A reprinted article from American Carpenter & Builder, July, 1912.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to Jeff K. Burks for the tremendous effort he makes to discover, copy, and share these jewels! Years ago, Jeff introduced me and countless other carpenters to C Howard Walker’s seminal book, The Theory of Moldings. Here, Jeff provides us with a telescopic view of the past: timeless lessons that carpenters should heed today about building better business practices.

I recently read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. What a great story about an architect—Howard Roark—who refuses to compromise his creative ideals or his personal values. In a biography of Frank Lloyd Wright, Brendan Gill discusses the comparison between Wright and Roark, and the common misconception that Rand based her character on the famous architect (Many Masks, pg. 490-492). After reading several biographies of Wright (and learning Wright was a colossal egotist), then visiting many of his homes (where I was overwhelmed by their timeless beauty), I have to agree: it’s too bad there wasn’t more in common between the man and the myth. But Wright’s work, and especially his influence on architecture, will definitely outlive his personality.

Traditional design

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Traditional architectural is dependent upon classical designs that date back thousands of years, to the Greeks and Romans. For centuries, our homes and buildings have been influenced by countless architects and artists—from Vitruvius to Palladio to Michelangelo, but almost all of them based their designs on historic styles, and classical orders.

Yet in one lifetime, Frank Lloyd Wright influenced architecture in a way no single man ever had; he changed the form of the homes in which many of us live; Wright’s innovative work can be seen in diverse styles from modern open-plan designs to ranch-style homes. While it’s regretful that Frank Lloyd Wright wasn’t a better man, that he didn’t care more about his clients’ needs and the small details that make people comfortable, no one is perfect, not even Mr. Wright.

Examples of Wright’s work

The first Frank Lloyd Wright home I visited was right here in Los Angeles, the Ennis House, one of Wright’s “Mayan” designs. Even in these concrete-block homes Wright stressed horizontal lines over vertical rise, using long repeated rows of decorative block and extended headers over doorways—even piercing whole walls with low soffits. The house isn’t currently open to the public, but hopefully it will be soon, after extensive renovations are completed—especially to the foundation. You see, Wright didn’t grout the walls solid—not even the bond beams: the steel reinforcement bars rusted out—sometimes staining the block. A few of those walls are retaining walls, too. Sometimes Wright got it pretty wrong.

Another nearby home is open to the public, the Barnsdale House, which is designed with similar decorative concrete block. If you’re ever in the area, don’t miss seeing Wright’s Los Angeles work.

A few years ago, while doing a JLC Live show in Chicago, the folks at Hanley Wood organized a tour for the entire JLC Live Crew—they took us in a bus to Wright’s Robie House. Talk about stressing horizontal lines: even the brickwork was laid to emphasize the horizontal joints: all of the horizontal joints are struck and raked out deeply, but the vertical joints are flush, making them—as Gill notes—”nearly invisible.” After visiting the Robie house, I read that the ‘horizontality’ of Wright’s Prairie Style Homes originated with the endless ‘horizons’ of the Midwest—at least that’s what Wright said. Except few of his homes were built on the prairie.

Greg Burnet did some remodeling work on Unity Temple and introduced me to that Chicago icon. Even though the building required substantial height—it’s a temple, after all, and replaced a Gothic Revival church that burned—Wright still tied the design together with horizontal elements. The main floor seems to float as you enter the temple, the ceiling rises past the upper pews, but long slender bands of horizontal molding break through the height; the pews add to the horizontal ‘grounded’ feeling inside the building. Like many of Wright’s low-slope and flat-roof buildings, water was always a devilish problem for Unity Temple. The scuppers are still being repaired today—though this time with self-adhesive, self-healing membranes.

The same low-slope roofs and long horizontal lines—emphasized by extreme cantilevers, welcomes visitors to Wright’s own home in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the same problems with water damage are prevalent at Taliesin. While visiting the home, besides stained stucco soffits, we saw pots and jars spread around the floor to pick up roof leaks. And signs of rot were everywhere, from the windowsills to the rafters.

Falling Water

So what’s all this have to do with Falling Water? Prior to Falling Water, Wright had a vision of homes built without “order,” independent of the post-and-lintel structures that predate Stonehenge, and definitely independent of the classical orders that dominated architecture since the Chicago Worlds Fair of 1893.

Looking back while writing his autobiography, Wright said: “…Changes came along slowly because, to eliminate the post and beam as such (the old order), I could get no help from the engineer.  …Engineers reduce everything in the field of calculation to post and girder.  …The engineer had not yet enough scientific formula in any handbook to calculate at all for continuity…the “third dimension” (as I myself had been calling it” (pg. 85, Gill).

Acting as his own engineer, pursuing his vision of a new architecture, without order, where the horizontal planes of a home melded with the surrounding land and the horizon, Wright achieved his greatest success with Falling Water.

When I first started in the trades, I used an adjustable level, but threw it away after setting door jambs in a home getting bull-nose drywall. The jambs on the first floor were fine, but something must have happened to the level—maybe I dropped it or banged it on the way upstairs, because the heads on the second floor were out of level about 1/4 bubble…in different directions! Once the drywall was in, looking down the hallway you could see every cock-eyed jamb.

Ironically, in the last few years Festool has joined Stabila in supporting Katz Roadshows, and now they’re working together to produce a new line of spirit levels. The Festool M0106 (48-in.) level is their first co-branded tool, and it’s a keeper. Like Stabila’s other high-end levels, this one is accurate to .029 degrees, right-side up or up-side down. And, short of running over your spirit level with a truck, that accuracy is pretty much guaranteed forever.

New ideas

Just this year, Stabila started offering levels with lights, and Festool’s 4 footer has two of them. If you’ve ever laid out shelving in a dark closet, or set cabinets in a dimly lit bathroom, you’ll immediately appreciate these LED wonders. They also snap out for replacement and can be used to light your way down a dark hallway, search through your tool bag, or find your way back to your truck!

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As far as I’m concerned, one of the best improvements are the lighted vials, which make it much easier to read the bubble accurately, especially with my agingeyes. But standing square to the level is a must.

Some levels are made with frames that are splayed around the vial, theoretically making it easier to see the vial from any angle. But the truth is, you can’t judge a bubble vial accurately unless you look at it straight on—perpendicular to the level.

Custom features

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Festool product without a couple of custom features that make work easier and faster.

A solid bridge spans each vial, so when you’re striking a level line, your pencil doesn’t drop into each vial.

Strike the centerline and use the centerline marks to measure back half the width of the cabinet or window opening. And in case you didn’t notice from the photograph—the measurements are in millimeters AND INCHES!

For laying out a 24-in. towel bar or cabinet, simply make a small center mark at the center of the towel bar or at the top or bottom of the cabinet; place the level on the mark so that the bubbles are centered in the vials and the etched centerline is aligned with the center mark. For a 24-in. towel bar, make a small mark at 12 in. on both sides of the centerline; for a cabinet, draw a solid line from 12 in. to 12 in. across the

middle of the level. You can also use the centerline measurements to mark stud layouts in two directions once you find the first stud.

The end caps are fitted with rubber stand-offs that grip the wall and make it easy to hold the level still.

Close enough isn’t good enough

Even though this level is accurate to .029 degrees (that’s 1/32 in. over 72 in.!), reading a spirit vial is subjective—you have to estimate how close the bubble is to being perfectly centered between the indicator rings. Yes, experience helps. When I first started setting 8/0 door jambs, I thought having the bubble anywhere near to the center of the lines was close enough, but it’s not—a slight tilt in either direction can mean a difference of 1/8 in. over 8 ft., which can be a critical error.

If anyone is wondering about those indicator rings, you might be interested to know that they’re not lines but spring steel rings inserted by hand inside each crystal-clear acrylic vial. They actually snap into precisely cut kerfs! Each vial is checked for accuracy, speed, and bubble size. Only the top 15% make it into Stabila’s high-end 196 series levels. The next 15-20% are used in the 80 series frames, etc. The lowest grade performers are used in DIY tools marketed in other parts of the world.

If you look closely at the vials you’ll see two small holes on the vertical vial housing. Those holes are used to adjust the vials… by hand.

Each level is hand calibrated while a camera-assisted computer checks the vials for accuracy. Once the computer gives the green light, the tool is set carefully on a rack for twelve hours—enough time for the epoxy to dry, which permanently locks the vial in place and guarantees the precision and durability demanded by professional craftsmen.

As a young carpenter living in an apartment and specializing in residential remodeling, I have to wear a lot of hats—and make them all fit into a truck and small trailer. That is why I always look for tools and techniques that combine multiple tasks into smaller packages, especially when it comes to table saws and table saw stands. To start with, I’ve always wanted one that would fit in my truck, but that’s just for starters.

For several years, I’ve considered buying a Rousseau table saw stand, after all, they get good grades from finish carpenters for being versatile and flexible, and I’ve heard from several remodelers that they can take a beating on a framing job, too. But other needs stopped me from taking the plunge.

As my career and skills have grown, I’ve found myself doing more and more quality built-ins, furniture and cabinetry. Not only do I use a table saw a lot on jobsites—for ripping stiles and rails, plywood and lumber, but for much of that joinery, I also use a Kreg pocket hole jig and their line of pocket hole accessories—which requires a decent-sized worktable. Plus, for the work I’ve been doing, I need a router table, too, something portable and easy to setup, for beading edges, rabbets, and dadoes.

Too many tables

Anyone with similar experience can see where I’m heading—that’s too many tables for a pickup truck. Ultimately, I’ve found the answer in a Rousseau table saw stand modified to incorporate a number of Kreg and Rousseau brand accessories, including Kreg Klamp Traks, Kreg Bench Klamps, and Rousseau’s new router plate and router fence.

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The heart of my workstation is the Rousseau 2745 table saw stand. [photo 20] This stand was designed specifically to accommodate the DeWalt 745 table saw, which I chose due to its lightweight, portability and cutting performance. The stand itself is welded and powder coated steel—it’s durable and folds flat, making it easy to carry and store in my truck. I also use the Rousseau outfeed table—a critical accessory which hooks onto the rear tube of the stand, and provides an additional 45”of out feed support. I found that the out feed table also provides additional work surface when assembling frames. In a nutshell, this stand allows me to combine the mobility of a bench top table saw with a stable workstation and table-saw fence system that rivals most contractor-style saws.

