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The Very Efficient Carpenter: Basic Framing for Residential Construction (For Pros / By Pros) Paperback – October 1, 1998
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Unlock your potential as a carpenter with The Very Efficient Carpenter: Basic Framing for Residential Construction by Larry Haun.
With over 35 years of production framing experience and two decades of teaching apprentices, Haun shares invaluable techniques for framing a basic house efficiently.
This book provides a step-by-step guide through essential processes, from laying down sills to cutting rafters, ensuring you master the craft of residential construction.
The Very Efficient Carpenter is your complete course in basic framing, designed to improve your efficiency and proficiency in residential construction.
Key Features:
- Comprehensive Techniques: Learn the intricacies of cutting and installing posts and girders, joisting, sheathing, and framing various roof types including gable, hip, valley, and truss roofs.
- Detailed Instructions: Step-by-step instructions guide you through the entire framing process, making it accessible for both novices and experienced carpenters.
- Stair Construction: Gain insights into building various types of stairs, enhancing your skills in this essential aspect of carpentry.
- Foundational Knowledge: The opening chapter covers crucial topics like tools, plans, codes, permits, lumber, and materials, ensuring you have a solid foundation before diving into framing.
- Safety First: Additional safety tips and site-built tool information are woven throughout the book, emphasizing the importance of a secure working environment.
- Print length224 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherTaunton Press
- Publication dateOctober 1, 1998
- Dimensions8 x 0.5 x 10 inches
- ISBN-10156158326X
- ISBN-13978-1561583263
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About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Taunton Press (October 1, 1998)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 224 pages
- ISBN-10 : 156158326X
- ISBN-13 : 978-1561583263
- Item Weight : 1.4 pounds
- Dimensions : 8 x 0.5 x 10 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #8,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Carpentry
- #6 in Home Design & Construction (Books)
- #6 in Residential Architecture
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

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Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book informative and helpful for carpenters and DIY house builders. They find the explanations of complex concepts in everyday terms, and the illustrations easy to understand. The book covers basic framing techniques in a detailed manner, providing a visual aid that enhances the learning experience. Readers praise the author as an incredible carpenter who is amazing. They consider the book a serious study in framing and worth the price.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book informative and helpful for carpenters or DIY house builders. The author explains complex concepts in everyday terms, providing good explanations of small details of construction. They say it's a great resource for professionals or DIY enthusiasts, with brief descriptions for each point. Readers also mention they glean several good ideas from the book.
"...The detailed explanations and step-by-step instructions have significantly improved my carpentry skills, especially in basic framing for residential..." Read more
"...Very helpful reference material for a carpenter or a DIY house builder." Read more
"...This book is informative and the author breaks down complex concepts in very everyday terms. I absolutely LOVE how detailed the pictures are...." Read more
"Great content for beginners and moderate skilled carpenters, or homeowners" Read more
Customers find the book helpful for beginners. It provides clear framing instructions and tips, with simple details that even DIYers can understand. The book breaks down the steps with great pictures and illustrations, making the building process easier. Readers appreciate the sensible tricks and tips written without trying to sell them. Overall, it's a must-have for novice builders.
"...The detailed explanations and step-by-step instructions have significantly improved my carpentry skills, especially in basic framing for residential..." Read more
"...The book breaks down the steps and provides great pictures and illustrations. Very helpful reference material for a carpenter or a DIY house builder." Read more
"Great content for beginners and moderate skilled carpenters, or homeowners" Read more
"...n't get enough of Larry—he's an incredible carpenter and is so helpful in his writing; it's like having your very own grandfather walk you through..." Read more
Customers find the book helpful for working efficiently. They say it's an invaluable resource for DIY projects, teaching them how to use saws more effectively. The book provides real-world ways of saving precious minutes and helping them be cost-effective.
