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The rich folks I know learned early to compromise perfection for production and satisfy the customer whilst at the same time taking risks

That about sums up how to make money laying floors. You learn where you can shave a little time off the jobs here n there by making compromises along the way. Maybe you don’t putty your nail holes or caulk your base. I got a 21 gauge brad nailer for shooting up 1/4 round. The brad still has a head on it but the hole is 25% smaller than an 18 gauge brad nail. Smaller hole is harder to see and now I don’t have to spent time puttying nail holes. That’s time in my pocket and time is money.

Or how many jobs have you done where the last guy didn’t scrape staples. That was time in his pocket. Kinda like ridin in the Tour de France, if you ain’t pumpin juice (taking shortcuts) then you’re not even in the race.
 
I put a piece of carpet in a closet today.
...not as easy as it sounds. I mean, it had a 4 foot seam and I had to install tackstrip and pad too.
....oh and the bifold doors were heavy. It was 12 miles from town but I made it home before dark.
I suppose $150 was better than staying home
 
Communication is the key.
 

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I got to rest today and I put together a new litterbox with a pull-out drawer & a hole in the top where the cats can get down. One cat used it thus far. Another was checking it out, started trying to climb down, lost her balance, flipped over and landed on her back in the pan, then jumped back out as quickly as she could. LOL. Others have been poking around looking at it and not sure what to make of it. The first cat refused to get out though so I had to take the top off and pick her up so other cats could use it. One problem I now see is that other cats can ambush ones that use the box and my cats are assholes so they will absolutely do that.

Other than the litterbox thing, doing shoulder exercises, and sleeping- I cooked for Mom.
 
I successfully changed the cabin air filter in my truck. It was easier than I thought it would be once I got the clips detached. I did have to open the door to be able to move my right foot out of the way though. Old filter had leaves in it. Didn't take long.

Did my shoulder exercises (the ones I'm physically capable of doing-- there are some I can't do bc I can't move my arm into the proper positions). Visited my friend and had him ride with me to Walmart to get his gf's pickup order (she was feeling sick). He listened to the weird sounds truck is making. could be suspension. It wasn't making those noises before I took it to the dealership. Gonna have a local shop look and see if they can figure out what the problem is. I started charging my new tire inflator/jumpstart kit. Comes in its own handy case.

Made vegetable fried rice-- 2nd attempt. I like how it turned out. Pic was after we ate some of it.
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Played with my new 20 dollar pocket hole jig today. Handy little gizmo.

Built an outdoor bench. One day project. Nothing fancy here but sturdy. Last bench I built had screws showing all over the place! Now ya can’t find one.🙂

I’ll run the router around the edges and throw on a coat of stain, maybe some poly and done. Maybe just paint the legs black.. I need a few more…
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Just finished a kitchen remodel today. Floor to ceiling, everything new.
Homeowner was very happy with the outcome. While packing up he asked if I would like a beer, mix drink or a cigar. I jokingly said a Cuban would be nice. He ran downstairs and came back up to hand me a hand rolled cuban cigar…. Thought that was pretty cool!
 
Did some table saw maintenance today. Gotta clean up and lube the worm gear every so often. Checked and adjusted my rip fence then checked to see how my bevel was and if it needed adjustment. Close enough to me.

Had to plane down some planks so I could make some trim strips to match the flooring I was working with. This was one of my favorite tricks to do up against a slider or something like that. Matches the floor perfectly and it gives a clean look.

Looks like a dirty planer bed that needs to be cleaned. I ended up wiping it down with lacquer then polished the bed with Brasso before I waxed it. Shoulda cleaned the rollers but I didn’t feel like getting my fingers that close to the blades so that’ll wait till next time.

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Ooh, what pockethole jig did you get? How easy is it to use? I actually have an amazon page open looking for them but my internet went out and my brain isn't cooperating. Internet was out most of Tuesday and part of Wednesday morning. Slept pretty much all day Tuesday except to empty the kitchen trash (managed to do it using mainly the one good arm).

Good luck with the eviction kwfloors.

My left shoulder is starting to make crunch noises when I move it, but its moving a bit more. I can raise it a couple inches more now. I can also raise it without bending the elbow. The pulley rope thingy helps. Not feeling so great though. The rain made me sleepy.

I cleaned litterboxes today and cooked for mom. Went to cook for myself and the air fryer was dead. I tried plugging it in to different outlets that I knew worked but its toast. Lasted a few years though. The exact same model is on sale right now: Amazon.com

It's a nice little thing. Great for making burgers, chicken strips, fries, and all sorts of stuff. It's basically a mini convection oven. I was sad that it died. While transferring my burgers from the air fryer to the frying pan, one burger split in half and one half fell on the floor. Cats were happy. Then a cat ran up and took a big chunk out of the other burger before I could transfer it to the pan. She's too cute for me to get mad at her though.

