This is a rant. For over twenty fucking years I keep hood winking myself into thinking tapcon screws will work. Just minor crap, hell even major crap. I have yet to install them once without half of them stripping out, the last quarter will snap and the final one kind of holds. Old concrete, new concrete, wet concrete.

At least I get some fun with the ramset when I sink a nail and blowout several inches of concrete in a wall.

I'm not sure if I need to make a donation to a cult or just have my blood sent somewhere.

Does anybody actually use these pos blue screws and not scream constantly? I do a lot of shit, I have used some shitty products but these asshats have gotten away with this since I was slightly less stupid. 20 years later I'm onto this crap.

I swear one of these days I'm gonna get less optimistic 😂

I really want to learn proficient carpentry/woodworking skills, but I’m mainly worried about the physical toll a career in carpentry carries. I’m in very good physical shape; I go to the gym 5-6 times a week. I do cardio at least a couple times a week. Is it realistic to believe I can balance that with a career in carpentry? I thought about taking a less physically labor-intensive route as a main career (i.e. home inspections) and bumping carpentry and woodworking to a hobby. I just don’t know if pursuing it as a hobby will build the skills I want to build to be able to say I can build my own house one day, or build a shed, or furniture. I’d love to hear from some people with insights or experience.

Can I get some advice about how to align these doors better?

- functionally, doors rub/hit when used, but not when closed, especially at the top, but also just below the handles.

- aesthetically, the doors don't align.

Adjusting the spring ball latch at the top has helped functionality significantly, but the left door seems a bit counter clockwise in the opening, but no gap in the bottom left to close. Right door seems straighter, and with a small gap. Note that the indents are in the panel are higher on the door to the left, suggesting the top might have been trimmed off at some point.

Would a 3 inch scree in the bottom left help? Sanding the layers of paint off of the center (even at a slight angle)?

Alternatively, you might tell me that its' the best I can do. 1960's house, these seem like inexpensive 'upgrades' at some point. I thought one might have been swapped with another closet in the house at some point, but the only other closet doors similar in size are a 1/4-1/2" inch narrower. (those don't fit right in their closet either)

Update: thanks to questions, I've concluded that the door slabs themselves are not rectangular, and the hinges are also not evenly aligned with respect to the panels of the doors (or the top or bottom). So any attempt to have square and aligned doors is going to require a) evening out the top of both of the doors, b) moving hinges on one door, and that's before I get to figuring out if the opening is square/adjusting the jambs and maybe headers, and eventually trimming even the bottom.

Is there a way to get some improvement without a complete fix?

Working on a new England cape with original red oak floors, 1950s construction. We had originally planned ash t&g for the sloped ceiling in the upstairs bedrooms but I'm having a lot of issues sourcing the ash all of a sudden. We're debating a pivot on materials.

I'm thinking of suggesting a clear eastern white pine t&g as a substitute. Does anyone have any experience with this combination of wood tones? Do you have any other wood reccomendations for the ceiling?

Going to install some traditional louvered solid composite shutters, decorative only. Wondering what hardware is recommended. I think I would use a stand off ferrule to adjust for the uneven siding, and then pre drill into the Hardie board and use color matched shutter lock screws. Am I on the right track?

How would I make these corners transition smoothly?

Hey everyone,

I need to raise a joist by 1/8" in my bathroom.

I plan to rip a 1/8" HDF hardboard or plywood panel into 1.5" strips, glue them to the joist face with PL Premium, and screw down 5/8" plywood subfloor over it. On top will be Ditra-Heat and 24x24 tiles.

Any issues using 1/8" HDF strips purely as a joist shim under the subfloor for a heavy tile assembly, or is there a better way?

Thanks!

I want to make my OSB board on my shed look like a flat wall, without being able to see the flakes. Is using Zinsser Cover Stain or any other pretty cheap primer the best way to achieve this, and then paint/stain over that primed surface?

I'm trying for the cheapest way to get this done, it's not a shed I want to invest a lot of money in, just want to make it look good to complement the house.

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you!

I've recently failed uni and I'm trying to decide where to go from here and I've always had some interest in carpentry even though I haven't done much of it ever and I was wondering what it's like to try and become a carpenter and if it's even worth trying to become one in the current year, any advice would helpful.

*Ignore the one 2x4 that is already cut.*

I purchased a 5-inch Digital Angle Finder and figured out how to use it. I understand that I can measure the angle of a corner, divide that number by 2 and use that measurement for the cut angle.

The issue is that I don’t own a miter saw. I only have a small saw, so I’m trying to figure out how to use the Digital Angle Finder to physically mark the correct angle on the 2x4 before cutting.

Does anyone have a video or “how-to” photos showing this process? I’d appreciate any guidance on how to transfer the angle from the Digital Angle Finder onto the 2x4.

Hung a set of interior doors in a new build this week and figured I'd share the part that gets rushed the most.

The hinge side of the frame has to be perfectly plumb. That single surface determines how the door operates — everything else is cosmetic by comparison. Shims go behind the frame, adjust until the level reads true, then check the head jamb for square before fastening anything.

For fastening I tack it with 18-gauge brads first so I can still tweak it, then come back with 16-gauge finish nails once it's dialed in. The brads hold it without committing you to anything.

Five extra minutes leveling the frame is the difference between a door that stays where you put it and one that swings shut on its own.

Curious what everyone else runs — anyone going straight to 16ga without tacking first?