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Discussion Forum

Hints for working in the rain?

fingers | Posted in General Discussion on January 14, 2005 11:24am

‘ supposed to rain again today. 

It’s been said here before, that in the Pacific Northwest, if you want to work you will be working in the rain. 

How do you guys deal with it?  I mean tools, materials,  electricity, caulking, clothes etc.?  Does your productivity go down, or are you so used to it that your productivity actually declines when the sun is shining, because you’re busy looking at the view? 

We’ll be swimming soon.

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Replies

  1. User avater
    jagwah | Jan 15, 2005 12:12am | #1

    Check out the last page in this months JLC magazine. It's a geodesic dome over the house to allow for winter work. Excellent idea.

    But if I'm not mistaken there is an old FHB issue where they put up a circus tent over their project to finish during a harsh winter.

     

  2. User avater
    Longhair | Jan 15, 2005 12:21am | #2

    RAIN DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1. john | Jan 15, 2005 12:30am | #3

      "If the rain comes, they run and hide their heads"

      One for the music fans.

      John

  3. toolbear | Jan 15, 2005 12:36am | #4

    Hailing from the San Juans, my solution is to migrate south in the fall to sunny Southern California before the rain starts blowing sideways again.  Here I can work in the warm sunshine until May.

    However, this season I must say that this practice has come up a bit short since the end of December.  We have set rainfall records.  It's sandbags and more and "@#$%, the mud's getting in the street." 

    For some reason, they frown on that.  Why? What are storm drains for?  There is plenty of silt to go around this season.

     

    For winter framing in WA -

    I do recommend brass drain grommets in your bags - unless you like a sluge of wet sawdust.

    Multiple chalk lines.

    Lots of WD 40

    Really good GoreTex FWG - hooded jacket and pants - and I recommend Cabela's.  I am still using a +10 yr old parka. 

    Temp shelter over the saw table. 

    No Oxy leather bags.  Get the cordura models.

    One set of clothes drying, one getting wet.

    Rubber boots.  No roofing.

     

     

    The ToolBear

    "Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.

    1. Isamemon | Jan 15, 2005 04:17am | #13

      tool bear is right on, but missing a few items

      1) a compressor with a blow nozzle for blowing off tools and blowing the sawdust "mud" out of the 77's gaurd and off the sencos safetys

      2)  a microwave, and one with a twist dial for a timer, the electronic ones , the mositure gets too and they crap out faster

      3) a good sence of humor and the knowledge that bills dont get paid if your not working

  4. User avater
    jonblakemore | Jan 15, 2005 12:43am | #5

    From an old FHB

     

    Jon Blakemore

    1. DThompson | Jan 15, 2005 03:06am | #9

      That dome is a great idea but would be cost prohibitive on a smaller house, the one covered is 7500 square feet with lots of land around it to erect the thing.

    2. alias | Jan 15, 2005 03:32am | #11

      if memory serves i think??that picture was in the hamptons here on long island , it also had a write up in a local paper. what a great idea.."expectations are premeditated resentments"

      1. UncleDunc | Jan 15, 2005 03:48am | #12

        I still think a pole barn would be easier to get in and out of. And no worry about it deflating over the weekend.

        Edited 1/14/2005 7:49 pm ET by Uncle Dunc

    3. Isamemon | Jan 15, 2005 04:18am | #14

      Blakemore,

      'no stinkin fair

      1. User avater
        jonblakemore | Jan 15, 2005 04:21am | #15

        Huh? 

        Jon Blakemore

        1. Isamemon | Jan 15, 2005 04:31am | #16

          thats no fair, I work in the rain so much, that would be nice to eork in that environemnt.

          I thought about circus tents, even saw that article the other night in JLC

          but that all costs money too and when your trying to bid competatively yo cant add 3k to build a geo dome, or the ???k    for that tent you showed

          today, I froze my butt off in freezing rain, and then had to drive home on slick icy roads

          thats why I said

          no fair

          1. User avater
            jonblakemore | Jan 15, 2005 04:34am | #17

            I see.How much more productive (in $$) do you think you would be if you had conditions like that to work in? I wonder if we could quantify the true cost of building shelter? 

            Jon Blakemore

          2. Isamemon | Jan 15, 2005 08:13pm | #22

            Jon

            I agree we would all be a lot more productive and happy

            I just havent really sat to figure how much it would cost/save especially in competative bidding wars

            however, after one is up, and makybe get some news coverage, local paper etc, it might help grow the biz

            interesting

    4. Hazlett | Jan 15, 2005 02:30pm | #21

       Jon,

      I once read a Dick Francis novel in which one of the characters was a builder in England who specialized in buying abandoned, tumbledown buildings----and then turning them into something spectacular.---the character rented a Circus tent over the project untill it was dried in---------

      I always thought that was a WAY cool idea-----but probably not practical

      Then a couple of years ago I bought S. Azby Browns' " The Genius Of Japanese Carpentry" which had a number of pictures of a Buddhist temple being built inside a Huge temporary structure. The Temple itself was an enourmous timber frame structure completely erected and roofed indoors.