"...This book has truly elevated my carpentry game, making my projects more efficient and professional-looking...." Read more
"...Being "efficient" with your materials should be a major concern for all of us, not just those in the building trades...." Read more
"Liked tips about having to measure less .my style. And how to use saw more efficiently...." Read more
"...excels at teaching and he reveals some real world ways of saving precious minutes on any framing job. A complete pleasure to own this book...." Read more
Customers find the illustrations in the book helpful and easy to understand. They say the book covers the basics of framing in detail, providing a visual aid that enhances the learning experience. The layout is good and the projects are efficient and professional-looking.
"...The illustrations complement the text perfectly, providing a visual aid that enhances the learning experience...." Read more
"...The book breaks down the steps and provides great pictures and illustrations. Very helpful reference material for a carpenter or a DIY house builder." Read more
"...I absolutely LOVE how detailed the pictures are. It is definitely worth the buy!" Read more
"The book covers in detail, with easy to grasp illustrations, the entire basic house framing process...." Read more
Customers enjoy the builder's videos on YouTube. They say he's an amazing carpenter and talented old-school talent.
"I can't get enough of Larry—he's an incredible carpenter and is so helpful in his writing; it's like having your very own grandfather walk you..." Read more
"...We also watched the companion videos on YouTube. Larry Haun was a great carpenter." Read more
"...Now that my fight club chant of reverence is over Larry is great carpenter and teacher of the trade the book and videos are both great I..." Read more
"Great carpenter with loads of helpful info. Larry had forgotten more than most now days will ever know. RIP Larry" Read more
Customers find the book helpful for framing. It offers tips and tricks on efficiency, covering everything from tools and materials to specific techniques for framing walls, floors, and roofs. The illustrations cover the entire basic house framing process.
"...The book covers everything from tools and materials to specific techniques for framing walls, floors, and roofs...." Read more
"...covers in detail, with easy to grasp illustrations, the entire basic house framing process...." Read more
"This is a book about "framing", the means of building a wood-frame house...." Read more
"Must for framing, offers great tips and tricks on efficiency. Really gets the ball rolling and helps you think about efficiency on the job site." Read more
Customers find the book provides good value for money.
"...I absolutely LOVE how detailed the pictures are. It is definitely worth the buy!" Read more
"...The book is well worth the few dollars I paid for it, and recommend your getting a copy for yourself or your son or daughter - there is something..." Read more
"...Well worth the price." Read more
"...Timesaver and helps me be cost efficient." Read more
Reviews with images
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GOT MY COPY-Finally!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2024"The Very Efficient Carpenter" has been an invaluable resource for my DIY projects. The detailed explanations and step-by-step instructions have significantly improved my carpentry skills, especially in basic framing for residential construction.
What I appreciate most is the clear and concise writing style. It's easy to follow, making complex concepts more understandable. The illustrations complement the text perfectly, providing a visual aid that enhances the learning experience.
The book covers everything from tools and materials to specific techniques for framing walls, floors, and roofs. This comprehensive approach has given me the confidence to tackle projects I would have previously deemed too challenging.
On the downside, the book is quite dense with information. While this is a plus for thoroughness, it can be a bit overwhelming at first glance. However, breaking it down into manageable sections helped me digest the content more effectively.
The practical tips and professional insights have been incredibly helpful. They offer real-world applications and solutions to common problems, which is a huge benefit for a DIYer like me.
This book has truly elevated my carpentry game, making my projects more efficient and professional-looking. It's a must-have for anyone serious about improving their carpentry skills.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2024Use this book in concert with this guy’s you tube videos. He will instruct you to frame a simple house from start to finish. The book breaks down the steps and provides great pictures and illustrations. Very helpful reference material for a carpenter or a DIY house builder.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2024I have scoured the internet looking for inside pictures of this book BEFORE buying and I had very little luck. Even went to the library but it was checked out for the next 3-5wks. Wanting to DYI building my own Barndo is hard enough but then having everyone say this is one of the best books out there but provide no inside look of what I was going to buy was daunting. So I purchased it & provide you with what I didn’t have!
