without hammering your fingers
Dovetail saw/backsaw for cutting baseboard back when the new casing is wider than the old molding
Multimaster for cutting baseboard back when you’re installing casing on more than 10 new doors
Nail gripper for driving hand nails without hammering your fingers or the molding

Materials

Three 7-ft. pieces of 2 1/2-in.-wide casing in a “3-step” profile pattern, made from fingerjointed, unprimed wood
Carpenter’s glue for tight, long lasting joinery
Nails (nail gun) for fastening the molding to the jamb and wall

Understanding Casing Joinery

Before tackling any new job, make sure you see the whole picture. Casing can be confusing. A quick drawing is often the best solution, especially when it comes to miters. Miters are angled cuts, so they always have a short point, where the length of the material is shortest, and a long point, where the length of the material is longest.

Some carpenters refer to the short point as the “heel” of a miter, and the long point as the “toe,” which is another way of understanding the angle of a miter. Because casing surrounds the outside of a door frame, the short points matter most: The short points of the miters are always on the jamb, on the inside edge of the casing, near the door. For casing, all measurements are taken to the short points.

(Click any to enlarge. Hit your browser's "back" button to return to this article.)

Cutting Casing

Avoid frustration. Always make cut lists for moldings. That’s the best way to ensure a smooth enjoyable job. With cut list in hand, you can confidently head for your saw; without one, you will likely find yourself in front of the saw trying to remember a crucial measurement, and then heading back to measure again. And with a cut list, you’ll always know which way to miter your moldings—without closing your eyes and trying to remember the room you just left.

Make a Cut List

1. Measure the head first. If the old casing isn’t on the jamb, measure the inside of the jamb (inside dimension, or I.D.) and then add 1/2 in. for 1/4-in. reveals on both sides of the jamb.

2. Measure leg casings. Press the tape measure hook into the floor, pinch it at mid-height against the door, then stretch and curl the tape up over the top of the jamb. Measure to the inside of the jamb and add 1/4 in. for a reveal.
3. Make cut list. Write down the measurement for the head and label it HEAD. Write the measurement for the right leg and label it RH; write the measurement for the left leg and label it LH.

. . .

. . .

Leg Casing

At first, cutting miters in casing is confusing. To make the job easier, always place casing with the back edge against the miter saw fence. That way, the long points of the miters will always be against the fence, and the short points of the miters—and all the measurement marks—will always be nearest to you, where you can best see them. With the measurement marks away from the fence, it’s easy to guide the saw blade right to the mark, which you’ll see when you cut the casing legs.

Cutting the legs

1. Cut the legs first. Place one piece of casing on the left side of the saw. That will be the left-hand leg. Place another piece of casing on the right side of the saw, that will be the right-hand leg.

2. Measure up from the bottom. Hook your tape measure on the bottom of the casing, stretch the tape up towards the saw, and make a measurement mark on the font edge of the casing. Do the same for the opposite leg.

3. Cut the right-hand leg. Swing the saw towards the right to 45 degrees. Place your right hand at the end of the miter saw fence, wrapping your thumb around the casing. Position the measurement mark about one inch from the blade and make a practice cut.

4. Look from front of saw. Sighting down the saw blade is the hardest way to align the blade with the measurement mark. The measurement mark is easier to see from the front of the saw, even with the blade spinning. With your thumb wrapped around the casing, slide the casing toward the blade, creeping the measurement mark forward until the blade cuts right on the mark.

5. Cut the left-hand leg. To cut the left leg, swing saw to left. Place your left hand at the end of the miter saw fence and wrap your thumb around the casing. Make a practice cut, wide of the measurement mark, then creep the measurement mark up to the blade.

Head Casing

Always cut the head casings last because you can cut them from shorter pieces (sometimes from legs that you mistakenly cut too short!). The head casing is a little trickier to cut because both sides have miters. A simple technique makes it very easy to cut double miters at exactly the right length.

