so waht ya doin today?

[KeithB]

On my prosthetic I have a foot form at the bottom that a shoe goes over. Not a real outdoorsy type, the few times I have had to mess with snow/mud I just took off my regular shoe and put on a pair of knee high galoshes. Maybe I misunderstand things, just sharing my own experience.

 

[Rick]

Keith, any construction happening on the new shop? Progress? Curious minds gotta know.

 

[CZ93X62]

On my prosthetic I have a foot form at the bottom that a shoe goes over. Not a real outdoorsy type, the few times I have had to mess with snow/mud I just took off my regular shoe and put on a pair of knee high galoshes. Maybe I misunderstand things, just sharing my own experience.

This is the form mine takes as well. I'll figure something out.

 

[Pistolero]

Yeah, rust in your ankle joint would be bad. As a gun guy, field stripping and drying and lubing would be no
big deal, later that day, I would guess, but for most folks.....not much that they could tackle, probably far better to just say
"don't get it wet".
I did replace the ankle bolt which failed in a friend's similar prosthesis. He lost his ankle and foot to a train trying to jump
on a moving freight car when about 11 years old. Ouch!
I was really surprised that a multi thousand dollar prosthesis used a really crappy Grade 2 bolt. I replaced
it with a Grade 8, which lasted for years.

Knee high boots does seem like a pretty affordable and simple solution!

Bill

 

[freebullet]

Well, done been through 50+ flooded properties in the last week or so. Some where ya really feel for the folks loss. Probably turned away almost as many. Worn down is an understatement.

I do believe in the next month or so we're gunna need to run away for a no phones allowed vacation. Almost time to drag the boat out, I can't wait much longer.

 

[Brad]

You are gonna need that vacation Bruce. This winter and now spring is going to keep you busy as hell.

 

[fiver]

I'd say swing by here, but I'd mean bring your work trailer.. LOL.

yeah AxBxC worked, I just dropped the front down and made a simple right angle triangle.
this lets me cut one section of rectangle shaped plastic to cover both ends.

 

[KeithB]

It's kind of an odd thing, sometimes I think about my prosthetic as a foreign object, other times I think about it as just my leg, although it's synthetic. Once I got my final size one and I was able to find pants that fit w/o alteration it was easier to think about as just a leg. Now I just put it on and take it off like it's a rather cumbersome shoe, and take the shoe off when I'm wearing it to put my pants on.

I've got the surveyors/engineers working now, they're going to plant some elevation stakes tomorrow for the excavators to plan the dirt moving and grading. Got 'em talking to each other now so I expect things to start rolling. Excavators expect 45 to 60 days for the actual work to begin. Have contacted all the other contractors so they know the project is on. Need to finish the bank loan papers, didn't want to borrow bucks too soon.

 

[Pistolero]

Keith, good to hear that the prosthesis is becoming a friend or just like a shoe. That must be a good feeling.

As to the shop...still seems like a lot of time, but at least things are moving. Great to hear that.
Is there much grading work needed, or just waiting your turn, or until the ground firms up enough?
If it is like here the ground is totally saturated, hardly can walk on it, let along drive ANYTHING on it.
My mower would leave huge ruts!

Bill

 

[Bret4207]

Stayed about 50F overnight here, with a breeze. I think a whole lotta stuff melted overnight judging by the water in the garage. I did uncover the outlet to the drain for the building yesterday. Froze solid and looks like some dirt in it too. Not much can do with that at the moment. It was a matter of the garage being built incorrectly after the wagon shop that originally sat there burned ages and ages ago. I'm told it was a 2 story wagon building mini factory at one time, later turned into a combo auto repair/farm repair concern. I still dig up all sorts of metal around the build- steel wagon tires, all sorts of springs, a lot of bolts and nails. Any way, when they put the garage up they butted one side against rock and filled in the other side and put it all on ledgerock. The drive slopes down into the garage and there is a trough between the drive and apron for the garage that is supposed to steer the water to the left and along the rock to a 12" culvert that allows a walkway to the rear of the garage. Well, take an 8 foot section of culvert and bury one end. Do you you think that will drain? Of course not. So years back I dug the far end up and added some 4" drainfield pipe and crushed stone. Most years it drains pretty darn good unless we get torrential rains. I think this year it just iced over and then froze. When (if) I get my backhoe fixed I'll dig up the PVC and add more 12" culvert.

 

[Intheshop]

On a construction note...... think drainage.

Although it'll obviously be more of an issue with a basement,the same can be said for ANY excavation prior to the slab work. Also known as "flatwork" in concrete lingo..... vs walls.

Just like brickwork.... where the first thing the Mason does is,go find the lowest point on the foundation.....cause that's where it all starts. Leastwise from a plotting standpoint. So when discussing "subgrades" on flatwork concrete...... the first thing to do is determine where the lowest point is going to be. No,ifs ands or buts. Generally nobody gives a rat's arse about this...... and can bore you to tears with anecdotal "excuses". I've heard them all.

Loader guys,if they understand what we're trying to do will usually let their egos down and cut the subgrade properly...... just don't tell them "how" to do it.... as each has they own way. One trick is most operators know how high their tracks are.5' is a reoccurring number BTW. So now we're getting somewhere...... this has to do with setting pin ( wooden stakes) height so that it correlates with their 5' thinking.

