Carpentry/maintenance job in hospital

[johnny2007]

Definitely

Would you be prepared to pay him to fit doors in your house?

 

[pcaouolte]

I once had to cover for a school caretaker for a few weeks because the one they employed had lied blindly to get the job.
He didn't know the difference between a nail and a screw.

Our school caretaker always carried an axe. If something needed cutting or shaving he used the sharp side of it, if something needed hammering he used the back of it. If it couldn't be fixed with an axe it was beyond his pay grade.

 

[crank39]

Don't you need to be FIRAS registered to touch fire doors?

 

[Notch7]

Not our place to say. Interview process will establish suitability for task

Or a few weeks afterwards….

 

[johnny2007]

Don't you need to be FIRAS registered to touch fire doors?

Don't know latest regulations but in my time the school would have a fire safety inspection every year or an ad-hoc if needed.
So, at least in my times no.

 

[^woody^]

Don't you need to be FIRAS registered to touch fire doors?

Not necessarily. You could just be suitably trained (ie say, how to nail a bit of glazing bead back on and with a suitable sealant), or repairs could be checked by a qualified person.

There are no rules, just demonstration that your process is adequate.

But "repairs" to any fire door are limited to the ironmongery, strips and glazing, and not repairs to the door blank.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I once had to cover for a school caretaker for a few weeks because the one they employed had lied blindly to get the job.
He didn't know the difference between a nail and a screw.

Was he from Birmingham?

Our school caretaker always carried an axe. If something needed cutting or shaving he used the sharp side of it, if something needed hammering he used the back of it. If it couldn't be fixed with an axe it was beyond his pay grade.

I still carry a hatchet on listed building work. Very handy for making up wooden plugs to fix timber grounds and sometimes skirtings to. Traditional technique which still has its' uses...

 

[johnny2007]

Was he from Birmingham?

No, but would've been great if he was...

I still carry a hatchet on listed building work. Very handy for making up wooden plugs to fix timber grounds and sometimes skirtings to. Traditional technique which still has its' uses...

I carry a very sharp hatchet everywhere because I live in London.....

 

[pcaouolte]

I still carry a hatchet on listed building work. Very handy for making up wooden plugs to fix timber grounds and sometimes skirtings to. Traditional technique which still has its' uses...

I've never met you, but from what I have read on here I can guarantee that the work you do with your hatchet is vastly superior to anything that our school caretaker ever achieved with his axe.

 

[conny]

As a caretaker in my last job in a college I simply refused to work on fire doors. I would check the gaps were correct with a special gauge the installers provided me with, (and showed how to use correctly), and if there was anything amiss, simply call out a qualified carpenter. Boss was happy with this arrangement because it was covered for in his budget and he knew it would be done correctly. Same with the smoke strips etc around the edges. If they started to peel away, I would push them back into place, then open and close the door a few times. If they moved then call someone out, if they stayed in place I'd keep an eye on them for the next few hours, I lot of students could go through in those few hours), and keep monitoring over the next few days if necessary.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I carry a very sharp hatchet everywhere because I live in London.....

There are bits of Manchester like that as well...

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I've never met you, but from what I have read on here I can guarantee that the work you do with your hatchet is vastly superior to anything that our school caretaker ever achieved with his axe.

The hatchet in a carpenter's kit has a very specific use: it is used to cut and adjust timber wedges and "propellors" (twisted wedges) which are then knocked into pockets created in the mortar joints of masonry walls by a club hammer and plugging chisel. These "plugs" are sawn off in line (these days far easier as we have lasers) and are used for fixing skirting boards, timber grounds, timber door and window reveal linings, etc. Most of the other tasks once done by the hatchet/axe are better done with other kit in your box such as a power planer or cordless circular saw these days (and in any case I like my hatchet to be and stay sharp enough to shave with), although another occasional use is the making up of setting out pegs for the surveyor from 2 x 1in softwood

Edit: Maybe I should have added that I know only one other chippie who actually has still got a hatchet in his kit. He's about retirement age and also works on listed buildings where timber plugging is still a regular requirement

 

[Keitai]

Gotta get a reference to cover last three years, worst case scenario character reference. They called where I put. Very serious. I may just get a character reference. Will I learn much on the job?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Will I learn much on the job?

Good question. Possibly not much at all unless you are initially made an "understudy" to a more experienced wallah

 

[Why Not Indeed]

Whatever you do, don't give this forum as a reference!