Carpenter's Trick A taut string makes an excellent straightedge for all kinds of building applications, but it's also easily deflected from accuracy. You could stretch a string from two wood screws driven into floor joists to guide the positioning of that critical first deck board, but what's the use? If any part of the deck board touches the string during work, the rest of the run is kicked out of whack.
Here's a fix: anchor only both ends of your first run of deck boards to the joists across the entire length of your deck, leaving the middle area of the boards loose for now. Next, stretch a string from one end of the run to the other, but wrap the string around a spacer block of scrap 3/4" plywood as it leaves the ends of the deck boards. This block holds the string away from the edges of the deck boards by 3/4". Grab a third piece of scrap ply of the same thickness, then slip it between the edge of the deck board temporarily as you work your way along the string, aligning the boards and anchoring them. Every time you remove this spacer block, the string is left unhindered, offering a perfectly straight reference for you to work from as you continue straightening and anchoring that critical first row of boards. ********************************************************************** This message and its attachments may contain legally privileged or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not disclose or use the information contained in it. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and delete the e-mail. Any content of this message and its attachments which does not relate to the official business of Eraring Energy must be taken not to have been sent or endorsed by Eraring Energy. No warranty is made that the e-mail or attachment(s) are free from computer virus or other defect. ********************************************************************** [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