1. Miter right end. Clamp the casing to the end to the miter saw extension table, with the short point flush with the edge. Hook your tape measure on the edge of the miter saw table, then pull the measurement.
2. Measure with a sharp pencil. Use a no. 2 1/2 lead pencil for a sharp, fine line. Never round off fractions. Always make measurements exactly, to within 1/32 in., which is a little more or a little less than the nearest 1/16 in. mark on the tape measure.
3. Make a practice cut. Hold the casing with either your right or left hand placed at the end of the miter saw fence. Wrap your thumb over the front edge of the casing. Make a practice cut about 1/2 in. away from the measurement mark.
4. Creep up on measurement mark. The more you use a miter saw, the closer you’ll make your practice cuts and the fewer practice cuts you’ll make. But don’t rush the learning process. Cutting right on the measurement mark is what matters most.

Cut Casing with a Miter Box

Hand-powered miter boxes work well for cutting small moldings, as long as you use a good one. But no matter what type of saw you use, a miter saw stand and continuous support for your material is essential.

1. Clamp your workpiece. When using a miter box, be sure to clamp the material securely to the table and to the tool. That’s the only way to ensure a perfect miter.

2. Let the saw do the cutting. Too much pressure on the saw will distort the miter cut. Never “try” to make a miter saw cut. Allow the saw to cut by itself. Pull the blade smoothly and gently backwards across the molding. Use light pressure to push the saw forward. Move your arm slowly back and forward as if it were a machine.

•••

Keep an eye out for Part 2 of “Casing Doors,” coming soon from THISisCarpentry!

The tool I use the most is the spreadsheet. A spreadsheet program comes free with almost every computer purchased today. One of the best known is Microsoft Excel. You have to pay for Excel, but it could be worth it. A good free option is OpenOffice.org, which works similarly to Excel. But since I use Excel, that’s what I’ll be talking about in this article. The picture below shows how to locate the program on my computer. Yours will probably be similar.

Excel is a very powerful spreadsheet program. Don’t let the powerful part fool you. It is also one of easiest programs to learn and use. Unlike some powerful CAD programs that require you to spend hours in training and tutorials just to start using its features, any spreadsheet program can be used, in some fashion, very quickly.

The following picture shows the opening screen of Microsoft Excel. Depending on which operating system you’re using (Windows, Mac, etc.), and the version if Excel you have, your screen may look slightly different.

Here is the opening screen with some key menu items and headers identified for easy location:

A spreadsheet is nothing more than a database program with some unique features. The way a spreadsheet works is by a series of cell references. The cell reference is made up of rows and columns. The rows are numbered from 1 to 65536 and the columns are labeled from A thru IV. Each cell in this large matrix has a unique address, such as A1, P550 or IV65536. For you folks who understood geometry in high school this can be thought of as an X,Y coordinate in space. Now don’t stop reading, I won’t mention geometry again.

The picture below shows what a cell reference is. Follow down a column and stop at any row. Where the column and row intersect is the cell reference. I have typed the cell reference in a few cells to illustrate the relationship.

Entering text or numbers in a spreadsheet is straightforward. Place the square cursor on any cell, by using your mouse or the arrow keys on the keyboard, and start typing. When done typing, press the enter key. The text or number will be entered into that cell and the cursor will drop down one row.

In the picture above I typed the sentence into cell B3. It looks as if the sentence covers columns B through H. In reality, the entire sentence is in cell B3, it just spreads out across the other columns because there is nothing in the cells to the right of it.

In the picture below there is text in cells B3 and also D3. You can see the sentence in cell B3 stops at cell D3 where the new sentence starts. The sentence in D3 keeps going to the right because there is nothing in cells E3 through G3.

In order to see both sentences in their entirety we need to change the width of the columns. In the picture below I have highlighted the B column by left-clicking on the “B” in the column header, then I selected Format from the dropdown menu, then Column, then AutoFit Selection.

Here is the result:

It is helpful to set the width of the columns to what you want prior to entering your data. You can always modify them later to the exact width.

The height of the rows can be changed in the same way as the width.

The result of the row height command is shown below. I changed the height to 30 from 12.75, which is the default.

Formatting Cells

Now that we have a little background in formatting rows and columns, let’s look at formatting numbers, text, and cells. The format part of the menu is usually found in the upper right of your screen. It looks much like the format menu in Microsoft Word. In fact, they work almost exactly the same.

