JMG
-
Posts
774 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
5
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Posts posted by JMG
-
-
Current Oct coupon: FALLDEAL
20% off 200+, 25% off 400+, through the 18th
Oct 23-30: WINTERPREP
20% off winterizing categories.
-
As the posts are resting on the concrete, there should be no issue with using tap-cons or drive pin anchors to fasten them to the concrete. The only thing you are trying to limit at that point is lateral movement. The wall mount brackets will have the most stress on them.
-
1
-
1
-
-
Yesterday I spent a majority of the day working on mechanical issues, primarily installing two exterior vents.
As it was the last really warm day forecast for the week, some oil base primer on the new wood around the windows was on the list too. Still need to make a couple of flange supports for those two vents as a way to both support and seal the bottom side of the vent cap and pipe.
Today I spent most of the day verifying pipe run locations and working on plumbing design for the bathroom. I have spent way too much time trying to find a small soaking tub. The US plumbing industry in the US absolutely sucks when it comes to small space design. Google doesn't help matters any with their attempt to support a localized marketing base when searching for ideas and specifications. You have to be a bit of a mental contortionist to get beyond the seeming border restrictions, but unfortunately, importing something from out of country that might fit into the space I am working with is too expensive of a proposition.
I have decided to focus on one of the smallest tubs I could find in the supply system and work around the possible difficulties it may cause.
This one has a forty inch square footprint and if I pursue the design idea I had originally worked on, of a soaking tub and separate shower, it will necessitate the combined demolition of both the bath and kitchen areas at the same time. Kitchen will have to lose a few inches in width so that I can maintain at least some semblance of code compliance in minimum spacing requirements in the bath. Not that the current space would pass today's codes by any stretch. May have to flat stud a section of the bedroom wall as well.
The toughest part was simply making the decision to move a wall, but since the old plumbing is going to end up being completely stripped out anyways, there will not be any other major obstacles in doing so.
-
You could create gaps to match on the inside of the all pins and insert thin strips of ebony on end grain, or some other color material. Make it look intentional...
-
2
-
-
Yesterday was demo day again and I started the day by removing the added floor coverings in the bathroom. I have decided that the previous occupants of the home would have made great government employees in charge of cover-ups, as they couldn't fix any problems they encountered, probably could not be bothered to ask for any advice, and used incredibly ineffective methods in their attempts at hiding anything they ran into that could have been fixed with even the slightest amount of original thought or understanding of what was happening to cause the issue in the first place.
While the current batch of issues started with the original flooring installer's lack of understanding of how wood moves when exposed to higher levels of moisture, the first attempt made at covering up the buckling floor in the bathroom was to spread out a layer of thinset (yeah, lets add more water to the problem), then screw down a 1/4" sheet of ply, spread some more thinset, and then apply peel and stick vinyl tiles... I am quite sure this did not last very long and instead of pulling up the vinyl tiles (took all of five minutes to do so), the next cover-up was to apply yet another layer of thinset and then glue down a vinyl sheet and half-ass caulk the edges. The last person to add the vinyl covering, may have also been responsible for not installing a wax ring on the toilet too, as there was no indication of any wax at all when I replaced the toilet itself after moving into the house.
Some of the issues could or should have been addressed before covering up the problems. The person who installed the hardwood flooring did not leave any expansion gaps at the walls (wedged tight to the framing), and I am pretty certain that no sealer was applied to the end grain at the tub either. The problem was also exacerbated by the fact that they used a low density fiber underlayment instead of plywood in the wet areas. When the first signs of buckling appeared, they might have been able to forestall any issues by cutting a gap into the floor surface at the walls and then reseal the floors, but at the stage the floor was at when they tried the first episode of hide and seek, the wood flooring should have been removed altogether. The end result was that I found a fairly large patch of black mold trapped in the different strata of the attempts to improve the room's floor surface. I hope this is the last major mold find for me, but I have not torn out the kitchen yet...
-
Graco UltraMax was on sale today at Zoro. 25% off.
I have been looking at this for awhile now and waiting for one of those sales that did not exclude it.
I have an old Titan airless unit for five gallon quantities, but it is just too much work to set it up and then clean it for any work less than the five gallon range of material.
-
4
-
-
That ball peen hammer has dropped to $12 too. Think I will grab a couple of those items... My tool budget really is shot this year.
-
1
-
-
Makita posted a new giveaway on their site today. Simple entry process; https://www.makitatools.com/lxt/sweepstakes
Runs 10/3/17 through 11/21/17. Pretty solid prizes up for grabs.
-
4
-
-
Tuesday is demo day... the one day of the week where I try to find out how much weight I can stuff into the trash bin.
So far it has only been limited by how much plaster or stone that I can personally wheel out to the curb. Trying to keep from having to pay for a dumpster. Found about thirty years worth of razor blades in the bath wall below the old medicine cabinet.
Since we are running out of warm and or dry weather, the rest of the day was spent on mudding in two basement windows, and looking for cracks in the block to fill in.
Doesn't look like I will get to apply the gray primer this week (rain incoming). I am so tired of the ugly red paint the last owner chose for the foundation.
-
You should have walked back out and found the knucklehead and thanked him for the huge discount and informed him that it would not have been possible without his help...
-
1
-
-
Testing out the nibbler today.
Sure made short work of that pipe. Power toys are so much more fun than the old hand tools.
-
Well this just bites me arse... Reading the instruction manual for the new miter saw shows that the model they are giving us here in the states is NOT bluetooth capable. The wireless capable saw would be the XSL04 model, which outside of the instruction manual has no ready available information currently. They were boasting about connectivity for the saw at their show, but now that feels a bit like bait and switch to me.
XSL06 photo
Notice the lack of the Bluetooth switch.
