Two and Yet not One

So I got a new job. As of two weeks ago I am working with Clide Parker. He is the pastor of the Quaker church down the street who also happens to be a general conrtractor two + days a week (also the leader of the mexico trip). He recently took on a full house construction with his son and was looking for some help. After considering the fact that the pay is better, the hours more regular and all around more pleasant working environment I decided to take him up on it.

So far the house looks something like this (i will get some real pictures soon):



But setting those 1000lb trusses on Friday it felt a lot more like this:



So now, for those of you keeping track, please add these to the tools regularly used:



Framing Air Nail Gun: Shoots up to 3.5" nails into solid wood. So you know as well as I do that it would easily go through anywhere I might hit on myself, and while Chad put one into his calf a year ago I have done nothing of the sort. Essencial for those engineered walls where we need nails every 2" on the edges of the sheeting (dang engineers. what are they good for anyway?).



Skill Saw: a.k.a. wood cutter. Does a good clean job on osb and the like. While it is harder to keep straight than a table saw it is much more portable (side note this tool continues to scare me everytime i use it)




Hammer: yes it helps put in nails. Yes, this brand was formerly named the "Death Stick". Not sure why that name didn't stick. They say it is a collectors item. Note to self: learn to use the nail gun better so that you don't spend so much time with this tool pulling set nails back out.



Tape measure: yep, you measure stuff and unlike plumbers (who generally go to the 1/4") i had to learn to use the little little lines between the big numbers. Never actually knew what those things were for.

General notes to self:
get a lot stronger: that osb is not going to get any lighter and the nail gun gets heavier as the day goes on and I have to be able to keep up
catch onto the lingo: double header?? triple truss?? balooned walls?? sandwitched walls ?? blueprints?? Someday I hope to know what they are talking about.
sustainability: figure out how to make myself essential to the crew so that I still have a job after the house is finished.

Comments and advice will be taken as it comes and filed accordingly.