PSA: Don't let your apprentice cut around a window with a fresh blade.

Was on a job in Raleigh last Tuesday. Nice custom home, big picture window in the living room. I told Kyle, my new guy, to just score and snap the piece for the left side. He grabs my brand new 18mm Olfa and proceeds to dig a 4 inch gouge into the window frame. Like, right through the paint and into the wood. Homeowner was standing right there. Ended up having to spackle and repaint the whole trim piece. Cost me 2 hours and a tube of caulk I didn't plan on using. How do you guys train green help not to wreck the surrounding work?

3 comments

3 Comments

pat_roberts556d ago

I know exactly what you mean, have you tried having your guys put a piece of scrap wood or thick cardboard between the blade and the trim before they cut? That little barrier saved my crew a lot of headaches. I started doing that after a similar incident, and it made a big difference. @jenny_lane12 is spot on about the cardboard templates too, I do that same thing around windows and doors now. It just takes that extra second but keeps the new guys from wrecking things when they get a little too confident with a sharp blade.

jenny_lane127d ago

Holy crap, a brand new blade too? That's like handing a toddler a sharpie and hoping they don't draw on the walls. I've had guys do that, right down to the wood, and it's always when the customer is watching like a hawk. You almost have to tape up cardboard templates around every corner for the first few weeks. Nothing ruins a day faster than explaining to a homeowner why their fresh trim now has a permanent scar from your guy's "oops.

bailey.jennifer7d ago

@jenny_lane12 hit it right on the head about the cardboard templates thing. I've started making my guys tape a piece of cardboard to the window trim before they even get the tape measure out. It sounds dumb but it stops them from dragging the blade across the wood when they get overconfident. And yeah, a sharp blade makes it worse because it slices right through the paint before you even feel it. That fresh blade cuts everything, including your profit margin.