*
Wanting to purchase one of the construction-type calculators. Main use is in building/remodeling projects, anything from concrete, to backfill, to roof layouts, to squaring up layouts.
What are the pros/cons of the various models? What do you use, what do you like?
rocket man
A standardized approach, quick-to-install hardware, and a simplified design make building custom casework cost-effective.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
*
Construction Master IV, don't leave home without it.
*I haven't upgraded to Const. Mas. IV, but my CM III is a great tool. It will calculate almost anything I need. Calculated Industries also makes a great scale for easy takeoffs. I recommend their products highly. Buy the way, they are tough. Not long ago, a home owner ran over my tool belt with my calculator in it. I assumed the worst, but I pulled it out, hit the reset, and it works fine.
*I own one (a copnstruction calculator) from radio shack. I kinda learned to use it, but layed it down becuse I like my $5 dual power better. I've found that I can solve most carpentry equations faster with the simpler model.I don't usually need it for much more than rafter lengths, heights, and simple math (soving right triangles, etc). I'd be willing to race you, to find the lengths of rafters using the construcion model and my dual power version. I have a few milkbones left over to wager! Blue
*Construction Master IV, don't leave home without it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Jack, we twin sons of different Mothers?
*Blue, unfair. That's like having a sparkplug changing race with You having a Chevy Vega, and weConstruction Master owners having a Ferrari V-12... you will win the race, right up to when both cars start. Or another way to put it... I can do more complicated MilkBones to the Pound calculations, important to us mathematically challenged.
*
The conversion comment reminded me of something. I used to have a chevy p/u, with a hot 350 in it. Got like 8mpg. Not with my CM-IV, but I did do some manual conversions, and it sounded better. Expanded and expounded out, I got something like 25 Lightyears per Cubic Mile of gasoline. Cool, huh?
Zipper
*
Saved time and snatched your post with my right clicking wonder mouse editor.
J
* Ya' gotta watch out for copycat jack!Blue
* That sounds like a race to me: on your mark, get set, go!130"Pay up!Blue
*Costruction Master IV is definitely the best product out there at this time, at least in my opinion. The going price is about $80, but it's well worth it. I own two. By the way, the reason that blue eyed devil only has a "few" milkbones left over from his bets, is because he has lost so many of them working with his dual power model. He actually started with a fifty pound bag just four weeks ago.
*Shouldn't that be "Don't frame a home without it?"Rich Beckman
*My older CM2 has a function the newer ones don't. You can enter a number and just keep hitting the + key and it keeps adding that number to the previous sum. My partners CM4 won't do this, and it is great for tile layout, roofing. If I could just get them to put the new keys on my old caculator.
*Have the CM IV and have found no other equal on the market. It does have a learning curve the you need to master but after that you just go fast. I have even had some of my guy's call me if I'm not on the job to give me the numbers to punch out for things or to check there numbers done on a wood scrap. I'm still tring to teach the framing square to some of these guy's but that's a differant story.b What's a Essex table??
*Bill,If you think a CM4 has a learning curve!!1..What do you think of Autocad?????....Mensas only?J
*My dual power does that too. It is a very handy item when you need it!We use it to get our lengths, of our inside radius studs, on our circular stairs. I'll also use that feature to cut jacks, entering the differnce first.That function also works in reverse.Blue
*Isn't it a board foot table?Blue
*Gregory,Tell your partner to hit the = key repeatedly for repeat.J
*Can't get one by you Blue, just hired a guy who is a Master wood worker(at lease he thinks so)he told me that he uses the essex table to lay out rafters. Need a new man blue? He's looking for a job now. I'm going to go back to hiring rookie's again who want to learn.The auto cad is nice. If you have the time to spend learning it. Here lately I'm to busy spending time trying to make a living to learn it. My favorite is 3-D home deluxe no learning curve and the price is right around 30 bucks. Works for simple stuff then sent it to the arch or a cad company for full drawings.
*Bill are you designing these houses, or framing them?I need a new man, maybe your essex board foot table knows something that I don't!I'd rather have him than a framer that only uses a "Slow" OOPS, I mean a Speed Square!color="Blue">Blue
*Blue and I though we were friendsTossing me in to the designing house bunchAs far as framing goes lost a bid for a 3500sg ft one at a straght 6.00 sg ft. Low bidder was at 4.50. I'm going to watch and learn on this one This guy is now working at the local lowes store loading lumber.
*
This calculator doesn’t fall into the category of put it in pocket type, however is a great help on split pitch roofs.
You might like to try "Rafterman" It’s a program that I found web surfing, looking for roof info on the web a couple of years ago. The writer of the program is a framer in Texas who wrote and used the program for many years and is still using it. You could view it for yourself at: http://rowell.pair.com/raftweb.htm, or try a search for "Rafterman on the Web". I’ve bought it used it and like it. Cost about 50 or 60 bucks. You can download trial version, at his web site. Cut a house we did last year and it worked like a charm. Comes with a feet inch calculator that is kind of nifty. It’s really pretty easy to learn, shoot Blue could probably even learn it, except he’d probably want to get a laptop so he could eat lunch and make cut list at the same time.
Montana Mike
*
Wanting to purchase one of the construction-type calculators. Main use is in building/remodeling projects, anything from concrete, to backfill, to roof layouts, to squaring up layouts.
What are the pros/cons of the various models? What do you use, what do you like?
rocket man