What is the best Breaktime tip you’ve been glad someone posted?
I repaired a couple of spots where the tar paper blew off the roof this weekend. On a tip from Boss Hog I ran string line on all the laps to keep the paper from tearing off until I could get to the metal. I ran out of string and the damaged areas were all spots where I failed to incorporate that trick. Thanks Boss!
There have been so many others… I could make a long list. What’s your favorite?
Kevin Halliburton
“The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, … they relived the actor’s speeches by such intermissions.” Vitruvious, (Book V)
Replies
brain brillo after the Tavern visit
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Anything from 4LORN1!
Buy a Makita impact driver.
Jon Blakemore
Mr. T and a few others talked me into the Panasonic Multi-driver- that would be another one on my list.
Others include the Mooney wall, Jim Blodgett and his fiber cement stain thread, Mike Smith and his fiber cement butt joint flashing, Luka with his blown head gasket remedy, IMERC and his blocking list... Man there are so many, where do I stop?
I was looking around the house this weekend and saw breaktime influence everywhere... Thanks one and all. I get more from my visits here than I realise sometimes.Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
I know what you mean. The Makita was only the first tip of a plethora that sprang into my mind. I wonder where I would be without BT? I'm sure I would have saved countless hours over the years (and my wife would strongly concurr) but I know that I am much more informed than 95% of the people I come across in the trades. I think some of the problems in the construction industry stem from tradesmen typically being poor commnuicators, unwilling to accept new technology, and unlikely to move more than 30 or so miles from their birth place. These factors foster an immense amount of ignorance, almost to the point of being proud that they don't listen to the "experts". Breaktime has exposed me to many regional concepts that I would never discover on my own, and the support of several dozen (or more guys) who share the same ideas I have about different concepts to counteract the pressure to conform to my stereotype above.
I'm off my soapbox now...
Jon Blakemore
Relates to a thought I had over the weekend while doing some tile, which I've done before sucessfully, but since it's not something I do every day, I couldn't remember exactly how to quickly justify the width of the tiles along the wall, how to make sure I don't end up with really narrow pieces along the walls, and how to account for slightly out of square walls and stock.
In the first room I just plunged ahead, hoping I would remember along the way, and ended up paying for it, fortunately on the closet back wall where it won't be noticed.
In laying out the second room, it all came back...it will go much better.
Point is, I think this is one of the reasons tradesmen are reluctant to change....once they find a way that works, the just keep doing it, because they can't afford to get it wrong. Because they can't afford to get bitten in the a** by trying something new that doesn't work.
Meanwhile, they forget WHY they do it that way in the first place.
I think that's one of the great things about the more thoughtful threads in this forum..they make it plain WHY things are done a certain way, jogging the memories of tradesmen and DIYrs alike, and exposing all to new methods, tools, and products.
Here are just a few I've learned on BT, and used sucessfully despite local advice to the contrary:
Cellulose is better than FG
Use Advantech subfloor when framing in late fall
invest in a drywall screw gun for even one house
There's more, but you get my drift.
yeah, seriously..I owe gratitude to a bunch of youse guys
Andy C for recomending the MAX siding nailer
DDoud for the wonderful wood I scored from him
Rez for attitude adjustment
Imerc for the Bosch salesmanship my 12'' is swwweeett
and all the support from everyone for me tryin to get this log dog livable..were still trudging along..
I can't name all good souls...
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Thank for the kind words.
But the string thing wasn't my idea - I learned it from someone else and passed it along.
.
The best tip I got from Breaktime was probably the first one. I stumbled onto an old version of Breakimte 8 to 10 years ago. (I think) It was even before the Web-X days I'm pretty sure.
I was having trouble with my garage door not tracking right and asked for help. The answer was simple - Lubricate the thing.
The reason I say it was the best advice is because everyone was so nice about it, even though it was a pretty basic question. That convinced me to keep checking back in and learn a tremendous amount of stuff over the years.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
History never repeats itself. Historians just repeat each other.
The best Breaktime tip I ever got was when someone at JLC said BT was agood place to learn from. Boy, was he ever right!
