An old timer at the lumber yard asked why I still cut stringers by hand, and his reason stuck with me

Jade Kim · 2026-10-15T21:20:05.416134+00:00

I was picking up some 2x12s at a yard in Boise last Tuesday when a retired framer named Gene started talking to me. I mentioned I had 14 stairs to lay out for a deck rebuild and was going to use my framing square like always. He asked why I didn't just buy a $70 preset stringer tool online. I said I never trusted them, and he laughed and said he felt the same way for 30 years. Then he told me his old boss made him cut 200 stringers with a square before he was allowed to touch a circular saw, and that the reps in his hands never left him. That hit me because I've been teaching a kid on my crew, and I keep handing him the square instead of shortcuts. I guess I wanted to hear that it still matters. Do you all still lay out by hand, or is that just stubborn at this point?

Topic Shares

Loading…

An old timer at the lumber yard asked why I still cut stringers by hand, and his reason stuck with me | Carpenters - Topic Shares