TIP - Getting the warp out of ur boards

[oohsam]

I had some boards that were warped a little funny...was hard to bend back and screw in...since I was on my own...I went to the garage for some assitance...and the carjack was just yelling at me...This worked a treat...

[Loki429]

On those wide planks you're using I imagine they can need some persuading!
I found a 2m scrap of pine wedged into the ground and pushed with my shoulder was enough to straighten the board long enough to drill the hole and get the screw in.

[Dusty]

That's pretty inventive. I like it.

Because I work alone and need to pull boards in pretty tight I use this tool pictured. It's actually made for decking. It's called a Bo-Deck.

[dan76n]

Where do you get the bo-deck from?

[oohsam]

OH you are joking.!!! That thing is awsome. I was sittin there imagining that tool that would wedge itself on a joist with a spring loaded arm...Its sorta close to what I had imagined. Thats awsome!

I always have these ides of tools that would fitt the job perfectly....LOL...i should put them to some use.

[pawnhead]

That looks like a similar idea to my old floor clamps (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flooring_clamp). It looks like the Bo-Deck is more lightweight, but it seems to require constant pressure.
With a pair of floor clamps, and a long plank, you can clamp a long run and it will stay there.

Lots of ways to skin a cat though. If it wasn't for the joist capping, I'd just use a chisel driven on an angle into the joist as a lever. Alternatively, screw the following board down and wedge back from it. Or install it with the bow inwards, and wedge back from the two fixed ends.

[Dusty]

Glad you like it. It's pretty cool,huh!

I spotted it in Fine Home Building magazine some five years ago and ordered one in from the States. It arrived four days later. I only had one hiccup and that was when the clown rang me from New York at 2 o'clock in the morning to confirm my order.:yawn:

Once you get the hang of it, you can position it just right so that you can pull the board in and the tool will stay there tight, effectively giving you a third hand. Very cool.

The two parts you see on the tool are also reversible, so instead of pulling the boards in, you can alternatively set it up to push the boards away from you, if that makes it any easier.

Along with the great cramping action I also find it invaluable for tearing out old boards when I do repair work. In these photos you can see that I have removed the attachments needed for clamping and have replaced them with two additional pieces of tube steel that are used like jaws to simply rip the boards apart. Makes pulling out old boards or decking damn fast.

Also, there are spacers that come with it so that the jaws can be set wider, enabling me to remove joists and wall studs quickly.

[pawnhead]

Once you get the hang of it, you can position it just right so that you can pull the board in and the tool will stay there tight, effectively giving you a third hand. Very cool.Yeh, I see now. It looks like an improvement over the old heavy floor clamps. Mine are a bit of a mongrel to get working properly, but that looks like a really simple design.

And I've stripped quite a few floors in the past with a jemmy bar, but that looks like a really quick and effective way to do it. :2tsup:

[dan76n]

Here we go.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5486&cookietest=1

and

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/BOWRENCH-DECKING-TOOL-BW2_W0QQitemZ130168595359QQihZ003QQcategoryZ111522QQcmdZViewItem

[pawnhead]

It wouldn't take that long to make one. Probably less than ten bucks in steel, and a few bolts would do it.

[UteMad]

It wouldn't take that long to make one. Probably less than ten bucks in steel, and a few bolts would do it.


Funny you say that...i bought the stuff to do it ages ago and never got round to it partly cause i doubted the effectiveness of the tool to start with i spose and part lasy

How is it to use if you want to maintain a gap as in decking do you need to put in a packer or just hold the bar at the set point to maintain the gap

cheers utemad

[UteMad]

Here we go.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5486&cookietest=1

and

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/BOWRENCH-DECKING-TOOL-BW2_W0QQitemZ130168595359QQihZ003QQcategoryZ111522QQcmdZViewItem


what a price difference considering the aussie dollar at the moment

cheers utemad

[dan76n]

what a price difference considering the aussie dollar at the moment

cheers utemad

It would'nt supprise me if the guy selling them on ebay is getting them from the other website at around that price then putting his margin on it.

[Dusty]

How is it to use if you want to maintain a gap as in decking do you need to put in a packer or just hold the bar at the set point to maintain the gap

cheers utemad

Spacer is the go.

