Recycling Heat From Your Dryer Vent
Recycling the heat from your dryer vent can help to warm your home and keep your heating bill a little lower. If you own an electric dryer and live in a cooler part of the country, then you can use your dryer to lower your gas heating bill. With the way that the cost of heating increases when it gets colder, this can be a great money saver. If you would like to know how to use this to your benefit in heating your home, then read on. The process is explained below.
Tools Needed:
- a good device for heat recycling
- heavy duty type scissors or a construction knife
First: Getting a Device for Heat Recycling
Before you attempt to use the heat from your dryer in your home, you will need a device for recycling heat from a clothes dryer. These are rather inexpensive and do not tend to run more than about twelve dollars. The one called the Heat Keeper is rather popular among those who have done this. Remember that these are only for use with electric dryers and if used with ones that run off gas, they can be fatal. Before you buy a device for heat recycling, you should be sure that you have a dryer that is electric powered.
Second: Precautions
Now that you have the recycling device, you will want to be sure that you unplug your dryer before you go any further. Any time you are working with electrical devices, you should always take the necessary precautions for safety. Make sure that you do not skip any safety steps. After your dryer is no longer plugged in, you can go to the next step.
Third: Connect Recycler
Now that the dryer is unplugged, you will remove the vent tubing. Now check the manual for the recycler to know how to properly attach the recycler to the vent tube. This is averagely done by cutting the vent tube and then reattaching it with the recycler in the middle of the two pieces of tube. However, just to be sure that you are proceeding in a safe way, you should read the section in the manual about this.
Fourth: Finishing
Averagely, the recyclers will have a way for you to direct the heat to either inside or outside. This is great for when it is warmer because you will not have more hot air in your house during this time. Make sure that you have the device set to the correct setting before you start your dryer again. After your recycler is in place, you will reconnect the vent tube and then plug your dryer in again. Make sure that you clean the lint trap in the dryer and the one that is in the recycler well each time you use the dryer. This will make sure that you are getting the most out of the devices that you are using. This will also make sure that you do not end up with a house fire that is caused by the lint in your dryer or recycler.
That is all there is to is. It is an easy process to complete, and it leaves you better able to use the heat that is created from your dryer in your home. Now you can have happier heating bills because your dryer is helping you to heat your home.
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Carpentry Involves Significant Manual Labor
Article by Richard Lopez
Carpentry is the industry standard, used in many vocational and apprenticeship training programs. The work generally involves significant manual labor and work outdoors, particularly in rough carpentry. Since all of carpentry’s required knowledge is gained through experience, the trade can be relatively easy to enter (this varies with the legal requirements from country to country). It is possible through dedication to have a prosperous career in carpentry.
Wood
Steel warships as well as wooden ones need ship’s carpenters, especially for making emergency repairs in the case of battle or storm damage. Union carpenters in the United States are required to pass a skills test to be granted official journeyman status, but uncertified professional carpenters may be known as journeymen based on their skill level, years of experience, or simply because they support themselves in the trade, and not due to certification or formal woodworking education. Carpenters construct, erect, install, and repair structures and fixtures made from wood and other materials. They cut and shape wood, plastic, fiberglass, or drywall using hand and power tools. Dowels are small, cylindrical pieces of wood that fit into holes at a joint of two larger pieces of wood. Its durable, fragrant wood is used locally for carpentry. Cutting, working, and joining wood into various structures is carpentry the oldest of the woodworking crafts. Though the putty bucket shows no grain, it will always preserve a grain bonus, even when filling a hole that, if filled with a “wood” piece of the same shape would lose its grain bonus.
Tools
Keep your tools and supplies organized and easy to find. They cut and shape wood, plastic, fiberglass, or drywall using hand and power tools. In the final step, carpenters check the accuracy of their work with levels, rules, plumb bobs, framing squares, or electronic versions of these tools and make any necessary adjustments. Whether it’s strength and courage, or hammer and saw, the tools you use in the Army are the same ones you will use to build a better future. Accomplished roof framers rely on a variety of tools, techniques, and trade secrets to get the complex and dangerous job of roof framing done right.
Naturally, a roofer must not be scared of heights and have good balance as well as carpentry skills. In addition, refinishing specialty trade coursework includes interior finish carpentry, drywall framing and finishing, flooring, cabinet and countertop installation. This is a great way to get a look at the work of modern carpentry without having to make any commitments.
