I think the word calculating does describe him. Normally I think of that word negatively, so I wouldn't have picked it, but it does fit. I think he does tend to think things through before pursuing action.
If he wants to win an argument, he will. In an emotionally heightened issue, he normally withholds his opinion and lets other people talk. He says he has to think about it before he speaks so he doesn't say something he'll regret, which occasionally drives me insane when I just want to know how he feels about something. Most times he just lets things slide, but he keeps track of details in his head and can lay them out in a way that's maddening when you're arguing with him. Even if he doesn't have a good case, he can twist everything around in a way that makes you sound wrong, and it sort of puts you in a mental fluster. If you sat down and thought it through later, you would say, "That was complete bullshit," but at the time it just sounds so convincing. Luckily, he's a nice guy and doesn't do that very often.

His general mode of operation is to have fun with people but stay out of their personal business unless they provoke him. However, there are certain people who he constantly argues with for fun. It's his sport when he can't be out actually doing something.
He can follow plans for anything and build structures, and he used to enjoy building houses with another guy in the summer. However, he told me he wouldn't want to be an architect or engineer because he hates the math.
His first reaction to problems is to find a solution.
I think some reasons I was confused about T vs. F are that he lives to have fun and is generally a friendly and nice guy who never complains about listening to me blab on and on about feelings. He can sometimes run people over with his humor by accident, since he just gets on a roll and doesn't quit, but he's very compassionate and understanding toward people in certain situations, especially children and innocent people who have been victimized.
I don't know a lot about these two types yet, but I think ESTP fits.