62 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Must Have,
July 11, 2004 David Somers - See all my reviews
This review is from: Measuring, Marking, and Layout: A Builder's Guide (Paperback)
If you're planning on building any of the hard parts of a house like footings, foundation, floors, walls, ceilings, roofs, stairs, masonry or shingles, you will want this book so you can figure out how to make them plumb, square, level, and evenly distributed. (I think that covers most of the carpentry sections)
He shows a few options for arriving at each layout, typically mathematically, from charts, and from pictures, so if you have trouble with one of them you can try another.
Octagons aren't very popular in my neighborhood, but if those (or other polygons) appear in yours, you'll find he has good information on them too.
I'd recommend a read through the book for suggestions when you first get it, (I did that in a long evening) and if you're a really good student you can follow along with all the examples. (I wasn't). But keep it by your side and read the chapter you need as you build. It will pay for itself in saved time and straigher work on the first job.
77 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Very helpful for learning or reference,
April 18, 2001 Todd J. Niblo (Portsmouth, VA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Measuring, Marking & Layout: A Builder's Guide (Hardcover)
I am a project manager for a commercial / industrial contractor. So many times I am changing gears, direction . . . in coordinating the project. Calls from other contractors and or the field keeps you busy and frequently having more to do immediately than you feel you can do in days. But this book is useful. While much of it relates to residential construction, simple layouts and thought processes do not change. While so many times I am challenged with laser layouts and trades that swear their layout is on the money, a few time proven methods and understanding can prove the " sure money " wrong. This book is well organized, clearly written and the compilation of formulas and calculations is helpful. This book will prove to be very useful for a do it yourselfer or anyone working within the trades or offices alike. I certainly recommend this book.
59 of 61 people found the following review helpful
this is a keeper,
March 26, 2000 By A Customer
This review is from: Measuring, Marking & Layout: A Builder's Guide (Hardcover)
This book is well thoughtout and covers all the details a builder needs to do accurate layouts. I would recommend it for both those learning and the professionals in the building trades as a reference source. I have seen and purchased some of the authors other books and would not recommend them to building professionals.I liked that this book is hard covered. The diagrams used to explain the concepts are accurate and concise. It is not "exotic" in the types of layouts it covers but covers the basics well. Lead carpenters and journeyman layout carpenters won't find much new here. But for apprentice and carpenters and builders still learning there trade it has merit.
(22 customer reviews)