SAmT
Quit taking yourself so seriously.
Non illegitimi carborundum.
Never mud wrestle a pig. You just get dirty and annoyed, and the pig loves it.
I love a lot of people here. And some of those, I don't even like.
No matter how far right you are, there is always someone righter, calling you a socialist pinko commie liberal.
No matter how left you are, there is always someone lefter, calling you a fascist dictatorial greedy pig.
A laugh is better than a dollar.
A chuckle makes the best bridge.
And as D Sweet says.....
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
Oh, one more...
If you mention the "P" word in a thread about, oh lets say, a thread about how does an egg fit through a chicken's arse, or about something like, what was the best tip you ever heard...
You might as well give up the thread.
; )
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
Kind of hard to pin down. At first I thought there wasn't really anything, but then . . . the sum total of all the tidbits really adds up. I think BT has helped me inasmuch as realising there actually are people out there who care what goes in to the project and what the end result is. That's a refreshing thought given the kinds of things we tend to see regularly on a job. And yeah, you were the one raving about the Panasonic not a week before my Mil drill went poof. Loved the Panasonic ever since. And when I swapped saws, yup, IMERC was there, and I joined the Bosch train. I love that saw too.
But there's literally hundreds of little decisions that have been impacted just by reading the discussions - what product or method was good or bad, how do you deal with that customer. It's all good. Its good even when you're wrong (not that I've ever done that . . . not) since there's no shortage of people willing to chime in and make sure you know just how off base you are. Reality check. You can't know everything. Admit it and you'll learn more. Keeps me coming back.
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
As an over zealous DIYer, I do everything once. just once. (unless I really fick it up and have to do it again). That's where you guys come in, I ask a lot of dumb questions and I get lost of good advice. It keeps me from having to do things twice. BT- the anti fick up.
Call it a personality quirk. I've always had difficulty with answering questions like "favorite color?", "favorite number?", "favorite anything?". This always puts me into a panic to remember exactly what is my favorite whatever. In this case, I am not going to get riled up. I will just say that many great tips come on a regular basis on BT. I log on just to see what I can learn that I have not been able to pick up on my own. I am almost never disappointed.
mix a little dish detergent into your joint compound. It really softens up the mix and goes on much neater. I don't remember who to give credit to but that was the best tip I've heard in years.
I don't know if there is a best, but there are a lot of top contenders
like,
Rooftopgaurd II for shingle underlaynent
great tools
use a paytoll service and incorporate to do things right
Salesmanship - get paid for what you do
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
"Salesmanship - get paid for what you do"
I'd have to second that one. That definitely an attitude I've picked up from the guys here that I respect.Those who watch time never see it.
After a bit of thought, best for me and totally non wooden, was one by Chris B (have not seen that name for quite awhile) on cutting half the tip off the spark plug tang. Got 4 MPH top speed increase out of my 71 Datsun PU with that one and mileage went from 39 to 41 MPG. Only catch was you had to clock/register the plugs also which I'd never done previously on the PU so the gains are a combination.
In hindsight, 2nd best has gotta be Gabe's diatribe on being a cheap DIY in response to my very first post here - what a bunch of loons I thought!
Of course, nobody has yet mentioned Ron's "my helper" post of a few years back -- PS- "tip" ! I sometimes wondered where DW had wandered off to from cabins we were repairing in the '60s? in central IL.
Edited 7/12/2004 11:02 pm ET by JUNKHOUND
What's this about Ron's new helper?
Tips is spelled t i p s
not t i t s
;)
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
One tip came to light the other day when I was at a buddy's house he just built at about 300grand. It was almost roasting in there until he turned on the air.
Over the years the merits of a cold roof and right insulation techniques has been drilled into me here so when I took my old dozer salvage house and renovated I put in tight foam insulation and a cold roof being attentive to detail.
I don't run any air and the warmest its been upstairs even at mid day in the middle 80s is 72 degrees.
Thank you BTers.
Gawd I love this place."sobriety is the root cause of dementia.", rez,2004
"Geodesics have an infinite proliferation of possible branches, at the whim of subatomic indeterminism.",Jack Williamson, The Legion of Time
Geez. I have learned so much here...I couldn't begin to break it down or quantify it.
