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Trying to train my helper

Started by petefrom bearswamp, April 23, 2014, 04:44:18 PM

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customsawyer

I have a customer that I saw for about once a year and he is a football coach at the local high school. His helpers are always young men that just came out of the weight room. After the first day of cutting for him I started to take my wife (5'2 and about 120 lbs.) with me. These young men will jump in there early in the morning working like bulls in a china closet but after a couple of hours their tongue will be hanging out to their boots. I might be guilty of turning it up just a bit to give them a taste of what working for a living is like. Well when they stop to take a break the wife will step in and handle the lumber the right way and those young fellers will sit there with their jaws open talking about how tough my wife is, since she is doing what was taking both of them to do and doing it faster. The coach sits back and just grins. I think he has started buying logs and selling lumber just so he can get some of his jocks to stop and think for a minute when out on the football field.
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

beenthere

customsawyer
Your story reads much like a friend who was a home-building foreman who's company boss hired some summertime college football players and put them on his building crews.
Some real problems arose when the FB players could not keep up the pace for more than short periods of time, couldn't handle a 5/8 full sheet of plywood, would have multiple aches and pains and constantly claim they needed to rest, etc. etc. It was pretty sad but the boss finally relented and found something for them to do that wasn't work related and wasn't slowing down the home-building work.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Full Chisel

Lol. You have a helper? Sometimes the top-heavy management scheme forget that training requires communication and that's a two-way street.
Jed: Jethro, how's come they ain't no ice in Kali Forni-a?

Jethro: Don't look at me Uncle Jed. I didn't take it.

Nomad

     My grandfather owned a company building residential homes.  When I was about 13 or so, I went to help him during summer vacation.  He had a couple of college students working there too, along with his regular crew.
     One day we needed to shovel 2 truck loads of gravel into the basement of a new home.  One was on each end of the building.  He gave one of these big college students one pile, and the other one to a little kid.  (Me.)
     That college student had a bit of a sneer to him, and figured he was pretty hot stuff.
     Well, my grandfather showed me how to operate a shovel smartly and didn't show the showoff.  In a couple of hours I finished my pile and offered to help out the other guy.  He quit on the spot.  Sometimes the trainee needs to understand that training may be required, too.  Even for something as simple as operating a shovel.
Buying a hammer doesn't make you a carpenter
WoodMizer LT50HDD51-WR
Lucas DSM23-19

thecfarm

The shovel story reminds me of just about the same thing. Went to help my brother split wood. He had one of his friends there,a big guy. I was all of 14,100 pounds soaking wet. We got teamed up,my brother made sure of it as he watched out of sight. My brother had some good size wood to split. This big guy walks up to a big piece and kinda pushes a skinney kid out of the way,starts to whale on it with his splitting maul, After he wacks it 6-7 times,he finally stops and looks at me and say,Man,that splits hard. I hand him an iron wedge and said,Try that, He takes it and said,I never seen one of these. I take it back and start to use it. It pops open. He said, Got another one of those? Yep and off we go splitting wood.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Delawhere Jack

Hey Pete, is this helper named Mongo?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8cDfnQD0ws

I get some funny looks when I show up at a job sometimes. All 5' 5 9/16" and 148lbs of me....  ;D After a few hours they've either learned a little about leverage and the wonder of fossil fuels, or they're ready to call it a day.

petefrom bearswamp

Name not Mongo, name Buck.
Doubt he could do the deed with one punch, might take 2
He should be here in about an hour.
He is punctual and has the mill ready to go with a log on the mill if one is on the deck and the masts and chains lubricated.
Today will be only 2x4x8 and a little order gathering from stock so even if he works dumb he should not be dragging at days end.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

FarmingSawyer

Quote from: sealark37 on April 24, 2014, 01:34:39 PM
My first sawmill/sawyer mentor, Jack Sheppard, once told me that it was hard to get smart people to help on a sawing job, because smart people didn't like to hang around a sawmill.  While on my next break, I carefully considered this fact and determined it to be true.    Stupid IS as stupid does!      Regards, Clark

Can't let this one pass...... I think he just insulted us all.... :D
Guess I wasn't too smart tho...I hung around the sawmill chasing the sawyer's daughter.....hoping to own the mill one day. Guess I picked the wrong mill and the wrong sawyer's daughter.... ::) Where's the singles section of the FF? Been lookin for a new gal addicted to sawdust, diesel and sap......
Thomas 8020, Stihl 039, Stihl 036, Homelite Super EZ, Case 385, Team of Drafts

delvis

Some people are 'strong like tractor, smart like tractor' and you cannot convince them there is a better way to do something.  I am incredibly fortunate to have one of the smartest people I have ever met, my father, help show me the best way to do something so I don't work like the tractor. 

