🐿️Pinecone Attack

c/carpenters

1

olivias88•14d ago

Took a trusty old Stanley plane to a job site in Philly last month

Spent 20 minutes tuning up a No. 5 that had been sitting in my truck for 8 years, and the difference in finish quality on some white oak was night and day compared to that cheap modern plane I bought online. Has anyone else found that older tools just hold a setting better, or am I just getting picky with age?

19

grayt46•14d ago

Spent $600 on a Festool Domino and honestly I kind of regret it

I see everyone raving about those Festool joiners but my old router and some cheap templates do the same job for me and I'm not convinced the precision is worth that kind of money, has anyone else gone back to the old way after buying one?

23

evan_morgan81•15d ago

One of those weeks where everything went sideways on the job site

Last Monday we started a crown molding install in a new build over in Oakwood, and by Wednesday I had already snapped three pieces because the miter saw blade was dull. The homeowner was watching me like a hawk after I told him the wood had too much moisture, but he insisted we keep going. Then my apprentice dropped a 12-foot section of poplar and it cracked right down the middle. By Friday I had to reorder $400 worth of material and push the whole timeline back a week. The worst part was the homeowner blamed me for not checking the wood sooner, even though I told him from the start it was iffy. Has anyone else had a job spiral like that where you just couldn't catch a break?

18

craig.brian•17d ago

Chat with an old framer last week changed how I nail

Had a 30 minute talk with a guy who's been framing since the 70s over coffee at the job site. He told me I'm overthinking my nail spacing and just need to trust the pattern and move faster. Anyone else had an old timer's advice that actually sped up your work?

19

ivan873•19d ago

Old carpenter at the supply house said face frames are faster than frameless cabinets

We got into it last week at the lumber yard - he swears by face frames for kitchen installs claiming they hold up better over 15 years, but I've been leaning toward frameless for more storage space. What's your experience with both over time?

18

allen.amy•21d ago

TIL my favorite framing hammer is actually junk for trim work

Snapped the handle on my old Estwing last week while tapping a casing nail and realized it's WAY too heavy for finish stuff. I grabbed a cheap 7oz Vaughn for the rest of the job and honestly it felt like a cheat code, anyone else switch hammers between rough and trim work?

11

seanperry•22d ago

Shoutout to the old timer who told me my framing nailer technique was backwards

I spent about 5 years shooting nails at a slight downward angle like I was trying to sink them into the wood. Then this crusty guy named Bill on a job site in Denver watched me for like 30 seconds and said stop doing that. He showed me how the nail gun should be flat against the wood and you let the recoil do the work. I argued with him for a solid minute because I thought I knew better. Then I tried it his way and my nails stopped bending and I saved like 20 minutes a day on just not fighting the tool. Anyone else get a hard lesson from a random carpenter who knew more than they let on?

34

dixon.daniel•25d ago

Walked into a cabinet shop near Raleigh and saw the owner throwing away perfectly good maple offcuts

He said they don't have room to store pieces under 18 inches, but I could have used those for drawer fronts and little boxes, has anyone else run into shops that just toss usable hardwood like that?

1

thomas862•25d ago

Bought a Festool track saw for $650 and honestly kinda regret it

I dropped $650 on a Festool TS 55 last spring because everyone swore it would change my cuts forever. First week it worked great on some plywood panels for a closet build. Then the riving knife got stuck and I had to send it in for a $80 repair fee after only 3 months. My old $150 Skil circular saw with a cheap guide never gave me that kind of hassle. Am I missing something or did I just fall for the hype? Has anyone else dumped cash on a "pro" tool and felt burned later?

20

troykim•25d ago

Just found out most people over-dry their lumber

I was reading through some old trade reports from the 1940s (weird hobby, I know) and found a stat that shocked me. Apparently, lumber kiln-dried to below 6-8% moisture content actually warps faster in normal humidity than wood kept at 9-12%. Been in the trade 12 years and always thought drier was better. Has anyone else seen their joints shift after ordering supposedly "perfectly dried" wood?

8

anderson.spencer•27d ago

My miter saw fence was off by a full 1/16 inch for 6 months

I finally checked my Dewalt miter saw with a square last weekend and found the fence was out by 1/16 inch on the left side. All my crown molding joints had tiny gaps I couldn't figure out. Anyone else ever had a factory fence drift over time like that?

1

johnson.adam•28d ago

Told my old foreman his coping method was outdated... he was right all along

Been doing crown molding for about 8 years now and always used a power coping tool. Last month my old foreman Bob saw me struggling on a tight inside corner and said just use a coping saw, it's faster. Laughed at him and spent 45 minutes fighting that crown with a jigsaw. Finally grabbed his beat up coping saw and had it perfect in under 10 minutes. Has anyone else found that sometimes the "old way" is actually better once you give it a real shot?

5

ryan_stone•1mo ago

I finally hit 100 cabinet doors without a single reject and it made me rethink my whole sanding setup

Everyone says you need a $2,000 wide belt sander to get consistent results, but I did it with a cheap ROS and a lot of patience on a tiny 10x10 shop in Denver, has anyone else found that fancy gear doesn't actually matter as much as technique?

12

webb.christopher•1mo ago

Swapped my old Stanley chisels for a set of Narex and I get it now

I had been using those basic Stanley chisels from the hardware store for about 4 years. Finally grabbed a set of Narex chisels from Lee Valley for $80. The difference in holding an edge is NIGHT and day. I can actually pare end grain without fighting it. Has anyone else made a similar swap and noticed how much easier detailed work gets?