I do know that I learned of Waterlox here. And I have used it and the customer is happy (and I think it looks great!).
If that qualifies as a tip, then I'll go with that.
But it all pails in comparison to many great people that I am now friends with. BT has changed my life.
Thanks to all.
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
" nobody has yet mentioned Ron's "my helper" post of a few years back.....I sometimes wondered where DW had wandered off to from cabins we were repairing in the '60s? in central IL."
If you're trying to imply I had something to do with taking pictures of your Wife back in the 60s - Let's keep in mind I was BORN in the 60s.
(-:
Never dreamed that when I posted that picture it would create such a stir, and be remembered for so long."More hay, Trigger?" "No thanks, Roy, I'm stuffed!"
From Sonny Lykos's tip to charge for estimates......only problem is...its a great tip but hasn't worked up to date and I keep trying....lol.
Thanks anyway sonny
####The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
My foam gun, thanks to Fred Lugano.
That little Makita 9.6V sawzall thanks to a recommendation from Beside the Blue Stream, AJ.
Countless others, even a few from Small Toolbelt RonT.
LIke that name.........
Joe H
Mine's not really a tip, just good advice distilled from all the anguished cries for help from people who didn't follow it.
Build some place where it don't rain a lot.
Some place where it's not real humid in the summer.
Some place without termites.
Build closer to the top of the hill than the bottom.
Adequate roof overhangs cover a multitude of sins.
If you don't specify the location and route of the drains on your blueprint, don't complain when the plumber wreaks a terrible revenge on your framing.
Brickliness is next to Godliness.
Cast iron has a lot to be said for it, too.
Aside from being expensive, ugly, and hard to work, stainless steel is a nearly ideal building material.
I have learned a surprising amount about how to treat others... From Jim Blodgett.
I have learned a lot about the subject from so many people here that I would not be able to list them all. But I think I have learned the most from Jim.
Just wish I could BE like Jim.
; )
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
You do pretty fine being like Luka. Wish more folks were like Luka.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
wwjbd...
What would Jim Blodgett (Crazy Legs) do
Jon Blakemore
Luka taught me how to attach pictures which was a blessing because I am a man of few words and a picture always helps me to explain what the heck I'm trying to do.
He was able to teach me the inns and out of the computer without making me feel like an idiot. He also did a great job helping me with my Website.
Best construction tip for me goes to Piffin for epoxy (Piffin Putty) used in fastening bolts to Brick.............
Thanks to all who have the skill to teach without looking down on people.
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Bob
I think that the most help has been Sonny Lykos trying to get me to think in Business
Terms, I am not doing this for fun. I still have lots to learn, but it is helping so far. A
close second would be the quality factor. If I am tempted to take a shortcut, I often
ask myself what the "Breaktime Crew" would think of my solution. Often that gets
me back on the straight and narrow. Thank You All, good advice, and good friends.
Dan
Thing I have learned the most is IDEALS rather than an individual tip:
This is a job for most of us- do it as professionally as possible
good tools make the job go better (quality and time)
Life is short- buy as many good tools as possible....
There ain't nothin' we all can't learn....
Boss Hog has a lot of neat bylines ( I crack up when I read them)
Treat everyone with respect.... don't be petty....First we get good- then we get fast !
Best tips I've gotten here are:
How to speed up sidewall shingling by using a string to hold up the shingles on the straightedge. The string lets you place a long of row of shingles that can then be nailed all together in one fell swoop (whatever a fell swoop is). Saves lots of time! The string also lets you nail just above the bottom of the next row. That helps prevent curling over time. (Think I got that one from Mike Smith)
Using Schluter Ditra under a tile floor to relieve the stress and prevent cracking. I did a 20' x 36' foot floor and not a single crack after two years. (Don't remember who I got that one from)
How to make a curved stair and handrail. (Got that from Stan Foster and Arman Hammer.)
There have been many otehrs but my memory is failing me this morning..."When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." ~ Henny Youngman
Charge enough to pay the help well and make a good living.