Appreciation post: old school framers in Seattle

I was talking to a 60 year old framer named Mike on a site near Ballard. He told me they used to cut every rafter by hand with a Skilsaw 77. No lasers, no digital levels. Made me rethink all my fancy tools and how much I lean on them for speed. Anyone else feel like you'd fall apart without a laser level on a roof?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabethhayes3mo ago

Get where you're coming from, but I think you're missing the point. It's not about old tools being better, it's about the skill those guys had reading the roof and the lumber without needing a crutch.

evan_burns951mo ago

That old Skilsaw 77 story hits home for sure. Ran into a similar situation a few years back framing a tricky shed dormer in a tight backyard. My laser level kept getting knocked out of level by the wind and I was fighting it all morning. Finally just chalked a line and went old school. Turned out way faster once I stopped messing with the laser. My advice is keep the tools that save time on big flat roofs but for weird angles and tight spots, learn to trust a good chalk line and a speed square. You'll save yourself a lot of battery and frustration.

wilson.kelly3mo ago

That old school pride is fine for a story, but it ignores how much faster and more accurate modern tools make the job. Cutting every rafter by hand with a Skilsaw 77 might be impressive, but it also sounds like a great way to waste time and miss tolerances on an 80 roof. Lasers and digital levels have raised the bar for quality across the whole trade, and there's no shame in using every advantage you can get.