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Articles by Marc Forget
The No-Good, Really Bad Day
Construction is a human endeavor. We combine materials, skills, and judgment to create a finished product, and because people are involved at every step, mistakes happen. Reducing their frequency—and responding well when they do occur—can mean the difference between a long career and a frustratingly short one. Most mistakes fall somewhere between not knowing better and knowingly cutting corners.
The Battle With Stuff
How much ballast have you collected in your life in construction? I know I could equip a small hardware store with what I have accumulated. From talking to many colleagues and contributors I know I am not alone. In my case I spent much of my career as a generalist. One week I was installing hardwood, the next I was framing an addition. I also had a small general contracting business with a friend for years. In that business we also did some minor electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work.
The DeWalt DCS520B Cordless Track Saw
Tool descriptions often get overdone with words like “revolutionary” or “game changer.” In a rare case, I will come across a tool type that actually improves my work. Finally buying a track saw was one of those cases. The DeWalt DCS520B cordless track saw was not a purchase I made lightly, because of the cost, but I have not regretted it. With any track saw kit, buying the saw is only one part of the investment.
Working In The Heat
Summer is here! Whether you live with heat all year or just get to have it for a few months, knowing how to manage the conditions around you is vital to staying safe. In my article “Working in Winter” (1/26), I talked about how we cannot control the weather we work in, but we can control how we prepare for it. In my region, summer temps can get into the 30s Celsius (high 90s Fahrenheit) with the added joy of elevated humidity. Yes, the 100-degree temperature swing from winter is fun.
Choosing and Using Your First Specialty Tool
When I started out in the trades the gulf between the tools I had and the tools I thought I needed was vast. Added to that was the fact I didn’t make much money in a starting job. So, I needed to pick my spots in what tools to invest in with my limited resources. I divided my needs into categories: tools to measure and mark material, cut material, fasten that material, and finally, tools to take material apart.
The Little Things
A little while ago a friend called me about a plumbing leak in her basement. The main line from the hot water tank had sprung a leak in the ceiling. Water had sprayed across the floor and onto part of one wall, luckily not for too long before she noticed it. She had already turned off the main water supply valve and was wondering if I could fix the leak or knew someone who could. I told her I would come by that afternoon with my plumbing tools and see what could be done.
Chisel Sharpening Basics
When I was younger, I worked in a restaurant and learned that sharp knifes were essential to being productive. It’s the same with carpentry— dull edges make for poor results. In my experience a dull chisel, planer blade, or saw blade can also be dangerous. Having to force the tool to do the work can lead to an uncontrolled outcome where part of you ends up catching the misdirected tool.
A Barrel of Fun
Occasionally, I build something out of the ordinary. A client may hand me a vague idea or rough sketch and ask me to make it work and look good. Or a client might want to repurpose materials into something that they were never intended for. Both applied to a project I did for friends at a restaurant they were opening. One of the partners had another business selling small oak barrels for aging cocktails and other spirits at home (urbanbarrelcompany.com).
Working in Winter
A constant in construction is adaptation. We must work with the materials, people, and locations we’re given and “make it work” to complete our projects. One of those factors that we cannot control is the weather. While we have yet to figure out a way to bend the seasons to our will, we can control how we prepare for it. The city where I have worked during my career regularly dips below -20°C (-4°F) during the day in winter and sometimes colder. The coldest I can think of was about -35°C (-31°F).
Toolbits
At JLC, we continually receive press releases about new or evolving tools. I also go out into the wild and find out what tools people are talking about on site and what is on offer at local stores or online. While we can’t review every tool we hear about, we decided to highlight a few that have caught our eye and put them out there for you to think about.
The Splurge
My name is Marc and I am a tool guy. One aspect of the trade that I have always enjoyed is discovering, discussing, buying, and using tools. I confess, I have taken on jobs to justify the purchase of a new piece of equipment. That urge to buy the new and shiny is tempered, however, by financial reality and practicality. I know that the $400 hammer with custom colors and space-age materials won’t drive nails that much quicker than my old Estwing, so I resist.
Jobsite Efficiency
Most tradespeople I have met, and all true professional ones, are always looking for ways to get better at their job, whether “better” means tighter joints, more resilient structures, or finer finishes. We search out and share techniques and test what performs best.
Laying Out a Feature Wall
While the speed with which we produce a product determines whether we turn a profit and keep a client happy, it will never make up for poor execution. Most of the jobs you will do will involve careful planning. And for some tasks, planning makes up the bulk of the work. Our attention to careful layout and allowing enough time for it is the focus of this article.
DeWalt's Hood Light on the Job Site
Lighting can be a challenge on jobsites. Task lighting poses even more of a problem, as most available lighting solutions cast light around the space and not down onto your tools. Ideally, I want a light that I can set above a miter saw to cast downward, and I want it to be cordless so it doesn’t use scarce outlet space. The DeWalt hood light is designed to hook on a car’s hood and illuminate the engine bay.
Marc Forget
Training the Trades Marc Forget builds a case for contractor's building their own inhouse training programs to counteract the shortage of skilled labor.
Crown Molding, Step by Step
Crown molding has an elevated place (pun intended) within trim projects. This, I think, has more to do with its visibility than the complexity of its installation. While baseboard and even casing can blend into a home, crown is meant to and does draw the eye. Due to that attention grabbing, it leaves fewer places to hide imperfections and understandably intimidates many carpenters the first few times they tackle it.
A Very Long Way Home
A Very Long Way Home Not just a quick break to visit your parents in their eighties but a whole month together right on the other side of the world? Would you do it? Marc Forget recently completed an epic voyage and reports back on some surprising insights into the dynamics of family life after so many years of having flown the nest.
Du pouvoir à l'autorité
Chronique de Marc Alphonse Forget Profession libérale 20/09/19 09:50 Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Viadeo Email Être détenteur d’un pouvoir (politique, dans l’entreprise, dans une association…) ne garantit pas que l’on ait pour autant de l’autorité, c’est-à-dire qu’on soit volontairement suivi par ceux que l’on doit ou veut entraîner dans son sillage.
Le leader sourche d'attachement
Chronique de Marc Alphonse Forget Profession libérale 24/05/19 12:45 Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Viadeo Email Le leadership suppose que l’on décide volontairement, indépendamment du lien hiérarchique ou de la position, de suivre une personne. Cette adhésion volontaire ne peut se réaliser que si se noue une relation d’attachement entre la personne (collaborateur ou autre) et le leader.
Some Cocoa, A Little Sugar And A Lot Of Passion
At first glance it is hard to imagine a link between the cocoa-producing jungles of Ecuador and this old farmhouse in the hamlet of Charbonnière, on a hillside above Seyssel in France’s Rhône-Alpes region. About 50 km southwest of Geneva, Seyssel is much better known for its artists’ community than for its chocolate. However, in a little workshop behind her house, Clarisse Poudenx creates magic from local ingredients mixed with the ‘food of the gods’ she mostly sources from Ecuador.
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