Fart Fan: construction slang, but generally accepted term refering to a bathroom exhaust fan.
Cripple: a shortened stud used to support a header.
What other peculiar words are used to describe construction parts pieces or procedures? Provide the word and definition or description.
Hopefully someone can compile all of the thread input and write a book, with percentage of profit for all contributers. Humerous and witty homegrown words to describe project parts, procedures and situations accepted.
The Big Beautiful Bill could do away with much of the Inflation Reduction Act, including the 25C, 25D and 45L tax credits.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
The Real Dictionary of Construction Management Terminology
View Image
Critical Path Method - A management technique for losing your shirt under perfect control.
Or, "CPM: The future defined by 20/20 hindsight"Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
I'm gonna give this thread a bump before it falls off the bottom of the current list...
On a more serious note you referred to
>> Liquidated Damages - A penalty for failing to achieve the impossible. << Obviously that is a TIC definition but let me ask you this: is your view of LD a result of some AIA form that gives recourse to customers from contractors who fail to perform? Just the other day we (at the office - I'm there about 1 hr a week) had a discussion about having a subcontractor contract form that included LD penlites for failure to show up on the job in a reasonable amount of time... Ever used LD from that angle?
Edited 1/7/2006 8:40 pm ET by Matt
Priceless!!!
AFF.....where you don't want to drop your can of paint.....
Come-along ... a cable-ratchetdevice for securring loads
Sinker ... type of nail, or what happens in the commode after enchiladas for lunch
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Facial - the board that the gutter is attached to.
Corking - that suff that is used to cover up all the carpenter's mistakes
BTW - I tried to start a thread like this several years ago, but it didn't get much interest.
"Facial - the board that the gutter is attached to.Corking - that suff that is used to cover up all the carpenter's mistakes"Isnt that supposed tobe Facia and Caulking? Or was it an intentional mistake?
Maybe im just retarded.
Good old boy pronunciations. You know how it is - they know how to say it, but just like saying it wrong...
Tri Phase Management: An attempt to speed a house to completion by scheduling the Plumbers, Electricians, Tapers, Finishers, Painters and Stairguys all on the same day.
Gord
......and inspectors........LMAO
Tri Phase Management: three trade same day but:tri phase inspection. when you try to get plumbing, electrical, hvac inspection on the same day, they look at you as you plum crazy. Take three days for three inspection. That government.. 2+3=7
>> tri phase inspection. <<
In one county I build in one inspector does all and they require you to get the HVAC, plumbing & electrical rough-ins, sewer tie in, framing, exterior sheathing and roofing inspections all at the same time! Kind of cuts down your chances of a green sticker on that particular day. Generally, I think this particular county inspections dept is a bit confused about who is the customer. The good news is that they don't hit you with re-inspect fees unless you are a hibitual and repeat "offender".
dilepsia
That bad feeling you get every once in a while walking plates or beams.............typically on mon mornings.[email protected]
It's Never Too Late To Become What You Might Have Been
I'm fond of the two measurement terms hooked on and pushed in. And when marking out for framing, we like to stay with X and go, so we can be true to staying on layout.
Foundations are marked out with the help of batter boards, and we often use a 3-4-5 to check square at corners. Final sanity checks are done using two-tape-pulls to compare the diags. And before the crete arrives, we have gone around and shot in all our grade nails, grade pins, and screeds.
Also tool names like dry lines, story poles, a scribe, and a great marking method, the crow's foot.
If we aren't to the line or the grade, we cut some material to pack it out, or pad it.
I'm having fun thinking of these things, as are you all, but we should not let it get to our heads and think we're the only wizards out there with a secret society and its own special language.
Ever listened in on the surgeons and nurses in an operating theater? One of our kids is an electronic musician, and when studio sessions are happening, it sounds like Greek to me. Same with our daughter, who is in sales for a big electronic music gear manufacturer. She says the engineers there speak in tongues.
Have you heard the kitchen staff's lingo - the five second rule and all that?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
DOS
design on site... what i have to do after i get/pay for all the plans & drawings
p
CMU- concrete masonary unit also refer to as a cinder block but not made of cinder no more, still refer as a cinder block.. 2+3=7
How about:Trimmer- a shortened stud that supports a header. AKA "jack stud." Should be nailed to theKing Stud- full-length stud adjacent to a header.Whiskey Stick- old-fashioned term for a spirit level. Whiskey was allegedly once used in the vials so they would not freeze.Beaverboard- fibrous lightweight sheathing panel made of what resembles chewed up wood.Barge Rafter- The floating last rafter that overhangs a rake wall. It is supported by "Lookouts."Hot Mud- setting type drywall joint compoundCBU- Cement Backer Unit, or similar. Manufactured sheet of cementitious tile substrate.PUF- Polyurethane FoamWhite Lead- lead oxide, once widely used in house paints. Also known as "sugar of lead" because it tastes sweet. Late-period Romans used it to sweeten their wine, hastening the demise of their empire.Red Lead- iron oxide, commonly used in ferrous metal primersGotta stop now. Too many terms, too little time!Bill
HOH Engineering - (Hands on Hips) - I think I learned this one on this board. Think of someone standing back with their hands on their hips looking at an obviously overloaded beam saying 'Yup. That should hold it.'