Let’s start by formatting a range of cells with a different background color.

Select a range of cells using your mouse. Here’s how: Press and hold the left mouse button while holding the cursor over a cell; now move down and to the right until you highlight the range of cells you want. Release the left mouse button and the selected area will be highlighted in a light grey color with a black border. Next, find and select the small arrow to the right of the icon of a pouring paint can in the top right of the menu bar.

Another drop down menu will appear showing a pallet of colors. Select the color you want, and the background color of the selected range will be changed.

The picture below shows the sequence. You can format one cell or a range of cells, an entire row or column, or a range of columns and rows.

Next, let’s take a look at how to format text and numbers in an Excel spreadsheet. By formatting text and numbers you can change the appearance of your spreadsheet to make it easier to read and understand. Excel has pre-defined number formats. Some of the most popular are: Number, Currency, Percentage and Fraction. You can format a number before or after it is entered into a cell. Just select (click on) your cell, go to the Format menu, and choose Cells. Here’s an example of formatting a cell for fractions:

Using the same procedure, you can format numbers and text to display as you desire. Change the size, color, and font of any text or numerical entry. Add patterns and borders to cells or ranges of cells. Change the alignment of numbers and text within a cell. You can center, left justify, or right justify your entries. Here’s an example of justifying text:

Formulas

Let’s talk about formulas in a spreadsheet. Here is where the real power of this program lies. Remember, from the beginning of this article, a cell reference is the unique position within the spreadsheet—references such as A1, B66, and AB5025. A formula is simply an action performed relating two or more cells together. In the picture below I have entered numbers into four cells, B3 through B6. I center-justified those numbers and formatted them as Currency.

In cell B8 I entered the following formula: =B3+B4+B5+B6.  This formula tells the program to add together the numbers in cells B3, B4, B5, and B6, and put the result in the cell that the formula was typed into—in this example, cell B8. You can see that the result of that addition formula is $746.75. Excel does the math for you.

Now, this is important: The equals sign (=) in front of the formula is mandatory! The equals sign tells the spreadsheet that the alpha-numeric text that follows is a formula, and not just a bunch of letters and numbers.

Another important consideration with formulas is the order of execution of mathematical operators (the signs for “plus,” “minus,” “times,” etc.). To change the order of evaluation, enclose the part of the formula to be calculated first in parentheses. For example, the following formula: =5+2*3 produces 11 because Excel calculates multiplication before addition. The formula multiplies 2 by 3 and then adds 5 to the result.

In contrast, if you use parentheses to change the syntax, such as =(5+2)*3, Excel will add 5 and 2 together first, and then multiply the result by 3 to produce 21.

If you want to edit the contents of a cell, simply double-click the cell. If you want to delete the contents of a cell, simply select (click) a cell, and press the Delete button on your keyboard. What if you want to delete more than one cell? Say, in the above example, you want to delete cells B5 and B6 from your formula. Simply click and hold (click and keep the mouse button pressed down) on cell B5, and drag your mouse down to include cell B6. Press Delete, and they’re gone!

Autosum

Here’s a quick and easy way to perform simple formula tasks:

The Autosum button:

This can be a really handy way to add up a lot of cells quickly. I’ll show you. (Note: the following screen shots are from a Mac. Don’t let that throw you off.)

Say you have a long list of numbers you need to add up, and you don’t want to write the formula out by hand.

You want the Total to be in cell B16. So, select (click on) cell B16, then click the Autosum button (it should be in your menu, up top somewhere). Excel will automatically select all the cells above and get ready to add them together.

Hit Enter (or Return) on your keyboard, and boom!, there’s the result.

Here’s something neat you can do with the Autosum function. Say you have a list of numbers you know you’re going to keep adding to, but you want to keep track of the Total as you go along. All you need to do is the Autosum trick we just learned, but farther down the spreadsheet.

Note that the highlighted section shows you the cells that are included in your formula. You can change those numbers to suite your needs.

Now, if you put a number in cell B15, Excel will automatically add it to the total.