High incomes can come from those dedicated to carpentry. A rough carpenter is one who does rough carpentry; that is, framing, formwork, roofing, and other structural or other large-scale work that need not be finely joined or polished in appearance. A finish carpenter (North America) or joiner (traditional name now obsolete in North America) is one who does finish carpentry; that is, cabinetry, furniture making, fine woodworking, model building, instrument making, parquetry, joinery, or other carpentry where exact joints and minimal margins of error are
www.kregtool.com Gary Striegler is a second generation homebuilder with over 25 years of hands-on experience. Known all across the country for his use of time-proven techniques and beautiful home detailing, Gary is a strong advocate for anything that helps him get the job done faster, without sacrificing the strength and longevity of his work. Gary is the host of Kregs detailed Trim Carpentry DVD (from which these short clips were taken), which walks you through skills and strategies designed to speed your work and improve the quality of your finished product by building with Pocket-Screw Joinery. What Pocket-Holes let you do, is build better projects, faster, and really with less skill. -Gary Striegler
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Various Types and Tools in Carpentry
Article by Joanna Harris
Carpentry is a skilled profession done by people called carpenters. It is basically working with wood to construct, repair or install wooden items in a building. These wooden items such as furniture, closets, cupboards, sideboards, doors, windows are carved out of wood and it involves manual labour done by the carpenter. There are various types of carpentry such as:
Finish carpentry: here the carpenter will specialize in furniture making, fine wood work, instrument making etc.
Trim carpentry: this carpentry specializes in moulding and trims such as mantels, baseboards, window and door casting.
Ship carpentry: this branch of carpentry specializes in ship building, its maintenance and repair methods and other carpentry specific to nautical needs.
Scenic carpentry: this branch of carpentry specializes in film making and the construction of sets, scenery and theatre builds.
Since carpentry is a skilled profession it is but obvious that it would need specific tools.The tools that are used in carpentry can be broadly classified into the following types:
STRIKING TOOLS1. Tools that are used for striking only, as Hammers and Mallets2. Tools that are used for striking and cutting, as Hatchets, Axes, Adzes, etc.
RASPING TOOLS OR TOOLS THAT ACT BY ABRASION1. Saws of all kinds, for cutting wood.2. Rasps and Files, for smoothing, shaping, cutting, etc.
PARING TOOLS OF ALL KINDS1. Planes of various kinds, for smoothing, moulding, etc.2. Spoke shaves and Drawing-knives.3. Chisels and Gouges.
BORING TOOLS1. Bradawls, Gimlets, and Augers.2. Brace and Bit, sometimes called Stock and Bit.
HOLDING OR GRASPING TOOLS1. Pincers and Pliers, Nippers, Spanners, and Wrenches.2. The Vice, including Hand-vice, Bench Vice, etc.
TOOLS OF GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION1. The Carpenter’s Rule and Chalk Line. 2. The Square, Bevel, Gauge, Mortising Gauge, MITRE-Box.3. Spirit Level, Straight Edge, Plumb and Level.4. Compasses and Calipers.
MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS NOT SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION.Screwdriver, Nail-Punch, Scriber, Reamer, etc.
With such a lot of tools, it is evident that carpentry is not something which everyone can do without getting trained in it formally.
Common rafter layouts use the Pythagorean Theorem to determine the length of the rafters needed for building a roof at a given pitch. Calculate rafter lengths and design a workable rafter layout for a certain roof pitch with instructions from an experienced builder in this free video on carpentry. Expert: Robert Markey Bio: Robert Markey is an artist who works in several media including painting, sculpture, installation, video and mosaics. Filmmaker: EquilibrioFilms Erik
Video Rating: 4 / 5
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How Carpentry Books Can Help Your Carpentry Career?
Article by Kane Deng
If you are a carpenter or are considering a career as a carpenter, you are probably curious about carpentry books. A carpenter is someone who builds things out of wood. Carpentry books give you valuable information about what carpentry is and the basic practices of a carpenter.
Like any other job, you may sometimes have questions. This is where a carpentry book will come in handy. Usually, carpentry is a learned trade. Most people do not go to school or complete any kind of training to become a carpenter. They either learned it from their relatives (father, grandfather, etc.) or they learned it on the job. Many times a builder will hire an inexperienced person to be there “toter” or helper.