[brynk]

250kg rated 2m long irwin clamp - $40
4mm tassie oak spacers, cut to size by the apprentice - $1.60
4 beers & a vodka for the apprentice; no swearing - priceless

[Dusty]

Excellent, Brynk.

There's certainly plenty of ways to skin a cat in this deck laying game!

[glock40sw]

That's pretty inventive. I like it.

Because I work alone and need to pull boards in pretty tight I use this tool pictured. It's actually made for decking. It's called a Bo-Deck.

Jesus, Dusty.
Your not hand nailing that, are you?

Bloody old school type are ya? :D:D

[Dusty]

Jesus, Dusty.
Your not hand nailing that, are you?

Bloody old school type are ya? :D:D

LMAO.

I have to hand nail them when I'm repairing a floor that was laid some 18 years ago, on bearers and joists.
It would look pretty strange with the rest of the floor face nailed and then me doing a patch of six square metres without a nail to be seen.

Anyway, at least I still know how to swing a hammer, not like some of the new school guys who seem to find it necessary unravel a kilometre of air hose just to shoot in two or three nails.:roll:

[pawnhead]

Just punch holes in the boards. :doh:

[Dusty]

Just punch holes in the boards. :doh:

Yep. Done that many-a-time, to get that look happening on a job where the builders had done a secret nail and glue extension next to an original face nailed floor.

Truth is, with these repair I do it's heaps easier to simply face nail them onto the joist. Those photo's, in the early part of this thread, are from where I'm replacing a badly water damaged floor from where the original kitchen sat. At the same job, I also had to remove all the no longer being used ducted heating vents and replace them with new material, as in,an invisible repair.

Like so.

[oohsam]

Nice job....

[pawnhead]

Just like a bought one. :2tsup:

[rhancock]

I bought the new version of the Irwin quick grip too, and it looks and feels much more solid than the old one. Its got enough weight to be reassuring, the handles are big enough for me to use, and the clamp has enough power to clamp everything I've needed so far. It also quickly converts to a spreader, like this:

[JulianH]

Make sure you get the heavy duty ones though...the lighter versions are too weak, don't turn into a spreader and snap under the load (taking it back to Bunnings).

I'm generally using them in spreader format, with the pressure coming from a block of pine nailed temporarily into the joist.

[Dr - 307]

I was gonna buy a couple of the new blue ones (had the old yellow ones but one's carked it). I would've had a 'bowrench' in my tool box and not known. Admittedly I only briefly played with it at Bunnings and didn't pay too much attention. The good thing about the 'Bowrench' though is that it grips from the joist meaning that you are not forcing the board off another board. Still Quickgrip @ $35- or Bowrench @ $150 by the time you import it.

Cool tip rhancock,
Cheers,
Dr - 307.

[rhancock]

The Bowrench looks great but I need my tools to be more versatile - I use my Quick Grip for all sorts of things.

[Dr - 307]

I'm getting the blue grips and just got a Bo-wrench. Cake and eat it too......

[rhancock]

Well, that's just not fair...:2tsup:

[Mick Nash]

What about slab floors, where there are 65x19 flooring used as batterns?
What nifty floor clamp is there for that? Would yours work Dusty? or do you need full joist,s?

[mic-d]

ah you fellas... using clamps and the like... what a pain! If you do it this way you don't need them. I use alum angle spacers now. I haven't used a better method.
http://woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=42091

Cheers
Michael

[Dr - 307]

Hi Michael,

I just read and printed the thread you 'linked' us to so I can read it at home. The cheque's in the mail for copyright.
Regarding the five board gap method, I'm gonna try it but I've seen some mother f******g bent boards that no wedge or tile spacer will ever straighten.
2 quickgrips, a bowrench, tile spacers and Micks thread.....can't go wrong.:wink:

[mic-d]

Hi Michael,

I just read and printed the thread you 'linked' us to so I can read it at home. The cheque's in the mail for copyright.
Regarding the five board gap method, I'm gonna try it but I've seen some mother f******g bent boards that no wedge or tile spacer will ever straighten.
2 quickgrips, a bowrench, tile spacers and Micks thread.....can't go wrong.:wink:

I'm yet to find a board that cannot be subdued by this method. I may need a blunt chisel to lever it into its space but it will go.

Cheers
Michael