      Very cool book BTW

      Stephen

  5. User avater
    dieselpig | Jan 15, 2005 02:39am | #6

    Get all the one dollar bills you can find and head straight to the nudie bar.

     

    Seriously.... we just deal with it, I guess.  Granted I'm in MA and not the PacNW, but we see a fair amount of rain, warm and cold.  Today for instance was 61 degrees when I got out of the truck at 7am..... buy 3:30 it was 34 degrees and we were soaked..... and frozen.

    The framing tools take the weather fairly well.  End of a rainy day and everything gets blown off/ dried with compressed air and wiped down with a WD40 rag before it gets put away.   I try pretty hard to not have to use the table saw or the slider in the rain.  In the past, I have put up a 12X16 canopy type thing for a cutting station when building and finishing decks or exterior trim that had to be completed in foul weather and require a little more finnesse than a wormdrive and a framing gun can provide.  Keeps morale up too.

    Clothing?  I really don't wear any specific rain gear but if I was in the PacNw, I'm sure I'd own either Grunden's (sp?) or a Gore-Tex suit.  I just bring a couple of spare layers and swap off the top two layers for something dry around mid day.  Waterproof boots are a must year 'round in my opinion.  A hat is a given.... preferably one with either a Bosch logo or a Red Sox logo!  ;)

    Electricity.... ground plugs in good order and GFCI outlets.

    Productivity slows for sure in foul weather..... but not enough for me to call the day off most of the time.  Occasionally I'll look around and see that it's just not happening that day..... I usually ask the guys what they want to do.... if they need the hours we stay, if they are miserable and just want to go home, we go home.  I also try really hard not to be too much of a ball breaker on nasty days.... it's important to keep the mood light to keep the productivity up.  An extra 15 min break with a round of coffee on me goes an unbelievably long way.  A couple pizzas goes even further.

  6. Piffin | Jan 15, 2005 02:50am | #7

    We save up for it. Put time into the savings bank.

    In other words, we know there will be bad weather days, and we do remodeling. That always means a mix of inside and outside work.So today the weather was fould.
    I stayed in and did paperwork and phone callls.
    One lead man was on the job and framed in a new room alone and did some minor demo.
    the other one and his jhelper worked in the shop on some custom doors we have been putting off until a rainy day
    Another helper would have had some demo work had he showed up, but he had a death in the family and felt like he needed a day to be with them all.

    We work outside until weather drives us in and then there is stuff to do.
    Wasn't so when I was strictly a roofer, but that is part of the reason I am no longer

     

     

    Welcome to the
    Taunton University of
    Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
     where ...
    Excellence is its own reward!

  7. User avater
    Timuhler | Jan 15, 2005 03:02am | #8

    I'm in WA state too.  Here is a pic of me fully suited up.  That is a Grundens pullover and Grundens pants.  They are so comfortable it's like I'm not in raingear.  I also wear an OR Seattle Sombrero http://images.rei.com/media/238313_363Lrg.jpg  A hat is a must.

    I'm on my way out, but I think that working in the rain is a mindset.  If it's raining when I get to work, I have an easier time.  If it starts raining, its more difficult for me.  I'm not sure why.

     

    http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/6234797/80938207.jpg

  8. woodguy99 | Jan 15, 2005 03:13am | #10

    Ideally we do inside work on rainy and bitter cold days.  But, today for example, the only thing on the list was to install storm windows.  So on goes the Goretex jacket and pants, the boots are waxed and waterproof anyway, and we work in the rain.  For a while.  Until all the storm windows were on, mid-afternoon, and it's a Friday, and we have 40 hours in this week anyway, so we leave and I get some extra time on Breaktime.

    When you're going to be in one spot for a while you can make a tent out of 6-mil plastic, staples, and some 1x3 strapping.  Roll the plastice up in the strapping a few times and screw it to the house.  Roll the other end of the plastic around a piece of strapping, and add a couple of legs.  With some rope stays it's a pretty rugged setup, as long as the wind isn't too strong.

  9. bobtim | Jan 15, 2005 07:39am | #18

    Well we get around 100" of rain per year. Good rain gear is essential. A commerical fishery supplier is a good place to get the good stuff.

    When building residential, always paint your fascia board before the framers put it up. Then you can get your gutters installed (but not yer downspouts) with just a 90 elbow at the drain directing the water away from the house. Makes life easier and safer for siding and such.

    Ain't nothing worse than holding your arms up (siding) in the rain so all the water runs down yer sleeves. Though we do wear rubber gloves that go halfway to yer elbow on the outside of yer jacket (ya just have to hold your hands up all day or the rain is going to come in. Ha ha).

    wd 40 is my friend

  10. gdavis62 | Jan 15, 2005 07:52am | #19

    We wait until it cools down and starts snowing.

