# The things we do to our poor bodies in this business...



## elementbldrs

It seems maybe every six months I get one of the gnarly go white in the face painful experiences on the jobsite. Now I know many of you have many serious injuries, and those are just the chits, but I'm talking about those holy crap that hurt, do the I'm not going to faint dance... then get back at it.

A few months ago it was a full on thumb blast with the framing hammer, instantly blew up my thumb, blood shot out like I hit a tomato... still have a lump on the thumb, kinda deformed.

Butt today, crap. Was scrappin out some wood with folded over 16's, tossin em into the dump trailer, and one hooked my middle finger at first joint from tip on inside and came out the tip under the nail. Board was maybe three or four feet so had a lot of force yankin on my poor finger. Freaked for a second, then manned up and pulled it out. 

GD that hurt. Oh well, 6 more months till next beatin.


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## griz

It's a brutal business....:whistling

Just look at jaws, Prestige R&D, rs electric....just to name a few:thumbsup:

Pain is what wakes me up.....:thumbup:


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## flashheatingand

For us heater dogs, and not *just* us, it's the crap we breathe in when we get up in attics and crawl spaces.


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## griz

flashheatingand said:


> For us heater dogs, and not *just* us, it's the crap we breathe in when we get up in attics and crawl spaces.



Lucky you to *BE ABLE* to get in an attic or crawl space...:laughing:


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## Chris Johnson

I started by doing things by myself and even when I hired guys I would still do things myself without help...got the scars on the lower back now.

I can't carry much over 20 lbs any great distance without the back and legs telling me this isn't going to happen today.


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## griz

Chris Johnson said:


> I started by doing things by myself and even when I hired guys I would still do things myself without help...got the scars on the lower back now.
> 
> I can't carry much over 20 lbs any great distance without the back and legs telling me this isn't going to happen today.


:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:You've got Nick...:thumbup::whistling


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## TxElectrician

Pay attention to what you're doing and the accident rate will drop.:thumbsup:

I used to be hell on my hands but wised up and started wearing gloves when doing jobs that was tough on them and didn't require great finger mobility. If I'm going to be on my knees for any length of time I put on knee pads. Wear good work boots. Protect your eyes.

Construction is tough on the body and there is plenty of opportunities to get injured but you can reduce the risk if you keep aware of your surroundings and work smart. Most of my injuries have come about by doing things that I knew I shouldn't do.


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## Kent Whitten

I've had 3 really bad accidents. I finally had one that was actually caused by my stupidly. The other two were caused by someone else. 

I refer them as 

"big papi hits a homer off my ribs"

"big papi hits a homer off my face"

and

"skydiving to the concrete slab without a parachute"

That last one really fockin hurt.


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## Red Adobe

Yup...Compressed disks L1-L4 , Nerve damage in the neck that make arms go numb , Rotator cuff problems on right shoulder, fractured pelvis, and both knees are shot. 
Most from 1 scaffold colapse that wasnt my fault but my stupidity that I have agrevated the pains every single day I work. 

I just couldnt see sitting in an office setting, or worse yet repetative work. I get bored way to easy and need constant challenge


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## jb4211

I see the chiro on a pretty regular basis and I keep several bottles of Ibuprofen handy: one in the trailer, one in the truck, one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom. I buy them in bulk at Sams, seriously :thumbup:. 

I screwed my back up and occasionally lose feeling in arms and hands. Plus, right knee is screwed-up. I can't attribute the injuries to any one incident, more the result of many over time.


