P*ss-Take or not?

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

Lads.. something from years back just popped into my head, and to this day I still dunno if the fella concerned was having me on or not. He'd be the type..

I was an apprentice and was sticking on socket faces in a large, well known public building. When I was pinching up the switch screws, the foreman came over and told me to make sure the screw was in a horizontal position, and the same on both sides, or else it'd get snagged. (The flathead part of the screw to be parallel to the floor, if I'm making sense)

I just nodded and said no problem, but I was wondering. What do you all reckon?

Pac1Man

Horse sh1t.

coylemj

In all probability, the services manager in that building was an assh0le with OCD and the foreman was just following his instructions.

lawred2

sounds like long wait or a glass hammer type hilarity

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

coylemj wrote: »

In all probability, the services manager in that building was an assh0le with OCD and the foreman was just following his instructions.

This is what I think too. I'm nearly sure it was also the job where fellas were shining torches up at the cabletray to make sure all the tiewraps were the exact same distance apart.

mfceiling

Not necessarily. I've known chippies to make sure that all screws are facing "square on". It's an ocd thing surely but also a kind of pride that you are doing the job well and not horsing the stuff on.

myshirt

Did he also ask you to get a ladder for the skirting board, and some twisted paint for the banister.

Mech1

Its like when your fitting a wheel to a car, the tyre brand name should always be the right way up.

Wheety

I fix the screws in my house so the flat part is parallel to the floor

KoolKid

:eek:Running off to check all my switches..........................

dbagman

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy wrote:

Lads.. something from years back just popped into my head, and to this day I still dunno if the fella concerned was having me on or not. He'd be the type..

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy wrote:

I was an apprentice and was sticking on socket faces in a large, well known public building. When I was pinching up the switch screws, the foreman came over and told me to make sure the screw was in a horizontal position, and the same on both sides, or else it'd get snagged. (The flathead part of the screw to be parallel to the floor, if I'm making sense)

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy wrote:

I just nodded and said no problem, but I was wondering. What do you all reckon?

A lad I used to work with said his old boss used to make him do the same. Ocd is all. Either that or the snagger was a total d1ck.

brightspark

Just an appearance thing, take pride in your work.

Stoner

brightspark wrote:

Just an appearance thing, take pride in your work.

Yep I've heard of a lot of guys saying it and doing it.

deandean

Absolutely, yes. It's about taking pride in your work. And it's not OCD-level either.
Each and every switch and socket screw in my house, the screw slots are horizontal plus minus 2.5 degrees.

dbagman

deandean wrote:

Absolutely, yes. It's about taking pride in your work. And it's not OCD-level either. Each and every switch and socket screw in my house, the screw slots are horizontal plus minus 2.5 degrees.

It's 100% OCD. Pride in your work my backside. That being the case every sparks iv ever met (i am one myself so have worked with hundreds) has no pride in their work as iv personally never heard of anyone doing this only through a mate that used to work for a guy that made him do it.

Risteard81

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy wrote: »

Lads.. something from years back just popped into my head, and to this day I still dunno if the fella concerned was having me on or not. He'd be the type..

I was an apprentice and was sticking on socket faces in a large, well known public building. When I was pinching up the switch screws, the foreman came over and told me to make sure the screw was in a horizontal position, and the same on both sides, or else it'd get snagged. (The flathead part of the screw to be parallel to the floor, if I'm making sense)

I just nodded and said no problem, but I was wondering. What do you all reckon?

This isn't an uncommon requirement in high end builds. So it's not nonsense - it probably would have been snagged by the client. I don't particularly agree with the practice as I prefer them to be tight enough but not too tight, but certainly I have been involved in contracts where it was a specific requirement.

2011

Personally I think it is ridiculous. Screws should be sufficiently tightened, tightening any further increases the chances of stripping the threads. The threaded part of the box is made of relatively soft metal, it is not hard to ruin a he threads.

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

Handier solution would be to just use Phillips head screws.

coylemj

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy wrote: »

Handier solution would be to just use Phillips head screws.

What's to stop OCD applying there as well?

A d1ckhead would see the screwhead aligned either as an 'X' or a '+' and probably decide that whatever way it looked, it was wrong.

Risteard81

2011 wrote: »

Personally I think it is ridiculous. Screws should be sufficiently tightened, tightening any further increases the chances of stripping the threads. The threaded part of the box is made of relatively soft metal, it is not hard to ruin a he threads.

Precisely what I was alluding to when I stated that "I don't particularly agree with the practice as I prefer them to be tight enough but not too tight."

Mr Magnolia

On the "tight enough but not too tight" argument; a quarter turn in either direction will not result in the socket face landing on the floor and it makes a difference to those paying attention especially in a kitchen or utility where there are a number of sockets on the same plane. An no, I don't have OCD.






























*twitches*

2011

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

it makes a difference to those paying attention especially in a kitchen or utility where there are a number of sockets on the same plane.

You need to get out more :D

return guide

Back in the 80's I served my apprenticeship with a large old school contractor.
One of the contracts manager was a Pr1ck of the highest order. It was not unusual for him to check sockets, switches and even floor boxes for this. If he found anything it was a bollocking for the spark and not uncommonly a clip around the ear for the apprentice.
To this day I will make sure both screws are p1ssed and think of him as I am doing it .... oh the little things in life :P

Pkiernan

Next time you get your Ferrari serviced you'll notice they line up all the nuts.

brightspark

deandean wrote: »

Absolutely, yes. It's about taking pride in your work. And it's not OCD-level either.
Each and every switch and socket screw in my house, the screw slots are horizontal plus minus 2.5 degrees.

I personally would accept 2.6 degrees, but I don't have OCD.

coylemj

Pkiernan wrote: »

Next time you get your Ferrari serviced you'll notice they line up all the nuts.

They use a torque wrench that's able to align the nuts? No wonder it costs so much to get a Ferrari serviced

Dan Jaman

I've come across this before, and was young enough to accept it unquestioningly.
I later realised it was total bullocks, and the extra tightening effort on some screws would have brought them close to stripping out, so the practice is utterly without merit.
OCD BS.

KoolKid

Ahh just use these and be done with it

crossmolinalad

KoolKid wrote: »

Ahh just use these and be done with it

Even then I want them the same way up **** like that