If you put another number into cell B16, it would add that to the total, too.

These are just a couple of examples showing what you can do with the Autosum button. It’s definitely worth playing around with.

Real-world Examples

Now I’m going to create a simple spreadsheet using the features we have discussed in this article, and also some that will be covered in future articles.

As contractors, we generate bids/estimates frequently. This can be a very time-consuming process, and if you do a lot of the same type of work, it can become very repetitive. In the spreadsheet example below, I have created a simple form that can speed up this process.

With a little time and effort, you can create a similar form that works perfectly for your unique business needs.

(Click to enlarge)

The top part of the form has all the customer information, a job description, and some of the costs associated with this project. I selectively formatted various rows with color to make the whole spreadsheet easier to read. Additionally, I created another column, “Costs by Trade,” that summarizes each trade’s total costs.

Look at the bottom of the sheet and you can see some tabs labeled “HVAC Parts,” “Cabinets and Trim Parts,” and so on. These are different sheets within the same Excel “Workbook.” Much like a file folder with multiple pages, this is a very powerful feature. Notice the orange color on cell C20. I highlighted that to show the power of multiple sheets. In the following figure you can see the sheet named “Framing Lumber.” This sheet contains all the rough lumber and their respective costs. I intentionally made the list small and manageable, but you get the idea. All you have to do is input the quantity of each item you need for this particular job and Excel summarizes the total cost.

Remember the orange cell C20? In that cell on the “Summary Detail” sheet I typed the formula =’Framing Lumber’!E19. This formula instructs Excel to place the value of cell E19 in the Framing Lumber sheet into cell C20 on the Summary Detail sheet.

Create as many sheets as you need for your respective trades and costs. Then link those summarized costs to the Summary Detail sheet.

The following figure shows the bottom of our Summary Detail sheet. It shows a continuation of our project costs and the Sub-totals and Grand Totals of the project.

(Click to enlarge)

You can see that I entered my percentages for Mark-up and Profit. These are in different cells, and can be changed to suit your specific requirements, even from job to job. The formulas have been created to automatically recalculate when the percentages are changed.

Ok, now we have a nice accurate estimate with all the information you need to present to the customer. Of course, you don’t want the customer to have of this information, just the summarized prices. You could take all the information and retype it in another program. But why not create another sheet in this workbook that you can print and give to the customer?

(Click to enlarge)

What you choose to put on this form is totally up to you. All I did was to link data from other sheets in the workbook to the appropriate cells in the Customer Print Out sheet. It literally took me less than 5 minutes to create this new sheet.

Now I’ll show you how to format this sheet for printing. First, we have to define the print area.

Using your mouse, highlight the area you want to print. Then select: File > Print Area > Set Print Area. Then select: File > Page Setup to align the print area onto the paper in your printer. Depending on the size of your print area you may need to select Landscape mode, or fit the print area to more than one page tall.

By now, I’m sure you have realized the potential power of a spreadsheet program. With just a few of the techniques shown in this article you can create a form that can really help you in the day-to-day operation of your business. Of course, we have just scratched the surface of the power of this program. In future articles we will explore more advanced formulas, formatting, sorting your data, and adding charts and graphs to help you understand what the data is telling you.

If you’d like to download the spreadsheet seen in this article, you can do so HERE.

•••

AUTHOR BIO

Chuck Kiser got his start in the trades in high school in Arizona. During school and the four years that followed Chuck learned a lot about the carpet and tile trade from his brother-in-law, and some residential plumbing skills working for a new construction builder in Phoenix. An offer from Uncle Sam put an eight-year gap in the trades while he played around with submarines and other forms of military transportation. After the Navy, Chuck entered into the Aerospace and Defense field, working in R&D for Advanced Composite materials. During this time Chuck returned to school to get his Undergraduate and Graduate degrees in Business and Management.

Ten years went by very quickly and, not wanting to live out of a suitcase for the rest of his life, Chuck re-entered the trades in the mid ’90s. Starting your own business is a challenge, but it was well worth it. Long hours of research paid off, and even after more than a few mistakes, it actually makes money—sometimes.

