Digital templating, in all its forms, has come a long way since its inception. I remember the days when we were all just amazed we could use something other than a tape measure or glued-together sticks to get precise measurements.
I’m sure most of you, when checking into a hotel, end up pleasantly surprised to see a granite countertop in the bathroom. Hey, you think, more progress for the industry. Then, to your horror, you look at the detail work.
Submission drawings make a lot of sense when it comes to countertop fabrication and installation – with one big exception.
By Jason Nottestad
(Editor’s note: Last month, Jason detailed the prep work needed for making good outlet cutouts on the jobsite.)
Once you’ve decided to make an outlet cutout in the field, the task turns to finishing it accurately and efficiently. The first step is to determine what kind of outlet, box, or accessory is being cut in, and then choose the appropriate cutting method and tools.
An outlet cutout in a full-height backsplash is a relatively simple procedure to demonstrate and teach to a worker learning installation. Unfortunately, it’s also easy to measure or cut one wrong – making it inevitable that even the most-careful of your installers will goof one up along the way.
If you want to understand the need for good handworkers in your shop, you don’t have to look any further than a nice map analogy.
At first glance, the job of templater seems pretty straightforward. You drive from place to place and collect the measurements needed to make countertops. A quick length, width, and sink centerline before you head back to the shop, right?
For an independent template/install company like mine, having a fabrication shop you work with modernize their equipment can be a great benefit – or a great disappointment.
When I first began my career in countertops, installing in the cold weather was something to be tolerated, not mastered.
Someday the wooden A-frame will be a long forgotten relic in our industry. That’s a good thing for helping the environment and, let’s be honest, for eliminating all the finished pieces that are broken every year when carried on poorly built wooden frames.