Never enough time

The Junk Drawer is for those Off Topical discussions where we can ask questions of the community that we feel might have the ability to help out.

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Harold_V
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Re: Never enough time

Post by Harold_V »

Interesting comments on Fastenal. Here, in Chehalis (25 miles distant), they have a store. I've had badly mixed results when making an inquiry. Originally, their prices were astounding. Didn't take long for them to raise them, though, at which time they were more expensive than everyone, and that didn't include the shipping charge they wanted to add to pretty much every purchase. It was clear to me that they weren't interested in those who made small purchases, or so it seemed.

There's been times when I had need for something difficult to obtain. Their price in steel was higher than the price I paid (usually from McMaster-Carr) in stainless, which was a distinct advantage for the given application.

Currently, they seem to be priced somewhere in the middle. I enjoy success, occasionally, in obtaining things I don't find easily at other sources.

Wish they'd settle on one business model and stay there. sure would be helpful to know if I should or should not shop there.

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
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warmstrong1955
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Re: Never enough time

Post by warmstrong1955 »

Not to bash Fastenal....although, I guess I am. I think they got so many gov't contracts, they don't care about us peasants anymore.
Grainger's did the same thing.

Fastenal here, if they have it in stock, you pay no freight. If it isn't in stock, you will, even though it is no rush, and it shows up on their same truck that their stock orders do. And if you want it in a hurry....break out your wallet.
I still get sales flyers online from them, but their prices on tools & tooling on sale, is higher than most any other places when it is not on sale.

McMaster is not great on the pricing of things, but they almost always have it in stock, and it's easy to find on the website. I think they have the best search engine of anyone. And, their service, is excellent, and better than most anyone.

Tooling, tools, metals, no matter....I'm a shopper. I look at the price and the freight, and end up getting things from all over. Enco was my #1, now MSC is. That's based on both price and service.
Helps to live 125 miles from the MSC warehouse.

:)
Bill
Today's solutions are tomorrow's problems.
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steamin10
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Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

Fastenal got e for $17.50 for 2 metric bolts, one lost off of my tractor roll guard. So I fugured to get 2 and rplace the rusty one anyway. 2 bolts and nuts, plus an additional $11 for point sipping to the store. Delivered the next day. I got my wish, be carefull what you wish for.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
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steamin10
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Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

Today under the threat of overcast showers, I managed to mow most of the seen areas of the property with the wounded lawn tractor. With one mounting strut torn out of the housing shell the deck is not so stable, and I had to watch going over rough ground. The deck ,belts and my energy lasted for the day. The helper Linsey and I cleaned up a pile of dumped concrete from the property. To her credit she attacked a bushel sized blob of concrete on a pipe that had been a corner fence post She picked the biggest 20 lb long handle hammer in my stable and in 5 whacks powdered the mass into manageable pieces for disposal. I had enjoined her from trying to woman handle the too heavy piece for fear of damage. The newly conditioned trailer has the plastic bed liner placed on top to absorb the abuse so its all good. The spoils went into the 2 yd dumper on the property, and we continue to abuse the privilege putting concrete shards and asphalt pavement into the dumper a little at a time.

I talks with my next door neighbor, he has given me another craftsman mower deck of 42 inch variety. It is complete and dismounted, so the deck problem has a nice solution as long as it isnt froze up. At least I wont have to patch together the pieces of the shell.

Left to my own devices, Wednesday morning I will fiddle with the AC and get the charge topped up and the unit back in service before Mom hangs me. She is of the Ilk to have instant satisfaction and doesnt care what preparations need to go on. I of course, have to go into the checklist to assure my efforts are correct and lasting.

With the help of Linsey, I moved the deteriorating boxes out of the tunnel for the last of the cages that got stored there. Being too humid the goxes started to grow, so I need to reclaim the space for its original purpose, train storage. The last 9 cages were moved into the house, from the original 60 or so that were donated by a store. Teh aged boxes made for kindling under the slash pile and were sent back to nature today, sent to the fire gods. Everything here is too green to burn,and still winds so it was time. With the weather being a bit on the drying side, I can now mix up my weed and grass killer for the sprinkle can and go around my hosta garden to assure less interference with the look by denuding the hill. After treatment some wood chips for mulch will be applied. The front of the house is a constant work in progress.

I write this at about 4:30 inna morning, having died early from fatigue last night. With a doc visit, and a goat hay run, it promises to be a full day.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
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steamin10
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Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

Well everything runs like water here. A nice summer thorms moved through early morning, and helper Carlos has volunteered to come and help with the downed AC unit. A preliminary check had me calling for help as my quick check showed a non functional unit. As it works out, I got fooled with a ghost voltage on my meter. One leg of the power breaker was fried. So the unit could not run on single phase. Long story short, the start run capacitor got weak and caused the startup currents to go high. Those surges heated and eventually arced the breaker points. We have had to reset he breaker a few times, and ignored the sign of trouble. Anyway the breaker failed. To get running we transferred the lines to spare single pole units and off we go. The common double pole is about $12 at the local Mantards and will be installed before sundown. The run cap was changed out with a newer version, and Carlos left it to me to do the cleaning and blow out of the condenser. But it runs, and that will make Mom happy.