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## hestonreno

*poor bodies*

the middle finger on my left hand
quick list
4 yrs old- chemistry set accident/severed tendon
2007- 500lb bluestone/tried to catch it/ circumsized/hemotoma/shatterd
2008-angle grinder cutting flashing no gloves/knuckleshot/18stitch
2010-16g straight through pointer finger into said knuckle
by then there was enough scar tissue around knuck it was protected
from penetration but the impact required much vicodin

its so fat around the knuckle my gf calls it j-lo
"keep j-lo safe today"
"put a nice dress on J-lo"


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## FramingPro

in the summer it was a full bore hammer shot. not with the face but with my thin estwing handle on the edge of a 2x4. gad damn. if it wasn't 10 o clock at night i would not have reacted like i did. then again. if it wasn't 10 at night this wouldn't have happened....i could not see.
other then that ive been lucky. Some close calls with nail guns :whistling


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## fourcornerhome

shot myself three different times with nail guns - two with the framer and one with a 2" trim- before I learned that speed just isn't that important.

the last one was 15 years ago


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## katoman

KentWhitten said:


> "skydiving to the concrete slab without a parachute"
> 
> That last one really fockin hurt.


I can also atest to the fact that you do not bounce when you hit the ground. You just can't imagine how fast this happens until it happens to you. 

I fell 13' and calculated later that it took only a half second to hit the ground.

Work safe guys.

On the bright side the EMS people have some really groovy drugs. :laughing:


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## loneframer

Well, aside from knocking myself out with a cats paw, then again with a framing square, having a 10.5' Van Mark brake clamped onto my left thumb, breaking my big toe with the crossover bracket of a wheelbarrow, hamburgering my right thumb several times, several puncture wounds by nails and shards of wood and injuring my back in three different locations and my neck in another, I can only think of about 2 dozen other minor occurrences that are construction related.:laughing:


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## CrpntrFrk

loneframer said:


> Well, aside from knocking myself out with a cats paw, then again with a framing square, having a 10.5' Van Mark brake clamped onto my left thumb, breaking my big toe with the crossover bracket of a wheelbarrow, hamburgering my right thumb several times, several puncture wounds by nails and shards of wood and injuring my back in three different locations and my neck in another, I can only think of about 2 dozen other minor occurrences that are construction related.:laughing:


Let it out Nancy...............


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## CrpntrFrk

:jester:


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## Yankee Framer

14 years of framing houses has left some of my fingertips looking like grapes. 30min into sheating a 5 pitch roof ( give me a 12 pitch please) and my lower back starts spasm something fierce making it a little harder to breath. Other then that a few minor nail gun nails in the fingers and one in the calf but all could be pulled out no prob. I consider myself lucky. Lots of close calls that left no lasting mark.


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## ohiohomedoctor

loneframer said:


> Well, aside from knocking myself out with a cats paw, then again with a framing square, having a 10.5' Van Mark brake clamped onto my left thumb, breaking my big toe with the crossover bracket of a wheelbarrow, hamburgering my right thumb several times, several puncture wounds by nails and shards of wood and injuring my back in three different locations and my neck in another, I can only think of about 2 dozen other minor occurrences that are construction related.:laughing:


I would like to hear the story of knocking yourself out with the framing square. Thats got to be a good one.


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## ECSOWNER

I tried to amputate my pinkie by busting the 2x4 bundle strap loose with my hammer claw, the strap struck my finger faster than a rattle snake, went to the bone and have little feeling in it now. Most painful thing I have ever done was had a nail shoot out of a top plate and into my wrist and I couldn't pull it out. Sum buck was in there good, and basically the surgery to remove it did more damage than the nail. Then there is the back aches, Ti-Bone to the fingers or thumbs, cuts, scrape and smashed toes.


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## FramingPro

ohiohomedoctor said:


> I would like to hear the story of knocking yourself out with the framing square. Thats got to be a good one.



2x10 verses sqaure. pop bing bang


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## overanalyze

Most of my injuries have happened when I was either in a hurry or younger and inexperienced. Slow down a bit. If you think two guys will make it safer, get some help. I guess I have been around some close calls enough to visualize the worst and try and avoid it...but I still have those ahh sh!t moments...you know like slicing your wrist on a piece of steel banding and you realize your bleeding all over when set set the lumber down and see the trail!