"HOH Engineering"
I'm gonna have to remember that - I get that a lot.
Although they generally say "That ain't going anywhere" instead of "That should hold it".
Must be a regional thing.
(-:
To become a father is not hard; to be a father is, however.
Sloptical-Illusion: Sloppy work made to look straight and plum.
Gitterdone: a word you hear echoing through-out a job site. The Echo originates from top management and trickles down to the installer.
Ah "$#!%": What carpenters say when they either get injured or remember that they left their special tool at the shop.
It plays out like this: Carpenter comes to work, his boss yells "gitterdone!" He attempts to get started then "Ah $#!%," he remembers he left that tool at the shop. Because of time constraints he uses what he has and creates a "sloptical-illusion."
Silly me ... I thiought the idea was to identify real terms.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I recently came across this listing in Michael Litchfield's "Renovations" book - I guess I always thought that a few of these words were interchangeable...I guess not...
Board: less than 2" thick, and used as trim, sheathing, subflooring, battens, doorstops, etc.
Lumber (dimensioned lumber): 2 to 4 in. thick and used for house framing: studs, posts, joists, beams, headers, rafters, etc.
Factory or shop lumber: wood milled into window casings, trim, and other elements
Timber: at least 5 in. thick in it's smallest dimension
Stock: applies to any building material in its unworked form
Stick: jargon for a piece of lumber.Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
Board ... Lumber ... Timber
And the way I learned it long ago was a board was the term for any product sawn from a balk. Lumber is boards sawn from a balk to specific dimensions. Timber is a wood product typically milled from a single balk. But, that might also be terms I picked up from sawyers, too.
To the thread topic--
Millwork - boards milled from boards to finished (not structural) use.
Mud - generic term for unset mortar or concrete.
Visqueen - product name for polyethylene sheeting often generically applied to all p/e sheeting.
Drywall - paper-faced gypsum sheet good used in place of lath & multiple plaster coats as an interior wall veneer/sheathing.
ICF - Insulated Concrete Form. Interlocking blocks of expanded foam designed to create a non-removable formwork for cast-in-place concrete wall structures.
SIP - Structural Insulated Panel. A "stressed skin" panel typically binding two dissimilar sheet goods products with an expanded foam to create a unified structural unit.
Less seriously--
Brix - any material stuck together by them masons or briklars.
Cement - Concrete - Cement; see "Mud," above.
Manaña - the day after never (Variant, in Belize, "right away" = the day after manaña . . . )
Plumb; true; Square - words, either singly, or in combination, which will stop all work by all trades to argue over working definitions of . . .
Client - Someone who goes to a specialized butcher for a dollar's worth of prime steak only willing to spen a dime (and either only having a c-note or a quarter in their pocket).
Designer - person drawing plans & specs for mansions in the sky.
Decorator - person who specifies tile colors for mansions in the sky.
Architect - sealawyer with a slightly advanced skill in sketching.
Contractor - magician expected to transmogrify grain into beef without violating laws of nature or man faster and cheaper and better than the next listing in the Yellow Pages.
Baloney - most estimates; what estimators routinely have to live on.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Mud is also used as in drywall mud. "Don't worry about it, the mud will cover it!" "That's what mud is for!"
TOFU - Concrete base blocks for post and pier construction and mini-tofus for holding up the mesh in slab pours.
mud: cover it with mud : drywall
pour the mud : concrete
the place is mud : soil.
stuck in the mud : your lazy brother in law
Edited 1/7/2006 9:02 pm by brownbagg
You missed 'plank'....board 2" thick or more...Cabinetmaker/college woodworking instructor. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
You've already stumbled and need a crutch.
A cripple is a short stud under the sill or over a header. A jack stud is the shortened stud that supports the header.
a ridge BOARD is there just for a nailing and alignmenmt piece for rafters in a type of roof construction where rafter ties prevent ridge sag by resisting outward thrust of the rafters.
A ridge BEAM is a structural member commonly used with cathedral cielings and other roof designs where it is necessary for the ridge to support loads to prevent sagging and wall out-thrust.
A rafter tie is a horizontal memeber in the lower third of the rafters that prevenets loads from thrusting walls out. It compleetes a structurally strong triangle with the rafters. It often dobles as a cieling joist.
A collar tie is a similar looking horizontal member in the upper third of the rafters, used to prevent hinging upthrust forces of wind on roof planes that might otherwise open a roof at the ridge.
There is much confusion on these items leading to a lot or roof failures over time.
A Piffin screw is a sheetrock screw that is used for a structural screw by those who don't know any better.
