Overheard a guy at the supply house talking about his first solo stair build

I was picking up some oak treads yesterday and this older carpenter was telling the counter guy about his apprentice's first set of stairs. He said the kid spent two whole days just laying out the stringers, checking each rise and run three times. The guy said, 'He was so scared to make the first cut, I thought he'd wear out the pencil.' But then he said the kid's work was perfect, no shims, no squeaks. It made me think about my own first big job, a deck rebuild in Akron where I messed up the ledger board spacing. That fear of wasting material can really freeze you up. Now I try to give new guys that same room to measure twice, or three times, without rushing them. What's a job that made you slow way down at the start?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_faith15d ago

Honestly, what was the first cut you ever felt that nervous about making? Tbh I still get that feeling with expensive trim sometimes.

stellanelson15d ago

Oh, the first time I cut my own bangs.

leo_fisher14d ago

My friend once gave herself a full mullet, @stellanelson.