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## toolfool

I quit framing after a second story fall. Made my high school lumbar injury even worse. Chiropractor told me to quit carpentry all together. I told him I would if he paid my mortgage. I stick to indoor work now. Weather conditions are better, but still injury copportunities. Brad nailers can be easily redirected by grain and come right through your finger and fingernail (those hurt to pull out). Screwed my hand to metal studs a few times. My wife likes to show people the scars all over my hands. Damn, I'm feeling beat up just talking about this.


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## Jaws

If it was easy anyone could do it.


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## FramingPro

imagine how much it would hurt if u hit ur finger on top of a steel stake. or just full bore on a concrete foundation.
gad damn.
I got so  pist when i hit mine. Those things just make me mad.


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## Ninjaframer

I've been lucky, I've got a little nick from a saw on my thumb- ripping 2x4. My buddy took his off doing the same thing. I burried a 3 1/4 nail in my thigh on my 25 birthday, it's amazing that's all since those were the tweaker days. I've seen some horrendous injuries though. Arms dang need severed, fingers nailed to walls, I worked for a guy who had an employee staple his dork to his leg.


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## loneframer

ohiohomedoctor said:


> I would like to hear the story of knocking yourself out with the framing square. Thats got to be a good one.


Well, I was framing some decks on a duplex in SIC about 25 years ago. We had just finished joists on the first floor deck, set the posts and getting ready to cut the 24'-2x12s for the second floor deck beam.

I picked up one of the 2x12s and tossed it up on the horses. What I didn't see was the tail of the framing square which was hanging over the edge of the 2x8 joist lumber already on the horses.

The 2x12 caught the end of the square and flipped it up edgewise, catching me in the eyebrow of the left eye. I knew what happened a split second before it hit me, but never really saw it. It happened fast.:blink:

I saw a flash of lightning, then grey storm clouds rolling in...then I was getting up off the ground, bleeding pretty heavily from the gashed eyebrow, wondering if I really had been struck by lightning.:laughing:


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## Yankee Framer

overanalyze said:


> Most of my injuries have happened when I was either in a hurry or younger and inexperienced. Slow down a bit. If you think two guys will make it safer, get some help. I guess I have been around some close calls enough to visualize the worst and try and avoid it...but I still have those ahh sh!t moments...you know like slicing your wrist on a piece of steel banding and you realize your bleeding all over when set set the lumber down and see the trail!


This is true in my case as well. other then a whacked finger here and there most of my damage was done when I was less experienced. With the one exception where I shot myself in the thumb a few months back but I chalk that up to switching framing companies from one that used coil nail guns (worked with coil nailers for 12 years) to one that used stick nailers. Me and three guys from my crew went to the new company and three out of four of us shot out fingers once with in the first few days of using the stick nailers. :laughing:


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## Warren

I have had my share. Both of my emergency room trips were during drywall installs. I remember a weird incident years ago while nailing some joist hangers down in a crawl space. Swinging room was tight, and during a swing my hammer struck something in front of the hanger, and bounced off and the claw struck me on one of my front teeth. Instant ringing and pain, but did not knock the tooth loose.

One of my stupidest injuries occured when we were installing the old stucotto panels. I set a plank across saw horses and set my extension ladder on that to get above a large window. Of course one of the horses kicked out right as A guy above on the pick was lowering a full sheet to me. Not sure if it ever touched my hands, but it gashed me right at the bridge of my nose. The top of the ladder bashed into the window, but miraculously did not break the glass. That was probably 25 years ago. Live and learn.


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## overanalyze

Warren said:


> I have had my share. Both of my emergency room trips were during drywall installs. I remember a weird incident years ago while nailing some joist hangers down in a crawl space. Swinging room was tight, and during a swing my hammer struck something in front of the hanger, and bounced off and the claw struck me on one of my front teeth. Instant ringing and pain, but did not knock the tooth loose.
> 
> One of my stupidest injuries occured when we were installing the old stucotto panels. I set a plank across saw horses and set my extension ladder on that to get above a large window. Of course one of the horses kicked out right as A guy above on the pick was lowering a full sheet to me. Not sure if it ever touched my hands, but it gashed me right at the bridge of my nose. The top of the ladder bashed into the window, but miraculously did not break the glass. That was probably 25 years ago. Live and learn.


