Aw, man the stairway came out awesome.

Thanks Paul.......after having done so many, I still get a sense of satisfaction.... seeing the end results. Somewhere around 60-70 hours of labor..... no idea how many saw cuts.

[QUOTE=Rmarsh;1206357]Its a microwave oven that opens like a drawer....goes in a base cabinet....lot of times in the island base ...food is top loaded.
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Installed another MW drawer yesterday....the opening on the left is for a beverage cooler

Just trimmed or did you drop some flooring as well? To complete the look when looking at it from that balcony? Or is it just a void inside the trim?

It is filled in with hardwood flooring.

Got some of the crew back on this job after working alone here for the last two weeks. I've been with this company going on 18 years, working with the same three guys....good carpenters.... the whole time. Two of us are close to retirement age....and with all the work we have it was a about time to hire another younger man to help. So for the last year or so the new kid (He's actually a grown man..but i'm at least forty years older) has been on the job learning to be a finish carpenter. I have been impressed with his progress and work ethic. Very respectfull and humble guy..... came here from Ecuador.....and wants to learn all he can.... it takes time. I've taught a lot of guys the basics over the years but I've taken it upon myself to show Luis .... stuff he hasn't quite figured out.......and some things I dont normally share. I feel good about it when he comes back later and sincerely thanks me.

Although it seems you are a bit older than myself, and most likely have been in the field much longer as well. I have been a finish carpenter or craftsman if you will for a long time as well. Having worked in several stair shops and being a stair installer for those companies I find great satisfaction when a stair (or any other job for that matter) is complete. But I especially have a feeling of satisfaction when I teach the younger generation a piece of the trade. I am having the pleasure of working with my son now as he is home from college and my boss hired him to be my right hand man. I also had him all summer. Its great teaching him...even more so because he wants to learn. Thanks for sharing the progress of your projects.

I too have greatly enjoyed teaching and passing on the knowledge, even just opening the door to the trade. I wish I could get my son back working with me. He lives here in town, at my ex's house and works for her husband's contracting company. (Had to send him away when I totaled my knee and knew I was out for a year.) I think her husband holds him hostage working for him, saying if he leaves he has to move out, pays him half of what I would be paying and certainly below what he's worth... It is complicated.

Its great that you are getting to work with and teach your son some valuable skills.....less and less of our kids are going into the building trades. Both of my boys went their own way vocationally and are doing fine. Getting closer to retiring now and I am feeling it's time to try to give it away to someone deserving.
As a 19 year old, I was lucky enough to have a knowledgeable and highly skilled mentor teach me stuff I still use now...decades later. I bump into him every once in a while and thank him sincerely for taking the time.

Ross....hopefully that situation will correct itself in time.
I worked with my dad on a few projects.... my parents inherited a fixer upper home when I was a teenager....and my dad... an electrical engineer needed a helper. My older brothers were already out of the house so it fell to me......It was not much fun. But when my dad figured out how to lay out and cut new stair stringers to the basement...I thought it was pretty cool. I bought him a cheap skillsaw that fathers day......now I realize that it was so I could use it.:)

He is in college to be a biologist, a wildlife biologist actually. He loves the outdoors and the animals that live there. I explained to him that I want him to get his education, and work with his head. But he also should learn a trade as well. He really enjoys the finish work end of construction. He's young but grasps it well. Understanding the way things work is half the battle. I joke with him and tell him I don't want him to do this for a living, he needs to learn it so he doesn't call me every time he has a door that won't close of a stair that squeaks....he'll know what to do.

My three sons all got a hammer on their 14th birthday.... ;-)

Not a good thing for your son. Long term implications. You could be making such a difference for him. I'm sure it is complicated.

that front door needs a nice door surround.

Put eight four inch cans in the ceiling today and the wife came home and start screaming she wanted 3-in even though I told her last night they were four inch. Wait till I tell my Friend the electrician
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I had my son with me a lot during the summer months and anytime there was no school when he was young. I was working for myself building homes and would have him in tow instead of paying for daycare. At first...I would have him do small tasks for me... just to keep him busy. Then came one very hot summer...He was old enough now to really help and I had two good size houses to frame up. So I hired him and his cousin to be the laborers.

Many years later now and they still talk about how much they suffered in the heat and how I showed no mercy. That may have convinced them both that the job wasn't for them.

Another with the MW drawer in the island.

So I thought the move was to "linen" colored cabinents.

That was from a few years ago....I did the install...but didnt remember until looking through old pics. I like the classic look of the cherry....its got a light stain on it I believe. Our buyers get to pick what they want for finishes...so it varies. I dont find out until I start opening the boxes.:)

Stain on cherry,,, sacrilege....

I have a lot experience with cherry.

Good article on the subject

https://finishing.tips/finishing-cherry/

couple more kitchens.... second one is cherry. Many years ago I was building cherry kitchens from scratch....bought the rough cherry from Rex lumber..... thickness planed...then join edges, glue up panels, make face frames....stiles and rails....raised panel doors the entire job. Even made my own cherry crown with just a table saw.

Looking through my older pictures....hardly remember doing some of these.

The question has to be asked.... Are you retiring on your upcoming 65th? Last day of the year too!

Either way I wish you a Happy Birthday, Robert.

Thanks Ross.....I am planning to work full time until age 66 and 2 months....which is my full retirement age according to SS.....but that could change.

Gates that I built in my shop installed.... checked my measurements over and over to make sure everything would fit right ....still need to attach some cane bolts

I love the work of a craftsman, if I had a redo in my life, it would be get into marine biology or become a carpenter, love wood.