Lessons learned the hard way

I experimented building several iterations of this workstation and learned many valuable lessons. No doubt you’ll notice that I’m working with different materials in some of the photos. Let’s just call that ‘experimentation.’  In this article, I’ll try to share the lessons I learned.

One of the first mistakes I made was to mount my t-track too far from the router plate, which meant my feather boards were mounted too far away to press narrow stock against the router fence. I recommend you first determine where you will locate your router plate, from there locate your t-track so your feather boards will reach the center of the router plate.

I also found that while the Kreg Klamp Traks have proven themselves to be an invaluable part of the setup, they are also by far the most tedious and labor-intensive part of the assembly process. The Kreg Klamp Traks attach to the extension table surface with an endless number of 1/4” hex bolts, spaced roughly 2” on center. The close spacing is troublesome but necessary: spaced too widely apart, the pressure exerted by the Kreg Bench Klamps will cause even the heavy-duty Klamp Traks to flex. 

Because the bolts do not slide very well through the Klamp Trak, it’s also important to drill the holes for the bolts in a perfectly straight line, so that the bolts are positioned in the Klamp Trak when you drop it down. Otherwise, it’s difficult to fine-tune the position of the Trak on the table surface.

Another trick I discovered with the Trak was to hold them back slightly from the table saw side. This allows the user to insert Bench Klamps from either side, speeding some applications. Also, if you want to incorporate a T-track into your table surface make sure to leave a space in the Klamp Traks so you can slide accessories into the T-track.

Bench Klamps

If the Rousseau table saw stand is the skeleton of my workstation, then the Kreg Bench Klamps and Klamp Traks are the muscles.

	The Kreg Bench Klamps are versatile. When assembling smaller face frames the Bench Klamps perform admirably at securing the various drill guides and pieces for assembly.
	The Bench Klamps are also a fast and strong way to secure work pieces for sanding, routing, grinding, glue-ups, and coping tasks, for Domino joinery, and for flush cutting.
	I have seen a number of methods for flush-cutting pocket-hole plugs, from dowel saws to palm routers to sanders. But I’ve found it easiest to cut the plug with my Fein Supercut just above the surface of the work piece, and then hand sand it flush.

Obviously, the two parallel Kreg Klamp Traks make it easy to secure and adjust a router fence, too. I use this technique frequently because it’s fast and doesn’t require extra parts or equipment.

The Kreg Bench Klamps are available in two different sizes. The smaller size works well on my small extension table, but if I had a larger workstation I would get a pair of the 9-in. clamps, too. Kreg recently updated their line of pocket-hole face clamps and bench clamps with a number of desirable improvements. All of the Kreg clamps are now available with comfortable rubberized grips, and the Bench Klamps have replaced the rear-mounted knurled thumb screw with a small rotating handle. This small handle is a great feature, as it allows the user to make rapid changes for different materials and fine tune clamping pressure. To set the clamping pressure, I push the clamp down to the work surface, turn the handle until tight, then release the clamp, and tighten another one quarter or one half turn, which is usually just enough pressure to secure the work without damaging the clamp or the track.

Building the Workstation

Here’s another lesson learned the hard way. For my initial prototype, I used screws to connect the finished top to the sub-base of the extension table.

A big mistake. Trust me. It’s better to use glue or contact cement, so when you’re cutting the hole for the router plate, you don’t hit a screw.

Kreg Klamp Trak

I experimented with a variety of methods for cutting the Kreg Klamp Trak., including a jigsaw fitted with a non-ferrous metal blade, and a cross cutting sled on a table saw.  I found the easiest method that produced the cleanest cuts was using my Kapex miter saw fitted with an aluminum cutting blade. While not delivering 100% effectiveness, the dust extraction on the Kapex was a welcome feature when cutting the aluminum, collecting the majority of the aluminum shavings and easing cleanup. I took several safety precautions, including using the fast-acting hold-down clamp, keeping my fingers well clear of the blade, reducing the saw’s speed to the “3” setting, and of course wearing hearing and eye protection! I found it safest to cross-cut pieces longer than twelve inches. Trying to shave a little off aluminum is not possible. I made sure to have the full width of the blade in contact with the work, with a little extra on the waste side.

I used a combination square to layout all the lines for the Klamp Traks in the sub-base, then began drilling holes. I used 1/4” hex bolts to secure the Klamp Traks to the extension table as recommended by Kreg. Because the holes had to be drilled in precise locations, I first drilled a pilot hole with 1/16” twist bit from the top surface, then used a 20mm Forstner bit to countersink the extension table from underneath so the bolts, nuts and washers would sit roughly flush with the underside of the extension table. After all of my holes were pre-drilled and countersunk, I went around and bored the holes out with a 5/16” twist bit to allow for a little wiggle room when installing the 1/4” bolts.

To rout grooves for the 3/4” T-tracks in the finished top, I used a router and guiderail, which made it easy to cut a straight, accurate dado and adjust the width and depth precisely.

Router Plate:

To mount my router in the extension table, I used a Rousseau router plate. Rousseau offers a installation kit, which greatly simplifies the whole process. The kit includes a template and a two-piece guide bushing, with the end-user supplying a 1/2” router bit to match the corner radius of the router plate.

Start by positioning the plate on your table, then place the template over that spot and secure it using the supplied double-sided tape. Next, cut a through-hole for the router.						Then remove the outer sleeve from the guide bushing, adjust your bit depth to the thickness of the router plate, and rout the lip where the plate sits.

To adjust the router plate perfectly flush with the table, Rousseau supplies several threaded brass sleeves that mount into the lip. While this procedure was very quick and easy, I think it is better suited to a router table that lives in a shop, rather than one that’s going to bang around the back of a truck or van. Due to the thickness of my table, the plastic leveling screws had to be countersunk into the underside of the table, which is difficult given the proximity of the holes to the edge of the lip. Also, the corner snuggers supplied with the router plate seem nice, but I was looking for something that would give me a rock-solid installation for transportation, too.

After some research, I decided to use Kreg’s Router Insert  Plate Levelers. These plastic plates are screwed to the underside of your router table, and feature a threaded post that allows precise adjustment for flushing the router plate to the table surface, as well as a threaded insert for fastening the router plate to the Leveler with a machine screw.

To accommodate the Kreg Levelers, I had to adjust the router plate opening so the screw holes of the plate and levelers would align. For this task, the Rousseau template wouldn’t work. Instead, I used Festool’s MFS template guide kit, with one template guide for the lip, and another for underside lip. In order to allow the tapped screw holes in the Kreg Levelers to align with the corresponding countersunk mounting holes in the router plate, I had to make the through-hole opening larger than the hole routed with the Rousseau template. Using the Festool MFS for this purpose was a little more tedious than using the Rousseau template, mostly because of the math involved in transferring imperial measurements to metric.

To make the conversion easier, I used a FastCap tape measure with dual scales on the blade. In addition to enlarging the through-hole, I routed a lip on the underside of the table to allow the leveling screws to reach the underside of the router plate.

The dust collection provided by the Festool router and template guide kept my work area clean, even while routing MDF. The template mounted securely using either Festool screw clamps or Kreg’s face clamps. As you’ll notice, I decided to center the router plate in the extension table.

Mounting the router

The Rousseau router plate did not come with holes predrilled for a router, which is nice because otherwise plates can end up looking like Swiss cheese.

Locating and drilling the holes was simple, once again, using the template supplied by the router manufacturer (Freud). My router has above-the-table adjustments, so in addition to the smaller holes I also drilled two 3/4” holes. I first drilled all of the holes with an 1/8-in. bit, then I drilled the two larger holes with a 1/2” bit, followed by a 3/4” twist bit. Afterward I countersunk all of the mounting holes.

Until I had my router mounted in the table, I’d never used the upper table adjustments. I was disappointed to learn that the small handle supplied with the router takes over thirty revolutions to go from the lowest position to the uppermost position. Not an acceptable long-term system. To make coarse adjustments, I purchased a “speed wrench” from a local auto parts store and attached a 10mm hex drive socket to the end. Now I use the small knob just for fine-tuning the bit depth and for locking the spindle.

Safety and craftsmanship go hand in hand. When routing, I make every effort to work safely. I use feather boards whenever possible; I use a bit guard; and I use a quality push stick.

Transportation

One of the greatest selling points of the Rousseau table saw stand is its portability. I added a cubby slot to the drawers in my truck which accommodates the stand, but sometimes when I fill that space with other gear, it’s easy to tuck the stand behind the bench seat of my truck—a space otherwise wasted.

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AUTHOR BIO

Tom Gensmer lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota and has been a carpenter for nine years. He’s in the process of being certified by NARI as a Certified Lead Carpenter and is emplyed by Roncor Custom Rebuilders, where he works as a Lead Carpenter. Tom lives with his wife Beth and spends a great deal of his free time researching his craft through workshops, trade shows, online articles and forums.

In many homes, plastic has replaced wood and permeated almost every exterior building product. Not surprisingly, builders have become fluent at installing plastic, while wood skills have begun to disappear. Just when we need them most.

Recently, our company was privileged to build a home for a client with traditional tastes; the desire for an authentic look—especially on his back porch, where he wanted wood, was specified for ceiling, walls, floor, and columns. The challenge: using sound techniques for installing traditional materials in an exterior environment. In this article, I’ll focus on the floor and columns, which bear the brunt of sunlight and water.

Wood is hygroscopic

Wood absorbs water and when it does, it moves. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Each December, our families gather to slaughter hogs. A half-round wooden trough is filled with water for scalding—the first step in making lard. This trough, when brought out of storage, always has visible gaps between the slats. Around Thanksgiving someone places burlap bags in the trough and keeps them wet, swelling the slats.

Moisture and wood movement can also be a bad thing. We recently had a callback where water leaked through the joints of a factory window, causing water damage to a new hardwood floor. Just as with the trough, the boards swelled and they cupped, with the whole floor becoming wavy.

These experiences weighed heavy in my mind as we began designing the porch floor and framing.