The old scaffold of doom..had a few of those setups before!


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## ohiohomedoctor

loneframer said:


> Well, I was framing some decks on a duplex in SIC about 25 years ago. We had just finished joists on the first floor deck, set the posts and getting ready to cut the 24'-2x12s for the second floor deck beam.
> 
> I picked up one of the 2x12s and tossed it up on the horses. What I didn't see was the tail of the framing square which was hanging over the edge of the 2x8 joist lumber already on the horses.
> 
> The 2x12 caught the end of the square and flipped it up edgewise, catching me in the eyebrow of the left eye. I knew what happened a split second before it hit me, but never really saw it. It happened fast.:blink:
> 
> I saw a flash of lightning, then grey storm clouds rolling in...then I was getting up off the ground, bleeding pretty heavily from the gashed eyebrow, wondering if I really had been struck by lightning.:laughing:


Ouch.


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## loneframer

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Ouch.


The cats paw sucked too. Trying to remove 12D HDG from a double plate lap. Got the paw under the nail and pulling like a mofo. Had the paw at about 45 degrees to the top plate and started basically hanging on it, bouncing up and down....then the head of the nail popped off.inch::wacko::sleeping:

Woke up with a hexagon tattoo on my forehead.:laughing:


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## EthanB

It's pretty sad that, in this business, we feel lucky if we haven't lost something, disregarding all of the broken digits, punctures, concussions, infections, electrocutions, loss of mobility, etc.. Hell, I lost the ability to kneel without pads in my early 20's and I don't even know why. Do you know how many ass splinters I've had because of that?


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## ohiohomedoctor

loneframer said:


> The cats paw sucked too. Trying to remove 12D HDG from a double plate lap. Got the paw under the nail and pulling like a mofo. Had the paw at about 45 degrees to the top plate and started basically hanging on it, bouncing up and down....then the head of the nail popped off.inch::wacko::sleeping:
> 
> Woke up with a hexagon tattoo on my forehead.:laughing:


Thats better than a pentagon.. :devil: 

I only knocked myself out once with a whole hog a 3" whole saw and an awkward position on a four foot ladder. Your stories are better.


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## loneframer

EthanB said:


> Hell, I lost the ability to kneel without pads in my early 20's and I don't even know why. Do you know how many ass splinters I've had because of that?


Not really...and I'm pretty certain that I don't want to know how they were removed.:laughing:


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## overanalyze

I was on a 24' extension ladder almost fully extended in winter. Got to the top and the bottom gave out on some ice & mud. Rode it all the way down. Knocked the wind out of me! My partner said I did bounce when I hit. Bashed my shin on a rung and to this day there is still a dent in my shin. Make sure to drive a stake now when ground is questionable.


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## ohiohomedoctor

loneframer said:


> Not really...and I'm pretty certain that I don't want to know how they were removed.:laughing:


Aw heck, I want to know, how many? Also, have you been to prison? :laughing: :jester:


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## Ninjaframer

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Aw heck, I want to know, how many? Also, have you been to prison? :laughing: :jester:


Lol!


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## Jaws

Been lucky. A broken bone in my hand that I didn't let set properly, two busted fingers , 2 separated ribs, a stab wound in the left hand from a chisel, and 16 stitches in the right. Surgery tomorrow on the right. Already back and knee problems, same old chit. Is what it is.