A Piffin is a puffed up spirit sent to warn the user of Piffin screws of impending disastor.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Having read the thread thru, I'm suprised that nobody has defined many tools yetA plumbstick - a straight piece of material with a vial containing a bubble that in soem cases is calibrated to indicate when the stick is vertical or horizontal, when the light is good enough to see it. It is used on somejobs and not on others. When the plumbstick is not used, or left back at the shop, the HOH person in charge uses his eyeball to indicate that is looks good from his house.A plumb bob - a device used to help keep string tangled up. It can be used in place of a plumbstick on days when the wind doesn't blow or indoors, if it is not left back at the shop.a laserlevel - a modern tool used to cast a visible eyeball line superior to the one used by a HOH authority. It can replace either of the above tools whether the wind is blowing por the light is diom - if the batteries for it have not been left back at the shop.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Piffin
A Piffin screw is a sheetrock screw that is used for a structural screw by those who don't know any better.
I disagree!
Just to keep this controversial!!!
Doug
Edited 1/7/2006 7:37 pm ET by DougU
OKYou're right!A Piffin screw is a sheetrock screw that is used for a structural screw by those who should know better
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Piffin, The longer the Piffin screw is, the more structural it is, right....?
Structural Paint- not to be confused with any tangible object, just a phrase used to criticize the new guys crappy trim work without hurting his/her feelings. "Don't worry about that cope, we have a half gallon of structural paint from the last job."
wood stretcher - when a piece of lumber is cut too short you send the rookie to the truck to get the wood stretcher
Alex Gluck
Piffin........"cripple, jack stud" I was recently told by a AIA that the proper term is "trimmer stud", so I asked him what he thought of the new "piffin screws" and he said he thought they were just gimmick, over rated and over priced due to mass advertising. hehe
LOL, in other words he didn't have any idea what he was talking about and chose to blufff it!Has anyone defined a dead valley yet? I don't see it in Matt's erxcellent glossary.A dead valley is an error in roof design that impedes drainage of water off the building, thus causing percipitation to become constipated
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yea, we called them jacks when I framed, but some of the framers here in Texas call them cripples and / or trimmer studs.
I called them jacks many years ago and still believe it is the best term.
The guy you put in charge of gathering drops or scraps to be cut for blocks is called the Blockhead, especially if that is about all he is qulaified to do.
Cripples:My partner framed with french carpenters when he was young so he still calls them "bon hommes" --- french for "little men".
BFH...large hammer or maul
NFG - A label applied to saw blades that have reached the wrong end of their life and are only kept for such time as a sacrifice to the nail and assphalt gods becomes necessary
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
E-WAG: estimated wild #### guessGood times, riches and Son of a _itches
I've seen more than I can recall.
J. Buffett
"E-WAG: estimated wild #### guess""
Put some thought into it, and it becomes a SWAG: "SCIENTIFIC wild a$$ed guess"
Bob Kerrey, when asked about Bill Clinton dodging the draft: "Do I care if he evaded the draft? Well, a part of me does." [Mr. Kerrey lost a leg in Vietnam]
Hey my friend ..........when the trusses are droped and a note on the plan says "to be site built" guess the plant ran out of wood......hehe
One of my lead carpenters worked for NPC Construction.
He cam to realize the NPC stood for:
Non-professional Construction
Nails Paper and Caulk
And, on Friday
No Pay Check
Anybody ever worked for PCL?
Pour now
Chip
Later
ID10T (ID 10 T)
The Simpson fastner you send your rookies to get out of the truck.
I like that one. I'm gonna have to write that up on an order sometime.(-:We have in in-house term for a big, ugly truss job - We call 'em a BUF.That stand for Big Ugly Fellow. O.K., so maybe it's not "Fellow". But you get the idea.
Shouldn't there be a shorter word for "monosyllabic"?
The Simpson fastner you send your rookies to get out of the truck
Along with the "relative bearing grease" or the left-handed swab handles <g>
Not, that I've sent some folks sent to me by the labor service off to get left-handed mattock handles, or the like . . . (and counted it a better use of the labor cost . . . )Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Heard of a guy that sent his wife to the auto parts store for "muffler bearings".
blinker fluid is another one
james
there is a letter in the Click and clack talk cars column in the paper - A girl says the her Dad had always taken care of changing the oil etc for her.
She goes off to school and her boyfriend offers to do that little job for her for the cost of the fluid. He wants $45 when he is done. She thinks this a bit steep so she asks what all the money was for.Seems he had to top off the special high cost halogen fluid in the headlamps.Her father head of iot and told her to never let the guy touch the car again and to never see him personally again.I agreee with his reasoning, the dirtbag cannot be trusted about anything when he lies on this item.Doubt he even changed the oil.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Piffin.....When prefabing components ,giving a new saw man a cut list what would you call the 2 boards that hold up the header when nailed together? The terms for individual 2x4's around here are as dicussed , "trimmers, jacks, cripples ,pigs ,actually there are more including " that one board thats cut shorter than a stud , you know"
boards are for sheathing, decking or trim. I dson't use boards to hold up a header, I use jack studs.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
"boards are for sheathing, decking or trim. I dson't use boards to hold up a header, I use jack studs."..which you cut from dimensional lumber and if anyone cut a board for anything other than the trim that its meant for, I'd take it outta their pay.