Detailing for wood movement

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During the design stage, we identified several objectives for the supporting structure of this Douglas fir T&G deck.
Building it sloped to the exterior, with ventilation, were priorities. Early on, we ruled out dimensional lumber because of the proximity to grade. We decided on a detailed concrete slab. Our subcontractor poured a 4″ thick slab sloped 3/16 per foot to the outside and we allowed it to cure. Next, we installed a layer of Ice & Water membrane, so that rainwater dripping through the T&G decking would shed and drain off the slab quickly. The membrane also prevents ground moisture from dampening the underside of the decking.

For decking supports, we ripped a PT 1X6 in half and used spacer blocks to create ventilation channels. A 3/8″ gap at the perimeter allows air to circulate freely. Minor shimming of the sleepers prepared the way for decking installation.

Anyone with experience installing T&G decking enjoys the simplicity: nail through the tongue, slide the next one in place, nail through the tongue, etc. Right? Well, not so fast when you’re installing the material outside, or even inside, these days.

Understanding moisture content

Thinking about that cupped and wavy hardwood floor, I pulled out my trusty MMC 220 Moisture Meter by Wagner and took a few readings. Setting the specific gravity for Douglas fir (.50) and checking various boards, I found the average moisture content (MC) to be 11%. Next I consulted two charts. The first one can be found in a Forest Products Laboratory publication titled: Moisture Content of Wood in Use. The second chart is found in Chapter 12 of the Wood Handbook, also published by the Forest Products Laboratory.

Consulting these charts, I found 12% to be the equilibrium MC for wood in an exterior environment. However, the second chart stated the MC would rise in the winter to almost 15% in my regional area. Faced with these facts, I decided to gap the decking as I installed it. Using a piece of plastic banding and spaced the boards apart, nailing as I went. My weapon of choice is an SN60 loaded with 2 ½-15 gauge stainless steel nails. The SN60 seemed to work better than a flooring stapler, as it didn’t drive the boards tightly together. My helper precut the boards and routed the drip while I nailed. Many donuts later (yes we eat them in Illinois, too) we finally had a finished floor. I enjoyed watching the gaps in the decking widen a little first, but then came a rainstorm. The gaps closed completely. Was I glad for that spacing!

The posts

With the flooring in place, we turned our attention to the four solid cedar posts that support the second floor and the roof above. The weight of the posts also got our attention during installation—trust me, they’re heavy—but that’s another story. The client wanted some sort of trim on the 10×10 posts so we got our creative juices flowing and made a mockup of a 9 1/2″ base and 4 1/4″ capital. With the customer’s approval, we turned to the next challenge—making miter joints that can withstand the expansion and contraction of outdoor wood movement.

Having seen older buildings with miter joints that have separated, I wanted to do something more than simply nailing molding around a large solid post. Remember, MC of exterior wood in central Illinois fluctuates between 11% and 15%! The installed posts measured 12.5%, which mean they’d swell about 1/8 in. in the wet summers. And they’d shrink, too, maybe even more in the winter. We were already seeing substantial cracks in the posts. The idea of wrapping trim around a moving post was…well…unsettling. To solve the problem, I cut a groove into the post to receive the trim and accommodate any potential wood movement.

Start your routers

I decided to rout out the wood to a depth of 3/8″ and then install the moldings 1/4″ into the post. With an 1/8″ gap at each side of the trim, the post could swell up to 1/4″ before it would begin to stress the moldings. My preferred router for this work is the Bosch Colt because they’re easy to grip and maneuver, especially working at the top of the posts from a stepladder.

I set the angled base for the Colt at 10 degrees and cut a groove 4 3/8″ from the top of the post, using a scrap of wood as a guide. A sharp reader will notice that 4 3/8″ is 1/8″ more than the height of the capital molding. I planned for this small gap, along with the slight angle, to allow water to escape and also encourage drying—an important detail for exterior trim.

After cutting the groove on an angle, I used another Colt with the standard base (multiple routers are good thing!) and a straight bit to excavate the wood above this groove. Some places were difficult to reach with the router, like right under the beam and against the house. I used a Fein Multimaster to complete those cuts.

All bare wood received two coats of sealer before the moldings were attached.

Pre-assembly is quicker

I cut the abacus and echinus to length and biscuit joined them together, and chamfered one edge of the echinus. Biscuits reinforced the miters while I dry-fit the entire assembly. All sides of the moldings were sealed except for the miters. We began installation by coating the miters and slots for the biscuits completely with Titebond III. Next we fit three sides together and slid the assembly around the prepared groove. We secured the last piece of molding using spring clamps to hold the joints tight. Centering the capital on the post, we secured them by nailing through the abacus into the beam. The finished capitals can battle moisture with their secret design weapons for drainage and expansion totally invisible to the client.

Protection for the plinth

The process we used for installing the plinth was similar to the capital, except we used only a single groove rather than mortising out the entire height of the base.  Using the Colt again and a straight edge, I routed a groove 3/8 deep by 3/4 wide into the post. With the other Colt and the angled base, I cut a 45-degree chamfer at the bottom of the groove so that water wouldn’t puddle in the groove and cause rot. A Multimaster and chisel finish the cuts against the house. As before, we sealed all raw wood twice.

I chamfered the baseboard on a table saw, and cut a rabbet so the top of the base would fit into the groove on the post. Then I mitered all the pieces. I didn’t want the plinth sitting down flat against the deck, so I added a special detail—a scoop cut out of the bottom, which was easy work using a Colt with a flush-cutting bit and a template.

We assembled all the pieces with Titebond III and used clamps to hold everything tight. After the glue set, we centered the base assembly on the post. Here we ran into a snag. Although the base was centered on the post, the base was not parallel to the deck boards because the posts were twisted! Aren’t they always? But our solution to moisture movement also provided a solution to the twisted posts.

Final details

We had enough wiggle room to rotate the plinth detail slightly and make the sightlines almost perfect. One nail through each plinth holds the assembly in place.
To dress up the posts a little more, we chamfered the edges using the largest bit from Freud available chucked into a DeWalt router with an offset base for better stability. But that raised a new issue: the routed chamfers were much smoother than the rough sawn cedar. To solve that problem, we first tried a Multimaster blade and then a hand saw to create the illusion of wood grain by dragging the teeth along the wood until the proper roughness was achieved. After cleaning up mountains of sawdust and painting the chamfers we stepped back to admire the finished product. The rough posts had been transformed into eye pleasing columns. And best of all, we felt satisfaction in doing our part to make them last!

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AUTHOR BIO

John Butler is the foreman of a small construction company. He works with two other carpenters doing mostly new construction and general contracting, along with the occasional remodel thrown in. He’s feeling the shortage of new homes to build, but still continues to work 40+ hours a week. John’s homes are generally much smaller than the 6000 sq. ft. beast discussed in this article; most of them are three bedroom, single story and 2300 sq. ft. They sell for 300K, including the lot. John enjoys chainsawing and having the family over for a wienie roast. He’d also like to install an outdoor wood burner, if he can ever find a home in the country for sale.

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(Figuring that many readers would like to know more about those hog troughs, we asked John to write a thorough description of their use. After reading John’s vivid account, we decided that photographs weren’t necessary. Aren’t you glad?)

John: My uncle has always taken care of the scald trough prior to butchering. The trough is half-round, composed of approx. 3″ wide by 1 1/2 ” thick slats, cut on a bevel—you can see gaps between the slats. The trough won’t hold water at first. We have to lay burlap bags in the bottom to keep the trough damp. There are two or three metal rods that run through all of the slats with a nut on each end to draw the slats tight. The half-moon sides are made of similar slats set into a dado. Because we make lard from the hog’s fat, it is necessary to remove the hair first. This is where the scald operation comes into play. The trough is filled with water, heated in cast-iron cauldrons over an open fire. Optimum temp is around 160 degrees depending on outside temp, humidity, temp of the hog, sign of the moon, and any other old saying one can think of.

A length of thick rope is laid in the trough to roll the hog. One man holds the two ends of the rope, while the other holds the middle of the rope; they rotate the hog until the hair begins to loosen. Then the hog is rolled out of the trough onto a wooden table where 4 men promptly use a round metal scraper with a wooden handle to remove the hair. It’s a tricky operation: if the water is too cool, or if the hog isn’t rolled enough in the trough, the hair refuses to let go. And if the water is too hot or the hog is rolled too long, then the hog’s skin can tear and shred in the process.

After scalding, the hog is taken inside and hung with the head hanging down, where it is gutted and then cut in half. When the meat has cooled and the halves are being processed, the outer fat/skin layer is removed and cut into 1″ cubes. These cubes are cooked in the cauldron over an open fire. After about an hour, much of the fat has turned to liquid and the cubes of fat start to float in the liquid. The cauldron is removed and the fat cubes run through a press to squeeze the lard out. The result, when cooled, is exactly what old timers used instead of Crisco. If the lard is cooked properly (not “green”) it doesn’t need to be refrigerated and will not spoil. Old timers also kept cuts of meat in with the lard to protect the meat from spoiling (before freezers). Some of my family uses this lard for baking though the majority goes to a local bakery.

“What sort of personality does one need to have, as a twenty-first-century mechanic, to tolerate the layers of electronic bullshit that get piled on top of machines?”
–Matthew Crawford, Shop Class as Soulcraft: Penquin Press, 2009

I recently taught a class on Mastering the Miter Saw to a group of mixed-age students at the West Valley Occupational Center, near my home in Los Angeles. I’ve volunteered to teach classes there before. The instructors teach drafting, framing, electrical, drywall—a general hands-on course covering everything about construction with blackboard backup. It’s a great program for anyone new to the trades. But I was surprised to find the class stalled by a lack of building materials. One instructor was digging into his own pocket to keep his class going.

Every time there’s a fiscal mess in California, the first budget cuts are always made to shop classes, after all, building materials are expensive and manual trades aren’t ‘higher education’; our educational culture believes that computer classes support the type of knowledge that workers need today.

Most people reading this magazine would probably have the same gut reaction as me about California’s budget decision. But after reading Michael Crawford’s new book Shop Class as Soulcraft, I’ve found concrete reasons that support the need for a new educational direction in our country.

