If you’ve never had the chance to see a live carpentry demonstration by Fine Homebuilding contributing editor Gary M. Katz, you’re missing out. Katz’s “anyone can do this” attitude draws big crowds at trade shows from coast to coast.
Katz’s popular demonstration on mastering the miter saw is an appropriate choice for this debut DVD. Mastering the Miter Saw (produced by Onsite Productions) is available now at for $29.95. Katz partnered with Bosch and Windsor One and hopes to create a library of educational DVDs on finish carpentry.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been whining about Angle Finder for years. I mean, I even whined during my presentations at shows: “How come the ‘Hold’ button doesn’t hold anything when you press it!?” But the folks at Bosch must have been listening because they’ve improved their Angle Finder—finally! And while they haven’t done everything I would have liked (it would be nice if they’d put a key pad right on the tool, so you could just key in the crown molding spring angle), they have taken the tool to the next level. Start with the Finish and Work Back to the Rough A lot of carpenters scratch their heads every time they finish framing a porch and start on the stairs. There are so many ways to frame stairs on a porch that it’s hard to make a logical choice, let alone use the same technique twice. That’s why, to work on this story, we gathered together a group of carpenters, all JLC authors: Mike Sloggatt, Frank Caputo, Jed Dixon, Carl Hagstrom, Tom Brewer, and Greg DiBernardo all contributed to this article.
Katz has specialized in finish carpentry for over 35 years. His projects range from new front doors to complete custom homes, from commercial work in schools, hospitals, and offices to production work on condominiums and tract housing.
Together we worked out a simple system for installing stringers, so you won’t have to scratch your head the next time you start on the stairs. “How I built a reputation that is now worth money to me as a builder” A reprinted article from American Carpenter & Builder, July, 1912. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Jeff K. Burks for the tremendous effort he makes to discover, copy, and share these jewels! Years ago, Jeff introduced me and countless other carpenters to C Howard Walker’s seminal book,. Here, Jeff provides us with a telescopic view of the past: timeless lessons that carpenters should heed today about building better business practices.
Where Wright was Right and Wright was Wrong I recently read. What a great story about an architect—Howard Roark—who refuses to compromise his creative ideals or his personal values. In a biography of Frank Lloyd Wright, Brendan Gill discusses the comparison between Wright and Roark, and the common misconception that Rand based her character on the famous architect (Many Masks, pg. After reading several biographies of Wright (and learning Wright was a colossal egotist), then visiting many of his homes (where I was overwhelmed by their timeless beauty), I have to agree: it’s too bad there wasn’t more in common between the man and the myth. But Wright’s work, and especially his influence on architecture, will definitely outlive his personality.
When I started teaching carpentry clinics at lumberyards around the country, one of the first companies I sought support from was Stabila—I used their levels for a couple of decades and wouldn’t think of switching brands. There was no other spirit level available that guaranteed the same degree of precision, whether the vials were right-side up or up-side down. When I first started in the trades, I used an adjustable level, but threw it away after setting door jambs in a home getting bull-nose drywall. A book every craftsman should read “What sort of personality does one need to have, as a twenty-first-century mechanic, to tolerate the layers of electronic bullshit that get piled on top of machines?” –Matthew Crawford, Shop Class as Soulcraft: Penquin Press, 2009 I recently taught a class on Mastering the Miter Saw to a group of mixed-age students at the West Valley Occupational Center, near my home in Los Angeles.
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