Choochin’ Deck Border

Deck details and funny words from the Samurai Carpenter and Canada.

1 MIN READ

So TOOLS contributor and owner of an actual aptronym @kasselconstruction Jeremy Kassel—see his excellent Makita sidewinder review here—and I were talking about the wide variety of projects we take on and our approaches to work. Jeremy has a number of different revenue streams within the larger context of his remodeling company and there’s a whole story there for another time. Anyway, I told him that I was doing a landscaping job. As I am more of a deck guy, the landscape arts are a little outside my wheelhouse.

Well, I did some of the edging with Milwaukee Tool’s M18 string trimmer, which I am also reviewing. I don’t want to get too in the weeds (see how funny I am) on this right now, but it rocks. And I sent Jeremy this IG video of the unit in action and I said: “This thing chooches.”

Though I thought this was the exclusive parlance of one YouTube breaker BOLTr, Jeremy told me he picked up the lingo from another Canadian YouTube breaker, The Samurai Carpenter, whose video of a choochin’ deck detail I share here.

If you like it, thank Jeremy. I wouldn’t have looked were it not for him. Miters open up. Laps and butts mainly don’t.

I would do this technique a little differently. He really has to mutilate the cedar to get the near-genius use of a half-lap to seat, but other than that, I’m totally stealing this for my deck building demos at DeckExpo, where I hope to meet those of you I have yet to meet.

Apparently “chooch” and “skookum” are British Columbia terms, not just BOLTr’s own language.

About the Author

Mark Clement

Mark Clement is a former editor of Tools of the Trade, as well as remodeling carpenter, business owner, and flipper of a few houses. To date he remains a B+ drywall finisher and tile setter and painter. He's also a presenter at the R|D|J shows. He can set a kitchen just as well as the next guy, but decks and pergolas are where it’s at for him. Along the way he’s worked behind the scenes (and in front of them) on various television shows from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to Spartan Race.

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