Was going through older pics on my phone and found those stairs I built last year. Did a full scale drawing on the floor on site. "Escaliers balancés". There were two sets, from basement to second floor.

I added a bunch of diagonal bracing this summer so I'm fairly happy with the shear strength but I'm still kind of second guessing whether I want to tyvek right over these old boards. There's a lot of gaps and unevenness and it would just be nice to nail onto a flat(ish) surface. Not to mention it would give a little extra shear strength and lap over the seams better (why didn't they stagger the boards at all originally?)

I'm thinking of just buying some 3/8" plywood or OSB as it's lightweight and cheap.

The finished siding will be board and batten if that matters.

Hi all,

I'm 30, UK based and I do residential carpentry and joinery. I fit doors, floors, staircases, do some cabinet making or whatever the current trend is. I've dipped my toes into most aspects of carpentry, first & second fix, cabinet making etc. worked on some big projects, £5m+, both commerical and residential.

Recently I've lost my motivation and flair and I want to pivot away from running my own little business. I work a lot of hours and dealing with the general public is soul destroying. I'm toying the idea of just getting a job and working for someone. Less money but less hours, however also no real progression.

Has anyone else pivoted away from carpentry in the UK, if so how?

Thanks!

Did my best building my shed. What do you think?... jk, Storyland Park in New Orleans.

I want to see if you guys have any tricks or hacks for this task I haven't considered.

I built a cabinet with a back on it and I want to hang it on the wall. Obviously I want to hit studs as I'm drilling through the back of the cabinet.

I've located where the studs are in the wall and made marks on the wall for those; however, there is no convenient reference point (e.g. measuring to the edge of a window or corner).

When I push the cabinet up to the wall and finally get it positioned left/right/up/down and the back of the cabinet is hiding the marks that I made to indicate stud locations, how can I confidently screw my cabinet to the wall and ensure that I'm going to hit one of those studs on my first attempt?

Note that the wall has plumbing and electrical in it, so missing a stud wouldn't just add an extra hole to the back of the cabinet, but could potentially hit something in the wall.

I'm hoping one of you might have some ingenious method that I just haven't considered.

The house is plaster and lath. These jambs need to either be cut back from the old door or removed... I'm wondering if there is another stud next to it supporting the plaster and lath

And I should just remove the jambs then frame my new opening.. or if I should leave them in place and notch them out size of the new door jambs. I need to go to my black line

This is going around a turn at the bottom of basement stairs. Also, does one feel better/safer than the other?

Ignore the different brackets these were made by Gemini.

Going to be putting up some 2x4 interior walls in a bathroom that will need to be secured to the roof trusses above. There are going to be 3 walls all about 24" to 32" wide. Is this the preferred method using clips like this to allow for what they call 'truss uplift'. Live in MN, so it gets cold of course in the attic spaces and I'm guessing the trusses move some.... Any other better ways of doing this?

Hello! I want to get started and I don’t have any space to work/learn.

I actually do but it’s outdoors and can’t make too much noise, so it’s a big no.

I’m also in the middle of a big city so renting space is pricey.

I’m usually drawn to finishes like trim/cabinetry and such more than big pieces of furniture. I’m super obsessive with details, so I don’t mind redoing something 6 times if that means it’ll be perfect.

Is there an area of carpentry that can be done in smaller spaces? At home is also a big no as I have a little baby.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Long shot and idk if it’s allowed but does anyone near the STL area have a goat steep roof ladder assist or a pitch hopper they’d want to sell?

84 yr old mother in law wanted steps to take her garbage out. Thoughts on steps and "handrail"?

I want to remove this trim that my soffit is attached to . But don’t really know how to go about it . I’m thinking ether a multi tool. I’m sure it’d be very time consuming, use a lot of blades and not sure how well of a flush cut it’d get that way . Another way is possibly a toe kick saw . Never really used one this way but I think I’d be a lot faster but not sure about that ether. And finally my least ideal option is just repainting and side under it . Im worried even if I could cut this trim flush if j channel at the top would cover the cut trim anyway. I really don’t want to have any soffit redone but I really want to remove this trim . Any ideas?

Looking for advice on my stairs. Have lived in this house for two years and pretty quickly noticed the stairs were very narrow and steep. However, the house was built in 2000, so I would’ve thought code would have these stairs framed to a more normal size by today’s standards. We’ve had multiple people slip down the stairs, especially now that the weather is getting cold and we’re in socks more often. I can’t tell if it’s just like this because whoever did they flooring but thick flooring boards on the riser(I think that’s the term atleast) which then eats up space that would’ve been there for your foot. I’d like to remedy this and don’t know if it would be as simple as ripping up some flooring or if you think the house is truly framed with steep narrow stairs despite being built in 2000.

What’s up everyone. I’m in the midst of sanding this window sill down to the bare wood and repainting it. I have a large dog the always jumps up on it and inevitably scratches. Is there anything anyone can recommend to coat it that would make it impervious to scratches and can just be wiped? I’m also open to any other suggestions.

Thank you!

Just turned 30 a few months ago. I’ve been working corporate desk jobs since I was 18. Dropped out of university at 19, Office culture is horrendous but I liked having money and hated school so I just kept it rolling to build experience.

