Cool Off Fellas
The inspector visit went off without a hitch and we started work on setting the joists for the driveway structure. We had our first real heat wave start today and let me tell you, it was a scorcher.
I spent the morning installing the rest of the hangers for the side we would start on. It gave me a chance to bust out my old framing hammer and get some practice driving 16’s. It is amazing how swinging a hammer is like riding a bike. After a few nails, you pretty much have your swing back.
I can tell that our FNG, (well, former FNG to be honest, but I introduced him as the FNG earlier, so I’m sticking with it) is still a little green. He hasn’t quite mastered the art of the swing yet. I’m not saying that I’m a pro or anything, but I’ve spent my fair share of hours swinging a hammer, what with growing up as free labor for a carpenter-dad and all.
The key to the hammer swing is that it isn’t just one motion. If you watch someone that hasn’t used a hammer too much, you will notice that they pretty much just pivot their arm at the elbow in a chopping motion.
On the other hand, if you watch a highly skilled carpenter, you will notice a subtle second motion. The skilled journeyman will push his arm out as he pivots his arm at the elbow in a fluid motion. This little change transfers all the force of the strike to the shaft of the nail and makes a huge difference.
The reason I can’t really claim journeyman status yet, (besides the whole not being in a union and never having a formal apprenticeship thing) is that I don’t get the double motion on every swing of the hammer yet. When I’m warmed up and swinging good, I can push-swing it like a pro, but I do still have some off-swings from time to time. Fortunately, I now have plenty of opportunity to practice.
We are installing doubled up 2x12s for joists because of the dual load factors of automobiles and several feet of Tahoe-snow in the winter. By the time we started hanging them in the afternoon, the sun was beating down on us.
The sun here is not like the sun at sea-level. I’ve heard it has something to do with us being closer to the sun so the rays are more intense but I could be wrong. All I know is that pretty much everyone has to put on sunscreen at some point in the day. Back home I felt like an outsider, not being able to enjoy the sun and get a cute tan like my coworkers. But now, everyone has to lather up like me. Gentleman, welcome to the world of the pale skinned!
As we were working through the brutal summer sun, the ice cream man drove by. I decided to flag him down, and used my last four dollars to buy two ice cream sandwiches for the four of us to split. Everyone agreed that an ice cream in the afternoon was the perfect way to bring the body temp back down a bit.
I think it was a nice gesture and all, and that was my primary motivation, but at the same time, a little of me knows that it is in my best interest to make sure the rest of the guys on the crew like me. Politics being politics and all, if the workers like me to begin with, it will be much easier down the road when I lead the company after executing a ruthless corporate takeover, or possibly a bloody coup, I haven’t decided which yet. Come on, do you really think I lasted 4 years in a Wall Street environment without being a little bit greedy and ambitious? (Disclaimer: That bloody coup thing was a joke, should something ever happen to one of my coworkers, the last thing I need is some Fed reading that and deciding I’m a suspect or something. I was just kidding people.)
I finished the afternoon at 174 pounds.
I spent the morning installing the rest of the hangers for the side we would start on. It gave me a chance to bust out my old framing hammer and get some practice driving 16’s. It is amazing how swinging a hammer is like riding a bike. After a few nails, you pretty much have your swing back.
I can tell that our FNG, (well, former FNG to be honest, but I introduced him as the FNG earlier, so I’m sticking with it) is still a little green. He hasn’t quite mastered the art of the swing yet. I’m not saying that I’m a pro or anything, but I’ve spent my fair share of hours swinging a hammer, what with growing up as free labor for a carpenter-dad and all.
The key to the hammer swing is that it isn’t just one motion. If you watch someone that hasn’t used a hammer too much, you will notice that they pretty much just pivot their arm at the elbow in a chopping motion.
On the other hand, if you watch a highly skilled carpenter, you will notice a subtle second motion. The skilled journeyman will push his arm out as he pivots his arm at the elbow in a fluid motion. This little change transfers all the force of the strike to the shaft of the nail and makes a huge difference.
The reason I can’t really claim journeyman status yet, (besides the whole not being in a union and never having a formal apprenticeship thing) is that I don’t get the double motion on every swing of the hammer yet. When I’m warmed up and swinging good, I can push-swing it like a pro, but I do still have some off-swings from time to time. Fortunately, I now have plenty of opportunity to practice.
We are installing doubled up 2x12s for joists because of the dual load factors of automobiles and several feet of Tahoe-snow in the winter. By the time we started hanging them in the afternoon, the sun was beating down on us.
The sun here is not like the sun at sea-level. I’ve heard it has something to do with us being closer to the sun so the rays are more intense but I could be wrong. All I know is that pretty much everyone has to put on sunscreen at some point in the day. Back home I felt like an outsider, not being able to enjoy the sun and get a cute tan like my coworkers. But now, everyone has to lather up like me. Gentleman, welcome to the world of the pale skinned!
As we were working through the brutal summer sun, the ice cream man drove by. I decided to flag him down, and used my last four dollars to buy two ice cream sandwiches for the four of us to split. Everyone agreed that an ice cream in the afternoon was the perfect way to bring the body temp back down a bit.
I think it was a nice gesture and all, and that was my primary motivation, but at the same time, a little of me knows that it is in my best interest to make sure the rest of the guys on the crew like me. Politics being politics and all, if the workers like me to begin with, it will be much easier down the road when I lead the company after executing a ruthless corporate takeover, or possibly a bloody coup, I haven’t decided which yet. Come on, do you really think I lasted 4 years in a Wall Street environment without being a little bit greedy and ambitious? (Disclaimer: That bloody coup thing was a joke, should something ever happen to one of my coworkers, the last thing I need is some Fed reading that and deciding I’m a suspect or something. I was just kidding people.)
I finished the afternoon at 174 pounds.
posted by fuqstik @ 5:40 PM
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