Tool Belt Setup for Framing

We are going to talk A LOT more about framing during the spec house!

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[talschuricht]

I build roof trusses for years, then framed houses for 2 yrs back in the 80's, then worked 30 yrs for a school district.. now putting bag back on because my son is a general contractor now and I get to work with him😊

[kengamble]

Twenty years ago a teacher like yourself could pass on good information to a few, now with YouTube that same teacher can help many NICE !
Thanks for sharing and take care. 👍 👍

[jamesbyrd]

I've been a carpenter framer for 20 plus years and you hit the nail right on the head! Hopefully the new kids will learn.

[seantap]

This is the second one of your videos I have paid my framing crew to watch. The first one was your production vid....A snap line makes for a useful plumb bob in a pinch...Cheers, , love your vids they make perfect common sense.

[russkendrickmartin]

I'm addicted to this channel. I took a construction job right out of high school. I stuck with that and welding until my early 30's. I've worked as a musician and radio personality the past 17 years. There are many days that I miss building things! I do what I can around my home but there is just something cool about bringing things into existence with knowledge, tools & and good ol' fashioned manual labor!!!

[biggest]

My father used nothing but a single, smallish, two and a half pocket bag on his left hip, or out front, for his entire carpentry career. His Estwing hammer swung off a steel wire loop that was attached to the belt on his right hip. His tape also hung off his belt on the right. There were small slots in the pockets where a pencil, chisel, square or punch etc could sit but, they were little more than cut slits.

I asked him once why all the guys that worked for him had mega multi pockets and pouches while he wore this very humble little rig.

He showed me while telling me. He got all the various nails and screws he thought he'd use during that shift and laid them out in their boxes, close to his working area. He grabbed the particular nails he needed for the job he was about to do and said... "You're almost always using only one or two types of fixing for an aspect of any job, so why carry around stuff you don't need yet?.... When you're finished doing the part of the job that required those fixings, put the excess back in their boxes and load up with what you need for the next part of the task"... Every time I worked with him after that I noticed how much easier he moved around the job compared to the big pouch characters, how quick his changeovers were and that his approach demanded he efficiently set his tasks up to suit.

Less was definitely more in his approach.

[tedbownas]

Great video. A trick I picked up some years ago is to cut the top off a quart automotive oil bottle, wash it out thoroughly, and use it to carry nails or screws (I sometimes frame with both) in your pouch. The plastic container is easier (for me, at least) to grab nails from, saves wear on the pouch, and can be used to scoop nails or screws from a bucket or box, then dropped back into the pouch without dropping any in the wrong pouch. In the larger pouches, I've also used the bottom of a narrow laundry detergent bottle.

[xsbxsbxsb]

Note to google: This is extremely worthwhile content!

[rjtumble]

Sound effect on the suspenders got me, good one Nate. :)

[Jesselabreche]

This is hands down, the best video I’ve watched before starting my apprenticeship tomorrow. The years - or should I say decades of experience are a huge help with the little things that’ll make my life better.

Thanks!

[TheBigjake]

I’ve been a framer and an electrician. Sparkies can’t use bags like that either. I have shared this video with so many young men in recent years and thank you so much for what you have done with this channel.

[wyojess]

I"ve been a carpenter and then General contractor since 1995.I too have run the occidental bags for the last 25 years (2nd set now) yes they're heavy yes they're expensive but for longevity they are hard to beat. One thing I've always carried which is a bit unusual is a scratch awl. Not necessarily for scratching although it's useful for that. What I use it more than anything is a second set of hands, perfect for a chalk line or string line anchor, works well for setting elevation on siding anything you might use an 8P nail for. As usual these videos are great, I would recommend using the tape measure holder that occidental incorporates into their bags they're excellent, I run my chalk box in the left side high pocket... just my 2 cents!

[brianruff]

I like your videos!
Here's what I carry (pro carpenter, 51 years old, 33 years experience; frame, finish, siding)
Occidental bags, right side: 16 oz hammer with hatchet handle in the front hammer loop, two pencils, sharpie, keel (when framing), 1" chisel (generally dull, used to unscrew utility knife to change blades, too), 6" tri square (don't use much, but it's light and useful as a marking gauge), chalk line, utility knife, tape measure, misc driver bits in a little foam case (T25, T20, T15, 1/4")

Left side, top pocket: 5d galvie box nails (invaluable for holding string line, chalk line, used for siding to hold up shingle course boards)
Middle pouch: fasteners (usually strip nail clips)
Bottom pouch: fasteners (whatever I need for the job at hand)
also a titanium cat's paw (japanese style) in the rear loop, three nail sets in the slots, a torpedo level in the front pocket (not usually for framing), and a speed square. Sometimes a string line, but it usually gets hung up somewhere or set down.
I've never had a hammer loop wear out. I like a light hammer, not much framing without my Hitachi, and if I need to smack something I pick up a 2# mini sledge.
Other necessities: Lots of sawhorses and 12' 2x12's, Makita job radio, microwave oven for lunch, folding camp chair.
And a couple of dogs!

[alienhexican]

Great video. I am a lefty, also 125 lbs. soaking wet. My first framing rig was that apron you showed designed for wearing on the front. I spun it around on the back; my small frame set the bags comfortably on my hips and reversed the right-hand setup for a decent lefty setup. That rogue got me through the first 10 or so years. Now I have the same Occidental rig you showed, just with the bags reversed. That puts my speed square backwards and the pencil slots towards the rear but still puts food on the table for my family.

[Radical_Dadical]

I started working as a carpenter about a year ago and your videos have been so crucial to my learning experience. This came at a time where I'm thinking a lot more about my bags and what I carry all day every day. It's like somehow you know the advice I'm gonna need and put it into a video at the perfect time. Thank you so much!!

[shawnstone]

This guy is honestly one of the very few guys on here that I can actually recommend to beginner framers and carpenters. I'm A journeyman and even I still watch his videos and learn some new tips/ideas now and then

[huckfinn]

I'm not a professional carpenter, but I am building my own house, and I find a lot of the information here invaluable. I don't want to make too much of an investment in stuff that is only going to be used for a limited number of projects, so I end up doing things a little different, but these are very helpful tips.

[christophercatalano]

Little tip I got from paying attention to Larry Haun was to keep your nail bag on your back (where you keep your hammer). He said it made it easier to grab nails while you’re bent over driving them. He said if your having to stand up to grab nails you’re not being efficient and on the job the boss only wants to see elbows and assholes. I’ve used that method since I first started and haven’t tried anything else. Other than the layout of your tool belt you remind me of him quite a bit. I love your videos

[coleelborne]

Hello and thanks for the video. I’m a ten year framer and I just have to say that was the single best oral explanation of tool pouch engineering I’ve ever seen or heard. 9.5/10 on tool placement, right vs left side. They say you learn something every day and I’m surprised to admit that I learned and will adopt the double sided pencil. (*expletive*) genius!!

[dchup]

This might sound like a weird suggestion for a framing rig, but try it. End cutters. You will end up using them constantly. They will work as a catspaw in a pinch, double as a pliers, clip off shiners, stand in for a crescent wrench if the nut isn’t too large, and a hundred other things.