So... What are YOU doing? - Part 5

Lämmchen said:

Get the nailer!! I've always wanted one so try it out for me and then leave a review

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The store has two nailers in stock that look interesting. One is much bigger - it's a framing nailer and fires much bigger nails. The thing is I'm not expecting to need to be doing any meaningful framing and what I will need to do will most likely be held together with screws rather than nails. The smaller one is a finishing nailer, which fires smaller nails. The smaller nails are what I'm going to want to be holding things like base boards, trim, ceiling trim, door trim, window trim etc in place.

It's the eternal decision of whether to buy it now at a good price and accept that until I have to use it in anger the warranty is slowly expiring, or wait until I need it and hope I can get a good price on it then.

A quick session of Fun With Frames. Specifically, window frames. It seemed there was a draft coming in around my new(ish) windows so I took the window trim off (including the windowsill and a board underneath it), and found an air gap running right through underneath the window frame. I'm not sure why the window fitter didn't put a bead of caulking underneath it but for whatever reason he didn't, so I did. Then I figured the other window would have the same problem, so stripped it back and did the same thing. The room feels quieter as a result.

I think this means I'm going to need that finishing nailer because putting the trim back on is going to involve a lot of hammering otherwise, and hammering that close to the glass in the window seems like an invitation for something to go horribly wrong.

Lämmchen said:

Get the nailer!! I've always wanted one so try it out for me and then leave a review

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Wanna split the cost of it?

Had an electrician friend stop by to give me some pointers how I can best meet conflicting requirements regarding insulation and the electrical code. Turns out it's easier than I thought, I'd missed a subtle nuance about how conductors are counted and required back box size.

Just got back from counsel, now I'm listening to music and getting ready to eat.

Figured since I was on a roll with windows I might as well do some more. So I went into the adjacent room and took the window sill and matching panel off the two windows in there, cleaned everything up, and put a bead of caulking around them. I think tomorrow' job is going to involve at least a little bit of rebuilding work, going to see if I can get some insulation panels cut and put into place, and then put something like 1/4" plywood over it to protect it when I pull the ceiling down. If nothing else it means I can get one room back into service, even if only temporarily. I'd hoped to have a room stripped and insulated much faster, but hit problems along the way. I should have expected it but, you know....

Just home from work.

It is amazing the reasons people will buy a product to avoid buying another product, and pay more to do so. It can't be classed as an impulse sale, he came there for a purpose, and volunteered the information that led him there. It's not my job to sell things, they sell themselves, but in this scenario all I needed to do was keep my mouth shut and not point out the obvious error in his judgement.

One of this week's goals is to gather the parts needed to put together a special circuit/motor.

Lämmchen said:

Going to spend my $10 off a $10 coupon today at JC Penneys! I have no idea what I will get but when I get those coupons I go straight to the clearance rack and find something for about $11 so I only end up paying a dollar for an item I don't think that's how the company wants me to spend my money there.

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I like it when that sort of thing happens. I remember signing up for some kind of reward point when I was on vacation and forgetting all about it. Then when I was in the same area again a major store was closing down and it turned out I could use reward points I didn't know I had. I found some shorts I could use for hiking - I didn't particularly care for the design but they were intended as a functional item rather than a fashion item so I can live with it. They had my size, reduced from something like $17.99 to $2.99 so I cleared the rack of everything that fit me. That would have come to somewhere slightly shy of $30 but then I found out I had $18 in some kind of special rewards so I got 8 pairs of shorts and a DVD for $12 and change. At that price I don't care if they don't last very long.

Deciding what to do with the day. I may go out and get the nailer I mentioned - I just need to figure if it's a better deal overall to get the complete kit (which comes with a battery I don't really need and a charger I don't really need, but comes with a bonus battery that's worth having) or the bare tool. The kit comes with a decent carry case and I can always sell surplus chargers I guess.

If the store will let me trade the free battery for a better one and pay the (modest) difference I'll probably do that. Some day I need to string up a board with a bunch of chargers on it, so I can charge multiple batteries without having cables trailing everywhere. It gets tedious when multiple batteries need charging and I have to go and round up all my chargers.

I'll most likely swing by the church and sort out some stuff with some sound files for a recent series we had going on. I should really have done it earlier in the week but had other things on. Maybe this evening I'll go and visit a couple of friends. They are moving from a new house to a larger and older house, and have lots of renovation to do. It could be interesting to compare notes and see just how much disruption they plan to deal with in their new home. It's trickier for them because they have small children to consider. I hope for their sake they don't have asbestos in the walls.... that puts a real downer on pulling walls down.

Didn't have a productive day today, something I ate disagreed with me.

I did find a nasty draft in the room I've been working on. There was an area that was colder than the rest but I could never figure why. It turns out there was a nasty draft coming in behind one of the wall studs. I couldn't get the stud moved so squirted a load of caulking into the space. Hopefully that will do it.

Then I pulled down the final part of the other wall. I hadn't planned to do that but having seen what issues I had with the first wall I figured I might as well. No nasty surprises but a big gap over the window frame. A can of building foam put paid to that. Now I'm just waiting for it to cure before looking at some cementing work to fill the last hole. It already seems quieter in there and, having fixed the nasty draft behind the stud, the temperature has risen four degrees in an hour. Hopefully that means another issue is resolved. I still need to fix the outside of the brickwork (which will be fun, given it's the top of the wall upstairs), but at least now there's less cold air blowing in.

ImaginaryDay2 said:

Getting used to new glasses. I can finally see again, but they're these "progressives" that blur if I'm not looking just right. Before, I could just glance to the side to see in my peripheral, now I have to turn my head for something to the side to come into focus.

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Those progressives take a few weeks to get use to. When I was first told I needed "progressives" a few years ago by my eye doctor, I asked what we were progressing too. . . .

Made Almond milk today...or perhaps I should say I prepared a bunch of almonds to make almond milk really fast on the fly.

My Almond milk is about 10% almonds, as opposed to store bought which ranges usually 2-3%. I worked out my cost and time used (about 45 minutes in total) and compared how much I will get out of my prepared and now frozen almonds compared to store bought. Cost me roughly 30-40 cents for 1 liter of Almond milk at store percentages. Since I calculated in my time used to make it, I figure that 45 minutes was worth over $80 to me if I were to buy it at store prices. And it was very easy work.

:cool-relaxed:

Lämmchen said:

How did you make it? I like almond milk but I'm not sure yet if my body wants it or can handle it just yet. I drink it 3 times a week in cereal but only in small quantities.

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Recipe thread.

http://christianityhaven.com/showthread.php?1216-Recipe-thread!!&p=128389#post128389

Getting ready to have breakfast and then maybe get some of these laths out to my burn barrel. I'm overdue to do some burning. I'll lay a tarp out and chuck them out of the window, it will save me hauling them all through the house.

Got three loads of laths burned, didn't end up throwing any out of the window because I had enough already downstairs to burn. Then got some bits I needed from the hardware store - I found that one of the parts I've been using in my dust collector isn't up to teh job, which means a lot of fine dust got into my shop vac, bypassing the HEPA filter bag I've been using. I was puzzled why it kept losing suction and found lots of dust on the filter, which shouldn't happen. Then I realised the tube going into the vac is too short, so some of the dust can get into the vac without going into the filter bag. Now I've got a nice new hose with the attachments I need. With the benefit of hindsight I could possibly have just bought an attachment, but what I have now will definitely work. It also means I can use one rig to use my 8-gallon shop vac for really dusty work and my 16-gallon shop vac for woodwork.

Sitting here with my dog on my lap. :love3: