So... What are YOU doing? - Part 8

[tango]

I missed this thread. What did you wind up doing?

A come along is sorta like a mechanical winch kind of. I thought those were mostly for running fence?

I have set a few big radiators back in my plumbing days and we used big sheets of cardboard to protect the floor, and we used an engine hoist to pick them up and then roll it over to where it will be set and lower it into place. That worked good for me, no damage to the floors!

Depending on the design of the old radiator feet, sliding it may not be an option? It might still damage the flooring right through the cardboard.

I managed to move it a couple of feet so I could work behind it, which meant I could rip the wall apart and repair the brickwork behind it. Then I shifted focus to a different area while I figured out what to do with a radiator that weighs significantly more than I do.

I don't think dragging it is an option. It has six feet - two at each end and two in the middle. I can't imagine sliding it doing anything other than trashing the flooring underneath it. If I can figure a way to lift it I have wheeled platforms that should take the weight (each one will take my weight individually, and I have four of them), it's just not a trivial process to lift it high enough to get these things underneath it.

Sooner or later I need to deal with it, as I want to insulate and restud the wall, and I can't do that with the radiator so close to the wall. I may try to slide it outside. I'd rather not leave it outside but it's heavy enough that it would take a remarkably determined thief to steal it.

 

[tango]

On a positive note one of the temporary fixes I implemented has worked. I laid some boards in a crawl space over the garage to support a drip tray. The roof leaks in heavy rain, and I need to have some support to put in something to catch the water. The long term plan is to replace the whole lot so I don't want to spend any meaningful time or money on it now. It wasn't fun moving boards around in a confined space that was over 130 degrees but thankfully it was a quick job and I could get down into the air conditioning before long.

 

[Lamb]

It's been so hot outside that I haven't been doing too much. Today I'm doing laundry and some cleaning.

 

[Edward429451]

it's just not a trivial process to lift it high enough to get these things underneath it.

You can say that again! Lol. Got the T-Shirt for that one a few times.

We used an engine hoist and it still took 2 or 3 guys to help move it around. Them things are heavy!

 

[tango]

The current project involves making holes in the floor. I've got some floorboards that are badly splintered so I decided to cut them out and replace them. Cue figuring what boards I have that kinda-sorta match, and figuring how to remove a section of tongue-and-groove flooring such that I can replace it with another piece, without making the process excessively obvious.

So far I've cut most of the hole. I'll still need to put some supports in the room below.

 

[Lamb]

I went grocery shopping this morning and am about to start cleaning the house. My husband is off starting Thursday for a week... maybe I should wait until next week to clean? LOL

 

[tango]

I figured out how to handle my floorboard situation. I drilled a hole near the edge of a board and ran my jigsaw along close to the edge, which let me cut a section out between two joists, repeated the process to get the bit between the next joists, and used a chisel to get the pieces nailed to the joists out. Then a chisel let me pry the severed tongues from the adjacent grooves, and trim the grooves from the adjacent tongues. That gave me a hole in the floor that was the size and shape I expected.

Finally I could take a piece of salvaged floor from elsewhere, trim the bottom part of the groove off using a table saw (with a slight angle, to allow me to press it into place), cut it to length, and then tap it into place. I needed a hammer to get the tongue to engage with the groove at a slight angle, and then banged the edge down into place. And it fits, although it will need something to secure it to the joist. I'll sand it so it visually matches the surrounding boards, then use a fine trim screw or two to secure it into place.

It's a slow process but I got there in the end. I also have a second hole cut in the floor and a piece of wood ready to be cut to size, but it was sweaty enough I decided to save that job for tomorrow. It's looking pretty good so far, so hopefully the floor will be nice when it's finished. Either way it gets rid of the nasty splintered sections of the floor. What's there is original flooring, with the edges painted and the center not finished in any way at all. Presumably at one point there was a square of carpet in the middle, so it didn't need to be finished. When I'm done the whole lot will be sanded and lacquered so nobody will get splinters in their feet.

 

[Lamb]

Going to buy ink...why don't they sell it at my local WalMart? I should have bought a different printer.

 

[tango]

Going to buy ink...why don't they sell it at my local WalMart? I should have bought a different printer.

Do you have a nearby Staples, or can you get it online?

I had to buy color cartridges for my laser recently. Not a pretty bill, but the cartridges had lasted me 9 years so I can't complain too much. I got mine from Staples, on the basis I could walk in and walk out with them rather than waiting and hoping a courier didn't just dump them where they might get damaged or stolen.

 

[tango]

Taking it a bit easier this morning. To do my work on the floor I had to move another cast iron radiator, and I think I twisted awkwardly with it because my back has a slight ache. I'm not sure if I moved awkwardly when shifting the radiator, or it was just a lot of getting up and down fiddling with the growing hole in the floor, or a bit of both. So in the interests of taking it easy I'm going to meet a friend for lunch instead. Then maybe I can trim the next floorboard to size.

