A toolbelt is a lot like a spouse: If you choose one in haste, odds are you’ll regret it.
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Tool Kit: Lightweight Hammer
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…
25 Oct 2011
The New Preservatives
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…
30 Oct 2008
Lightweight Hammer
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…
01 Oct 2011
So what is new in decking?
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…
28 May 2008
Under-Deck Drainage Systems
Building a deck creates two distinct spaces. Topside, gleaming deck boards and guardrails invite customers to enjoy the outdoors. But if a deck is far…
03 Nov 2008
Check Out the Playground Built in Joplin, MO featured in Professional Deck Builder Magazine!
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…
18 Jun 2012
Manage Small Parts and Fasteners
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…
28 Aug 2010
Mark shares his work glove criteria with Professional Deck Builder
I have specific criteria for work gloves. First, the gloves have to fit, meaning that when I’m wearing them, the answer to the following questions…
16 Apr 2013
Get rid of bushes & limbs while you build with a reciprocating saw
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…
09 Apr 2013
Aggressive Reciprocating Saw Blade
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…
28 Nov 2011
Versatility and Accuracy in One Package!
For porches – think beaded ceiling material and crown – a miter saw is a must. I use a DeWalt DW718. DeWalt nailed this tool:…
28 May 2008
Time-Saving Guardrails
No matter how you slice it, installing effective, good-looking guardrails takes time. Cutting, plumbing, shimming, and fastening the numerous individual parts is not full-speed, turbo-charged…
03 Aug 2008
Sub compact Loader: Deck Builder’s Dirty Work
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…
04 Jun 2009
Safety Program
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…
26 Feb 2011
Check Out Mark’s ‘Miter Saw Workstation’ Featured in Professional Deck Builder
Miter-saw set-ups can range from just a couple of sawhorses and a truck bed to something so nitpickingly complicated that I would break it in…
19 Mar 2013