Crawford begins his book by borrowing a description of the Fibonacci series—which forms the basis for Architecture’s golden ratio—from Tom Hull, a shop instructor in Coos Bay, Oregon.

Hull says, “‘the sequence portrays a human characteristic as well, as the ratio is not immediately achieved, but gets closer and closer, and not by some steady slope to perfection but by selfcorrecting oscillations’.”

Crawford adds: “This seems to capture the kind of iterated self-criticism, in light of some ideal that is never quite attained, whereby the craftsman advances in his art. You give it your best, learn from your mistakes and the next time get a little closer to the image you started with in your head.”

No description could better capture the act of carpentry. We imagine the project we’re about to tackle, maybe we even have exact dimensional drawings, but no matter how experienced or how hard we try, we’re never able to achieve the perfect image we begin with, the ideal of perfection we originally imagined: there’s always some small mistake or error, some imperfection that most people wouldn’t notice, but we know it’s there. In fact, when you look at a finished project, sometimes all you see are the mistakes, even if there’s just one.

But perfection is never the real goal of carpentry or the real reward. The goal is to get as close as possible to the original idea; the reward is to see your work—and judge yourself—at the end of every day.

This process of learning the hard way, through experience of both mind and hand—along with the personal judgment and frequent sense of failure that follows, is at the center of Crawford’s book, and forms the foundation for what Crawford refers to as “agency:” the act of engaging the world around us with our hands and tools—of ‘fixing
or making’ things, what Crawford refers to as “instrumentality.”

The loss of instrumentality infuses Crawford’s book and his theory of education: “…we have come to live in a world that precisely does not elicit our instrumentality,” Crawford writes, “We have too few occasions to do anything.”

“Doing” is the most important part of learning, yet ‘doing’ has been removed from our educational system: the tangible experience of failure, which leads to competence and confidence, has been replaced by the hollow support of a hollow ideal—self-esteem. Too often these days, students never learn from failure. They’re taught to pass tests. But failing a test isn’t failure. Making an 1/8-in. mistake while cutting a piece of radius crown that costs $1,000—now that’s failure!

If you ever felt sleepy in trigonometry and couldn’t grasp the meaning or the use of tangent, sine, and cosine formulas, and if you’re now happily using a framing square or Rise and Run functions on a calculator, then you know exactly what I mean. There is an effective difference between teaching abstract theory—what Crawford calls  “interpretive knowledge,” and hand’s-on experience—what Crawford calls “objective standards.” The former is open to interpretation and opinion; the latter is either right or wrong, like a door that either latches or doesn’t; a miter or cope joint that’s either tight or isn’t.

Throughout this book, Crawford’s background in philosophy is clear and present (he has a Ph.D. in political philosophy from the University of Chicago). Many pages overwhelmed me. But his gritty anecdotal examples, mostly taken from the experience of working on motorcycles in his own shop (he’s a motorcycle mechanic/philosopher), were landmarks that helped me follow the trail of his thoughts with ease.

Yes, this book is about motorcycles. It will remind many readers of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. But while Robert Pirsig struggled with inner and sometimes untouchable demons, and deeper philosophical issues, Crawford offers a simple suggestion on what can be done to improve our educational system and the underlying value system of our culture.

Though he has been attacked by some critics as misjudging the value of office work and stereotyping management, progress—like carpentry—can’t be made without failure, pain, and passion. In respect to this book, progress takes on a special irony, because changing our educational system would be more like removing an old dam than building a new one—changing the simple belief that manual work isn’t worth teaching in our school system. Of course, we all know better than that because we’re carpenters. We know what works and we know what doesn’t.

If you are tired of working out trim details on a scrap of wood or making shop drawings with graph paper and a ruler, SketchUp is your answer. Unlike most computer-aided design programs you may have tried, SketchUp is very intuitive and works the way a carpenter thinks.

SketchUp has a simple set of tools that you can use to create anything from a rough mock-up to a very detailed drawing with 1/64″ precision. How much detail you want is up to you. The ability to convey your ideas to customers quickly and to produce working shop drawings is what SketchUp can do for you. Are you intrigued? What if I told you that it’s FREE!

It’s true. SketchUp is 3-D design software available from Google. It is currently available in two versions—SketchUp 7, which is absolutely free, and SketchUp 7 Pro, which is not. The free version of SketchUp has all the power of the Pro version with the following few exceptions.

SketchUp 7 Pro includes:

Layout – additional software that works with SketchUp and allows the user to import drawings from SketchUp to create various types of presentations. You can incorporate title blocks and use standard sheet sizes for printing.

Style Builder – additional software for creating custom drawing styles.

Additional Exporting Options - PDF, DWG, DXF, as well as various vector formats.

Creation of Dynamic Components – used to make components that are interactive, such as moving doors and drawers, and to make components that will rescale or replicate, such as fence pickets or floor tiles. These components will work in the free version, but can only be created in the Pro version.

SketchUp 7 Pro currently retails for $495. A student license is available for just $49 a year to anyone who is currently enrolled in an accredited school and has an .edu email address. The terms of a student license, however, forbid commercial use. Both versions can be downloaded from http://sketchup.google.com/download/.

Before you download the software and get to work, make sure your computer’s hardware is adequate. The hardware requirements to run this program should be “no sweat” for most new computers. This link should answer any questions you may have.

http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=36208&cbid=-x534j6yf9529&src=cb&lev=topic

The one thing Google lists as “recommended,” that I feel is ESSENTIAL, is a three-button, scroll-wheel mouse. Without this very inexpensive add-on, I can promise you nothing but frustration. Navigating in a 3-D drawing is almost impossible without one.

Drawing your way:

Once you have installed SketchUp, you have the opportunity to customize it to the way you work. SketchUp is used by architects, engineers, and designers, as well as carpenters. Different units of measurements and levels of precision are available as preset templates for the type of work you do. The first screen you see after installation will look like this. Note that tutorials are available from this screen. They are excellent for the general user. The button labeled “Choose Template” will give you  an opportunity to select the type of drawings you plan to do and will  load SketchUp with those settings every time you launch it (circled in red on right).

The template that will probably be of the most use to a finish carpenter is the “Product Design and Woodworking – Inches” template (circled in red on right). It is a 3-D template with the units of measurement set to fractional inches. The template for metric units is also available just beneath it. This is a good place to start, and as you become more familiar with the program, any personal preferences you decide to change, such as unit precision, background color, styles, etc., can be saved as a new template with a unique name.

One thing you might want to consider changing right off the bat is the unit precision in this template. It is pre-set at 1/64″. For most work, I keep the precision at 1/16″. If I’m working with veneer core plywood, I will dial it down to 1/32″ precision to get more accurate shop drawings (I still take actual measurements in the shop before I cut anything!). It is also a good idea to check the box labeled “Enable Length Snapping.” These options can be selected from Windows>Model Info, under Units.

Once you have your new preference set, create a personal template by going to File>Save As Template.

Getting your tools in order:

These are not the only tools available—just the selected tools by Google for “Getting Started.” By going to View>Toolbars, you have the ability to turn on or off the toolbars you want available. The toolbar setup I prefer to have available looks like this.

This is only my preference and what you will see in the following video tutorials.  As you become more familiar with the program and all of its different tools, you may find that a different tool suite suits your work better.

Keyboard shortcuts are great timesavers for the most commonly used tools. Instead of moving your cursor back and forth from the drawing window each time you want to select a new tool, new tools can be automatically selected by pressing an assigned key on your keyboard. If you click on the “Tools” menu at the top of the screen, a menu with a list of frequently used tools will appear. To the right of the tool name will be the assigned keystroke. A list of all assigned shortcuts can be found under Windows>Preferences>Shortcuts. There you can change any shortcuts or create new ones.

SketchUp Quick Reference Card

Many of SketchUp’s tools also have multiple functions. By hitting a modifier key on the keyboard, the selected tool will perform a different task.

You are probably starting to worry that there is too much to remember. A great help is the quick reference card that Google has available for download at: http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=116693

I highly recommend printing a copy of this PDF to keep handy as you start to learn SketchUp. I even laminated mine!

Navigating in 3-D:

In order to draw in 3-D, you must first understand how to navigate through the three-dimensional world of Sketchup. There are three colored axes in a SketchUp model—red, green, and blue. The blue axis is your vertical “plumb line.” The red and green lines are both “level” and run at right angles. These axes all meet at the origin. Understanding this important concept is half the battle when it comes to drawing your masterpiece.

Although all of the navigation tools are available from the toolbar and through keyboard shortcuts, using your three-button scroll-wheel mouse is the only way to draw efficiently.

	Zoom – By rolling the mouse wheel forward, you can zoom in for a closer look at the detail under your cursor. Roll the wheel backward to zoom out again.
	Orbit – Pressing down on the scroll wheel will allow you to pivot your point of view. By holding down the scroll wheel and moving the mouse left and right and forward and backward, you can orbit around your drawing to change your perspective.
	Pan – Holding down the shift key while “orbiting” with your mouse will allow you to slide your current view in any direction. This can be helpful for moving quickly to another part of your drawing.

Helpful hints:

• When zooming in or out, place you cursor over a part of your drawing instead of the background. This will speed up the process since you are zooming from a specific point and not a point in space.
• Use “Zoom Extents” on the Camera Toolbar to find yourself when you get lost in the details.
• Don’t overlook the “Pan” tool. Sometimes it’s the fastest way to get to where you want to be.

Drawing 2-D shapes:

Unlike a house that is composed of thousands of different components, a SketchUp drawing is only made up of two things—edges and faces. An edge is really just a line. When you close a loop of at least three edges (in the same plane), a face will be automatically created. The face is like a skin connecting all the edges. You can think of it like the canvas an artist might stretch across a wooden frame, and like a canvas, those surfaces can be “painted” with colors and textures to give your model a more realistic look.

With the very simple set of drawing tools SketchUp provides, you can easily create complex shapes with precision. (Shortcut keys are in parentheses.)

	Drawing Toolbar – Use the rectangle (R), line (L), circle (C), and arc (A) tools together to create new shapes.
	Undo – Use this to back up through your previous operations.
	Eraser (E) – Use this tool to erase unwanted edges.

