hey guys, i have recently bought the const. mstr. IV, and i like the tool. I am a self appointed apprentice in the world of residential const. been in the trade for 4 years and still having a hard time with rafters and stairs. was hoping the cm IV would be able to ease the pain in my brain, when it comes to the calculations. However i find that the reference manual is skimply. the possible uses for this tool far outnumber the pages that are in the skimpy users guide. does anybody know of a good book i can buy that would outline in greater detail the uses of this calculator. thanks guys. ps. my e mail is [email protected] send help
dink
Replies
Better to learn the old fanshioned way first. Framing square!!! I've been a carpenter for ten years and the first thing i tell a new apprentise is buy a framing square, carry it where ever you go and use it. There is no simpleir way to layout a rafter and a set of stairs than knowledge of basic math and a good old fashiones framing square. Branes & Noble carry some great books on the use of framing squares.
Remember "SAFETY FIRST"
safetyBoss, i thank you for the reply and good advise. do you know the title to the books on the framing square?please email them to me if you do [email protected]
The calculators can be a great tool, but they take some time to catch on to.
My suggestion would be to keep it handy. Whenever something comes up that requires some math, try it out. Then test your results to see if they work.
Also - Quit asking people to email you. Others may learn from the answers posted here. If someone emails you, only one person benefits from that effort.According to my calculations, the problem doesn't exist.
great advice about starting with a framing square, i think what you really have to be able to see the progression of the layout, and the eventual rafter or stringer when it's framed in place. real basic advice but i.m.h.o. very important.try these for books, the very efficient carpenter by larry haun,carpentrey by gaspar lewis,advanced framing ,techniques, troubleshooting& structual design, 46 selections from the journal of light construction, roof framing by arie gross( this is a great book) helps with the
"visualization" thing i was talking about, our hosts taunton press the builders library frame carpentry and walls, floors ,stairs. the first book i bought after 3 years in carpentry was, carpentry- some tricks of the trade from an old style carpenter by bob syvanen ( thanks mr. syvanen) from that day to six months later i got two raises and the pieces really started coming together. if your looking for a booklet a quick study just go out and by a framing square with rafter tables usually the booklet and the aluminum square come together that the one you want. i cant emphasize enough about the visualization thing, i did some time in art school and the professor would constantly say you have to see it before you draw it. after awhile i really loathed hearing it , but eventually i sawwhat he was talking about and it did indeed spill out on to the paper. and the same will happen from your eye to the square to the saw. anyhow good luck......cheers ,,, bear
thanks bear!!
Did you have to fight to get that screen name?
I don't even want to think you are going to put your picture in your profile.
Edited 12/29/2002 11:43:53 AM ET by Qtrmeg
Maybe he's a tennis player?
TDo not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
kids got balls......i hope.....
very funny boys, last name is denkins, first name BIG..... put them together
all kidding aside i have another ? for the experts, my dad had somebody build a cabin in northern michigan,and we are tossing around ideas for putting in a wood burner. the builder wants to put us a block flue on the inside of the cabin not the outside. we arnt thrilled with this idea. also there is no electricity in this area. hence the wood burner. I am wondering if any one has any experience in this area and could maybe point out some other ventalation ideas or websites thanks.
BIG dink
Guy, I didn't even start..
Mike Smith knows about places without electricity, and Piffin knows a thing or two about venting wood stoves. Damn, the both of them know just about everything.
What little I know tells me I prefer the flue inside, but that is an old yankee thing. Whether you go with block&flue, vs insulated pipe depends. Add on to existing might make me think fluepipe to ceiling transition, capture pipe heat, and insulated pipe thru the roof. You could search or start another thread. The details are the devil, and every job is different.
Btw, being a big dick means you are a natural for being a contractor.
Now that you focussed attention on it, Meg, it does feel strange to start off a letter to a stranger, "Hey Dink,..."
Sorry Big D, I couldn't resist..
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
Thanks alot guys, for all your great advise. and here is my quote:
Would the boy you were, be proud of the man you are?
Deep Question Worth Pondering
Thanks for asking it!.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
great quote dude but Im still a kid after all these years..does that count..:>)
At Darkworks Customer satisfaction Job One..Yea yea were all over it , I got my best guys on it.........
Pif>>>Now that you focussed attention on it, Meg, it does feel strange to start off a letter to a stranger, "Hey Dink,..."
I've used worse...
I guess growing up with that name keeps you flexible enough to slough off jokes about it, eh?
I get to live without electricity about three or four hours a week on the average.
Not that that means anything. My Amish brethren like it that way all the time.
You get more creosote buildup in a flue that is colder because the tars precipitate at temps below about 425 to 475°. That makes an interior fireplace safer from that viewpoint. If it is an open fireplace, this doesn't matter so much because they usually burn quick and hot and clean anyway. But Then you get more heat out of an interior masonry mass. I can fire up for a few hours in the evening with my center chimney unit and it will still be giving off heat from the chimney in the morning. Moisture tends to be bad for masonry over the long haul, more especially so if it is not kept warm and fired up all winter long. Occasional blasts of heat combined with moisture penetration in the cold periods gives you little steam and ice chambers in the voids. So an exterior chimney in the end wall that is only used sporadically will have more creosote build and be subject to frost and efflorescense.
On the other hand, an interior fireplce and chimney will take up plenty of space in an already small cabin. From that viewpoint and considering cost, Qtrmeg cut right to the chase and recommended a wood stove, a metal pipe connected to a fabricated insulated chimney through the roof and a metal cap. That will let you have more even temperature & heat output and with less wood so you can enjoy your getaways more instead of comiong to dread going up there in fear of spending all your time cutting firewood.
I don't know specifically why the builder recommended inside. Maybe just 'cause he wants indoor winter work or maybe more solid reasonning..
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius