Our company, Millworks By Design, is one of the largest high-end trim companies in the Los Angeles, CA area. We started our company in 2007 with the resolve to run it differently than the other outfits in the area. We saw opportunity in the lack of professionalism and organization one finds in some of the other companies around us.

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Our plan was to build a company that was efficient in all aspects, not just carpentry. We wanted every encounter with our staff to be an enjoyable experience, from the initial estimating and RFI submittals to invoicing and the final punch-out process. It was our vision to not only produce high-quality finish carpentry packages, but also clear, professional, paperwork, and excellent customer service.

It has been three years now, and while we have learned many hard lessons, endured a shoddy economy, and generally feel battle-hardened and worn, our vision has remained unchanged. We’ve learned a few things: mainly that we don’t know much, but also that the most important asset this company has is the people who work here. That is why we realize that promoting and nurturing a great “company culture” is so vitally important to seeing our vision become reality.

One thing we have learned about company culture is that it must be constantly communicated. If we expect our people to uphold a certain set of values, we need to make sure that they know exactly what is expected. We have tried many different methods of communicating our expectations to our employees, and would like to share one example with you.

In order to properly introduce this particular method, we have to set the context by telling you two things about our company:

1. Part of our payroll and estimating system requires our field carpenters to keep very accurate time sheets. Every single item on a project has been assigned a unique cost code that must be referenced on the carpenter’s time sheets. To ensure accuracy, we require that each carpenter carry a clipboard with his timesheet, and that he hang it on a wall close to his work area. This makes it easy for the foreman to check his crew’s timesheets to verify that the hours worked are being logged with the correct cost code. (We frequently have projects with over five hundred cost codes, so double-checking the timesheets is very important.)

2. When we hire a new employee, there is a lot of paperwork, part of which is a four page, categorized, written policy, titled “MBD Production Staff Policy,” for the new hire to read through. Its purpose is to clearly define our expectations for our field-based staff regarding things like client relations, productivity, jobsite behavior, material handling, safety, tools and supplies. The document is complete, and very effective in communicating expectations, but the reality is that it just isn’t read very often.

Recently one of my foremen, Jesper Cook, recognized the need for two things: A uniform clipboard with a company logo, and a “Cliff’s Notes” version of the Production Staff Policy that was placed where it would be read frequently.

First, we summarized the Production Staff Policy into ten key points that could fit on ONE page. We now call this condensed policy the “10 Steps to Success at MBD.” Second, we found some clear clipboards that are designed to receive an inserted form. Instead of printing custom clipboards, we were able insert an MBD logo on one side, and our “10 Steps” document on the other. Now each man on the crew has a company-issued, professional looking clipboard, that contains a clear reminder of our company’s expectations for our production staff.

As a side note, experience has taught us to never do something permanent—like having clipboards custom-printed—until we have all the bugs and edits worked out. We like to implement new ideas quickly, so that we can measure their success, or find out if they don’t work. Finding ways to implement ideas cheaply and without much commitment allows us to scrap the idea if it doesn’t work as planned. The idea with the clipboard is in the testing stage now. If we feel that it is an effective tool for our crews, we will invest in custom-made clipboards with our logo and our “10 Steps” permanently printed.

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10 STEPS TO SUCCESS AT MILLWORKS BY DESIGN

1. GET ORIENTED

Before starting any new task, fully understand the scope by obtaining and studying all relevant data, including the work order, plans, drawing, etc.

2. SET UP THE WORK AREA

Set up all necessary tools, equipment, and materials before staring the task, and keep them as close to the work area as possible.

3. GET ORGANIZED

Keep shims, supplies and tools neatly organized and separated by type. Maintain a dedicated plan table at all times.

4. THINK AHEAD

Predict potential issues and take action before it’s too late.

5. BE PREPARED

Have all necessary tools and equipment at hand before starting any work.

6. LAY OUT WITH PRECISION

Use layout sticks and story poles. Make sure all dimensions work out before installing any millwork.

7. PRACTICE GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

Run hoses and cords neatly and out of walkways. Maintain walkways, tool stations, and work areas clear of debris.

8. BE EFFICIENT

Minimize wasted effort due to double-handling materials, or making unnecessary trips to work stations.

9. BE RESPONSIBLE

Own up to your mistakes, and learn from them. Never blame your tools or someone else for a mistake only you could have prevented.

10. BE PRODUCTIVE

Work hard to complete tasks within the allocated time. Have a sense of urgency and look for ways to get more done in less time.

(Photos by Boots Cadby)

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Tools of the Trade and Fine Homebuilding (see Fine Homebuilding issue 196 and this online video) have recently published two great articles about the newest Lithium Ion models, which are much more powerful than our old 12v and 14v nicds. Some of the guys on our crew worked with the impact drivers used in the Tools of the Trade article.

The author of the article had to test the guns using lags instead of screws because the new 18v models drive too many screws on a single charge—they typically drove over a hundred 1/4-in. x 3-in. lags on a single charge (see photo, right), which means hundreds of 3-in. screws, maybe a thousand 1 1/2-in. screws!

But with all that torque, an impact driver is often the last thing I want to put in the hands of one of our new finish guys—it’s like handing a hammer to a two-year old. But with a few caveats, these high-powered drills are great for finish work.

Feathering the trigger

Impact drivers don’t have clutches, which makes them a bit dangerous in the hands of the uninitiated. The guys on our crew overcome that problem by ‘feathering’ the trigger. In other words, rather than squeezing the trigger down all the way—pedal to the metal—we pull the trigger in short spurts, which protects the screw from the full torque of the tool, especially as the head approaches the shoulder of a hole or the surface of the hardware. The tool never reaches full speed so that as soon as the impact action begins, we can stop driving the screw—usually just in time!

Light up dark corners

A lot of new tools, like miter saws, circular saws, and routers are showing up with LED lights and I love them, even though it’ll be another twenty or thirty years before I’ll probably have to start wearing glasses. Most new models of impact drivers have lights on them now, too, which makes them even more useful when you’re working in closets, cabinets or dark corners.

I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t tried many of the new drivers, but the lights on each model are totally different from each other. Some of them work really well, some of them work okay, and some are plain terrible. Let me show you what I mean.

Read this article in its original format (with more images) at TiC Issue 1!