"Take a break" sign

[woodworkingboy]

In just about any profession here, when someone wants to take a break from working and indicate it to someone else, or the crew gets the "word" from the boss, he takes his index and middle fingers and taps them to his lips, as in taking a drag from a cigarette. It's a universal sign in this country, and can be conveyed over quite a distance with some accentuation......easily up to someone in a tree, or down from above, and noise doesn't affect it. It's probably from the old days when just about everybody smoked, but I don't know how long it's been in use. It's cool, and way beats shouting, a little bit of lasting humor in it too.

Do you guys use anything like that? I don't think I've seen it elsewhere. It's fun to use.

 

[SkwerI]

In these parts the universal sign for 'take a break' is to hold your two fists out with knuckles up and then roll your hands outward as if you were breaking a small stick (imagine holding a pencil with two hands and breaking it).

 

[Fiddler]

In these parts the universal sign for 'take a break' is to hold your two fists out with knuckles up and then roll your hands outward as if you were breaking a small stick (imagine holding a pencil with two hands and breaking it).

same here but with thumbs extended.

 

[woodworkingboy]

The nice thing about the smoker's break sign, is that you can do it with one hand, as in when holding a chainsaw.

 

[Fiddler]

If I used that sign they would tie my smokes to a line to send them up to me.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Ha, that could be a problem!

 

[Newfie]

We don't take breaks.......

 

[woodworkingboy]

I was waiting for that, but thought it would be MB posting it. You guys are nuts.

 

[Fiddler]

Mike....as a foreman for a large company I have a legal duty to see that my crew gets the federally mandated amount of break time. I didn't get any breaks at all during storm call Mon & Tues on 16hr days, though I did make sure my groundie took his.

 

[Newfie]

I was just kidding. Hell I'd take a nap if everyone wasn't on the clock.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I love breaks, especially when cutting at a farmer's house, and they start bringing out the food. I'll have to get some pics of the spread that they lay out for us.

I can see why Paul might not want to take breaks, and get home that much quicker....probably applies to one or two others in the house as well.

 

[Newfie]

I much prefer a quick job w/ the "break" at home.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Funny how people differ on that. For me, tree work more often than not, means a long day. I'm just sort of resigned to it. Breaks just add some welcomed pause.

One of the guys in our crew is pretty funny too, when he gets going during a break.
The other day he brought a normal looking telephone receiver to the job and plugged it into his cell phone and was talking through it, it cracked us up.

 

[Fiddler]

We are supposed to take our breaks at specific exact times. As I run a manual crew we take breaks when I think myself or one of the guys needs one. I think it is safer to take a needed break when tired than to push through a job just to get it done. There is always another tree.

 

[brendonv]

I always say to myself I am going to take breaks, but it just doesn't happen. As the everything guy I think the quicker I get this done, the quicker I can park everything and just sit and relax.

It's what I miss most about working for someone else, relaxed breaks and lunch.

I never heard of the signals, but if I ever employ breaks, I'll give them a shot.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Usually in our crew, anybody can decide when it's time to mention a break. People get concentrating and sometimes forget to take one, so anybody can bring it up. We respect each other enough to go for that, I guess is one way to put it. On a real busy day, sometimes a schedule gets set up in the morning, where something has to get done by lunch, or so. In those cases, breaks take less priority, but it's seldom that we don't manage to get one in in the AM, and PM for sure, around 3:00 or so.

Wonder if the Brits are similar, tea time being a big thing for them as well?

 

[Dave Shepard]

Pretty sure the Brits seize up tight if they don't get their tea.

 

[woodworkingboy]

...and tasty tea it is too over there, with that rich milk.

 

[Dave Shepard]

My neighbor is from over there. Starts to twitch if he doesn't get his cuppa.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Breaks?

 

[Che]

I've noticed that since I hit about 50 or so, I've started to NEED breaks. Actually sit down, rest for ten minutes....doing absolutely nothing except resting....then get on with it. Guess a rocking chair is next.

 

[sotc]

Lunch time and quitting time on the logging job was signaled with 2 thumbs up when it wasn't blown on the yarder. I have carried that into residential tree work

 

[Paul B]

we dont really take a scheduled break but I tell the guys that if they need water or a granola bar or whatever, go have one and come back, so far they havent taken advantage of things. the sign I am familiar with is more like raising hand to resemble raising a mug to your lips and tipping it up..

 

[GASoline71]

In these parts the universal sign for 'take a break' is to hold your two fists out with knuckles up and then roll your hands outward as if you were breaking a small stick (imagine holding a pencil with two hands and breaking it).

same here but with thumbs extended.

In the US Navy... movin' your hands like that with thumbs out mean "Pull Chocks"... for pullin' the wheel chocks from aircraft prior to taxi...

We all used it to signal... "time to go"... Dude, time to pull chocks... no chicks in this bar worth a damn...

Gary

 

[stig]

We just use the "Time-out" signal from sports.
One hand pointing up and the other flat across it, making a "T".

When we log, breaks are very regulated, you have to get to the designated place no more than 10 min. late.
That is how we keep check on each other. I have cut more than one guy free from a rolled log, because they didn't show for breaktime and we went looking for them.