Finally got a start..Advice??

[Mark1985]

Hi everyone,

After completing college i've finally been given an opportunity to work as a electrical labourer/mate for a firm on a large site in London.Really happy for a chance but abit nervous as ive not really worked on any big sites..think the works gonna be helping with alot of uni-strut and tray

Anyone got any tips or advice?? as i want to try an make an impression and gain as much experience as i can.. is it a case of turn up, head down and crack on..

Cheers for any advice

 

[shanky887614]

If you are doing unistrut/tray/threaded rod etc and dont want to end up with arms like Popeye from using the hacksaw

MEASURE TWICE ,CUT ONCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

or after a while ask nicely to use a chopsaw if permits allow.

certain sitea you dont need hotworks permits etc on

get some 18 tpi blades for unistrut and 32tpi blades for tray.

or meet in the middle and use 24tpi blades.


buy some decent markers as well. a pack of 12 sharpie markers is £7 on amazon and lasts a while.

(the oil on trunking etc kills pens)

 

[dan86]

dont know how old you are but don't mope about like most youngens.

his username is a giveaway!

 

[Mark1985]

cheers for all the replys, some sound advice on here..ive got basic hand tools etc..is there any other tools i need?..i'm guessing im not gonna be expected to have every tool known to man as im just starting out..

 

[Englishman]

Aye , the old saying " keep your friend close and your enemies even closer" and " Be kind to to those you meet on the way up . as you may need them on the way down"

Oh yes. Tbh, losing that job ****ed me for two months but, looking back, it's the best thing that's happened to me during my sparks career.

 

[ruston]

Oh yes. Tbh, losing that job ****ed me for two months but, looking back, it's the best thing that's happened to me during my sparks career.

It's a long road , but at least with the advent of these forums you can nearly put an old head on young shoulders. Most on here are impartial and willing to help . Not like the jockeying for position that goes on on the sites; unless it has changed very much.

 

[Englishman]

I was lucky in the first 3 and a half months I worked there in that I done a lot of different things so managed to get decent work a few weeks later, told a few porkies on my cv about how long I'd been there, but got away with it because I'd done so many different things.

Was a while ago now, but getting your chance is always the hardest part, once you're in, you should be ok.

 

[grantr37]

Hi everyone,

After completing college i've finally been given an opportunity to work as a electrical labourer/mate for a firm on a large site in London.Really happy for a chance but abit nervous as ive not really worked on any big sites..think the works gonna be helping with alot of uni-strut and tray

Anyone got any tips or advice?? as i want to try an make an impression and gain as much experience as i can.. is it a case of turn up, head down and crack on..

Cheers for any advice

Hello
hows it going Mark 1985...


here's what you might want to get to start you off if you can......


A Half round file

Flat file

Hacksaw

a few 12mm Masonry Drill bits (not ones that are too short, 8 inch ones or something...Bosch are good)

a pack of cheap 6mm metal drill bits (HSS) from screwfix or somewhere..

A Bahco Arbour bit(that's the middle of a holesaw for the drill)

a few 25mm Bahco holesaws and a few 20mm Bahco holesaws, the reason I say Bahco is that they are really good and a lot of the other ones are (A) rubbish and (B) just as expensive......don't get too many this is just to give you a start until they give you the usual cheap ones that break after 20 minutes....when they do break(the company supplied cheapo ones) don't let it bother you as they won't care about that...

A few hacksaw blades

a cheap measuring tape

a cheap steel ruler (maplins are good for this) for marking lines...

A cheap pair of pipe grips (glandies) like the Rolson ones from Maplins

a handfull of cheap marker pens for marking metal (Poundland shops are good for this)

a pair of work Gloves (until they give you gloves)

a pair of safety glasses from ebay or Screwfix (Uvex and Bolle Branded ones are very very good) - you really need these, especially for metal munching...

a packet of ear plugs (to start you off) you can get these cheap from Screwfix or out of any small tool shops.....don't buy them in a builders merchant shop or from a DIY superstore or they will rip you off...

a cheap shifting spanner (small size)

a reasonable hammer, such as a Stanley one, you maybe don't want to spend 50pounds on an estwing one just yet as it would probably get pinched...a stanley will be about 10-15 pounds...

one pair of cheap chunky pliers (a tenner or under is fine)

a small magnetic spirit level(pocket level) such as a Stabila, make sure its one with a magnet on it, shouldn't cost more than about 15pounds...

a Drill chuck key, they are ok priced at screwfix...

one tin of WD40 for threading and cleaning conduit ends...

a good pair of sidecutters (wire cutting pliers) such as Knipex ones....these are about 25 pounds but they are good and last a long time...

a tool belt to put it all in....

mark all of your tools as you think best with paint or permanent marker pen to make them easily identifiable...

if you can get very cheap paintbrushes nearby or from a screwfix/screwfix website (the 60p ones) then 1 or 2 of these would be handy to have in your toolkit for painting on the Galvi Zinc paint on cut UniStrut etc...



in addition to your tools, buy an assortment of plasters, a small pack of savlon wipes, a couple of individually sealed Bandages and 1 or 2 small bottles of eye wash for your piece bag (lunch bag) and there are instant ice packs available in some chemists and on ebay or through an online first aid company such as Bostock Healthcare, these are good to keep around for bumped knees that can happen, they have granules inside and you squeeze the bag until the seal inside bursts and mixes them, the ice pack freezes up in seconds....very handy and about a pound each...

if you need a hand with tools let me know and I will see what I can do, have helped out new starts on here before...


any questions just ask...