  11. Diamond | Jan 15, 2005 08:20am | #20

    As others have said good rain gear is a must, I use the same Grundens as Tim wears but I wear the Grundens fisherman hat. It has a large bill in the back to keep the water off your neck and a gutter in the front. I wear Red Wing insulated Gortex boots which are comy all day and keep your feet dry as a bone. The only thing I have never been able to find are good water proof gloves that are durable and have some dexterity. When we get our floor on the first thing we do is snap out all our lines while the floor is clean and dry. If it is really dumping I'll just work through lunch and leave early, I have a hard time stopping getting warm and a full belly and have to go back out. The tools seem to do fine in the rain the biggest problems are the GFI's tripping if your cords and grounds are not up to speed. Like Tim said it is a mindset you just put your head down and go. Tape measures don't last very long either, I've gone through tapes in a few days. It does get to you after a while though when you get consecutive weeks of rain but you do what you have to do.

    1. toolbear | Jan 16, 2005 07:57am | #25

      @@ but I wear the Grundens fisherman hat. It has a large bill in the back to keep the water off your neck and a gutter in the front.

      Yes, the classic Sou'wester hat.  Have one with my FWG on the boat.  Had not thought to use one when framing in the rain, but it would work well.

      Today here in SoCal was more like it - sunny and in the 70s. 

       The ToolBear

      "Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.

  12. Isamemon | Jan 15, 2005 08:15pm | #23

    As far as others have mentioned rain gerar, make sure it is breatheable

    another nice trick. If your lucky and you get your decking down on a dry day, snap lines asap and then shoot over them with clear spray paint. then wehn it starts raining, your lies will still be there.

    1. jimblodgett | Jan 15, 2005 08:26pm | #24

      I'm an old rubber barn boots, Helly Hanson, hard hat rain gear guy (never seen a hard hat soak through).  I'd like to hear more about this "Grunden" raingear.  How does it hold up?  Does it get stiff with age?  Tear easilly?

      Soft pencils mark wet lumber better than hard lead pencils and ink pencil work great on wet plywood for permanent layout marks...never used one but I'm betting an ink line would work better than a chalk line too. 

      I try to remember to dry out my chalklines by running them back and forth in a zig zag whenever they need it and use another (probably have 6 or 8).  I've worked with carpenters who replaced the cotton lines in their chalk boxes with nylon, or even braided fishing line, saying they were stronger and that they didn't absorb/hold as much water - of course, they don't absorb/hold as much chalk either.

        

      1. User avater
        Timuhler | Jan 16, 2005 08:31am | #27

        Jim,

        We (3 of us) wear the Grundens Petrus 760 Waterproof shirt  http://www.grundens.com/standard6.html  It is slightly stretchy so it is very comfortable.  I wear it as a wind breaker if its really cold out or windy.  It isn't cheap.  I think I got mine for about $80, but I'm on my fourth year with it (no holes in it and I'm outside framing).  I have the Petrus 116 bib pants (in orange of course, I need to match) and they are slightly stretchy as well.  They are really comfortable.  I have repaired a couple of minor holes, but the Grundens repair kit is awesome.  Even if the gear is wet, you can use the glue to seal the hole on small holes.  The holes I've repaired were tiny. 

        I'm not easy on any of my gear and they are lasting really well.  I've been using this gear for 3 years (in my fourth) and if I had to replace it, I would get the same gear.  The Seattle Sombrero (see earlier post) is great as well.  I have 2 of them, I thought I'd misplaced one and turned out Jasen had it in his truck :-)  I swear by this hat.  It's better than the Grundens hat because the brim is bigger on the front and its GoreTex.  Jasen has the Grundens hat and switched to the OR hat.  You can get it at REI

        Around here, Whistle Workwear has Grundens and the local sports shop in Silverdale has it too.  I know it's not tough to find.

        1. jimblodgett | Jan 16, 2005 05:52pm | #28

          Thanks, Tim.  I'll take a look. 

          Get icey out your way yesterday?  Black ice everywhere in the South Sound.  Trecherous driving conditions. 

          1. mhilton | Jan 18, 2005 03:14am | #32

            No such thing as black ice , if you pick it  up off the road it clear. the road is black

        2. Isamemon | Jan 16, 2005 08:36pm | #29

          I am not disagreeing, just asking. grundens must have changed its formul over the years. I still have a set, but they did nto breathe enough for me and I was wet from sweating not getting out 

          maybe I need to look again, cause after this season, Im do for a new set of rain gear.

          1. User avater
            Timuhler | Jan 17, 2005 12:13am | #30

            Which kind do you have?  I know their thick PVC rain coats are stiff and I don't know how anyone can work in them.

    2. cardiaceagle | Jan 18, 2005 02:47am | #31

      I use to do that trick with the clear over the snapped lines,but now

      I just use the black chalk . Was surprised big time by how well it

      holds up...... and no more slipping on the clear spray.      regards

  13. ronaldrady | Jan 16, 2005 08:23am | #26

    Wow, I would pray for rain right about now...had -48 here all last week. Every morning I would wake up hoping I forgot to plug the truck in the night before. Seems about the only thing you can't do at 40 below is vinyl siding and asphalt shingles, although I did shingle my own garage at 20 below last spring....maybe I'll move south.

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