Only missed 2 days total from all the injures, when you make 11-18$ an hour you can't afford down time. This cut will cause me production because its in a splint, but I was at work the next day. Still have one good hand to point with, lol


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## Ninjaframer

When i was 19 or 20 i had just finished for the day, rolled up and headed across the street to my truck. i had a 90 f250 that had belonged to my dad, had well over 200,000 miles on it, beat to hell. i was parked on a pretty steep hill and my emergency brake didnt work so this truck being a stick shift and having no compression wanted to run down hill at the slightest provocation. i had a 2" piece of pipe about a foot long that i had shoved behind the tire to keep this truck from going anywhere. so anyway my forman had just bought a brand new silverado and was parked about 20 yards behind me, i go and knock this pipe out from under my tire and the truck starts to roll, i go to jump in and stop it but i cant, i forgot to mention that the door on this truck only opens from the inside. i try to get my arm in through the wing window but shes startin to roll pretty fast, i finaly give up on that and run behind and put my shoulder into it trying to stop it. unfortunatly im not superman- my truck slams me into foremans truck, my bumper hits me just above left hip and his just below right hip, breaks my pelvis both sides. i tried to get up but couldnt stand, my buddies get my truck parked and i talk them into putting me in the cab but i cant even push in the clutch, i was hurtin like hell but kept hoping it would start to get better, it didnt. they finaly convince me i need to go to the er so i let em take me. after they cut off my pants the doc says he has to check me for internal bleeding, rectaly. he says whatever you do dont tighten up- right, i passed out about that time. my wife got there and said i was half in and out from the morphine but that i kept askin for my dad. dont remember any of that. i was down for 2 months.


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## ohiohomedoctor

loneframer said:


> This one is the first for me. It has been a great experience, but I'd be happy if it was the last. Way, way too much additional work compared to building with wood IMO.


So thats the same house you wrapped in advantech? Looks great anyways. I thought thats just how you rolled. How much % wise more is it compared to wood.


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## loneframer

ohiohomedoctor said:


> So thats the same house you wrapped in advantech? Looks great anyways. I thought thats just how you rolled. How much % wise more is it compared to wood.


That's the one. Material wise, I don't really know how it compares to wood, but we've completed bigger buildings in less time than it took us to frame this one.


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## ohiohomedoctor

loneframer said:


> That's the one. Material wise, I don't really know how it compares to wood, but we've completed bigger buildings in less time than it took us to frame this one.


I still really like the putting advantech inside and outside. Im going to try and sell one, built with wood I guesslaughing like that. I appreciate the ideas, the pictures, and your responses. :thumbsup: Thanks!


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## FramingPro

loneframer said:


> That's the one. Material wise, I don't really know how it compares to wood, but we've completed bigger buildings in less time than it took us to frame this one.


they claim metal is faster..
i would doubt it.
screw gun vs nail gun
nail gun >
also steel requires alot of time consuming pick up work such as blocking.
So is it really faster :no:
well, depends but i would say it is not


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## loneframer

FramingPro said:


> they claim metal is faster..
> i would doubt it.
> screw gun vs nail gun
> nail gun >
> also steel requires alot of time consuming pick up work such as blocking.
> So is it really faster :no:
> well, depends but i would say it is not


For someone that does nothing but metalwork and is set up with all the latest equipment, it would probably move along pretty quickly. It still takes much longer to screw fasten everything as opposed to nailing.

In the case of the HOH, I'd guess it took 5 times longer than framing with wood.


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## loneframer

ohiohomedoctor said:


> I still really like the putting advantech inside and outside. Im going to try and sell one, built with wood I guesslaughing like that. I appreciate the ideas, the pictures, and your responses. :thumbsup: Thanks!


Well, everyone should get to do at least one house like the HOH in their lifetime.....wait, change that from at least one to ONLY one...:laughing:


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## Yankee Framer

FramingPro said:


> they claim metal is faster..
> i would doubt it.
> screw gun vs nail gun
> nail gun >
> also steel requires alot of time consuming pick up work such as blocking.
> So is it really faster :no:
> well, depends but i would say it is not


I recently finished a 115' by 76' building ( Eye doctor/care center) where I was tasked with framing the four exterior walls ( 2x6 11' tall) out if wood, setting the trusses and sheeting the walls and roof. A metal framing crew came in and did all the interior walls out of metal. I have only done wood framing in my 14 years of experience and this was the first "mix" structure I was ever a part of. 

