Showerthought: I thought the 'measure twice, cut once' thing was just a saying until a $400 mistake.

I was doing a roof on a house in Springfield and needed to cut a long valley rafter. I eyeballed it, cut it, and it was off by a full inch. The boss made me buy the new board out of my check. The next day, I actually measured from both ends and marked it with a sharp pencil. The cut was perfect. Has anyone else had a simple rule save them from a big mess?

3 comments

3 Comments

jakem981mo ago

Man that hits close to home. Last summer I was pressure washing a big deck and just started blasting without checking all the boards. Turns out the stain was way older and more brittle than I thought. Ended up blasting right through the finish and into the soft wood in one spot. Cost me half the job's pay to have it sanded and re-stained. Now I test a hidden spot every single time, no matter what. That simple check saves so much headache.

nora_park7227d ago

Ever try starting with a lower pressure setting first?

juliagonzalez1mo ago

Ugh I feel that @jakem98. I once got overconfident and tried to "save time" by skipping the test spot. Let's just say I learned that lesson the expensive way too.