On Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:09 -0400, Bill wrote:

Bill wrote:

What do people do who don't know how to do anything? Go out and drink
and have fun? : )


I should have written: What do people do who don't know and don't want
to know how to do anything?

LOL: Personally I spend a lot of time trying to learn how people did
things that few except Rev. Roy and a few others do.

WUSS! WUSS! WUSSY!


Maybe alot of the fascination is that people COULD DO things instead of
being reliant on factories. With any encouragement, I'll take and post
a picture of my British molding planes (8) someday...lol

I believe those are actually moulding planes, aren't they?

--
Progress is the product of human agency. Things get better because
we make them better. Things go wrong when we get too comfortable,
when we fail to take risks or seize opportunities.
-- Susan Rice

Larry Jaques wrote:
Bill wrote:

My dad left me with the following bit of wisdom: "There's no problem so
small that you can't throw a lot of money at it."

He wasn't a DIYer, was he?

I know few others who have made their own rocks (like 4' high).

The think the recipe includes a wooden frame, chicken wire, quik-rete,
and paint (keep it under yer hat). I must take after him as I heard the
big one wouldn't fit through the backdoor of the garage--and there was
not a clear path the other way around.

Strange thing. His dad was a GM man (the line) and did not want my dad
to follow in his foot steps, so, growing up, he would not let him watch
him do anything with a wrench. The painful words were "Go away, you'll
get your hands dirty". He only told me about that phrase once. So my
dad served in the military and went to college on the GI bill. Probably
used some of the same engineering text books as Diamond Lew.

As a DIYer, he taught himself to lay bricks and built a fireplace in the
basement. I almost forgot about the day we built a ramp down the stairs
and washed and slid them all down a couple at a time. I'm older now than
he was then. I'm sure you find that very difficult to believe! : )

Larry Jaques wrote:
On Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:09 -0400, wrote:

Bill wrote:

What do people do who don't know how to do anything? Go out and drink
and have fun? : )


I should have written: What do people do who don't know and don't want
to know how to do anything?

LOL: Personally I spend a lot of time trying to learn how people did
things that few except Rev. Roy and a few others do.

WUSS! WUSS! WUSSY!

Now why would you say that? Don't you like sharpening? : )




Maybe alot of the fascination is that people COULD DO things instead of
being reliant on factories. With any encouragement, I'll take and post
a picture of my British molding planes (8) someday...lol

I believe those are actually moulding planes, aren't they?

I think that depends upon whether you are speaking the Queen's English
or not. Certainly, we do not wish to offend--"molding" sounds so, ahem,
green.

On Tue, 22 May 2012 01:21:28 -0400, Bill wrote:

Larry Jaques wrote:
On Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:09 -0400, wrote:

Bill wrote:

What do people do who don't know how to do anything? Go out and drink
and have fun? : )


I should have written: What do people do who don't know and don't want
to know how to do anything?

LOL: Personally I spend a lot of time trying to learn how people did
things that few except Rev. Roy and a few others do.

WUSS! WUSS! WUSSY!

Now why would you say that? Don't you like sharpening? : )

Avoiding doing things as Roy Underhill does is a WUSS kinda thing.
(Then again, the older I get, the more attractive machines become.)

--
Progress is the product of human agency. Things get better because
we make them better. Things go wrong when we get too comfortable,
when we fail to take risks or seize opportunities.
-- Susan Rice

On Tue, 22 May 2012 01:09:58 -0400, Bill wrote:

Larry Jaques wrote:
Bill wrote:

My dad left me with the following bit of wisdom: "There's no problem so
small that you can't throw a lot of money at it."

He wasn't a DIYer, was he?

I know few others who have made their own rocks (like 4' high).

Is this a "common sense" question? bseg


The think the recipe includes a wooden frame, chicken wire, quik-rete,
and paint (keep it under yer hat). I must take after him as I heard the
big one wouldn't fit through the backdoor of the garage--and there was
not a clear path the other way around.

I guess it was.