Measurement Toolbar or MTB – Use the MTB, located in the bottom right corner of the screen, to give precise measurements to the lines and shapes you draw

Inferring – This is an internal part of SketchUp and is always available. It allows you to use points in your drawing as a reference when creating or moving new objects.

Helpful hints:

• The perspective of your view tells SketchUp which plane you want to draw in. Using an elevation or the plan view is a quick way to give SketchUp the “hint.”
• Use the inferred snapping points along an edge to quickly draw objects with precision.
• When entering numbers in the MTB for a rectangle, the length along the red axis is entered first. If the rectangle isn’t aligned with the red axis, the blue length is entered first. There are exceptions to this rule that will be covered later.
• To recreate or “heal” a face, redraw any of the face’s edges.

Drawing 3-D shapes:

The magical part of Sketchup begins when you start to extrude 3-D objects from the faces you have created. The intuitiveness of SketchUp’s patented “push/pull” technology not only makes it easy to learn but also fun to use.

	Push/Pull (P) – Like its name implies, this tool allows you to push or pull on a selected face to add or subtract volume from an object.
	Select Tool (Spacebar) – Use this to select objects for modification in your drawing.
	Move (M) - Use this tool both to move and to copy selected objects.
	Rotate (Q) – Use this tool to rotate a selected object around any axis you choose.
	Follow Me - Use this tool to extrude shapes along a path, including around corners and curves.

Helpful hints:

• Inferring to parts of your drawing while using the Push/Pull tool or the Move/Copy tool is a quick and accurate way to set dimensions.
• Double-clicking a face with the Push/Pull tool will repeat the last push/pull operation.
• Pre-selecting a path for Follow Me is faster and will often give better results.
• Creating a “selection box” by drawing a box with the Select Tool from left to right will help you select objects quickly. This will select every edge and face that is completely bound by the box. A box drawn from right to left, on the other hand, will select everything in the box as well as any line and face the box crosses.
• The Move Tool is in “copy mode” when a “+” appears next to the cursor icon. This is toggled on and off by pressing the Ctrl key (Use the Option key on a Mac).
• To move objects in an axis direction, use the arrow keys to lock the movement of the Move Tool. Pressing one of these keys will toggle the lock on and off.

↑or ↓ for the blue axis (remember: the blue axis runs up and down)

→ for the red axis (remember: right for red)

← for the green axis (remember: it’s the only one left!)

Putting it all together:

With the basics under your belt, it is time to apply them to a “real world” project. Using the previous tools and techniques, some tools from the Construction Toolbar, and an introduction to “Groups” and “Components,” we will put together a simple bookcase.

	Components (G) – An entity of edges and faces (or other components) that are separated from other objects in the drawing. All instances of a Component are automatically updated by editing a single copy.
	Groups – An entity of edges, faces, or components that are separated from other objects in the drawing.
	Tape Measure (T) – Use this tool to create guidelines and points to help layout and place desired objects.
	Dimension – Use this tool to display dimensions in your drawing.

Helpful hints:

• When creating a component, make sure the box labeled “Replace selection with component” is checked.
• When drawing rectangles connected to endpoints or on the face of another object, the dimension entries in the MTB will list the longest dimension first.
• Use Flip along from the context menu to create mirrored copies of objects.
• Use the Outliner to hide and unhide groups and components in your drawing to view details.
• When using Follow Me on a group or component, make sure to draw the path within the group/component by double clicking on the entity to edit it.

When you are finished with your drawing, you can save it by going to the File menu and choosing Save. You can choose to share your drawing in several ways. You can print the current view in the drawing window by selecting the Print option from the File menu, or you can create a JPEG file from the File>Export> 2D Graphic option. The JPEG file that is created can be printed or sent in an e-mail. You can share the 3-D version of your drawing by sending the saved SKP file to anyone who has SketchUp on his or her computer. Clients can easily view your designs in 3-D with the SketchUp viewer available from Google’s SketchUp website. This software only allows users to view the drawing, they cannot edit it! http://sketchup.google.com/download/gsuviewer.html

Honestly, this article has only scratched the surface of what SketchUp can do. There are many other tools available and even more ways to use the tools that I have introduced. I hope I have been able to dispel the myth that all computer-aided design software is complicated and has a steep learning curve. In future articles, I hope to share some more advanced techniques, which will help you make your drawing more efficient.   Learning to make your own personal component library, and using the “Paint Bucket” tool to give your drawings a more realistic look, will take your drawings to the “next level.” It’s easier than you think.

I truly hope this brief introduction to SketchUp has made you consider using it in your work. I promise it will save you time, impress your customers, and most importantly, make you even more successful in your career.

Additional resources:

Books:

Google SketchUp 7 for Dummies by Aidan Chopra:

An excellent book that I always keep nearby for reference. Whenever I go to look up a question I have, I find myself engrossed and come away learning something I hadn’t even planned on.

On the Web:

http://www.aidanchopra.com/ — The companion website to Google SketchUp 7 for Dummies. Includes video tutorials that follow the book, chapter by chapter.

http://sketchup.google.com/training/videos.html — Straight from the source. Includes great video tutorials for the beginner through advanced user.

http://www.go-2-school.com/ — The definitive website for SketchUp education. Offers training material for purchase, as well as a blog and free “webisodes” of their fantastic webcast, “The SketchUp Show.”

http://finewoodworking.taunton.com/blog/design-click-build — A blog from Fine Woodworking magazine dedicated to the use of SketchUp for the woodworker. Tends to cover more advanced techniques, and I am always amazed by their work.

http://garymkatz.com/ — A great website for the finish carpenter and where I was first introduced to SketchUp.  There are two SketchUp tutorials located on the Charts & Drawings page that I highly recommend.

http://www.youtube.com/user/toddmurdoc — My YouTube channel. A collection of short videos, covering some timesaving techniques for the carpenter who uses SketchUp.

Read this article in its original format (with more images) at TiC Issue 4!

AUTHOR BIO

Todd is a fourth-generation carpenter/woodworker who is currently employed as a corporate pilot. His schedule alternates between a week “on the road,” flying all over North America and the Caribbean, and a week at home in Northern Virginia.

While at home he enjoys spending time with his wife Jennifer and their three children.  The time at home also allows him to “escape” to his shop where he builds custom furniture and cabinets. Most of his work is for pleasure these days, doing only one or two paying jobs a year.

He began learning SketchUp as a way to kill time on layovers and quickly discovered he could use it to continue progress on projects back home. Having a detailed model completed ahead of time also makes his limited time in the shop more efficient, since all the details have already been worked out in a “virtual” prototype.

During college, while working for a local contractor, Todd vividly remembers shingling a roof one VERY hot summer day. He paused for a moment to watch a jet flying high over head and thought to himself, “Boy, I wish I were up there flying.” Ironically, he now finds himself occasionally looking out the cockpit window from 35,000 feet and thinking, “I wish I were down there making sawdust.”

I started my Handyman business in Los Angeles, CA back in 1999 after leaving a 23-year sales career. I made a good living in sales, but it wasn’t satisfying. I’ve always been interested in fixing things, and even more interested in working with wood.

Over the years, I’ve learned a lot — there’s a huge difference between the work I do today and the funky 1×10 knotty-pine nailed-together bookcase I built for my bedroom as a kid. Today, the jobs I enjoy most, and the ones I make the most money on, involve fine finish work, including custom cabinets, bookcases, and built-ins of every type.

(Note: Click any image to see a larger version. Hit "back" button to return to article.)

But I didn’t build a successful business just by doing built-ins!

Many times I get into a customer’s door by doing a small handyman repair. After checking out their house, I always recommend something: a little crown molding in the entry, new baseboard, or new casing to help improve their home.

In Southern California, that approach allowed me to quickly build my business up to four guys and two trucks. What a nightmare that was! I decided to close it down and move all the way across country to North Carolina and start all over again at the age of 50 — no, not a mid-life crisis! See my bio below.

In no time at all, I discovered that the folks in North Carolina needed built-ins and finish carpentry work, too. And my marketing and sales skills put me a step above the competition. A lot of the homes here have niches on one or both sides of the fireplace. That’s turned into a profit center for me. I specialize in designing and building bookcases and cabinets for big screen televisions, along with built-ins for closets, laundry rooms, and bathrooms.

I use a Festool saw and guide rail to break down sheet goods, because my shop is too small to move around full sheets.

Here in North Carolina, I decided to concentrate on custom built-in bookcases and entertainment centers at a mid-range price. What I mean by mid-range is that my units are priced for middle-class folks that can’t afford high-end cabinet-shop prices, yet they don’t want to buy something at a furniture store and have to assemble it.

Once the sheets are broken down, I size them to finished dimensions on my table saw

Besides, they often need a custom unit made for a specific space. Believe me, there’s a large market for this need. With the recent slowdown, my business has been hurt some — I’m not booked in advance as far as I used to be. But there’s still demand for affordable custom-made built-ins and finish work. I can easily make a nice living and profit at this level.

Marketing

But in reality, my business is much more dependent on marketing than it is on carpentry. Yes, carpenters have to market themselves! And “sales” is not a four-letter word. In fact, if you want to do the type of work you enjoy, you’d better get comfortable with selling yourself. Otherwise nobody knows who or what you do.

Since I had prior experience in sales, I decided the best method was to put an ad under handyman services in the main Yellow Pages directory. I went with a dollar bill size ad that stood out and attracted attention. In the ad, I listed some of the custom work I enjoyed doing — bookcases and entertainment centers, but most importantly, I said I did small jobs. I said it twice! In huge letters. It’s very important to have large-size print in your ad; after all, the purpose of an ad is to attract attention.

What’s a small job for me? Anything. Anything that gets me in the door. Usually something from $75.00 to $500. I used the same technique to get started in my new home state that I used in Southern California. On the average, I get 4-6 calls a week.

The first thing a prospective client says is: “I see you do small jobs.”

“You bet,” I always reply with a big smile. “And no job is too small.”

People like to hear enthusiasm; they like to hear that you’re willing to work hard at anything — they take that to mean you’re willing to work hard to help them. That attitude gets me in their house almost every time; whether it’s for some small woodwork repair, to hang a picture, fix a drywall patch, or whatever.

