i sometimes wonder if there will be enough framing work for me for the next 50 or so years

Go to law school nick.

 

i thought i got a good start to my framing/ rough carpentry career :sad:

 

i thought i got a good start to my framing/ rough carpentry career :sad:

You did/are but your young enough not to have to deal with this crap. Do your body a favor and go to school.

 

That's a whole lot of cocozza!

You say it like it's a bad thing.

 

you two sound like fine level headed young men,i'm sure your Dad is proud :thumbsup:

 

Mike good to see your still around .

 

You too Sal. Is Josh still running this site?

 

he probably thinks he should be:whistling:laughing:

 

I concur i am in the military, but went to construction school in replace of a regular public high school, and i am still investing on knowlege and text to keep up with the ever changing field.

 

I'm 25 . About 8 years ago I started working for a contractor picking up garbage and running out for materials for $7.50 hr. I didnt even know how to use a tape measure <-- yes I was that GREEN. I stuck with it. Now I run most of our jobs make the material lists, etc, etc, etc & can do almost any task that needs to be done efficiently. Now I make triple what I used to make read books all the time and am totally addicted to my work. ohh well one day I will venture out on my own but I just cant figure out when that point will be. I'm comfortable right now with my living situation and I think I will just continue this for a few more years till I am a little bit more knowledgeable about the business , instead of taking the learn as you go approach.

 

I am 18 now and all I have ever remembered is me wanting to work with my hands in a trade or on a construction site all my life so far ever since I can remember I followed around friends and family working on their houses that are in trades learning what I can and getting my hands dirty on weekends, I have spent countless hours reading and researching how certain things are done and different methods tools and materials just for my own interest. The thought of getting up and doing something I love doing every day in my near future has me excited. Sure I make mistakes and it sometimes discourages me but it’s part of learning a trade they don’t say you learn from your mistakes for any reason it makes you that much better of a craftsman. With kids who want to get into trades and get worried because they hear the trades are dying but reading some of the stories and advice on this forum show trades are in need more than ever and is nice getting mentoring from guys who want to see the trade live on.

 

Just remember that this is not the first time that the housing market has crashed. Ask any of the older carpenters about the housing crash that happened 30 years ago. Here in Maine they were bulldozing houses because they would not sell. The market will come back and all the hacks that cant hack it will be gone.

 

Im with you kyle. 23 and heading out on my own. I feel like there is a lot more people like us that learn as much as we possibly can as early as we can, and then venture out on our own. I feel like it's difficult to find an employee to work year after year without any ambition of owning his/her own company. Not sure if this is for money or "glory" but hey, it is what it is.

Sure you and I may not know everything, but we're also taking chances to learn on our own dime, but at the same time I am always doing everything I can to learn more. I almost wish I could book enough jobs to hire a more experienced carpenter than I, maybe that will be down the road.

I must say I like your attitude. I'm 37 and have been doing this for 20 years now. I have had guys work for me and learned a lot from them. The learning never ends. Remember that you are the owner. You do not always have to be the best carpenter that works for you!

 

I must say I like your attitude. I'm 37 and have been doing this for 20 years now. I have had guys work for me and learned a lot from them. The learning never ends. Remember that you are the owner. You do not always have to be the best carpenter that works for you!

Thank you, I appreciate that. Well I'm 25 today, still running my own show but mostly as a sub. Moneys decent and still have opportunities to learn everyday from the gc I've been getting work for, who is a great carpenter.

While things are busy with this gc I need to market, and get my construction supervisors license in order to get bigger jobs and hire a crew when we part ways.

 

I'm 25 and i've been trying to do carpentry since out of high school and i've found it very difficult. Right out of high school i was working for a new home builder doing trim work for 10per hour with an old guy in his 70's that screamed and yelled at me and yet didnt want to teach me anything because i wasnt his son. i got tired of being treated like garbage so i moved on to a different new home construction company where i got treated with no respect and no one to treat me anything. being at the bottom of the barrel getting laid off. i then got myself a job in a cabinet shop for $14 per hour building cabinets and custom countertops where i learned some skills but the U.S crashed and that was where most of our work went so i was laid off again. i worked a new different renovation jobs till i finally kinda gave up and started working in restoration. half my job is painting and drywall and i do some trim work, not really carpentry. i'm getting just under $20per hour, they gave me a brand 2012 van that i take home at night with gas paid and i get health benefits. im making it by but not doing exactly what i seen myself doing. i found it a real tough go and nobody around to apprentice under to get my papers. i wouldnt really recommend carpentry to up and comers unless things start to change which i dont see happening. i recommend if your wanting to take a trade do plumbin, electrical or hvac. lots of my buddies i went to school with that took one of these trades is now licensed and making $30 something per hour. carpentry is so general and so uncontrolled.

 

i recommend if your wanting to take a trade do plumbin, electrical or hvac. lots of my buddies i went to school with that took one of these trades is now licensed and making $30 something per hour. carpentry is so general and so uncontrolled.

For one without a frame there would be no houses to plumb or do electric in. There is also nothing general about carpentry. It is a more complicated trade than electric or plumbing. Not only do we always have to learn how to use tons of different tools we also have to learn different ways to construct buildings differently every time the codes change. If you want a job where nothing really changes go for electrical of plumbing. I learn something new everyday and it will never end. Some people just aren't cut out for this type of work & if carpentry was so general than you would have no problem working.

