You know that the time for Christmas shopping is near. Not that I do much of it, being such an old scrooge, but I like to be efficient and all that…
Anyway, don’t want to digress into my overall shopping habits too much – now my wife’s – that’s another matter. She is starting to save every cardboard box that comes anywhere near our house. This time of year, the basement is like Baglady City from all the boxes around….
Well, back to the topic again;
I have a stepson who has moved out west and has been working with framing crews. He just took a job in Sand Point, Idaho with a log home builder.
When he worked with me, it was more gut and tear, and then trim carpentry, but it seems he is getting to doing more framing now. He can lay out a wall well enough but roof framing is one I never introduced him to.
He is NOT a textbook reader – more of a kinesthetic learner. I want to help him see what he is needing to do with a video.
So what can you all recommend that I get him? Might settle for a book – or get book and video.
There are teachers, and then there are TEACHERS, if you know what I mean.
BTW, Thanks
and let me be the first to wish you a happy holiday season.
Excellence is its own reward!
Replies
Piffin, a Construction Master really simplifies roof framing so that would be my first purchase. I read Marshall Gross's book "Roof Framing" when I was trying to learn roof cutting although I think it might be a bit outdated because he uses a scientific calculator and converts everything from decimal to fractions. I believe I have seen some videos advertised in FH or JLC.
Piffin, I've seen a few of the video's around and I think the one by Will Holliday (sp?) would be a best fit for your step son. It's the companion video that goes with "A Roof Cutter's Secrets". The book covers the whole spectrum of roof cutting, from simple gables to split pitch hips and beyond, while the video focuses more on the basics like building a rake wall, precutting the studs and plates for it, and cutting the rafters that go with it. The book and video are very easy to follow and he uses terminology that makes sense and seems to be the current standard.
He even teaches with references to the Construction Master, which further simplifes things. Although I think a good understanding of roof cutting must be had before a Construction Master is truly helpful. It's like only telling time on a digital watch ya know?
Is he online? I sure learn alot just by lurking around over at Joe Fusco's site.
You believe it's already time to start thinking about Christmas? Seems like the leaves just fell. Happy shopping anywho,
Brian
No, He's not an online guy.
Where do you suppose is the best place to buy those? I have and use the Construction MasterIV. It is sitting here 18" away from me now.
But the book and video - JLC Or Tauton or somnebody else sell them?.
Excellence is its own reward!
Piff,
The JLC bookstore definately has the book, and most likely has the video as well. I bought the video at JLC-LIVE last spring in RI and that bookstore was run by JLC, so I'm assuming they still have it. I think Taunton also sells the books.
I would try http://www.jlcbooks.com first though.
Brian
What about those videos from Steve Peters that are advertised in FHB. They have the three video set. It seems to be a little pricey, but I have always been curious about wanting to watch them. Has anyone here seen them. I have thought about buying them but I beleive that I already have sufficient knowledge about the topics he describes. Might learn a new trick though.
I actually learned because the crew that I was on, split in two and I went with an old man who could know longer walk the top plates. Lucky the first house was an easy one. I went to the Library and found some old books from the 50s. I always try to find older books to learn the basics, because they do it the hard way. A calculator is only as good as the mind pushing the buttons. I do embrace technology, but only to accompany the knowledge of how to do the job by hand. I think that I am the only person under the age of 30 whom I have ever met who knows how to read a framing square. I am perhaps a bit rusty, because I seldom have the need to, but at the time that I was learning how to cut rafters, I was showing some of the experienced framers short cuts.
I also don't know how good he is at geometry and trig, but if he can understand a roof in terms of the math involved, he will be able to figure out anything. A framers handbook is only truly useful if you know how they got their numbers.
Piffin,
Joe Carola has the videos I think. Maybe email him. He offered to send them to me to watch about a year ago, but he said they were oriented for beginners or guys who didn't have much experience.