What did you do today?

[Ernesto]

I undercut fireplace hearths.

 

[Tom Picciani]

I undercut fireplace hearths.

My fireplace has tile surround. I can’t undercut

 

[Ernesto]

Undercut saw with slotted diamond blade. Do it all the time, tile, stone, brick, block.

 

[Ernesto]

Oh, ok its not a vertical surround, it's flat. I got it now.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Here’s what I’m dealing with. Last 2 pieces of trim should be in today.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Unwrapped the stair treads and risers yesterday and sorted them out. Broke out the palm sander. Have to get some 220 disks.

I’m again going to use Charles Neil’s pre-stain conditioner to reduce blotching. But I’m going to leave a little raised grain for traction. 30 pieces!

 

[Tom Picciani]

Sanded all the risers last night with 120 and 220. Found a crack in one piece about 3 inches long. Glued it up and clamped it. Will have to sand it again. Shouldn't be an issue.

Will do the treads today.

My SUV, recently washed, is covered in sawdust!

 

[zannej]

My mother likes to be catered to. I have a suspicion that she would have had me cook for her when I was a kid if I'd been capable. She doesn't like to do much for herself & always wants people to do things for her. Mind you, she was a very good cook & she did cook regularly when we were kids, but after my father retired she didn't cook as much & she hasn't cooked since she developed an inner ear disorder that messes with her balance.

Right now we're miserable bc there was a brief power outage and surge last night that did something to the AC. It won't blow cool & it's now 92 degrees in the coolest part of the house. Outside is even hotter. Phone is still out so I contacted a friend via internet & he's got an AC guy coming out to look at it in about an hour. Even the "cold" water is running warm right now & I'm absolutely drenched.

Thanks for the recipe, Tom. My mother's favorite is the beef stroganof. She likes stuff with sour cream because her grandmother who could cook made some Hungarian dishes with sour cream & paprika.

Right now I'm too hot to think straight. I just hope it doesn't get any hotter bc it's going to kill my old dog if it does. I'm about to go feed her some ice cubes in a bowl.

 

[Tom Picciani]

For your dog, maybe a kiddie pool to cool off in? I’ve camped in the heat. No good solution to that. Your ac hopefully just blew the capacitor. That’s pretty cheap as repairs go. Best of luck.

 

[zannej]

Tom, that's what I figured (the capacitor). It was supposed to be under warranty but the repair guy didn't remember that. It was $155 because he didn't have the same size one on hand & had to use two smaller ones. I was boiling so I didn't care. Tomorrow I'm going to try to fix the outside faucet so I can spray the outside AC unit down to keep it clean & cooler. I'm also thinking of trying to get spare capacitors just in case. I think he said it was 80 farads or something (well, he just said "it's an 80"). I kept the old bloated one & it has a bar code. I can try to figure out what it was in case there's another incident.
Got a tropical storm coming so I'm not looking forward to the potential power outage. Gonna fill up a bunch of bottles with water just in case.
The dog liked the icewater.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Got the nose off each step. My carpenter did it. He also cut the first step on the upper stairwell because it has a small return of an inch. Going out now. Chores tomorrow.

 

[zannej]

I picked up stuff at the post office & went to the hardware store to pick up more plumbing supplies to fix the outside faucet that got broken by a tree. Unfortunately it was raining so I didn't get to work on it, but the lady at the store was very nice & she knows what stuff is and where it is better than even the owner of the store (who is the son of a contractor). Owner is a nice guy-- inherited the shop when his father passed away & moved it to a better location. My friend who used to loyally shop at the other small hardware store in town finally decided to go to the one I like because the people at the other shop were condescending & rude.

I got a short run of 3/4 PVC that I can cut to bridge from the T to the threaded adapters so I can put on the spigots (going to have 2 of them). Got metal spigots this time so the hose won't tear them up as much. The pipe broke right at the very top of the previous shutoff so I have to cut if off below (means I'll have to turn off the main waterline for a couple hours). I spent some time testing the valves in the store to see which one opened the easiest.

Next time I'm up in the area with Lowes I'll have to grab a bag of drainage rocks. I have a plan for my temperature & pressure valve. I'm going to remove the old messed up copper drainage tube that is reduced to 1/4" and then replace it with a proper drainage tube that will go straight down into a 1" pvc pipe. I'm going to set up a plant pot with rocks in the bottom underneath the house and have a lid with a hole so the pipe can extend into it a bit. That way, if the valve ever blows, the water will go into the bucket & won't hurt any pets that might be under the house.

Somehow the thermostat got set to 68 degrees so my mother was bundled up in jackets & had a blanket over her head. I was actually cold too. Had to adjust it up to 70 (which is a comfortable temperature for me).

I met a nice lady at the post office who's from Albuquerque (which is where my sister lives). I found it amusing that she somehow ended up here. I forgot to ask why she would come to this hellhole from a big city.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Started cutting treads and risers. Keeping fingers well away from saw blades. Takes a lot of time to fit things. Fortunately my miter saw can cut 14 inches across. Didn’t have to rip any treads yet. Must be lucky!

 

[highup]

Looking good Tom.
I'm gonna be the "warehouse guy" today at the carpet store. Owners went to a Carpet One show in Colorado, the warehouse guy is on vacation, his occasional side-kick is off for a week, the store's installer/employee is on a job............... If I can change the stinger on the Hyster to forks and back to the stinger in a reasonable amount of time, the truck driver will be happy. It may be a very boring day.
.....but they got WIFI!

 

[zannej]

Looks great Tom!
Just popping in while my internet is working. It keeps going out due to this storm. Been raining for over 12 hours straight bc of tropical storm Barry. Friends in town sent pics of flooded roads in town-- which means my roads are probably worse. Haven't ventured out yet, but suspect the roads might not be passable. Amazingly, the power has stayed on though. Hopefully the rain will end soon & the flooding will go down.
But, we're safe & doing ok.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Messed up one riser. Cut it at wrong angle and it’s out by 1/4 inch. Heading to LL for a new piece. Only $16. 7 pieces to go and it’s just staining and varnish.

Going away end of next week. Might be occupied getting ready for trip.

Cutting should be done by tomorrow

 

[Ernesto]

You need a stair wizard

 

[Tom Picciani]

I have one. But the skirt boards are cupped.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Everything is cut. Top step was deeper so I took a couple scrap pieces of leftover strips I cut off the risers and glued them on the back. Not sure you can make them out in the picture.

Cleanup time.

Should have a coat of sealer on tonight.

 

[highup]

Wherever you are heading on your trip, promise not to take any tools with you, just a camera and telescope. You deserve a break.