Sooooo... How's everyone's quarantine going?

When my father in law passed away I cleaned out his shop and brought home a treasure trove of primarily Craftsmen wrenches, maybe 50 screwdrivers and about a dozen tape measures. He would misplace tools and buy more which I thought was funny. Now I'm doing the very same thing.

Flat Thunder Channel said:

Good quality tools are important when you use them everyday. I have a wide variety of brands, but have found a few good 'big box store' tools. My favorite box end combination wrenches are my Craftsman professional wrenches. They are fully polished, have a longer handle and were made in the USA. I purchased them in the early 90's when I was around 10-12 years old. Still use them regularly in the shop. I'm 38 now and have put them though the strength test many times. I bought a Wright brand set of box end wrenches to get some bigger sizes. It's in a tool roll and has wrenches larger than 1". I purchased them in 2014. They were made in the USA. I like the fit form and function, but typically only get them out for big jobs.

I think you know where I am going with this post by now, 'buy the right tool once, or buy it twice'. I always try to buy American made tools when possible. I think the days of true brand devotion for tools is obsolete. I like Craftsmen still, but they sold out. Even before the sale they started sourcing import tools of inferior quality . I started rambling. Pay attention to your tools. Who makes them, where are they made, and inspect it for form and function before deciding. Do not select a tool merely on brand. The $200 big brand name tool might be made in the same foreign factory as the $50 off brand.

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I have Craftsman too. I have a big Craftsman shop vac that I bought in 1988. Still works great. Used to detail tractor trailers when I was in high school, and that was the first thing I bought. Only snapon stuff I have is what I inherited from my father.

John Canfield said:

When my father in law passed away I cleaned out his shop and brought home a treasure trove of primarily Craftsmen wrenches, maybe 50 screwdrivers and about a dozen tape measures. He would misplace tools and buy more which I thought was funny. Now I'm doing the very same thing.

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I'm getting a boatload of tape measures as well. The surveyors at work will grab one from the shop that has metric and standard. They prefer the metric only, so they leave it with me. I always end up with them home at the end of the year.

I hate the damn SAE and metric tape measures. They suck when you have to measure on the other side of the tape.

S A E Rules !! We still have to buy 2"X 4" s .You cant go to Home depot and get a 50X 100 m stud.

Tugger2 said:

S A E Rules !! We still have to buy 2"X 4" s .You cant go to Home depot and get a 50X 100 m stud.

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Hey now!!!! don't give em' any ideas!!!! it'd just be an excuse to shrink the boards some more..

I handed my gr.son a folding engineers rule the other day. he had no idea what to do with it

Tugger2 said:

S A E Rules !! We still have to buy 2"X 4" s .You cant go to Home depot and get a 50X 100 m stud.

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Too late for us in aus. If you want timber its metric your 2x4 turns into 45x90 here

All of our survey here is metric. I'm in the middle, and think in my head that C 0.01 is a cut of 4 inches. This past week however, I have been teaching my 9 year old the difference between mm, cm and m, and when to use each. My step son refers to his height in cm. Metric is easier for doing calculations. No messing with fractions, but I'll always be feet, inches, and Kilometers. Always C, not F. Pounds not kilos, but using mostly Metric Tonnes

DMiller said:

Interesting event yesterday
Woman drives into grocer parking lot
Wearing face mask
She exits her car and begins harping at any and everyone else not wearing a mask
Store manager comes out starts gathering carts(she likes getting away from desk) no mask
Woman looks at her gets back in car drives off

I dare say lockdown fever and virus fear has a hold on a great number of people

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I have a great deal to say on this matter. It would cause the ire of Digger, and have me banished to the HEF hinterlands for an unspecified period of time. However I will say this...
interestingly I have noticed the caulking coming out of the seams of several of my close family members. I don't have several personalities that I tote around and offer to different
people as I see fit. I have one, everybody gets the same one. I don't modify myself for family, clergy, professionals, coworkers or newcomers. It has become apparent during this time
that my family, whom I thought shared most of the values and beliefs that make up my footlocker of personality... don't always. They now, are torn by fear and political influences .
I don't love them any less and Christmas will still be Christmas. However I view them differently now. The family bond is skewed some and will never be exactly how it was.
We (my other half and I) have learned in this stressful time that we pretty much need to stand by ourselves. Without a political viewpoint and revel in that strength.
The family is ripped by fear and dissenting political opinions of both persuasions. We have one who is being stressed so bad by the quarantine that they have almost developed a splinter attitude.
The matriarchs aren't going to play. Life goes on just the way it went before. Plus whatever I have to do to make sure that we stay healthy. We have seen the sunny side of 60.
So if you see me in my M60 cruising down the highway, not to worry. We are just on our way to visit family. To my friends I will say this. During this time of quarantine, try to keep breathing. Breathing is important.

