There were certainly quite a few brilliant minds to came from that area at the time, that is certain. Pioneering minds, embodying the spirit of the West, as it were.
The thing I got from watching Norm was the intricacies of his jigs. While the 30 seconds he showed using the jigs didn't illustrate the time spent in creating and aligning the jigs, it still sparked the concept in my brain that the prepwork was really the fundamental reason for success in making things.
Jon
I agree that the "This Old Mansion" thing is
PLUS! Tommy keeps us up to date on all the new Festool stuff!
I think you are right. My father in law was a machinist for years and then started doing wood. He and Norm have a lot in common in the way they work. While my father in law can turn out some really beautiful pieces often there seems to be something missing. Maybe its that the lines are too straight and the circles too machine perfectly round.
Jimmie
on 8/23/2009 8:30 PM (ET) David Nebenzahl wrote the following:
It's just entertainment, and not a learning program. I suppose many of the viewers don't have any thoughts of building anything they see on the show, or even have the tools to build it. I put it in the same category of shows like "How It's Made" and "American Chopper", where the viewer is not looking for a way to make a Hockey helmet or a custom motorcycle.
I had been thinking I might exchange deckblocks for a concrete pad under my shed (and if that goes well, maybe someday a foundation for a whole detached shop). I had also been thinking I'd do it myself. You didn't tell us what sort of details you would have missed that the contractors didn't. What's so important that isn't obvious (to me)?
- Owen -
It's not a beginners show. Most people that watch have no problem and you can get the plans and info on the internet most of the time.
"willshak" wrote
American Chopper is less and less about motorcycles. It more and more about the Tuetel family soap opera. And watch daddy get rich while he drives his sons away. There has been a couple recent episodes where less than ten minutes of the show had anything to do with building a bike.
I had been thinking I might exchange deckblocks for a concrete pad under my shed (and if that goes well, maybe someday a foundation for a whole detached shop). I had also been thinking I'd do it myself. You didn't tell us what sort of details you would have missed that the contractors didn't. What's so important that isn't obvious (to me)?
- Owen -
Please don't take this the wrong way but have you heard, I don't know enough to know what I don't know?
Would you consider putting a vapor barrier down under the slab? Do you plan on mixing all of the concrete yourself? What strength concrete will you be using? What thickness? Will you have footings? What kind of reinforcemet will you be using? What kind of soil will you be pouring on top of? That is a "start"
Yes and one that honestly says "If piece A does not fit easily into the slot of bracket B, use a piece of sandpaper and/or a small rasp/ file and rub down the rough edges of A so it will fit. DO NOT enlarge slot. I needing to tap A into place use something soft before 'Gently' tapping A into place with hammer or similar tool. Use enclosed Allen wrench to tighten patent fasteners nuts.
Definitions: a) Sandpaper (Heavy paper coated with glued abrasive such as sand). b) Hammer (Nailing tool with metal 'head' and wooden of fibreglass handle). c)Rasp/file. Household abrasive tool (See larger version of nail file etc.). d) Allen wrench (Hexagonal 'six sided' small tool to fit indentation in head of patent fasteners).
But number of times have been asked to assist people assemble some items, who don't even have a hammer or screwdriver in the house! So one ends up using a dinner knife to take out a screw or going home to get one's own tools!
One time, some 50+ years ago, though I was 'thrown for loop' when a senior gentleman kept asking me for a 'Turn screw' (Old Irish I think, i.e. Screwdriver.) Come to think of it that makes more sense than the word 'screwdriver'. Cos you turn a screw whether you are putting it in or taking it out!
Agree Norm Abrams time 30 minutes. Mine two weeks plus, plus, in between fixing the house, doing chores, visiting family, servicing motor vehicle etc. etc. Must go round and check trees for damage and if any water came through basement windows during last night's storm (Tropical storm/hurricane 'Bill') which quickly passed over here last night. Power, TV and phone survived but only thing had to reset this morning was the microwave!
"stan" wrote
But number of times have been asked to assist people assemble some items, who don't even have a hammer or screwdriver in the house! So one ends up using a dinner knife to take out a screw or going home to get one's own tools! ==================
Yep, I was part of a business startup once. A bunch of guys in newly rented offices. And I brought some tools in a crate in case they were needed. I suddenly became the local tool store and general fix it wizard. My qualifications?? I actually owned some tools and brought them to work! It was a constant battle to get the tools back. Everyone wanted to use the tools, but nobody wanted to give them back.
