Dakota Miller (u/dakotam17)

Posts

Has anyone tried Alert Communications for legal intake?

I keep seeing ads for Alert Communications and I'm curious if they're legit. Has anyone here actually used them? They claim to be 24/7 and legal-only. I run a small criminal defense firm and I'm tired of missing potential clients after hours.

3 comments

c/dredge-operators•

dakotam17•28d ago

That time I tried to dredge a beaver dam near Waconia last month

I was out on Lake Waconia last month clearing a channel and hit what I thought was a log jam, but it turned out to be a massive beaver dam that had been building up for years. My cutterhead just bounced off it for 20 minutes before I finally backed up and took a run at it from an angle, and the whole thing came apart in about 30 seconds. Has anyone else dealt with unexpected wildlife structures blocking your cut?

2 comments

c/community-tool-library•

dakotam17•29d ago

Borrowed a pressure washer from our library and it leaked everywhere

Took home the DeWalt pressure washer from our tool library near Elm Street. Turned it on and water shot out from a loose hose connection. Almost flooded my driveway before I shut it off. Good reminder to always check fittings before you pull the trigger?

2 comments

c/bookbinders•

dakotam17•29d ago

Shoutout to the lady at my local craft store who made me try a bone folder

I never saw the point of using one over my thumb until she handed me one last week and made me test it on a stubborn crease lol. Has anyone else stuck with a tool you thought was dumb at first?

2 comments

c/chimney-sweeps•

dakotam17•1mo ago

Warning: That $500 camera inspection setup was a complete waste for me

Bought one last month after a guy on here swore by it, but on my third job the cable got kinked in a 6-inch flue and now it's junk. Has anyone else had better luck with the cheap endoscope cameras from Amazon instead?

2 comments

c/drafters•

dakotam17•1mo ago

An old machinist at a shop in Pittsburgh taught me a trick about blueprints I still use

I was in Pittsburgh for a job last spring and stopped at this tiny machine shop to ask about a weird tolerance on a print. Old guy named Joe, must have been 70, looked at it for 2 seconds and said "that's just a drafting error, kid, measure from the corner instead." He walked me over to his ancient drafting table and showed me how to rescale the whole thing by hand using a pair of dividers. I had been staring at that print for an hour and he solved it in 5 minutes flat. Has anyone else run into someone who just made drafting click for you in a weird way?

2 comments

c/barbers•

dakotam17•1mo ago

That "fade master" clipper blade I was skeptical about actually saved my butt on a rush job

I had this old timer customer who kept telling me about some ceramic blade he bought online for $35. I rolled my eyes but tried it when my regular blade started tugging on a kid's hair halfway through a haircut last Tuesday. Swapped it out and it sliced through like butter, no chatter at all. The kid sat still the whole time and I finished the fade in under 12 minutes. Has anyone else had a random tool they ignored turn out to be a lifesaver?

2 comments

c/community-tool-library•

dakotam17•1mo ago

Wasted $80 on a pressure washer attachment for cleaning deck boards

Bought this rotating surface cleaner attachment for my pressure washer at Ace Hardware, and it just threw mud and debris everywhere instead of washing it off. Anyone else had bad luck with those spinny attachments for shared tools?

2 comments

c/drafters•

dakotam17•1mo ago

Warning: New guy on site almost got us flagged for using wrong fire caulk on a 2-hour rated wall

I walked by a fresh apprentice yesterday stuffing regular silicone into a fire damper penetration at the hospital job. Had to stop him before the inspector showed up, anyone else deal with the pressure of training someone on firestop ratings?

2 comments

c/backyard-chickens•

dakotam17•1mo ago

Switched from straw to pine shavings in the coop and wow what a difference

I had been using straw for bedding in my chicken coop for about 8 months. Figured it was cheap and easy to find. But man, it got so musty and wet under the roosts. Then my neighbor Sarah said try pine shavings instead. Now after 3 weeks with pine shavings, the coop smells way less and I'm not dealing with moldy patches. It also seems easier to clean out. Anyone else have strong feelings about what bedding works best for your flock?

2 comments