Tool Swap

12/08/2018

Steaming hot water blasted in the face is not a lesson for anyone to suffer thru. This is horrible.

Read the full description below. This is a lesson in why you should never hire cheap labor. Full description: All hiring and decisions were exclusively betwe...

10/08/2018

You have reached overload when there is not enough time to go to the store to buy the tool you lost. Chill out and clean what was used. No job is worth getting so tiered there is no energy left put your tools back where can find them again.

02/08/2018

A plumber loves to hear. "I will not use drain cleaner because I don't want to "hurt" the pipes." Never buy into this joke. If anything is going to "Hurt" it will be that bill the plumber hands over. Metal pipe may rust and clog and fall apart. They never hurt. Drain cleaner is sold in a plastic jug. They ship the stuff around and it does not destroy the container.

Try a pot of boiled water. When it begins to move, pour in some drain cleaner and allow it to do the work. After the clog clears pour another pot of boiled water to finish the job.

20/06/2018

08/02/2018

The Memo application thru Google apps is my tool for keeping notes and checklists. It is just right where I need it. This is great until the loss of the phone goes to the top of my To-Do list. When the next thing is stuck inside an old phone, it’s done.

30/11/2017

Need a good reason to organize the shop?

Build your outdoor table with built in cooler. 13 detailed free cooler table plans for patio. Use a planter or gutter to keep beer & wine drinks on ice.

19/11/2017

Do not throw out that old spray bottle. Recycle it by using it to defrost your windshield.

Never scrape again.

13/11/2017

A new 94 percent efficient furnace that is rated at 80,000 Btu can produce as much heat as an old 75 percent efficient 100,000 Btu furnace, saving approximately $25 for every $100 used to spend on heating costs a season.

09/10/2017

When it is time to clean the car door seals try a brush for the out of sight areas and where bolts connect the hinge to the body. Carefully brush off the rubber harness that carries electrical connections from the body into the door. Clean around and underneath the rubber seals. Remove all debris like rotten leaves, crusty dirt and dust.

14/09/2017

The application of Silicone Dielectric Grease is for reducing voltage breakdown of current thru arc paths or surface paths. Dielectric grease is an insulating grease. Do not use it where conductive parts must touch to carry voltage. It is okay only on the insulator (opening to the rubber boot) but not the connection to the wire or around the threads into the cylinder head.

Conductive Carbon Grease is for lubricating switches and improving electrical connections. Use this on battery terminals and ground bolts that connect wires to metal where rust or corrosion may build up resistance.

25/08/2017

Seems power tools have found their way into tight spots. Here a scrub brush from a cheep hand tool that is fitted with a long bolt and a nut to lock into place. After it is attached to a cordless drill, it becomes the business end of a fine tool.

25/08/2017

Keep your tools in the best condition they can be so when you must loan them out, you know just how they should be when they are returned.

https://youtu.be/gDLd9cJV-4Y

13/08/2017

A tool bag may seem as large as field with only a few hours to get the job done.

How many of are like this?! I actually bought a new 10mm socket the other week😂.

11/08/2017

Are you planning something?

There is nothing better than having something to do with the completion of a worthy problem that some

10/08/2017

After so many years the problems get easier to solve but the work gets harder.

A look at the life of the great JT with some photos from his brilliant gig in the O2 Dublin on July 3rd 2009.Ironically this was the one song he did not sing...

09/08/2017

I recently gave the 1997 Cherokee an electrical ground checkout inside the engine compartment. The battery was five years old and started to have issues. While it was removed I had easy access to the chassis ground along the edge of the fender inside wall. With the bolt removed the connection proved to be rusted. Each terminal on the bolt was wire brushed and sanded down to shiny metal before it was replaced.

I also found the ground connection to the block loose and dirty. After the new battery was installed. I found three plug leads on the distributor cap needed to be pressed down hard enough to snap into place. The performance climbed from 10.5 mpg on short spins to 16 mpg.

01/08/2017

The best business is repeat business. It's not always the cost of the task. If you feel that you can provide the best service you have to offer, it shows and your clients will keep coming back.

29/07/2017

Thank-you for noticing.