U be rough on a guy, girlLOL
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Piffin ....geez....One of the problems with computers is you can't see the smile on my face when i'm trying to be light hearted ,toungue in cheek when I'm typing.
"boards are for sheathing" ,haven't used boards for sheathing in 25 yrs. "decking or trim", doesen't seem to be in the same category. " I dson't use boards to hold up a header", I don't either , I use wood and nails. " I use jack studs", is this the term for 2 2x4s or 2 -2x6s nailed together to hold up a header?
Hope your back in top shape soon and remember to be kind to yourself.
I was smiling too.jack studs are the ones cut to about 6'9", one under each end of a window or door header, unless loads require two or three, and nailed to the king stud next to it.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Piffin....G-day..... Somewhere in my lack of education I've never come across "doubling or tripling jack studs rule" , usually I double any 4ft or over RO , got anyhelp for me.
Sort of speeking of my education......often times I think about a defination of a Redneck "someone that spends more money on his truck than on his education"
No rule othjer than check with an engineer when it gets scary
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
As stated previously, I also used jack studs, but I find the young bucks substituting cripples and trimmer studs for jack studs. After laying outall the walls they will sometimes cut left over plate material for jack studs to conserve the pre-cuts.
What is this world coming to? They simply do not do things like they used to, when I framed everyday.
The other day I saw some so called "frame carpenters" using what looked like a gun connected to an air compressor. The gun shot nails. They also had an electric saw. I am gonna have to go back up in the hills of Tennesse and tell my framing buddies. Can you generate electricity from a still?
boards are for sheathing, decking or trim.
Boards for decking and sheathing, that is old school.
It may be dangerous to teach the kids out there that they are decking and sheathing with 4' x 8' x 1/2" boards.
that sent his wife to the auto parts store for "muffler bearings"
Wonder where he lived after she got home . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
BFH...large hammer or maul
Also know here as a BAH., used primarily when something (ie. a board) is cut too long, accompanied by instructions: If it won't fit.....force it.
"Wallpaper Removal Tool" Any sledge hammer weighing at least ten pounds.
""Wallpaper Removal Tool" Any sledge hammer weighing at least ten pounds. "I think that you have it confused with a fine adjustment tool.
While it is good for "fine adjustments", its just plain awesome for wallpaper, there's no glue residue at all.
POS is worth a dis-honorable mention...;)
like the nice doors I bought at a yard sale only to find out later that the wood was merely a thin veneer over particle board....
Jen
I thought this was supposed to be lite hearted but some are taking it somewhat seriously. For the serious ones - here is a list in M/S Word - some of the defintions aren't the best, but it has quite a bit of stuff.
soap-------wire pulling lube....probably refers to the "old"method of using Ivory flakes to lube wire as it was fed into conduit.....
.
basket-------braided "chinesefinger" for pulling large wire
.
butt plugs------expandable seals stuck in the ends of PVC conduit before heating and bending, these prevent the collapse of the pipe in the radius
.
hi-hats ------recessed cans
.
blowin lines------the really cool method of using the largest compressor you can find , at the highest possible pressure , to locate the other end of pipes that are in the slab, by watching for the geyser of water, and other crap that erupts from the other end
blowin lines------the really cool method of using the largest compressor you can find , at the highest possible pressure , to locate the other end of pipes that are in the slab, by watching for the geyser of water, and other crap that erupts from the other endok that explains my screw up slabs, days after placement. 2+3=7
hahahahah........that's why us sparkys want 1"' cover....minimum,so we can just SEE the runs after the crete dries, and eliminate any WAGs when they end up plugged
That brings the terms SOB and POS onto the jobs though;)
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
yep.. it does do that...it is never dull watching the pours......
"fine adjustment tool" = 9 pound sledge
Here's a lable I put on buckets with nothing in them to confuse most people for a short while:
MT
Sometimes they look at the lable, then in the bucket, then at the lable again, then the "Duh" looks comes to their faces.Pete Duffy, Handyman
shouldn't the MT be written in the bottom of the bucket - for the slow to learn?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Naaaah, that would be MT NOW
A note I see on architectural drawings more and more:
"VIF" Means one of two things. The first is a note from the architect to the carpenter which basically says "I'm too lazy to to do my job, so I'm throwing the work and the liability on your shoulders". It's also very common for it to mean, "Scratch your head all you want sucka, the drawings don't work. You figure it out."
verify in field I have to use in notes to myself as well, especially in remodeling work. There is always something, most often cause of something settled or out of square originally but other times because previous butcherings have left hidden suprises. I accent which are the primary dimensions
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
"VIF" Means one of two things. The first is a note from the architect to the carpenter which basically says "I'm too lazy to to do my job
Easy, now. Some of the time that means the dimension is fixed on whatever the contractor selected by the client months after I draw this, buys, as he's too cheap to make up his mind right now from the three available "things" that are required by the client to be right there.
