Summary: As decks have become more complicated, there are also many options for deck tools. To find out what is most useful at work today, carpenter Andy Engel reached out to a number of deck builders to learn about their favorite products. There is a choice of tools for everything, from demolition and framing to fastening railing fittings.

I built my first one deck 1986 working on the back of a Jeep Cherokee. The next thing I needed to a specialty tool was a ratchet with one 3⁄4th-in the. Outlet for tightening the delays holding the ledger in place. Fast forward to 2020 and it seems the average stud contractor needs a 3⁄4th-ton pick-up to transport a trailer full of tools for even the smallest jobs. In fairness, decks have gotten an order of magnitude more complicated since the Reagan administration. We didn’t screw anything back then, and maybe we used it Beam hangerand no matter which of the three cover materials we used (PT, Cedar, or Redwood) it was nailed down.

Yet there seem to be more tool options today than are absolutely necessary. To find out what is really useful, I spoke to a number of deck contractors to see what they bring to work each day.

Draw deck boards

Duckbill Deck Wrecker $ 85 (Left), Nestorbars 32-in. 8-inch utility wrecking bar. Rocker Claws $ 185 (Law)

There are a lot of deck jobs out there these days Deck replacement. When the old frame heads for the trash, most builders use a circular saw to cut the paving between the girders and immediately lift the girders and paving out.

However, if the existing frame is retained, the trick is to tear down the pavement as efficiently as possible. Joe Rogers of Advanced Carpentry & Remodeling in St. Louis, Missouri, loves the Duckbill Deck Wrecker. Several contractors mentioned Nestorbars. Both tools work on the same principle: two tines slide under the covering, one on each side of the beam. With the beam as a fulcrum, a long handle offers enough leverage to tear open even screw-in terraces.

Digs foundations faster

Toro Dingo TXL 2000 $ 30,000 + (Rent for $ 200 per day)

Nobody likes to dig Foundation holes. Nick Markey of NG Markey Custom Woodworks in Charlton, Mass. Is renting equipment to help solve the problem. “Depending on the size of the job,” he says, “this can range from a Dingo skid steer loader with a bucket and auger to a compact backhoe loader. I’ll also be renting a cement mixer with two to three bags instead of a wheelbarrow mixing in.

Transport heavy loads

Rubbermaid 71⁄2-cu.-ft. Ferris wheel car $ 160

Gary Bruzzese, owned by Craftsman Contracting in Norwalk, Connecticut, has given it up. Instead, he uses a Rubbermaid trading cart. He claims: “It has a larger capacity than a normal wheelbarrow and with its two wheels it is very stable. It’s also big enough to be turned upside down overnight, covering up hardware or bags of concrete. “

Find your lines

DeWalt Green Rotary Tough Laser $ 1600 (with battery and charger)

One tool that almost every contractor I’ve spoken to mentioned was a green light laser. They’re great for laying foundations and shooting heights, among other things, and their green rays are far more visible in daylight than red lasers. Despite being a fan of green lasers, Bruzzese still uses his line regularly: “Lasers are great, but even the green ones aren’t visible in full sun. Plus, it’s easy to get them out of position. I can set up a string and know that it will stay exactly where I left it. “

Snap with no stains

DeWalt cast aluminum chalk spool $ 8 (Left), Johnson’s baby powder $4 (9 ounce bottle) (Law)

Instead of marking cuts and attachment lines with red or blue chalk that will discolor or take a long time to wash off, Ethan Biederman of South County Post & Beam of West Kingstown, RI, uses baby powder, which is washed off in the first rain.

Cut large woods

Prazi 12-in. Beam cutter $ 140 (excluding saw)

Though most of them Cover frame resembles the house frame and the basic tools are the same, deck builders routinely cut 6x6s and a regular 7-1⁄4-in. Circular saw does not come through in one cut. In fact, they require five cuts – one on each side and another with a different saw through the center, since the circular saw blade doesn’t go all the way. East Greenwich, RI, Builder Mike Guertin just pulls out a chainsaw, either gas or battery operated. He says, “For notch posts, the tolerances are not very tight and a sharp chain comes close enough very quickly.”

If you

A hybrid circular saw and chainsaw was mentioned by several deck builders: the Prazi Beam Cutter. Several beam saws mentioned such as the Makita 16-5⁄16-in. Circular saw, Skilsaw Sawsquatch and Super Sawsquatch as well as Big Foot. Jon Blakemore of Rappahannock Building & Remodeling in Fredericksburg, Virginia, says, “The Big Foot cuts 4 × 4 in one pass and 6 × 6 in two passes. It’s also handy for cutting two-ply headers and double beams. “

Cut in place

Makita 61⁄2-in. Plunge circular saw $ 420 (with 55 inch guide rail) (Left), Festool HKC 55 Cordless Chainsaw $ 770 (Kit with two batteries) (Law)

Almost everyone I’ve spoken to used it Chainsaws for decking. The favorites were makitas 6-1⁄2-in. Plunge circular saw and Festools HK 55 chainsaw (see the wireless version HKC 55 above). Its main use is cutting deck boards to length or using a picture frame pattern. The field boards are allowed to run for a long time, then they are cut in a straight line with the rail saw.

