What did you do today?

[highup]

I joined a router forum in attempts to gain some information on using a router. I was contacted by a customer and they requested me to attempt a repair with a discontinued laminate floor. It was wilsonart bamboo looking plank.
The repair area was 8 or 9 ft out from the wall. I needed to route and fit in leftovers in approximately a 12x20-in rectangle in the floor. Basically, to set in pieces of leftover laminate. Next to that repair was a 6x8-in square that needed to be inset also. The owner had removed a goofy stairway to nowhere that went to a weird loft. it just left empty spaces where they removed the supports for the stairs.
I decided to use splines on part of it and lap joints on some of it. Being that those formica-like laminate floors have zero forgivability compared with wood, I decided to make a lift. All the guys that do woodworking, make their router lifts out of plywood and 2x4s. I live on the Oregon coast. If you make something precision out of wood that slides up and down or to and fro, it's going to be tight in the winter and loose in the summer.
Ok, I says to myself...... Aluminum! That became my chosen material.
The project made me go totally crazy and when it was completed, I can say yes, I would change one thing. I don't have enough adjustability. I might be able to correct that, but there are workarounds for everything.
Anyway, it was fun once it got completed, and it works. I wish I had a milling machine and a lathe but I'm probably going to buy a welder first.

 

[Mark Brown]

I joined a router forum in attempts to gain some information on using a router. I was contacted by a customer and they requested me to attempt a repair with a discontinued laminate floor. It was wilsonart bamboo looking plank.
The repair area was 8 or 9 ft out from the wall. I needed to route and fit in leftovers in approximately a 12x20-in rectangle in the floor. Basically, to set in pieces of leftover laminate. Next to that repair was a 6x8-in square that needed to be inset also. The owner had removed a goofy stairway to nowhere that went to a weird loft. Just left empty spaces for the remove the supports and stairs.
I decided to use splines on part of it and lap joints on some of it. Being that those formica-like laminate floors have zero forgivability compared with wood, I decided to make a lift. All the guys that do woodworking, make theirs out of plywood and 2x4s. I live on the Oregon coast. If you make something precision out of wood that slides up and down or to and fro, it's going to be tight in the winter and loose in the summer.
Ok, I says to myself...... Aluminum! That became my chosen material.
The project made me go totally crazy and was completed, yes I would change one thing because I don't have enough adjustability. I might be able to correct that, but there are workarounds for everything.
Anyway it was fun once it got completed and it works. I wish I had a milling machine and a lathe but I'm probably going to buy a welder first.

You need a welder man. Just get some hokey piece of crap from harbor freight. I got a 60A flux-core from Canadian Tire and it is going strong. I did have to preheat my 1/4 inch steel flanges for my exhaust but it welded them strong. It is super fun to dink around with for sure. I wanted one for a long long time and it always seemed like a novelty to me until I needed to make my exhaust and then I spent less on the welder than a 21" flanged "test pipe". That is a win. Now when the time comes to make the mounting brackets for my second alternator and battery replacement and installing the cooler for the turbo, bam! Free money

 

[highup]

I've watched a ton of videos I want to TIG.

 

[highup]

Actually, my next door neighbor's grandson bought a harbor freight welder. He has a Ford bronco and a muffler went bad. The factory muffler has a 3-point flange like what goes on to a header collector. He cut off the flange and welded it onto a aftermarket muffler. The kid doesn't talk much but it would be fun just stop over and check out the welder and ask him a few stupid questions.
....... And no, he is not a welder. He just bought the welder to replace his muffler. I'm betting he probably save money..... And he now has a welder.

 

[Mark Brown]

See man, thats what i am talking about.

 

[highup]

I'm 100% on your side with this. If I invest in the welder, I just want to get one notch ahead of a base model, so that I don't buy something that I can't grow into.
I have a friend that bought a Craftsman wire welder. It has the gas and everything but it was a cheap one. I borrowed it once to weld up some trim tabs on the back of the cab on my 1973 Chevy stepside.
The Sears brand being a cheap model had issues feeding the wire
The tension control did not work very well and it kept getting a bird's nest inside and you don't realize that's happening until you blow a hole through the metal as a wire stops feeding. It was frustrating. Personally I'd rather find a used welder for 300 bucks for 400 bucks that is more than I need. I'm taking a wild guess that when you bought yours you thought you hardly ever use it. Once you started using it you don't know how you made without it.
Am I very far off in my guesstimation?
Define multimaster was the first tool I bought to use on one job that was impossible to do without it
I spent $235 on a tool that I never thought I would use it again. It became a tool that I use all the time and right now I don't know how I'd live without it. Tools are funny that way.

