Heard on the Forums (deckmagazine.com)

Safety Glasses Belong in Front of the Eyes

I really enjoy your magazine; the articles and information are very useful. I do have one criticism to make. The photo on the front cover of the January/February 2008 issue (left) shows a carpenter plumbing up a post. I'm thinking the safety glasses on the top of his head may help deflect an errant nail but will do little for his eyesight. It's ironic that one of the articles in the same issue concerns buying health insurance. Keep up the good work.

Mark WasielewskiEast Hartford, Conn.

Bosch Table Saw Correction

In my review of the Bosch 4100DG-09 table saw ( PDB, January/February 2008, page 84), I mistakenly stated that the riving knife needed to be completely removed from the saw for dado operations.

In fact, Bosch has made provisions for the knife to be used with a standard 8-?inch dado head. This is accomplished by unlocking the knife from one of its normal (upright) positions and dropping it into a detent that is cast into the knife's body. Doing so locks the knife lower down so it doesn't interfere with material being run through the dado blade.

In addition, I've discovered that Bosch has a tutorial on its Web site (www.boschtools.com) on the proper installation of the guard system. This video explains the process in a very clear fashion and should be beneficial to those setting up the saw for the first time.

Greg BurnetBerwyn, Ill.

Reshaped Article

Observant readers may have wondered €” when they read "Reshaping the Stair" in the Day's End department in the March/April 2008 issue €” how the remodeled deck at the bottom of the page was any different from the original one.

The reason for the confusion is that the photo marked "before" is not a photo of the old deck, as we incorrectly noted, but is actually a photo of the new deck. The correct "before" photo is shown here. The article as it should have appeared can be downloaded as a .pdf file from www.deckmagazine.com/abstract/99.html. We regret the error. — The Editors

Composite Gate

Mike K: Has anybody successfully built a gate using a composite material? I've found that they either sag or cannot accommodate the expansion at the corners and rack out of square

Bobby Parks: I've just about decided to tell customers that I can't provide them with a matching gate that's not likely to be problematic. I am going to look into having gates fabricated out of steel or aluminum when one is really needed. Although these won't be perfect matches, they will perform better. Every other gate we've built either sags or requires some combination of a brace or turnbuckle. I once had the crew mount a wheel on the bottom of a large gate. It worked but it created a groove in the decking over time.

Bob Bulick: I think this is where opportunity for additional profit comes in. One of the things I like is building gates. This is just another place to show off. Your idea to have one fabricated should go a step further and embellish the look from a plain Jane to something that supports the home's architecture. A gate is a stand alone that in my opinion should complement the residence not the fence.