# Bad helpers



## Mansfield97 (May 21, 2015)

I was ripping 3/4 inch ply. I was given a helper so I asked him to follow me and hold it up to stop it pinching.

Well about half way through the first cut he forgot what i told him and he started leaning on it. it kicked back straight away, I wasn't impressed. I cut the rest on the floor by myself.

Btw, i have experience from working with my dad, but i have only just started my apprenticeship, so i haven't had much experience with kick back, i didnt like it lol 

Anybody have any storys about bad helpers?


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## Jethroe (Jan 27, 2007)

Out of the 25 or 30 we had quit or let go between now and last summer... yeah ones comes to the fore front of my mind. :thumbsup:

He was a problem everyday and the whole crew tried to help him. We were on a huge church re-doing the sanctuary windows both sides, wood restoration metal wraps on eighteen windows, not to mention two stories off the ground super crazy job. 

He would throw tools off the roof and break them like brand new broom handles and such. He was hung over every day, the guys on the crew kept trying to help him by giving him rides home from work etc. Every day, they said he would run into a convenient store and grab a bunch of beer and I guess he drank all night by the smell of him next morning. He quit half way through the job after we had tooled him up with a flat bar, a hammer, and a tape measure. He got off the city bus one day and walked up to me and said he quit, I just okay we will get you paid up on Friday but right now were workin. He moped around out on the sidewalk watching us all work and took the next bus outa there. Nobody ever got their tools back or money for them he just kept them.

Last I heard he is still down at the Salvation Army livin downtown. I really tried to help this guy and so did the rest of us. Also found out later that he bad mouthed me and my business everyday I wasn't around and said that he was twice the carpenter that I was, but then again I hear that all the time....:cowboy:

BTW funny thing is he caused me to kick back my saw too a couple times... I had a DADO set up to run rabbits in the wood frames for around the windows, he wasn't doin me any favors... Jobsite ran smoother when he was gone and me and the rest of em finished her up without a problem.. :clap:


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## Mansfield97 (May 21, 2015)

Sounds like it was a big job


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## Jethroe (Jan 27, 2007)

Mansfield97 said:


> Sounds like it was a big job


 It was...:thumbsup:

BTW don't they have those gnarley spiders down there in Australia that will kill you if they bite you on the jobsites that carpenter have to look out for and keep like some anti-venom on them or around in case they do get bit or some [email protected]#! ? 

I watched it in a documentary about venomous creatures in Australia. The Spider made webs up in the rafters of houses being built and would bite the carpenter on the hand causing them to have to take the serum.. Scary sounding stuff I thought. I forgot the name of the spider.
:cowboy:


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## Mansfield97 (May 21, 2015)

The big hairy spiders here arent dangerous to humans. the redbacks make you sick but they wont kill you. redbacks do love hiding in lumber lol, I have seen a few, i hate spiders lol :no:


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## muskoka guy (Nov 16, 2013)

I have hundreds of stories of bad helpers. How about working out of town and hiring and firing most of the town because they are all bad helpers. Doesn't make for much fun if you go out for a beer after work and there are a whole bunch of ex employees in there. Sometimes that's the way it goes. You hire five, fire four that morning. Then fire the fifth one the next day. Then you hire five more and start over.


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## Youngin' (Sep 16, 2012)

What's the fastest you guys have fired someone?

We had a helper last 2 hours before they got sent home.


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## Jethroe (Jan 27, 2007)

*more stories*



Youngin' said:


> We had a helper last 2 hours before they got sent home.


 :laughing:

Had one last summer barely made it out of the truck at a lawyers house of all things.... I was walking down the driveway since I was the guy who hired him to show up, and noticed this chic running around his truck grabbing drills tools etc. and I exclaimed "whos this?"

"This my girl she is going to help me today" he exclaims

"No she's not." I exclaimed "because we don't allow girlfriends or anyone else on the jobsite it against our policy and I hired you not her."

He then said he was taking her home and I said okay that's probably a good place for you too.

0 minutes

Never seen the guy again. :clap:

:cowboy:

As a footnote: I know another contractor LMBO... told me he was on a job and didn't have any workers comp. and a guy was up on his ladder working and fell off, He claimed that he fired him before he even hit the ground! LMBO :no:


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## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

Had a guy that was hired to help me paint a building. Wouldnt climb a 20 foot ladder. Gone in a week.

Had a guy who couldnt vacuum a floor. Gone by lunch.

Had a guy yesterday. How much do you cost I ask him? X he says. I say ok. Had to be the worst first time edger operator I have ever seen. Bent the edger pad (150$). Took 7 hours to edge 800 square foot house one grit. Except he couldnt finish and just started skipping harder areas like closets. Ask him if he was ready to work tomorrow, he says hed need x+x. Uh no. Gone in a day.

Had a guy that worked with me for two hours. "I need to go see a doctor about a rash". Uh no. Gone the next day.