When I first left home and was working a a minimum wage job a a dishwasher, I saved my pennies and bought tools from the local hardware store. Later, when building rustic furniture with few tools, I would do jobs just to buy tools. I knew tools were important. It is amazing the number of folks who don't know this. I have helped a number of folks buy some basic tools for the house/apartment. They did not know what to buy or where to buy it.
------------------------------------------------- You didn't tell us what sort of details you would have missed that the contractors didn't. What's so important that isn't obvious (to me)?
------------------------------------------------------
Remember, "A picture is worth a thousand words"?
Go watch concrete being laid.
Lew
At my age, wire and pipe weigh a lot less than drywall :-).
It isn't the weight that gets me, it's the knowledge that I'm probably capable of connecting the household power grid to the plumbing. Bookcases and umbrella stands and wine bottle racks--no problem. Plumbing and electrical--I'll leave that stuff to the pros. ;~)
What if the contractor is a hack?
When I built swimming pools (gunite crew), I watched many a deck being laid. Fully half had to be torn out (that's also me on the 90lb jack) and redone cuz the contractor and his crew were either drunk or incompetent. The only thing I learned about laying concrete from that dolt was, do it right the first time. (I learned it, he didn't)
nb
I would much rather do framing, plumbing and wiring than drywall or painting. I'm certainly qualified and capable of all of those tasks, however drywall is bloody heavy and tedious to tape well, and painting is equally tedious.
A good, detail oriented framer can make a 'waller's job much easier. Like anyone else, you have to deal with what you were left.
But I never attempt drywall. It's easy to do a half-a$$ jog of it, even for a so-called pro. Doing a great job at finishing that stuff is a skill and an art that is maintained by doing it repetitively and taking pride in your work. I think *anyone* can get great at it, given a few weeks on the job, but I'll gladly pay the experts to do it.
Amen, the only drywall I have ever done was approximately an 8' by 8' wall, i.e. two sheets. I futzed over it for days even when i knew it was going to be mostly covered by kitchen cabinets and a tile backsplash.
But it will look good, if someone ever takes the cabinets down. ;-)
"-MIKE-" wrote in message news:h6uio0$rbj$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org...
It takes more than a few weeks to get good at taping or even hanging it for that matter...I've been at it for 20 years and I still lean something new all the time...New and better products , tools , methods , ect....It takes a while to learn how to walk on stilts , using the ALL the different tools and be comfortable on staging then it's closet time for a while and understanding all the different kinds of mud , drywall , screws , beads , trim and where they go and installing them , setting up , getting coffee and making material runs ect..It is a year or so before a rookie is finish taping (just garages and utility rooms and bedrooms , ect.) and even then he won't know all the speciality jobs....There is ALOT more to drywall than taping your little 8X8 bathroom.....For starters doing a "typical" drywall job requires the right tools...I carry over a 1000 dollars worth of hanging and taping hand tools including my stilts 1/2 inch drill , screwgun , Drywall Cut Out Router , ect , ect.......Not to mention the baker staging , pipe staging , platforms and wheels , step and extension ladders , alluminum extension planks , ect. , ect.....A homeowner will try to get by with a mudpan , 6 inch knife and a 12 inch knife for taping and his cordless driver and keyhole saw for hanging while trying to do it off a ladder instead of stilts or staging...You are at a huge disadvantage right out of the gate and no matter how good you think it looks it will still pale in comparison to a pro...Strange how sometimes the difference between a homeowners good job and my work is so very different...Sometimes I go to jobs and the homeowner will say " look at this , I taped this wall , looks good , huh ??" I always smile and say yup , not bad all the while LMAO inside...And the stories I could tell about going to jobs that homeowners try to start...ROFLMAO...I'm always polite though , and say , well atleast you tried....Then proceed to cut out the loose tape and put an 80 grit pad on the powersander and take it all off and start over...If the drtwall looks like crap , especially the ceilings , no matter how pretty the woodwork looks the room will still look cheesy and cheap...The thing that shows the most seems to be the thing that always gets cheaped out....LOL...
Dang Devin, sanding and applying a finish to a new piece of furniture is tedious as well, not so much once you get the hang if it.
Is the show even on any more? I have not seen any new episodes since Spring. IMHO it has always been about the drama and I don't really think daddy drove his sons away, more like pushed them out of the nest. It was mostly Sr.'s fault for putting up with the nonsense for all those years. I would have fired both of the sons long before now. Mikey is pretty much a distraction, no more no less. Paul Jr., no work ethic.
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