I tried to keep an eye on the metal guys so I could get an idea of how it was done. I say try cause I was busy working myself. One thing that caught my eye was how they tied into my wood framing. I had asked if I need to do "tees" for the wall connection but was told no. They left the last stud off my wall 5/8" so the sheetrock could pass through and just cut the middle of the upper track out enough so the side rails of the upper track could bend 90 degrees and catch the closest stud. That seems handy. With that said I think we could have beat their pace on the interior walls with wood. There was a crap ton of wood blocking being added in all sorts of places around some of the rooms. I would only assume we would have needed to do that with wood walls as well. Say that ten times fast


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## I Mester

i guess i've been lucky compared to some of you guys..
I took off 2 fingers on a table saw 19 yrs ago. reattatched, doc did a great job thank god. no feeling tho.

then 3 yrs ago. rotator cuff surgery tore it 3 cm. 6 months of rehab.

forget the knees. go to ortho for periodic drainings. I joke with him to just tap a drain off valve in the side of the knee.

this biz gives your body one heluva beating!


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## loneframer

I framed this dentists office with lightweight steel. Much faster than structural steel.

The arches and radius elements were done with wood.


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## loneframer

...


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## Yankee Framer

Those sure look good! But I like to see pics of the framing naked. :thumbsup: Got any of that?


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## FramingPro

http://books.google.ca/books?id=k9-...ved=0CEgQ6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=framing&f=false
while on the topic of metal framing...
i have been browsing this book at metal seems kinda interesting. you will see there like someone said they run the drywall through and leave the stud off the wall 3/4" or so.
:thumbup:


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## loneframer

Yankee Framer said:


> Those sure look good! But I like to see pics of the framing naked. :thumbsup: Got any of that?


No, I don't. I should talk to the builder and see if he has any in his files to E-mail over.:thumbsup:


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## hestonreno

Ninjaframer said:


> Thanks, most of the credit goes to God and my family never giving up on me. It was prison that save my life though- I couldn't keep the needle out of my arm, no matter how much I wanted to, I was a slave.


i'm from ny so meth doesnt live around here, but h has been my monkey for aslong as i can remember, but goin on two years now, mostly because of a family i thought forgot about me.
But these are better days my friend
Now a days id welcome an er trip because it probly means i hurt myself makin money and payin a bill or two as appose to throwin it in the toilet
tryin to do myself in
it's funny how a few lines in an obscure thread about on the job self mutilation could give you a reason to make it through another day
but yours did that for me
keep it up bro
and i'll give you most of that credit
as long as you stay out of trouble 
and out from between sh#@&y pickups


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## Ninjaframer

hestonreno said:


> i'm from ny so meth doesnt live around here, but h has been my monkey for aslong as i can remember, but goin on two years now, mostly because of a family i thought forgot about me.
> But these are better days my friend
> Now a days id welcome an er trip because it probly means i hurt myself makin money and payin a bill or two as appose to throwin it in the toilet
> tryin to do myself in
> it's funny how a few lines in an obscure thread about on the job self mutilation could give you a reason to make it through another day
> but yours did that for me
> keep it up bro
> and i'll give you most of that credit
> as long as you stay out of trouble
> and out from between sh#@&y pickups


I'm humbled and touched by your post. Thank you and you keep it up as well. Some days are easier than others, but I got to much to loose now. Wife that loves me, kids that I adore, and a relationship with my creator that I never thought possible.


