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Shop start

john lucas

john lucas

AAW Forum Expert
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
Messages
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Location
Cookeville, TN
They finally got started building the shop today. They worked about 3 hours and then dissappeared. I had hoped they just went to lunch but that's been 2 hours ago. They did leave their trailer with all the rest of the parts on it so maybe they will be back tomorrow and really get something done. I took this after just an hour of work and most of the frame is up now. Hoping to be able to move my stuff back in by the end of April.
 

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It is 24x30 with a 6x12 outbuilding for the dust collector and air compressor (and possibly some wood storage shelves). My last shop was 24x36 and I had 2 outbuildings with wood, metal, my Paint cabinet and my parts bins +all the photo gear. I may be able to put the photo gear in the basement which will save that space but the rest will have to somehow either go in this space or be gone. My wife was wonderful enough to shrink the house by almost 50% so I guess I had to shrink a little.
 
John,

You need to bring lunch to the job site a couple of days so they at least hang around until lunch time before they leave to go to one of their other job sites. You get at least half a days work out of your contractor that way. :-)
 
It seems like a lot of contractors are resorting to taking on too much work, and not having enough people to do the work so they do a little with too few, which actually costs them more money in the long run because it takes more time to get things done.... Difficult to find good help. I have landscapers on the house and shop doing pavers every where, but only 2 guys at a time....

robo hippy
 
robo hippy said:
It seems like a lot of contractors are resorting to taking on too much work, and not having enough people to do the work so they do a little with too few, which actually costs them more money in the long run because it takes more time to get things done.... Difficult to find good help. I have landscapers on the house and shop doing pavers every where, but only 2 guys at a time....

robo hippy
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. This falls under the category of "don't get me started". My nephew runs a sign shop and hires people who can stick a piece of vinyl on a road sign or a vehicle. They occasionally have to print something if they are good enough to click on the "print" button. He (seriously) often hires a dozen young kids in order to get one keeper. The problem is work ethic. One doesn't get much done while texting.
 
One doesn't get much done while texting. :)

That's funny, I always give people a hard time at work when I see them on their smart phones, I tell them I was not aware that they were a welder, that remark usually goes way over their heads except for a few that are aware of their surroundings. If you want to locate a welder they are usually sitting in their welding truck looking at their smart phone and that is usually right before they are on their way to the break room for early morning break, late morning break, lunch, early afternoon break or late afternoon break. I have seen a few of these people have panic attacks when they realize they left their smart phone at home and have to go the entire day without it.

Smart phones having quickly become the scourge of the construction industry, a productive tool in one persons hands and a gigantic waste of time by a large percentage of people that carry them.
 
john lucas said:
They finally got started building the shop today. They worked about 3 hours and then dissappeared. I had hoped they just went to lunch but that's been 2 hours ago. They did leave their trailer with all the rest of the parts on it so maybe they will be back tomorrow and really get something done. I took this after just an hour of work and most of the frame is up now. Hoping to be able to move my stuff back in by the end of April.
Click to expand...

@john lucas You're moving around faster than I can keep up with you. Where are you located now ... Cookeville or Sparta?

BTW, I'm green with envy. That's going to be a great shop.
 
john lucas said:
They finally got started building the shop today. They worked about 3 hours and then dissappeared. I had hoped they just went to lunch but that's been 2 hours ago. They did leave their trailer with all the rest of the parts on it so maybe they will be back tomorrow and really get something done. I took this after just an hour of work and most of the frame is up now. Hoping to be able to move my stuff back in by the end of April.
Click to expand...
You said you were downsizing! LOL Nice going John! Grab their tools and keep building. Aloha
 
Bill I moved back to Cookeville. In Sparta it was just too far from everything. I know far is relative but we had to drive 10 miles to get anything and you had to go all the way through Sparta and 8 stoplights that apparently knew when I was coming through so it would take 20 minutes or more to get some milk. We ended up driving to cookeville to do everything (there also wasn't any place to eat in Sparta because the only 2 good restaurants closed) The neighbors weren't friendly. I guess they weren't bad people they just didn't make any effort to get to know us after we tried to get to know them. We have been in cookeville for a little over 2 weeks now and know all of our neighbors. 2 came buy and brought food the first few days. It's only 2 miles to Walmart, the Hardware, a Pharmacy and we have 2 Dollar General stores less than 2 miles away. We downsized about 1/2 on the house and about 2/3's on the yard. I mowed the yard a few days ago and it took so little time I started to mow the neighbors yard because my mower was barely warm. Yea the shop will be a little smaller but in reality I probably need to downsize and concentrate more on one thing. Still going to be a nice shop, 24x30. My old one was 24x36 and I had another room connected and 1 outbuilding that held wood, my photo gear, a forge, and all my surface embellishment cabinet. Some of that will go in the basement but I'm afraid the Forge, Pole vice and possibly the large anvil may have to go. OH well that's life.
 
Damon McLaughlin said:
Did you check to see that the set screw on the faceplate is backed off? If its not backed out you won't be able to get the face plate off no matter what.
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I think that you cross threaded forum threads. :D

john lucas said:
...... Pole vice and possibly the large anvil may have to go. OH well that's life.
Click to expand...

It's always good to divest yourself of vices. :D
 
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