Man you have something to say about evey subject, lame or not! I can’t even get a response to my questions!
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Yeah I too have noticed he got something to say about just about everything. I been getting a lot of good feedback from him and agree or disagree, that's pretty helpful. Isn' t it?
Ya know ya could use the "E-mail this message" function from the pull-down "Options menu" to E-mail him your particular message in question to make sure he sees it( or anyone else for that matter) . I've done that on a few occasions with some other people but I been thinking that Piffen just sees everything that gets posted here.
What is a Piffen anyway? Sounds like some kind of mythological creature doesn't it? Griffin-Piffen?
"Architecture is the
handwriting of Man." - Bernard
Maybeck.
I pretty much agree with what you said . We need Piffins , and Boss Hogs around here. Both are pretty cool under fire. A lot of imformation from both. Piffin has a humor I enjoy, unlike any one else. Ive always thought pif seen it all too. Hes usually on every post I decide to go to, and usually says at least a little . I usually count on them both to make the screen. Im trying to learn that cool under fire thing . I would like to get that down.
What I dont understand though is why exactly this post was made . I also agree he could have been emailed. But since this is Pif day, I took my shot at him.
So how does it feel to be talked about Piffin?
Tim Mooney
dizzy dez sez wot's dee answer
Piffin pleads "Wot's dee question?"
How'bout a link to it babe?
I really don't read more than half the threads here at my favorite forum, just the ones that catch my eye or that somone steers me into, so I may well have missed seeing something before it spiraled off the screen.
I do this for my pleasure - not for pay so if this post from Dez is a complaint, well, heres a toast to all the worlds complainers (a pet peeve of mine.)
I'm here a lot because I work at the old PC doing Cad designs and need a mental break occasionally. I've been involved in several types of construction work since before I graduated from high school in 1970 so I feel like I've got something worth sharing and the online forums are a good vehicle for it - if you don't like or agree with me, you can't really hurt my feelings 'cause I've got another real life too.
I don't seem to need as much sleep as I used to and I have the TV set up on the wall in the corner behind the moniter so when some folks are wasting their minds just zoning out over the mind scramble box, I can skim the high spots of a movie and type here, exercising my mind at the same time.
I've always had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding of things so I read a lot. Driving is boring for me so my mind wanders, building something in my head and the wife finds that a little scary so she drives while I read or think, both of which are my favorite hobbies.
My real name initials are PFN which I put on my tools so occasionally some bright young'un asks, "What's a piffin?" Thus the handle. I won't mention some of the other ones I'vce picked up in the last fifty years.
One of my guiding principles in understanding human nature and dealing with people over the years has come to be that if a man has no sense of humour or can't laugh at himself, he probably can't be trusted. He's too brittle and will break. I did police reserve duty for a few years and found that the particular brand of graveyard humour those guys have can be the only decent way of dealing with the tensions that go with combing the underbelly of society. I also learned a few things about trusting folks and when. When it comes time to release the snap on your holster, you want to be certain what your partner is going to do. Humour can build that bond - or burn and bury it.
There're plenty other main men here at Breaktime who know more than I do, or who type better. I just happen to be here often. Some of my favorites for one reason or another (knowledge, sincerity, humour, politics or not, style, etc) in no particular order...
Mike Smith
Boss Hog
Ron Teti
Luka aka Jeff
Bob Walker
Jim Blodgett
Ed Williams(GACC Dallas)
Armin
Andy Engle ( gotta kiss up a little here, LOL)
...and I'll probably have to come back to edit in more as I think of them, What makes BT great is the people, not the software. All of you!
...well maybe except for...
;>)
Excellence is its own reward!
Would someone tell me what Piffin said ?
I have him on ignore, and can't see his post.
hehehe
: )Quittin' Time
Piffin speaks up at 'Over The Fence', too. He's a real all rounder.
"over the fence" what is that ?
Tim Mooney
Upper right of your screen under fine gardening, I only hit it once a week or so. And I go there to learn more than to teach.
I hope you guys get over this praise pif thing soon. My head'll get so big I can't get it out of the house. Luka helped deflate it a little though, like adjusting the lift on a hot air balloon...
;>)Excellence is its own reward!
Edited 7/27/2002 8:35:58 AM ET by piffin
now we all need ballast, you've recieved yours. mentoring is awesome responsibility, ; ) bears
Thanks to Piffin and Tim Mooney for the kind words. Nice to know I'm useful for something..........(-:
Piffin, I didn't realize you did any type of CAD design. What exactly is it that you do? And where do you live? Get the 2 of us together, and God knows what we could think up.
I like to kid around and poke fun for a little different reason that Piffin. I figure we all have at least a couple jerks we have to deal with daily. A pain in the neck boss, nagging Wife, etc. I figure the humor can be used to relax us and relieve some of the tension we face in our jobs and daily lives. So you'll always find me poking fun at something or somebody. And you'll always find a dumb tag line after my posts.
A lady is one who only shows her underwear intentionally.
...and your tag lines are worth coming here for!
Most can probably be found over at JLConline.
Hi! PFN! [Now that's goin' to stick!]
...I have to agree with all that has been said about ya, man. I have been in the industry for 27 years, and I never find flaw in your advice. And you type a hell of a lot better than most!!! Keep on truckin', my friend.
Peace
Newf Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Carpenter, woodworker, gardener, Can't sew or cook
http://www.quittintime.com/
Hey piffin thanks for the honorable mention , I really enjoy your posts and thoughts on different subjects as well as the other folks here even the ones I have disagreements with. They contribute here and add to the "flavor" of BT. I think the "cast of characters" who post here really make this place unique.
