c/carpenters

Had to choose between a 6-inch and 8-inch jointer for a big maple job

Got a contract for 200 board feet of maple flooring in Tacoma. The shop had a 6-inch and an 8-inch jointer free. I picked the 6-inch because it was faster to set up. Big mistake. The boards were just over 6 inches wide, so every single one needed two passes, which doubled my time. Should have taken the extra ten minutes to dial in the bigger machine. Anyone else get burned by trying to save a few minutes on setup?

2 comments

gavina73•1d ago

Saw a historic house in Astoria with some wild trim work

I was walking past the Flavel House Museum last weekend and the exterior trim on the gables stopped me cold. It's all these compound curves and layered brackets, cut from what looks like old growth fir, and not a single nail head showing. Made me wonder how they even laid that out before power tools. What's the most complex trim profile you've ever had to match or recreate?

2 comments

king.andrew•5d ago

Overheard a contractor on a job site in Spokane talking about 'good enough' framing gaps

He said a quarter-inch gap on a load-bearing wall was fine to leave, which is flat out wrong. That kind of thinking can lead to serious structural issues down the line, like floor bounce or worse. Has anyone else run into this kind of corner-cutting talk lately?

c/carpenters

Had to choose between a 6-inch and 8-inch jointer for a big maple job

Saw a historic house in Astoria with some wild trim work

Overheard a contractor on a job site in Spokane talking about 'good enough' framing gaps

Watching guys try to cut crown flat on a miter saw makes me want to scream

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A bad batch of treated lumber cost me a whole day's work

I finally checked out the restored 1890s farmhouse at the state fairgrounds

Unpopular opinion: I think a 5-degree bevel on a miter saw is a waste of time for most trim

Warning: That old house in Bridgeport had a floor joist sistering job that took three days instead of one afternoon.

Appreciation post: Found out how much a real timber frame barn weighs

The old oak joist in that 1920s Portland bungalow finally gave out on me last Thursday.

Hit 15 years in the trade and the number hit me different

Vent: Heard a guy at the lumber yard in Tacoma say he never checks for pressure-treated stamps

Watch out for that new pressure-treated lumber from the big box store

PSA: I used to fight with my miter saw on every crown cut

Hot take: My uncle swore by using a 4-inch nail for every deck joist hanger, but my inspector in Denver failed me for it last month.

I was cutting crown molding backwards for two years and only noticed when my apprentice asked a question.

Finally got that Makita track saw I've been eyeing for a year

I used to think a 4-foot level was fine for everything until a kitchen remodel in Austin

Pro tip: an old guy at a lumber yard in Tacoma showed me a trick with a framing square that saved my whole day.

My old foreman in Tacoma told me to use a 4-foot level for setting long baseboard runs, not my 2-footer.

TIL my 'close enough' attitude on scribes was costing me jobs

I just read that a 2023 survey found 60% of carpenters still prefer a manual miter saw for trim work, which shocked me after switching to a cordless model.

Watch out for that new 'fast set' construction adhesive at the hardware store

Cleaned out my old toolbox and found 100 pencils with less than an inch left