Make quick, accurate cross-sections

Festool’s HKC 55 cordless chainsaw has been used several times. Although its 160 mm (approx. 6-1⁄4 inch) blade is not widely used with large woods, it cuts 2x frame wood flawlessly. Unlike most chainsaws, the HKC is intended for cross-cuts. It fits Festool’s normal chainsaw track, but shines when used with 16-1⁄2 inches. Cross-sectional path. The saw engages in the rail and adjustable stops set the miter angle from 0 ° to 50 °. Bruzzese uses it to cut beams: “I let the beams run for a long time and install the rim beams later. I start laying decking, and when I get a few boards off the outside edge of the deck I mark the joist length so that a full-width deck board appears at the end. With the HKC 55, I don’t have to draw a square line for every cut. I line up the saw guide with my chalk line and cut off the beams. “

Nail these connections

Bostitch StrapShot metal connector nailer $ 190

Bruce Verblaauw, owner of NJ Decks & Railings in Mahwah, NJ, was the first of several builders to mention metal fastener. “We use both the Senco JoistPro250 and the Bostitch StrapShot. However, they are not perfect. The Senco is limited to 21⁄2-in the. Nails while the Bostitch only shoots 11⁄2-in the. The Strapshot is ideal for 12-inch frames in the middle because its case is smaller. The problem is the shear nails on joist hangers need to be 3 inches so we end up nailing by hand or using a palm nailer. “

As I continued this discussion with Guertin, he mentioned that Bostitch’s F21PL frame nailer has interchangeable tips that allow it to be used as both a regular frame nailer and a joining nailer that shoots nails from 0.168 inches up to 3 in diameter1⁄2 in length.

Hold hangers

FastCap Joist Clip $ 11 (2-pack)

Guertin also launched FastCaps Joist Clip. The joist clip is a spring steel clamp that holds the hanger to the joist while it is being attached so the carpenter can hold the joist with one hand and the nailer with the other.

Quickly attach deck boards

More than one contractor told me they use the Camo system for hidden fasteners. The advantage of the Camo system is that the deck boards are screwed on. The tool guides the screws and places the deck boards at the same time. If you ever need to replace a circuit board, the screws are accessible. Plus, you only buy the screws and don’t need any special fasteners, so it’s cheaper to use.

Another approach to aligning flat screws on the edge is to use the Simpson StrongTie’s Quik Drive screw gun (right). “The Simpson tool has an attachment that places the screws evenly spaced from the plate edge,” says Guertin. “The long extension allows you to stand up while attaching the deck.”

Bend unruly boards

Cepco Tool Company BoWrench Decking Tool $ 60

The BoWrench (left) from Cepco Tool Company has been used repeatedly to smooth curved decking boards. Unlike other top board straighteners, you don’t need to maintain constant tension. This locks the board for attachment. One final decking tip came from Guertin: “Use a hammer to set a deck board onto a hidden fastener. It’s a lot easier than using a sled and a block. “

Draw the post in line

Wooden guardrail posts Don’t always stay exactly square and true, and sometimes it takes a little persuasion to join railing sections. To do this, Guertin cuts the railing to the exact length and secures the posts with a ratchet strap. “This not only gives you a tight connection,” he says, “but it also frees your hands to power fasteners.”

Conquer narrow quarters

When using fabricated railings, the baluster spacing sometimes leaves little space for drilling posts and attaching railing fittings. Paul Mitchell, owned by Mitchell Restoration in Torrington, Connecticut, says, “A flexible expansion bit is a must. I use a ryobi. My other “must have” railing tool is a DeWalt angle driver. Both let me work in tight spaces. “

Get shelter from the storm

One tool that doesn’t really fit into any category – and that may not be a tool but is very welcome in northern areas – is a side-walled pop-up tent. Lawrence Winterburn owns GardenStructure.com in Toronto, Ontario and knows a thing or two about working in the cold. “Add a catalytic propane heater to the pop-up window and you have a warm cut station and a convenient place to bring your fingers back to life in the winter.”

Andy Engel is a former editor of Fine Homebuilding and currently a senior carpenter at HVP Corp. in Kent, Conn.

From Fine Homebuilding # 290

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