It will be near record highs into the weekend with a heat index of over 100. not good for this old boy. My air is a blessing, and necessity.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
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steamin10
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Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

I have been basically on the bench with a medical collapse and am just starting to regain some confidence and control. It is amazing how out of sorts things can get when you cnannot finish the simplest tasks and get things in order, instead getting the pilot syndrome. A pile here, and a pile there until you cant see anything but piles. And mystery bags. You buy that plumbing part or box of screws and set the bag down on the bench some where, and then it is a mystery where the bag went. Bad habits die hard, only if the frustraration of not getting things accomplished will drive you forward. I have three areas that have hand tools and things geet lost between them. I am focused on getting my garage annex organzed again to move back in and centralize my larger toools there agains. Being organized is the basis for success. It doesnt matter if you have the whole content of a department store at your fingers if you cnat find what is needed for the moment. My helpers are begining to realize putting things in the same place is as needed as daylight.

This is turning into one wet spring and summer as the rain totals for the year are way high, having passed the wettest may on record. My swamp is soggy and the edges hard to mow as the tracotor slips and slides into greasy spots and gets hung up on the contours of the drainage swales. Icch!. One neighbor has a zero turn and is a riot to watch as he races around his prorperty only to have a wheel slip and turn him into the muck hole.

By fits and starts, I have lost control of my war on the grass this year, as the lwn tractor deck has flown apart again. I now have three decks in pieces that do not match, and it is dismal. My physical limits make it a stretch to dismount the deck, as it is all working from the knees, something I dont do well anymore. The goats have been a big help at keeping the rough jungle at bay, but that is not without is challenges too, as they are quite the escape artists. They dont go anywhere, just escape where you want them. Also found out they love Hostas, my flower bed is the worse for wear because of their tastes.

The yard trailer/mower transporter got new decking and screwed and painted, with a new coupler. (dont ask) A wiring repair is all that remains and we are getting some more fence set up, for goat pens in the overgrown area. But in reality , I leave them run free when I am around and they dont wander. They are too focused on being a herd of sillies being in my zone. Since I treat them with small dog biscuits they have taken to nipping my pockets to ask for treats, and do the same for visitors. So getting nipped on the pocket by an attack goat is putting people off. I find it endlessly humorous.

I found the perfect brush for $2 at the thrift store, so I will scrub down the van and get last winters grime off the white paint. It looks derelict in the drive, and starting to grow moss in the dirt. A little Comet, or Bar keeps friend will ad a bit of tooth to the scrub action and make short work of the surface grime. It is rainy , so repair of a couple of hammers sans handles is in order too. little stuff to get going here. My favorite cross peen hammer is broken, and I feel lost without it.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
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steamin10
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Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

July 4rth saw some thorms pass through. Severla fireworks dispalys were canceled due to rain and lightning. We stayed home and gave the dogs tranquilizer treats. The neighbor lost a huge tree cam down from the west wind that rocketed through. A lightning strike occurred very close, rattled the house to about a richter 3. The bright side is I lost nothing except the goat barn roof is leaking, (tin). I will have to re-motor the standup log splitter, as it will be in use soon to remove Dennis's log pile. He has a traditional fireplace. i would like to put in a wood fired boiler house, but they have passed non-sensical laws that make installation impractical for me. the best i could do is put a furnace in the garage and run the supply lines to the house. Too far for economy given the connections are about $5 a foot. Any wood burner is a fire trap as far as insurance goes, and they charge accordingly. The garage is already full overflowing with important stuff, not much room for a boiler and such installation.

I m playing lawn tractor games with aging equipment, and just changed the mowere deck on my LT 1000 Crapsman tractor due to a deck failure. The spare had to be coaxed to run, and then we found the drive star for the blade is wiped out leving the blade go off center, and off plane, making for a terrible cut. I will be changing the shaft out, and welding up the star drive for a spare, as soon as the weather allows sane access to the equipment. The last run had divots and scalps alll over the lawn, really ugly.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
chucketn
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Re: Never enough time

Post by chucketn »

Your resilience is inspiring, Big Dave! You always take the lemons of life and make lemonade...
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steamin10
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Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

Really I dont have any choice. No matter where you go, there you are. Being retired and on a limited income, writing a check for a multi thousand dollar machine to cut grass is simply unsane. So I take the best of the worst disasters from unhandy owners, and repair what I can with equipment and things collected over time. I am my own hardware store. That in itself is a problem to stay organized just so you can find that clip,screw, nut, from another project. My limited abilities due to health are putting me so far behind, I think I am ahead. At some point I will have to lower my reactions and expectations (give up on being mr fixxit) but what fun would that be? I like Lucile Ball, but I have seen them all, and the star trek crews too. I prefer reality, even if it is managing a scale railroad. All my life, Saturday and holidays were just another work day. For something important, I take a day, no sweat. A date, a meal, or a beer, never got in the way of my career. It works out my health does.