This person starts out carrying tools and nails for a carpenter. Soon, he learns to measure and cut wood, and before long he learns the basics of carpentry. This type of on the job training is common is the world of carpentry. Because these people are learning as they go, it is helpful to have carpentry books available to refer to when you get stuck.
In most cases, carpentry is pretty simple. But there are those tasks that seem tedious and almost impossible if you don’t have any carpentry books to show you the way. It is also crucial if you are new to the field, to have carpentry books to read while you are learning. It is easy for your boss to forget to show you all the ropes when he is in the middle of a building project (which he most always is).
There are many tools involved in carpentry. Long gone are the days of hammers and nails. These days carpenters use heavy duty and expensive nail guns, a wide variety of different types of nails and screws, saws, and drills, and everything in between. It can be overwhelming to know what you need for which task without the help of carpentry books. In fact, many of the saws look similar and it is easy to forget which one does what.
Carpentry books are a valuable and necessary addition to your tool belt. Even if you don’t have the liberty to stop to read them on the job, studying over them in your spare time can save you time and money in the long run because it will prevent unnecessary mistakes.
Enroll in Carpentry Courses and Become a Professional Carpenter
Article by Charlie Domino
Enroll in Carpentry Courses and Become a Professional CarpenterEverybody is looking for ways to make extra income during the weekend, or take up an extra course to add an expertise to their CV. If you are looking for some ways to obtain carpentry certificates, you will be happy to know that there is an abundance of carpentry courses you can register online. Online courses are beneficial because you do not need to quit your day job in order for you to pursue carpentry courses as you are able to study in the evening after work or during the weekend. Upon completion of the course, you will obtain a carpentry certificate or degree to prove that you have productively completed your course.
When you inquire for a better salary in new job applications, not having either a certificate or a degree to prove your prerequisites can put you in a very poor position. In addition, having the necessary prerequisites is vital if you want to be qualified for any internship programs. The easiest and fastest way to become a professional carpenter is through carpentry courses, practical training and experience. It is unfortunate for most carpenters who have plenty of experience and great skills are not able to ask for a higher salary due to the fact that they do not have the certificates or degrees to prove their criterions.
Like the traditional courses in carpentry, the online carpentry courses will educate you on how to work with lumber, wood, hands and tools, interior scaffolds, building layout, roof framework, stair design and many more. As the carpentry courses advances, you will learn more about decks, doorways, home windows, interior trim, ceiling finish, counter tops, cabinets alongside other parts of the house which are in connection with carpentry.
At the same time, you will learn various finishing sessions like the proper way to finish roofs, flooring and walls. All of these skills are tremendously advantageous if you wish to apply for jobs in the construction and remodeling industries. Most people assume that carpenters only work with wood and this is not true as you will come to realize in the carpentry courses that carpenters also work with plastic, metals and other synthetic substances.
In a gist, if you want to become a successful carpenter, it is vital that you invest a lot of time finding the best carpentry courses available to you. Right after completing your carpentry courses, it is advisable that you obtain some working experience to buff up your carpentry skills. If you are able to finish your carpentry work as fast as you can but with great detail and in line with environment laws and regulations, more people will start to recognize and like your work and given time, you will become one of the most sought after carpenter in you region.
This was one job I really enjoyed. It gave me the opportunity to show off my finer carpenter skills.
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Install Crown Molding Like a Pro
Crown molding is a classic ceiling accent, sure to dress up any room with elegance. It is also a challenging finish carpentry scope of work. Be sure you have experience with standard moldings, such as baseboard and trim before taking on this project.
A quick overview of the terminology: Inside corners are either “butt” or “cope” cuts as I will explain in detail later. Outside corners, a corner that protrudes into the room, is a “miter” cut. These three cuts make crown molding installation difficult. It is key to determine your corner cuts prior to the start of the work.
Draw a quick floor plan of the room showing all of the walls. Use a tape measure and record the dimension onto the drawing, then calculate the lineal feet of crown molding you will need to purchase. Now mark on the same plan which corners are butts, copes and miters. Hint, your first piece will be a butt on BOTH ends. Also, pencil in your miter cuts last on the plan.
