This is the Word of the Lord

Between my sophomore and junior years of college, I spent the summer in Missoula, MT working for my uncle who is a custom contractor.  The experience was transformative...it introduced me to the western United States, showed me what true custom architecture can be, and taught me some of the basics of woodworking and construction.  Of the many tricks of the trade I picked up that summer, one in particular has proven pertinent to this project:  "The Jesus Stick."


I was first introduced to the Jesus Stick in the context of cedar lap siding installation.  One of the guys on the crew said "Hey Myers, anyone ever shown you how to determine a layout for lapboard siding?"

Of course, my answer was "no" because like everything else that summer, I didn't know jack about jack.  He then proceeded to teach me about the coveted Jesus Stick.  As it was explained to me, the Jesus Stick is a small strip of wood with evenly spaced marks on it that guides siding layout.  Specifically, each line represents the desired reveal for the siding.  Once completed, the Jesus Stick is held at each inside and outside corner of the building's exterior so that the reveal lines can be transferred onto the corner trim pieces and/or underlayment.

Jesus Stick (aka "story pole") in action

Siding is then installed in reference to these lines.   When used correctly, the Jesus Stick will ensure both a level and consistent reveal around the home's exterior. Now, if you're anything like me, the first time this was explained to me I was left with only one lingering question, "So why exactly is it called a Jesus Stick?"

The answer (as it was explained to me at the time) was offered in a solemn and steadfast manner:  "its actually called a story pole, but I call it a Jesus Stick because like Jesus, this stick determines everything.  One must obey its commands at all times...to ignore its instruction is a sin."
 

A sinner's work (siding on intersecting walls doesn't line up...right higher than left)

Ummm, Ok.  How do you argue with that?  Truth be told, I wasn't about to question this guy's religious beliefs...after all, even if I was, this guy was holding a big stick!  So I just nodded and made a mental note about the Jesus Stick in case I was quizzed later.

Now while I haven't installed any siding since, I have done numerous projects that require careful planning and layout considerations.  Just like siding, any material installation that calls upon a repeating pattern over a large surface area necessitates considerable attention to detail.  Ceramic tile installation is a great example.  I have installed numerous kitchen floors in rooms with less than square walls.  Relying on a wall to guide one's layout is often a recipe for disaster...especially when the area to be covered is large.  This is because small errors (such as an ever-so-slightly askew first tile tile) become increasingly magnified as a pattern repeats over a large area.  In other words, a small error at one end of a room ends up causing a ripple effect that becomes increasingly obvious the further the pattern progresses.  Here's a nice example of what I'm describing:

In short, whoever installed this didn't give much thought to the layout (or the color, but that's another discussion).  With projects like this, it pays to spend some extra time snapping lines and checking for square before you lay down your first tile...the tile I like to refer to as the "Jesus Tile."  Why the Jesus Tile?  Because like its cousin the Jesus Stick, it dictates everything.

This same logic applies to the decking for my project.  Although it was tempting to just abut the first board snugly against the outbuilding's wall, such haste could produce disastrous results.  I tried to illustrate this with the diagram below...each blue line represents one of the ceiling boards (obviously, I exaggerated a bit with my diagram, but only to illustrate the concept I'm trying to convey).

Using the outbuilding's wall to guide my decking installation could prove disastrous

Cognizant of this potential ripple effect, I took extra care to ensure my first board was installed perfectly square.  Perhaps more unnerving was the fact that the boards were all being glued in place (to prevent "creaking") in addition to being secured with decking screws and nails.  So basically, once this first board went down, I was committed.  

"This is the word of the lord"

With my first board finally installed, it was now time to get religious.