 

i meant general as in there is to many different types of carpentry and its not regulated. You can get licensed and all you do is rough framing or say just trim. I feel carpentry should be more regulated as a trade and divided into rough carpentry, finish, form work, etc, etc. so guys can specialise in certain things. i just worked at a house last week where a few months ago the homeowner hired a licensed carpenter to hang some doors in his house. the guys showed his license and the homeowner thought he was in good hands. the guy completely butchered the doors and the homeowner kicked him out of the house before finishing and the homeowner asked how you even got your license and the guy was like i do basement foundations i dont normally do doors! it takes years even decades to learnt to do everything and well and many dont get the opportunity to learn it all. and theres sooo many guys that are "carpenters" self proclaimed guys hacking up houses everywhere. you dont see average joe blows starting electrical companies, they have to be licensed to work in houses. carpentry should be the same. carpentry is so general and unregulated!

 

It is, however a J-man carpenter will probably always have work, probably given a higher wage and seniority off the bat, etc. As a ticketed carpenter you can work union jobs, school district and municipality jobs, that need proper trade papers.

I've seen Journeyman plumbers competely screw stuff up as well, however since it is a more regulated trade, they do not have to deal with the "riff raff" who are handy, lowering rates across the board.

That is where I agree with you that some aspects of it should be more regulated..However the reality is that when a door is screwed up Mr. HO is pissed but nobody dies. When a wiring job is done wrong, well you can guess. However with framing, if you can pull the permits, you can do the work. With finishing and whatever else, no reguation.

 

Just got my union carpenter mag. Titled '' Canda's construction boom: Americans wanted now. Canada is starting a 10 year energy boom with huge projects coast to coast. Gives all the details of how to get a job there such as passports, background check, and must pass drug test. Seems like Canada is the hot place for carpenters for awhile.

 

Is that where all the decent lumber is disappearing to? Canada? You guys up there going to keep all the premium for yourself and ship us the crate grade chit?

 

I'll hire some of ya's !!!! Get up here!!! That would be fun.

 

Just an odd thought I had the other day, some what relating to this thread.

As some of you know, I went to college for this trade (I know right?), and am currently working on my apprenticeship to the Canadian Red Seal.

When I started school in September of 2006, there were 50 people in my class. All of varying backgrounds, ages, even a few women there.

I just went back for my C-block classes, and talked with the old shop hand, he said that he estimates less than 10 are left in the trade that started school the same year as I did.

What the hell? Are people that lazy? I just don't know why some even bothered. There was a 50% drop out rate after 1 year.

With all you old guys retiring, and my generation not really giving an chit.... looks like bank roll for me.

 

With all you old guys retiring, and my generation not really giving an chit.... looks like bank roll for me.

Cheers to that!:drink:

 

Brut ill retire right now, you can come take over for me

 

im so hurt right now :laughing::laughing:

 

The beauty of any skilled trade is the fact that our jobs will never be outsourced to another country.

 

my exact thoughts :clap:
some Taiwanese infant can't fix your pipes over the phone
so we have to do it :thumbup:

 

A lot of People have put off working on their homes since the this recession reared it's ugly head. I have a feeling things will pop due to all the repair and upgrade needed. These homes won't fix themselves.

 

Well there have been a bunch of posts lately all kind of revolving around a similar theme.

-no apprentices left
-the young don't want to work
-can't find skilled people
-can't make any money
-and a few more I can't remember right now.

But here's the thing - if you are a young man ( or youngish ) then the future is yours for the taking.

The old timers are retireing. There is a huge demand for SKILLED carpenters. HO with money will pay rediculous sums to have work done.

All you need is ambition, training, skills, and you can make a ton of money in this business. The future is bright for you. The demand for skilled people is growing and will continue to grow. The renovation market may be a little slow right now, but it will come back huge.

Just think - who will renovate and repair all the homes out there? I could spend the next 20 years just re-doing bathrooms, let alone the rest of the house.

So come on, get the skills and smarts, have fun, and take advantage of the opportunity that is coming. :thumbsup:

thats what I've been banking on:thumbup:
that and the majority of my generation being sorry asses waiting on a hand out... or going to college for 4 yrs and come out making $10 an hr if they're lucky enough to find a job in their field

 

people will wise up eventually as the wages increase because the supply of good workers decreases. i'm reading a lot of stuff out there about the cost of college not being a good investment vs. the value/benefits of being a tradesperson. the pendulum is swinging back away from being a desk jockey (not that there's anything wrong with that) and back a bit towards working with your hands.
not sure how it is in canada, but down here we have gutted a lot of our trades programs in the schools. so, while the demand may increase in the future, right now i don't think we're equipped to train the next generation. hopefully that changes quickly.

 

i thought i was one of the young ones, im not 32 still hangin in there, i'm thinking there's gonna be a big turn around rate here also, there's not many good carpenters left to contend with, as long as we can keep the outta towners out, im exactly the same as these other ambitious young carpenters striving to do the best work possible, one of my problems is how am i gonna continue learning the advanced top notch carpentry skills, when there's nobody to learn them from? that's a serious question do i quit working for myself and travel out of town or state to work for lower wages to learn more??? keep in mind these lake towns around where i live are fairly small towns, i don't know what i need to do, i've been thinking about taking a cabinet making class coming up soon, but i need one of you masters to come down south and hang out with me for a few years ill by all the beers

 

Maybe you should come up to NY, i'll give you a job...

 

Trust me our lumber is getting worse and worse. I was nailing a window package together today. My king stud and my 2 jacks were all different widths. So had to make sure everything was flush to inside. The day's of grabbing stud's and banging them together are obviously over. Not ti mention our plate material is just crap. Cupped,crooked, and twisted junk junk junk.

 

ill take a pic of the **** we have in hamilton.
radius roofs, no cutting required