Gaining confidence after college

[The_Stig]

I'm getting round to the point now where I'm just about finished college so I'll be leaving the safety of the workshop and heading out into the wide world of carpentry, however real life is a lot, lot different and I was wondering how most people got over the inital fear of having to go out and fit doors, etc for 'real'.

 

[Guggs]

Advice ! - Sharp pencil ! I know its a daft statement but a sharp pencil line gives you confidence instead of a thick horrid line ! The next piece of advice is a costly one but one which will serve you time and time again ,learn from your mistakes and keep asking yourself what can i do next time to improve the job . Another tip ,ask -ask-and ask ! Then if your not sure ASK someone !
Good luck !

 

[The_Stig]

I completely agree with having a sharp pencil, I've even moved to using a knife for marking out hinges and locks.

It always interests me how I can watch 10 people do a job and see 10 different ways of doing something but neither is right nor wrong as long as the end result is the same.

I've been asked to repair/replace an external door frame and then hang a new door in it, so that's my first job. I've also been asked to fit some internal doors into a colleagues house so works starting to roll in little by little.

I guess I should really think about looking into a little tradesman insurance.

 

[Guggs]

If you can watch 10 people and see 10 different ways of doing something then you have a good insight into seeing different ways of doing that job . You'll soon find what works for you and what doesn't .

 

[The_Stig]

I think its the initial getting into the swing of things, then I'll probably be a lot more confident. I have a friend who is also a carpenter so I might ask if he'd let me work beside him for a while even if its unpaid whilst I've still working for the timber merchant.

 

[pren]

Allow twice as long to do the jobs than you think they'll take. :lol: I've lost count of the number of '5-minute jobs' that have taken best part of a day! :roll: :lol:

 

[The_Stig]

I've lost count of the number of '5-minute jobs' that have taken best part of a day!

I always remember quoting the manager an hour to do a hard drive change in a server, I suggested doing it during Thursday lunch but one thing led to another and I decided to come in on a Saturday morning... 11 hours later the job was completed! I think the job went from it'll cost £15 to do to just over £220!

 

[pren]

It's all down to experience. You'll soon get to know how long certain tasks take to complete.

I was asked to re-fit a bathroom for a friend. 'A day to strip the tiles and a day to re-tile + a day to plumb and paint' thinks I.

5 days later - finally finish!!

 

[The_Stig]

The best part of it was, that 3 years prior I'd gone into work at 6am one Saturday morning only to find a hard drive had failed, I called the boss and he made it clear that it had to be fixed by Monday morning despite me having some nice VIP tickets to the International Air Tattoo (wage negotiation preceeded, lol).

Being a weekend we struggled to get the parts we wanted but never the less I met the other engineer with the parts on Sunday, we did the job but things didn't go as planned and he ended up fudging the job so that it'd hold out until we could come up with a solution, it never did get fixed and it wasn't until 3 years later in the 9th hour of running tests and scratching my head that he finally called me to say, "Do you remember when..."

I did my job and then left him to it only to get called back in on Sunday nearly missing the England vs Germany game and yes the ball did cross the goal line!

 

[Max Power]

Confidence comes with experience Stig.
Be careful what your quoting though, in the real world if you quote for an hour you'll most likely only get paid for an hour even if it takes you eleven hours

 

[The_Stig]

I was think about was Guggs said, unfortunately something will simple be learn as I go, I'll take on a job and wish I'd just left it for someone else to do but I guess its rough with the smooth.

I was thinking about the doors, I've got to take out the old doors and replace them with new ones, so hinges, latches and handles. I was thinking that for something like this I should maybe charge £20 - £30 per door although I've actually got no idea if that's good or bad as I've always fitted my own at my leisure.

 

[Shane]

allow £30 - £45 for hanging doors, you'll get three hung in a day, you'll be doing very well to fit four

liability insurance is crucial

Just have faith and keep a 'can do' attitude and you'll be fine. Now is when the real learning starts, and to be honest you will never stop learning (and collecting tools :lol: )

Best of luck dude

 

[The_Stig]

You've got to love tool shopping, my new block plane arrived today, it was like Christmas morning come early!

Can anyone recommend a good insurance company for liability cover?

 

[Oryxdesign]

Get insured for sure before you do any work, it'll cost less than a 1ner and is easy to set up. Try Simply business, if you use them let me know because we get a kickback for referral!

Simon :wink:

 

[The_Stig]

Cool, I'll have a look as I bet they're online.

I've just come across a website called 'MyBuilder', it lets people quote for work online which is probably a little risky as its always nice to see what your getting yourself into.

http://www.mybuilder.com/job/list/

 

[Oryxdesign]

You get a better deal if you ring them up :wink:

 

[The_Stig]

You get a better deal if you ring them up

Okie dokie, I'll have a couple of hours to kill tomorrow whilst the phone system compiles so I'll give them a call then. There are a few things that I need to start thinking about such as registering as self-employed even though initially my main employer will be my current job.

 

[Shane]

Can anyone recommend a good insurance company for liability cover?

Best for me was swinton, 2 mil site public liability was £10 a month, now I've got combined workshop contents/liabilty and site liability for £32 a month, although as you will appreciate location and tool/stock level of cover will effect any quotes you get

 

[The_Stig]

Unfortunately tools still get stolen so I can understand that.

I've just visited http://www.shane-phillips.com and I must say I do like that kitchen

 

[Shane]

There are a few things that I need to start thinking about such as registering as self-employed even though initially my main employer will be my current job.

Registering is very easy, just one very basic form to fill out, also you'll then have NI contributions to make. Don't forget to keep all of your fuel/tool/material receipts to claim back the vat