An old timer at the lumberyard gave me a tip I still use

He saw me picking through the 2x4s and said, 'Run your hand down the edge, you'll feel the bow before you see it.' I've been doing that for ten years now. Anyone else have a simple trick that just stuck?

4 comments

4 Comments

riverh492mo ago

Grab a handful of screws from the bucket and toss them on the concrete floor. The ones that land point up are the good ones, no stripped heads. Learned that from a framer who was tired of wasting time.

felix4142mo ago

That screw trick saved me so much time last weekend.

daniel_gonzalez7d ago

...and that's the kind of trick that sticks with you forever, right? @felix414 probably already knows this but that screw toss method is gold for sorting through a whole bucket without squinting at every single one. Honestly I've done the knuckle tap thing too and ended up with more holes than needed. Ngl that gravity test is way more reliable than any of my old methods, saves a ton of frustration when you're on a ladder.

kimfisher2mo ago

Honestly that screw trick is genius, wish I'd known it before my last project. Tbh my own "pro tip" is just tapping drywall with my knuckles to find studs, but half the time I still miss and put a hole in the wall. Ngl, my handyman skills mostly involve a lot of spackle and regret.