Home Improvement Today?

Are you getting the non-ferrous metal blades? We work with a local saw and tool shop who services our blades for us. They will come and pick them up, sharpen them and/or replace, and bring them back to the shop. I went and checked an we have some http://www.populartools.net/ blades and some https://hillcountrytool.com/ Might want to check out some places around you that may do this and see if you can get a couple blades to try out and see how they compare to the box store products.

 

Yes, mainly 12" (we are phasing out our 10" saws due to the posts we install growing in size to clear seismic) Diablo 80T Non-ferrous blades since we deal with 90% aluminum. Our usually company who would pick up and repair currently moved locations and costs way too much and I honestly haven't looked into sharpening the ones we have now. These guys are known to chip teeth though. I've had some of the foreman who've been in the industry for 30+ years actually ask me for blades with less teeth so they get a cleaner cut. I looked at him for a minute hoping he would correct himself but never did. They don't like to take my advice to let the blade/tool do the cutting instead of them forcing it since i'm half their age and have only been in the industry for ~5 years.

We are in the process of making ~$20k toolkits for each foreman so they have to look after their own tools/equipment. Hopefully they have a sense of pride with their tools instead of just breaking things and returning it to our shop so the next guy has to deal with it. Once that takes place maybe I'll invest in better blades. Thanks for the tips.

 

I use Freud

 

Just to make sure . . . the 12" non ferrous diablo should have 96T. If you're getting the 80T that's the regular fine finish blade which will have too steep of a hook angle than what you want for aluminum. Or there's a ferrous 80T also. Anywho, just making sure you're using the right tool first and foremost

 

or cheaper for this!
http://www.trick-tools.com/EZ-CUT-J...MIm6Xr3r3B1wIVhLjACh39wg-EEAQYAyABEgIM5_D_BwE
with this
Milwaukee
11 Amp Deep Cut AC/DC Band Saw

• 5 in. x 5 in. cut capacity with revolutionary cut visibility by incorporating a slimmer motor housing and increasing line of site on the cut

 

Band saws are too slow for that kind of work.

 

Sorry, I had the 10" teeth count on my mind. 12" 96T and 10" 84T

 

Which way are they running the blades? I use the diablo but if I am doing a lot of aluminum I typically run the blade backwards

 

There is insulation on the attic “floor” right? If so how thick is it (should have r value printed on the paper facing)
U might need to build the new floor high enough off the rafters so as not to compress this insulation. I wouldn’t add any insulation to the walls or ceiling of the attic if there is already a layer on the floor unless you are heating the attic

 

No, there is no insulation on the attic floor. I had planned to just blow some in.

 

Cool is it new construction or have u been living in climate zone 6a with no insulation?
In any case you’re gonna want minimum r38 which means 11-12” well
settled loose fill cellulose
So unless your rafters are 2x12s you’ll need to build the platform up
Or u could do some foamboard/cellulose hybrid to squeeze in a few more r values
Same with boxing in and dense packing the area under the platform
Make sure u have cellulose on top of the rafters so no thermal bridging

 

I'm a bit obsessed with this right now. I did a bit of a google. I think I like this site.
https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/57392/The-Thermal-Bridge-To-Nowhere

Reminds me of stuff Pete brings up.

@OZ-T

 

Do I absolutely need to get to an R38? I get the idea that compacting the insulation hurts it's efficiency but could I just have a lower R value and that's properly compacted? Afterall, the walls are not insulated.

 

Your heating bill lol
Are u saying the walls separating your living area from the outside have no insulation?
I would get some sweaters if I were you
And for what it’s worth cellulose’s performance increases if you figure out a way to compact it unlike fiberglass batts. If you box in the area under the platform u can dense pack it in there with the insulation blower which will increase r value somewhat

It goes without saying but be super careful to keep cellulose away from flues and any recessed lighting that runs hot.

And u have to install baffles to keep it off your eaves and allow a soffit-ridge vent pathway

And while you are up there do some air sealing with spray foam so as to develop an air impermeable boundary between living space and the attic. The lines where the Sheetrock meets the exterior wall top plates are a must seal so u can keep airflow from using your wall cavities as a convective expressway

 

I think you may be missing one important piece of the puzzle... the space at question here is only over my garage. Its can be a temporary living space, but that is determined by my wife .

 

Sprayfoam day in the basement, wasn't looking forward to this part as I felt rushed to get to this point, but will absolutely be worth it. I setup my nestcam to watch how it's done and I told the guy I'd make a timelapse video for him out of it.

 

The other thing I found interesting when looking into this is the difference in porosity of cellulose and fiberglass, whether blown or batts (unfaced). An equivalent depth of blown fiberglass is far more porous than cellulose, so getting the equivalent R value requires a thicker layer of fiberglass.

 

How far off the concrete are your studs ?

Is that SM behind the studs on the right end of that wall ?

 

Looks like there is about 1" behind them. Page 664 toward the bottom.
Why is that important?