finished.”
He took two cordless drills and three spare batteries and said, “Jordan, grab that ladder and follow me.”
Scott led the boys to the corner of the house where he’d started the project weeks before. He took the first panel of corrugated metal roofing from one of the stacks and held it up against the three crosspieces.
“Okay, guys. The concept is a simple one. But even though it doesn’t require a lot of thinking, it requires that you both pay attention. It’s easy to get hurt if you’re not careful. The edges of these things are sharp and can slice your arm or face right open if you’re not careful. Always wear your gloves when you’re handing it, and always watch what you’re doing.
“Zachary, take those ear buds out of your ears. You can listen to your music when you’re not working. While you’re here working with your brother, the two of you need to be able to communicate. You can’t do that with ear buds in your ears.
“Okay, I’m going to position the first piece, and then I want you to hold it into place while I drill the holes and place the screws.
After placing the panel perpendicular to the house and flush up against it, the boys held it firmly in place. Scott used one drill to drill three holes through the center of the panel and into the center crosspiece behind it. Then he placed the drill on the ground and picked up the second drill. The second drill had a bit driver in it that fit the sheet metal screws in the boys’ aprons. He pulled three screws from Jordan’s apron pocket and used the drill to drive the screws into the holes he’d just drilled.
“Okay, you can let go now.”
The boys let go of the piece of metal and took a couple of steps back.
“The first three screws will hold it into place while you do the rest of the drilling. Once you’re at this point, you drill three similar holes in the bottom, through the roofing and into the crosspiece behind it. You do three holes on the top crosspiece too. Then you use the other drill to install the screws. Any questions?”
Zachary said, “Nope. Piece of cake.”
Jordan said, “When do we get to take a coffee break?”
Scott said, “You’re fired. Zach, you’re the boss now.”
“All right! Hey, wait a minute. You’re kidding, right?”
Scott laughed.
“Yeah, but just barely.”
He went on with his instruction.
“These things are corrugated and I chose this design for a reason. Once the first piece is placed, the rest will be easy. You don’t have to worry about the pieces going up crooked or off center. All you do is overlap the first channel of the new piece into the last channel of the piece you just put up. They’ll fit together perfectly. As long as you do that, the fence will be perfectly square. And it’ll be strong, too. In addition to the nine screws holding each panel into place, the panel on each side of it will also hold it up. This fence will outlive you, boys, mark my words. But we have to do it right. No skipped screws. No holes drilled through the panel that miss the crosspiece behind it. Understood?”
Both boys shook their heads yes.
“One last thing. Have either of you ever used a cordless drill before?”
Jordan looked at his brother and then answered for both of them.
“No sir.”
“Okay, the first thing you’ll notice is that they’re heavy. Very heavy. You don’t have to hassle with a cord, but the tradeoff is that the batteries are heavier than the drill. After a few hours at this your arms will feel like they’re going to fall off. There are two of you, so you can trade off the drilling and the panel holding. You can take breaks to let your arms rest when you need to. I won’t say anything unless I notice you’re breaking more than you’re working.
He took two cordless drills and three spare batteries and said, “Jordan, grab that ladder and follow me.”
Scott led the boys to the corner of the house where he’d started the project weeks before. He took the first panel of corrugated metal roofing from one of the stacks and held it up against the three crosspieces.
“Okay, guys. The concept is a simple one. But even though it doesn’t require a lot of thinking, it requires that you both pay attention. It’s easy to get hurt if you’re not careful. The edges of these things are sharp and can slice your arm or face right open if you’re not careful. Always wear your gloves when you’re handing it, and always watch what you’re doing.
“Zachary, take those ear buds out of your ears. You can listen to your music when you’re not working. While you’re here working with your brother, the two of you need to be able to communicate. You can’t do that with ear buds in your ears.
“Okay, I’m going to position the first piece, and then I want you to hold it into place while I drill the holes and place the screws.
After placing the panel perpendicular to the house and flush up against it, the boys held it firmly in place. Scott used one drill to drill three holes through the center of the panel and into the center crosspiece behind it. Then he placed the drill on the ground and picked up the second drill. The second drill had a bit driver in it that fit the sheet metal screws in the boys’ aprons. He pulled three screws from Jordan’s apron pocket and used the drill to drive the screws into the holes he’d just drilled.
“Okay, you can let go now.”
The boys let go of the piece of metal and took a couple of steps back.
“The first three screws will hold it into place while you do the rest of the drilling. Once you’re at this point, you drill three similar holes in the bottom, through the roofing and into the crosspiece behind it. You do three holes on the top crosspiece too. Then you use the other drill to install the screws. Any questions?”
Zachary said, “Nope. Piece of cake.”
Jordan said, “When do we get to take a coffee break?”
Scott said, “You’re fired. Zach, you’re the boss now.”
“All right! Hey, wait a minute. You’re kidding, right?”
Scott laughed.
“Yeah, but just barely.”
He went on with his instruction.
“These things are corrugated and I chose this design for a reason. Once the first piece is placed, the rest will be easy. You don’t have to worry about the pieces going up crooked or off center. All you do is overlap the first channel of the new piece into the last channel of the piece you just put up. They’ll fit together perfectly. As long as you do that, the fence will be perfectly square. And it’ll be strong, too. In addition to the nine screws holding each panel into place, the panel on each side of it will also hold it up. This fence will outlive you, boys, mark my words. But we have to do it right. No skipped screws. No holes drilled through the panel that miss the crosspiece behind it. Understood?”
Both boys shook their heads yes.
“One last thing. Have either of you ever used a cordless drill before?”
Jordan looked at his brother and then answered for both of them.
“No sir.”
“Okay, the first thing you’ll notice is that they’re heavy. Very heavy. You don’t have to hassle with a cord, but the tradeoff is that the batteries are heavier than the drill. After a few hours at this your arms will feel like they’re going to fall off. There are two of you, so you can trade off the drilling and the panel holding. You can take breaks to let your arms rest when you need to. I won’t say anything unless I notice you’re breaking more than you’re working.
Similar Books