If you want anything, you have to plan and work for it. I have given freely to others at times and find that such gifts usually have little value to those that receive them. Unless they are there and invest their time, they dont understand what the cost is. It has become part of the litmus test for my aid. Other wise I will sell my time dearly for what I know, and can do.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
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steamin10
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Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

Well the latest is some confusion over ordering mower drive belts. The latest LT 1000 deck takes a 95 inch belt. Ordered from the net, this belt is labeled a 93. By industrial reckoning a 4L93 should be a 1/2 inch wrapped power belt of 93 inches. The supplier told me that is only a number and people get confused. Hmmm. I dunno something is wacky. So now I have 4 belts and too much rain. The deck drive has been messaged into working order but some tall weeds snatched the belt and took it out. It was down most of last week. (the local lawn shop sells belts at $24 ea. The same size belt is on the E-bay net for about $9 ea with ship). Nuff said.

With all the drive cleaning and motions I ate a weed wacky, so Mantards sold a new one. It is a $40 B&Decker, good enough for around the house corded work. We gave it a workout last week before the rains swept in.

Some body South of me did a yard improvement and trashed a playhouse/swing set built of heavy 4x4 with a raised fort of a cabin on top. A kids paradise. They put it on their drive with a sign that said free. For me that is like candy to a toddler, I want more before I get there. Mom Rose spied it, and it works out it is very heavy, so we rescued it this Monday after it sat all weekend. I took a chain saw and bobbed the legs to just under the platform and that reduced the weight by half. The sawed frame went on edge in the Ranger, and the cabin on the trailer by rolling it on, only lifting half the weight at a time. An A-frame for the swings was cut apart at the joint to separate the legs. and it all was strapped down and hauled home for our future pleasure. Plans are to put a shed roof on it with barn tin, and leave it for a goat creep for sun shading.

On the flip side we put out an add for two rabbit hutches, and they sold in one day. We will deliver them Tuesday. They are excess to our needs.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
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steamin10
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Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

So far the goats are enjoying the new fort and crowd in it like a clown car. It is out in the open as they run free without a fence most times, and stay where the forage is far from the frontage road. It is funny in that I dont see the kids at times, and all I do is whistle and their heads pop out of where they are and come to within eye shot of my sound. If I come down off the deck they will come and great me. It gives me some measure of pleasure they are so social. The roof on the fort is flat and will be propped up shortly and the tin added. The area has been cleaned of wood piles and fence panels moved in place to define a larger yard for the small barn. Now I have to figure where to put the dozen or so golf car tires and salvaged wood, that makes sense. I need the trailer unloaded.

I am still playing games with the Crapsman 1000 mower,now that the deck is changed out and debugged. Belt issues have gone away and spares on on the wall. The bent front axle is next on the list, but until I get a place in the annex (to the garage) that will carry a lift it will wait. I have designs on using a boat trailer winch but I may just buy one of those hoists from horror fright instead. I have a pony lift with a busted board, I would like to fix it. It has some kind of diode blown apart and I cant read it. I need to get busy on the annex and get it done before winter sets up. Ya, its like that, it takes a while to plan and get things done.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
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steamin10
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Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

I have been involved with health issues and have ignored the board here as there is not much progress to write about. I am long on plans, but short on action.

Just this Monday I was in Mantards and saw they have a house brand LED strip light of 3500 lumins. Since I am on a high rate of consumption, I have started to keep an eye to reducing usage. That means LED lighting for the future. So far, the purchases made have blown out or been unsatisfactory in some ways. So I bought two units with the idea of putting them up in the kitchen which has fluorescent cloud lights. These are the most used lights in the house and they are a nuisance by being fly and bug catchers in the plastic bubbles that are the difusor. One got broken during cleaning so It is a naked fixture. The cover is $80, not in the budget.

Short story long, the two units brought home cannot be converted to a flush mount due to the way they are built, and have an external pin plug for power. There just is no reasonable way to hang this thing and make it look good. So it will be sent to the laundry room where things are less formal. The units are warranted for 5 years against failure WITH ORIGINAL RECEIPT, by Mantards itself. I plugged it in for a test, and it gives a bright white light, rather than some off color as some have, so we are good there. Anther room has 50 watt spot lights in 6 cans for lighting on a dimmer. I just bought dimmable LED s for that room too, as it is much used. Along that line, I am considering changing the other recessed lights from common fluorescent to these LED based strip lights to lower the consumption and give a good light to the main area. In theory I should save some 70-80% with the LEDs. Next will be to update the R-22 AC unit to a more efficient SEER, that should cut another 30% out of the AC, out of the summer billing. I have a 92 % condensing furnace. Teh house was super insulated when it was rebuilt and raised in 1995 with r-16 walls and R-28 ceilings laid with batts. I dunno what more to do other than make the windows gun ports in the winter with foam board.

I am on a budget plan, and it runs $300 a month. the numbers they send me say I am about 70% over the average. It would be nice to drop some load and cut that bill.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
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