For the last six or seven years, I’ve included some type of architectural trim presentation during my Finish Carpentry Clinics at Katz Roadshow events. For most of that time, I’ve built a fancy pediment with raking molding joined by a transition piece—a Greek Revival design common throughout the country. You can read more about that pediment in “Greek Revival and Italianate Trim.” Read the full article…
I’ve used a Kreg pocket hole jig for years. Like a lot of woodworkers and carpenters, pocket holes have changed the way I work and made my job a lot easier. But years ago I grew tired of drilling so many holes by hand, especially when we were doing wainscoting in 30′ x 40′ rooms, one house after another. So I bought a Kreg Foreman. It was a pricey decision, and worth every penny. But now Kreg has come out with a new Foreman and it’s HALF THE PRICE! Read the full article…
It might not be so new anymore—it took me months to get my hands on the K5 Pocket Hole jig, but it was worth the wait. Years ago, the Kreg Tool Company changed the way we work by popularizing pocket-hole joinery. Since then, they’ve continued to improve on the original model. The new K5 Jig is extremely easy to adjust, comes with a box-full of accessories, and even though most everything is plastic and has that DIYer feel, this is a tool for professionals. Read the full article…
In my shop, I use dado blades a lot. So much so that I keep one table saw as a dedicated unit with dado blades in it all the time. I find that, for one cutter, the number of operations I can complete is worth the money and floor space required. Read the full article…
SawGear has improved their digital miter saw stop system and the improvements are worth knowing about. The system is still expensive—out of the range of most finish carpenters—but for production crews, or for companies that pre-cut a lot of moldings in their shop, the new improvements are a game changer.
Some people (mostly folks who live in big cities!) think that builders who live in small towns are behind the curve when it comes to technology and better building practices. But the truth is that every state in the U.S. is actively improving building codes, and through new requirements on everything from decks to framing to air infiltration to housewrap, even small towns in America are getting up to speed. Read the full article…
I saw my first pattern book while visiting the Huntington Library Rare Books department in 1992 or 93. The book was Designs by Inigo Jones, written by William Kent and published in 1727. By the time I opened that book, I’d been working as a carpenter for more than fifteen years and specializing in finish carpentry for nearly ten years. Looking back, it’s amazing that I was able to survive without any understanding of architectural design, in a profession dependent upon architectural design. Read the full article…
In 2008, I was installing a kitchen every week, on average. As you can probably imagine, I was bringing in a lot of equipment each time to set up shop: miter saw, work bench, table saw, screw guns, levels, and of course nail guns, compressor, hose, and cord—even though there isn’t a lot of need for air guns in kitchen installs, you still need them. Read the full article…
The first time I used a Bosch sliding compound miter saw, with up-front bevel lock, I didn’t like the saw at all—it weighed too much. But after working with it for six months, I loved it (as long as someone else would carry it!). And when I first starting using a Kapex, I didn’t like it at all. Other than the fact that I could carry it myself, I just wasn’t comfortable using it. Within a month, I loved it. Tools are like that. You have to use them before you really get to known them, and some you end up loving. Read the full article…
Lately I’ve been surprised at how much I don’t know about stuff I thought I knew a lot about. And I mean some pretty simple stupid stuff—at least, I thought it was simple. That’s one reason you’ll be seeing some new “Tool Tips” articles on TiC, and they’ll be in our Tips department. This is the first article in the series. Read the full article…
Every carpenter has his favorite tool—the one he’ll turn the truck around to get because he left it at home. A lot of craftsmen have some kind of antique tool they really don’t use, but think it’s cool to have. (Some of us bought that collectable new!) Just go on eBay and do a search for “collectable carpenters tools.” There are tools online that don’t list a function, because the seller has no idea what it was used for! There are thousands of tools that have come and gone. Some were gadgets that some clever carpenter thought he could retire on; some were replaced with modern technology. My personal test of a tool’s worthiness is whether I would replace it if I lost it or broke it. Read the full article…
Endura’s new articulating threshold definitely belongs in TiC’s ‘New & Cool‘ articles. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Read the full article…
Most finish work is a matter of repetition. And if you don’t come up with a good system for all that repetition, you’ll never make any real money. I had one job where we had to glue up almost 100 panels made from a mixture of recycled beech and maple. We wanted to biscuit all those glue joints, but the last thing anyone on my crew wanted to do was plunge a hand-held biscuit joiner a few thousand times. And the last thing I wanted to do was invest in a big-dollar tool that I might not have a real need for again. Read the full article…
It’s been three years since I wrote about the last wooden storm door I built. When that article was published on TiC, many readers expressed concerns about my decision to use pocket screws to fasten the boards together. The question was: would the wooden storm door last through New England’s changing seasons? Read the full article…