Like I said, this system really works. Just don’t try it near where I live!

I make all of my cabinets with adjustable shelves.
Drilling the holes is easy using a Festool LR 32 system with a 1010 plunge router.
I may sound like a Festool addict, but I’m not. I just don’t know of another system that allows me to build quality cabinets quickly in such a confined space.

Once I’m in a customer’s home, I start looking around to see what else I can do, what kinds of work I can recommend: maybe a French door, maybe wainscoting, or crown molding; maybe a deck, a bookcase or cabinet unit. I try to learn what the people like about their home, how they live, what they might not like, too. As soon as I see an opening, I make a recommendation and get out my picture book — my portfolio. My book is nothing special, trust me — it’s just a collection of photographs from jobs I’ve done, and some clippings from magazines of stuff I’ve always thought looked cool. I show that picture book to the wife and husband and point out some ideas they might like. Remember, most women — in fact, most people — don’t have the experience we have with carpentry, and they aren’t visual, they cannot imagine something in their home unless they see it in a picture or drawing. So it’s not necessary to make a hard sell. I just offer suggestions, in a friendly kind of way.

I might point at their living room and say: “Oh, how funny! I did a pair of built-in cabinets just a month ago for a home that had those same niches beside the fireplace. The people wanted a large television and didn’t know where to put it.”

Or I might say: “Wow, what a nice view you have out these windows! Some day you should put in a French door right here, with a deck outside! That would really open up your home!”

Forty percent of the time I make a sale — I’ve tracked it. Twenty-five percent of the time, it’s finish work and cabinets—my favorite. The customers often respond the same way: “Honey, this would look nice in this room” or “Gosh, we’ve been looking for someone to do some built-ins for us,” or “We were thinking of putting a deck out there, too!”

My picture book is in a notebook with non-glare sleeves and glossy pictures — it’s no fancy portfolio. In fact, I sometimes wonder if one of the reasons I succeed is because I don’t put on any airs. I’m just a carpenter my customers can trust.

I take photographs of all my work with a good digital camera — and that’s as important a tool as my table saw. I print the photos out — including some of the process shots showing how I build things, so my customers can see the whole story. People are drawn to good stories, just like they’re drawn to good craftsman. In fact, I tell a story about each picture in my book — I talk about the clients, their kids, or their dog. And I show the customers different details with every photograph. I print the photographs in different sizes, so the book is more like a storybook, with some of my best jobs in full-page prints, along with close-ups in 4×6 prints that show details about the construction or the installation.

In fact, I include a full story-board of a typical job from the rough sketch to the finish product, including each step of cutting, assembly, and installation, from the carcass to the doors, so my customers can see that I build everything myself, that my shop isn’t a huge fancy factory, that they’ll be working with only one person — me.

I also have photographs of different cabinet details, from doors to crown molding, from fluting options on pilaster to arched openings on bookcases, and glass shelves with lights. I want my customers to pick something that they like right then and there. After all, why have to come back for a second sales call, or a design session, if you can accomplish everything on the same trip — and get paid for fixing the loose hinges on their front door at the same time!

Mass Marketing

If you’re not getting enough action from an advertisement in the Yellow Pages, another idea I use is buying a list of new homeowners from a lead source, which you can find online, then do a mailing. I have an oversize postcard made up that promotes my handyman service and custom built-ins. From this source I usually get a 10% response rate, which is not bad. As you get going, remember your best referrals will be from prior customers — so make sure you leave behind happy customers! You’ll need to have quite a few lead sources coming in to keep you busy.

I join all my cabinets with dominos, which work better for me than biscuits (Anyone need a slightly used biscuit joiner?).
Dominos register the pieces flush in both directions, so fastening is much faster.

Selling Yourself: ABT

ABT means Always Be Thinking! When you go to an appointment for an estimate, or to do a job, Always Be Thinking! What else you can do for these people? What else can you offer them that you can do well? Remember, most of these people first see me as a handyman, not a custom carpenter, till I show them pictures of my work. Let me tell you what I mean.

I went to an appointment several months ago, in the late afternoon. I usually have just finished working for the day, so I am wearing my work clothes — sort of messed up, you know what I mean. And I’m wearing my American flag bandana (you can see it in the photos), which has been one of my trademarks since 2000. So I show up looking pretty down to earth, maybe a little strange, too!

	I don’t build a lot of cabinets so I make my own doors with a stile and rail cutter set in my router table. First I cut the sticking, then I cut the copes. (see photos, Left)
	Why farm out the work if I can do it myself and make a little more money on each job? Plus, I can make a custom door in an hour, which is really handy, especially if I make a mistake!

Well these people look at me and say, “Come on in!” It’s great to see their faces at first. We sit down at their dining room table and I can tell by the look on their faces that they’re not really sure who or what I am. It was just great!

I opened my picture book and after looking at 6-8 photographs, their whole attitude changed.  The wife saw a picture of bead board on a kitchen cabinet wall with open shelves and said, “That would look great on our kitchen island.” BAM got um! The husband said, “Come with me down to the basement and let me show you what I want.” After viewing his den and talking over a few ideas, I priced a small custom oak bar, two bookcases, and bead board around a window seat in their kitchen. After all was said and done, we were talking about $5,000 worth of work. Of course they hadn’t planned on spending that much. I went there to price a single bookcase. But I kept my mouth shut and let them do the talking. In the end, they decided to do it all. And even if they hadn’t, I would have sewn seeds for future work on their home.

I make the raised panels, too, on the same router table, so planning is really important in my little shop.

Here’s another example: I received a referral from a store to install four appliances, which, if my arm is twisted, I will do. I did the job, but after showing them my book, I ended up building a room divider between the living room and family room made from two-knee wall cabinets topped with custom columns. Then they hired me to paint their entryway. Then they referred me to a friend who wanted some custom cabinets and a rustic fireplace mantel. All together, from a small handyman appliance job of $500.00, I drew in $9,000 of additional work. All due to ABT — Always Be Thinking.

I have been told by my peers that “I am the real deal:” I come across as genuine; I have enthusiasm and a positive attitude at my appointments. People see that. It’s infectious. And I close 85% of my jobs. I usually plan on a two-appointment close: the first meeting is to gather information; the second meeting is to go back with a price and ideas of what their unit will look like, how it might improve their house (And this is all without SketchUp! I have GOT to learn how to use that program!).

Advertising, cards, and signs

Advertising works, but you have to work it. I also run a small ad in the local paper under the home service directory, which runs only $20.00 per week. I put my email address in this ad and 1-2 times a week I get an email for an estimate. I try to handle those estimates on the phone, with a quick call, just to make sure I’ll be doing the job when I go there.

Making the doors slows me down some, which is a good thing. You can’t enjoy what you’re doing if you’re always hurrying.

Trust me, business cards get you business, but, once again, you have to work them. I always carry fresh looking, full color business cards. You can order them online from places like Vistaprint. They’re very inexpensive. Give out your cards daily. Set a goal to hand out ten cards per day to anybody. If you’re standing in line at the local home center, turn to the person behind you and say: “Hey, here’s my card. I do custom built-ins and handyman service. If I can help you out sometime, let me know.” Believe me, the people won’t bite you, and they can’t run away either! Ten cards a day, times 365 days, is 3,650 cards a year. If only 1% call you, that’s 36 jobs you did not have before. It works.

Yes, I’ve invested in a lot of good tools that make my job easier, more enjoyable, and more precise, but they all pay for themselves, even my Euro-hinge jig. Take a look at the Blum Ecodrill.

Vehicle signs also work very well and say clearly what you do. They should include your phone number in very large and clear print. I have signs on the sides and rear of my truck. Make sure that a sign is on the back, so when people are stopped at a light they can call you up. It works! I’ve seen people actually grab their cell phone and call me on the spot. It happens 3-4 times a month.

There’s a lot of work out there. You just have to be willing to work to get it.

Read this article in its original format at TiC Issue 4!

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AUTHOR BIO

Kreg McMahon was born in 1954, when real woodshop was still taught in high school. And that’s where he got his first taste of woodworking, that and playing in the new post-war housing tracts in the San Fernando Valley. His father’s side of the family was in sales, and his mother’s side was in construction, so it’s not surprising that’s Kreg spent the first half of his life in sales. From the age of 12, Kreg has knocked on people’s doors to ask if they had any small jobs to do: weeding, cleaning, trash removal. Kreg has sold Amway, insurance, and advertisements in the Yellow Pages. But he’s now in the second half of his life — working as a carpenter and running a one-man business: “Honey-Do Handyman and Carpentry Service.” For inspiration and new tips, Kreg turns to the HGTV Network and the New Yankee Workshop. He likes to say: “There’s always something to learn.”

You should know that Kreg moved to North Carolina for several reasons — not because of a mid-life crisis! He wanted to find that simple place in time, someplace that reminded him of Springfield, MO, where, as a boy, he used to visit relatives, and really enjoyed the old brick houses, the large front porches, and the landscape. He heard that Charlotte, NC was similar, so off he went, in search of yesterday today.

Kreg’s other reason for moving was economic: he wanted to get out of the rat race of Southern California, but still needed to work. He did his homework and knew there would be enough demand in Charlotte to support the type of work he enjoys most. Unfortunately, it’s been a tough move. His wife had to stay behind so their daughter could finish out high school. Kreg’s been flying back and forth 6-7 times a year to visit them. But now his daughter has finished high school and his wife might soon be moving back — unless she’s changed her mind, and if Kreg gets his table saw out of the living room!

Kreg’s real passion is ROCK AND ROLL! He’s a drummer and played in rock bands during high school. His one regret is never making the BIG TIME. But from an early age, female groupies have always been a distraction. These days, after work and on weekends, you’ll find Kreg on the front porch, listening to music and maybe sitting around with a few friends, telling old stories about the past, and making creative munchies! He’s a holdover from the sixties; still follows the rock crowds; still attends eight or nine concerts every year; and always wears an American Flag Bandana.