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## hestonreno

*things we do*

after all the laughs and cringing and saying i hope that dont happen to me
and that WOULDN't happen to me
guess what happens to me yesterday

was taping a wall i just rocked
its the last wall to be taped and primed
cause of the sump pit next to it 
the clients cant decide what to do with the pit
metal plate, closet, whatever im so sick of it
3 weeks now this pits open, it stinks
and its holding me up from makin the place look
like its gonna be finished some day
yesterday the word comes
i frame the rest of the wall out(3 feet)
insulate, rock,tape AND THEN
AT 5:37 w/ 23 min left
pushin in the last inside corner of mud and tape
at the soffit
above the pit
forgot to lock the wheels(as i do whenever next to it)
forgot i didnt have any farther to shimmy the baker scaffold
it fell in
it effin fell in with me on it
at full 6ft height
the one side dropped 3 ft in1/4 of a second
that deck hit me like a truck
and i rolled off it into a pile of garbage
i am sore EVEHREEWAAYYER
and because of problems having to do with my
previous reply here
NO PAIN MEDICATION FOR THIS GUY
but luckily its my left side cause of course
im goin in today
hobble around, who knows
sweep a little
get a few nails through the boot
just to make it a little worse


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## toolfool

Hang in there,bro. It gets better.


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## Ninjaframer

It's true- it does get better. Sorry to hear a out the fall, take it easy for a few days.


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## Tom Struble

one time...i got a splinter


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## tedanderson

What we do to our poor bodies?

I for one eat entirely TOO MUCH junk food on the jobsite. I have all kinds of good-for-you things to eat at home but it's something about an energy drink, a half-dozen donuts, and a couple of sausage biscuits from 7-11 get me going in the morning to be followed up with a couple of half-smokes, a big bag of chips and a 2 liter soda at lunch. Oh.. and don't let the GC buy the crew pizza.... :eyeroll:

The other thing that I do is wear uncomfortable boots that do damage to my feet. On one hand I don't do enough mid-construction work where I need wear my PPE but I keep a pair of boots in the truck that I bought from Walmart just in case I need to have them. 

Well what often happens is that I'll end up having to wear those boots for a couple of months and the hard edges from the steel plates will dig in to my skin and the cheap padded innersole will wear down. After recovering from the heel pain, soreness, the chafing, the callouses and the thick layers of dead skin, I'll forget about my agony and put those SAME boots back on a few weeks from now.

As for injuries other than common cuts and scrapes, I once put a 12" tweaker screwdriver through my hand. I was using it to break a knock-out hole in a smoke detector. The plug was hard to break so after putting a monsterous amount of force on it while holding it with my other hand, it went completely through and I was standing there screaming like a little girl with a screwdriver and a smoke detector stuck to my hand like a shish-kabob!
:sad:


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## Winchester

I beat up my body playing sports.

Other than rough wear and tear and lots of cuts and bruises, the only significant thing worth mentioning is getting a piece of sharp rebar stuck in my leg. A week or two of light duty limping around and things were back to normal.

I have a bad back, bad knees, bad right elbow, and bad right wrist.

I learned early on that slow and steady is my preferred style. I don't hurt myself and I don't screw things up.

The **** I've probably breathed in without a dust mask are probably worse than anything else I've done. I'm sure most of you can say the same :laughing:


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## Winchester

Like my old boss always said:

If you're not bleeding then you're not really working.


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## davitk

I've told my kids since they were old enough to hold a hammer, not to go into construction, primarily because the stories above are the norm, not the exception. Our bodies are a consumable commodity, plain and simple.

Parent/Teacher conferences at the high school two days ago, I had this discussion with my son's teacher as we went over career paths. She said she understood carpentry is hard on the knees... I corrected her that it is hard on EVERYTHING. Still not convinced she believed me.


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## davitk

Oh, and I'm up at 4am on a Sunday morning not because I don't need the sleep, but my body hurts so bad it won't sleep.


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## Winchester

davitk said:


> I corrected her that it is hard on EVERYTHING. Still not convinced she believed me.


Send her a link to this thread.


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## Herminigilde

I've had some bigger injuries, but what gets me is walking into a plank that's been in the same place for two days and I've ducked under three dozen times already. It only leaves a small bruise on my head, but one heck of a bruise on my pride!

It usually happens first thing in the morning before the coffee kicks in. That's a wake up call.


