Gable Vents Built by Dummies

Note dadoes and beveled slats

The hallmark of the clueless freelance dreck littered about the eHow.com landscape has always been the writers' failure to understand the problems their ignorance could cause. Let's take an example from the fine folks at the internet's mother lode of misinformation, eHow.com (Leaf Group hasn't figured out where to "niche" this post yet). Please welcome to the podium returning DotD Michael Straessle with his attempt to tell someone "How to Build a Wooden Gable Vent."

Mike's been here several times before (this is his sixth appearance, to be precise) demonstrating broad incompetence in DIY topics and power tools. Today, he'll botch both materials and procedures for us. According to Mike, 

"Building a wooden gable vent is a do-it-yourself project that most homeowners can accomplish even if they do not have a lot of woodworking experience."

Well, he oughta know 'cause he clearly doesn't have "a lot of woodworking experience"! That's despite claiming to have written about the construction industry for years... wonder what he really means.

Whatever the case, Mike didn't provide any sort of reference for his post, just links to vendors for gable vents and screen. Had he done so, you might have learned that the trick is to build a rectangular vent, stick it between the studs on an exterior wall, and place a frame of the desired shape over the opening. Then sheathe the wall and install siding: you don't need to make a round vent, just a round frame. Slick...

Except that Straessle never mentioned that. He had other problems as well, such as telling his readers to

"...cut the frame from the needed material with a handsaw."

Really? With a handsaw? Why not use the typical eHowian tool, the circular saw? or better yet, a miter saw? Next, Mikey tells you to assemble the frame pieces and,

"Apply glue to the ends of the width pieces and secure them between the sidepieces with 1¼-inch drywall screws."

Is this yutz kidding? Not only does he not specify waterproof glue, he wants to use drywall screws? On construction that's in an exterior setting? What a fool! Perhaps Straessle's finest work – NOT – is his description of the louvers or slats:

"Run a bead of glue on the ends of the first slat (cut the same length as the pieces for the width) and place it between the sides. Hold the piece at an angle so one corner is against the bottom of the frame and the other corner on the front of the frame. Secure it to the frame through the sides with 1¼-inch drywall screws. The slats will not reach the back of the frame."

A real carpenter would dado the uprights to give the louvers a tighter fit and bevel the edges to give them a finished look (see image), but not this guy. And while we're at it, given that we're using "lumber as needed," what's this business about "slats will not reach the back of the frame"? Oh, yeah, and the instructions for spacing the louvers? 

"Set the 2-by-2-by-3-inch blocks on top of the first slat, one on either end. Put glue on the ends of the next slat, put it on top of the blocks and secure it..."

That's after telling his readers to, "Determine the size of the gable vent needed" in the first step. Wonder that would be the likelihood of having exactly 2-inch spacing (or perhaps 3-inch: who knows?) between the louvers? And by the way, what at angle should we install the louvers? And finally, Mike has a "tip":

"Install a frame around the gable vent after installation in the wall if desired."

Really? "[If] desired"?  Is this guy kidding? Stick what the instructions our Dumbass of the Day jotted down would make in an exterior wall and decide whether you "desire" a frame!

DDIY - CONSTRUCTION