You try specifying how high ridges are likely to be when you don't get to control who makes the trusses <gnashed teeth> . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Sorry Capn.... don't take it personal. There are many cases where a field verification notation is warranted. I was just poking fun at the times it is over used and could have been worked out in the drawings but just wasn't. I've also seen the notation used when something is drawn that just isn't physically possible due to existing conditions.... like that beam running through the house or that load bearing wall that we're just supposed to make disappear without any indication of how the it's loads will be supported.
Was just having fun here. Everyone likes to blame the framer.... sometimes we framers like to vent too. Sorry for offending you.
View Image
Edited 1/8/2006 11:14 pm ET by dieselpig
I was just poking fun at the times it is over used and could have been worked out in the drawings but just wasn't.
Those time bother me, too--the same way bad framers bother the good ones, too.
There are some automated dimensioning systems out there, in the CAD world, which are not operated by people who necessarily "know better." The customers of that software, with their considerable buying clout have asked the software makers to keep adding features to the software so it can be 'smarter' than the people "driving" it. Since, it is almost impossible to always "close" dimensions without creating a conflict, omision, or blunder, and the computer doesn't know any better, the last, least, dimension often gets converted (sometimes without, often against, operator instruction), those "VIFs" can be automatically generated. And only as "smart" as the computer will make them, too (which is also affected by the operator, as the "direction" some dimensions are cast can make a difference).
Not that I have any bitter, frustrating, maddening, eventually pointless, problems with other "professional's" drawings, or anything . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Remember a funny story about an architect doing some house drawings. Large steel beams were designated as MFB (no size given). Contractor was confused, looked at some steel charts, saw M beams, W beams, C beams, etc.. Asked what size they were supposed to be. Architect said to look at it again:M: "mother"
F:
B: "big"
M: "mother"F: B: "big"
Have heard similar, excepting "magic" substituted for "mother" . . .
For the record, no offense taken (was a brilliant, witty, side-splittingly funny reply 7/8 finished when Windows decided to restart the 'puter to finish an automated update . . . )Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Any improvised tool for dangerous work is known as a "cat-be-gone", from a far side cartoon.Read an article once on job specific slang.
Comercial airline pilots referred to the cockpit as "the pointy end".
"Any improvised tool for dangerous work is known as a "cat-be-gone", from a far side cartoon."
Also known as a "Rube Goldberg", from a cartoonist of a previous generation.
View Image
big beater - 10 pound sledge (also called "The Persuader")
baby beater - 4 pound sledge
cindy - 30" loppers
patty - level
board stretcher - a tool you always seem to have left at the shop; as in "hand me the 2x4 stretcher, I cut this one short... oh damn, left it at the shop"
mules - sheet rock guys
...
VIF is always paired with "Do Not Scale".....meaning, at least in my business, we used the original prints to draw up the ones we gave you, who the H@@@ knows what's really there after all these years....
VP as in "Visual Progress".. some things take lots of time but no VP.. like wiring, or fixing dryrot in a rehab. Other things have LOTS of VP, like framing and sheetrock.
It's important when the HO is around to have some VP to show off frequently.
VP as in "Visual Progress".. some things take lots of time but no VP.. like wiring, or fixing dryrot in a rehab. Other things have LOTS of VP, like framing and sheetrock.VP as in Vice President.....anything involving one of them takes LOTS of time....
My old man used to call it a "Propaganda Strip". It meant anything that you did for visual impact, usually to impress the homeowner with how good it was going to look.
Framer's friend - 8# sledgehammer
lump hammer - 1-1/2# hammer
I have my own names for things - my nailer is called Norman (after Norman Mailer), the compressor is Edward (Edward the Compressor, after E the Confessor -Brit history), and Brad Tacker could be anyone famous.
In the UK a hammer was known as 'an American screwdriver'
Flexible extendible aluminum ducting we call Viagra-duct around here.
Flexible door stops as door-slinkies
One tool I've yet to find is a drywaller's tape measure - you know, the one without markings smaller than 1"
All the best...
To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.
From my 62 year old 40 yr. carpenter partner and some I've learned on my own...Tools:Whiskey Stick: 2' Level
Big Whisker Stick: 4 footer
Club: A framing hammer...as in "Gimme that club of yours for a minute to knock this plumb."
Pinch bar: A bar that, but is hexagonal in shape, curved up at one end with a claw end for nail pulling and a flat end opposite for prying.
Pry bar: A flat bar that is also known as a 'spring bar' by those who read labels.
Tool belt: A wide leather belt with only one large pocket on the side and a hammer hook on the other. Anything more is a tool box on the waist.
A guy with a two-pouch belt with all new tools: First day apprentice.