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## aptpupil

in this field we're subjected to short and long-term industries, it's a total pain.
turned my foot and got a grade three sprain on the patch of ligaments on the top. limping for a few weeks, still not 100% almost a year later. lesson: watch where you step.
7 stitches from skin cancer at 32 - being outside too much. lesson: wear a hat and sunscreen.
not to mention the hearing loss we all probably have, the things we've breathed, the toll on our backs/knees, etc. it's a rough business, plan on retiring at 50 by charging more when you're young, that's what i've learned for sure.


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## Stunt Carpenter

I tweaked my back a few years ago installing soffit. Last year I stapled my finger to a wall with a hammer tacker. 

I've seen more bad stuff happen to other people than have had happen to me


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## C&RConstruction

3 stitches to the palm of my right hand after thinking for a split second I would catch a pair of tin snips falling from a 2 story roof. Hind sight is defiantly 20/20


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## Clark Bilston

Fell through the rafters. That one hurt.


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## Gary H

Ouch!


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## jb4211

Look at the bright side, your ankle matches your pants


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## Warren

Clark Bilston said:


> Fell through the rafters. That one hurt.


Had a few of those. Sometimes the bruising goes halfway up the leg. Mine were usually due to sprains that happened while playing basketball.


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## Greg from K/W

I had went to help my cousin trim some houses he had been doing for a couple builders. He had 2 weeks of work lined up for me. 

First house he had lined up we are packing our tools. I had air hoses in one hand and trim guns in the other. I hop down off the porch in the front of the house and my foot its a 2 X 4 that was sticking up out of the ground. I heard this loud snap and the pain was instant. I thought i broke my ankle. 

It swelled up so big I couldn't take me shoe off. It took over 8 weeks before I could fully put my weight on it. To this day I still have a problem where the heal of my right foot will compress up into the ankle and get real painful if I don't traction it and relieve the pressure in it. 

I have never shot myself with a nail gun but have had nails deflect through a frame or other trim. Keep the fingers back now just in case. 

I have cut myself and walked around half the day and not noticed till someone asked why i'm bleeding. 

When I first got into carpentry I almost took 3 fingers off with a shop saw that had no guard. Wasn't mine

a year a go cut my arm on my uncles chop saw that had no guard. I refused to use it after that.

Blew my right knee up about 8 weeks ago installing hard wood flooring on a job. Still having trouble with it even though the swelling is mostly gone. Still having some pain in it. May have to go back to the doc to see if I buggered up the cartalidge or not.


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## griz

Right knee, 6 years after I had my Patella Tendon reattached...
The scar on the lower side is from a 1971 cartilage injury. No scopes back then.


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## VinylHanger

I took an easy week last week and the weekend totally off to heal up. This morning I woke up and my torn rotator cuff was hurting so bad I almost ended up taking today off as well. It hasn't really bothered me for the last couple of months. I ended up going in and doing some of the light repair stuff and going home after a few hours. Tomorrow though I have to tear off a porch cover and prep a wall for paint. My shoulder is going to be hating it. 

I suppose it is now just a matter of how much pain I can work with as these things seem to come and go for no real reason.


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## Greg from K/W

Guys if you can afford it massage therapy from a registers therapist will help things like elbow shoulder and wrist injuries. They can get in there and break up scar tissue and get it back on the mend if you let them. 

Acupuncture will help as well. Its done a world of good for me.


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## Stunt Carpenter

Greg from K/W said:


> Guys if you can afford it massage therapy from a registers therapist will help things like elbow shoulder and wrist injuries. They can get in there and break up scar tissue and get it back on the mend if you let them.
> 
> Acupuncture will help as well. Its done a world of good for me.


I've used physiotherapy as well and it can make a huge difference in you take it serious


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## Jaws

griz said:


> Right knee, 6 years after I had my Patella Tendon reattached...
> The scar on the lower side is from a 1971 cartilage injury. No scopes back then.


I bet that knee wakes you up when it rains....


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## ohiohomedoctor

I was hitting balls in the batting cage yesterday like I was back in college. I was doing decent at 70mph and then went to 80mph and was only hitting about 1 in four. Today I have blisters, sore forearms, and a super tight back.


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