Apprentice last week told me I was wasting time trimming screws with my side cutters

He was like, 'just use the impact driver to start them and then finish with the screw gun, you're making extra work.' I laughed it off at first. But then I timed myself on a panel changeout after he left. He was right. I was spending about 45 seconds per screw trimming the tip. On a 20-screw panel that adds up to 15 minutes. I told my journeyman about it and he just shrugged and said 'told you that years ago, you never listen.' Guess I should listen to the young guys more. Anyone else get caught in a habit that's actually slower?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona13018d ago

Got a similar wakeup call when I realized I was spending more time taping off receptacles than just popping the covers off and putting them back on after painting. Took a 20-year-old helper to point it out.

oliver81118d ago

Just use the impact driver to start them" - yeah that's solid advice. I've been trimming screws forever and never timed it until now. 45 seconds a pop adds up way quicker than you think.