Using a chalk line or long level, mark the horizontal installation control line. This is the bottom line of the crown molding as it sits against the wall. It needs to be marked level even if the ceiling is not level. Next, use a pencil and mark the wall stud locations. They will be roughly 16″ on center from the inside corners. Use a stud finder, if necessary.
Measure your first wall and make a square cut, previously mentioned as a butt cut, at each end. Tack the piece of crown in place when ready. A great trick for making a really accurate measurement is to measure from the corner out to roughly the middle of the wall and make a mark. You then take metal end of the tape measure and push into the opposite corner while pulling the tape to mark you made on the middle of the wall. Add both measurements together.
Your next cut will have a coped cut on one end and butt on the opposite. A coping cut blends into a square cut. To make a coping cut, you first miter cut the crown molding at a 45 degree angle and then back cut the square corner from the back of the crown with a coping saw. Once this is done correctly, the two pieces will fit together nicely. Be sure to do some test pieces before you make a final cut on your full length piece.
Next cut your miter corner pieces. Measure out your lengths and record those. Make some practice cuts next. Make your 45 degree miter cuts with two test pieces. You are going to move the saw to the left for one cut and right for the other cut, this allows the miter joint to meet. Once you are comfortable, go ahead and cut your full length pieces taking into consideration what kind of corners the pieces are joining at the opposite end of the miter, it will either be a cope or a butt. Be sure to glue the miter corners together.
Insert wood putty in all the nail locations. Sand before painting. Caulking will shrink and leave slight dimples visible beneath the finished paint. Be careful with putty on inside and outside corners. It tends to clump up and then you will not be able to sand the clumping away from the lines in the crown molding.
How to build a Deck
As a proffesional contractor in the construction industry, I have come across many jobs where people have attempted to build decks themselves and have gotten fed up with the challenge, and those whom have completed albeit not to there complete satisfaction solid and esthetically pleasing decks.
There is one key which rings true when building your project and that is to just keep it simple. Where as it may be that you would like a fancy intricate deck with many tiers or shapes, you would do well to first consider the purpose of your deck. The reason many people want a deck is for recreation purposes, enjoying a cooked meal, entertaining friends and family, sunbathing, or even for the winters enjoying a relaxing sit in your hot tub. This among many others reasons points to function over form. More often than not a simple square or rectangular deck will do just fine.
While this article will give you the basics of building a simple square deck, the principles found within can be readily expanded upon to build a more intricate deck. My further articles will elaborate on additional deck styles and building principles.
To start we need to first consider our deck piles, that is what within the ground is going to carry the load of our structure while not permitting it to sink over time. A piling is commonly used to refer to the cement column which is dug into the ground, this column will typically be dug just below the frost line, if you do infact live in an area where your ground does freeze up, otherwise, the standard depth is four feet down and 12″ wide. The piling serves the purpose of supporting the main beam wich in turn supports the end of your joists. When designing your deck, take into consideration that your deck joists may not sit over your beam any distance greater than two feet.
You will first locate the position of your piles in relation to your main beam, this will be in refrence to distance away from your from your house. After having located the distance away from your house which your beam will begin, mark this line with a string from end to end. Upon laying out your line you will now calculate where your piles will be located in relation to the ends of your deck. when doing this keep in mind that you must not have a pile any further than two feet away from the ends of the beam. Your span between pilings may not be any greater than eight feet. Mark your piling locations with a stick or spray paint.
Upon having located your piling positions you may now begin to dig your hole in the ground. As mentioned previously you must dig your hole down to the frost line, if you have one, or as a standard minimum of four feet deep. Your hole must be at a minimum 12″ wide. After digging your hole it is now time to fill it with cement and rebar. I would reccomend using a sono tube and placing this in the hole. You may mix your own cement or have it delivered. After you have put your cement in the sono tube you will now put two pieces of rebar in your cement piling. It may also be usefull to put a post bracket in your cement as well depending on how high your deck will be from the ground.
Now that you have poured your piling and have waited the recomended five days for your concrete to cure it is now time to assemble your deck. For this example of deck construction we will be building a standard 10′ by 10′ deck with 2×8 joists and 2×6 decking. You will need to calculate your materials. For this deck we will need 1 2×8 joist for our ledger board, one 2×8 joist for our rim joist at the end of the deck, nine 2×8 joists, one 2×8 joist to cut up and use for bridging and three 2×8 joists for our beem. All of our lumber will come in ten foot lengths.