Conclusion: I have a feeling I will be using this book a lot in the coming months ahead & maybe even years ahead on my self-sufficiency journey. I hope these pictures give you insight. This book is informative and the author breaks down complex concepts in very everyday terms. I absolutely LOVE how detailed the pictures are. It is definitely worth the buy!
5.0 out of 5 starsI have scoured the internet looking for inside pictures of this book BEFORE buying and I had very little luck. Even went to the library but it was checked out for the next 3-5wks. Wanting to DYI building my own Barndo is hard enough but then having everyone say this is one of the best books out there but provide no inside look of what I was going to buy was daunting. So I purchased it & provide you with what I didn’t have!GOT MY COPY-Finally!
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2024
Conclusion: I have a feeling I will be using this book a lot in the coming months ahead & maybe even years ahead on my self-sufficiency journey. I hope these pictures give you insight. This book is informative and the author breaks down complex concepts in very everyday terms. I absolutely LOVE how detailed the pictures are. It is definitely worth the buy!
Images in this review
- Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2025Great content for beginners and moderate skilled carpenters, or homeowners
- Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2022I actually had thrown this particular book on the read pile almost a year ago. I found myself with a few hours to kill, and went to my local McD's for a little breakfast and coffee.
I spent about 2 hours skimming thru this book, from cover to cover, and I have to admit, there was a lot to learn in this book. No, I didn't read this book from cover to cover, but I read enough content to familiarize myself with its contents, and to also glean several good ideas from it. I'm an experienced woodworker, but was delighted in finding several solutions to old problems that were better than my common practices.
The section on measurements not only reminded me a lot of some of the things I learned in Geometry about 50 years ago (yes, kids - you actually DO use some of that stuff), but also gave me a good reason to go over to youtube and get some ideas on how to build a marking jig and maybe a compass. I got a chuckle out of how I've been doing things the "old way" (and making a lot of mistakes along the way. This section alone was worth the price of the book (which, btw, I got used).
In the end, this book has earned a place on the bookshelf in my workshop, as a reference and as a reminder of techniques that I may have forgotten over the years. The book is well worth the few dollars I paid for it, and recommend your getting a copy for yourself or your son or daughter - there is something here for everyone, regardless of experience.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2025very positive book, good house framing info, also companion VHS building video of material found on Youtube I collected and will study as house build project progresses... I am very thankfull for the time and effort taken by talented people who write books and produce videos for others to follow and build (make) things better...
- Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2024I can't get enough of Larry—he's an incredible carpenter and is so helpful in his writing; it's like having your very own grandfather walk you through all the tricks and skills you didn't realize you were missing!
- Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2025This is my favourite framing book, because Larry explains all the details very well like the different ways to make headers. It answered a lot of questions I had like how to join a partition wall to an external wall. I was afraid it would be full of filler actually it has every detail you need to know. this would be my go to reference book I would grab if building anything.
Top reviews from other countries
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Mayolo M.Reviewed in Mexico on May 26, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Buena calidad del producto
Buena calidad del producto
- Rizwan KhanReviewed in India on September 7, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars nice work
excellent work
-
ELU MOF 177EReviewed in Sweden on August 12, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Leverans tid?
På mindre en ett dygn fick jag den skickad. Prime medlem och beroende vilken tid på dygnet den beställdes.
- Gav H.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 1, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for any Carpenter
I am a big fan of the Author Larry Han.
There is a video counter part to this book on the internet.
A great carpenter, the book is superb as expected.
- JohnstonReviewed in Canada on November 23, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book
I would suggest if there are ANY framers out there ,whether experienced or beginner,to get this book . These brothers are a first class framing crew . The info in this book is absolutely excellent and I recommend following along with ALL their You Tube vids as well . just type in Larry Haun and watch them all . between the vids and the books if you learn ALL of it you will be VERY expert at framing .NOT advanced complex framing but enough to build most normal houses .