Building Confidence

Welcome to Dave's Shop Talk's Home Improvement Newsletter of questions from our members on their construction projects, a Tip of the Month and a home remodeling article, both from our website at http://daveosborne.com.

What's Happening

We were able to complete the pouring of our driveway, this month. My wife, Frances and I formed it and prepared the surface for a professional crew of 5 guys who poured the concrete with an exposed aggregate finish. We waited about 19 years for this stage of our process to be finished. The neighbors were impressed, actually saying so.

Tip of the Month

When constructing a project outdoors, use treated lumber for pieces near the ground or on concrete. Ref: Our Newsletter August 2006.

Ask Dave!

Starter strip is just two layers in the same course, alternating with their joints.

Ridge and Hip caps are shingles ripped to 6" wide and nailed to each other, lapping alternately on each course.

The center cap is a solid piece of cedar with octagon angles.

Dave

Here is a drawing of a stair opening:

Each joist is doubled up on the sides of the opening and the headers are doubled up, if the tail joists are over 6'.

Dave

Hi Martin,

Do the same scenario. The point is you are cutting out your joists, so you need to support the joists you have just cut. You are just changing the width with the joists and your length across them. In this case the end joists are still doubled up and your headers across the joist probably are doubled up, as well. The only time you need not to double up the header for the joists that you cut out, is if they are sitting on a beam or girder, etc. less that 6 feet away. Then you just need a single header. Your joists need to be doubled up between your opening, regardless of the way it goes, because all the load of the cut joists are being support on the doubled up joists on each side. You need double joist hangers onto the doubled up joists and single joist hangers to support each joist running into a double header.

Dave

You need the hinge pin on the outside of the panel, like a piano hinge or butt hinge. I made a panel access, similar to this under a tub. I made three panels with casing around them, only the center one was solid. I used magnet catches to stick the removable panel to the framing. Maybe you could do it this way, rather than hinged. Dave

Hi Larry,

I like to take the angles off the stairs, themselves. Lay a straight edge, a 1x4 or 2x4 down the stairs. Place a small piece of plywood, 12" x 12", approximately, on top of the straight edge. Get your level and scribe a vertical line on the piece pf plywood. This is your jig for drilling the angle of the holes. Just line up your drill with the line on the plywood.

Here is a drawing:

Dave

Can you install posts to support the stringer, as well as the same posts for the handrail? A 2x4 ledger is fastened across the posts under the stringer.

Here is a drawing of what I mean:

Dave

Hi Andrea,

You are better off to put posts under the stringers than relying on hangers and screws to support them. Simpson's business is selling brackets and hangers, go easy on these things. I don't like a closed stringer on outside steps because it tends to trap water on the treads, in the corners, which causes rot.

For 4' wide stairs you only need 1 center stringer with 1 1/2" treads. I prefer to make 1 footing 12" by 4' under the 3 stringers.

Dave

Hi Kelly,

Sounds like a nice workshop! The propane heater should be good.

The best way to take off quantities of drywall is to measure the length of the walls and ceiling for the lengths of sheets. You always want to go with the longest sheets, within reason, to save butt joints. The sheets should be laid horizontally to the wall and across the ceiling joists. Usually ceiling drywall is 5/8" thick, but residences use the I/2" special ceiling drywall, which is a bit denser, so you can hang it on 2' centers, to match the trusses. If there is no intersecting walls, you could go with 12' sheets. Have the 1' extra for the 9' ceiling between the 2 sheets of 4' drywall. That way it is easy to mud the joint. Stagger the butt joints.

If there were no doors or windows or intersecting walls you would need 4 - 12' sheets for 4 walls = 16 + 2 for the 1' strip = 18 - 4x12x 1/2" sheets. For the ceiling you would need 2 per row times 6 rows = 12 - 4x12x1/2" ceiling drywall.

Stagger the sheets on the walls: top row 12' and 12', next row is the 1' row: start with a 4' sheet then a 12', leaving 8'. Bottom row would be 4' wide again, starting with 8', then 12' then 4' left over. Very little waste this way.

Do the same with the ceiling: start the first of 6 rows with 2 - 12' sheets. 2nd row would be 4' + 12' + 8'. 3rd row would be 8' + 12' + 4'. 4th row would be 12' + 12' again. then repeat for the other two rows. With doors and windows, especially an overhead door, just measure for each row on the walls. You will save some sheets, this way.

Hope this helps,

Dave

Feature Article of the Month

(taken from our website: DaveOsborne.com

Remodeling 11: How to Cope and Install Crown Molding

COPE: To cut or shape the end of base molding or crown molding so it will cover and fit the contour of an adjoining piece of molding.

We generally cope the inside corners of baseboards and crown moldings. This started in "the old days" when air nailers were not invented yet. A carpenter would nail everything by hand. He noticed that in an inside corner of molding, if the base molding was mitered, the opposing corner of molding would have a tendency to open up with the hammering process, making it tough to get a nice tight joint. Mr. Cope came along and thought that if he could easily cut the profile square on the opposing crown molding, as he nailed it in place, it would remain a tight joint because it would slide along the crown molding instead of opening up. This was explained to me, at a very young age, by my father and I never forgot it. The part about "Mr. Cope" is writer's privilege, sorry about that.

Now, to actually cut the cope joint. On one side of the inside corner of molding measure the length of the...read more at https://daveosborne.com/dave/articles/how-install-crown-molding.php

Almost the End

Well, that does it for another month. We hope some of these questions and answers will help you with your own projects. If you need more advice, join our website, then send me an email.

Thanks for your emails and support.

Hi, I'm Dave Osborne. With over 50 years experience as a journeyman carpenter, foreman and contractor in heavy construction I enjoyed working with apprentices and sharing the tricks of the trade that others shared with me. Now I get emails from Members all over the world and we include many of my answers in our Free Monthly Newsletters. Some of my answers include drawings and instructions specific to a project, but may also answer your questions. I use correct construction terminology, so you can confidently inform your building supply dealers or contractors exactly what you need.