28 y/o. Worked for 3 stair companies over the last 2 years, hoping this one is the final one as they’ve recently made me lead stair installer of the custom install crew (they also have a production crew). Started as a labourer in the shops initially and worked my way into installing where I’m most comfortable from a background of ~5 years of deck building prior. We mostly build treads and stringers from white or red oak for stain-grade stairs with oak veneer risers, or poplar stingers and maple veneer risers for paint-grade stairs. Curved stair stringers are pre-fabbed by laminating ply. The current shop’s specialty is guard walls which are pre-fabricated in shop when they are straight sections, and build on site for any curved stairs. Most stairs are shop pre-fabbed also unless they can’t fit in an opening, or are curved stairs, which then require us to build on site. Anyways these are some money shots of my favourite installs over the last couple of years.

First work injury as a 17 year old stung a little went 1/2 inch into the bone

For context im in my late 20's. I went back to university only to realise it's really not for me. I've been trying alot of numerous different things and did a short carpentey/woodworking course and really enjoyed it. I want to learn to build stuff and it's a bonus if I can get paid to do it. I've decided to try find a carpentry apprenticship or someone that will take me on...

I have an older friend who I was working as a labourer for and he's warning me not to follow carpentry. His words was that it's a 'dieing trade' and there's no money in it anymore. That i should just become a landscaper or sparkie and work from there. I'm at a cross roads where I'm really not sure what to do.

Im thinking of still giving carpentry a go and seeing where I go from there. At the end of the day though I want a skill that I can learn that will give me a decent income to live on. Does anyone here have advice? Or similar stories they want to share? Ty

Nice little 3” right into the palm

Hey y’all! I am starting a framing/carpentry job tomorrow. I am only 18 and I am beyond nervous because I haven’t done this before and it is something I wanna pursue. Is this anyway I can calm down my nerves. I think it is just my first day nervousness but I’m unsure. Send any tips about the job in general or tips on calming me down! Thanks!

It's taken every ounce of woodworking skill I barely possessed lol

In response to the occasional posts regarding tool belts/pouches on here, I just wanted to follow up from a post I commented on earlier today about modifying your pouches if you can’t afford a top tier belt setup.

I’m a pretty big proponent of Frankensteined rigs. Today I actually modded mine yet again and love it even more! I really wanted a speed square sleeve like all the new rigs have. Added a single piece of scrap leather with screws and washers. Boom!

Previously I did add the Occidental hammer and cats paw sleeves. I do really like these. I also installed these with screws and washers so they can be removed easily if need be.

These are OLD AWP leather pouches that I keep coming back to. The biggest upgrade was definitely the Occidental belt! Worth every penny!! The suspenders are nice if I find myself framing for more than a day or so.

Just thought I’d share to show that you shouldn’t be afraid to alter/mod/upgrade your belt if you can’t afford a full rig from a reputable manufacturer. I do recommend spending as much as you can on the belt itself though.

Good morning guys I popped my head in the attic this morning to check for water damage and noticed the previous owner tried to do a quick fix on a section of the rafters. What would you guys suggest to properly support the roof? thank you.

Not the best photo to see what’s going on here but this is the inside of a kitchen vanity cabinet. The concrete subfloor is about 4 inches below where the base of the cabinet should be so I’m trying to build it out. Now I would consider myself a fairly handy person. I’m in my first year working for a remodeling company and so I’m learning, but I struggle with the seemingly infinite possible ways to do something.
This should be such a simple, small job but once I began framing this all out with 2x4s I started thinking “maybe I’m doing too much”. “Maybe I should simplify this and just cut some stilts for plywood to sit on top of”. “Am I doing this right?” I would like to be more confident in my approach to home repairs without thinking so hard about it. So, How did you get quicker? And how do you know that your way is the best way?

I started building an open breezeway between my 20x30 garage and house. They are about 8ft apart. I believe my garage is on a floating slab. I live in Minnesota. Is there something I'm supposed to do at the ledger boards to accommodate differential movement between the buildings?