 

[Lamb]

Do you have a nearby Staples, or can you get it online?

I had to buy color cartridges for my laser recently. Not a pretty bill, but the cartridges had lasted me 9 years so I can't complain too much. I got mine from Staples, on the basis I could walk in and walk out with them rather than waiting and hoping a courier didn't just dump them where they might get damaged or stolen.

I had to get it at Staples, but it's 40 minutes away!

 

[tango]

I had to get it at Staples, but it's 40 minutes away!

Our Staples is about the same distance. It's a bit of a drag but we're in town often enough that we can work with it. Usually the printer gives enough notice that the ink is low I have several weeks (usually several months) before hitting a crunch point with the ink. And a cartridge won't go bad on my shelf any more than it will go bad on their shelf, so if I get low I can get a cartridge and keep it on hand for when the printing does start to fade.

 

[WandererAtHeart]

I am doing nothing at the moment, really. Sitting in my thoughts, which I have not been able to do in a while. Puttering around online, doing some research on resale value of some items. But mostly just sitting with my thoughts.

 

[Lamb]

I am doing nothing at the moment, really. Sitting in my thoughts, which I have not been able to do in a while. Puttering around online, doing some research on resale value of some items. But mostly just sitting with my thoughts.

Hopefully happy thoughts?

 

[WandererAtHeart]

Hopefully happy thoughts?

Not particularly. I have a lot on my plate right now with my marriage, dealing with picking up the pieces after leaving a toxic family relationship, and a possible big life change due to my husband's job likely having to shut down later this year. I also have not grieved the loss of my grandfather in November. I feel like I'm drowning. Two counselors in the last 2 years have not worked out and most friends have moved away, are too busy. My faith has been challenged and I am struggling. But eventually I will be ok.

 

[Lamb]

Not particularly. I have a lot on my plate right now with my marriage, dealing with picking up the pieces after leaving a toxic family relationship, and a possible big life change due to my husband's job likely having to shut down later this year. I also have not grieved the loss of my grandfather in November. I feel like I'm drowning. Two counselors in the last 2 years have not worked out and most friends have moved away, are too busy. My faith has been challenged and I am struggling. But eventually I will be ok.

That really does sound like a lot. Turning to God in thoughts is never a bad decision. Do you do bible journaling? I don't do it, but some of my friends do and they seem to enjoy it.

 

[WandererAtHeart]

Thank you. I have tried journaling and stick with it for a few days and then I seem to forget. I'm not doing well with my reading these days either.

 

[Lamb]

Thank you. I have tried journaling and stick with it for a few days and then I seem to forget. I'm not doing well with my reading these days either.

Being on forums helps me to go through and confirm verses people quote, or to explore things that are brought up in discussions

 

[tango]

Fun couple of days. Yesterday I went for a long walk with my wife and had a long talk while we were walking. Then we decided to clear out a few things that we'd been keeping as a kinda-sorta-reminder of part of our life from a few years ago. But it seemed they were causing problems, so I took them out back and burned them all.

Today I burned a load of wood scraps that have been around for too long. I fill up a bag of scraps and then when I remember and the weather cooperates I burn them. Today was the day, so I burned an entire sack of scraps, and also chopped up a bunch of other scrap wood I decided I'm never likely to use (mostly because it's old but worthless), so that went in the fire as well. Then I noticed a piece of work I need to do, which meant cutting away a few more laths, so I've got another bucket of scraps ready for the next time I get out and burn.

Now I need to figure out how to cut nails embedded deep behind a mostly inaccessible baseboard. I want to keep the baseboard, but need to cut the nails so I can lift it out.

 

[Lamb]

Fun couple of days. Yesterday I went for a long walk with my wife and had a long talk while we were walking. Then we decided to clear out a few things that we'd been keeping as a kinda-sorta-reminder of part of our life from a few years ago. But it seemed they were causing problems, so I took them out back and burned them all.

Today I burned a load of wood scraps that have been around for too long. I fill up a bag of scraps and then when I remember and the weather cooperates I burn them. Today was the day, so I burned an entire sack of scraps, and also chopped up a bunch of other scrap wood I decided I'm never likely to use (mostly because it's old but worthless), so that went in the fire as well. Then I noticed a piece of work I need to do, which meant cutting away a few more laths, so I've got another bucket of scraps ready for the next time I get out and burn.

Now I need to figure out how to cut nails embedded deep behind a mostly inaccessible baseboard. I want to keep the baseboard, but need to cut the nails so I can lift it out.

Long walks are the best time to hash things out!