|
What's new at Concord Carpenter
Hi Guys,
What a winter. I missed last weeks newsletter because I
was busy snow plowing back to back storms and then had a super busy week in the workshop.
This week I traveled to South Carolina for a long weekend. I
love going to SC for long weekends to get away from the snow.
Photo: The garden grotto shown below belongs to the house above - WOW! How'd you like to hang out there enjoying a cold cocktail?
The
temperatures in S.C. were in the high 60's which was a welcome reprieve from the
5-10 degree temperatures back home. I especially enjoy walking the
streets of historic Charleston and looking at the amazing architecture.
The most common architectural styles that you'll find in Charleston,
SC is:
- Georgian
- Federal
- Greek
- Revival
- Italianate
- Queen
- Anne
Many of the above examples feature rough faced limestone trim, stone arches, marble disks surrounded by limestone, granite pedestals flanking the
front door and my favorite, Stained glass windows.
I never get bored looking at these homes.
Here are some more of my favorite houses - there are so, so, many beautiful homes in the downtown area it's tough to pic a favorite.
Charleston Single House Design
One of my FAV designs is the Charleston Single House is the architectural style most associated
with Charleston, South Carolina. These distinctive homes have a grace
that is perfectly suited to the hot, humid local climate.
They are only
one-room-wide and the narrow end of the house faces the street.
Two-story verandas (called "piazzas" in Charleston) stretch down the
long side.
The one-room-wide design offered cross-ventilation in the days
before air-conditioning. And the piazza a shaded place to sit.
Another interesting feature of a Charleston Single House is that the
front door is on the porch! Yes, go through the front door from the
street and you're on the porch, not inside the house proper. It provides
needed privacy because the entrance hall is centered on the side of the
house.
Concord Carpenter Workshop News
This
past week week we spent some time in the shop making plywood cabinets
that will be skinned in rough-sawn plywood. These cabinets have no
face-frames and we experiences to bowing of the longer vertical panels.
Our solution was to fix the middle shelf. The shelves were detailed
to be adjustable but by fastening the middle shelf to the plywood sides
we were able to pull out the bow.
Because the plywood cabinet boxes did not have face frames we treated the exposed ply edged with wood veneer edging. [below picture]
Wood Veneer Edging
The art of veneering has been around for centuries dating all the way back to the Egyptians. In Egypt, wood was a valued and scarce raw material.
In order to maximize the wood they had, the Egyptians cut logs into
very thin boards. Later in the 19th century, new processing methods
were developed where sawing lumber was replaced by slicing knives
resulting in thin veneer.
Newfangled Gas-less Framing Nailer
DEWALT
recently redesigned their cordless, gas-less framing nailer, model DCN692. This
nailer has two nice features that immediately appealed. It works well
in cold temperatures and requires minimal maintenance - two things that
gas models have difficulty with.
We test this model out at our
the shop and and in the field. While the nailer did not shoot as many
nails as DEWALT claims it will we were impressed that a cordless nailer
could bump fire. READ MORE.
Tool Storage Systems
Job
sites are busy, hectic arenas, with tools and equipment everywhere.
Oftentimes contractors simply overlook the the "tools that protect the
tools." They are just too darn busy to consider properly organizing and
securing their valuable tools and equipment.
Research has shown that the key to becoming better organized on the
job site is through the use of modular organizers. Modular organizers
are designed to allow for better and more secure storage, better
organization and easier mobility.
We've also learned through research that organization is key to being
productive at work. Contractors use only 33% of their time on the job
site working. The rest of that time is spent on tasks such as material
runs, unplanned demands, and interruptions, searching for tools,
searching for parts and running errands.
Winner of DEWALT DW0811 Combo Laser Giveaway
Karl Behnke from Rogersville, TN, a long time newsletter subscriber, won the DEWALT laser level.
Karl is a Pro contractor and has been in construction since 1972. He works as a G.C.
Superintendent in multifamily construction.
Congrats Karl!! Stay tuned for our next giveaway at ACC.
Concord Carpenter On YouTube
Be sure to check out our other videos at our Concord Carpenter YouTube Page
LIKE Concord Carpenter On Facebook
| 
