job site
by Zane Koss
to be cold, breathe
in the morning
as it hangs over
it
starts with this:
unload; truck, starts first
with crowbars and hammers;
if replace, take measures,
first; find the rotten wood,
breathe it,s rich mint
push the railing over,
spindle byspindledon’t
jackknife just straight in
a little more, little more;
straighten out:
there
and will accepts all this,
mounded; so heap it nice, to
fit more; don’t
caught in, the pure joy of,
and forgetting to make
larger piles
like fingers stacked
back and forth clasped hands
lie flat, knock another row
return,
to the deck board s
pried , each
pops, at joist as nails release,
slow; pop crowbar each until
leverage the board, itself out
and away, thrown down
to load
stack ;
watch yr step, on nails; and
keep the last long to hold it
down
learn how ratchet, to straps
dropped sledge and
near miss, don’t let him ,
live that one down, dont be
care less witha wet handle
or this time once droppt
on my head
nearly.
what fucking idiot built this
thing twenty four inches on
centre two by six joists no
beam no hangers nothing
galvanized what kinda
fucking idiot does that, eh
just the way it was
satisfying to break, except
holds too tight and snaps,
needs pry individual out,
careful, section by section &
shoots
splinters. walk on nearly air
accepts
watch that last joist, walking,
a little
soft ,
no need to tom: fall thru and
not comp out face pummelled
by boards, with the boys
just this and carry on
tarp up and take that to,heave
another load, ,
lunch, and take another off.
bang out each joist, on the rim
side, faster sledge and twist
the hanger
pull nails if
salvage for rotten boards,
what the fuck he think he
gonna do with all this shit i
dunno he’s paying us he can
do whatever the fuck he wants
with it
whatever.
watch posts now
at some point this: remaining
skeleton; won’t hold, to
disassemble these, one by
each, lowered down, propped
shoulders held together;
oh don’t worry i got it
alright, tom; well fuck, let’s
break for lunch then
heyy, kid
sawzall thru what
resists, find nails when can’t;
and blade bites, stuck; to
pinch apart, hold that to cut
clean; rough cuts into pieces
enough to fit trailer, haul it
away
scraps:
now writing as one job, to
peel toughest away from with
out splitting cedar siding or
bending flange, extra nails to
hold ledger, we can fix that
later if but never quite hid
the same
don’t throw that away
to make the new one
if stuck, watch sharp, jam
saw, pops nails as cut breaks,
kept tight to, and slides out
once free or trapped
the blade
keep all the angles
but starting again, here, often:
post holes, new dig, not sink,
or sag
if auger, then fast, but sunk
rocks can rock shoulders to:
; learn to hang on but not
over , lest rips and joke
about little guys hits rootss
and spun round right ,or if:
shovels, full day this: face,
unless clay , cuts like,
breaking; scales back glaze
off walls and down until pick
won’t swing; alternate, bars:
chopping or prying
and contraption scoop,
ukrainian, or face
down extended ,snuffing up
the earth against your face,
could be pulling rocks,
depending on
where
this is
eighteen inches wide, two
feet, at least, deep; sometimes
flared for larger bearings. if
how about that
fuckin nugget: sweat running
clean streaks down yr face,
into the eyes,
scrubbed
saw sonotubes to height, back
fill back again back with
loose rocks and dirt, kept
level, check level, webbed
strings to coordinates, check
level, tighten for accuracy,
(keep it taunt; taunt him for
that
just pack it down good
starts again
with this: wheelbarrow, hoe;
with this: shovel, and hose;
mix and guess to get the
hang of it, cutting dust
against mud, rocks sccraping
metal; just another splash,
little more, okay that’s it,
ready? (the hairline between
enough and too much
you cant keep making it so
soupy
add a little more then, keep
stirring, gets tough, and;
this shit sets quick so don’t
fuck around
sink spades in
perfect consistency
to slop down tubes
agitate
to compress
remove
access air
excess
means:
jamming rebar down into,
and out, , cut thru the
slop, little bit more
keep it coming lets see if we
cant get them all done in time
for lunch, pierce bags, with
edge, hoe and rip to clouds,
to lime
burn in your nose, two
man job: stir, hose and
shovel, old guy trowelling
smooth, brackets,
cellphoned to clients
if go to, and we’ll run to and
grab, should be good to;
airconditioned, ,
: sit, radio. and
flipping boards: catseyes, wane,
crowned, (crook called crown
where i)fucking curve on that
you could play hockey withit,
twisted damn near
saying words like pren’ier;
pren’ier not a good board in
that stack, brandon (pren’ier
everyone named brandon