Mom decided she wanted a larger air fryer so she got one that had a coupon that is much larger. Like 26qt or something. Hopefully I can figure out how to use it easily.

My brother brought me home a salad so I'm about to go eat it.
 
Ooh, what pockethole jig did you get? How easy is it to use?

Kreg brand.

Pretty easy. You just have to set the jig and bit at the right depth for the thickness of the wood you’re drilling through and buy the right length screw for the thickness of the wood you’re screwing into. If you buy the $20 model you’ll need a clamp too.
 
Dealing with a lawyer now to evict some guys off my place. Going to get interesting in a couple of days.
I had to do that once. Ended up offering them money to leave. Here in NY it could have taken a long time to get them out legally. It was cheaper and easier to pay them… Still sticks in my craw that I had to pay a person like that..😤
 
I'm thinking of getting one of the Kreg jig kits but am debating whether it is worth it to spend more. I think getting something with clamps and the right type of screws would be good. I really hate the look of pocketholes but I can see they may be useful. I got a dowel kit bc I prefer dowels, but being able to have the strength of screws would also be nice. I need to find the wooden plugs (I only seem to see plastic) for the holes. Or maybe I can just fill them up with putty.
This one looked interesting but I wonder if I can get pieces separately for less $ https://www.amazon.com/Kreg-KPHJ320-22-Pocket-Hole-KHC-MICRO-Clamp/dp/B0B15KFCDW/

I had to haul trash out bc my brother refused. I'm a bit irritated with him bc there were 2 simple things I asked him to do before going to work-- take out the trash, and unload his new monitor from the front passenger seat of the truck so Mom would have a place to sit. He didn't do either. If he lived on his own he'd never survive. He can't do even the simplest things and he's going to be 43 next month. I'm not going to be around to take care of him forever.

So, I had to take care of that and drove Mom to State Farm to get something settled with the premiums. They are supposed to automatically deduct it from our bank but they didn't and sent a note accusing us of failure to pay and they were going to cancel the insurance. They also had conflicting info on how much was owed. Even the agent said it was confusing but said the system only showed the lower amount and took payment. She was very nice about it.

Went to Walmart but there were no riding carts. So, Mom walked around leaning on a cart. Fastest trip I've ever had with her in the store bc she got too tired to keep going and wanted to go back out to the truck. I gave her the keys and checked out. Then stopped at TSC to get cow feed. I realized I forgot to get milk (my brother drank the last of it and forgot to get more when I asked him to). Stopped at a local IGA and grabbed some. Also forgot to get bread (guess who ate most of it?). I'll have to make a list.

Meds still have me feeling cruddy but hopefully my shoulder will heal. I slammed it into the doorway while carrying in groceries though so its throbbing. I'm about to take a nap and then will do more exercises.
 
Do you still have a job?

It’s more of an organized play group. Here’s another cutting block I finished up the other day. Walnut, maple and some other random light woods. One of the guys is gonna give it to his gram grams.

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Those Kreg jigs are awesome. I was adjusting my jig the other day. Slice the test piece open and you can see exactly where your drill bit is going.

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I'm thinking of getting one of the Kreg jig kits but am debating whether it is worth it to spend more. I think getting something with clamps and the right type of screws would be good. I really hate the look of pocketholes but I can see they may be useful. I got a dowel kit bc I prefer dowels, but being able to have the strength of screws would also be nice. I need to find the wooden plugs (I only seem to see plastic) for the holes. Or maybe I can just fill them up with putty.
This one looked interesting but I wonder if I can get pieces separately for less $ https://www.amazon.com/Kreg-KPHJ320-22-Pocket-Hole-KHC-MICRO-Clamp/dp/B0B15KFCDW/

The little 20 dollar single hole jig does the same job as the bigger, self locking jigs, just takes longer. If you’re setting up a shop, or do a lot of building, I’d go with the bigger fancy one… If it’s just an occasional back yard job, and you’re in no hurry, go cheap,

That 34 dollar two hole jig from Amazon with the clamp included is a good price if you don’t already own a clamp. Any kinda clamp will do.
 
The little 20 dollar single hole jig does the same job as the bigger, self locking jigs, just takes longer. If you’re setting up a shop, or do a lot of building, I’d go with the bigger fancy one… If it’s just an occasional back yard job, and you’re in no hurry, go cheap,

That 34 dollar two hole jig from Amazon with the clamp included is a good price if you don’t already own a clamp. Any kinda clamp will do.
I have probably 30 assorted clamps. Do you need a corner clamp, like a picture frame clamp?
 

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