Hiring a good trim carpenter helper without screwing up invoicing
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SawdustSavant19
·3d·16 replies·17 participants
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SawdustSavant19⚒️ JourneymanOP3d
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I've been doing cabinet installs and custom trim work solo for years, but now that I'm taking on bigger jobs like full kitchen remodels, I need a reliable helper. Been in the Chicago area my whole career, and finding someone who knows their way around a miter saw without mangling crown molding is tough. Last time I hired a guy, he kept messing up measurements, which threw off my material costs and made invoicing a nightmare - had to eat $200 on that one job because the waste added up. I'm thinking of using Jobber for tracking hours and materials now, so everything ties straight into the invoice without manual bullshit. Anyone else run into this? What's your go-to for onboarding so the new guy doesn't tank your billing? Oh, and I watched this Essential Craftsman video on hiring that made me rethink my approach.
hired a helper once who thought a miter saw was for making margaritas, ended up with more scraps than a dog's breakfast and i ate $150 in waste. jobber's a lifesaver for tracking that crap, but onboarding? start with a 'no measuring while hungover' rule and buy the guy lunch if he nails the first crown joint. essential craftsman nailed it on hiring, but man, chicago winters make everyone measure twice anyway. 😂
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NailGunNinja11⚒️ Journeyman2d
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finding a decent helper around here is a damn joke, every ones a wannabe who cant cut straight and screws your whole schedule. that $200 hit? chump change compared to the time i ate a grand on wasted lumber cuz the clown couldnt read a tape measure.
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CrownMoldingMoron⚒️ Journeyman2d
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goddamn helpers who cant measure for shit are the bane of every trim guys existence, man. i had one last summer who turned a simple baseboard run into a waste pile that cost me $350 outta pocket, and the client still bitched about the delay. its like they think crown moldings grow on trees or something, but no, every screwup hits our wallet direct. those job sites turn into crap-shows when youre solo and suddenly dragging dead weight. jobber might help track it, but it wont fix the idiots who dont know a 45 from a 90 on the miter. chicago winters make it worse too, materials warp and then boom, more errors. we all eat these losses cause finding a decent helper is like winning the lottery. screw it, maybe we start a union just for trim carpenters to weed out the morons.
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SodSlinger2⚒️ Journeyman2d
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don't hire a helper without running a full mock job first, or you'll end up like the guy i know who lost $500 on wasted trim 'cause his newbie couldn't cope with compound angles. trust me, that shit turns a good week into a crapshoot real quick.
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CoilCleaner⚒️ Journeyman2d
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jobber's overrated, just breeds lazy helpers who clock time instead of learning the trade. pay cash under the table for the first month and see if they can cut a 45 without bitching about the angle.
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V4193🌱 Newcomer2d
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man i tried hiring a helper last month and the idiot sliced up half my crown molding waste, cost me $150 in extra materials and now im scared to invoice right cuz of the screw ups.
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BloomBandit⚒️ Journeyman2d
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set up jobber's time tracking right from day one with a quick demo on your first job together, it'll cut down on those measurement screw-ups and keep materials logged automatically. for onboarding, i run a half-day shadow session where the helper measures and cuts scraps while i supervise, no big jobs til they nail 10 pieces of crown without waste. saves you from eating costs like that $200 hit, trust me.
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JointJuggler2🔧 Apprentice2d
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hired a helper once who measured everything like he was guessing the lotto numbers, turned a simple baseboard run into a scrapyard special. i started making him buy his own pizza if he wasted more than 10% materials, and damn if that didnt fix his aim quick. now we both eat better and the invoices stay pretty.
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TermiteTerminator⚒️ Journeyman2d
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finding a decent helper is a crapshoot, i hired this one guy last year who couldnt measure a damn baseboard to save his life and i ended up eating $150 in scrap wood. onboarding? just tell em to shadow you for the first week without touching the miter saw or your invoices will be a nightmare.
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PackRatPro2⚒️ Journeyman2d
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man, i feel that - hired a helper last year who butchered so much trim i ate $300 in waste and invoicing was a total crap show.
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RoofRat99⚒️ Journeyman2d
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man, eating that $200 on waste from a helper's screwups hits right in the wallet, been there more times than i care to count.
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TenYearVet9⭐ Expert11h
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yeah, that $200 waste from a green helper's mistakes stings like hell every time. been chasing sawdust and fixing angled miters all day just to eat the cost myself. you'd think after a few jobs they'd get the hang of it, but nope, wallet lighter and patience thinner. solid commiseration, brother - we all got those scars.
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DirtBagLandscaper6⭐ Expert2d
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hired my first helper two years back and turned him into a beast on trim work, now we're cranking out full remodels without a single waste dollar on materials. jobber's saved my ass on invoicing, ties hours right to the job and spits out clean bills that clients actually pay fast. onboarding's simple: first week's just shadowing me on the miter saw, no cuts till he nails the angles every time.
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HaulHustler⚒️ Journeyman1h
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finding decent helpers in this market is a total crapshoot, half the time they show up clueless and screw your whole schedule. chicago's full of 'em too, and dont get me started on how angi leads just flood you with more of the same garbage.
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WattTheHeck27⚒️ Journeyman3d
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Haha, my last helper thought a speed square was for racing - billed him for the scrap lumber he turned into kindling.
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NotAnElectrician6⚒️ Journeyman3d
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Screw those clowns who hire without a trial run. Every time some green kid shows up, it's the same story - they butcher the stock, waste piles up, and now you're chasing payments on a job that cost you double in materials. Insurance won't touch half the claims from shoddy work either. We all get burned until we start firing faster than we hire.
