Gunner Quinn
About once a quarter I look at the list of ideas the editors collected for potential article topics in hopes that there is an area where I might be able to contribute to the community. For over a year I have noted the construction projects and realistic hand tools suggestions and wondered what approach I could take to share my experience(s). For context, I have spent most of my life in either the building or engineering workforces and currently have my own small general contracting business.
The source material for this article came about with the recognition that I had unintentionally assembled a collection of tools suitable for completing a typical framed construction. In late Fall, I began building a 16 by 20 storage building in a manner that it could easily be converted from storage into a comfortable living space if ever needed. It has a foundation of masonry block piers, short span pressure treated 2×8 floor joists bound by doubled rim joists, standard stud walls, bird’s mouthed rafters tied to a central ridge pole (or ridge beam), a fully sheathed roof, and new galvalume metal roofing. All framing is on sixteen-inch centers with all exterior facing materials being secured with either galvanized or ceramic-coated fasteners.
Since this project was undertaken at home, I began leaving my tools in a corner of the shed once the roof was dried in. As a result of not returning tools to either the truck or work trailer each night, I looked down one day and realized everything needed to start and complete a basic framed structure was lying before me. I have arranged these tools into four groups, essential, beneficial, nice to have and “other”. Up-front, I acknowledge there are multiple other options, “old school” non-power tool options, and different tools that would have been required for alternative building methods or subsequent trades.
Essential tools
For context, I plan to list the tools in order of their use/appearance on the job. As such, the first tools needed were the tape measure, string line, and level.
The string line is used to pre-position the structure by forming an outline of the building and moving the line to achieve the desired position or orientation of the structure on its plot. Initial squareness is obtained by use of the Pythagorean theorem simplified as the 3-4-5 method where marks are made along one side of a corner at three feet, at four feet along the adjacent line and the separation between marks adjusted until it measures five feet. To verify final squareness, the distance between diagonal corners is measured and adjustments made until the lengths are equal. In later steps, the string line can be “pulled” to ensure that the tops of all of the piers are planar. This is done by anchoring the string such that it crosses atop your reference pier then stretching it alongside each row of piers to verify uniform elevation.
The string line was used next as a reference to maintain the straightness of the ridgepole. Unlike a truss roof where each unit is self-supporting, the addition of rafters can bias the ridge pole by pushing or pulling it out of alignment due to rafters cut at an incorrect length, or the ridge can undergo sagging if temporary span supports are not used as rafters are added. By pulling the string line across the top of the ridge beam at the onset of framing, it becomes the reference for the roof peak alignment for both elevation and straightness. Its last use on this project was to set the rafter tail length. By driving a screw into the outside of the first and last rafters at the desired overhang length, a tightly drawn string line provided the cut-off position for the rafter overhang.
This step can also be accomplished using a chalk line, my selection of the string line is based on a desire to really apply tension to the string beyond what the cotton chalk line will typically withstand and having undertaken this project alone, i.e. there wasn’t someone else available to pop a chalk line, whereas I could tie off each end of a string line without causing tool damage. The last use of the string line was to establish the position of the soffit framing. In this use, a level was used to transfer the elevation of the two outside rafter’s horizontal tail cuts back onto the siding. The line was stretched and used to align the bottom of the soffit support framing along the entire length of the wall.
Two types of tape measures were used for this project. A twenty-five-foot locking, spring recoil unit was necessary at each step of the build and a 50-foot flat steel tape was used to verify the floor frame and wall unit diagonals. My daily carry is a sixteen-foot tape and I switched back to it once the walls were up. Most new 20-to-30-foot measures only differ in weight and the distance to which the blade is self-supporting.
As for flat tape measures, I prefer steel blade models over fiberglass/cloth for 50-to-250-foot units as blade “stretching” on longer spans is possible when enough pulling tension is exerted to eliminate sagging. One other note if you are purchasing a long measure, they are available in both “eighth of an inch” units and in decimal inches. Other than being aware of the unit differences, having a strong fold-down hook at the zero point is all that matters.
