Library builder

Although not often used by frame car­penters, two other power tools worth mentioning are routers and sanders. These tools are typically used for finish work, like preparing a bookcase for stain or paint, which makes them more suit­able for trim and finish carpenters. Routers Routers are classified according to the largest-diameter bit shank that the […]

My first pneumatic tool drove only sta­ples, and I used it to nail subfloor and roof sheathing. Today, pneumatic nailers drive many types of fastener. In some areas of the country, they are almost as common on job sites as hammers. What makes a pneumatic nailer so appealing is its speed. The nails are automatically […]

I remember making hole after hole with a hand-powered brace and bit in the early ’50s. I still have one hanging on the wall of my shop. Drilling bolt holes by hand in 2×6 sill plates was easy. But drilling a 1-in. bolt hole in a thick, solid beam took effort. Even with sharp bits, […]

A cut across the grain is called a crosscut. To make one, first scribe a cut line on the stock using a square to draw the line straight. Make sure that the stock is adequately supported either by sawhorses or by 2x blocks placed on the floor so that the cutoff can fall free. Then […]

When I first started framing back in the 1950s, the only power tool we had on the job was a table saw. It was a heavy monster with more iron in it than a John Deere tractor. It definitely was not portable. These days, table saws aren’t used much in framing, but they’re still very […]

Old-time carpenters needed many hand tools to cut and shape raw wood, such as the handsaw, keyhole saw, and miter box. Today’s carpenters use power tools, such as the circular saw, reciprocating saw, jigsaw, and miter saw. Circular saw The portable circular saw is as indispens­able to a carpenter as a word processor or computer […]

Power tools have revolutionized the way houses are built. Some of the tools common on the job site include (clockwise from bottom) 3/s-in. drills, miter saws, belt sanders, cordless drills, reciprocating saws, У2-ІП. drills, trim saws, and circular saws (worm drive left, sidewinder right). Tools aren’t like stretch socks where one size fits all. A […]

As its name implies, a plumb bob is used to check a vertical surface—-such as a door, wall, or window—-for plumb, or to find a spot directly below any given point. It is a simple but very accurate tool consisting of a tapered weight attached to a string. It’s really easy to use, too. To […]

Checking for level and plumb are jobs a carpenter has to do every day. You don’t want floors running downhill or walls that lean. The tools used to check for level and plumb are levels and the plumb bob. Levels Although today there are many high- tech leveling devices that rely on lasers or microchips, […]

A carpenter uses many different tools to mark all kinds of materials: wood, Formica, drywall, concrete, tile, you name it. Most of this can be done with a few basic marking tools, such as pencils, keel, pens, chalklines, and dryline. Pencils, keel, and pens While many lumberyards give away standard pencils, flat-sided carpenter’s pencils are […]