My general excitement for the new tool has just vanished. Meh...
On the up side, I might not go completely broke this year after all.
-
They have also re-added the seven inch grinder to the site along with several other items early this morning...
https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/VJ05Z
12v max
https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/VJ06Z
12v max
https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/RH02Z
12v max
Kit versions of the jigsaws come with MakPacs, and the hammer kit has a molded case.
Two existing x2 tools have been added as four 5ah battery kits (blower and chain saw). These are probably part of the new promo for several items with extra batteries just posted as well on the promo page...
https://www.makitatools.com/promos
And last, but not least, the new ten inch cordless miter has finally made it's appearance...
https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/XSL06Z
All of these items have been flagged with a "Coming Soon" banner.
Sort of funny as the miter is already out in the wild, as it were.
-
1
-
-
Makita has added a "Coming Soon" item to the list; One miter saw and stand combo...
https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/LS1019LX
They don't have a separate listing for the WST06 stand on the site yet.
-
Okay, that hurt... About six hours to prep, mix nine 80lb bags, trowel it out, brush the surface, pull forms, finish & brush edges, and clean everything up. After that it was Yeti time.
The Milwaukee mud mixer worked like a champ, but it turns out it has a resonance issue when moving horizontally through the mix, and will at times feel like it is grinding its way through the material instead of smoothly mixing. Seems like the software controls are not entirely in sync with the motor under pressure.
-
It took a bit over three hours to rough out about 2/5 of the room area, but it was all my back could stand at one go. The Makita diamond wheel is holding up quite well, with a bit of wear showing on the outer edges, but still cutting away.
Took a break and then worked through the set up for this next back moidering project...
One form for the concrete pad for the AC system with sump drain running through it. The compressor was basically sitting in the dirt when I bought the house, as nothing much will grow in this corner. Should make a decent space to mount a hose reel too.
-
Quick test to check out how well the Makita diamond wheel works...
I believe this is the same model wheel that Eric reviewed on the TIA main page recently. This was about five minutes worth, and it does an excellent job of stripping up the old paint and knocking down any lumps on the surface. I am quickly finding out how uneven this floor really is. If I wear this four inch one out, I might try the next size up.
The old paint was reacting with the epoxy finish and delaminating, so the new tool will get its workout. It doesn't look like it will be a major project with that grinding setup, just a bit of a strain on the ol back. I am really liking the optional accessories Makita has for their grinders. Although not made specifically for the cordless units, the dust shrouds can be made to work on them with minimal adjustment. The only difference seems to be the location of the rotational slot on the tool for the locator pin on the shroud.
-
Disabilities have been acting up over the last few days, so light duty items moved to the top of the list. Measuring and scribbling on the walls for plumbing and wall locations, general tool clean up, some painting of wall sealant, and shifting some items around.
Found a couple of quirks on the Flexvolt miter... The sand cast finish on the blade and motor housing is a dirt trap, especially when cutting pine with a high pitch content, and doesn't vacuum or dust off well. Had to go at it with a rag, and found that the inside edges of the plastic blade guard are really sharp, along with some other parts too. Also, the small channel behind the blade that directs the dust towards the exhaust tube clogs up in a hurry, detracting from the already suspect dust collection of the saw. Next, when mounted on this saw stand, the weight of the unit becomes a factor and can wobble front to back during use as the mount locations make it significantly tail heavy when cutting at ninety degrees. Going to change out the blade as well. The thin kerf blade that came with the saw just flexes too much and does not handle knots well enough for my tastes (thought the blade was going to explode on one that popped out during a cut). Saw has excellent power on batteries though, and overall is very smooth in operation. Not planning on giving it up any time soon.
-
https://www.amazon.com/gp/promotion/A35GIALSK1F8JQ?ref_=plp_pc_dp_imp_A35GIALSK1F8JQ
15% off select Makita items through 30 Sep.. Discount applied at order summary.
DML805 LED light ends up at $63.75.
25 pack 5/32 SDS plus bits; $18.69.
25 pack 3/16 SDS plus bits; $29.74
Gold magnetic driver set; $11.36
Not all of the items eligible are on the three pages listed.
-
1
-
-
Acme Tools shows the saw as in stock for $520...
http://www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/makita-xsl06z
Not up on the MakitaUSA site yet. Oi vay, I am going to go broke on tools this year...
-
1
-
-
https://www.forbes.com/sites/shuchingjeanchen/2016/01/07/father-son-in-power-tools/#178ab3ff6519
Well written and worth reading.
-
4
-
-
-
Upcoming Zoro coupons for 25% off. These three are valid from 10 a.m.through 3 p.m. central time on their respective days.
26 Sep. -- Plumbing & HVAC: FLASH26 (excludes power tools)
27 Sep. -- Tools & Machining: FLASH27
28 Sep. -- Electrical & Lighting: FLASH28
Max savings $2000. One use per customer. Yada, yada...
-
Turns out it weighs closer to eight pounds.
so whats next in the dewalt pipeline?
in Dewalt
Posted
I hadn't thought about air helmets for quite awhile. I have three or four Racal Airstream setups packed away here somewhere. Holy rack a monkey Monday, I could have sold them for a boat load more than I originally paid for them if I had tried to sell them a few years back. Unfortunately, filter packs for them are near impossible to come by, with the exception of the breath easy unit, and also super expensive. Prior to Racal Airstream giving up the ghost, I had purchased some replacement parts and those are now worth their weight too. After looking at the price of the battery packs (3M) for them, I could have swallowed my teeth. Honestly, I do not see the value that 3M attributes to the system and their attitude is probably why that particular tool system is no longer readily available outside of the used Market.
The units I have are eminently functional, but, without access to chemical filter packs, it is looking like their only true value will be as parts.