Tools

Whether you're hanging doors or framing walls, here are the top picks from a crowded field by Andy Beasley

Fast and accurate, these pneumatic tools put framing connector nails right where they're needed by Mike Guertin

Hide the new carrying beam in the ceiling, and they'll forget that wall ever existed by John Michael Davis

They're not just for gluing up: Clamps can serve as handles and locks, or as helpers that never file for unemployment by John Carroll

Whether you prefer coil nailers or stick nailers, it's a buyer's market. Two seasoned builders sort through 30 models and find new favorites. by Rick Arnold, Mike Guertin

Available as single-shot, semiautomatic or full automatic, these low-velocity tools are the ones carpenters choose when driving fasteners into concrete or steel by Bruce Greenlaw

They're as common on job sites as circular saws, but if you're not using your pneumatic nailer properly, maybe you should stick with your hammer by Rick Arnold, Mike Guertin

They didn't believe it, so I cut this one by eye and took out my square to see how close I came by Larry Haun

by Andy Engel

If you understand the twelfth scale, your square becomes a durable calculator that never needs batteries by Greg Ziomek

An expert framer describes how to get more done in less time with the help of patterns, templates and jigs by Larry Haun

These easily constructed tools help with building tasks from framing to finish by Tom Law

by Stephen E. House

Laying out a roof with this basic tool and a new generation of accessories by Jud Peake