Do not be the least bit bashful about the subgrade "slope to drain". On a typical 30' X 60' footprint,4 inches low at wherever we determined to be the drainage point is about right. Much less and we run the risk of a "puddle"...... no bueno.

Whatever your subgrade looks like after a two day rain..... before any gravel or footers or anything..... is exactly how it's going to be 10,20,50 years from now. We're assuming virgin subsoil here..... all "cut",no fill. Reckon I could write some long drawn out thesis on this but really shouldn't have to. The problem is you're gonna play heck trying to convince some hotchit contractor of this. So don't even try...... I'm coming from having been under more old houses and buildings than most folks have ever even seen. I'm coming from foundations with not a lick of concrete in them. I'm coming from buildings that are 200 years old and are as dry as a popcorn fart under them. It is not a fast process.... but it ain't slow neither. Get the subgrade to any drainage issue PERFECT.....everything else is gravy after that. Miss it,and well..... you lose.

 

[Intheshop]

Food,specifically crab cakes.....

If you were to go to Tangier island,or Smith island and order crabcakes at anyone of dzs of "real" seafood joints.....

You'll most often get a big icecream scoop of crabmeat with barely enough mayo and a thimball full of breadcrumbs mixed in. Basically eating meat.

Wife brings home grocery store crabcakes yesterday that is the fundamental opposite of above...... "where's the meat"?

Having grown up in "southern" Md.,was privy to go to a friends Gma's house on the Chesapeake bay. She and her husband were lifers on the bay. Being very interested in all things edible,would sit and watch her create these work of art's crabcakes. To which,have been spoiled ever since. The key is in the proportions of crab to...... NOT breadcrumbs but,stale'ish saltine crackers. Throw some finely minced onion and celery in..... some Oldbay seasoning and a touch of egg/mayo. Now the trick to cooking...... if it isn't cooked on a Coleman or similar small gas stove,in a cast iron skillet then,you ain't doin it right.

That's my story and am sticking to it!!! Didn't complain about the crabcakes last night because I just don't feel well enough to make them myself but,they weren't crabcakes by my std. Sorta like trying to convince a German guy that Bud light is "beer"?

 

[Gary]

Praying for the good folk in New Zealand. Horrible event there yesterday.

 

[uncle jimbo]

Suppose to be in the mid 40s today so I am going to take the wheel weight I got last week out to the patio and sort them. If I got time when I get done, I will melt them down and cast into ingots.

 

[RBHarter]

Ms has some sort of stir frybulia going on for dinner .
Gonna have a couple of blue lights or maybe a couple of Coronas while I figure out which phones we need to replace .

I guess tomorrow will be spent getting phones and Dad's transit out an laying out lines for the cement and send Ms to the hardware store for perc pipe . Finally got my gall in gear and will order the sawmill tonight . There's enough trees on the lot and I have a heated shop to set the lumber to a state as good as KD in a week or so . By the time the siding and floors are done the mill should be about paid for maybe a little more since fully half of the trees are oak .

 

[Intheshop]

RB,look up Cooks sawmill blades on the interweeb.... read their tech articles. Good stuff. IIRC,they're in Georgia.

 

[fiver]

well it took another trip to Pokey, and i had to call Littlegirl over to help me, but I got the first cold box finished tonight.
guess I will tear it apart tomorrow and find someplace to put it so I can start on number-2.

if we ever get above 30 or so for a couple of days I might go out and try to move [shovel] some of the snow out of where they are going.

 

[462]

Brought the new-to-me .38 Special Uberti/Cimarron 1866 home -- yippie, skippy!!

Lee's 358-158 RNFN sized to .358" is a wee bit fat to reliably chamber, and their 358-158 SWC is a definite no-go, as it gets hung up on the squared-off chamber the same as in the Rossi 92/EMF Hartford. Sierra's 158-grain JHC feed, chamber and eject smoothly 100 percent of the time, so will load some up for Monday's range session.

The original owner replaced the loading gate (Uberti calls it a ladle -- really weird), because the tab on the back of it was bent and created feeding problems, but I don't know if it's Uberti, or aftermarket. In the process of disassembly/re-assembly, he, or worse yet his gunsmith, buggered the lever screw head and the magazine tube plug.

Bore is blindingly bright and rifling sharp, though it was a mite dirty, and Mother's Mag Polish really spiffed up all the brass work.

All-in-all, my lever-action rifle soul is about as happy as can be.

 

[RBHarter]

In,
I've read that name a few times .
I've done my best to talk myself out of buying it but I did the math 3 ways and having the other tools on hand to shape , route , plane , and surface and the lumber costs for my needs , I can't afford not to .

 

[Intheshop]

Their "tech" is mostly green wood which is a little different from dry wood bandsaw/resaw action but.... ehh,it still is important dope. They're brothers,and am not doing justice here.... but one is all degreed up engineer and the older? is the classic self taught honest to goodness almost genius level,guy.

I believe his(oldest) most crucial break through was how blades take a set( not saw tooth set) from going over crowned wheels and effecting the blades ability to track straight. It came out of his direct involvement with sharpening old wore out blades..... Just a dang interesting fellow in the,pardon the cliche but,old school engineering sense.