Here's a technique professional carpenters use to conceal nails or screws: use wooden plugs. Use a dowel bit to drill out the plugs. Dip each plug in carpenter's glue, and tap it into place over the nail or screw. Let the glue dry, then shear the plug off with a wood chisel. Sand the suface smooth and apply your finish.

Bob takes us on the first of many visits to the Winterthur Garden and Museum in Delaware's Brandywine Valley. Winterthur was the vision of Henry Francis DuPont, who researched and collected antiques and housed them here. Greg Landry, Director of Conservation for Winterthur, takes Bob to the Dominy Workshop, which once belonged to a family of carpenters and clock makers on Long Island. The workshop-turned-museum houses a multitude of Colonial-era tools, many of which are still in use today. Bob takes a turn on the great wheel lathe, which was used to mill large items like table tops as well as other decorative items. Landry also shows Bob some hand tools, including antique saws, planes, and drills.

Bob explains that the house being remodeled was built in 1921 and has never had a real facelift on the exterior. As a consequence, the home's trim, porch ceiling, decking, and windows were all in need of repair. Bob points out the oriel window's exterior frame that has allowed cold air into the home. To fix this problem, local carpenters were called in to tear it apart, insulate, and restructure it. Forester Molding & Lumber was then brought in to replace the 85-year-old trim. Bill Hopkins from Forester Molding & Lumber reviews how old house moldings cannot be found in lumberyards and must be replicated. Hopkins uses a needle gauge to trace the profile of the trim. The needle gauge is then placed on a piece of graph paper and traced. The profile is then used to search for available matches in the Forester catalog. If there is no match, the trim is scanned into the computer and a specialized knife is cut. The knife is then used in the machine to rip the molding.

Bob Ryley installs baseboard molding on the floor of the governor's mansion. Bob Lidle, trim carpentry foreman shows Bob some baseboard trim work involving a baseboard heat register.

…engineered stair system from Port City Staircase in the Lifespan House. Port City designs…
…Controlled (CNC) routers enables Port City Staircase to design and construct staircases of…
…priced right off the blueprints but every staircase is actually field measured to ensure…

An elaborate staircase is under construction in the kitchen. Applying a centuries old furniture making technique, the…
…underneath the treads and behind the risers to fill the flaired openings creating an incredibly tight staircase.

…looking to have multiple levels in a smaller space: a "monk" staircase. The steps alternate from left to right to allow the stairs…
…in a loft-style home for young urban hipsters. The monk staircase in this photo is found in a dome-style home in Ann Arbor…

Our carpentry contractor, Bob Ryley, builds a staircase from the first floor. We go up and take a tour of the new second floor to see the gable end raised, the ridge role set in place, and the rafters go up. We also tour the IKO roofing shingle plant in Wilmington, Delaware.