These days Chuck focuses on frame-to-finish residential carpentry, with the occasional remodel thrown in to keep things interesting. When not working, Chuck surfs the web trying to keep up with the changing construction industry, and the tools and technology that support it. Chuck and his wife Joan live in Palos Park, IL.

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Chapter 1: Part 2

A serial publication of excerpts from Trim Made Simple by Gary Katz

Training techniques for apprentice carpenters and serious DIYers

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Use pocket holes for easy joinery

Experienced carpenters use clever jigs, fixtures and techniques for fastening two boards together in perfect alignment. Newcomers frequently give up before they learn how to succeed. Avoid failure and frustration by using pocket hole joinery whenever possible.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Clamp the jig to a work table. Secure the pocket hole jig to a piece of 1/2 in. plywood. To support the workpiece, attach short pieces of 1x to the plywood exactly the height of the jig. Always clamp the plywood to a worktable. [NOTE: Click any image to enlarge. Hit "Back" button to return to article.]
2. Adjust the clamping pressure. Lock the toggle clamp down, then thread the plunger up to the workpiece. Lift the toggle clamp and thread the plunger toward the workpiece one more turn, then back the lock nut all the way to the end of the threads.

3. Adjust the stop collar. Place the bit in any of the three bushings. Slip the stop collar over the bit. Lift the bit until the tip is slightly above the jig—so you won’t be drilling into the jig. Then tighten the stop collar with an Allen wrench.
4. Use the bushings. To drill pocket holes in horizontal material, use any of the three bushings. To drill pocket holes in the ends of  3-1/2 in. material, use the outer two bushings; for 2 1/2-in. material, use the left two bushings; and for 1 1/2-in. material, use the right two bushings.
5. Use a high-speed drill. For drilling a few pocket holes, a cordless drill works fine. For drilling a lot of pocket holes, use a corded power drill. Place one hand on the work piece, to steady it. Hold the drill in the other hand, squeeze the trigger, wait for the bit to come up to top speed, then slowly push the bit straight down into the bushing. Feather the trigger off and on while removing the bit.

The real trick to doing fine finish work is careful layout. For most tasks, you don’t have to be a journeyman carpenter to achieve success. Just plan ahead and work slowly, methodically checking your work as you go to avoid mistakes. Though the supports don’t have to be installed perfectly, take pride in everything you do and your confidence and work will improve quickly.

Install the supports

1. Layout the inside supports. To allow plenty of room for your saw, measure over 2 in. from the base of the saw.
2. Draw layout lines. Use a carpenter’s square to draw layout lines for both supports, perpendicular to the edge of the base.
3. Locate center supports. The end supports are easy, make them flush with each edge. Then measure over and mark the center of the center supports. Remember, those marks are centered on the support. Draw layout lines 3/8 in. to one side.
4. Glue and clamp supports. Don’t attempt to drive pocket screws, or any fastener, without clamping the material in place. Otherwise, the force of the screws will push the material off the layout line and the job won’t be successful or enjoyable.

5. Drive in Pocket screws. Set the clutch on your cordless drill to a low setting, so the screw won’t strip. Steady the support with one hand. Use a long square-drive bit, align the bit with the hole, and apply even but gentle force directly in line with the screw, the hole, and the driver bit.

Tips From a Craftsman

Don’t use drywall screws in pocket holes. Drywall screws are tapered beneath the head. As the screw reaches the shoulder of the pocket hole, the taper will split the material. Pocket screws have flat heads and won’t split the material.

Most carpenters learn by making mistakes—sometimes a lot of them. Unfortunately, the more mistakes we make, the longer it takes to build confidence.  Here are two tips that will help you avoid frustrating mistakes:

1. Measuring and Marking Always use a #2 1/2 (2 5/10) pencil. These pencils are available at office supply stores and online (www.officeworld.com: $2.00). Slightly harder than #2 lead, these pencils are great for carpenters because they leave a sharper, crisper line, and they stay sharp longer.

2. Use Clamps Safety and craftsmanship are inextricably bound together. You can’t have one without the other. And you can’t do fine work if you’re using your hands as clamps. Before operating any tool, clamp the workpiece securely to a work bench or table. That way, rather than securing the workpiece, you can concentrate your mind and your body on the work.