29/06/2017

I still get ripped off now and then. Yes, it sucks. Everyone hates it; the loss of money, time and trust. Sometimes the tell is their look of confidence and direct way they nail down the dollar amount. Others are more direct when money is exchanged without spelling out their services. However when they miss appointments and fail promises without owning up, make them beg for that money by challenging every task and back it up with a counter exchange with their written description before you release any cash.

19/05/2017

By mid spring we are mowing the lawn once a week. Our yards are small. It takes only 20 minutes front and back. That time grew into a half hour when there was no gas and three days when I discovered the blade had to be replaced.

Early spring John moved into the house three doors up the street. It was an estate sale going for half price; killing my investment by the thousands. His house came without a mower, so the new guy asked to borrow mine. I offered it thinking what harm could happen in 20 minutes.

When fall approached my lawn became a chore within each small week-end and I was noticing missing gas. It was the same week my car was in the shop when I saw John leave the yard with the mower. As I started thru the door I recalled the plug wire, it was disconnected when I had to replace that damn bent blade. I stopped at the mailbox, then walked back in the living room and sat in the easy chair by the open window. I heard John pull that cord so many times I thought his precious arm would break. The mower was just as I left it the next day except it was full of gas and John never said a word. That week-end after cutting the lawn I disconnected the plug.

30/04/2017

At the end of my career as a desktop engineer I could look back on all the hours I spent in front of a computer. As a problem solver within a growing technology, I was part of a team that had the resources to take advantage of the latest tools. Each program upgrade came with issues that had to be resolved or production took the hit. The result was hours at the desk.

I’m right handed so I use the cursor to navigate the screen. I noticed through the years I have developed a droop in the shoulder on my right side. This has become sore and sometimes painful as I rotate the right arm above the height of my ear. There are other issues on the same side that I believe to be related to extensive hours of holding the arm in a fixed position.

Are there any others who feel they too may have damaged their rotator cuff by too many hours in front of a computer screen?

10/04/2017

04/04/2017

While phishing for a low bid, it is never wise to criticize the quality of work that you have not seen. We checked a day before doing the math on a concrete driveway estimate. Our client remains just as satisfied and the condition of the work looked no less complete as the day we left.

Without saying much more, we saved a lot of time.

09/03/2017

I would like to give a huge Thank-you to all who have visited this page.

31/01/2017

Sometimes you are just better off hiring a pro.

30/01/2017

I'm thinking, shrinkwrap

London-based social and humanitarian designer Micaella Pedros has found a way to give discarded plastic bottles purpose and she demonstrates it in her project called Joining Bottles.

30/01/2017

When your resources can not provide perfect materials and the results demand quality, fillers are a way to get by. However a bad choice of filler can make for a temporary fix. Whatever product is available, they all need to be finished out to a smooth surface.

Shaping is key to a clean finish after filler is applied. Use a very sharp flat blade to shave down high spots. Apply short repeat strokes at first and progress to a controlled drag. Work into corners to square them clean. If you are lucky enough to expose voids, spread a final coat of filler and allow it to set. Now it is ready to sand.

29/12/2016

Today I lost my bid to replace a 4 foot fence and install 250 feet of tall privacy fence. The client complained they were loosing their dogs because of misbehaving neighborhood kids whom are suspected of letting them out. A locked 6 foot high fence would keep them inside the yard.

The back yard drops 5 feet to the joining property line. Their shed sits tight to a back corner. It is raised on a level floor that opens to the back fence by almost 2 feet. The door faces up hill to the house with a 10” gap to the ground. Under the door the ground is packed bare by a trail where animals are crawling under the shed. Things are stacked behind the shed and on the sides. There is plenty in the way but there is enough room to see a wide open gap in the fence behind the shed.

Before I could finish my measurements the owner walked over pointing to the opening under the door of the shed. They asked if I could level the grade to close off access as he complained how the dogs have been hiding under the shed. He went on to say how his wife spends hours calling and clapping as she tries to get them to come out.

22/12/2016

Do you have a pet that gets bored when you are not around long enough? Try cutting a big empty plastic bottle. Cut off the top, bottom and leave one side open. Hang it like a saddle over the roll. Your guests may ask for an explanation but they will have what is needed to finish the job.