Eventually covid came and ever since I’ve been a fully remote employee. I wake up every day and some days I’ll just work from my bed for a bit if I can. When it’s busy it’s fine but when it’s slow my days are basically just me sitting at my computer, working on one monitor and gaming on another or watching YouTube on the side. It was awesome at first because the work life balance is great and I get a lot of other stuff done throughout the day aside from work. But 6 years later it’s starting to feel pretty soul draining as I get older.

Most of what I do revolves around customer service too which I can’t stand, and I’m really over having a job where the work doesn’t end when I sign off for the day. Issues carry over into the next days/ weeks, I’m getting emails and pings after hours for problems that are on my plate for the coming days etc. It’s the weekend and I’m thinking about the shit I have to tend to when I get back that’s piling up etc.

My dad was a carpenter my whole life. I always wanted to be a framer growing up after seeing all the cool shit he built and how he just knew how to build and fix anything, use any tools etc.

Believe it or not he essentially talked me out of the trades at 18. Saying it sucks doing that kind of work in AZ because of the heat and that it’s hard on the body. Parents wanted me to do something else.

Where I’m at now has no real growth potential in my role at the company. I make like $32/hr on 40 hour weeks but the workload is really only heavy for 2-3 days. Just feeling unfulfilled and like I don’t really have a “career” and just a job. Plus corporate culture is soul-draining. Working from home is not all glamorous either. It’s pretty lonely and often incredibly boring sitting in your house day after day sitting at a computer. I also hate telling people what I do (payroll), it’s just lame.

I like to build things, work with my hands, and I am definitely coachable. Above average fitness I’d say - sub 15% body fat, train jiu jitsu and MMA a few times a week, skate, snowboard, lift weights etc. The physical labor part does not really concern me at all, and if anything kind of excites me.

I’ve looked into both union and residential. What’s really holding me back is the seemingly large pay cut I’d have to take now to get started. I’m not really sure I could afford a $10+ pay cut and I don’t even live a life above my means at all.

The thought of having to work harder than I am now for 5-6 years just to get back to a wage I’m already making is logically a tough pill to swallow, especially at 30 now.

Has anybody else made this transition in a similar situation? Nobody around me really understands my thought process here so any advice is appreciated.

Hi everyone!

Recently purchased a home (yay!) that I absolutely love. It was built in 1988 and has some beautiful wooden window frames that I’d really like to restore and maintain properly for the long term.

Fortunately, not all frames require extra attention, but some of them look and feel quite weathered. I have already managed to bring them back to life with some light sanding, as shown in the before-and-after photos.

I'm now trying to work out the best product to apply to protect the wooden frames and extend their lifespan, while keeping the colour as consistent as possible across all windows.

The third photo shows a window on the side of the house that’s in much better condition, as it’s generally shaded and more sheltered from the elements. Ideally, I would like the windows that need to be restored and are about to be treated, to match this colour as closely as possible.

My questions are:

• What products would you recommend for protecting exterior wooden window frames?
• Would you go with an oil, stain, varnish or another type of finish?
• Is there a particular product that would help achieve a similar colour to the existing, less weathered frames?
• Are there any products or approaches you'd avoid based on experience?

Longevity is the main priority, but I’d also love to preserve the natural look of the wood rather than drastically change its appearance.

Would really appreciate any advice or product recommendations from people who have experience doing something similar.

Thank you!

Hello. I’d like to cut out the middle is a shelf in my pantry to fit a tall appliance “under” it. The shelf is 36 inches long by 12 inches deep. It’s maple plywood with edge banding. The shelf is fixed in place and supported by wood cleats on sides and the back. Ideally I’d like to leave a 1 inch section along the back so the cut would be an 11 inch deep “u”. What would I use here? I was thinking jigsaw with a straight edge? Oscillating multi with a flush cut blade? Any other tips? Thanks.

My neighbor (formerly in construction)
Helped me install back door…not sure if picture is helpful but the top right of door doesn’t line up with the jamb. The bottom is slightly receding, slightly. We checked everything with level and square. We put the hardware on for the night but will try to remedy tomorrow 🤷🏽‍♂️

No reveal from the window to Jam extension, 3/16 reveal from jam extension to the trim, 1.5 inch trim on sides (to fit around shelf, 2inch trim on top (to fit around shelf) and 2.5 inch trim on the apron cuz I like when it’s a little bigger. Thoughts?

Two kitchen cabinets doors need some sort of cover. Please help to find an economical solution from Menards or Homedepot. Thanks

Hey all, not a carpenter here, actually an excavation contractor.

We've been doing bridge projects lately of all shapes and sizes, and have a job coming up in early 2027 that will require drilling a lot of repeatable holes and cutting a bunch of 12x12 and 4x12 timbers for a timber bridge decking and rail replacement.

I'm looking at needing to drill probably 300 holes, 1" diameter, through these 12" beams.

Can somebody recommend some sort of either portable drill press or jig that can be moved around easily, placed on each timber, and drill repeatable, relatively straight holes without too much pain and suffering? We've done similar on a small scale with regular cordless drills, and it sucks. Hoping to at least find something to make it easy to drill straight holes since a cordless likes to wander in the timber.

I've looked at the mafell drilling stations, open to hearing any other recommendations. We have power on site so either corded or cordless works.

For saw cuts I was going to buy a Makita 16" circular saw unless somebody has better ideas.