# Hiring carpenters



## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

I prefer finger jointed studs. Just have to make sure that is all they are used for...no horizontal use.


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## kiteman (Apr 18, 2012)

Are they even making them again now? Most of the plants shut down a few years back. 


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## FrankSmith (Feb 21, 2013)

There is no way to hire your ideal employee. You have to train good people how you want them to work. How good you are at that will determine how well the process goes. As soon as you like your crew, someone will leave.


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## lawndart (Dec 3, 2006)

Long time ago I asked a finish carpenter if he knew how to cope. His answer was "yeah I can handle it"


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

lawndart said:


> Long time ago I asked a finish carpenter if he knew how to cope. His answer was "yeah I can handle it"


Good thing we wouldn't want him putting a bullet in his head. :laughing:


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## META (Apr 9, 2015)

A running joke we had years ago was of a guy, when asked if he had any carpentry experience said, "I built a birdhouse with my dad once". I'm sure it was a special time, but didn't cut it for experience. 
For high tactile activities, on the job observations go a long way, but obviously are not a substitution for trade knowledge. However, trade knowledge can be easily taught, it's that "natural" mechanical ability that is much harder.


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## carp.addict (Dec 26, 2015)

dsconstructs said:


> I'd have have said GV coated, but I guess no one really does hand bang frame anymore :laughing:


Hot dipped galvanizing and electroplated galvanizing
And I'm pretty sure you can only use fj studs for non-load bearing partitions.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

No one uses sinkers anymore, or do they?


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## Boda (Jan 18, 2013)

Really what you need to find are guys who actually give a dam about the work they do. You don't want someone to just nail it on the X , show up for 8 and skate, ect. If you can find someone who cares, you can teach them most anything and they will likely remember it.

Not sure what kind of test you can give for that. 

Maybe ask them what project they worked on they were most proud of and why. Or what was one of the harder tasks they had to handle and how they got it done.


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

I think that knowledge tests are ok to get an idea, but wouldn't kick a guy for not knowing all the answers. 

I've been in the trades for 20 plus years and still need to look some simple crap up. Only way I can do stair stringers is with an app. I also look on the side of the door to see what size to frame the opening. I like a lot of guys are taught by different people throughout our careers. 

I have worked for both hacks and craftsmen. Then the rest we make up as we go along. I think a good sit down and bs session will give you a lot of insight. Also, I live in a small town, so most guys know each other or someone we know in common.

I have more brilliant insight, but my dog is being a pest.


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## bwiab (Mar 17, 2006)

Boda hit it on the head... yeah the trades are short on labor force, but hiring good people is hard in any business. I like the axiom, hire for attitude, train for skill. You have to find the guys who have that desire to be in this work and excel. Attitude is so much more important in my opinion. 

Lastly, in this day and age, I would be prepared for everyone to leave you. Just the way things are. So hiring good people and building them up has to become a process, just like invoicing, estimating or production framing.


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## bwiab (Mar 17, 2006)

By the way, I could cut those stringers way faster than hanging the door as long as I could use my computer and cnc router!!! :whistling


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## kiteman (Apr 18, 2012)

Californiadecks said:


> No one uses sinkers anymore, or do they?



A box a house. 

Oh, right, I quit, so not anymore. 


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## kiteman (Apr 18, 2012)

carp.addict said:


> Hot dipped galvanizing and electroplated galvanizing
> And I'm pretty sure you can only use fj studs for non-load bearing partitions.



Not true, they're fine for bearing. 


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

I just poked around the net looking at fj stud info. Seems crazy to a guy from the PNW. It does sound like they are a good thing though. Never even seen one. However, years ago we used to get lots of fj SPF trim. I usually left the front 3 feet on the freeway when it snapped off.

I used to see fj prehung door casing. It always would break as I nailed it down. That stuff sucked.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

VinylHanger said:


> I just poked around the net looking at fj stud info. Seems crazy to a guy from the PNW. It does sound like they are a good thing though. Never even seen one. However, years ago we used to get lots of fj SPF trim. I usually left the front 3 feet on the freeway when it snapped off.
> 
> I used to see fj prehung door casing. It always would break as I nailed it down. That stuff sucked.


They are used by tree huggers


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

I always tell tree huggers that it is like we are framing with wheat. Plant it, cut it, build it. They don't like that.


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

One plant that supplied these things to our sites had a product which was approved for use as headers, too.
They went out of business just after they got a big government grant. Not sure how that worked out, but they are no longer in business.


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## kiteman (Apr 18, 2012)

In the old days in the PNW we occasionally got some fj 2x10 floor joists. Better glue, I guess. There was a Boise-Cascade photo of them carrying like a 1500' 2x4 out of the plant.


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## carp.addict (Dec 26, 2015)

kiteman said:


> Not true, they're fine for bearing.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Really? I've never seem it done, I'll have to check my code book on that one.


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## carp.addict (Dec 26, 2015)

kiteman said:


> In the old days in the PNW we occasionally got some fj 2x10 floor joists. Better glue, I guess. There was a Boise-Cascade photo of them carrying like a 1500' 2x4 out of the plant.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


That scares the crap out of me, I'd be worried about it delaminating and failing. I find that FJ product has a tenancy to warp as well, since your not dealing with a single grain anymore, sometimes it looks like a snake sighting down it. 

For anyone who has ever used I-level joists or other spolid web engineered floor joists, you've probably noticed that the top and bottom flange's are FJ, but at least it has something solid in between it. 😕


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## kiteman (Apr 18, 2012)

*Hiring Carpenters*

......... Deleted. I made a mistake.


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