lay em in for kevin
counting at the gatehouse,
don’t so much to crack ,the
frame on the old white ,
truck, take
trailer withit on the
bigger jobs, these days;
calculate: two by ten joists
and rimboards, make sure
you got some nice flat ones
for the beam, and some not
too bad looking for the rim
, joist, eight by eight
, every
thing, , treated
box of green 3-1/2s,
get some more when
we need em,
, flagged at gate
to be sure, have a good one
,bud take her easy
and restack again,
requiring foresight,
starts first, now with ,this:
and two methods to this: was
early, put post balanced and
levelled across, propped legs,
diagonal and checked level
often; beam’d and built to:
ground up, extended outward
to meet from ledger; put
sloped not
always accordingly
but figured later, now, to start
like: built rim frame on
ground, screw joist from
back and hangered after for
greater strength, few joist to
keep it square,
spread evenly; the key
measure now repeated:
kept square;
lift up, ledgered to chalk
line, leveled to wall, and
cantilevered to while held, all
holding so don’t fuck it up or
slow, fucking hurry up,
should be fine on the wall
now, go help tom; goofy
fuckin farmer and always the
; oh i’m fine boys take
yr time;
proppt legs now vertical,
lag bolts in ledger, tighten
em upin good, and throw
a fewscrews;
check the level; drop that
a touch
want a bit of a better, and
slope on this one, and to that
water running, the right way
and calculated, set proper,
measure to; bracket and joist,
calculate for beam width;
nine and three-eighths, or a
little larger
; fuck it,
we’ll make it
work;
little sawzall below to plane
five-eighths
suspended up from;
we build from
the top down for
accuracy, slope; got that
right,
suspended, top down without
supports
the measure;
keep a saw, too small, and so
right round ring, :
four cuts, and sawzall the
remainder, careful to keep it
flush, put some treat on that,
copper; slop it good, and prop
the jack level if uneven,
scraps of boards; saw scrap to
right prop, jack it a little; had
beam triply plied of two by
ten and lapped joints back
and forth
, and weighs
nearly
take one side to each,
shoulder’d to cutting, pinch’d
between board and bone
express what will
allow: and forth,
unflowing ;
, to put in
, old guy
puffed up redder’n usual;
drop jack few quick
screws to hold ; and
check all level, level across,
back, posts; and square,
four-five-six’d; level across
little more than ideal but still
workable;
how the posts for
the top needs
to come my way a bit
what do you mean
gimme the fuckin
hammer you hold the god
damn level
and look ;
practically perfect
;
toe nail to that; beam to posts
few screws to hold
and start filling in the gaps
where joists
to be held over
to shape, and square, to
hold off
for lifting,
start filling in; and
scabbed across seams, later
rimjoist doubled to join;
one cutting, once
cuts, and measured to screw
square and picks the boards,
mark out sixteen on
centre and use square to
line aim on vertical
three screws from rim to
joist, and hanger’d; laser’d
if ; or measured cuts
wall to string; taunt for
accuracy, pull rimjoist into
place where bent; crown
straighter than curved, as
joists, correcting;
and this kate, now,
; cuts one and
fastens the other,
end
passing back
boards ; a little
tight; in the end to
hold; kept work with
them; all day,
holds finger to flush on top,
and squared lines, within the
sixteen on centre marked;
ledgerside, hope hanger dont
bump above, and that
ledger screwed with
space for flashing, to deck
board;
moves fast, now;
, to see structure emerge; from
this; now
units
hurricane ties, and hanging
underneath, ladders tilted to
slope under deck; sack of
screws in pouch, stacked
hangers to tied joists to beam
dropping screws, and balanced
tedious,
poked in belt, bag; reached;
muffled ears,
, nut driver, finish
lags, tighten to wall;
hole, washer, lag, repeat;
if spans, too long ,
snaps chalk, lines for blocking
faster cut
now one back each and slap it
quick measure ahead and
chop a few quick, scour site
for scraps ; recut,
chequered
line screwed from back,
toenailed to double rimjoist
see if you cant
put an extra piece
of flashing on top of the
ledger there to keep
the water
away from the wall good
and back to the yard; less
warp, more so, rough
grain, wane, catseyes and
knots, no splits for working
right to the edge, use full
sixteen spans; ;
might be able to get some
thing outta that one; or,
whole pallet
, or bigger job;
sixteens typically,
depending ,
calculate alternating,
fours, eights, twelves to blend
joints , if twelves
alternate
wet one a heavy, loaded
sure to grab wrap for
tarping pile ;
ratched strapped flagged
and paid to account, p.o.
