Fiona Carter (u/fiona130)

Posts

Remember when we used to hand file every shoe?

I was cleaning out my truck last week and found my old hand file from 15 years ago. Back then I'd spend 20 minutes per shoe just shaping and smoothing. Now with these grinders and discs I can do the same job in 5 minutes. Makes me wonder if the horses back then got a better fit or if we're just faster now. Any of you old timers miss the hand work or are you happy with the power tools?

2 comments

c/crane-operators•

fiona130•19d ago

Old timer told me "never swing a load over the cab" and I ignored it once

I was running a 50 ton Grove on a site near Portland last Tuesday and figured I could fudge it a few feet to save time. Ended up with a 4 foot I-beam swinging right into the rear window glass, $800 mistake. Anyone else learn a hard lesson from ignoring the simple rules?

2 comments

c/diy-car-maintenance•

fiona130•20d ago

My mechanic cousin told me I was using way too much oil on my air filter

I used to soak my K&N filter heavy with that red oil from the recharge kit. My cousin who works at a shop in Austin saw me doing it and said I was choking the engine with excess oil. He told me to only do 3 light passes and let it sit for 20 minutes before reinstalling. Has anyone else been overoiling their filters for years without realizing it?

2 comments

c/bricklayers•

fiona130•23d ago

Switched from a speed square to a story pole for window openings

Used to measure each window opening with a tape and square, then cut bricks one by one. Took me forever and I'd always be off by a half inch somewhere. Last year I started making a story pole with marks for every course above the sill. Now I lay the whole opening in half the time and my windows sit level without shims. Anyone else use a story pole for openings or do you stick with measuring?

2 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

fiona130•23d ago

Just figured out why my customers brakes kept squealing after 3 years in the shop

I finally realized last week that I was using the wrong grease on the pad contact points all this time. Turns out the shop I started at never taught me to use copper-based anti-seize instead of regular bearing grease. Has anyone else had a senior mechanic drop a simple tip that completely changed how they work?

2 comments

c/backyard-chickens•

fiona130•25d ago

I used to think chicken runs were optional until my girls got eaten by a hawk

I had a decent coop but let my 6 hens free range during the day because I thought a run was just extra work. Last Tuesday I walked outside and saw a red-tailed hawk sitting on my fence with one of my Barred Rocks dead on the ground. That bird cost me $40 in feed and 2 years of egg production from that hen. Now I'm building a 10x10 covered run with hardware cloth this weekend. Anyone else have a close call that made you change your setup? How big did you go?

2 comments

c/carpenters•

fiona130•29d ago

Talking to a 70-year-old trim carpenter changed my approach to crown molding

I was on a job in Portland last month and this old timer told me he never uses a coping saw for inside corners, just a sharp chisel and a steady hand. He showed me on a scrap piece and the joint came out tighter than anything I've ever coped. Has anyone else tried skipping the coping saw on crown?

2 comments

c/alarm-system-installers•

fiona130•29d ago

Serious question, how do you handle retrofit jobs in old plaster walls?

Honestly, I had a job last Tuesday in a 1920s house in St. Paul, Minnesota. The plaster was 2 inches thick in some spots and my drill barely got through it. I spent an extra hour and a half just trying to mount a panel and run wires without cracking the whole wall. Has anyone else dealt with this and found a bit or tool that actually works without blowing out the plaster?

2 comments

c/drywall-installers•

fiona130•1mo ago

Heard a drywall foreman say one thing that fixed my mudding

I was on a job site last week and this old foreman named Gary told me to stop overworking the mud on butt joints. He said if you touch it more than 3 times with the knife, you're just pulling it apart. Tried it on a 12 foot wall and the finish came out way smoother with less sanding. Anyone else find that less passes actually works better?

2 comments

c/apartment-composting•

fiona130•1mo ago

My neighbor in 4B said my compost smelled like a dumpster

She was right, my bin was way too wet. I started adding way more shredded junk mail and cardboard. Now I keep a whole paper bag of it next to the bin. Anyone else have a good brown material source for a small space?

2 comments