Finish hammer: A 16 or 18 oz. hammer with a curved claw.
Framing hammer: Any hammer usually 20 oz. and above usually has a rip claw.
Doofus hammer: The kind they sell at walmart and you keep in the truck to lend to the doofus you hired who doesn't bring his.
Gang box: The thing in the back of the truck rusting and holding your life.
Tool truck: The utility body truck that carries everything.
Framing Square: Large metal 'L' shaped tool for stepping out rafters and such.
Speed-Square: Little aluminum or plastic triangular shaped square usually sold with a booklet for those who can't do/or dont want to do the math to figure roof angle, pitch and rafter length.
Tri-Square: Tool with a sliding rule that can be adjusted to scribe various objects.
Dry-Line: The line you string along the walls to line up partitions or use to straighten walls.
Screwgun: For screwing drywall onto a surface, not to be confused with a cordless drill.
Kitty Power: A nail puller
Cat's Paw: Same as above
Shark Bar: A newfangled invention with a small long claw on one end and usually a wide blade on the other for prying up finish.
feeler/Gage block: Used with a dry line to determine amount out or in***************
Estimate: Best guess that you must live by.
VIF: An instruction most engineers and architects think gets them off the hook.
Designer: Someone who needn't worry about roof load, live load, bearing walls or other nuisances that interfere with a "good design".
Architect: Same as above but with an education to know better.
Lumper: A laborer
Crown moulding: A test of a true carpenter -- when applied properly in a radically out of square room.
Cope: To back cut a joint for crown mould fitments or other nuances of finish.
Dead nuts: Perfectly plumb.
Wing nut: Idiot.
First year apprentice: Can't do layout or follow other instructions, usually denoted to someone who says they are a carpenter/framer, but their performance tells a different story.
Quarter Inch Paint: That magical paint that covers big seams caused by bad cuts, nail holes, hammer rosettes and other problems.
Chewed the wood up: Someone who beats on a peice of finish with a waffle head and leaves marks or splinters up the wood.
To get angry at it: Put some muscle behind that hammer
Millwork: Any lumber that is milled for finish
Board: Rough sawn lumber dressed to use; usually dressed to one inch.
Dressed Lumber: Is rough sawn but then planed to standard dimensional specs
Rough-sawn: Is sawn and dried, not planed.
Green Lumber: Is sawn and not seasoned.Dress it up: Make the cut accurate, usually referring to final showy cuts where dead on accuracy is crucial.
Drive it Home: Drive the nail all the way in
Tack it: Drive the nail partial to leave enough meat to pull out later
Tack it proper: Same as above, but bend the nail over
Flush it off: Drive the nail so the head is just flush with the material
Bury it: Drive the nail all the way into the wood, head and all
Cat Walk: An array of plywood assembled over an open area, usually joists to enable walking along the area.
Monkey Suit: The harness you must wear to please OSHA when roofing or doing other high work.
Drop a line down: Send down a rope to carry up supplies, tools, etc. to a higher point.
Stand down: Leave the job temporarily due to customer/weather/safety issues.
I like them all except tri-square. The description is for combination square.
A tri-sqare has a fixed head.
a combination square is also known as a tri-square in many places. You are speaking of a try-square, which is used to try the wood end and see if it is square.
The try-square is different from a
tri-square which angles three ways instead of two.0°
45°
90°instead of only trying for 0° and 90°
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yeah, that's a wood handled job that is 90 degrees, usually with a brass diamond on mitre of the rosewood handle for 45 degrees. not what I was talking about.How many people know how to adjust a framing square when out of square?
not me - never had one go outdiff for steel vs AL?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
You've got to use a nailset or eqiv. to pound either inside L or out to tweek it just a little.
yep
I put that in there, because for a laugh I've seen mypartner tell a new more than once, "Make sure that square is tuned proper." THey look at him like he's got four heads.
What I replied to you is really the way to true one up-no joke!
using the john after 2 weeks without a cleaning" going to climb MT Killamanpoo"
a buddy of mines wife was doin wash and asked him why his draws had big blue dots everywhere! SKERPLUNK!
One of the regular plumber guys Richard, kind of a good natured biker looking dude with most of his teeth, showed up at the site with a helper - smart assed kid... Kid had a lot of sugestions as to how Richard might best run the house's underground sewer/water from the street.... My guess is that Richard has probably run a couple thousand sewer/water connections... Richard sent the kid to the truck to find a left handed Crecent wrench (or something similar)... eventually I felt sorry for the kid and broke the news to him.... Next time I saw Richard I said - "hey, where is your helper?" He said "which one? I've had 3 in the last month." :-) Seemed proud of himself! ;-)
a biker looking dude with most of his teeth
A rare animal, maybe he is young.
!was wondering if you guy's would mind if I made a book on all the not so proper terms kind of like a jokes for the john for carpenter's or trades ppl
Would like to use your nick names and well your post's as they appear in here to make it more interesting
Edited 1/11/2006 10:36 am ET by toolpouchguy
Edited 1/11/2006 10:37 am ET by toolpouchguy
I want a cut.Piffin:I'm sure you an me would get along jus fine.