 

[highup]

If what I type, into my microphone, sounds really screwy and makes no sense whatsoever......... It's my microphone on the phone, not my typing skill level.
I often talk to my phone instead of manually typing the words, the TV is on and at times I've even seen it write an entire sentence from the TV instead of the comment that I am trying to write.
Do not trust your life on technology.

 

[Floorist]

If what I type, into my microphone, sounds really screwy and makes no sense whatsoever......... It's my microphone on the phone, not my typing skill level.
I often talk to my phone instead of manually typing the words, the TV is on and at times I've even seen it write an entire sentence from the TV instead of the comment that I am trying to write.
Do not trust your life on technology.

I have Dragonspeak on my laptop, but don't use it.

 

[Mark Brown]

Once you started using it you don't know how you made without it

I have only used it thrice but I believe that your assumption is correct

 

[Tom Picciani]

Been digging holes and putting in shrubs all over. Put in 120 feet of 6 inch edging. And then 5 cubic yards of mulch. Oh and discovered a great tool for mulch. I got a manure fork. The tines are bent so you can stand closer to the pile and avoid stopping it bending. Much easier on the back!

 

[havasu]

I probably should have put this in the joke section.
I watch a channel on YouTube called video leak police. It shows video from dashboard cams personal police cameras during police stops, chases, domestic violence calls etc.
This one is going to win an award in 2021 for one of the funniest things I've ever seen on this channel.
I dedicate this to Havasu and dare him to show me something funnier.

It no workie Hi?

 

[highup]

It no workie Hi?

For some reason the original poster supposedly took that one down. YouTube is notorious for taking down images that might be considered offensive. Usually things that are too graphic. This was a guy that got into a police car and drove off on a highway and there was a long Chase and a police SUV did a few pit maneuvers and a police car went off the grass into a thicket trees. As a dozen other police officers in their cars pulled off the road behind him so he couldn't drive back out, the cops were looking in the bushes for him and the guy comes darting out runs 50 ft across the grass hops in a second cop car and drives off.
There's a helicopter above filming everything and a few miles down the freeway they were able to get spike strips out and the guy finally pulled off the road. The guy opens the car door and laid down on the grounds with his hands out before all of the cops chasing him even came to a stop.
This idiot was in a SWAT team members police car. instead of attempting to grab a rifle or a gun that might have been available he just laid on the ground waiting to be arrested.
The man was not remotely translucent and he did not get shot.
...... Might have been because he didn't point a weapon at the police or try to attack them.
So I have no idea why the video was removed.
During the two chase segments, I would have liked to have seen It sped up a little bit and have them play Benny Hill's music.

 

[highup]

Here you go Hav. This is a shorter version of the one that I saw.
https://youtu.be/

 

[havasu]

Ok, I saw that on my retired cop Facebook page. That was funny as hell!

 

[Mark Brown]

So seeing as it was mothers day and all, sorry... birthing persons day and all, I thought it would be a good day to lay some ceramic in the bathroom at our place. Turned out not so bad. I used customs rapid set mortar and man that stuff had some bite. Just think, at 7pm tonight I can grout it, reinstall the toilet and get the vanity back in place. Yippee!

 

[C.J.]

I like that tile. Something cool besides all the basic stuff we see and deal with day in and day out.

 

[Mark Brown]

it looks pretty sharp. The one I wanted to pick up was discontinued and that was second place. Someday I am going to learn not to set tile with 1/16 grout joints, but today was not that day. It got opened up a little here and there trying to hold the visual the best I could but what can you do. For home depot tile it did alright.

 

[C.J.]

Ain’t it funny how we complain about the box stores but then when it comes to our own floors we’ll put that shite in. I’ve got the $0.69/ sq ft loose lay vinyl in my bathroom. It works and of course it was free.

 

[Mark Brown]

The worst part is I can get those same tile from one of our vendors but for all of 50 sqft by the time I paid freight, home depot was cheaper. Its sad. For all the tile I have ever done in my own homes I think all of it has come from big orange

 

[Floorist]

Can't work on the floors here, still have the original oak hardwood from 1910.