Glad you said it cause I was sure thinking it.dildo?
What did you do today?
- Thread starter havasu
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Help Support Flooring Forum - DIY & Professional:
kwfloors
Well-Known Member
Jp, my wife is still stuck north of Seattle because of it canceling. I hate the trains anymore. I'll drive or fly anyway before riding amtrack anymore.
Before and after:
$2500 is either expensive or half what it's worth depending on which side of the fence you're on.
It took over 3 hours just to get the curved section of railing to drop back into place. That's after spending an hour and a half with my lazer level making location points on the walls.
Crazy job. Not sure how to bill it out. I had no idea the railing was going to be such a temperamental beast. The guy who built and installed this custom railing is long gone..... so he can no longer be strangled or bludgeoned.
His mistake is when making this all every connection point was done at the machinist level.
All wood to wood, and all wood to metal joinery was fit perfectly.
Sounds good in theory that a one off staircase was made with such precision.
My nightmare removing the railing and it's bits and pieces were not expected at all.
Everything was tight. So tight that one afternoon, I went home to get my large Makita compressor and my CP air chisel to vibrate the sections apart. My #2 dead blow wouldn't budge it. Today we had 10 balusters to drop into those steel buckets on the stairs. When things started going kantywampas even though they were alined properly, we had to put on our Columbo hats.
We will go here and there and everything looks fine but the baulisters wouldn't drop in fully.
Which ones were fighting us, which ones were too tight, which ones were okay?
We had to align this middle curved section of railing with the upper straight section on the first four stairs. The screw holes needed to fit correctly, aligned just like they were when I first took them apart a few weeks ago.
This is why I did the stairs in sections. I did the first four, then put the railing back and made sure it aligned with the curved section which we hadn't removed yet.
Then I removed the curved section and then put it back.
Had I taken all three of the railing sections off in one felled swoop, I'd have had no reference points as to what happened prior. I'd be totally guessing as of what what where and what what wrong.
What have I learned from this?
The bracket that I made for my laser level showed me and told me so much. The three plane laser should be screw locations, angle locations in many of the things.
Looking back, many of those things might not have been necessary.
The question is have they been necessary and I have not done them where would I be now? I have no reference points, the railing wouldn't fit, and I wouldn't have a clue why or how to correct it.
I think I did the correct thing building the bracket for my laser so that I could accurately mark the walls, giving me absolute reference points for if nothing else, to reassure myself.
The largest issue was the wood shrinkage. The stair railing and parts werebobviously made in someone's unheated shop. Once installed, every part of this oak railing shrunk up and tightened either to itself or to the metal parts that fastened the railing to the stairs.
Had he cut all these connection points or dimensions 1/8# shy to make installation easier, it would have went to the together just fine even after shrinking up over the years. I'm convinced that the man who made these stairs was a machinist....
I'm thinking that every piece of wood he machined, was fit to a 0005" tolerance,
and that everything had to be flawlessly exact...... before it shrank. HEY, it's WOOD !!!
$2500 is either expensive or half what it's worth depending on which side of the fence you're on.
It took over 3 hours just to get the curved section of railing to drop back into place. That's after spending an hour and a half with my lazer level making location points on the walls.
Crazy job. Not sure how to bill it out. I had no idea the railing was going to be such a temperamental beast. The guy who built and installed this custom railing is long gone..... so he can no longer be strangled or bludgeoned.
His mistake is when making this all every connection point was done at the machinist level.
All wood to wood, and all wood to metal joinery was fit perfectly.
Sounds good in theory that a one off staircase was made with such precision.
My nightmare removing the railing and it's bits and pieces were not expected at all.
Everything was tight. So tight that one afternoon, I went home to get my large Makita compressor and my CP air chisel to vibrate the sections apart. My #2 dead blow wouldn't budge it. Today we had 10 balusters to drop into those steel buckets on the stairs. When things started going kantywampas even though they were alined properly, we had to put on our Columbo hats.
We will go here and there and everything looks fine but the baulisters wouldn't drop in fully.
Which ones were fighting us, which ones were too tight, which ones were okay?
We had to align this middle curved section of railing with the upper straight section on the first four stairs. The screw holes needed to fit correctly, aligned just like they were when I first took them apart a few weeks ago.
This is why I did the stairs in sections. I did the first four, then put the railing back and made sure it aligned with the curved section which we hadn't removed yet.
Then I removed the curved section and then put it back.
Had I taken all three of the railing sections off in one felled swoop, I'd have had no reference points as to what happened prior. I'd be totally guessing as of what what where and what what wrong.
What have I learned from this?
The bracket that I made for my laser level showed me and told me so much. The three plane laser should be screw locations, angle locations in many of the things.
Looking back, many of those things might not have been necessary.
