What would you do if....

you hired a construction crew to do some work in your shop and took the time to have a talk with them about the difference between construction tools and precision wood working machines.
All your machines had nice shiny-waxed tables and all of them perfectly (if there is such a thing ) aligned and ready to work.
You ask that they not use the machines for a flat surface to work off of and explain that even handprints are not good for cast iron tops. And especially, No Drinks on the machines!
You tell them that if they have to work where the machine is, simply roll it out of the way or cover it. (And provide the covers)
Well, the work progresses nicely and you are pretty happy with the quality of the job even though you can see that they are going through your tool boxes and using your hand tools even though you have told them to use their own tools and leave yours alone.

And then you find this:





Isn't that the prettiest set of FOOTPRINTS you have ever seen on the very end of my jointer in-feed table?
When they started you could almost see your face in that table.
He must have stood up there for quite some time for that many sweat drops to be on the machine. It is right in front of the air conditioner.

I am not a happy camper.

DT

Don, at the risk of offending some good folks, your experience is not unlike what I have had with tradesmen working at my home. I don't understand why that is. What I would do is cuss a lot in private and clean things up. Chalk it up as an unfortunate lesson. For qualification: I have, and have had, many good friends in the trades who would never do things like that, true gentlemen. But, sadly, a lot aren't. That might be why many contractors and their supers. are tougher than drill sergeants.

Don, I don't think a conversation with the contractor is out of line. You went out of your way to explain what you expected, which you shouldn't have to do, and they did it anyway. My grandfather probably would have blown up on them, my dad would "talk" to them. I hope I would be able to "talk" to them without blowing up on them. Good luck.

I find that completely inexcusable. The challenge is that anyone who would do that sort of thing is not going to understand what the problem is. Some folks just don't think that way. It is very frustrating for those of us who try to take a little pride in what we do and how we behave.

I guess I would say to 'the boss' the same thing you've said here while walking him in the general direction of the jointer. Then at the opportune moment you say "so what do you think of this?" and point to the damage.

Glenn has used the magic word IMO, "Damage". They should be responsible for whatever it takes to put the machines in their previous condition. Don't pay for the work until you have worked this out with the contractor.

Give 'em hell Don!!!

I think a talk is warranted. The boss and the owner of the footprints need to know both the bad and the good (the work). Isn't it a shame that a nice job is messed up by careless footwork (and sweating).

Wes

first off i`d ask why.......then ask how "we" are going to "fix" the damage..
blowing up or ranting isn`t going to change what`s been done and finding an equitable solution would be best for all involved....as far as i know you`ve been happy with their work? and if there`s more work to do i`m sure they`d like to finish the job as much as you`d like for it to be finished....my suggestion is that whomever stood on your jointer be the one to clean and wax the table on his time....no harm no foul....please don`t let it happen again.....
if that doesn`t work then a louisville slugger to the knees

I would also check the tables with a straight edge to be sure there isn't no damage making the table lower on the end than at the cutter. tools & especially Jointers are not made to stand on. Please let us know the out come.

Hey Don, if they did that to me you would probably hear me 'discussing' it with them all the way in Starke !! (no telephone needed!!).

Hey Don,
That's a shame! You should follow up. Run a test board or two to see if the jointer has gone out of alignment. Someone standing on the end of a lever (the table) could really cause some damage to the works.

I agree with the others that the crew owes you at least some free cleanup!

I wouldn't let that crew of misfits near my tools. Document all the issues, clean it yourself back to it's previous condition and keep track of the time and materials spent. When you're presented with the bill for their work, present them with your bill and subtract it off theirs.

Thanks everyone for the support.

No, I'll not let them near the machines again. I'll do a deep alignment check before I turn it on. Who knows? Balancing 200+ pounds on the end of that fulcrum just might make it spit a mouth full of helix teeth at me.

They have one 6" pipe left to install when it comes in. I'll be there watching.

The reason I posted this is because I gave them three wood working forums to check out for people needing this kind of work. It's only fair that you be advised of their disrespect for your tools/machines. They do good work if you have the time to sit with them and watch.

DT

Tod's answer would be the route I would go. I am a contractor, if one of my guys did that you can be sure when I found out they would be there with plenty of elbow grease to make it right....and I would be there as well since it is "my" job and customer that I want to keep happy..