12

rosek73•1mo ago

Old framing square I got from my grandpa has markings I can't find online

Last month I was cleaning out my garage in Phoenix and found his old Stanley square from the 1950s. It has a weird set of rafter tables on the back that don't match any modern square I've seen. Anyone know where I can find an old manual or something that explains these?

15

the_jesse•1mo ago

3 years ago I swore by subfloor adhesive, now I skip it entirely

I used to glue every single sheet of plywood down on floor jobs here in Portland, thinking it was the only way to stop squeaks. Last week I watched a framer lay a whole 1500 sq ft floor with just ring shank nails and no glue at all, and it came out dead quiet. Anybody else ditch the glue or am I just getting lucky so far?

6

emery18•1mo ago

Is it even worth jointing boards before glue-up anymore? I see guys skipping it left and right.

I was over at a buddy's shop last Tuesday helping him build a dining table. He's been at this for maybe 5 years, and he just slaps boards together out of the planer without jointing the edges. I told him he's going to get gaps, but he says the clamps will pull it closed. I've been doing this for 15 years in Pittsburgh, and I've seen too many joints open up 6 months later when the wood moves. On the other hand, I get that jointers take up floor space and not everyone has a big shop. What do you do when you're putting together a wide panel out of 2x6s or 4/4 stock? Do you always joint first, or have you had good luck just relying on a sharp blade and glue?

21

rosek73•1mo ago

Appreciation post: the old timer who showed me how to sharpen a chisel on a oil stone at 6am

I was framing a deck outside of Austin last summer and this retired carpenter named Joe walked by my work site around sunrise. He saw me struggling with a dull chisel on a tight corner joint and just shook his head. He pulled a beat up Norton oil stone out of his truck and showed me this whole routine for about 15 minutes. I had been using those diamond plates and a guide jig for years. He basically just taught me feel and pressure. Has anyone else had a stranger drop knowledge on them like that out of nowhere?

7

barnes.morgan•1mo ago

Hot take: Those cheap framing nailers will cost you more in the long run

I learned this the hard way on a job in Durham three weeks ago. Bought a no-name nail gun from a discount tool place for about sixty bucks, thinking I was saving money. By the second day, it was jamming every ten nails and I had to stop and clear it each time. My buddy on the crew told me 'you get what you pay for' right after I spent an hour fixing a misfire. I finally borrowed his Paslode and finished the framing in half the time. The wasted labor cost me more than a good nailer would have. Has anyone else had a cheap tool mess up an entire day?

28

reese550•1mo ago

Unpopular opinion: sometimes you just have to walk away from a cut for a bit

I was putting in a custom built in for a client in Tacoma, and the final shelf needed a 22.5 degree miter on one end to meet the wall. I measured three times, set the saw, and the cut was off by a hair. I spent the next 90 minutes rechecking my angle finder, recutting test pieces, and getting more frustrated. Finally, I went and got a coffee, came back, and realized my saw's base plate had a tiny sliver of old tape stuck to it throwing off the fence. Cleaned it, recut, perfect fit in two minutes. Has anyone else wasted a whole morning on something that simple?

16

ross.william•1mo ago

Showerthought: The new library in Springfield has amazing woodwork, but I think they made a big mistake with the finish.

I was there yesterday checking out the new community wing. The built-in shelves and the main circulation desk are clearly custom, with beautiful walnut and some really clean mitered corners. But the finish they used is this super high-gloss, almost plastic-looking polyurethane. It shows every single fingerprint and dust speck, and in the sunlight from the big windows, it creates a harsh glare. For a public building that gets heavy use, it seems like a poor choice compared to a satin or even a matte finish that would hide wear and feel warmer. The craftsman in me cringes thinking about the maintenance crew constantly wiping it down. It's a shame because the wood and the work underneath are top notch. Has anyone else run into a situation where a finish choice really undermined some great carpentry?

3

milarodriguez•1mo ago

A client in Denver told me my 1/8 inch reveal on cabinet doors was 'visually heavy' and to try 3/32 inch instead, which I thought was nitpicking until I saw the finished install.

Now I use that smaller gap on every frameless job, but does anyone think the extra time for that precision is actually worth it for the average homeowner?

17

king.river•1mo ago

Remember when we all had to sharpen our own chisels?

Back in the 90s, my first boss made me spend an hour every Friday afternoon sharpening the whole shop's chisels on oil stones. It was a quiet job, but it ate up a whole afternoon. Now I just run them over a diamond plate for maybe 30 seconds each and they're ready to go. I switched over about ten years ago when I started doing more detailed trim work and needed a perfect edge faster. The old way taught patience, but the new way lets me finish a door casing in one go without stopping. Anyone else still keep an old oil stone around, or did you toss yours?

7

johnson.adam•1mo ago

Just realized those magnetic wristbands for holding nails actually work

I saw one at the hardware store for $15 and figured it was a gimmick, but after dropping a box of 3-inch screws off a ladder in Portland, I gave it a shot. It's surprisingly strong and keeps everything right where you need it, saving a ton of time on repetitive tasks. Do you guys have any other simple gear hacks that seemed silly but turned out to be legit?

26

patricia_king23•1mo ago

A client in Denver once asked me to leave the pencil marks on his custom bookshelf.

He said 'those lines are the story of how it got made.' Has anyone else had a request like that?