 

[Robert Turnbull]

If you have to borrow a tool twice. Buy it asap
(Common sense applied)

No one will expect u to have everything but it gets annoying lending people stuff regularly especially basic tools.

This shows some willing aswell

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Arguing with others is a very good point. In my first sparks job (after going through college), I fell out with one of the lads, he was a complete knob and later became bosses pet, and ended up getting the boot and finding out after that he'd been bull****ting about me doing things wrong.

There will always be certain people asked about how you're getting on, falling out with them won't help your cause, but keep your head down and pay attention. Even after a couple of months, if you do a lot of varied things, you'll be set up well enough to forge a good career mate.

well....you can usually spot who the arse sniffer is going round on site....

 

[ruston]

well....you can usually spot who the arse sniffer is going round on site....

Quicker to spot who isn't lol.

 

[Fast&Rough]

Go buy a new set of work trousers and plain polo and jumper so you look like you belong and doesn't look like you have just walked in off the street and buy a pack of biscuits every now and again,also don't rip the pish out of other people until you have worked with them and know it's true

 

[shanky887614]

Go buy a new set of work trousers and plain polo and jumper so you look like you belong and doesn't look like you have just walked in off the street and buy a pack of biscuits every now and again,also don't rip the pish out of other people until you have worked with them and know it's true

and for gods sake make sure to buy a belt.

or they will end up around your ankles when you stand on a pair of steps.

or corridor. leather belt preferably as with elastic they can still yank them down.

there are a lot of pranksters about on sites

 

[KAS1]

1x 17mm spanner (open one end, ratchet the other), 1 x 19mm spanner (open one end, ratchet the other). 17mm and 19mm box spanners that'll fit inside unistrut.

 

[shanky887614]

1x 17mm spanner (open one end, ratchet the other), 1 x 19mm spanner (open one end, ratchet the other). 17mm and 19mm box spanners that'll fit inside unistrut.

rachet set from halfords is best for bolts for unistrut.

and buy the socket adapter so yiu can put them on your drill, makes like a lot easier sometimes. especially when you get the odd hex headed screw

 

[Redvanman]

Hello
hows it going Mark 1985...


here's what you might want to get to start you off if you can......


A Half round file

Flat file

Hacksaw

a few 12mm Masonry Drill bits (not ones that are too short, 8 inch ones or something...Bosch are good)

a pack of cheap 6mm metal drill bits (HSS) from screwfix or somewhere..

A Bahco Arbour bit(that's the middle of a holesaw for the drill)

a few 25mm Bahco holesaws and a few 20mm Bahco holesaws, the reason I say Bahco is that they are really good and a lot of the other ones are (A) rubbish and (B) just as expensive......don't get too many this is just to give you a start until they give you the usual cheap ones that break after 20 minutes....when they do break(the company supplied cheapo ones) don't let it bother you as they won't care about that...

A few hacksaw blades

a cheap measuring tape

a cheap steel ruler (maplins are good for this) for marking lines...

A cheap pair of pipe grips (glandies) like the Rolson ones from Maplins

a handfull of cheap marker pens for marking metal (Poundland shops are good for this)

a pair of work Gloves (until they give you gloves)

a pair of safety glasses from ebay or Screwfix (Uvex and Bolle Branded ones are very very good) - you really need these, especially for metal munching...

a packet of ear plugs (to start you off) you can get these cheap from Screwfix or out of any small tool shops.....don't buy them in a builders merchant shop or from a DIY superstore or they will rip you off...

a cheap shifting spanner (small size)

a reasonable hammer, such as a Stanley one, you maybe don't want to spend 50pounds on an estwing one just yet as it would probably get pinched...a stanley will be about 10-15 pounds...

one pair of cheap chunky pliers (a tenner or under is fine)

a small magnetic spirit level(pocket level) such as a Stabila, make sure its one with a magnet on it, shouldn't cost more than about 15pounds...

a Drill chuck key, they are ok priced at screwfix...

one tin of WD40 for threading and cleaning conduit ends...

a good pair of sidecutters (wire cutting pliers) such as Knipex ones....these are about 25 pounds but they are good and last a long time...

a tool belt to put it all in....

mark all of your tools as you think best with paint or permanent marker pen to make them easily identifiable...

if you can get very cheap paintbrushes nearby or from a screwfix/screwfix website (the 60p ones) then 1 or 2 of these would be handy to have in your toolkit for painting on the Galvi Zinc paint on cut UniStrut etc...



in addition to your tools, buy an assortment of plasters, a small pack of savlon wipes, a couple of individually sealed Bandages and 1 or 2 small bottles of eye wash for your piece bag (lunch bag) and there are instant ice packs available in some chemists and on ebay or through an online first aid company such as Bostock Healthcare, these are good to keep around for bumped knees that can happen, they have granules inside and you squeeze the bag until the seal inside bursts and mixes them, the ice pack freezes up in seconds....very handy and about a pound each...

if you need a hand with tools let me know and I will see what I can do, have helped out new starts on here before...


any questions just ask...

crikey I've only got a hammer and screwdriver