Carpentry/woodworking

[mountainaire]

Anyone here into woodworking and/or carpentry? Whether its for construction/home improvement purposes, making furniture, or anything else? Just getting into it myself, and I'm amazed at the level of knowledge and skill displayed by people who have mastered these trades.

Next week I'll be doing some soffit repair/rehab on a house that is owned by a widow, who has fallen behind on upkeep and maintenance:



Ideally you'd want a full soffit and fascia replacement, but this person cannot afford to pay a roofing contractor 10 grand, so I'm going to patch the rotted areas with fresh wood and sandable wood filler, and re-fasten anything that's sagging but still usable and finish it off by caulking the seams and a using primer coat so it's at least weather proof and ready for painting. To add to the "fun" it's a 2 story house and my first time attempting a project like this.

For tools I've got a sliding 12" double bevel miter saw, a cordless 6 1/2" circular saw, and a cordless oscillating multi-tool for cutting and sanding, and cordless impact and drill drivers for fasteners.

Will update with more pictures after work is done. Any tips, tricks, nuggets of wisdom appreciated.

 

[BeatUpTruck]

The root of the problem is that they used press/particle board there. Best if you replace it with exterior grade plywood, especially if it’s not being painted right away.
You have a good mitre saw. I have never been impressed with cordless circular saws, but I admit I haven’t picked one up in a long time. Maybe they’ve come a long way. Normally cordless tools are great but they don’t always have enough power. For example if im boring a big hole or screwing down an entire deck then I use a corded drill. Way faster and more torque.
Also don’t underestimate a sharp little hand saw. They come in handy and sometimes you need one to finish squaring off an intersecting cut.

Edited because I missed that you already have a cordless drill/driver. Also that soffit degraded from splash back off the other roof. They never should of used particle board there. Should of known better.
And watch out for wasps. Haha

 

[mountainaire]

The root of the problem is that they used press/particle board there. Best if you replace it with exterior grade plywood, especially if it’s not being painted right away.
You have a good mitre saw. I have never been impressed with cordless circular saws, but I admit I haven’t picked one up in a long time. Maybe they’ve come a long way. Normally cordless tools are great but they don’t always have enough power. For example if im boring a big hole or screwing down an entire deck then I use a corded drill. Way faster and more torque.
Also don’t underestimate a sharp little hand saw. They come in handy and sometimes you need one to finish squaring off an intersecting cut.

Edited because I missed that you already have a cordless drill/driver. Also that soffit degraded from splash back off the other roof. They never should of used particle board there. Should of known better.
And watch out for wasps. Haha

Yes, it's very common to see houses built with the cheapest of materials here in the US. The entire siding on that house is made of the same "pressed wood" garbage that soaks up water like a sponge and looks bad. The small amount of money that may have been saved on materials when the house was built is now costing the homeowner big money as a complete siding job is now looming on the horizon.

Was wondering what thickness I should go with for the plywood. Soffits don't need to be sheathing/substrate rated as far as I know, so was thinking a thinner plywood may be easier to handle carrying up a ladder. Also, fastening the patches may require some creativity as I'm not certain that there is adequate framing within the soffit structure to attach to.

 

[BeatUpTruck]

No the plywood doesn’t need to be thick at all. 1/4” would work but it’s probably easier to get 3/8 in exterior grade and it won’t cost much more if any. The existing particle board will be thicker than that because it’s crap and it needs to be thick so it has some strength.
Id screw a length of 2x2 backing to the wall and also the back side of the fascia board to attach the soffit to. If you do end up using thinner soffit board than what’s there now just install the backing at the right height so that the bottom of the new soffit is flush with bottom of the existing soffit.