Can concur MD, see friends and family both that are lost to extremes one way or primarily another less desirable. Some friends of mine had a COW when saw VP Pence without a mask in the news at the Mayo. These types INSIST on a mask and went off on him as if no tomorrow. Mayo Clinic Hospital he was at had a Protocol, did not Have to allow him in if he would not honor it but they did, seems is NOT a requirement but a Recommendation there so all the angst was uncalled for. I was berated when noted same only found later the friends and family did figure it out where will not consider a apology or even a reconciliation to me or even note I had been correct without apologizing(makes no difference). Whatever, had friends other than them and if the family wants a disconnect so be it, been a less than social animal most all my days and not changing to fit a mood or moody people. As you still love the family, been there ALL my life so will not turn my back to them just not going to be as outgoing if/as they want distance due to alternate thoughts.

I have the tapes that have both systems. Inches on the bottom and MM on the top. Tracks and undercarriage are far easier to measure in millimeters and all the specs books give percentage worn specs from MM.

As far as the quarantine goes, my mother is in a care facility and we have not been able to go see her in a month. That does not make me happy at all. I can understand it though because those facilities seem to have targets painted on them. I pulled the plug on employment with others about three years ago. I work sporadically as I can control the environments I go into and can say no if the situation doesn't provide the minimum amount of safety I require. I don't understand the self importance that seems to be the normal attitude in society today. I'm sure it is just a quest for power by a few but don't understand why so many poor people can't view the situations and make their own choices. I guess that probably should include those who are well off also. The noise makers spew a line of crap and so many just accept what is said in any kind of media without checking for any factual basis. I guess that's why con men can make such a good living. Each generation in the last hundred or so years has had to face some kind of test by disaster. My parents had WWII and Korea, my generation faced Vietnam and a few economic meltdowns. Now my kids generation gets to face a pandemic and the associated economic and political meltdown that goes with it. I hope I trained my kids well enough that my grandkids have something left to build on.

My own Grands had the Depression WWI and the Influenza Pandemic. Parents were really young in Depression era so knew that as normal. Not much was said but when spoken of was never pretty. Also had Cholera(Bad Water), poor hygiene skin disorders(bath once to twice a week or rinse offs) and teeth/gum issues as no true 'Brushing'.

My grands bathed a few times a week which I thought was weird, joined the Military and was re-introduced to Spit bath or essentials washing on Bivouac. When NOT so busy as to get Stanky I do not always shower daily, maybe every other where if working fence or machines or carpentry will sometimes twice a day. When drove considerable and did not have time would sink wash then continue on. One nephew follows similar basis, also Ex Military.

ONE note, Helmet water was Brush Teeth, Wash Face and Shave then Wash remainder, that was fun to watch as others did not follow the order!!

cuttin edge said:

All of our survey here is metric. I'm in the middle, and think in my head that C 0.01 is a cut of 4 inches. This past week however, I have been teaching my 9 year old the difference between mm, cm and m, and when to use each. My step son refers to his height in cm. Metric is easier for doing calculations. No messing with fractions, but I'll always be feet, inches, and Kilometers. Always C, not F. Pounds not kilos, but using mostly Metric Tonnes

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Having gone through the educational system during “the change” to metric we studied both. I can work in both systems and convert from one to the other in my head, although I do have certain preferences, psi for one. I can’t get my head around kPa and if someone talks bars I automatically multiply by 15 and from there on out work in psi.

I am the same Nige I work in both systems naturally. In some cases use two systems at once
for instance a measurement would be like this. two feet plus a couple of mil
I like flow in litres
I like pressure in psi
I temp in C

We pretty much use both. When we changed over there was so much bitchin about it the govt eventually gave up and pretty much said use what you want but officially we're metric. We price gas by the litre because it is a smaller number than by the gallon. Deli meat is by the 100 grams rather than the kilo but steak or a roast is by the pound rather than a kilo because $10 a lb looks a lot better than $24 a kilo. At our house inside temp is spoken in F. Outside is in C. Lumber is still 4x8 sheet of plywood and a 2x4 is still that (1.5x3.5). Real estate is still advertised in acres because it looks like more than in hectares. I don't think anybody much cares here any more. We just muddle along. d.d.