Dad is the kind of guy that can have something explained to him and he can picture it in his head and know exactly what you mean.  I am more of the 'show me what you're talking about and then I'll get it' kind of guy.  Lol. 
If I never saw another board I will at least die happy having spent the last few years working with my dad!

LaneC

If you can, you may be a little more cautious around him also. Loyalty is great and it sounds like you have some good help, but take it from someone who's whole career has been ruined, and an extreme amount of misery, pain and grief has been dealt, because of someone else trying to "do things their way" instead of listening to reason and doing something the right and safest way. If they do not listen when it seems that all is well, they certainly will not listen when the time comes that it is important to listen. Please do not think I am calling the fellow lazy because there are different types of lazy, but there is an old saying that I like to use :A lazy man works the hardest. If you think about that saying I find it true. No matter what type of work you are doing, if you do it right and smart and do not try and work hard at getting out of work, then you are doing it smartly. Just my thought. Hopefully it is not taken the wrong way. Be careful and good luck.
Man makes plans and God smiles

New Brunswick

My huge hearted cousin helps me sometimes, he clearly can lift 1/2 a ton, just don't ask him to spell it, bless his big ape body  say_what

Peter Drouin

Quote from: New Brunswick on October 20, 2014, 01:36:07 PM
My huge hearted cousin helps me sometimes, he clearly can lift 1/2 a ton, just don't ask him to spell it, bless his big ape body  say_what




I can use a guy like that. 8)
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

backwoods sawyer

I done a big milling job for a guy that hired two helpers when he introduced them he said they come as a "Team" you give the "Driver" all the instructions and he will have the "Mule" get it done :o

The driver was on another tasked so I asked the Mule to assist moving a log, he gave me this look :-\ Driver soon showed up and the Team had the log turned and headed to the mill. 
They were one of the best teams I have worked with ;)
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

Magicman

My customer's two helpers called last night and said no.  We will decide what to do when he get's help.  I have enjoyed my unscheduled day off.   ;D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Sawyer4fun

One of the best things I ever learned was actually from my son.  He was helping me out one day and I noticed he was approaching the job differently than I had and that his way was much more efficient (time and effort, same quality).  Of course when I asked him how he figured that out he said "Dad, if you ever want to find the best way to do something ... just get a lazy person to help you".  Every job I do now I think about this and have saved myself from doing things the "long" way many times :) 
Woodland Mills HM126, grew up visiting my Grandfather's mill and always loved the smell of sawdust :)

blade69001

    It cracks me up, reading this thread. Peter's Principle does not only apply to management that is just where people know the term. Every week day I have 20 or so guys come to work who prove it to me.  I have learned in life that some I can teach, and some I cant. So I let those I can't go learn from a better teacher than I am. I teach the ones I can to do it my way because we all know that I know the best way to do everything right? :D

Peter's Principle essentially states that one shall rise to their own level of incompetence. Now for me the question is " Am I at that level or are they at the level? Either way in order for improvement to happen something has to change.

just my $.02 and some sarcastic perspective


Sean P.
Just being me, But it is ok you do not have to like me.

petefrom bearswamp

Well, Buck is making progress.
Did well at the mill today and kept busy while I was gabbing with 3 customers as well as getting a log truck to the mill in very slippery mud.
Tomorrow I am giving him the ultimate challenge.
I have a customer coming at 4pm and need to be at a dinner party AT 5.
Have to leave early.
Will school him on the essentials and hope all goes OK.
Also hope the customer doesn't screw him (me) too.
Plan to give him a bonus of a pack of cigs if he does well.
Peter
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

beenthere

QuotePlan to give him a bonus of a pack of cigs if he does well.

That is sad. Why not something to help him quit, rather than aid and abet?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

FarmingSawyer

Working at sawmills is one of the reasons I quit smoking...... it plain wasn't allowed. Too risky for fire, either from the sawdust or the fuel shed, or out in the woods cutting. Everyone else used snoose, but I couldn't stand the stuff. The ole sawyer chewed gum incessantly...picked it up in the army in Korea....plain chewing gum is a great alternative. I always got a brick of it to start the month out with, then I was on my own . Guess I got lucky and got addicted to sawdust when I was 22 and didn't keep hammering away at the coffin nails......
Thomas 8020, Stihl 039, Stihl 036, Homelite Super EZ, Case 385, Team of Drafts

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