Once the position of the initial foundation pier was established, a long level was used to achieve a common plane for the remaining pier tops. The particular tool is 78 inches long and not something many folks are likely to need, in this situation however with piers between 60 and 72 inches apart, it simplified the job. A typical 48-inch level was used most often throughout the project. It was also handy to use an 18-inch model to verify the windows were set level and in areas where the four-footer was too long or cumbersome. Remember that it is easy to mimic a longer level with a short level by using a straight and true board to span longer distances than placing the available tool against the board, to check for plumb or level.
After the foundation was finished, floor framing began. The primary tools for these steps were a speed/Swanson square, circular saw, pencil, hammer, impact driver with T-25 and ¼” hex bits, clamps, saw horses, a cloth carpenters’ apron, chalk box, utility knife with replaceable blades and extension cord.
The Speed Square
A speed square is a triangular piece of aluminum that has one ninety-degree corner and a pair of 45s. One leg of the tool has a narrow perpendicular plate that is used as a positive stop when the square is laid across a piece of material. In addition to laying out 45- or 90-degree angles, the square is most often used as a guide for crosscutting material using a circular saw. A set of notches on most models serve as holders allowing one to insert a pencil and slide the plate along a board to layout parallel measurements.
A quality speed square will also contain a pivot point and a zero-to-ninety-degree compass in addition to multiple scales used in laying out rafters. The standard square has a seven-inch leg length, and larger 12-inch models are also available. If you have the means, I suggest having both sizes as the larger model provides substantially more stability when cross-cutting ten-inch or wider boards. Models made of steel and plastic are also sold, but the plastic units will break and most of the steel squares I have seen have the measurement components painted on whereas the aluminum models are stamped.
Circular saws are the jobsite workhorse. They can be adjusted from depths of “shallow score” to nearly 2.5 inches for a 7-1/4” standard saw. Depending on the make and model the saw can be beveled from -2 degrees to as many as +50. The saws are available in configurations with the blade on the right or left and many modern saws will have a blade brake. An extremely useful accessory is a rip guide. In the photo above, the rip guide is the tee-shaped piece of steel propped against the saw. It can be inserted and locked in the saw plate at a set distance from the blade to produce faster and repeatable cuts. On this project it was used to rip down half inch plywood to build out the thickness of the porch, door and window headers. While not a substitute for a table saw, using a rip guide can definitely save time and produce better results than trying to follow a chalk line to make long rip cuts free hand. No matter which saw you choose, keeping a sharp blade installed is essential for safety and tool longevity.
If you are going to build, then you will need a pencil. For rough carpentry, I use the oval-shaped carpenter’s pencil. The large lead resists breaking when marking on framing materials better than a typical number 2 pencil. At the same time, I carry a permanent marker for use on rough or metal surfaces.
Hammers
I purchased my 16-ounce, straight-clawed hammer in the mid-1980s. It isn’t fancy and it has developed a “ring” over time when driving longer nails but there is no reason this basic tool shouldn’t outlast me. If more of my day-to-day work required hand-driving nails then I probably would purchase a longer and heavier framing hammer. However, the steel-handled Estwing’s are rugged and affordable and this lighter one-pound model meets my needs. Selection of a straight claw stems from a preference towards leverage during demolition rather than a need to pull nails. I switch to a curved claw, fiberglass-handled Plumb hammer for delicate or finish work. When it comes to purchasing a hammer, treat the selection similar to choosing a pistol. You will benefit when the tool fits your hand, ie. the handle shape and size matter. If you find yourself driving nails all day long, a poor fit or grip will leave your entire arm hurting.
There isn’t a single nail in the floor structure of our new shed. The joists are all end screwed and further supported by joist hangers fastened with structural screws. The tongue and groove Oriented Strand Board (OSB) subflooring is fastened with 2.5 inch deck screws. An impact driver is purpose-built for construction of this type. Every cordless impact driver I have seen is fitted with a quick change ¼” hexagonal shaped chuck. This chuck allows for very easy and fast swapping of bits. The long deck screws used required a Torx T-25 bit and the structural screws required a ¼” hexagonal socket bit.
Although it is possible to drill holes in softer materials using an impact driver, I still prefer using a drill. This said, the variety of drivers and drill bits available for use in an impact driver is massive. If you are contemplating purchasing a cordless impact driver, my suggestion would be to select a model with the shortest head possible so you can fit it into the tightest spaces. When it comes to installing screws, this tool is a lifesaver.
(To be concluded tomorrow, in Part 2.)
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