I've bounced back and forth between metric and inch so much since the 80's both are second nature.

Used to lmao over Cat part prints......give a bastrad metric tap drill size for an inch tap.

Ed

I swear i'm going to strangle this customer. I've been patient as the work came through my dad who did some concrete work for him last year and he built 8 units last year, so figure more work but i'm over it, 2 for 2 he is an absolute nightmare with jobs and expects me to come back because he is clueless. Wednesday afternoon he calls me his son moved into new house and sewer is backing up, they scoped it and a deck pile is through it. I look at it that afternoon and give him a price, at 9pm he responds saying go ahead. Originally I told him my mini could get in and I could do it Thursday when he told me there was 8' clearance (there was only 5'4") so I had to rent a machine. 10 am the next morning he's calling asking why i'm not there, said he responded at 9 last night and that was plenty of time to be there next day.

Friday morning I get it dug out, helix of screw pile is right at sewer height I advise him the best solution is remove the pile to keep the sewer straight and figure out a new pile and offset the cap. He says no he wasn't want to install a new pile so he has his guy come out and says it's fine reroute the sewer around it. So I do, one 45 fitting each side then a 90 to join, no other way to do it in such a tight area. He asks if it's ok, I say it's not ideal but unless you remove the pile or dig up the entire backyard it's the best solution and as long as there is lots of slope on the sewer it should be fine as long as people in the house use common sense with what goes down the sewer. Run water to make sure it flows fine, backfill everything's good. Until tonight he texts me "it's not properly done" between friday afternoon and tonight the city scoped it or at least he said that and said "toilet papers and stuff stuck at connection" however everything is flowing properly. So he tells me he wants me to come back and "fix it properly".

I'm between responding a few words calling him an idiot, or telling him sure it'll be another $1,400 to dig it out again and fix it how he wants to do it this time. I'd like to know how he expects me to route a sewer through a 12" piece of steel that is going to move around because the entire pile is dug out. Or why it's my fault that he didn't want a proper fix. I didn't do any of the original work, just in to clean up everyone elses mess. Hard to tell in the small area I dug up but I don't think the pipe has much slope.

The only bad part is he still owes me $4k from a demo a month ago because I was nice enough to agree to come back and grade the site out again once the frost was gone, even though it wasn't part of the demo I figured I would play nice. I understand why so many people don't give an inch and it's because of customers like this, and that is the way I am going to operate from now on. Anytime I do something nice for a customer it bites me in the a$$ and i'm tired of it. I have a few customers who are great and I will continue to do so, but anyone new, nope not unless I do plenty of work and they turn out to be sensible.

Did you ever have written contracts with him? I'd say you need the 4K owed before you do any more work for him. After that say you can't fix his sewer problem the way he wants.

Welder Dave said:

Did you ever have written contracts with him? I'd say you need the 4K owed before you do any more work for him. After that say you can't fix his sewer problem the way he wants.

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The demo yes, the sewer repair no, just a text confirmation from my quote to go ahead. He is of the opinion with the demo I will do whatever he expects and it's included. The issue I had with it was he didn't say a word until I moved the hoe out, then asked for it, yet he was around 95% of the time I was doing the demo. Also no talk of paying extra for my waiting time when the city shut me down because he refused to properly fence the site (I clearly state in my contract site must be properly fenced prior to delivering hoe), then the next day when i'm told fencing will be up it's not so waiting around again, then he's too cheap to fence entire site and skimps out and i'm screwing around moving fencing trying to clean up the site.

Was the site perfect? No. But it's cleaner then 90% of demos I see around here and perfectly acceptable, and the city passed the demo inspection. I would have got it a bit better but the night before some prick pried open a bunch of compartment doors on my hoe and I wasn't leaving my machine there another night.

It's not a lot, probably 2 hours with my mini. Which is why I figured i'd suck it up and do it and hopefully the next job with him wouldn't be a pain. Since I said I was going to do it i'm going to get it done this week once it's dries up, then get that money or try to, but the sewer i'm holding firm on. He was there when I exposed it and I told him his options clearly.