Though it started out as a way to keep the sweat off his brow (his ears are too small to hold a pencil!), that bandana has become a trademark, especially since 9-11. Few friends would recognize Kreg if he wasn’t wearing that bandana. But they’d recognize his voice, and his smile: Kreg’s greatest satisfaction is helping and entertaining people — solving a problem in someone’s home, building a beautiful entertainment center a customer can enjoy, making people laugh.

For years, the only oscillating tools made my contractors, capable of cutting, sawing, grinding—a multitude of tasks per- formed by no other single tool—were the Fein Supercut and the Fein Multimaster. Rumors have circulated that the patents held by Fein on its well known Multimaster have expired and now the doors are wide open for other manufacturers to introduce their own versions. Whether the rumors are true or not, today there is a multitude of multitasking tools available for carpenters, among them, the Fein, Dremel, Sonicrafter, Bosch, and Chicago Tool’s model.

In this article, I take a look at each of these models, for their specific features and abilities. I also review the types of blades available and offer some tips on how to best use these tools with scalpel-like precision.

Chicago’s Multi-function Power Tool

www.harborfreight.com :: $45.99

Let’s start with the latest and least expensive entry to the field, Harbor Freight’s new Multi-Function Power Tool, which has 180W of power, and operates at a single speed of 11,000 oscillations per minute (OPM). It also comes with a set of the inexpensive blades that are available separately at Harbor Freight stores. The biggest drawback to the Multi- Function tool is its round mounting hole, which means the blade must be secured tightly or it slips, especially when making plunge cuts in hardwood. For that reason, Chicago designed the mounting shaft with flats for a wrench, so the operator can tighten the screw that holds the blade as hard as possible without damaging the tool. In addition, the screw that secures the blade is a hefty 5/16 in., all other brands use a 1/4-in. screw! Unfortunately, the #13 wrench is not included with the tool.

The Chicago’s Multi-Function model does not have variable speed control—it runs at only one speed. Speed control improves the longevity of the tool—running the tool at high speed for every task will wear out the motor prematurely. More on speed control later.

I’m not sure how long this tool will last and the tool comes with a short 90 day guarantee. But do us a favor: If you buy one of these tools, let us know if you have any problems with it, and if the tool meets your expectations. I tested the tool extensively, but only over a short period of time. For me this tool does everything the more expensive brands can do and at a fraction of the cost—but only when the blades are brand new.

One good thing about this tool is that you can use blades made by other manufacturers if they feature a .395-in. round hole or the Multimaster’s star hole—so you’re not limited to lower quality Chicago blades. You can also use Fein’s Adaptor on the Multi-Function Tool, if you enlarge the screw-mount hole on the adaptor from .254 in. to .310 in. or 5/16 in. to allow for the larger size of the mounting screw.

Dremel’s Multi-Max

www.dremel.com :: $99.99

(Note: Click any image to see a larger version. Hit "back" button to return to article.)

The price goes up a notch for Dremel’s Multi-Max, a small, light weight, but also a light-duty tool. The Dremel has 10 speeds, soft start, and uses an assortment of small size blades and accessories, too small for most professional contractors, who require wider and more durable blades for continuous or demanding work. Still, the Multi-Max would be a practical tool for anyone working with small objects that need to be cut, polished or sanded.

I’ve seen forum discussions about altering the Multi-Max to accept blades made for Fein’s Supercut tool. However, the Multi-Max doesn’t have the power of a Fein Supercut, so large blades should be used carefully on this light-duty tool.

Bosch’s Max Multi-X

www.boschtools.com :: $160.00

Bosch, which owns Dremel, recently introduced a cordless oscillating tool, the 12V Max Multi-X powered by Lithium-Ion battery. This smart tool comes with an adapter that permits the use of aftermarket blades or blades made by other tool manufacturers that fit a standard .395-in. mounting hole. Fein’s blades, with star shaped holes, also work on the Multi-X.

This tool has 6 speeds and a battery charge indicator that reliably reflects the charge remaining in the battery. I tested the battery duration by making repeated cuts on a piece of 3/4-in. x 5-in. Douglas Fir. I made approximately 24 cuts before the battery died, suddenly and without a warning. The tool ran at full power until the very end, without a perceptible decrease in OPM.

By doing a little math, I figure that the Multi-X could cut about 120 in. of 3/4-in. Douglas fir, or run for about 7 minutes on a single charge. That might not seem like much, but to me it means that you can accomplish a lot with this tool on a full charge. Not too long ago, when I specialized in hanging doors, I frequently replaced entry jambs and casing. The Multi-X would have been handy for cutting back baseboard on all those jobs. I found that I could extend the life of the battery and blade by applying just enough pressure to make a cut, no more.

Rockwell Sonicrafter

www.sonicrafter.com :: $120.00 to $180.00 (depending on the model ordered)

With three models to chose from ranging from $120 for the single speed model, to $180 for the 6 speed model, Rockwell’s Sonicrafter tempts the appetite of every contractor hungry for a fancy tool that helps get the job done easier, faster and often with a lot less clean up.

The top model has a muscular 250W of power, 6 speeds and 12-ft. cord for added convenience. There is wide selection of blades and accessories available for this tool, for everything from sanding to sawing to cutting nails and even pipes!

Sonicrafter’s blades feature a double hexagon hole design, similar to the one used on the Fein’s Supercut, but the Sonicrafter pattern is much smaller and the blades are not interchangeable with Fein blades. However, by design or by accident, Sonicrafter’s blades fit perfectly on the Multimaster 250 and 250Q, but the Multimaster blades do not fit on the Sonicrafter. In fact, the Sonicrafter is the only oscillating tool that won’t accept blades made by competitors or aftermarket suppliers at this time.

One word of warning: Sonicrafter blades are finished with a black coating that rubs off on the workpiece, which can be a problem if you’re cutting pre-finished material.

Fein

www.feinus.com

Multimaster 250Q Select :: $310.00 (without case)

Multimaster 250Q Top :: $400 (full kit with accessories and case)

Supercut :: $700-$800

The Fein Multimaster, the first and foremost of the oscillating tools, is used by far more professional contractors than any other multi-tasking tool—at least so far. At $310 for the least expensive model, the Fein can be a budget buster, especially with today’s economy. But if you believe that top-quality tools are a long-term investment, this is probably the tool for you.

The new 250Q model has a unique quick release mechanism that allows tool-free blade replacement. The 250Q also has a powerful 250W motor, 6 speeds, and a 12-ft. cord. This tool is designed for dust collection, and comes with a dust-port attachment. Multi-masters also accept a wide variety of blades and accessories. Not only that, but an aftermarket adapter allows the 250Q to use blades intended for the Supercut, too, which substantially increases blade choice.

Blades, blades, and more blades

In this article, I’ve placed a lot of emphasis on blades for good reason: many of the oscillating tools I tested had a similar power range, most were capable of performing the tests equally. But a lot of what makes one brand more desirable than the other is the quality, diversity, and cost of their blades. Without doubt, when it comes to blade designs and accessories, Fein leads the industry. But their blades are also among the most expensive.

Blades for oscillating tools have a wide range of quality and expense. The least expensive is Chicago’s 3-blade set which goes for $5.99 with two scrapers. Blades increase with expense and quality just as the tools themselves with Fein’s 1 3/8-in. E-cut blades for wood coming in at $42.75 for a 3-pack. In addition, aftermarket blades are available from a variety of sources online with quantity prices ranging as low as $13.00 ea. for high-quality blades.

Like any tool, cutting quality is influenced by blade quality. Thin blades tend to wander more; higher quality blades cut straight lines almost effortlessly.

Blade Compatibility

Some of you are probably wondering why I’ve spent so much time talking about blades. Well, as one carpenter said recently on a website forum: “I’ve been thinking about buying an oscillating tool, but the blades are so freakin’ expensive I’m not sure I could afford to buy them after I buy the tool!”

Part of the trick to finding affordable blades is knowing which blades your saw can use, or adapting your saw so it can use a wider variety of blades. Here’s a collection of standard blades from the five manufactures mentioned in this article:

From the LEFT: Multimaster, Sonicrafter, Bosch, Dremel, Chicago

Getting the most from your blades

Blades are expensive, so use them carefully. Here are a few tips to prolong blade and tool life:

• Use the appropriate speed for the tool and the job. If you run the tool too slowly, the blade vibrates and doesn’t cut smoothly. Run the tool too fast and you wear out the blades more quickly than necessary. And remember, the life of the blade may suffer if you always run the tool at the highest speed.
• Choose the appropriate blade for the job. Get the right tooth configuration for the material you’re cutting, and the right number of teeth for the cut you’re hoping for (fine or rough).
• Swivel or rock the tool like a reciprocating saw as you cut, changing the angle as you advance so the blade is cutting the least amount of material.
• Let the blade do the cutting by applying only light to moderate pressure. Do not twist the blade in the workpiece.
• When cutting nails, apply minimal pressure and use as many teeth as possible.
• Like all cutting tools, never use a dull blade. Excessive force could result in blade breakage and injury or damage to the tool.

What’s an oscillating tool good for?

I tested all five tools in this review the same way, to see how fast they cut. They all cut at similar speeds, some a little slower because of OPM or faster because of stroke length. But speed isn’t the only important feature on a multi-function tool. Control is critical, especially for the wide uses these tools have, including cutting out old grout. Fein manufactures three blades for that job, two are made from carbide: one thick and one thin, which is better for controlling the blade in thin joints without damaging the tile! Fein also has a top-of-the-line diamond blade that outlasts and outcuts carbide.

Outlet cutouts in drywall and cabinets. When it comes to making cutouts in drywall and cabinets, a multi-function tool work the best. Hands down. A high-quality model, with little vibration, is easy to control, cuts quickly and precisely, with little dust.

Trimming back baseboard for new casing Carpenters struggle with this task almost daily, using dovetail saws, chisels, and utility knives. A multi-function tool makes quick work of this frustrating task.

Trimming Stucco. Though it’s not something you’d want to do regularly, there are blades available that make it easy to cut stucco, too, especially for an outlet or fixture cutout.

Removing old grout. If you’ve ever used a grout knife, you’ll know what a pain in the forearm they are. A mult-function tool is the best method for cleaning out old grout.