Install the Top

Once all the supports are fastened, the top is easy to install. But don’t hurry the process. Set up the procedure carefully, so you won’t end up with any unnecessary holes or marks. Start by laying some scrap 3/4 in. material across the supports, so it’s easier to cut the top in half.

1. Cut the top in half. Some miter saws won’t cut all the way through a 12 in. wide board. No problem. Cut half way through from one direction, then turn the board over. Align the cut with the miter saw blade, then cut through the other half.
2. Position the tops. Lay each top upside down behind the supports. To allow room for the saw, slide the tops 1 in. past the inside supports. The top should hang over the supports and provide a 1-in. lip for clamps.
3. Mark center lines. Use a square to trace center lines on both tops for each support.
4. Glue and clamp the tops. Set each top on the supports, 1 in. past the inside support nearest the saw. Flush the tops with the base and the front edge of the supports, then clamp both tops in place.

5. Drill countersunk holes. Use a countersink bit to drill two or three holes on each support line, 1 1/2 to 2 in. in from each edge.
6. Fasten the top. Drywall screws are okay for many wood-working tasks, even for fastening down the top, but square drive screws are stronger and preferred by craftsman.

Soup up your saw

Installed on a good stand, a miter saw is more than just a saw, it’s a measuring, marking, and layout tool, too. Even the fence on a miter saw is important for layout and measuring, which is why I prefer installing an auxiliary fence on my miter saws. And because finish work is mostly repetitive—we rarely cut just one 32 1/2 in. head casing—a repetitive stop system is also a must: It takes too much time to pull out a tape measure for every cut, and besides, measuring and marking is more accurate with a jig. Here are two simple ways to improve your saw and your craftsmanship:

Attach an auxiliary fence

1. Cross cut the material. Rip or buy a short piece of material the same height as your miter saw fence. Cut the material the same length as your saw, measured all the way from one side of the saw to the other.
2. Fasten the auxiliary fence. The miter saw fence should have two holes in each side. Temporarily clamp then secure the auxiliary fence to the miter saw fence using four #10 x 3/4 in. screws.
3. Cut through the fence. Set the saw at 45 degrees and make a cut through the auxiliary fence. Swing the saw to the opposite 45 degree miter detent, and make a second pass through the fence. Allow the blade to stop each time.

Make a repetitive stop system

1. Install a wooden fence. Cut a 1 x 4 the length of the extension wing. Use pocket screws to fasten the wooden fence about 1 in. behind the miter saw fence. To prevent binding from bowed boards and moldings, do not make the repetitive stop fence flush with the miter saw fence.
2. Make repetitive stop blocks. Cut two pieces of 1 x 4, each about 8 in. long. Clamp and fasten them together permanently with screws.
3. Cut a 45 degree cleat. Cut the cleat off the end of a 1 x 6.
4. Drill pocket holes. Clamp the cleat securely in the pocket hole jig, with the right-angle edges down, and drill one pocket hole in each direction.
5. Fasten the cleat. Use pocket screws to secure the cleat inside the stop block. The cleat will create a perfectly square stop block.
6. Clamp the cleat to the fence. For repetitive cuts, measure and cut the first piece. Use the first piece to position the stop block, then clamp the block to the fence. Cut a second piece and check that it’s identical to the first piece before proceeding.

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A miter saw stand is more than just a place to set your saw—it’s a work station.

Manufactured stands are available that are easy to set up, transport, and store, but if you’re working at your home, in a couple hours, with $50 or $60 in material, you can make your own. In this chapter, I’ll show you how.

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Chapter 1: Part 1

A serial publication of excerpts from Trim Made Simple by Gary Katz

Training techniques for apprentice carpenters and serious DIYers

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(Note: Click any image to enlarge. Hit "back" button to return to article.)

Trim carpentry depends almost entirely on cutting clean tight miters at precise angles and measurements. You can cut miters in most small moldings with a miter box and hand saw, but for large profiles, especially tall baseboard and crown molding, a power miter saw is the only way to go. Because power miter saws are now so affordable, anyone with an interest in carpentry should own one. If you’re changing the moldings in your home, at the very least, consider renting one.

