Director's Message: Tools of the Trade

Investing in the Tools That Matter—Including Yourself

Tools are extremely important to framers. Anyone who has ever swung a hammer has a favorite brand, whether it’s an Estwing, Vaughn, Martinez, or Stiletto. Similarly, you’ll likely find strong opinions on sidewinder versus worm drive and corded versus cordless saws, let alone what blades you run in them. I’ve even heard of specific chalk boxes and pencils framers prefer to use, even though I’ve never seen anyone turn down a free carpenter pencil! But how much focus do framers typically put on their most important tool: themselves? 

Framing is as challenging of a profession as I can think of. Running saws, swinging hammers, walking walls, and sheathing roofs in a wide array of weather conditions are certainly a young-person’s profession. NFC’s FrameSAFE can help you and your crew understand how to best perform a variety of framing tasks in a safe and conscientious manner. I strongly recommend that you and your team fully embrace and engage FrameSAFE now that it is included in NFC membership and available to all NFC members.

Going beyond safety, how do you as a framer, and to a broader extent, your team, improve your performance? Will a new tool make you that much more efficient and allow you to keep up with the competition and more demanding general contractors? Or do you need to improve your ability through more advanced techniques, processes, and strategies? It can be difficult to pursue these new ideas when all you’re focused on is today’s job followed by tomorrows. That’s where a strong and reliable network comes in and that’s exactly what NFC offers. 

In this profession, it’s easy to get caught in the day-to-day—just getting through the schedule, the job, the punch list. But the framers who rise above the grind are often the ones who step back, look around, and seek out new perspectives. 

In this profession, it’s easy to get caught in the day-to-day—just getting through the schedule, the job, the punch list. But the framers who rise above the grind are often the ones who step back, look around, and seek out new perspectives. Whether it’s learning a more efficient way to sequence a floor system, improving communication with a GC, or discovering a tool you didn’t know existed, fresh ideas can come from stepping out of your daily routine and into conversations with peers who have faced similar challenges. That’s where real progress begins—not just with equipment upgrades, but with mindset shifts and shared insight.

Most people who own their own business focus entirely on working in their business and never step aside to work on their business. For a business owner and entrepreneur, strategizing for the long-term is as necessary for success as managing the immediate and inevitable “fires” of today. Engaging with NFC events, whether regionally or nationally, allows you to do just that. Getting away from the jobsite or office for a few days doesn’t mean you’re not working, it just means you’re changing your perspective to reframe certain issues facing your business.

If you have not yet attended NFC’s Framer Summit at BCMC, I highly recommend that you participate this year in Omaha, September 30-October 3, 2025. You’ll be surrounded by other framers from every corner of the country as well as other industry professionals and suppliers. You can hear from framers in education sessions talking about issues very similar to the ones you’re facing and ask questions that get to the point and help you learn. There are several opportunities to network and understand how certain tasks are performed differently throughout the country and to pick up tips on how you can improve your operation. The show floor will provide new contacts for equipment, material, and service purchases, allowing you to make more informed decisions in your day-to-day operations.  

Attending Framer Summit at BCMC will allow you to take care of, and may I dare say, sharpen your most valuable tool: yourself. I look forward to seeing you in Omaha in late September/early October when we can talk about my favorite hammer, a 16oz Stiletto with a hickory handle. What’s yours?  

Jess Lohse
Executive Director
National Framers Council
jlohse@sbcacomponents.com
(224) 236-3904 (desk/text)