Pro tip: an old guy at a lumber yard in Tacoma showed me a trick with a framing square that saved my whole day.

I was picking up some 2x12s for a deck rebuild and looked totally stuck on a tricky angle cut. This retired carpenter, maybe 70, saw me staring at my phone and just walked over. He took my square, laid it flat on the board, and marked a line using the 7-inch and 24-inch points instead of the usual ones. He said, 'Kid, that's the 16.26-degree rake for your stair stringer, right there.' It was perfect. I'd been messing with an app for 20 minutes. Anyone else have a simple old-school trick that just works better than tech sometimes?

3 comments

3 Comments

ericmason20d ago

Yeah, and it's not just with tools. You see it everywhere now, that split between people who know a thing in their bones and people who have to look it up. My barber can tell you exactly how your hair will lay just by feeling it once, no consultation needed. The guy at the tire shop knows the weird noise is a worn ball joint just from the sound you try to make with your mouth. That old carpenter saw the lumber, the project, and the confused guy with a phone, and the whole picture just snapped together for him. We've traded that deep, slow knowledge for quick info, and sometimes you really feel the difference.

felix14716d ago

My grandpa taught me that same 7/24 square trick for roof rafters. Honestly, @ericmason is right about that deep knowledge, it's a different kind of smart. You just can't google that feel for a material.

lindab4920d ago

Wait, he just knew it was a 16.26 degree cut by looking at it? I mean, that's the part that gets me. I could see showing the square trick, but how did he know the exact angle you needed before you even said anything? That's some next level experience right there.