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I have decided to use/make trusses for the roof of a shed. Therefore, I need to build a press to install truss plates. This is essentially an arbor press, but using a bottle jack for the pressing force. See the attached picture for a mockup. If there's interest, I'll add replies showing the...

I'm building an 8' x 16' (um, 120 sq ft, 8' x 15' with a recessed door) shed that I want at a very specific location: Exactly 10' from an existing structure, lining up to a corner of that structure, and at a specific elevation to that structure. In other words, I need to control x, y, and z. The...

Needed a (roller) stand to make some complicated miter saw cuts. Selected the above mentioned stand. Product specs that you won't find online: Yellow leg is 50mm x 30mm x ~1.15mm wall tube Black leg is 30mm x 30mm x ~1.15mm wall tube Silver support post is 25mm x 25mm x ~1.15mm wall tube The...

This is for a shed. Someday it may become "part" of the house, so I want to build it to full earthquake codes. Earthquake holddowns require at least 3" x 3.5" material. It is acceptable to build this up by sistering two 2x4's. Earthquake shear wall sheathing needs its edges to bear a full 1.5"...

I'm thinking ten steps ahead on a project - decided to check the latest building codes. Ever since the stone ages, 16d sinkers were used in home framing. (Stone ages: The 70's when I collected bent and discarded sinker nails from construction sites, straightened them on a stone, and used them to...

Is it possible to bend 0.110" steel without a brake? The steel in question is Simpson Strong-Tie straps that are 3 1/4" wide. This SKU appears to be stamped from sheet metal. I would need to make two bends each on ten pieces. Seven bends would need to be 90 degrees, the rest are in the 20 to 30...

I'm building a shed that will need to be on short stilts so that the floor level matches other structures. A long time ago I bought pier blocks with embedded metal straps. The plan was to use the straps to attach 4x4 posts to the pier blocks. However, close examination of these pier blocks shows...

I used to buy the steel I needed from Sims Metal's New and Used yard in San Jose. That location has now been closed for about two years - either permanently, or because of, um, ... circumstances. Google has offered up these alternatives: Alan Steel & Supply, Redwood City Alco Iron & Metal, San...

Yes, of course, but... (Oh, the eternal struggle between engineers and fabricators. I'm both in this instance.) I need to cut double beveled points on 4x4's to use them as diagonal braces. (Think of the difference between a flat roof, shed roof, gable end roof, and hip roof. I need the "gable...

Getting back to a much delayed project... An 8' x 16' *cough* 15' shed. The ground is sloping, and I want the shed floor raised up a bit - possibly as much as 4' at one corner. Thus there is plenty of air space under the floor, plenty of vertical clearance for all framing. Consider the wood...

Are the A/Aro style air fittings effectively obsolete at this time? This the style that looks similar to the I/M except the nose is slightly longer and the retention groove is asymmetric. Years ago when I bought my first air fittings, the sales clerk steered me to the A style - "that's what we...

What passes for my back yard extends all the way to the next street. It goes house, flat area (i.e "stuff" storage), slope down into a gully, small creek, slope back up, and finally the street. To provide privacy, especially in an era of Streetview camera cars, I allowed a large number of small...

What's going on with Metabo HPT (née Hitachi) 18V cordless tools at Lowes? Most of the tools seem to have clearance pricing. And there is almost no supply of batteries and chargers to make those tools useful. Someone on this forum thought that Lowes will be dropping Metabo HPT. However, at a...

Lowes is closing all approximately 100 of their OSH stores. For those that don't know, OSH is a (mostly) California based hardware store chain. The more recent history of OSH is that it has been passed from owner to owner like a hot potato. Lowes is just the most recent owner. Lowes' new...

I'm designing a temporary foundation for an 8x15 storage shed. The shed needs to be at a specific elevation: About 42 inches floor to ground at the downhill (long) side, and 32 inches at the uphill side. I've decided on a floor of tongue and groove Douglas fir 2x6's laid the long way. They'll...

I'm helping friends clean up their mess of an electrical system. Right now I'm running a bigger conduit to the garage. Also, they may be getting solar panels. The solar company may take care of upgrading the main breaker panel. Or we may have to do it ourselves first. Either way, I want to spec...

I'm helping friends run more power to their garage. The situation: Detached garage 26 feet from a house. Main panel is surface mounted at the corner of the house - so about 28 feet to the garage. There is a foundation pier for a deck support right on the straight line route. Currently wired...

Now that Craftsman is made in China, and Sears is about to vanish, I've decided to stockpile enough USA made Craftsman to last me for decades to come. Otherwise, I might find myself chasing down a tool truck when I'd rather not. My active tool set is reasonably complete and I haven't needed to...