Here's what I've learned about building. How about you?

MountainDon · May 07, 2012, 02:13:46 PM

Quote....but all they used was a circular saw and a speed square.

A circular saw with a decent sharp blade. We're building a house frame. No matter how fine the house will be, the frame is still not fine furniture. The miter saw will come in handy for the trim work.

However, do be careful to make things plumb and level and at 90 degrees when it's supposed to be 90 degrees. That will make the other work down the line easier.

flyingvan · October 21, 2012, 12:20:35 PM

Just realized my router bits, all carbide, were crazy dull. I had occasion to buy a new router bit and on the first pass, I thought I had missed or something---there was no resistance, and boy did I get a clean cut. The old ones look and feel sharp but they aren't---I'm buying a whole new set and throwing these out

October 21, 2012, 04:50:22 PM

I'm pretty much doing all my work with a cordless circular saw, and a sharp blade is vital with the limited power and battery life. It also cuts smoother and straighter.

dablack · October 22, 2012, 07:46:50 AM

Put the OSB on the gable end trusses before putting them up! Messed with that all weekend! It would have been an hour long task if I would have done it on the ground.

Austin

considerations · October 22, 2012, 07:52:27 AM

"The old ones look and feel sharp but they aren't---I'm buying a whole new set and throwing these out."

I thought those could be sharpened...just like hand wood chisels??

October 22, 2012, 09:09:44 AM

Quote from: dablack on October 22, 2012, 07:46:50 AM
Put the OSB on the gable end trusses before putting them up! Messed with that all weekend! It would have been an hour long task if I would have done it on the ground.

Austin

Here's something to consider doing when putting up OSB----I had scalene triangles up 32' to deal with---No way I could hold OSB in place to mark it.
Instead, I just carried lightweight radiant barrier material up and cut it with a box cutter right down the center of the valley and over the drip edge. Then used that as a template on the ground to mark and cut the OSB. The radiant barrier then got installed, with theOSB over it.

MountainDon · October 28, 2012, 04:21:10 PM

Quote from: considerations on October 22, 2012, 07:52:27 AM

I thought those could be sharpened...just like hand wood chisels??

If they are carbide blades it's not really a DIY item like sharpening the average chisel. But there are shops that will sharpen them. If it's a pattern cutter that may be more difficult / expensive.

MountainDon · October 30, 2012, 09:04:20 AM

I'm wrong. You can sharpen carbide yourself. I was reminded of that. You need a diamond stone and you sharpen from the flat side, the back side not the profile shape. makes sense if you think about it.

Look Here

Ndrmyr · October 30, 2012, 02:23:31 PM

While many many home are basically framed with circular saws, having a table saw onsite, even a small one is, IMHO, safer and and more accurate than a circular saw. As a DIYer, you will appreciate this greatly. In addition, don't wait until trimming to bring the miter saw. The ability to cut accurate angles, perfectly straight ends and to shave a bit off, can not be accomplished as well with a hand held saw. In addition, if you pop for a small band saw (mine was $35 at an auction) you will use if for a myriad of small cuts that otherwise would drive you silly. All of these saws can and will cut siding and trim.
If you are making a bunch of repetitive cuts, such as soffiting, make a jig. I made a jig on sawhorses for the aluminum soffit and it made the job so easy. I just left a circular saw in the jig until the job was done. Decent circular saws sell cheap at garage sales and auctions. Pick up one or two extras. Leave a plywood blade in one. Nothing remains sharp. Visit your sharpening shop monthly when you are building. A chisel is not sharp until it is sharpened. They are not sharp from the factory. If your wife insists on using chisels to open paint cans, buy a chinese one and paint the thing orange and use it without regret.
Match your measuring tapes. Find two that measure the same, and if someone is calling down measurements to a cutter, it will save many curse words being wasted. If you can't find two that match, bend the tongue with two pliers until they do. If you drop it, check it again. Buy carpenters pencils by the dozens. Heck....that is just a good start.

November 03, 2012, 12:50:27 PM

Another thing---building a house produces lots and lots of cardboard. Here, you are required to have a place for wood cutoffs, and for trash---but the vast majority of trash ends up being cardboard. It likes to blow away. The earwigs love setting up shop under it. When it gets rained on it's a goopy mess that won't dry. I got in the habit of putting cardboard directly back in the truck so I could put it in the recycle dumpster at work. Next time I build I'm going to designate a dry spot somewhere for it I think

mountainlady1956 · November 03, 2012, 11:04:30 PM

I just love this thread! All so true. Building is such a contrast-a pleasure and a pain. Building is creating, ongoing, addictive. The end product a source of pride and satisfaction. It takes hard work, endurance and is a learned process. One thing, I can not figure out why the carpenter pencil or tape measure is always missing. Never knew it could disappear in so many different places

What a great forum for encouraging new owner-builders

Cathy
PS Thought your last post flyingvan was so funny. I feel like a cleaning woman when building!

MushCreek · November 04, 2012, 06:23:51 AM

Due to the sheer size, I had a framing crew do the majority of the work on my barn. The house is more manageable for me. I was surprised that the only tools they had were circular saws, a speed square, nail guns, tape measures, and hammers. I do love the accuracy and speed of my 12" sliding miter, and was surprised that they did not use one. As for the table saw, I have a decent one, and haven't used it much yet. I've used it to rip plywood, but it was so hard managing a full sheet alone, i found it easier to use a rip guide on my circular saw. I'm sure the table saw will get more use when i move on to the smaller stuff.