Hope you get it all taken care of Don.

I agree that this should never happen and the contractor should be held responsible but be careful on withholding payment. Contractors can & do file mechanic liens all the time for nonpayment.

Just a word of caution.

Bruce Page said:

I agree that this should never happen and the contractor should be held responsible but be careful on withholding payment. Contractors can & do file mechanic liens all the time for nonpayment.

Just a word of caution.

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That would be a fully licensed building AND electrical contractor you speak of?

DT

Don
I hate to say it but its about what I expect and why I try to do way to much of my own work. And I am way behind and things are a mess.

A few years back we were moving a large piece of equipment from one vendor to another. The engineer was insistent about not using a fork lift. (It had casters). The movers loaded it here in Lancaster on one truck and took it to their business and were going to transfer it to another truck. When I walked in the warehouse there they sit, one of the workers on a forklift another watching and the 4 racks of semi ancient electrical equipment bowed over the forks.

When I called in to tell the engineer and he asked how that happened I said they ignored our instructions. The owner was right there and overheard then got mad and wanted to know how I could say that. He did this with a straight face as the equipment sit in the next building on a fork truck they had promised not to use.

But on the good side I don't think they used our internet..

I would check for serious damage and clean up myself as why would you want someone like that working on your equipment?

Garry

tod evans said:

first off i`d ask why.......then ask how "we" are going to "fix" the damage..
blowing up or ranting isn`t going to change what`s been done and finding an equitable solution would be best for all involved....as far as i know you`ve been happy with their work? and if there`s more work to do i`m sure they`d like to finish the job as much as you`d like for it to be finished....my suggestion is that whomever stood on your jointer be the one to clean and wax the table on his time....no harm no foul....please don`t let it happen again.....
if that doesn`t work then a louisville slugger to the knees

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I'm in agreement with Tod - talk - solve - fix. EXCEPT - I would not let them anywhere near the tool to 'fix' the problem. I'm sure there must be something in your agreement with them concerning damages caused by shoddy workmanship - this qualifies. I'd undertake a full clean-up and realignment, keep track of my hours, and back charge the contractor by short paying the invoice. I would not wait till the last minute to let him know it's coming. Be honest and straight forward up front and explain the amount of effort required to bring the machine back up to snuff. Let him know that you intend to be fairly compensated for your time, just as he is for his.

here`s one big rub if you will.....contractors/shop owners and folks in the trade view tools as a means to an end, like a truck or a tractor they must be kept mechanically sound and in good working order and some folks take the time to keep `em clean-n-pretty too, others use `em and repair what gets broken but in the end they`re still tools.....
hobbiests are a different breed, tools to them are more objects of art that let them be creative in their spare time......some rarely use said tools and instead spend their time polishing, adjusting, sharpening and tuning in preperation for that one perfect board.....
i think most folks here are somewhere in the middle.....neither end of the spectrum is good or bad, that`s just how folks are....
i`m betting that dons "contractor" views footprints and sweat stains as no more damaging to the "tool" than a muddy footprint on a tile floor...in the same sentence i`ll bet that if don points out that the bed could possibly be sprung from supporting a mans weight cantilevered on the end rendering the "new tool" useless......that said contractor will make every effort to correct the problem on his dime......
lots of times trying to see things from another perspective can help find a remedy for what one person may view as a catastrophy and another views as nothing more than dirt from a job....
i agree that they shouldn`t have stood on dons jointer especially after don taking the time to explain how it should be moved.........but they did.....now it`s time to try and fix what`s gone wrong and to try and leave both partys without a bad taste in their mouths.....

What tod said. I am firmly in the "its just a tool" camp but also see that where somebody has agreed to behave in a certain way and then doen't that needs to be addressed.

Ian Barley said:

What tod said. I am firmly in the "its just a tool" camp but also see that where somebody has agreed to behave in a certain way and then doen't that needs to be addressed.

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I agree, a tool is a tool. However, I was taught to use a tool for its intended purpose.

Using a $3000 piece of equipment that is calibrated/aligned in the thousands of an inch for a $100 ladder after being provided covers, two ladders and instructions to roll the tool out of harms way is blatant disrespect for not only the tool but me as well.

DT