-
Always check the square of your circular saw before you start cutting. Offer a combination square against the sole of the plate and put the tongue of the square against the blade and adjust if necessary, if you drop the saw while working check it in this way before cutting again and adjust if needed. If your blade is square to the sole of the saw but still cutting on the piss it's time for a new blade as this means the teeth on one side of the blade are duller then the other, this pushes the saw out of square. You can get blades sharpened but for a blade for the average sized skilsaw it's more cost effective to bin it and buy a new one.
To be honest with you for constructing a deck I wouldn't use screws. I'd either nail the frame together with 4" galvanised nails, or use small joist hangers with square twist nails (this will take much longer and cost more) you don't need to use the over top type joist hangers as they are overkill for a deck just the small seats that nail into the face of the timbers will do and cost much less save timbalock screws for attaching any uprights to the frame.
Robin Clevett from skill builder has just started a video series on building a deck in his own channel it may be useful for you:
Bobbo-
Cheers, I suspect some of the issue was not supporting the lengths properly, so they’d trim themselves out of square as they fell.
I have a load of square twist nails left over so I’ll look at hangers but as you mention, the cost soon adds up!
4” Galv nails could work, i’ll have to check I’ve got clearance to swing a hammer though - some of the corners are pretty tight. -
Always check the square of your circular saw before you start cutting. Offer a combination square against the sole of the plate and put the tongue of the square against the blade and adjust if necessary, if you drop the saw while working check it in this way before cutting again and adjust if needed. If your blade is square to the sole of the saw but still cutting on the piss it's time for a new blade as this means the teeth on one side of the blade are duller then the other, this pushes the saw out of square. You can get blades sharpened but for a blade for the average sized skilsaw it's more cost effective to bin it and buy a new one.
Brilliant advice, thank you.
Dramatic_Hammer
lynx
Building a deck... Would people use joist hangers for the sub frame or screw/nail directly? Timber is 145x45 c24 and sat on concrete blocks with rubber feet to lift away from water.
When I built the sub frame for my shower I had issues with my circular saw not cutting ends at exactly 90°, so screwing pulled things out of true, whereas hangers (with nails) gave some adjustment.