Detail sanding. Don’t forget! These tools aren’t just for cutting! They’re great for sanding interior surfaces, like drawers.

I’m pickin’ up (not so good) vibrations . . .

Oscillating tools are handy, there’s no doubt about it. But be careful when you use them for extended periods of time. Users have complained about serious discomfort in their arms and hands after long-term use. Several manufacturers include warnings in their instructions about repeated or long-term exposure to the vibrations that these tools create.

A little common sense goes a long way here. If you feel any physical symptoms related to vibration (such as tingling, numbness and white or blue fingers), stop using the tool and seek medical help if the condition persists after you’ve stopped using the tool.

Prolonged exposure to vibrations can impair your ability to feel how tightly you’re holding the tool. So always grip the tool as firmly as necessary to keep safe control of it. Another big help is to always use vibration-absorbing gloves while operating these tools.

Whenever possible hold the tool with both hands and secure the material being worked on to a work table or in a vise. Holding the tool with both hands decreases the need to grip it too tightly and improves control of the tool.

Read this article in its original format (with more images) at TiC Issue 2!

AUTHOR BIO

Al Constan is a former precision sheet metal worker with 19 years experience in the trade. Since retiring in the mid-1990s, Al has been a licensed home maintenance contractor, a fencing contractor, and until recently, he has specialized in hanging doors. Al currently owns and operates Multi-blades, manufacturing aftermarket blades for oscillating tools. His website is www.multiblades.com

www.dewalt.com :: List price $499

About 18 months ago I bought the Festool TS 55 track saw. I’ll admit that I was skeptical about all the buzz this tool was getting, but very interested to see how this saw performed. After doing everything from accurately ripping and crosscutting full sheets of plywood, to trimming new doors to fit old openings, to mitering maple butcher block countertops, ripping 45° bevels on cabinet face frames and end panels, and ripping long tapered extension jams, I have to say this saw met and exceeded my expectations.

(Note: Click any image to see a larger version. Hit "back" button to return to article.)

A saw and guide rail system may not replace your table saw, and it certainly won’t replace your regular circular saw for free-hand cuts, but for tricky demanding work, such as remodeling cabinets, cutting compound angles, or taking just this much off a sheet of plywood, nothing beats a guide rail system. In fact, there are a lot of times when I leave my table saw at home and just bring my saw and guide rail system, especially on jobs where I’m working in tight quarters, or when dust is a huge problem.

Given my experience with the Festool saw, the guys at TIC asked me to review DeWalt’s new version of the track saw, the DWS520 (see photo, above left). The saw came with two lengths of track, one 59 in. and the other 46-in. (different lengths of track, including a 102-in. version come with different kits, and are also available separately from DeWalt), a connecting bar, two track clamps, a T-square and an angle cutting attachment.

Out of the box

After opening up all the boxes and checking out all the parts, it was time to assemble the track sections. A connecting rail with four set screws (two for each piece of track) joins the sections together (see photo, right). The rail is positioned with its length split between the tracks, and as the set screws tighten, chamfered edges on the rail align with chamfered edges on the track.

I thought this set up might be a little flimsy with only one connecting rail, but the tracks aligned well. Now, I have to say that even with the connecting rail tightened securely, I noticed some slight play in the tracks along their length, but this very small movement did not cause any issues with the cuts I made. By the way, I noticed this same movement with the Festool tracks.

DeWalt provides a step-by-step photographic guide with the saw, which describes in clear detail how to place the saw on the track and adjust it so there is no side-to-side play. The saw has two adjustable cams, one at the front of the saw shoe and another at the rear. Two adjusters (thumb screws) rotate the cams. The idea here is to remove side-to-side play of the saw on the track, yet still have the saw move freely down the track.

The next step in the set up process was to place the track on some scrap material and cut through the anti-splinter strip. The zero-clearance cutting ability of this system depends on the anti-splinter strip, so it’s important to make the first cut through this material correctly.

Unfortunately, even though DeWalt provided very clear instructions for making this cut, in my haste I didn’t set the depth of the cut to 3/16 in., which is required so that the riving knife doesn’t spoil the start of the cut. It’s a good thing DeWalt’s track is usable from both sides (a nice feature that I discuss later), so I had another opportunity to get it right. By the way, the anti-splinter strip, friction strips and guild strips on top of the DeWalt track are all replaceable, just like the Festool.

Riving Knife, “straight plunge” and kick back

Like the Festool, the DeWalt saw has a spring-loaded riving knife that drops down into the cut once there’s clearance for it. To help prevent kickback, this knife needs to be thicker than the body of the blade but narrower than the teeth, and has to be aligned perfectly with the blade. The instructions included an adjustment procedure, but it wasn’t necessary with the saw I had.

Probably the only complaint I’ve heard about the Festool track saw is the fact that kickback can be a problem. These plunge cutting track saws can climb out of the cut for a number of reasons, nearly all of which can be remedied. On one of my first cuts with the Festool saw, the tool kicked back and gouged a nice saw kerf in the aluminum track. And I know I’m not the only one who had done that!

One of the biggest things to note with this or any plunge saw is that they rely on a spring to lower the motor and blade into and out of the cut smoothly. Plunging usually is not a problem if you have good control of the saw, but often you find yourself reaching as you finish a cut, which is where that strong spring can lift the blade out of the cut and cause problems. Along with supporting the material on both sides near the cut, it is important to maintain control with your weight over the saw as it travels through the cut, which means walking the saw through the cut while keeping both the cord and dust collection hose from catching on the track (see photo, right).

Another technique that helps prevents initial kickback when making a plunge cut, is letting the saw motor’s rpms get up to speed before starting the plunge. Never drop the blade into the work until the motor is turning at maximum speed.

When designing their track saw, DeWalt took steps to help prevent kickback. One added feature is the anti-kickback knob located on the rear of the saw’s shoe. Unlocking this knob releases a pin that prevents the saw from moving backward on the track (see photo, left). I didn’t intentionally try to create kickback with this feature engaged, but it did stop the saw from moving backward on the track. We tried to force the saw backwards with the pin engaged and couldn’t budge it.

Another thoughtful feature and major difference from the Festool saw is the way that the DeWalt saw plunges into the work. The Festool saw pivots from a hinge point at the rear of the shoe, which momentarily increases the hook angle on the saw teeth, making the blade grab more aggressively at the start of a cut. The DeWalt saw is also hinged at the rear of the shoe, but the motor and blade are held off the base of the saw by two arms that allow the motor to stay parallel to the base of the saw as it is plunges down. This plunging motion took a little getting used to, but it provides good control at the start of the cut.

Making sawdust

After the quick set up, I was ready to make some cuts. I had some cabinets to build for a current project, so I started by ripping several full sheets of pre-finished maple plywood to width.

The saw cut through the plywood fine, but it made a loud vibrating noise that I first thought was the blade wobbling. I expected to see a wavy cut, but was surprised to find that the cut was pretty clean. I heard this vibration noise on every cut. It lessened a little bit when I replaced the 48-tooth blade (that came with the saw) with a 28-tooth blade (DeWalt has never been known for their blades!).

Ripping the plywood stock really showed off the biggest advantage of the DeWalt saw.

After a cutting along one edge,
I simply slid the track down and aligned the splinter strip on the opposite side of the track with my next set of marks.
Then I was able to flip the saw in the opposite direction and cut using the other side of the track.

This maneuver with the Festool involves either flipping the track, which can be a pain especially in tight spaces, or adding the width of the saw blade to the measurement, which is never an exact science.

Plastic pointer

After a few straight rips with the blade at 90°, I ripped a length of scrap plywood at a 45° bevel (see photo, left). The saw locks at the desired angle at both the front and the back of the shoe, with a degree scale that goes from 0° to 47°. This scale was tough to read accurately because of the chunky plastic pointer. The vibration noise was even louder while beveling, but again it didn’t affect the cut.

The edges left by both the straight cuts and the miters were pretty good in the pre-finished maple. I also made some straight rips and beveled rips in 5/4 poplar, which came out fine as well. As a final test, I crosscut a 1 3/4-in. Douglas-fir door to see how the saw handled thicker stock that was prone to splintering. The results were very good even at the cross grain of the stiles.

I recommend connecting this saw to a dust collector, preferably one that is tool activated, unless you want piles of sawdust filling up your pockets. The dust port on the tool in the rear of the saw swivels 360°, so the hose can be held off to either side as you cut. Hooking up to a vacuum easily took care of 90% of the sawdust.

There were a few minor things about the tool that I thought could have been better, the biggest of which was the vibration noise during cutting. Again it was more of an annoyance than anything, and didn’t seem to affect the quality of the cuts. I can certainly think of plenty of tools I own that are louder, but after twenty years of cutting you get sensitive to these things.

Another issue was the length of the tracks when ripping full 4 x 8 sheet stock. DeWalt recommends resting the full base of the saw in the track before beginning the cut, and a few more inches of track would have made this part a bit easier. The same is true for running the saw past the end of the sheet comfortably when finishing the cut at the other end of the track. The combined length of 105 in. just wasn’t enough to do both ends properly.

I also thought that the blade change lock knob and spindle lock could have been a little easier to operate. The T-square and miter gauge accessories didn’t seem very useful. I tried the T-square, which slides into the track after the clamp and checked the set up with a framing square. It was off without any apparent way to adjust it. The miter gauge that attaches to the track in the same manner as the T-square, has a scale that is hard to read because of its position under the track. And the thick pointer on the gauge seemed as if it wouldn’t be accurate enough to dial in a specific angle. If I had to make a precise angled cut across a piece of wide stock, I would probably use a Bosch miter finder to set the angle and then clamp the track. By the way, the track clamps, which are modified Quick-Grip style clamps that slip into the track, work very well (see photo, right).

To sum it up, I think DeWalt came up with a saw and track that works very well. I especially like the fact that you can cut from both sides of the track and the “straight plunge” feature is a nice safety benefit that reduces kickback. If I was back in the market for a track saw, I’d definitely give this one strong consideration.

By Cregg Sweeney, owner of Cregg Sweeney Artisan Builders, www.creggsweeney.com, in Orleans, MA.

Read this article in its original format (with more images) at TiC Issue 2!