RAKE & BENCH
REFERENCE · VOL. 1
VOL01 ISS03 REV2026-05-01
FRONT MATTER · PREFACE

Preface - How to read a rule.


This manual was written by one homeowner for another. Every rule has been done at least twice - once badly, once correctly. The corrected version is what you read on the page. The bad version is what produced the gotchas.

A rule is not a tutorial. A rule states what works and what does not, with the parts list, the tools list, and the procedure that survives contact with a real bathtub or a real piece of trim. If a step does not survive, it gets withdrawn and noted in the errata; nothing on the page is provisional.

Read each rule top to bottom on the first pass and skim its TL;DR thereafter. The TL;DR is the rule compressed to a single procedure paragraph; once you know the work, the TL;DR is what you bring to the bench.


Specimen - annotated rule page

SPECIMEN - ANNOTATED
RULE 014
A — Rule number stamp; rule numbers are non-sequential and never reused.

Caulk a bathtub without it cracking in 6 months.

B — Title is imperative; the verb tells you what the rule does.

Use 100% silicone, not siliconized acrylic. Fill the tub before you bead. Bead width 1/4 in. max.

C — TL;DR fits on one line of glanceable type; it is the rule, compressed.
Max bead width
D — Dimension annotations call out values you will reach for under the workbench light.

Errata

Withdrawn or revised rules are listed here. A rule's number is permanent; if a rule is withdrawn, its number is retired, never re-issued.

RULE STATUS SUPERSEDED BY NOTE DATE
RULE-005 Withdrawn RULE-007 Original chisel-grinding instructions specified power-grinder use; replaced by hand-honing rule for safety. 2026-03-02
RULE-011 Reserved - Number reserved for upcoming “Restock the first-aid kit” rule, drafted, not yet field-tested. -
- - - - -
- - - - -

Imprint

LOCATION Saint Paul, Minnesota
TYPESETTING Inter (display, body) · JetBrains Mono (data)
UNITS U.S. customary (inches, feet, ounces, pounds)
PRESS RUN Continuous, web-distributed
REVISION