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?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabethhayes1mo agoMost Upvoted

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.

wilson.kelly1mo 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.