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## da franklinator (Dec 18, 2015)

hired a guy who talked a good game, said he had tools and the experience, but then started asking about different tools in my bag. Turns out hebdidnt have a clue and just constantly lied through his tooth. Gone. 

Guy after him kept needing to leave early so he could go spin top 40 hits. He lasted maybe a week. 
Funny part is I started working for a company this year and guess who my new helper was. Turns out he was my bosses neighbour.


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## C2projects (Jan 9, 2013)

Bad helpers are a dime a dozen. 

My first question when I read this is why does it take 2 people to cut a sheet of plywood. But it sounds like you're fairly new to the trade. I'll generally cut my plywood on the stack and either slide a 4' piece of dunage underneith or adjust the depth of my saw to barely cut through the sheet.

I'd probably lose my mind if I saw two of my guys cutting sheets together.


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## Jay hole (Nov 12, 2013)

Had a guy last summer. He was in his 40's and we had a couple hundred feet of garden hose strung out and running. We needed the water to stop, he started to go to the valve but I stopped him and gave him a nozzle to put on the end of the hose to kill the water. Dude drenched himself putting the nozzle on without kinking the hose!!!! And he was mad at me for making him do it. I was pretty much in shock the rest of the day....I thought we were born with the knowledge of kinking a hose to remove or put on a nozzle.


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## Builders Inc. (Feb 24, 2015)

C2projects said:


> Bad helpers are a dime a dozen.
> 
> My first question when I read this is why does it take 2 people to cut a sheet of plywood. But it sounds like you're fairly new to the trade. I'll generally cut my plywood on the stack and either slide a 4' piece of dunage underneith or adjust the depth of my saw to barely cut through the sheet.
> 
> I'd probably lose my mind if I saw two of my guys cutting sheets together.


Right, Horses parallel to each other for a 8' cut and perpendicular to each other for a 4' cut, or the dunnage thing. No need for someone to "hold it". I even carry clamps with me to get the edges even and cut two at a time.


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## asevereid (Jan 30, 2012)

Jay hole said:


> Had a guy last summer. He was in his 40's and we had a couple hundred feet of garden hose strung out and running. We needed the water to stop, he started to go to the valve but I stopped him and gave him a nozzle to put on the end of the hose to kill the water. Dude drenched himself putting the nozzle on without kinking the hose!!!! And he was mad at me for making him do it. I was pretty much in shock the rest of the day....I thought we were born with the knowledge of kinking a hose to remove or put on a nozzle.


That's an example of someone who doesn't work well under any kind of pressure. 
Probably blamed you for getting all wet too.


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## Builders Inc. (Feb 24, 2015)

asevereid said:


> That's an example of someone who doesn't work well under any kind of pressure.
> Probably blamed you for getting all wet too.


We talking about the hose or the laborer? :laughing::laughing:


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## asevereid (Jan 30, 2012)

Builders Inc. said:


> We talking about the hose or the laborer? :laughing::laughing:


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## pizalm (Mar 27, 2009)

There's so many bad helper stories but the other week on a Monday two guys on site said "we're out of 2x4, we'll need to order some more."

We put an entire lift of 2x4x16 and 2x4x10 in the garage the Friday before. They piled the lumber themselves. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## C2projects (Jan 9, 2013)

Builders Inc. said:


> Right, Horses parallel to each other for a 8' cut and perpendicular to each other for a 4' cut, or the dunnage thing. No need for someone to "hold it". I even carry clamps with me to get the edges even and cut two at a time.


I'll cut plywood on saw horses if I have a lot of curves to cut out of them but I generally find it easier to cut on the stack myself. 

If I need a bunch of rips to the same measurement for bellyband or a 12" rip for the center ply for a 9' wall I'll align 5 sheets and rip them all at once. 

For me I'd rather move the material as little as possible. But everyone needs to figure out what the best way is for them.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

I have had a ton of bad helpers. Many moons ago we had one that laid into another laborer for putting his foot through the ceiling. It was an accident. He told him that if he did it again he would get fired. The next day the guy that yelled at the other guy put his foot through the ceiling. Then again the following day. He never heard the end of it and only lasted another two weeks before getting into my face and getting kicked off the job. 

I had one that bragged about having tools and knowing a ton of stuff about construction (his words). I asked him to hand me my chalk box. He looked at me puzzled. I said hand me my chalk line. Still nothing but a puzzled look. I described it and he said oh that thing. Came back with the refill bottle. Needless to say he didn't make it through the day. 

I had another quit after three hours. He texted me that he just left the job because he wasn't going to be in charge of a crew. He didn't know how to back trowel a tile or how to clean grout lines...yeah you sound like lead material.

I could go on.


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## Youngin' (Sep 16, 2012)

I always laugh when guys say that they aren't really into the hole digging thing but they'd make a GREAT supervisor.


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