I built and installed my custom entryway door. Black walnut timbers 4″x6″ It looks good enough to take a picture of (if I had a camera) I had to settle for a stock door for now, the glass I ordered came out wrong and the glass shop won’t do anything about it!
He transposed the numbers and instead of a 75 inch piece I got a 57 inch piece..
He had me. He required payment in advance and has my money.. Justice is mine sayith Frenchy! a brick should just about fit thru his window, the schmuck!
Darn if I’m gonna lay out another $252 bucks!
So for now I’ll use the door I got on sale. “stained” glass so while it looks chezzy compared to the black walnut one I made, it fits, sorta and will help keep out some of the cold!
next the roof peak!
Replies
You just gotta keep reminding us how much money you be saving on that DIY project!
Excellence is its own reward!
Well, I used 6 timbers that cost me $3.00 each for the frame so I spent my time plus $252 for the glass (I was able to use the sidelites, just shortened up the opening)plus $18 for the black walnut.
haven't varnished it yet but that'll probably take a quart, Oh and some sandpaper and a little electricity.. Not bad for a custom made entry...
But you're right. I real pro could have shoved the glass down the shop owners throat or used a glass shop where they don't make stupid mistakes or if they do, will fix 'em..
I learned a $252 lesson...
or would just roll with the punches...Life goes on..
Excellence is its own reward!
Since I'ma rollin' would that make me a pro? ;-)
Edited 1/15/2003 11:17:08 PM ET by frenchy
Piff, I know you must be joking here...as this can happen to anyone...pro or not. REGARDLESS of how much communication there appears to be...sometimes someone in the loop just drops the ball. Been there, done that. It hurts.
Anyways, I was thinking this morning in the shower...
When you see these DIYer mistakes, do they usually come in huge piles of complete ineptness? You mentioned replacing 2x6 floor joists...Geez, you'd have to be completely clueless. I guess they were the cheapest at the lumberyard...and a little beefier than those 2x4's, but if they are in 16' lengths, must be good for floor joists!
In those cases, complete ineptness, seems pretty obvious.
Do you find yourself bailing out DIYer's with somewhat more subtle errors? Like inability to finish miters nicely, or finish tape joints, or something of the like?
Which is more common?
Naturally I'm yoking!
I'm sure frenchy is too. Self deprecating humour is one of the ways we deal with what life throws at us, like Rodney Dangerfield. He helps others deal with lifes hard times and with the stresses of bad relationships by letting them laugh at themselves. if I couldn't step back and see my life as a comic book sometimes, I'd be institutionalised by now.
Frenchy calls himself a whacko and posts aboiut how he's stuck with a boo-boo. What else can we do but laugh along with him? It's not like he asked how to weld another piece to the one he has...
;).
Excellence is its own reward!
I know Piff...
Seriously though, do you find more subtle problems by DIYer's or just complete ineptness?
Yeah, like I said in another thread, probably forty percent of DIYs do ok but the majority are blindly ignorant of what they are doing to themselves in little ways...
I expect frenchy will come out OK in the long run but there are probably days that he has to remind himself, "Whatever doesn't kill us, will only make us stronger.".
Excellence is its own reward!
Hmmmmm...I lost count of how many times I said that myself. :)
Some DIYers do it themselves because they're too fussy and won't accept the "pro's" standards of "quality". I remember an old thread about who should caulk and fill the finish, the painter or the finish carp? If it's "fine homebuilding" why should anything have to be caulked or filled....?
If ignorance is bliss then apathy is sheer heaven...
Yea Roger, I have to agree with that one. If it wasn't fun, it'd be a different story. I'm sure many folks could do work to make me very happy, especially the folks around here, but then I'd be even more broke paying for them! LOL You get what you pay for....but even nicer to get there on your own.
Today is a red letter day, Not only did I get to enter the house thru my new entryway door, I also got to drive my truck into the garage.. first time in over a year and a half!
Actually I had to, my poor old truck rebelled against the cold and decided that antifreeze really didn't need to stay inside the engine, the waterpump seal went on vacation and the dealer wanted $330.00 to change a $67 water pump..
I shoved things aside and drove in like it belongs there! I wish I could spend my time tomorrow replacing it instaed of up on the roof where 30 mph winds promise to make work exciting as well as cold..
I've replaced a couple.
Taking out the radiator and all makes that price sound about right, unless I just had nothing better to do..
Excellence is its own reward!
According to french math (which as everyone knows has nothing to do with the real world) a $67 waterpump is cheaper than a $330. water pump installed. Besides I have several tool boxes full of snap-on tools that haven't been used in a while.. be nice to get some grease under the fingernails instead of sawdust.. Make a change
Besides in 185,000 miles this is the first thing that needs fixin on the truck. Kinda wanna see what a chevy engine looks like ;-)
He drives a Chevy!
Ya know, I could get to like you, ya big old frenchy!.
Excellence is its own reward!
don't be too kind, I also drive a MG TD and a couple of Jaguars...
daily drivers are Chebbies though!
Aren't liberals supposed to drive Volvo's and Saabs?.
Excellence is its own reward!
Here in Minnesota every body drives Volvos and Saabs.. (bunch of damn scandahoovians!) In fact I'll bet more conservatives drive those things than liberals..