Bob.....I didnt have a lot of career opportunities when I graduated high school......there was the suit coat manufacturer where I had worked a few months .....and hated so much it made me sick. Hated school too.......cooped up with a bunch of morons....inmates running the prison there. So when I hit the ground of my first construction site....I felt like I was free....like a bird.
I do love wood....such a great material......but the gates are all pvc...which is less fun to work with ...but more weather resistant for sure.

I really enjoyed this thread! Always wished I had such an ability but I don't we just had out kitchen remodel this year after 18 years of wishing! Its a modest small ranch and the kitchen wasn't just small and run down but dysfunctional even for its size. So happy with the new design (same size!) crazy how a better design and quality work can change everything! We are not carpenters so we saved money by doing what we could...ripping the old out and doing what we could ourselves. We were smart enough to hire carpenter to install cabinets and hire a tile guy....it certainly upped the budget but knew better than to attempt ourselves and screw it up! LOL! Have amazing respect for a good tradesman! Even more so now! Some things just are not worth trying to save a buck on and Im so glad we recognized that from the get go. I have friends that are better "do it your-selfers" but in the end wished they hadn't....

Jenn....It's great that you finally got your new kitchen.....after 18 years! Small kitchen is not necessarily a bad thing.....could be a more efficient work triangle than a large spread out one....more counters just means more clutter and more to cleanup. Did you get all new appliances too? So whats next? Bathroom?


Once in a while we get a customer who wants to save a few bucks and do their own painting. I chuckle to myself...seen it many times....they way underestimate the amount of time and effort it will take......then settle for a job they would never accept if they paid someone.

Supply chain problems...we have five houses framed up waiting on windows...going to be a few weeks..so I got the job of covering all the openings with heavy mill plastic...so work can continue....hope I put enough staples to hold up in this wind. I usually dont spend much time on the job during this phase of the construction.....got a good look at the quality of the framing job.......very disappointing....does not meet my standards at all.

Unfortunately most framers are not like you and I. I would make certain that every joint and miter was tight as a bulls ass in fly season. Seems like not many can read tape anymore....if its within a 1/4" its close enough. I worked for a guy a few years back and all my framing was on point, tight, clean. He decided to go by on a Saturday and "help me out". Money was my last day. Absolutely terrible! Where the framing net the pitch of the ceiling he used all square cuts, I mitered it, Headers were short, JACKS were short. I asked if he even knew the purpose of a jack stud. And the stew that broke the camels back is the post he put in to carry the beam...it sat on the floor boards ..between the floor joists.. with nothing on the floor below. I tried to explain point loads but it was useless. I told him I would either take things apart and re do them or fix them, he said it wasn't in the budget.....that was my last day. I couldn't in good conscience leave it that was and I sure couldn't keep going and have my name on it that way.

I used to be a hardcore home cook and definitely preferred a smaller kitchen where I didn’t have to move far to reach things. Also invested in work tables that could be multi function. A kitchen table that’s rock maple I could make pasta on or a side cart that has an electric burner in it. Hardly ever use it but when you need it it’s gold.


I’ve painted dozens of my own rooms and it’s just not worth it unless it’s a cheap starter house. I’ve got an awesome painter and they often spend more time prepping than painting, especially exterior. Always monitoring moisture levels and as clean as can be.
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WTF, I cut it twice and it’s still short!
Attachment 67639

Ray....it's worse than that...I could have gone around taking a bunch of pictures of the crap job they did.....gaps everywhere!!!(here's where improper use of a nail gun is to blame......nails go in but lumber is not driven together ....like with the last blow from a 22 oz hammer).....out of plumb studs....wall intersections hardly nailed.....headers sticking past the studs.....i could go on....horrible! Bottom line is they lack the intelligence and skill to understand the process.....and dont give a crap what I think anyway. I was framing houses "the right way" before any of these guys were born. But exposing them as butchers would not change a thing... whoever replaces them will be just as bad or worse.....seen it before. Boss doesnt want to hear it either......rant over

Its just beer money for the week end...a job, thats all it it. They are not craftsmen at all.

How bout these..

Nailing off strapping by hand....
Miter cut wooden gutters with hand saw miter box....
Nailing the last few cap shingles after the suns gone down to finish the roof in the middle of February and you hit your thumb....
Staging plank snaps with u on it...
One of the monkeys removed a temp stay and a gust of wind blows the gable wall falls off the end of the frame........
Carrying 1 1/8” ply on a commercial job...
Your lunch left in the pickup didn’t thaw....
First day of deer season and no one shows for work.....

While I can relate to this Guy....I always take deer season off. LOL

Not that it would solve any problems, but with that trade not requiring a licensed tradesman for anyone touching a tool, the door's wide open to any #^&#^&#^&#^& or Harry not knowing what all the little lines between the big numbers on a tape measure are to find employment.
Perhaps if the BI held that trade to a higher standard things would be different, but I imagine there just isn't enough time in a day. Or perhaps the tolerance levels for stick-framing are too loosey-goosey?

Gilly.....You're right.... the trade I've spent most of my life learning and doing has been diminished to.... finding the cheapest source of labor....immigrants with questionable legal status. This has been going on for a long time now.
The houses will pass the building code....wont be falling down....but with no standards for tolerances or accuracy......sloppiness and discrepancies prevail.
I got my construction supervisors license in the '80s.....doesnt mean that I know anything about the proper way to frame a structure.....just how to read a code book.
I am strictly a finish carpenter now...but I spent many years framing houses, some with very complicated roof structures, with all the various types of rafters that need to be precisely laid out and cut, I excelled at it and took great pride in the accuracy of my work. I cant frame these houses now so I just complain here....

I love it Ray!