The question is have they been necessary and I have not done them where would I be now? I have no reference points, the railing wouldn't fit, and I wouldn't have a clue why or how to correct it.
I think I did the correct thing building the bracket for my laser so that I could accurately mark the walls, giving me absolute reference points for if nothing else, to reassure myself.
The largest issue was the wood shrinkage. The stair railing and parts werebobviously made in someone's unheated shop. Once installed, every part of this oak railing shrunk up and tightened either to itself or to the metal parts that fastened the railing to the stairs.
Had he cut all these connection points or dimensions 1/8# shy to make installation easier, it would have went to the together just fine even after shrinking up over the years. I'm convinced that the man who made these stairs was a machinist....
I'm thinking that every piece of wood he machined, was fit to a 0005" tolerance,
and that everything had to be flawlessly exact...... before it shrank. HEY, it's WOOD !!!
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$1,000,000 is almost enough.
Don't be silly Rusty 250,000 would float my boat.
I don't need stress like this, there's nobody else in my county that would come close to attempting a job like this. I question my intelligence.
That said like most of my complicated jobs it's almost done just turning out well and weight is being lifted off my shoulders.
It's going to be fine...
.........it's going to be just fine!
...I tell myself.
ETD Thursday.
Plus another day maybe hauling out all my tools and crap. I can't believe how many tools I brought on to this job.
Tricky job, well done!
Thanks, it's been quite a ride.
I don't sign up for this stuff, there's just nobody else around here that would do it or could do it. I can't do it either I just do. It's that old one foot in front of the other thing.
I'd rather be doing anything, even drag racing this guy.
I don't sign up for this stuff, there's just nobody else around here that would do it or could do it. I can't do it either I just do. It's that old one foot in front of the other thing.
I'd rather be doing anything, even drag racing this guy.
Oh sorry to hear that. Never rode Amtrack. Not sure airports are any better when things go wrong…
Long Island Rail Road is pretty much for commuters into the city although now, with the new terminal, you can switch over to Amtrack and go anywhere. Runs all day and all night every day. Schedule is usually accurate to the minute but If you miss one train another will be along in less than an hour. Pretty reliable most of the time. Beats the heck out of sitting in city traffic…. They say over 1 million people pass through Grand Central each day… I believe it.
Pretty cool place to visit but city living isn’t for me… Rather be moving to Montana…
Got another job for you Randy.
Busted a move on some laminate today. Done by noon so now it’s time to find something to do inside the shop for the rest of the day.
I hit my workbench with some black filler the other day then sanded it and got a coat of poly on it. You can see the natural rings in the top layer of plywood starting to show after being sanded. Interesting. I’ll hit it with 400 and put another coat on it this afternoon.
I hit my workbench with some black filler the other day then sanded it and got a coat of poly on it. You can see the natural rings in the top layer of plywood starting to show after being sanded. Interesting. I’ll hit it with 400 and put another coat on it this afternoon.
Highup, I hope the customers appreciate how much work you did and that you gave them a break on the price. Looks great!
Rusty, that is a neat staircase but looks like a nightmare to install.
CJ, looking good!
I had to go get bloodwork today- so no food after midnight. I ended up not going in until after 11am because I didn't feel like getting up. Went to the doctor's office to get the scrip bc I don't know what happened for the paper. For some reason they were sending me to the hospital for bloodwork. Took a bit to get that paperwork. Then I went to the hospital and the clerk picked up the phone to call the doctor's office (which is right across the street) to ask why they sent me over there when it was going to cost me $218 but it was cheaper if I had it done at the office. After talking to them she apologized to me and sent me back over. Its only $89 at the office. So I waited until they were ready to take my blood.
While waiting I saw a familiar face-- guy with down's syndrome. When he saw me he rushed over to hug me. Haven't seen him in over a decade but he still remembered me. Such a sweetheart. I remember him when he was a kid. He used to come over to my elderly friend's house. His big brother was in the same grade as my brother. I wasn't sure it was him until I heard his mother say his name. He looked pretty good despite his health issues. His mom said his heart stopped during a procedure recently & he's having problems with his bp and sugar levels. That makes me sad because he is such a sweet man. He's always been a sweetheart. I remember him dragging a 16-yr old boy (who was older than him at the time) around by the hand and making him shake hands with everyone at my elderly friend's house. Elderly friend got a kick out of that and the boy was really good about it.
Anyway, after the bloodwork I went to get the CV axle replaced on my truck. Wheelbearing was still ok. It was nice and quiet as I started driving but then started making thudding noises as I sped up. Not sure what is causing the sound bc it's a brand new axle. Need to find someone who can figure it out. But it feels better when I'm driving it. I put in some seafoam motor cleaner and filled the truck up with gas. Skipped going to the store because it started raining.