Jigs and fixtures can save so much time. I made a set of spacers to hold my trusses at exact 24" centers. It sped up setting the trusses- even the crane operator was impressed. As a machinist with production experience, making jigs and fixtures is second-nature to me.

flyingvan · November 04, 2012, 08:21:52 AM

Mountain Lady----I was intrigued by the pencil/tape measure disappearences as well. It turns out they get left in my pockets then chemically react with the socks in the dryer and morph into wire hangers in my closet

flyingvan · February 10, 2013, 10:47:27 PM

#Whatever we're on now...

When you're finished, be prepared for an odd transitional period. You've put off a million other things that weren't as important. The project that consumed you is done--what will you have to think about during a boring meeting, or when you can't fall asleep? What do you tell the people that ask what you're going to build next? What are you going to do with the totes full of tools, pounds and pounds of fasteners, a half roll of window flashing, and the last 2" of Henry's? That cordless driver that sounds kinda grindy now---do you have to buy a new one or will this last? Does someone own a giant magnet so I can get all the bent nails out of the ground? What AM I going to do with myself now?

November 02, 2013, 09:14:26 PM

OK, a hindsight being 20/20 thing here. I just bought a faucet for my sink at home and it came with a sticker with the model number on it. You stick it on the drain plumbing to reference for replacement washers and such later. From now on I'm going to cut out the model # and stick it up under the sink somewhere

Don_P · November 02, 2013, 10:34:45 PM

Good Idea!
Back when we were all keeping an eye on her folks, coming and going at different times over the course of some years, I noticed the kitchen faucet was having trouble, beach water can be tough on plumbing fixtures. Well I had the option of trying to figure out exactly what it was and then trying to find parts, or... just buying a new one and slapping it in. My "to do" list was pretty healthy, I chose the second option. But, being somewhat frugal and not wanting to throw away the old one, I figured we could use it at the dock on the fish cleaning table, I took it down to her Dad's shop to put it on the shelf there for later. There were 4 of us guys taking care of those kinds of things. Yup, 3 other faucets were already lined up

MushCreek · November 03, 2013, 07:35:42 AM

Now that I've moved on to electrical and plumbing, I've learned a whole new skill set. I was shocked (pun intended

) by how much wire I used. That all goes under the heading of costing more than expected. The entire wiring project was far bigger than I had anticipated. Easy, but complex, if that makes any sense.

If you are any distance from the supplier, buy extra everything. Most places are good about taking back the unused excess (save your receipts!) You'll always find that you're one fitting short of completing something. The odds of this go up with the distance from said supplier. I was installing a temporary work sink yesterday, and the fitting I bought to adapt the trap to the fixed drain pipe was missing the little nylon seal! Going and getting one equals an hour lost and two gallons of gas. Luckily, I had spares in my excess fittings box.

If you are subject to inspections, try to find out exactly what they need to see before calling them out. I flunked my last inspection only because I tested my DWV system with air pressure rather than water. Not my fault, as they changed the rules on me, but I wish I had known. Next inspection, I'll call and find out in detail what they want!

Windpower · November 07, 2013, 06:49:02 AM

I am going to second the compound miter saw recommendation

I got a cheapo 12" sliding compound saw from Harbor Freight ($149 with a coupon IRRC) (OK I did spring $60 for a Diablo 100 tooth carbide blade)-it actually looks like a complete copy of a $700 Dewalt that my carpenters have

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-double-bevel-sliding-compound-miter-saw-with-laser-guide-69684.html

it cuts through the bamboo flooring fast and perfect

it work great and is a huge time saver on the bamboo flooring and the framing I had to do

Alan Gage · November 07, 2013, 02:36:51 PM

I know it's already been said but I'll say it again...it's going to cost more than you think!

Thought I'd learned that lesson from my house. Now I'm building a shop on the same lot. Knowing how easy it was to underestimate I tried to overestimate and came up with about $25,000 to build it myself (except for a few courses of block and pouring the slab). I've already reached 25,000 and have yet to pay for my 10x18 door/opener, two walk through doors, interior and exterior steel (roofing is paid for), or electrical. At this point I think I'll be kissing $40k by the time I'm done.

Where does it go?

Alan

Rob_O · November 07, 2013, 08:16:53 PM

Quote from: Don_P on November 02, 2013, 10:34:45 PM
Good Idea!
Back when we were all keeping an eye on her folks, coming and going at different times over the course of some years, I noticed the kitchen faucet was having trouble, beach water can be tough on plumbing fixtures. Well I had the option of trying to figure out exactly what it was and then trying to find parts, or... just buying a new one and slapping it in. My "to do" list was pretty healthy, I chose the second option. But, being somewhat frugal and not wanting to throw away the old one, I figured we could use it at the dock on the fish cleaning table, I took it down to her Dad's shop to put it on the shelf there for later. There were 4 of us guys taking care of those kinds of things. Yup, 3 other faucets were already lined up

Pick a brand and stick with it. I like Delta because you can get replacement parts at the quickie-mart (Okay, not really but they are easy enough to find) and there's a lot of parts interchangeability across the product line so you can fix most any of them with a few parts.

Quote from: Alan Gage on November 07, 2013, 02:36:51 PM

I know it's already been said but I'll say it again...it's going to cost more than you think!

And it will take at least twice as long as the contractor quoted!!

November 07, 2013, 08:49:19 PM

Quote from: MushCreek on February 06, 2012, 04:57:58 PM
I hired a contractor for #5- no digging!

I have a couple more:
15) Everything will cost more than what you've carefully planned for. Count on it.

16) You will get to experience weather extremes of biblical proportions as you build. Take pride in being part of the biggest snow/rain/heat wave/drought/plague 'O locusts ever seen in your area.

Add forest fires to that as well.....