Besides I'm wacko... in case I never mentioned it before....;-)
Just be sure to buy a new waterpump, not a rebuilt. Simple enough job, but once is enough fun.
LOL
I found out on that one the hard way - good practice with the pulley puller though..
Excellence is its own reward!
I did one truck three times, never again. Don't even ask me about re-built starters.
It isn't easy being a Chevy guy...but a lot easier than being a Ford guy, lol.
Starters - um hum shims and busted knuckles!
There was a time when every time I went into an auto parts store fore oil, spark plugs or whatever, there was a guy next to me in the other line getting a water pump for a Ford. like a permanent fixture. I did my chevy water pump that one time twice. All my buddies with Fords seemed to be changing them every fourty thousand miles, though.
Back to the subject of the thread tho' - I wonder how many knuckles frenchy has left in the cold tomight?.
Excellence is its own reward!
Do you know how painful it is when you hit a frozen finger/knuckle? I hate Minneosta in the winter!!
Hmmmm, ducks with real tiny brains are smart enough to fly south during the winter, what does that say about me?
I'm not as smart as a duck?
Edited 1/21/2003 12:28:57 PM ET by frenchy
what a piece of cake! 15 minutes after starting I had the old pump off, I spent twenty minutes cleaning the old gasket surface and had everything buttoned up inside of another twenty minutes (I spent 5 minutes checking everything since it went too easy, so I figured I screwed up someplace)..
I never touched a pulley with a puller, and while I had the tool that holds the water pump while you remove the large nut that holds the fan on, I could have done just as well with a long pry bar!
I did remove a couple of bolts I didn't need to and If I had the tool snap-on sells for removing hose clamps it would have saved me several minutes, it still was a cake job..
Next time I'll bet I can do the whole job in 25 minutes.. makes me wonder why the dealer needed $330 dollars to do what I did in under an hour for $67 ?
Self reliance is wonderfull....
Edited 1/21/2003 5:03:04 PM ET by frenchy
What! No radiator removal? No broken studs?
Chevies are getting easier to work on than ever!.
Excellence is its own reward!
6 little 10mm screws to remove the top 1/2 of the shroud, special tool to hold the pulley while a wrench removed the fan clutch assembly,4 14 mm (used to be 9/16ths) bolts and it was off.. oops! need to remove the radiator hose and two heater hoses.. with my air wrench it was too easy!
"I did remove a couple of bolts I didn't need to ..."
You left them out right? You always need to have some leftover bolts.
Nah!
They held the alternator bracket on and I thought they needed removal to get the water pump off.. (in the old days chebbies had everything mounted on the water pump).
New ones are so slick that it's embaressing! Jezz you'd think that General motors has learned something from the few hundred million small block engines they made...
I've had this truck almost 6 years and 186,000 miles.. this is the first problem.. It's a real proplem too since I never seem to have the time to attack it, sealing up the house demands priority. the high today will again be in the single digets with the low in the minus double digets. (another words serious cold) I come home from work and I'm sealing air leaks untill it's time to find a spot to lie down..
Jeez Piffin,
I didn't know you could weld glass back together,, Hmmmm let's see I need to get another piece of glass that's 18 inches longer, then it will work...
I'm excited, what kind of welding rod do you use for tempered glass? Is MIG better or will I need TIG.. I don't suppose my gas welding rig will do, will it? Do you still need a chipping hammer to knock the slag off??
By the way, I resent being compared to Rodney Dangerfield, (take my wife, please!) I'm at least 4 pounds lighter than he is!
Edited 1/16/2003 12:08:02 PM ET by frenchy
4#?
You're kidding me right?
;)
After all that running up and down the ladder to seat those roof panels, you ought to be at leaste eight pounds lighter! LOL.
Excellence is its own reward!
You have to use the TIG and remember PRE HEAT the whole pane or it will be a pain . With the TIG use a glass rod and argon gas and then do not use the chipping hammer ,unless you want hammered glass.
Is there a possibility of putting in a seperate lite above or below the short window ? maybe one that opens or with a sandblasted design , your name ,house number ,any thing to be able to use the window you have . that way the 252 is not a tolal loss and the brick slipping out of your hand will just be icing on the cake.
rotfbsoomn (rollin on the floor blowing snot out of my nose)
I'll redesign the door using the shorter length, but it won't be the design I wanted and I'll be pouty from now on....
Frenchy.... I hate that when it happens ! LOL.... Dude you just gotta laugh and say.... Oh well.... Stained glass aint all that bad as long as that walnut doesn't flash white on ya....... You ought to jump on a plane with momma and come see the airomatic cedar that went woop de doo on me..... Gotta a bunch if you own a real small closet... LOL. The straightest piece is about six inches long.... How dumb do you think I feel.... Still on the floor laughing cuz thats all I can do right now. Jeeze....
My real problem is that I'm never satisfied. I put it together with pine stop for the windows and oak for the door.. Looks OK but...
The artist in me is already pickin out the pieces I'll use to make my own molding out of black walnut.. Let's see I'll run it over the planer after I......
I hear ya buddy... just keep on truckin .....
I just gotta focus.. the trim will hold but not having any insulation over the dormers will cost..
Told my wife this would be a 10 year house, now I wonder how I could have ever been so optimistic....