So i recently quit my job as a tile installer helper. I didn’t see any advancement in the position i was in along with a lack of stability. I originally looked for tile gigs to go back into but ultimately found nothing. Found a job on indeed for a carpentry helper so said “eh what the hell i’m a sucker for good carpentry” got offered an apprenticeship (the journeyman was impressed with my interview and thought i should get one with decent pay). My first day is tomorrow it’s mostly commercial work early hours not an issue for me honestly. I’ll be in the shop prefabbing cabinets untill i get the swing of things for 2 weeks. I’m excited for the opportunity i have.

also need my own tools so is a dewalt DCF870B
and DCD801B too much for an apprentice? I mean i really want something nice and will last me a while did some research and they seem pretty good.

also i guess i fit the saying of “carpenters are just failed tile guys”

Does anyone know of any good literature or YouTube videos that show how to bend thin strips of wood into a circle. Sort of like a large laminated ring that the wood flooring above can butt into.

I know nothing about this stuff and plan on reporting it to the people I rent from, but for the time being how concerned should I be. For reference this place is a townhome built in 2024. Probably cheaply built.

Hello everyone, I’m helping remodel my mom’s condo unit on the lower level and wanted to get thoughts to make sure the door casing and baseboard are a good architectural match before I place an order.

The first pic is the door casing and baseboard I did for her in the bedroom recently before carpet goes in. The casing in that first pic is 11/16” x 2.5” and the baseboard is the same as B in the later pics.

I’m going to keep the casing and baseboard the same in the other bedrooms on second level but wanted to something a tad bigger on the main level. The second pic is the door casing I’m thinking of going with. The casing is 3/4” x 2.75”. I can’t go any bigger otherwise I’ll be scribing several boards because of how the unit was built. My mom saw baseboard A at the local manufacturer and likes it a little better than baseboard B that she has upstairs. Baseboard A is 3/4”x 4.5” and baseboard B is 9/16” x 4.75”.

I know baseboard B would be a little better fit because it would terminate cleaner with the new casing opposed to the new casing and baseboard A both being 3/4” thick.

Any thoughts? New casing and either baseboard a fine fit?

Also, anyone have any opinions on a pine vs poplar interior door? There’s a +$140 difference with a polar door. It’ll be painted and I know it will take paint better than pine and a bit harder, but is the price difference worth it or just stick with pine?

Thanks!!

I didn’t realize this expensive pre-hung door was warped until after the door was finished. Too late to return it. It lines up fine on the hinge side, but is about 3/8” on the latch side. My plan is to have a spacer at the bottom, and pull it in at the top. How long should I keep the brace on the door?

I was going to use polyurethane but according to google, it will create that vibrant "pop" on wood finish but it will break down by the UV. what else can I use to get that shine outdoors?

These stairs sag and flex pretty good, when I investigated I discovered they're created with this rebate and wedge design with no middle support. The risers look like they're just nailed into the treads, and they're all cracked where the fasteners are. Is it possible to repair these, or would tearing it all out and building a new staircase with traditional stringers be better?

I recently moved into my first appartement. I'm pretty bad at everything manual and i've been trying to learn to get better at it. I bought this pretty heavy shelf on facebook marketplace today to put on this wall in the living room. Only problem is that this wall is shared with the bathroom and it's pretty shallow. The screws that came with the shelf don't fit into the holes at all (anchors and holes that are already there are from a previous shelf I had installed that I found was too small). My question is : is there a way for me to lnstall this shelf with the screws it came with ? Or is there a sort of anchor that would support the weight that uses shorter screws ? I'm not sure what the material is behind the drywall that leads to the bathroom wall. Sorry i'm a total noob at this but i really like this shelf and it would be a shame to not be able to use it !

I won't complain about it if carpenters do but would like to prepare myself as I want to become a unionized carpenter.

Would you say its an all day outside, partially inside partially outside, or is it indoors?

I've done working with military so I understand how to tough it out if need be.

I'm finally installing some register moldings I fabricated several months ago, unfortunately this was delayed as it was discovered the ducting situation in the house needed repaired first.

I'm not sure if I want to jack miter the baseboard to the moldings as seen in the left or right side. I'm worried that the left side will be prone to damage, but the right side will be difficult to hide the joint, especially with uneven old floors that will require scribing.

Either option won't be a problem fabricating, I've got access to a full woodshop on site.

I'm installing wainscoting and it needs to be 2" from the crown but the crown isn't level.

On each end the measurement is 2 1/16+(right side) and 2 1/8+(left side) and then in the middle the measurement is 1 3/4".

Whats the best way to solve this? Reduce or add the difference to each end? Add height to middle? It's 1 3/4" so add a 1/4" to make it 2" throughout?