But there’s no need to drain your savings account for the best saw. No matter how much or how little you invest in a miter saw, the quality and enjoyment of your work will depend more on your saw stand than on the miter saw itself.

Why you need a saw stand

A miter saw stand is more than just a place to set your saw—it’s a work station. The stand must have continuous extension wings, so you can support different lengths of material. It must have a clean flat surface, with a lip for clamping material. And the ends of the extension wings should be crisp and square, so they can be used for measuring.

Manufactured stands are available that are easy to set up, transport, and store, but if you’re working at your home, in a couple hours, with $50 or $60 in material, you can make your own. In this chapter, I’ll show you how. Along the way, I’ll demonstrate how to use a variety of finish carpentry tools.

Tools

1. Tape measure, for measuring: A stiff 1 in. x 25 ft. tape is best for finish work.
2. Cordless drill for drilling holes and driving screws.
3. Counter Sink bit, Phillips driver, & square driver, for drilling counter sunk holes and driving screws.
4. Clamps for securing material while working with tools.
5. Pocket Hole Jig for cutting pocket holes—the fastest method for precise joinery.
6. Miter saw for cutting moldings and millwork.
7. Carpenter’s Square for marking and measuring boards and trim.

Material List:

1. 1 x 16 x 8 pine or fir or plywood board, for the base of the miter-saw stand.

2. 1 x 12 x 8 Top pine or fir or plywood board for the top extensions wings on the miter-saw stand.

3. 1 x 4 x 8 pine or fir supports, ripped to the exact height of your miter saw minus 3/4 in.

Measuring, cutting, and drilling

This miter saw stand (see photo, right; click to enlarge) is made from three main parts. Only one needs to be cut precisely. The base and top can be cut to any length and width, but the supports must be ripped to exactly the right height.

If the material you’re using for the top extension wings is 3/4 in. thick, then make the supports exactly the height of your miter saw table, minus 3/4 in. If you don’t have a table saw, or can’t make these rips yourself, have your local material supplier rip a piece of 1×4 or 1×6 to that width. You’ll be able to cut all the pieces needed from one 8-ft. board.

Be patient with yourself while working on the projects in this book. While building this miter saw stand remember that craftsmanship depends on the process as much as the finished product.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Center the saw on the base. Set the 1×16 on top of a pair of saw horses, then place the saw in the center. Measure from both ends to center the saw.
2. Use blocks to support your workpiece. Once the stand is finished, you won’t need blocks, but for now, stack up a few blocks so the 1x support board rests flat on the miter saw.
3. Cut 6 support pieces. The support pieces should be 10-12 in. long. You may have to slide the stack of blocks forward as you cut the supports.
4. Mark repetitive stop line. After cutting the first support, and before moving it from the saw, mark a pencil line at the far end on the miter saw fence.
5. Move workpiece to line and cut. After each cut, slide the board to the pencil line and make the next cut. All the supports should be exactly the same length.

Use a miter saw safely and accurately

Power miter saws are loud, sharp, and frightening. They’re dangerous if they’re not used correctly. Make precise cuts on your saw safely by following the four tips below, plus others that I’ll be including in later chapters.

1. Protect your hands. Never place your hands closer to the blade than the ends of the miter saw fence. Hold your fingers against the fence so your hand won’t move, then wrap your thumb over the work piece.
2. Protect your eyes and ears. Miter saws are loud, so always wear ear protection. Sometimes miter saws shoot out small pieces of molding at extremely high speed, so always wear eye protection, too!
3. Make precise cuts. Always make your first cut a practice cut, wide of the measurement mark. Once you’ve located the exact position of the blade on the board, use your thumb to creep the measurement mark slowly toward the saw blade.
4. Split the pencil line. With your hand locked against the miter saw fence, you can position the measurement mark precisely where the blade cuts. For the best accuracy, try to split the pencil line in half. Always let the blade stop before lifting the motor.

(In Part 2 we’ll finish up the miter saw stand and share some tips for souping up your saw.)

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