Issue 270 – Oct/Nov 2017
Features
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10 Golden Rules of Framing
Bits of framing advice the Fine Homebuilding editors all wish they'd known the first (and last) time they strapped on their tool bags.
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Respirators Demystified: Picking the Right Protection
Breathing difficulties — When choosing a respirator, straight answers are surprisingly hard to find.
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Respirators Reviewed
What you don’t know about choosing a respirator can kill you.
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Making Passive House Mainstream
Chris Corson says someone has to elevate American housing, and he’s ready for the job.
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Build a Custom Rollout Cabinet
Pushed beneath the counter, it’s a cabinet with an adjustable shelf. Pulled out, it’s an extra work surface with a butcher-block top.
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Metalwork for Builders
Bring the endless possibilities of custom architectural steel to your projects with readily available stock and some basic tools.
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Welding 101: Fabricating a Steel Handrail
This basic welding project is an excellent introduction to architectural metalwork.
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Men of Steel
Matt Risinger, Bob Howell, Luke Thomas Gaffney, and Josh Turner design and fabricate architectural metalwork at Risinger & Co., a custom home-building outfit in Austin.
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Use Interior Windows to Lighten a Dark Room
Adding a window to an interior wall is a beautiful way to extend sightlines and brighten up a space that has no exterior windows.
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Make a Divided-Light Farmhouse-Style Interior Window
Use these measured shop drawings to build your own single-pane sash, complete with jambs and casing.
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A Closer Look at Interior Windows: Photos by Brian Vanden Brink and Susan Teare
Simple to install, and with an undeniable impact on an existing floor plan, there’s a lot to like about interior windows.
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A Bungalow Grows Up
A second-story addition provides homeowners with the space they need in the home they love.
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Modern Window Stools
For a clean look, skip the casing and install a low-profile stool.
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Built for Comfort: Envelope and Mechanical Decisions
Although keeping costs low informs decisions about the envelope and mechanical systems, homeowner comfort gets the final say.
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Triple-Pane Windows Balance Performance and Cost
These windows are warmer to sit next to in winter, and they eliminate condensation on the interior surface.
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Comfort Dictates Heating and Cooling
Because the FHB House is a spec house, the builder is especially concerned about homeowner comfort.
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High-Performance ERV
Because an ERV transfers moisture as well as heat, it will reduce the humidity of incoming air during the air-conditioning season.
Article
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Capable Compact Drivers
Tool review: Makita Sub-Compact Cordless Impact Driver (XDT15ZB) and Makita Sub-Compact Cordless Drill (XFD11ZB).
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Bulletproof Baseboard Radiation
Made from extruded aluminum with a white powder-coated finish, the radiator covers are well made and expensive.
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Bargain Flush-Cutting Saw
This 12-in. Japanese-style flush-cutting saw may be just right for your finish-carpentry work.
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Get a Grip on Safety Glasses
If your hard hat knocks them off, here's a way to keep your glasses on.
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Cord-Free Trim Router
Ridgid’s new cordless trim router has all the same features and as much power as the corded model.
Tools & Materials
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Is Your Exterior Rigid Foam Too Thin?
Adding a layer of rigid-foam insulation on the outside of a home makes sense, as long as it's done correctly.
Musings of an Energy Nerd
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Routing Hinge Mortises
Use this technique when you end up hanging a new door in an existing frame and have to match the door’s hinge locations to the frame’s.
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Shop-Made Hinge-Mortising Jig
Put away your chisels and screw together a jig from scrap wood to rout the cleanest mortises ever.
Building Skills
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Keep Craft Alive: Luke Thomas Gaffney, Welding Foreman
“Everybody I went to school with is behind a desk somewhere, and they think I’m the crazy one.”