To start the deck building process we will first need to attach our ledger board. we will cut our first 2×8 joist down to 10′ exactly. This board will then be attached to the house at four inches below the threshold of the door. if you need to cut into any siding or stucco you may do so. You will center this board to where you want it. From here we fasten our board to the wall with nails or screws or lag screws. whichever you prefer. If you are going into concrete you will need to fasten your ledger board on with lag bolts. See your local hardware store for fastening instructions.
Our ledger board is now fastened and we are ready to do a joist layout! From left to right you will mark every 16″ for the center of the joist. you will then put the joist hanger bracket center to the line and flush with the bottom of the ledger board. After fastening the hangers in place we will build our beam.
The beam is made up of three ten foot joists nailed together from both sides. you will lay this on top of your concrete piles. To set up your beam, my prefered no hassle method is to first, set up your two end joists. This requires one person to hold the end of the joist away from the house while you set the joist into its joist hanger. You will now learn a quick way of squaring joists to your house. If you remember from school in geometry, pythagorus theorum where a2+b2=c2, this is the method you use. You simply take 3-4-5 and use that. sometimes you’ll double it for longer spans. That being said, mark your ledger board at the 6 foot mark from the inside of your joist, then mark 8 feet on your joist from the begining of the joist on the edge that is in towards the deck. If you find this method complicated, just look up my other article on “Methods of Squaring”. Now that you have those two marks you are going to take your tape measure from either of the points and align your joist until your mark is on the ten foot line. After that has been done you will need to tack it in place by running a board on top of your joist and tieing it back to the ledger board. this will keep it square until our beam and posts are in place. Repeat this method for the other side of your deck.
It’s time to level the joists which you have put in place. This method is simple, you will first take your level and place it ontop of your joist, then lift your joist until it is levl. Take a piece of lumber and run it from the ground up to your joist. There you will tack your joist in place with one or two screws. Repeat this with the other joist as well.
Now that our joists are in place we will tack our beam to the bottom of our joists with screws. You can do this by toe nailing from the bottom of the joist into the beam or you can toenail the beam into the bottom of the joist, whichever is easier. Take your 4×4 posts now and cut them down to length over top your pilings. After you have put your posts in place you will now toe nail your post into your beam. You will need to cross brace your post into your beam to hold your deck from going out of square while you lay in your joists. Do this by taking a ten foot 2×6 and running it end to end and top to bottom for the bottom of your post to the top of your beam.
By this point your beam should be securely in place. You will now make marks on your beam every 16″, transfering your layout on your ledger board to your beam. With this complete you can now lay your joists into your joist hangers and on top of the marks on your beam. Tack all your boards into place with nails or screws.
You are now ready to put your last rim joist into place. This is the board that caps off the end of your deck and and holds your joists from twisting at the ends. Take a chalk line and run it over top your end joists on either side. Measure in 1 1/2″ from the end and snap your line over top all joists. Take your square and transfer your chalk line from the top of the joist and make a line on the side of your joists. This is the line you will follow to cut off the ends of your joist. With your joists being cut you will have now a perfectly straight line with which to attach your rim joist, so that there are no waves or wows in the board. You can attach your rim joist with nails or screws to the end of your joists. I prefer screws because the finish look is much nicer.
From the house you will measure five feet on either end, make a mark and snap your chalkline. This line will serve as a guide for a set of bridging, which is used to stiffen your deck and ensure there is no wave in your end joists. to cut your brindging you will take the in between measurments for the joists from the ledger board. Cut your bridging out of a full joist. when installing your bridging you will need to stager it by placing it on either side of the line. This will allow you to be able to screw or nail the ends with ease.
It is now time to put on your decking. This process is very straight forward. Ensure that your 2×6 boards are cut to length at exactly ten feet. Place them on your deck starting from the rim joist and working your way into the house. Ensure that there are two screws per joist per 2×6, one inch from either side of the 2×6. You may wish to use a spacer in between your 2×6 boards. this can be done by cutting down a piece of lumber to your desired thickness. Your final board will likely need to be cut down widthwise, a table saw is highly recomended for this, but a skillsaw will also work.
Now your main deck is complete. In my other articles I will show you how to build different styles of railings and other intricate decks along with stairs.
Check back for other articles and tips on how to build!
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