# I'm a new apprentice and am having trouble with the little things



## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Time on the tools is the only thing that cures this stuff.


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## Shettrick (Jun 6, 2018)

I'm pretty handy with tools but I don't know the best way to do it today I was working with the basics a line a level, strut and strut straps. I was trying to plumb up my stub ups and it just seemed to take forever to get everything plum in all directions


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Shettrick said:


> I'm pretty handy with tools but I don't know the best way to do it today I was working with the basics a line a level, strut and strut straps. I was trying to plumb up my stub ups and it just seemed to take forever to get everything plum in all directions


It does take time to do anything you've never done before. Do it right. Speed comes later. Stubs, in particular, are important to have right. Speed comes with practice. When I said, "time on the tools", I didn't intend to imply that you don't know how to use tools. I more or less meant "practice". Don't fret about it. Nobody was born knowing this stuff.


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## Shettrick (Jun 6, 2018)

yeah that's very true practice does make perfect


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Wait until you're trying to get stubs right in a soupy muddy ditch. You'll have pieces of rebar and strut pounded in 19 different directions to try to hold things where you'd like them to be. When you're working in the earth, there's no really good textbook way sometimes.


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## matt1124 (Aug 23, 2011)

mdshunk said:


> wait until you're trying to get stubs right in a soupy muddy ditch. You'll have pieces of rebar and strut pounded in 19 different directions to try to hold things where you'd like them to be *just long enough for the concrete guys to come in and f*ck it up and trip over it, graze it with the bobcat, and cast it into some permanent oddball angle where you've got to buy a 1-1/4 rigid bender that you never use again just to get the pipe to tuck up next to the wall*. When you're working in the earth, there's no really good textbook way sometimes.


fify


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## cabletie (Feb 12, 2011)

Do what I would do........blame it on the trench.


Although a lot of trench work is just throw it in, there are parts that take as long if not longer than doing exposed work. Hopefully the old timer will show you some things that will make your life easier. Other times "there isn't much to it than to do it", meaning fight your way through it. 

Man I always hated hearing that saying!


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

What would you guys think of a tool which is a quarter circle which you'd hold against a conduit (or have a quick clamp to hold it while you work) which has two vials (levels) to measure plumb in 2 directions 90 degrees apart?

Everyone's worked in ground where the slope or something else gave a false perception of level (think gravity hill). 

Would this make that task easier? Enough that you'd spend the $ and store it on the truck for when you need it?


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

MikeFL said:


> What would you guys think of a tool which is a quarter circle which you'd hold against a conduit (or have a quick clamp to hold it while you work) which has two vials (levels) to measure plumb in 2 directions 90 degrees apart?
> 
> Everyone's worked in ground where the slope or something else gave a false perception of level (think gravity hill).
> 
> Would this make that task easier? Enough that you'd spend the $ and store it on the truck for when you need it?


You mean a post level that they sell in every hardware store in America?


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

when working in the mud and dirt, its always a good idea to have the right size tool. Using a 6' level or a 6" level are both when what you need is a 2' level. Lots of guys use a crappy 6" level and their stuff is way off, when they could just use the corner of the building next to them, or the mortar joints on some block to use as a better level. 

but more importantly, if your boss is old school or you are working with good tradesmen, learn from them. watch, ask questions, etc.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Welcome to Electrician Talk. 
Please take a few minutes and fill out your profile.


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

I use the double level, lots of tiewire method.
The worst part is getting the stubs where they belong without any references.
Get, and learn how to use a scale rule.


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## Flyingsod (Jul 11, 2013)

Shettrick said:


> I was trying to plumb up my stub ups and it just seemed to take forever to get everything plum in all directions




You fool! You’re doing it right! J/k

I’ve used two pieces of plywood with holes in the appropriate places. Keep em a foot apart and when one pipe is level they are all level. Just gotta watch out for twist. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## TGGT (Oct 28, 2012)

Laser level and a line laser would make everything easier faster. Extra time now saves a ton of time, money and frustration later. Check and double, triple check your work. Know what side your pipes need to line up on. This will matter more with different sized conduits. Check clearances into any enclosures you will enter. Don't line them up at the back of a control panel when it will need up to an 1" before you're clear of the backboard and devices. Also remember clearance for lock nuts.

Know your tolerances, give yourself some wiggle room, but install like you need to hit gnats ass. This way if the supports shift, or somebody hits them they will hopefully be workable.

Run a spare conduit or 2 in case you lose one, or they add something later. 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

Was on a job once and an apprentice was installing a lamp post. It had a taper on it. He would put his level against the taper, make it plumb, then go to the opposite side and do the same thing, rocking it back and forth, scratching his head. Even though it was opportune setup to make him feel like a fool, I politely walked over and said "You can't plumb a tapered post by putting the level on the tapered part; you need to hold your level down by the bottom of the post where it's straight." 

I guess if that happened today someone would pull out a phone and start recording. 

So when did they come out with that post level? It sounds pretty neat.


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