Well if it makes a profit lol
i would give everyone with a post in it a free book
;)Just for that, you can have my cut!
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
My man!
Let's not get carried away here now - I'm happily married you know!;)
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
You can't use the term cripple ant more . Afew presidents ago the Ag Secratary got the boot for saying cripple.
Gawdalmighty man. aren't you guys sick of this?! We do it all day and now here we are talking about....hey...what am I talking about . Here I sit. King stud, Jack stud, closet Queen...you deal.
Jack, Cripple, cripple, cripple, jackI'll sit tight with my full housedraw?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Pretty soon you won't be able to say "male" and "female" connectors for plumbing....
And in the computer world, in some places, you don't have "master" and "slave" disk drives any more either.
Heck with em ,say it anyway and say it often.
How about sex bolts for mounting a door closer on a wood door ?
What will plumbers do when they can't get nipples anymore?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
'an I'm happily single ')bon hommes, they're bon hommes not cripples.jeez. cut the damn things now will ya and stop your jawin! I'm getting old over here.
It's a cool idea, you just need to self-publish, as most publisher's attorneys all want signed, content-specific, in-real-name, releases (don't ask how I know).
Your people will owe my people lunch, etc.; I just want some points <g> . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Joyces....more than one joist
Joyces....more than one joist
Get a bit farther west and they're "vigas" (VEE gahs).
Here, they're "joists" (pronounced HOY sts) or joistas metallico (or, some times Bur Hoyt ahs <g>). All of which sit on BEE mahs. Isn't Spanglish fun?
Scary when you hear foundation beam cages read off and you don't have to shift gears to "translate" the terms . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Madera para la techo.
Yo estudio espanol en la escula, pero yo es muy mal en la escula, consumir mucho marijuana. Ahorita, you estudio espanol con los hombres que arraglan la casas por yo.
Yo comprehendo mucho ahortia, por que es mejhor estudio en el mundo que vive.
LoL!
A usefull phrase I've found: mi oreja es mas grande que mi lingua (my ears are bigger than my ability to speak).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
{mi oreja es mas grande que mi lingua}{my ears are bigger/greater than my tongue}
And I know a little eatery called Jaliscosience down in SoCal where you can order both 'burrito de lingua' and 'taco de lingua.'
SamT
where you can order both 'burrito de lingua' and 'taco de lingua.'
I prefer cabrito (kid) to lingua (tongue)--not that I've been offered cabrito on rye, or a sesame kaiser with kraut, or anything <g>.
And lingua pops into my Latin-educated head faster than "boca" (and "discorso" sounds way too stilted standing in a muddy job site . . . )
We've got a place here in town, that if you know, and know to ask nicely, has brisket tacos (brisket is interesting with salsa, too <g>).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
What about :
"TENDER" - Educated guess to two decimal points.
"STREET SIDE " - The first view of a completed building or project everyone see's.
"BLONDE 1, BLACK 1, or RED 1 "- Fine measurement detail description.
" ATTUITUDE ADJUSMENT" - Hit it with a hammer.
"KNOCKCROMETER" - Hammer
IF IT WAS EASY, EVERYONE COULD DO IT!
"BLONDE 1, BLACK 1, or RED 1 "- Fine measurement detail description.
How did it take 152 posts before this was mentioned? Although I guess I'm a hack, cause 3 colours is too much for me; c-hair and red c-hair is enuff.
Regards,
Tim Ruttan
Actually, I think it first appeared in post #59 (since deceased) of this thread.
Missed it the first time, but really - deleting a common construction term! What a bunch of silly bunts! :-)
Regards,
Tim Ruttan
How about ..valdemas que lo creas...you better believe it.. someone asks "you speaka spanish?" ya answer valdemas que lo creas..then they say "we better be carefull what we say"
"we better be carefull what we say"
LoL!
Tho-, in practical application, it's often simpler to just be as stingy with the words you know as a Downeaster keepin' a secret . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
<<Tho-, in practical application, it's often simpler to just be as stingy with the words you know as a Downeaster keepin' a secret>>If I have any doubts around a new crew I'll act like I don't understand a word of Spanish. If my apprehension is well founded, usually someone is talking crap by lunchtime. By coffee break the second day he will be trying to convince the rest of the crew that this pinche huedo doesn't understand a word of what's being said, and they can do pretty much whatever they want on the job.Sometimes it's hard to keep a straight face. <G>I'll give him another hour or so to run his mouth, a little before lunchtime while everyone is in the same place I'll say something as a casual response to something someone has said.The look on their faces is priceless.A king can stand people fighting but he can't last long if people start
thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist (1879-1935)
The look on their faces is priceless.