Now if can I just finish this kitchen so I can finish hanging those stinkin doors :) Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
Ron, I hope that's not still the doors you shaved off too short. ;)
It's your humour, candor and politics that I appreciate.
Boss,
I work on Softplan. My business is mostly in remodel and restore. Most people can't concieve of what they are buying from a floor plan and one elevation which is all you get from plenty of architects. I was doing half the designers jobs for them so I figured I might as well take over. It's easier on the back than lifting trusses and plywood onto the roof.
CAD renderings in 3D lets folks see what they are getting before the demo starts and avoids lots of frustrating, expensive change orders.
If we got together, we could be a sandwich. I'll be the bread, coming from Colorado and Maine. With you in the midwest, you'd have to make the filling.Excellence is its own reward!
Yo Piffin -
I had no idea you worked on Softplan. Have you talked about that before, and I just spaced it out???
I've seriously looked at softplan, but never ended up buying it. I also end up doing a lot of "freebie" design work since no one around here draws a decent print.
Actually, I kinda enjoy it. Most of the time the people really appreciate the help and info. The CAD jockeys who draw the prints around here generally do a lousy job.
I'm kinda burned out on truss work - It seems like the companies just move from one crisis to the next. This guy HAS to have his trusses right away so I have to work over to get the design work done. That guy HAS to have his quote immediately, so I have to work Saturday. Then all the sudden we aren't busy enough and we HAVE to have more work. Nothing I do is good enough for the company, and nothing the company does is good enough for the customers.
OTOH - Making a living drawing prints in a small town would be rough. There just isn't enough business around here to keep up good cash flow. So I'm kinda stuck not really knowing what to do.
Seems like we think alike about a lot of things. Get our heads together, and we could be dangerous, huh ???
So which do you live in now, Colorado or Maine? I'd probably make good filling - DW is always telling me I'm full of it...............(-:
I find it difficult to reminisce with people I don't know.
Boss, You're right about keeping totally busy at drafting/designing in a small town full time. I have no doubt that I could build an online design seervice but then I'd be constantly under pressure to kick it out and keep it up so I'd trun into another hack. I like to enjoy life and pick my customers a little bit too.
I've been singing the praises of Softplan for ages on every CAD discussion that comes up and am a member of Splash, the users group online. I guess you just missed it- try the search to resurrect something under CAD or Design software questions.
You wanna put our heads together on something dangerous, Eh? OK, I'm working on a garage to playroom conversion design. Currently, the roof rafters are 20' long 2x10 KD Spruce @ 16" OC running across an I beam which is installed with a pitch of 1/4" or 6" in 24' to give the roof a drain plane.
I will be removing the beam for headroom and doubling up the rafters with ceiling joists sistered to take the bounce. I haven't engineered it yet to decide whether to use TJIs, solid 2x12s, LVLs or web trusses. They will need to be hung from a ledger similar to a balloon frame situation. I'll try to fit in some drawings and photos without crashing either my PC or Prospero. (SP is quite a systems hog and it is running in the background now)Excellence is its own reward!
Edited 7/27/2002 10:27:26 PM ET by piffin
Piffin -
I didn't mean we should necessarilly get together on project dedsigns. I was thinking that it would be interesting to meet you sometime. Who knows what might arise out of that sort of collaboration - The meeting of 2 such great minds attached to such obviously good looking bodies.......(-:
OTOH - This forum is a good idea for picking up some ideas, so why not?
My first thought is that taking out the beam will be a pain. You mnetioned possibly using 2X12s to try to stiffen up the roof, but I wouldn't - That's a heck of a long span to be doing that. Deeper I-joists might work, but you don't have much nailing surface to use to attach them to the existing rafters. Ditto for wood webbed floor trusses. LVLs would certainly work, but would be danged expensive.
I heard once of a situation where some stuff had to be bolted to some floor trusses. But getting enough "meat" to bolt to was a problem. The solution they came up with was to use 4X4 verticals in the trusses and bolt through them. That's the only workable solution that comes to mind.
BTW - If you add deeper stuff to make a clear span system, aren't you adding about as much depth as you already have with the beam now?
I have six pack abs - I just keep them in an insulated chest.
I would be lowering the ceiling about six inches at midpoint from the roof rafters if I were to use 2x12 solids or same size lvls. The existing beam is 12" so I would be able to lose half of that. The other consideration beyond space is that the beam visually divides the room and lands at one end exactly where I'll be putting a fireplace. From a design viewpoint, it is uncomely and uncomfortable. Removing it will unify the room.
Probably too much distance between us unless we are both going to a trade show same time someday.
BTW, RE: our glorius bodies, A friend today told me that we carpenters always build a shelf above our tools.
Excellence is its own reward!
every good tool needs a shed........................> cheers bear
"A friend today told me that we carpenters always build a shelf above our tools."
Oh man - I can't wait to tell DW that one........(-:
Do medics in Rome refer to IVs as 4s?
Let's try a big one...No let's not. I converted this BMP millions to a JPG for uploadExcellence is its own reward!
Still trying to load a decent section view.
BTW, Dez sez izalright now on his question.
Heeze a smilin' Dezertrat wit a fez.
Excellence is its own reward!
Edited 7/27/2002 10:35:38 PM ET by piffin
If this downsized one dozent post, I'm out of patience.Excellence is its own reward!
piffin for my money is one of the most knowledgable on this board, in accordance with northeast building practices. and if he farts on line i give it heads up. so ends the lets shine piffin's #### segment. no thanks is needed. bear