# Just a story



## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

Been kinda slow here on DWT with the exception of Moore jokes to give you a chuckle, so I thought I'd share this story.

Back in the early 70's my older brother went off to college and came home after he found god. Minimalist little Jeep, small apartment, and oh my goodness hooked on god! My dad got him a job driving the scrap truck. I'd go work with him from time to time for my $5 a day, and we'd get after it filling up old blue (Ford F550 dump). Sometimes we'd go to the dump, and others this old farmer would take the rock to condition the soil. If we ever got caught up with cleanup we'd get to scrape floors. My first blisters came from doing this. I'll never forget the freedom felt driving around in that old truck, busting butt when we had too, and or stopping at a burger joint. I remember our record was 30 house in one day. We must have had 20 tracts at the time, so it may be 5 here, 2 there, and 40 miles away 4 more.

We all work our butts off guys, but what we get in return is very little BS. Do your job and go home. In just a few years I was one of those hangars and I could look out the window at my V8 Vega, and just keep driving nails. Always kept a dream in my head to look forward too.


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## Tim0282 (Jan 8, 2008)

We still work our tails off for less than most other trades. But we are living the dream, aren't we?


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## bmitch (Dec 10, 2011)

although this racket hasn't made me a wealthy man,i'm fortunate enough to be doing a job I really enjoy.freedom 85


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## Tim0282 (Jan 8, 2008)

I like drywall. Wouldn't really want to do anything else.


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## forestbhoy (Jun 16, 2013)

Tim0282 said:


> We still work our tails off for less than most other trades. But we are living the dream, aren't we?


Always was one of the best paid jobs over here, but now you kind of feel its payback time from the big boys. We always felt sorry for the painters on what they earnt,but even they earn more than us now. We got hit for 20/25 % cut when this "recession" started 5 years ago and god knows when we will start clawing that back 



Tim0282 said:


> I like drywall. Wouldn't really want to do anything else.


Can honestly say in about 30 years of this, have probably had 30 days i wish i did not do this....a factory, office job, would kill me.


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## Magic (Feb 20, 2014)

I was able to raise four kids comfortably doing this trade and thats all that matters in the end. 
The trick is to have as much fun as possible while you still can. There is so much more to life other than drywall!!!!:whistling2:


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

Magic said:


> There is so much more to life other than drywall!!!!:whistling2:


 Like posting on DWT?


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## Tim0282 (Jan 8, 2008)

MrWillys said:


> Like posting on DWT?


 Doesn't get much better than Drywall Talk!


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

I went to work fulltime in June of 79. I was the 3rd man on a 2 man crew and the journeyman was considered the biggest A hole in the company. I nailed for 2 weeks solid 8 hrs a day. They had saved a bunch of big warehouses for me, and I thought my arm was going to fall off. The boss came in once, and told me my stance wasn't right, and kept kicking my feet until they got wider and wider, and then everyone laughed. That's how it was, and hopefully hasn't changed much.

Next thing I knew the other 2 got in a fight, and the senior apprentice walked out and I became A holes partner. We stayed mostly near the city (SF) and didn't do much production residential. After a month or so we went out to Fairfield, CA to a gravy track as it was called. We got one of the easiest models that had right at 4000 sq ft with a 7 sheet firewall. Rick (A hole) was determined to get this house in a day, and drug my young ass through that house in 8 hrs. All 8' flat ceilings, fiberglass tubs, and very little bead. I would do that same house a few years later in 5:15 thinking how much of a drag I must have been on him. Of course he got 80% and I got 20%.

I think the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's were the glory days of production housing in California. I went back in the 90's for about a year, and we had screws, pot shelfs, bullnose at fireplaces, and corners. I could still make wages piecework, but not more like I did in the early 80's. 2000 sq ft was wages, and I could average 2500' a day for over a month once I got good. Today, I would think 1500' per day per man would be good for a daily average over a month in production.


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## Tim0282 (Jan 8, 2008)

Were you hanging for a nickle a foot back then?


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

Tim0282 said:


> Were you hanging for a nickle a foot back then?


I think it was 6 cents when I started.


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## Tim0282 (Jan 8, 2008)

You have to hang a bunch of rock to make any money! Rock was about six cents then, too. And finish was the same. I remember rock, hang and finish for 15 cents!


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