Quite. Rather like practicing not swearing (having an intolerant p/t job helps). Makes expletives just that more attention getting, especially mixed across 5-6 languages . . . <g>Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
A hardened centerpunch works better than a nail set.
We have had this same discussion before. People call alot of things different things.
If you ask me to go get a tri-square, I will bring you the fixed head one and I'd be happy to go get it for you.
If you remember having that verse before, you also remember that a lot of people around the country use he term both ways so there was no need for correcting her then was there? You already knew she was using it like many do.We've had similar with some house parts being labeled different in Canada too
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Hmmm
Code book... A book of suggestions of how things should be done.
Home Inspector a lookie loo with the book of suggestions telling you you dont know how to build anything.
The HI's eye site is usually corrrected when a turkey or a envelope is placed in the bed of his truck.Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Pipe nipples.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
OK, I won't even get into the nickname I've heard the sparkys use for the grease they use to lube a conduit prior to pulling a large wire through it!
Come on tell us .
Persuader = Sledge Hammer
My father-in-law is a great job supervisor but isn't much for details when it comes to doing it himself. At the end of every day spent framing, out comes the persuader to adjust what could have been done when the walls were laying on the ground.
Tradeworkers
Rocker = Drywaller
Flatworker = Cement finisher
Sparky = Electrican
Attic Rat = Insulator
Turd Herder = Plumber
In measuring, "plus" or "heavy" or "proud" is about a 32nd of an inch
"minus", "light", "shy" is the same
So would a "blonde one" be a 64th minus?
Trade workers:Sheet Roqueur: Drywaller - traditionally french around here
Rockers: Drywallers
Tin Knocker: HVAC mechanic
Sparky: Electrician
Plumber: Brown Arm; Turd ChaserMy partner says he was on a job where the plumber and electrican were buddies, they'd go out every lunch time and drink it up. SO after lunch they were known as Flash and Flush.Dikes: Cutters used for tying iron for formworkMost amusing to me was the advice someone gave me when I was working as a laborer on a large commercial job, "Ask around about the trades to get a feel for what you are interested in."So I asked the supervisor/foreman of each trade in there: this is what I got, I'll never forget:HVAC: We're the most important trade, what would they do without heat or air in here? We require the most intelligence and education because you have to balance the air, figure the sizes of the duct work, etc. This a great trade with lots of earning potential and we don't have to work that hard.Electrician: We're the most important trade, who can do without electricity? You be educated to work this trade, at least two years of trade schooling. ANd we don't work that hard, heck we stay clean all day, look at me!Carpenter: We're the most important trade, if they can't build the building, then what? WE don't really work that hard these days, what with all the equipment you have, no one has to lug around lumber like they used to, or hand bang all day. Mostly we do finish and installations. You have to have an education, at least a year or two of trade school, or an apprenticeship in a union.Plumbers: We're the most important trade....YOu get the picture? Funny was that each thought that their view of their trade was unique from the others.
<<Funny was that each thought that their view of their trade was unique from the others.>>I know what you mean, I've seen this many times. It turns bad when they have no respect for the work of the other trades.Like when the plasterers show up.Plasterer: "Looks great doesn't it?" Me: Yep. Looks beautiful. Too bad about the floor, all of the electrical outlets, the windows, the landscaping,and the driveway.
Like when the plasterers show up.
Plasterer: "Looks great doesn't it?"
Me: Yep. Looks beautiful. Too bad about the floor, all of the electrical outlets, the windows, the landscaping,and the driveway.
This is so true that it is hilarious. LOL.
Might as well be -- it hurts too much to cry or puke when you walk onto your job and see that. <G>Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. -- Mark Twain
I think that's common through all different industries, everyone think's there job is the hardest, most demanding, and most important.
Except in my case it's truth ;)
Inspired by today's Dennis the Menace;MacMansion - "the Inside is bigger than the Outside".
LOL we electricians call it Spooge!!! or A-lube, the apprentice gets to lube the wire and we call him a Spooge-boy!!
i like your idea about the book. i am starting one if that is ok with you all i would like to use names and construction company names in the book as said by each person
tarpenters -what carpenters become when they have to unroll that big blue house condom at the end of the day
Alex Gluck
"key to the city" - long crowbar
"precision clearance alignment adjuster" - large sledge
"little general" - small sledge
"revelation" - trim "set back" from jamb
"hammer weld" - way to close open miter
"bird house" - bottom eave return on gable end
"dog's breakfast" - bad fit
"holiday" - missed painter spot
"million dollar bubble" - that air bubble in a caulking tube that
makes it weep
"show pipe" - a part of the job that makes it look like a lot has
been done
Edited 1/30/2006 9:52 am ET by Fonzie
That's one of the best lists I've seen Finzie! Keep em coming!
blue
Donkey tracks- hammer dents left all around the nail.On our jobs if you get caught leaving said tracks redhanded, it is usually announced to the crew by a loud eeee-ooonk!
Puppys feet- this is what you get on your knees when you run base trim for a couple days straight with shorts on and no kneepads