Was going to take a shower at my friend's house but his water heater busted. City workers broke a main waterline on his street. It flooded his yard and messed up the stand his water heater was on. Stand broke and the water heater fell on a cinderblock and busted a hole in it. He was calling the city to fix the leak and they said "we're working on it" but no one was out there working on it. So, he's pretty pissed off. No shower until that is fixed. He wants to make the city pay for it but our mayor is one corrupt S.O.B. He had one of our friends arrested for "filing a false report" after a rock flew from a city lawnmower and broke the vehicle window as he drove by. He went to City Hall and reported it. Mayor showed up with cops and told him if he didn't drop the claim/complaint he'd be arrested on the spot. Fortunately, his gf bailed him out when he told the mayor to eat a dick. Did I mention the mayor just bought a brand new mercedes on taxpayer $$$? The roads are in shambles and this dude is blowing tax $ on himself all the time.
Sorry, that turned into a rant. Gonna have to take a sink bath tonight and am talking to my friend about getting a tankless water heater at his house.
Rusty, that is a neat staircase but looks like a nightmare to install.
CJ, looking good!
I had to go get bloodwork today- so no food after midnight. I ended up not going in until after 11am because I didn't feel like getting up. Went to the doctor's office to get the scrip bc I don't know what happened for the paper. For some reason they were sending me to the hospital for bloodwork. Took a bit to get that paperwork. Then I went to the hospital and the clerk picked up the phone to call the doctor's office (which is right across the street) to ask why they sent me over there when it was going to cost me $218 but it was cheaper if I had it done at the office. After talking to them she apologized to me and sent me back over. Its only $89 at the office. So I waited until they were ready to take my blood.
While waiting I saw a familiar face-- guy with down's syndrome. When he saw me he rushed over to hug me. Haven't seen him in over a decade but he still remembered me. Such a sweetheart. I remember him when he was a kid. He used to come over to my elderly friend's house. His big brother was in the same grade as my brother. I wasn't sure it was him until I heard his mother say his name. He looked pretty good despite his health issues. His mom said his heart stopped during a procedure recently & he's having problems with his bp and sugar levels. That makes me sad because he is such a sweet man. He's always been a sweetheart. I remember him dragging a 16-yr old boy (who was older than him at the time) around by the hand and making him shake hands with everyone at my elderly friend's house. Elderly friend got a kick out of that and the boy was really good about it.
Anyway, after the bloodwork I went to get the CV axle replaced on my truck. Wheelbearing was still ok. It was nice and quiet as I started driving but then started making thudding noises as I sped up. Not sure what is causing the sound bc it's a brand new axle. Need to find someone who can figure it out. But it feels better when I'm driving it. I put in some seafoam motor cleaner and filled the truck up with gas. Skipped going to the store because it started raining.
Was going to take a shower at my friend's house but his water heater busted. City workers broke a main waterline on his street. It flooded his yard and messed up the stand his water heater was on. Stand broke and the water heater fell on a cinderblock and busted a hole in it. He was calling the city to fix the leak and they said "we're working on it" but no one was out there working on it. So, he's pretty pissed off. No shower until that is fixed. He wants to make the city pay for it but our mayor is one corrupt S.O.B. He had one of our friends arrested for "filing a false report" after a rock flew from a city lawnmower and broke the vehicle window as he drove by. He went to City Hall and reported it. Mayor showed up with cops and told him if he didn't drop the claim/complaint he'd be arrested on the spot. Fortunately, his gf bailed him out when he told the mayor to eat a dick. Did I mention the mayor just bought a brand new mercedes on taxpayer $$$? The roads are in shambles and this dude is blowing tax $ on himself all the time.
Sorry, that turned into a rant. Gonna have to take a sink bath tonight and am talking to my friend about getting a tankless water heater at his house.
I have no idea what you're talking about Rusty. I'm a Walmart greeter not a flooring installer.
No apologies, rants are good for the soul. I should know, I do it all the time
If my water heater was busted I'd be ranting too. Hot water is what makes my back start functioning in the morning.
I need to redo the top on my table saw table. It can't be replaced but I suppose I could add some filler and skim coat it with some epoxy, or something that would harden it up and smooth it out again. It's full of saw cuts, drilled holes and all kinds of other carnage.
Sounds like you’re table saw table needs a little love. I thought about using epoxy or something cool like that on my bench but epoxy is expensive and takes time. A quart of ebony filler is only $22 and it was delivered to my door so filler it is.
Filler shrinks so you might need a couple passes with the filler for any deep areas. Or you can fill those spots with something else. I used my black hot glue sticks to fill bigger holes on my bench first then I skimmed the entire top with filler twice before I sanded and finished it.
Now that you have the idea in your head I say you run with it but be careful because workbenches take on a life of their own. It’s like raising a child. You don’t want a dumb looking bench anymore than someone wants a dumb looking kid. Or is it an ugly kid no one wants. I’m gonna stick with ugly cus I’ve purposely dated a few dumb chicks before but nobody purposely goes for an ugly chick do they, unless they’re ugly too then it just makes sense.