coffee and fritters, longjohns
to jobsite; must be
or old guy
getting sweettooth’d
sit where possible,
, whatever one can
; thermos a coffee, hot or
, and crouched on,
; take a piss behind;
and laying em down, starts
out, for overhang, measure
approximate for last board, to
square, shift or fan as laying
to measure, even it out,
appearance of
straightness to
the eye; calling
out the remainder
: quarter, seven
sixteenths to land on centre
each way, sixteens, ,
cut over long to hang
skilsaw; a straighter edge;
put pegs, made purpose to,
dowel and blocker; to
even; board bender that
caught; old guys thumb still:
smeared on
orange ; adjust
tightness,
routered edges, to
splinters and warp;
kate laying, cutting; ,
measure, cut, laid from joist to
joist ; tom never quite
sure enough; to
measure to wall, check
adjustment to square, fan one
side to equal; argue about it;
simple square or odd angles to
slow, dangle long and save
back edge the otherway to
progression of lapping
throwing boards, faster’n;
kept flush, screw down tight;
angled at edge to catch, or
straight down; joists at two or
three depending three inch
green
or
kneepads, old fella cutting
(tom off, elswhwere; haying
season; no kate , working
xmas or summer; to
get done in time
and approaching
flared or tightened to run one
board wide enough to gap, rip
saw on skilsaw to catch ,
curved where wall; out of
order to slide, if not slid,
shave to make; fits this, odd
angles and bites back,
looks a pure surface, ;
and over with pogo gun
to fill in where skipped screws
for speed
held sideways to ,
aim ,
; edges run a line
down, saw; router at quarter
round; tidied
swapped steel-toes
for sneakers,
; not scuffing,
swapped old steps put
back on temporary, cut
stringers from old
saved for
guide pressure treat or
metal, either each anchored
to deadman buried,
lag bolt
open riser, treated tread
the angles never
quite right
the first few tries ;
railing, the old guy
is;
, calculated for ;rough fir
corners and what spanned in
cedar; stained, glassed; on
order
, efficiency,
metal, but:
this, starts over again in
the garage, from
home shop,
; layered
earbuds and safety,
and hoped the posts
custom cut not too bad;
rough, no twist or wet;
, pick thru if
; find some, new
few bundles cedar,
spindles all fucked in
different angles, rough
and work, this, to keep
rhythm;
fortyfives, and tongued, to
score out remainder; skilsaw,
alternating sawzall, drill
cut to form, loosely;
and belt sanded to kept
square; palm to touch
keep some texture on
and passed off to stain;
this sometimes
, or usually,
or , kate,
or, working
slop it good that shit just
drinks it up; stinging
eyes, shop door wide even,
and shirtless;
sander
belt bites more than fast
enough, readjust back
to keep; kept square
time, moving from each;
cedar’d cut ; and dado’d for
gasket if glass; quick palm to
burrs;
and stained too;
or dozens spindles,
palm sand and days spent;
eyes stinging,
stain
second coat or third; hit the
tops good to keep water,
passing off to each, keep up;
left sun, or rain pending, could
be winter, so:
stacked
precise to fit, layered
garage, shelved up for
contracting space;
waited out, quick
stop another, and re-stain
quick
job to fill;
load somehow
not to scratch, and tilt
precarious, and softly down,
tom crawls, canopy,
little dunnage,
to space
unload likewise,
and stack gentle, tarped
starts with, this: corners,
jigsaw out to fit lap, tongue
to rim joist, lap;
two person, here; hold one
to level, and
drill for pilot hole;
top left; yeah, put that one in;
and lagged to doubled rim;
me and the old
guy, always (except when
tighten that one good,
hold on, push to level; ok,
now drilled
to hold opposite, level; lags
tightened back and forth to
kept to, string line taught,
pulled to;
laid out, repeated;
ladder to leaned to, clanging;
( , mocking mark
for this
rails cut roughly, to; L-
bracket, (if glass: screwed
and angled to miss, dado’d
gasket trench;
measured up, and kept;
quarter inch past to glass,
slide and hold;
one each and popped
up and down, or gapped not
quite to where supposed
to; not quite enough fucking
space on this side;
god fucking damnit;
and fixed, quick
spindles more pain in the ass
put whole panels, and cut
to proper gap and kept,
) to square
put tops, and cut to fucked
angles of twisted fir posts;
means
; pride in local repu
tation
screwed down from under and
clamp it good
to suck it down tight, no
water capillaried,
maybe a quick coat,
to keep the rain
good; final sweep,
and, literally swept; sawdust
, bucket and last few tools;
truck, and scraps; lawn
for screws, spare splinters
put back the barbecue, patio
furniture, birdfeeders,
planters, ;
maybe have a lunch, here; or
another site, reload; or maybe
just this
: pack’er up and
head’er home;
job site is out of print from The Blasted Tree Store.
Featured by The Blasted Tree: July 2, 2018
Zane Koss
Contributing Author
job site by Zane Koss is a Blasted Tree original long poem.
ISBN [Digital]: 978-1-987906-34-9