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| I've been having fun shopping for specialty tools that will make our deck building smoother. So far I've bought:
-post hole auger for a tractor (found a used one for $300: not much more than the rental of a manual one for a weekend) -Bowrench -Metal connector nailer (got a reconditioned Bostich on ebay for $150) Has anyone used these "joist jaws"? They seem handy, but 50 bucks seems a bit much for something so simple. And what about levels? I've found string levels (seems like the string would sag) post levels (we'll have a total of 51 posts between the frame, pergola, and railing), plus an 8-foot option (the longest one we currently own is only 2 feet). Which are the most useful? Do I need them all? Batter boards: are home-made ones good enough? Any tips for your favorite design? Any other tools you'd recommend? We've got the basic assortment of saws, drills, and nail guns that we need. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| tools kick butt...below is a post I put together last year with my favorite tools |
Here is a link that might be useful: toolz
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- Posted by brooklyndecks (My Page) on Thu, Jun 25, 09 at 6:58
| I love my rotary laser lever with remote control. Nothing beats it for leveling posts. String (line) levels suck. I retired my bowrench (anyone want to buy a used one?) in favor of the BoardBoss (I have 2 of them). Makita impact driver for screwing. Headcote trim screws and Smartbit for countersinking them. I've considered joist jaws, but I just make my own jig. An accurate post level is handy...a 2' level is useless...get a 6' or 8' home made batter boards (do they sell commercial ones?) good, strong stringline and a bunch of identical wood blocks. I like yellow string. steve |
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| Buy a cheap laser line level, ditch the "last century" string level..Homemade batter boards are great. |
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- Posted by weedyacres (My Page) on Thu, Jun 25, 09 at 15:39
Yes, there are commercial batter boards: $119 for a set of 8 on amazon.com. If I planned to build more than one deck I might consider the investment. :-)  Steve: would you mind posting a photo of your home-made joist jaws? |
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- Posted by brooklyndecks (My Page) on Thu, Jun 25, 09 at 21:38
| weedy, I make those jigs on the fly, then throw them away. A clamp, a piece of ipe, and a screw. I don't have any pics. It's not rocket science. |
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