What did you do today?

[highup]

We had a low of 61 this morning. It should be 45 this time of year. It's raining steady and 62 now at 10:30.
It's gonna be a soggy weekend.

 

[highup]

Holy smokes CJ, you get to wake up to that every morning?
...and all those cords, or "cables". Do you plug one end in at home, then lay them all the way to the job site?

 

[havasu]

Headed to Central California today. Pismo Beach today, Paso Robles on tomorrow, and Ventura on Monday.
Can you sing "Ventura Highway", by the Eagles, right now?

 

[highup]

It was 33° this morning where I am in New York.
I found a way to combat those unruly extension cords and hoses.
Almost everything I own now is cordless.

I wonder if he sold all the copper, how many tools could he buy with the $$$.
........all of them.

 

[Incognito]

27 degrees out this morning and so are all those cords and hose. Couldn’t imagine what it’s like to be in NY, Wisconsin or some other miserable place during the winter and having to deal with this or worse every day On the plus side I do love a nice sunrise.

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That is a crazy amount of cord. My 8 hour day would be 4 hours spreading them out and then 4 hours reeling them up. The union contract had to limit what we were required to furnish to 50'. If the GC didn't have anything close to the work the shop would have to furnish the ten zillion feet of cord, or sometimes we'd get a generator out there to avoid the battle ground at the spider box and constant tripping of breakers. I recall turning the handle on the Clarke sanders and all the lights would dim and the machine would start spinning at 2 RPM gradually drawing enough power to get up to 175. I had off brand machines that to get the pad spinning you'd have to swing the machine around to kind of push start. Those machines were buffers rather than sanders so they really only were good for light sanding off new slabs to take the burrs off.

 

[highup]

I think someone's.... Meaning more than one, are telling you to upgrade, CJ. Cords are as old as Daris, Rusty, Pong and Commodore 64.

 

[Floorist]

I think someone's.... Meaning more than one, are telling you to upgrade, CJ. Cords are as old as Daris, Rusty, Pong and Commodore 64.

What! You mean I can no longer play Pong on my 64?

 

[highup]

What! You mean I can no longer play Pong on my 64?

Oh my goodness the advances in the tech world.
I thought it was only available on VHF.
...or was that VHS?

 

[highup]

It was a Bakelite brownie.
After it was burnt beyond recognition, I must have set it back in the shop for some reason..... maybe it was pouring down rain, so in a hurry to open windows I just set it back there. Whatever the reason, at some point, it dropped behind the desk to become an heirloom to be passed on. Maybe I'll cut it into cubes and frame them for Christmas presents.
Maybe I saved it as a test for a new flooring product .....a possible collaboration between me and Betty Crocker.
....or the first test tiles for the space shuttle.
This thing was preserved better than any Egyptian pharaoh ever was.

Well, the desk that the char broiled brownie fell behind is .... toast
It was in decent shape for a 1950s relic. Took it to Habitat and they didn't want it. . They have tons of space and even if it went to $4.00 it could have a 3rd life and made them I tiny bit. It's been in the family for well over 50 years.
Took it to the loading dock at the store and put "Free" on it. If it's there on Monday it's dumpster material.
I relocated two mechanic tool boxes from the wall by the drill press. That desk was on the left wall. Where the desk and the tool boxes came together, there was a 19" by 22" void for stuff to fall into....... corners in a small work shop are hard to use efficiently.
With the too cabinets and desk out of the way, I decided that would be a place for a double drawer file cabinet. It will dry at an angle with just a small triangle behind it.......hardly any wasted space when it's completed. The drill press was next to the door, so using it was awkward. Its now going to set next to my new work table area with lots of room for drill press related stuff.... Drills, clamps, my monster 44 lb cross slide drill press vice can be easily set down to the side table now, and easy to lift when I need it.

The Lil old shop was put together one piece at a time over the years..... decades actually and randomly adding stuff and dropping it in whatever space was available. It's going to be a lot better when I finish up.
It's gonna be about 4 feet on each wall and cover the file cabinet at an angle.
The left part of the table might just become my "drafting area" , where I can finish up my floor layouts with plenty of space for rulers, pencils.....
.....and erasers.
I'm kinda thinkin the table's framework is going to resemble this, with 3/4 plywood on the top.... .maybe topped with 1/4" Masonite.......
Still planning a little bit.
The file cabinet is green and my antique Makita chop saw will nestle nicely next to it under the table top on the right side.... Out of sight, out of mind. I don't use it often but like it stored indoors.

 

[highup]

That ol Hubler laser I bought last year came in handy for these wall supports.
Was this accuracy necessary for a desk top
....no, it wasn't.
However, I just set it on the file cabinet and didn't fuss with a level or measuring tape at all. Love this thing. It even showed me the welded wall support was perfectly vertical. Was that necessary? No....

Anyway, I did something constructive today.
The shelves on the left are disappearing.
I'm thinking spray cans might fit into four or five triangular shaped shelves built into, or stacked into the corner to better utilize that space.
https://huepar.com/products/huepar-603cg

 

[C.J.]

I think someone's.... Meaning more than one, are telling you to upgrade, CJ. Cords are as old as Daris, Rusty, Pong and Commodore 64.

We’ve all got cordless nail guns but they come with their own quirks. The battery ones are heavy and you gotta charge the small batteries up all the time. Bigger batteries last longer but weigh more. Nobody is carrying around a cordless gun with an 8ah battery on it all day long.

