When I’m on a deck or porch site, the way I usually figure out that a scraggly bush needs to be limbed or removed isn’t by observation and planning. That’d be too smart. Only after it’s gouged my legs repeatedly, or I trip over the thing for the eighth time, do I get the idea and reach for a saw.
It’s been said that the Romans were able to conquer the known world because they were organized. I don’t know if that’s true, but I…
The first sub compact loader I ever used arrived by accident. I’d ordered a full-sized skid steer from the rental yard, but instead the delivery…
Today, of course, our hammers hang from our belts, and we drive most of our nails with pneumatic tools, so who cares if there is…
I’ve heard people call a pergola anything from an arbor, a colonnade, or a trellis to “one of those garden things.” But regardless of what…
I remember when there were roughly a billion fewer choices of deck boards and railing systems. The first decks I worked on as a carpenter’s…
If you’re tempted to skip this article because you think safety is boring, consider that having a safety program might help you and your crew…
When I’m on a deck or porch site, the way I usually figure out that a scraggly bush needs to be limbed or removed isn’t…
If you’re old enough, you remember nailing off decks with fistfuls of hot-dipped-galvanized sixteens. Your bags were loaded with pounds of nails, and your hammer…
TOOL KIT Light and Compact Framing Nailer By Mark Clement Stanley-Bostitch 800/556-6696 bostitch.com Street price: $250 As dependable as screws are for decking, about the…
Three Fences Designing, detailing, and installing fences for looks, quality, and production speed Mark Clement If I said I didn’t like building fences, I’d be…
The combination playground-memorial was designed by Theresa Coleman Clement as part of an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project in October 2011 that also included building…
I learned deck building from a production deck builder. While he could build decks quickly, he could have been even faster if he’d used more…
If you’re old enough, you remember nailing off decks with fistfuls of hot-dipped-galvanized sixteens. Your bags were loaded with pounds of nails, and your hammer…
In 2004, after dominating the market for more than 70 years, wood treated with CCA (chromated copper arsenate) was withdrawn from residential use due to…
Confused by the alphabet soup of wood-treatment chemicals flooding the industry? Read on. In 2004, after dominating the market for more than 70 years, wood…
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[…] Old House contributor Mark Clement shares a few tricks and tips on how to utilize the shoe of the saw to its utmost potential. The shoe is often adjustable, which allows greater access to different […]