I thought it would be a good idea to hire a professional. I could
have done it myself, but since a company I consult for was awarded a contract
by the local public library, I thought I could share the wealth, and perhaps
learn a thing or two from a real contractor.
The objective: bolt down a park bench to a concrete pad.
That meant drilling 4 holes into the concrete, installing concrete anchors,
then bolting down the bench leg ends. Easy... you would think.
So I hired Jim (name not changed - there’s no way I’m
protecting the innocent on this one!). Good guy, friend, hard worker, and
besides, installing a bench is a lot easier with 2 people. I also used his
truck, and his gas.
“Jim, have you ever drilled through concrete before?” I
asked. I may as well have asked Jim if he had ever used a screw driver, or
plumbed a wall. After insulting his intelligence, I told him he was hired. I
also said I would take care of renting the hammer drill from the local tool
rental shop in town. You need a hammer drill to drill into concrete.
Halfway to the library, I asked Jim if he had an extension
cord - these hammer drills run on electricity you know.
Nope.
“Jim, this is your truck, and you are a
contractor. I would think you’d have a few cords hiding under the bench seat at
the back”. So we double backed home and I grabbed one of mine. Not off to a
rock solid start.
We finally get to the library, and I tell Jim that I’ll mark the holes, but
he is the guy with the pipes, so he can use the hammer drill. We’re only drilling
down an inch, 4 holes, no big deal.
The first hole took a while.
The 2nd hole took even longer - something was amiss. I’m thinking the guy who gave me the drill bit is going to
get an earful - the thing must be dull.
On the third hole, I noticed Jim putting all his weight on
top of the drill... and he was beginning to sweat a bit. Being a contractor is quite the workout!
Suddenly a light bulb went on. Jim stopped. Looked
at the drill. And noticed a button. Pretty sure the button had a picture of a
hammer on it.
We had a good laugh… the 4th hole went in like a
knife through butter.
Jim got a good ribbing, and he knows I’ll never forget!!
Just the other day he texted me this photo:
With the caption: Any idea what the little hammer symbol on
this tool means?
It takes a big man to laugh at himself.
Got a construction fail story that beats this and can garner
up some laughs? Send it to us, and we’ll throw it up on the wall!
Another funny story worth reading:
Old Gus