Then there’s Paslode. The gas guns rock but the fuel for them cost about $20 per box of nails (2000) and I can burn through a box of nails myself in a day on a production house if I’m nailing. Times that by 3 or 4 guys and it starts to add up so sometimes it’s actually worth it to sling cords especially if it’s only one or two cords n hoses for multiple guys to pull from. What about the truck mounted compressor, you gotta keep it level. If there’s no flat ground to park on…

Then there’s the whole cordless saw BS. Yeah I got my eye on the Makita 12” sliding 40v saw. That saw, another stand, and a couple extra batteries will set you back maybe 2k. Then which cordless table saw do I get? Do I stick with Dewalt? cus they’re not necessarily king of the hill anymore. Flex volt is a different platform to me from the 20v, if I gotta make a jump to a different battery platform do I switch colors cus Bosch and Milwaukee both have cordless table saws.

I may complain about cords n hoses but it looks like I’m dealing with them until I’m ready to burn that big of a hole in my pocket.

 

[C.J.]

I’ve also looked into using high pressure air tanks for paint ball guns. You just need the right step down regulators and you’re good to go. They will fill the tanks for you at my local paint ball place for $5/ tank. Some of those tanks you can pump up to 4500 psi or higher. That outta last a day?? $5 and no air hoses. But you gotta go somewhere to get your refills. CO2 is similar but you still have to go somewhere for your refills.

 

[Incognito]

Visiting my son in Japan this week. It's good to be swinging my big $US around when the yen is at ~150 per. Compared to hotels and restaurants in California..............it's kinda REVERSE sticker shock.

 

[Don Monfils]

Do you take your batteries inside at night or protect them in some other way from the extreme heat and cold? I bring mine inside when it gets to freezing or below.

Yes , I bring them inside when it is cold.
I always have , I think it helps with battery life.

 

[highup]

Visiting my son in Japan this week. It's good to be swinging my big $US around when the yen is at ~150 per. Compared to hotels and restaurants in California..............it's kinda REVERSE sticker shock.

That menu is all Chinese to me.

 

[highup]

Lasers will tell you prior to spilling, which direction your coffee will flow.
When I put a top on the framework, it looks like it will flow pretty much everywhere, not simply straight into my lap. The laser is kissing the top side of the 2x4's wood fibers.
I'm thinkin to top it with a single piece of 3/4 AC or two layers of 1/2 inch AC. It's ever so slightly less than 4' x 4' at the widest dimensions.... 1/2 might be the best route. I'll have to check prices tomorrow.
If gluing two 1/2" sheets together......
What glue? Trowel on Titebond II with a 1/16 by 1/1/6 trowel, then screw the living daylights out of the sheets with 1" drywall screws, using them as temporary clamps to keep it all flat until the glue sets? I can deal with the screw holes later.

 

[zannej]

@highup, if you want someone to take the desk, don't put "free" on it. Put a price like "$25' or "$50". Someone will most likely snag it. I think it was the plumbing forums where someone gave that advice to a person trying to get rid of an old toilet. They initially put "free" on it but after putting a sign that said $50 on it they reported it was gone within an hour. In my area people will steal anything marked as having some value.
Video with green laser light is cool. Looks like it will be a nice desk.

I had a lazy day. Played Star Trek Fleet Command and Elder Scrolls Online. Programmed the thermostat to automatically switch from heat to cold and vice versa depending on temperature. Swept up the hallway and wiped down some counters. Watched some "how to" videos on Youtube. Jeff Thorman put out a 2+hr video on how to do a screened in porch.

 

[C.J.]

Sit
Spray
Bidet

Words to live by.

 

[zannej]

Not looking forward to the water getting colder in the bidet attachment this winter.

I had to adjust the thermostat manually (thanks to Youtube for a guide) so I could have auto mode on. By default, only heat, cool, and emergency heat are available in the menu. So I went through and changed it so Auto is in the menu and now it will switch from heat to cool and vice versa depending on the temperature.

Cleared stuff out of the way in my bedroom so I could move my old stinky computer back in to use as bait for the cats. Secured the basket on top of the UPS better with flat bungee tie downs & got the plastic shield in a better position. Used gorilla sticky putty to make some plastic drawers stay stacked on top of another set (they kept sliding and falling off). Seems to be working ok thus far. Found the light for the back door so I know what size mounting base it needs. Found a mounting base that is also an electrical box that I can use for it-- designed to go over vinyl siding. Cooked for Mom. Cleared stuff in the hallway/kitchen so I could move the cat tree back over so its not poking out in the way. Cleaned the toilet. and now I'm about to get some sleep.

Tomorrow is trash cleanup day.

 

[C.J.]

No power at todays job site, the whole damn house has been built with no temp power service. Cordless nail guns, cordless miter saw and a generator for when you get tired of that cordless BS.

The Metabo with a 2ah battery weighs in at 7 something pounds. Luggin that brick around all day gets old real quick.

The Paslode weighs in at 4.2 pounds. For comparison the pneumatic Paslode weighs in at 3.9 pounds so that’s about as good as you’re gonna get without draggin a hose behind you. Plus you feel like a man when it’s poppin off. You damn near wanna say ‘Fire in the hole!’. These gas cartridges are worth their weight in gold. You need one cus you didn’t feel like stopping and picking some up last night? Sure I got some but it’s gonna cost ya.

Veterans Day tomorrow, or is it Saturday, hope you’re not working either way!