A flat surface to work on is invaluable. I use the back patio (a concrete
slab) or the garage floor. When I am doing a frame, I cut all
four sides of the frame before I put the frame together. I then lay
all four sides out, one end butted up against the patio step or wall of the garage
and then I drill the pilot holes and put the screws in the opposite end. This
helps me get the initial frame square / even. It also gives me something to
push against when I am putting the screws into the frame.
Use Deck screws.
Do not use nails. If you use "normal" nails
they will (eventually) pull out and rust. Also, I used LOTS
of Deck Screws when I did these projects. I
used 3, 4 or 5 screws when I put two of the 1.5X7.25 boards together.
Think about whether or not the boards seem to be "structural" or
not. Will they need the strength? It is easier to put more screws
in now than try to add screws after the whole thing is together.
When I built these projects I used Phillips head deck screws because that was the bit
I had. Today: buy star drive (Torx) deck screws instead. A Phillips
head is designed to "cam out" (the bit pops out of the screw under torque) and
that is exactly how screw heads get chewed up. Star drive bits do not cam out, and
most deck screws now come with the correct bit in the box. The chewed–screw–head
problem I describe below has been largely engineered away – take advantage of it.
Also learn the clutch setting on your drill (that numbered ring behind the chuck) –
set it so the drill stops driving when the screw seats, instead of chewing the head or
burying the screw halfway through the board.
When buying deck screws, I generally bought the 5 Lb box of 2.5" screws.
I then bought a 1 or 2 Lb. box of 3" screws and a 1 or 2 Lb box of 1.5"
screws, just get an assortment. Most of the joints I put together were either
joining a 1" board to 1.5" board or two 1.5" boards together.
I have the small box of 3" screws and the small box of 2" screws just in
case the boards I am joining are thicker or thinner than the 1.5" and 1"
boards. The rule of thumb for screw length: the screw should go about two thirds
of its length into the SECOND board – and check the far side, a 3" screw
through two 1.5" boards is flush with the far face and will poke through if
anything is off. I use many screws. Do not be stingy
with the number of screws when you are joining boards together. It is
easier to put more screws in while you are building the project than to try
to add them when the project is finished and wobbly because you did not use
enough screws.
Pilot Holes
are a very good thing.
It helps keep the wood from splitting. It also helps to drive the screws
in straight. The quick rule: the pilot bit should match the screw's solid core
(the shank inside the threads) – hold the bit in front of the screw, you should
see threads sticking out on both sides but not the core. Pilot holes matter MOST
near the end of a board – that is where wood splits. A combination
pilot–and–countersink bit is a cheap upgrade that does both jobs in one plunge.
Get a tool that allows you to quickly switch from drill bit to driver
bit. At first I would drill the holes, remove the drill bit, put the
driver bit onto the drill, screw in some of the decking screws, pull the
driver bit and put the drill bit back in (and so on). A little tedious
but it worked. I found the DeWALT reversible Screw / Drill Bit "Drill
Drive" and that helped immensely. Switching from drill bit to
driver bit only takes a few seconds. I am sure that other
manufacturers have created the same (basic) tool. I do (however) go thru
quite a few drill bits and just a few driver bits. I don't have
the drill bit set exactly center in the DeWALT and the drill wobbles a bit
until I get it in the wood.
Mark your cuts with a "V" instead of a single tick mark – the point of the
V sits exactly on your measurement, where a single line can wander as you draw it.
And remember the saw blade itself eats about 1/8" of wood (the "kerf") –
always cut on the WASTE side of your line, and never try to get two finished pieces out
of one line. Measure, cut the first piece, then measure again for the second.
Yes, this is the long way of saying "measure twice, cut once" – everyone
says it because everyone has learned it the expensive way.
BE SURE to check the wood and see how it is treated. If it is older pressure
treated wood (pre–2004) it is almost certainly CCA wood –
arsenic based, phased out for residential use at the end of 2003 but still in countless
existing decks and structures. See my CCA page for the safety details, and whatever
you do, NEVER burn treated wood of any kind.
This is where the pliers come into play. If you ever chew up the head of
a deck screw you have two choices. If it isn't in too obvious of a spot
(or you don't care) you use the Vise-Grip
Locking Grip Pliers. Close the end of the pliers until they are a little
smaller than the head of the screw. Clamp down HARD
on the head and either tighten the screw or loosen
it (if you want to try again with a new screw). You can use the pliers to
drive it in flush or you can back the screw out and try with a new screw.
The cheap hotel pens are perfect
for marking the length of a board before I cut it. They never
seem to get all gunked up with wood shavings / dirt / etc. If there is
ever any dirt, just drawing a line on a piece of paper just cleans them right
up.
All my measurements are in inches. If you can find a tape measure that
has inches on one edge and feet / inches along the other edge that will
probably make life easier.
I tried to allow for "slop" in these projects. Error of
1/8" or 1/4" here and there should not make too
much of a difference, but do try to be as accurate
as possible. Very few of the
5.5" by 1" boards I worked with were exactly straight, most had
curvature of some sort in them and I still managed to get good fits.
Related: when you are buying lumber, close one eye and sight down the length of every
board like a rifle barrel before you put it in the cart. You will see the bow,
crook or twist immediately. The straight boards are hiding in the middle of the
pile, and yes, digging for them is allowed – just restack neatly, the next
woodworker thanks you.
I didn't use the clamps at first, but they would have been extremely
useful if I had them available. You can do
the work without them but life is easier with them. The old saying is that no
woodworker has ever owned too many clamps, and I have found no evidence against it –
a clamp is a third hand that never gets tired and never complains.
If you do not have an old deck out back but you still want to do these
projects, check with a local salvage yard for the wood. Search for
"used building materials" or "architectural salvage" (the thing we
used to look up in the Yellow Pages), and check whether there is a
Habitat for Humanity ReStore
near you – used building materials, donated fixtures, and the money goes to a good
cause. Also see if there
is a sawmill in the area. You may be able to get wood that isn't perfect for a
very low price. The porcelain coated cast iron double kitchen sink in
the potting bench was $35 at a used Building materials place (The faucet and
plastic tubing I attached was much more than that). Be sure to check
the "Used" prices against your local hardware store (like Home Depot or Lowe's). New might be about the same
price as used.
When you need to move these projects around, get 3" PVC pipe and cut into
4 foot sections making 3 of them. Lift up one end of the project, slide a
PVC pipe underneath, roll it forward and slide the next one underneath and
finally the last one. All of these projects can be rolled around the yard
using the technique that the Egyptians
used to move their large stones around.
All of these projects are downloadable in PowerPoint format and PDF files. The PowerPoint
version is available so that you can modify the projects if you have different kinds of
wood than I have used. Each of the "boards" in the PowerPoint is drawn at
a 1 inch = 1 foot scale (unless otherwise noted). It makes it easier to
see if everything is going to fit together before you actually cut the boards.
Some of the ratios I used are in the file Ratios.txt.
To see the "size" of the board in PowerPoint, Right Click on
the board you wish to size, then Format Shape (called "Format Autoshape" in the
old versions) and look at Size.
The "size" will be the scaled dimension: for example if you want a 12"
wide by 24" long board, the width will be 1" and the height will be 2".
If you want a 24.5" high by 15" wide board you would put 2.04"
into the "height" box and 1.25" into the "width" box.
Rotation should be 0 (Unless you want the board to be at an angle).