What is sexier than a mitre cut?

A coped cut.

Maybe not for the client. If done correctly, no one will know the difference either way. But for the carpenter, it’s a flaunting skill, that has its place. 

For all you fine people wondering what a cope is, it’s an undercut into the profile of material, that will allow the wood to form around a joining piece. Usually found on the inside corner of most trim work.

Where on most mitered corners, you will need two joining 45 degree cuts, this allows for one cut to be a crosscut, with the joining cut to sit on top of the flat piece.

It’s big.

It’s scary.

And if you squint your eyes hard enough, it resembles a tall mysterious hairy freaky dude in the Northeast American territories…

It’s the Skilsaw 16” SAWSQUATCH Chainsaw!

Need that last minute holiday gift for that trades person you love so dearly?

Get them a wheelbarrow.

And don’t cheap out. Get the ‘never-flat’ tire models.

While most people are carrying one stick per hand, a trades person with a wheelbarrow can carry multiple sticks, in a giant bucket, on a single wheel!

Carpentry has a never ending list of power tools. 

The vast majority have a specific function, to complete a specific task.

In a recent conversation over a track saw, I was asked the importance of the tool, in regard to the operations of my business. 

And truthfully… I don’t need it.

The specific task that a track saw brings is limited to just making sure an absolutely straight cut is achieved. In one shot. Without relying too heavily on skill. Taking the pressure off of a mistake. 

But this can be done as easily with a circular saw. With a few extra steps, including a straight edge, producing the same results.

The conversation then turned from one of convenience, to one of needs. And if my circular saw was to ever stop working, then I would be in a world of problems.

Which is why I am giving you all a list of my…

8 Most Important Everyday Power Tools

The weight of the world is pretty heavy. 

Yet the weight of a misplaced post, supporting an oversized load, can be felt by all.

I’m sure y’all understand. Right?

That was the issue in the latest installment of ‘Why has this house not fallen apart yet?’. 

Water is this weird thing that will defy gravity.

Every plumber knows, that you need 1/4” of fall over a foot, for water to shed, but do they also know that you need to break the surface tension, or else that stuff will head uphill, backwards, and cross-eyed?

They probably do.

But for carpenters, it’s an easily forgettable thing.

But headaches always grew into eruptions.

The frustrations the clients would go through when their buildings failed. With only the smallest movement to a resolve. The impossible feeling of those corrections, when finding a trade. Even the insanity of dealing with our own internal politics. It would break those who were not ready, for the unknowing and uncontrollable stress.

I learned very quickly, that I did not have a chance of accomplishing a single job from my desk.

Not without the sweat of another on the project.

The past week, I had begun a complete fascia and soffit repair for Peach Roofing.

Peach Roofing will be replacing all the shingles on this project. But damage from a fallen tree limb, coupled with years of little maintenance, and various pest infestations, has caused the boxing (the term for soffit and fascia combined) to need replacing.

And the material of choice for this project is fiber-cement.

Windows bring the world around us into our spaces.

Allowing us to know that the structures we reside in, are more than just a box. A view that shows who is coming and going. The time keeper, that gives us an idea of our position in the day. The meteorologist, confirming the weather.

But it also provides protection. Giving us needed comfort to feel sound within the walls we reside.

Most windows will perform their jobs effortlessly over their life. Yet it is only time before our surrounding environment takes it toll. This can be blamed on poor craftsmenship, the material used, or the missed maintenance. But overall can be an easy fix, knowing the necessary approach to repair. 

For this, I will be going over one of the biggest repairs I perform on windows. That being wooden window sill. And my approach to providing the protection needed to maintain these units.

Roofs can take a beating, but years of abuse can show the flaws in the structural design.

In years that followed, I have burned the motor up in the drill. The impact is still around, but is a tired machine. Replaced by newer and more powerful models, only pulled from retirement when needed.

The bit case…. The bits are either lost or stripped.

But the case is still going strong.

They essentially let the indoors and outdoors give a glimpse to one another.

Yet most painters treat these areas as if they are no different from the rest of the house. Exterior of the house gets exterior paint. Interior gets interior paint. The colors should have a flow to them, but the paint material matters most.

Improvement isn’t yesterday or tomorrow.

Majority of the time, as professionals, we rely on our experience to carry us through something new. It’s not always smart, but hardly is there time to try something new. This is where mistakes, costly mistakes, are born.

Depending on the floor above, you can remove one or two joist at a time. It is best to lean toward one joist, but with the hardwood floors tying the subfloor together, I am given the opportunity to remove two joist.

The removal process, involves a circular saw ripping down the length twice. This does not need to be pretty. The goal is to create a wide gap, to release pressure created between the bottom and top of the joist.

For this project, a flooring contractor had added new treads to this staircase. Where carpet use to be on the risers, were holes from the tack strip and staples. The risers were made of MDF, as well as skirt boards and other various finish pieces. The holes created from the fasteners stood out to the customer, but what was more apparent to me, was the uneven surfaces.

Because of my knowledge with painting and its accessibility to everyone, I am asked a lot of questions. I don’t want to claim that I know it all. The life of a tradesperson is always learning. But here is a list of some of the knowledge I have gathered over the years. As time goes on, I will be revisiting this to update.

Last year a unique chimney repair found its way to me. It was a small repair. A three day siding repair, turned into a two week sweat-a-thon. From there, one chimney followed by another landed on my project list. All slightly different, but presenting similar symptoms.