Spoke with an old framer at a job site in Ohio last week and he totally changed how I look at face frames

I was fitting a face frame for a kitchen remodel in Columbus and this guy maybe 60 years old walks up and watches me for a minute. He says "you are fighting that grain instead of working with it" and walked me through how to read the wood direction before even cutting. I got so used to just marking and cutting fast that I never stopped to think about how the grain affects the joinery over time. He showed me on a scrap piece how a simple orientation change can prevent warping 2 years down the line. Has anyone else had an old timer drop a tip that made you rethink your whole process?

3 comments

3 Comments

jenny19811d ago

Did this guy offer to buy you a beer after making you feel like a rookie? I swear every job site has one old guy who's seen it all and isn't afraid to show you up. Had a dude in Missouri show me why my miters were gapping - turned out I was rushing the glue-up like a maniac. He just stood there chewing his lip till I got it right.

shane_bell11d ago

Yeah the key is slowing down on glue-ups man. I used to crank everything together like I was late for dinner and wondered why my joints looked like Swiss cheese. Then an old timer told me to dry fit, then spread glue with a brush not a bottle. That little tip cut my gaps in half. Also check your saw blade for wobble - dull blades push wood and make miters open up even if you cut them perfect.

olivia6708d ago

Drove me crazy reading that cause I had the exact same thing happen to me last year. An old cabinet maker watched me set up a domino joint and just shook his head. He showed me how my grain direction was actually fighting the domino tenon and causing micro cracks along the glue line. I had been setting them up fast and tight without even looking at the wood. He made me pull the piece apart, flip the orientation, and dry fit again. That simple switch fixed the whole joint. I still think about that every time I put a piece together now.