Carpenter Talk

Makes sense anything conductive will trigger it...
I'm sure it works off the same concept as a GFCI. What happens with wet lumber?

AFAIK wet lumber will trip it, I think there is a provision to disable it for cutting materials that would set it off.

Wet lumber definitely trips it.

Coping saws cut deep and quick....you are not alone!

Four weeks ago I embarked on my craziest idea ever, disrupting the lives of my wife and two teenagers a couple of weeks before school started. How hard can it be, after all I do it to people every day with reckless abandon. Yup my mind was made up and I was on collision course with crazy town.
Time to remodel the kitchen, after all it was put in in 1961. But in my house a dad project is usually frowned upon. How far over the top will he go? , we he employ us?, is he going to bang early on Sunday mornings or late night? , how long will the house look like a refugee camp? Oh no, we won't be able to find anything. Yup I've heard it all from my family, but that's what it takes to better my family's lives and that's what I do.
Ok, to be fair all my families issues with me are real because this time I sat them down and told them this won't only be a kitchen remodel , but one that will be done with a minimum of 80% recycled materials. Not well received, but I've been in this business twenty years and counting and I have amazing clients , suppliers, and other contractors that are willing to help, family not so much.
So with that here is what's got to go. View attachment 1354388 View attachment 1354388 View attachment 1354389

Tell them adversity builds character.

Wife and I have been contemplating a "nuke the kitchen" project for a while, but it will be a bit before the nuking can start.

They are still sour from the staircase refinish. Haha. They had to use a ladder to get to the bedrooms for a week.

I finally got my gable end cripples installed, and the lookouts on one side. Progress is slow but satisfying...

A crappy photo of an interesting project. Homeowner inherited this mural of her grandmother’s farm in Mystic, CT. It’s canvas over a 2”x4” and plywood frame and measures 54”x 110”. It is a heavy mother.
I wanted to keep the visible hardware to a minimum so I glued and screwed a 1”x 4” red oak board to the wall as a ledger. I moved the mural into position and
rested it on two tool boxes and, while kneeling in front of the center of the mural, lifted it onto the ledger using my awesome physical might. My helper was thrilled by this display.
While she braced the mural against the wall I toenailed GRK finish screws through the 2”x4” frame and into the studs on the top and bottom edges.
The homeowner loved the result and so did I.

Today I finished up the lookouts and fly rafters. Hopefully next weekend I can get the rafter tails trimmed, the subfascia on, and some decking up.

That door looks too narrow for ADV handlebars!

That's true! This will initially be a hangout shed for my daughters. Then six years from now when the youngest goes off to college I can turn it into either storage or a small supplemental workshop. So what I did was to "future proof" the structure. There's a header in place for a big set of double doors, then I framed up for a normal people door within that (with screws, for easy removal later). Best of both worlds!

Lately I've been accumulating these DeWalt stackable boxes. This photo is not of my collection but pretty close. I also bought the foam insert and now my drill and driver are nestled in their own cutouts and not banging around in the bag that they come in. I had a Rigid container for my collection of screws and nails but the latches weren't secure and made a mess regularly.
The stack I have is mounted on the handcart, which is positioned in front of one of the side doors of my van, so everything is easily accessible.
I'm still playing around with the best arrangement and less chaos in the back of my van is my goal.

Old kids play house needs love.
Bought a place.

Roof was just plywood only.
Small gap at the top allowed water damage in to the floor. How can I paint/seal that?

Cheapest way to seal the roof at this point?
Stick on ice shield?

What do you mean by damage - rot, or raised plywood, or what? And, photos are always good.
I like to use porch paint on plywood floors in places like play areas. It's usually comes in gray and is quite durable.
Ice shield is great stuff but not easy to work with until you’re experienced. I found some Youtube vids that helped me learn the technique.

For today's journey into the unknown I'm addressing this whole house humidifier. My friend says it doesn't seem to be working. Note the copper water line in the lower left of the photo. I traced it's complicated journey across the basement ceiling and discovered that it was cut and capped directly over the on-demand water heater. I don't see any place where the water line could ever have been connected.


But mineral deposits on the mat suggest that at one time is was working. My friend is mystified by this. Note the control wire in the lower right of the photo.


The control wire leads to, the control, and on down into the side of the furnace.


I haven't pulled the access panel yet, but there should be a transformer in there. It would be great if it had a spade connector labeled HUM.


This line feeds a water filter that received occasional use. I'm thinking of tapping it to provide water to the humidifier.
I'm not real experienced with this type of repair so stop me if I'm doing something stupid.

The copper line was probably tapped into a cold water line at some point in time. Maybe when the on demand water was installed, the line was cut.

Tapping into the water filter line should be fine. You just need a supply of cold water.

I'm thinking a Shark fitting on the water line, rather than the saddle valve supplied.

I would not use a saddle valve on plastic. I would use the sharkbite fitting.

You can replace that shutoff on the pvc pipe that feeds the water filter with a dual shutoff like what feeds a faucet/dishwasher from one pipe. Don't use the saddle valve.