Well now I gotta know what your saw looks like.
Looks nice!
How does the floating floor hold up in a motor home with the cold and heat and all?
I’m guessing better than I would have guessed since it looks like you’ve done quite a few…
I glued down some planks in my outdoor shed. They still look ok…
Looks nice!
How does the floating floor hold up in a motor home with the cold and heat and all?
I’m guessing better than I would have guessed since it looks like you’ve done quite a few…
I glued down some planks in my outdoor shed. They still look ok…
Done properly with a decent product that is appropriate for your specific situation, you’ll be just fine.
What a bunch of flummery! Lol. Glue down products installed over new underlayment do quite well. With them it’s more about the conditions during the installation than it is later on when it’s balls hot, or cold, in the Phoenix desert. Cheap LVP, glue down and floating, blows up in the sun but everybody knows that. Floating floors do best when everything is flat, STAYS flat, and you’ve followed the basic rules of installation. Motor homes seem to have a more rigid frame than some of these trailers do so the ‘stays flat’ part prolly applies more to trailers with floating floors.
The bigger trailers flex a lot. You gotta crank down the stabilizer jacks in the front and back when you’re workin in them, then they’re not bad, but when they’re being towed down the road that frame is all over the place. Some of these custom trailer builds have things built on top of the floating floor and I just cringe cus I know exactly what’s gonna happen, the floor gets pulled apart when the trailer flexes. If it’s just getting towed somewhere then permanently set up on site, I feel a lot better about the survival of that floor. Luckily that’s the case for a majority of builds.
We had one build that was a guys hunting trailer. He had some property he went to and the road into camp was pretty rough. He said he puts his truck in 4 low and goes for it. I was paranoid to do anything in that trailer because I was afraid it would come off the wall or who knows what while being towed behind a truck desperate to not get stuck.
So it’s ride at you own risk…
Are they always for a customer? Or do you build um on spec and sell um?
I wouldn’t mind one of those parked by a lake somewhere…
Are they always for a customer? Or do you build um on spec and sell um?
I wouldn’t mind one of those parked by a lake somewhere…
I need to clear off my work bench down at the workshop so I can use it.
Went to wash dishes yesterday and barely any water pressure. Apparently there's a leak from one of the outside waterlines. I turned on the outside waterline to have a hose working at the front of the house so the guys working on AC could wash their hands. Couldn't locate the leak bc it was raining (I can sometimes hear it or spot extra water).
Took a sink bath. The crappy spray bottle I got from Walmart that never worked came in handy bc I filled it with water (without the top) and poured it over my head to rinse my hair. About the only thing that pos was good for.
Friend said sewage is now bubbling up from where the city workers busted a hole.
I'm down to 200lbs and my doctor was happy. Hopefully my bloodwork is ok. He asked how I did it and I really don't know. I did cut back on some carbs and started eating more salads as filler when I'm hungry. He apparently likes the same salad I do. LOL. I started on one earlier but was too full so I'm about to go finish it off.
It's nice and cool inside so kitties have piled on.
Oh, here is the video my friend sent of the sewage bubbling up. The city keeps claiming "we are working on it" but there hasn't been a single worker out there doing jack squat. And these roads have had tons of potholes for years and have not been fixed. Friend reported it to the EPA and they are coming out tomorrow (later today).
Went to wash dishes yesterday and barely any water pressure. Apparently there's a leak from one of the outside waterlines. I turned on the outside waterline to have a hose working at the front of the house so the guys working on AC could wash their hands. Couldn't locate the leak bc it was raining (I can sometimes hear it or spot extra water).
Took a sink bath. The crappy spray bottle I got from Walmart that never worked came in handy bc I filled it with water (without the top) and poured it over my head to rinse my hair. About the only thing that pos was good for.
Friend said sewage is now bubbling up from where the city workers busted a hole.
I'm down to 200lbs and my doctor was happy. Hopefully my bloodwork is ok. He asked how I did it and I really don't know. I did cut back on some carbs and started eating more salads as filler when I'm hungry. He apparently likes the same salad I do. LOL. I started on one earlier but was too full so I'm about to go finish it off.
It's nice and cool inside so kitties have piled on.
Oh, here is the video my friend sent of the sewage bubbling up. The city keeps claiming "we are working on it" but there hasn't been a single worker out there doing jack squat. And these roads have had tons of potholes for years and have not been fixed. Friend reported it to the EPA and they are coming out tomorrow (later today).
It's a 93? Makita. 8 1/4" it's been a workhorse over time. One of my best investments. Raising and lowering the blade is a joke tho. I can't believe they had engineers design the mechanism.
