One thing that night shift has taught me is that I need to find ways not to hurt myself despite being tired or just physically unable to do something. Small nails are very difficult to hold and at times seem to be intended for someone with small metal fingers. There is nothing worse than hammering in a small nail and suddenly hearing the dull thump of flesh on one of your swings. Shortly after the thump, extreme pain, that equal of having a kidney stone is going through your finger you notice that you have lost the little brad you were trying to secure.

Here is the solution to your problem… I use a folded up 3×5 card with small hole in it to hold the nail in place therefor moving my fingers from harm and holding the nail in such a way that I will not drop it. The card can be reused for several nails and you can just get another one if you mess the first one up. This is a very simple trick, just fold the card so that it is about 3/4″ thick then punch the nail though the card – if it will not go through easily, drill the hole very carefully with a 1/16 drill bit. Hammer the nail just like you usually would but when the head of the nail gets down to the surface of the card lightly tap the nail through the card with a small brad punch.

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There are many ways to make or fix 90 degree corners on trim work (some I will post later most likely in a video). I will focus on just a couple of things for casing and picture frame trim. Picture frame trim is usually easy to make perfect corners, that is if you have a chop saw specifically made for trim. If you do not have this kind of equipment it can be a very difficult task to make a corner look nice. Cuts made from a basic miter box can very just enough to make for very irritating corner matching. There are two tools to that come in very handy when working with door/window casing and picture frames.

- First is the Japanese pull saw. This saw is a very flexible, sharp saw that cuts on the pull instead of the push (traditional hand saw). It is very useful in trim carpentry and is not limited to fixing casting. To use this saw to fix casting, mount the trim you would like to fix (cut is a little off, either the top or the bottom of the casting is touching, and the joint is not tight) to the door jamb with two nails in each piece, just enough to hold the trim in place. Carefully pull the saw through the trim joint to remove the excess wood stopping the joint from pulling tight. If the joint can be pushed together, and is tight, go ahead and finish nailing the trim to the jamb. One piece of the trim may need to be remounted depending on the amount you removed with the saw. Use a 4d finish nail to hold the thick part of the trim together (nail it from the top if possible, this way you cannot see it).

- The second tool that can help you with this sort of trim is a corner clamp (sometimes called a pony clamp because that company makes them). This is an easy tool to use, and works in combination with the pull saw. Just clamp the two pieces of trim into clamp the way that they would be attached to the door or on the picture frame. If the joint is good, do not do anything unless you are making a picture frame, in this case go ahead and nail and glue the trim. If the joint is bad, take the pull saw and cut along the joint removing the excess blocking the joint from coming together tightly. Remove the trim and either re-clamp for picture framing or attach to the door/window jamb.

I hope this information helps you, Thank you for reading.

Luke

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Have you ever wanted to make faux (fake in French) beams in house for a country or rustic appearance. Many old houses have some form of artificial beams and you can easily do this in your house with a few little tricks. First thing you want to do is to find the existing framing that is in your house, this is what your beam will be attached to. The easiest way to find framing in a wall of course is a stud finder, you can find one of these in your local hardware store. Mark your framing and determine the best spacing for your beams (most framing is either 16″ or 24″ spaced on center). Remember you do not have to use all the framing, just the ones to make your spacing right. There are several different configurations for wood beams, I illustrated the most simple and popular design, See Drawing.

On this drawing, I attached a 2×4 to the existing wall into the existing framing. You want to make sure you hit framing because the beam can be heavy and will eventually pull out a drywall anchor. After the 2×4 is up and in place, you can attach wood to simulate a wooden beam. In the drawing I suggested 1x material but you can use whatever suits your fancy. Most beams that are built in this fashion are built of rough cut cedar and stained to the owners liking. This of course can be made smaller or larger just use the size lumber that you feel are appropriate for your house.

Luke

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I have been asked on several occasions why and when I should use wood conditioner. Wood conditioner is used to prepare soft wood to be stained. Soft wood generally accepts the stain that is applied to it in a fairly disorganized manner, dark in some areas then light in other areas. Wood conditioner, when applied correctly, makes the stain thinner and more even throughout the whole piece of wood being stained. How do you use this?…Wood conditioner is applied like a stain, with a rag or small sponge. Before applying, make sure you have all prep work finished, such as sanding, filling, securing, etc. Use tack cloth to clean up any little sawdust or other matter that may be left behind on the wood after you are finished with the prep work. Apply the conditioner to the wood within two hours of staining your wood (each product is different, check the instructions on the can). Wipe up the excess conditioner. If the conditioner dries up very quickly, you may need to apply another coat. **Remember if you pretested your wood without the conditioner, the stain will very likely be darker on the unconditioned wood.** Here are some examples of trim with conditioner and without conditioner. The wood is the same, but the stain is definitely uneven on the trim that does not have the conditioner.

Wood Trim Without Conditioner

Wood Trim With Conditioner

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One thing you are guaranteed to find in an old house in Charleston is rotted wood. The damp/humid environment is the cause of many undesirable effects on building materials. The problem with rot in an old house is that the rotted area is likely on a piece of wood work that is either not replaceable or very difficult to replicate. If this wood is only for decoration (it is not used for any function or is not structural) ,you can usually fill it with a putty. I use a home made putty consisting of clear epoxy resin mixed with sawdust. To make this I mix about 1/2 table spoon (use more if you have a bigger hole…remember this mixture expands) of both sides of the epoxy and mix them together until the mix is a consistent color and viscosity. I then add sawdust until it looks like a slightly oily peanut butter. You can put this directly into the hole that is left in the wood after the rotted wood has been scraped out. Let the putty dry. It will be hard enough to cut with a hacksaw blade and can be shaped with sand paper. I finish the affected area with a Bondo dent filler. (use of Bondo will be a later post)

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If you do not have a trim nail gun crown molding can be a daunting task. Its never easy to work over head with small nails and a hammer with both of your hands already holding up a piece of trim. I use this trick whenever I am unlucky enough to get stuck on a job without my nail gun. Take a trim nail you were intending to use for your molding (I usually use long trim nails for crown molding 2.5″) and chuck it in your drill just as if it were a drill bit. Cut your trim to length. Then mark your studs on the wall and on your piece of trim. Take the drill and carefully drill a pilot hole with the chucked nail. Double check the hole size by sliding a nail in the hole, it should be snug enough to hold the nail while you lift the trim to the ceiling. Do this on every other stud and on each end. Tap your nails in being careful not to hit the trim with the hammer (be careful when you set the nails that you do not set them too far into the trim). Do not nail the ends of the trim until the other pieces have been worked up, you will need this play to make a good fit.

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