Strange thing. His dad was a GM man (the line) and did not want my dad
to follow in his foot steps, so, growing up, he would not let him watch
him do anything with a wrench. The painful words were "Go away, you'll
get your hands dirty". He only told me about that phrase once. So my
dad served in the military and went to college on the GI bill. Probably
used some of the same engineering text books as Diamond Lew.

So he went to school to learn how to teach -others- how to get their
hands dirty? Interesting.


As a DIYer, he taught himself to lay bricks and built a fireplace in the
basement. I almost forgot about the day we built a ramp down the stairs
and washed and slid them all down a couple at a time. I'm older now than
he was then. I'm sure you find that very difficult to believe! : )

Washing and sliding bricks is a bit difficult to believe.
tilts head sideways and looks quite puzzled

--
Progress is the product of human agency. Things get better because
we make them better. Things go wrong when we get too comfortable,
when we fail to take risks or seize opportunities.
-- Susan Rice

In article ,
says...

On Sun, 20 May 2012 08:57:46 -0600, Max wrote:



It's up to you of course but I wouldn't have any exit door that needed a
key to get out.

Are you serious? We have "french" doors to exit our den and also our
master bedroom. With that glass (in a french door) a double keyed
deadbolt was a "must". We keep the key "handy' but not accessible from
a broken pane.

While it makes sense, it is against code in many places. Years ago, in
my old house, someone tried to break in by the basement door by
breaking out a pane of glass. The double keyed deadbolt kept them
out.

Code or not, I have them in this house too.

If you have glass doors a deadbolt isn't going to stop anybody. They'll
just bust out the glass and walk through.

On 5/22/2012 11:18 AM, J. Clarke wrote:
In ,
says...

On Sun, 20 May 2012 08:57:46 -0600, wrote:



It's up to you of course but I wouldn't have any exit door that needed a
key to get out.

Are you serious? We have "french" doors to exit our den and also our
master bedroom. With that glass (in a french door) a double keyed
deadbolt was a "must". We keep the key "handy' but not accessible from
a broken pane.

While it makes sense, it is against code in many places. Years ago, in
my old house, someone tried to break in by the basement door by
breaking out a pane of glass. The double keyed deadbolt kept them
out.

Code or not, I have them in this house too.

If you have glass doors a deadbolt isn't going to stop anybody. They'll
just bust out the glass and walk through.

\

It makes a big difference when filing the claim. With the broken door
that is no questioning the "breaking" and entering.

Yes it will damage your house but do you leave your doors unlocked.


Of course I am the type that when I had my convertible and parked it
with the top down, would lock the doors.

Keith Nuttle wrote:

Of course I am the type that when I had my convertible and parked it
with the top down, would lock the doors.

Keith - you just made my day! Thank you for that comment! That was indeed,
funny.

--

-Mike-

Larry Jaques wrote:
On Tue, 22 May 2012 01:09:58 -0400, wrote:

Strange thing. His dad was a GM man (the line) and did not want my dad
to follow in his foot steps, so, growing up, he would not let him watch
him do anything with a wrench. The painful words were "Go away, you'll
get your hands dirty". He only told me about that phrase once. So my
dad served in the military and went to college on the GI bill. Probably
used some of the same engineering text books as Diamond Lew.

So he went to school to learn how to teach -others- how to get their
hands dirty? Interesting.

You know, he was an especially avid gardener (as is hinted at by his
rock-making). I never made the connection between that and getting his
"hands dirty", which he certainly was not afraid to do. Also evident in
the brick laying I mentioned. I think having your dad tell you to "go
away" is pretty powerful stuff. He enjoyed surveying (no lasers).

Do you wash your lumber off before you use it?

I've had lady's insist on it (J/K)! ; )

On Tue, 22 May 2012 13:01:41 -0400, Bill wrote:

Larry Jaques wrote:
On Tue, 22 May 2012 01:09:58 -0400, wrote:

Strange thing. His dad was a GM man (the line) and did not want my dad
to follow in his foot steps, so, growing up, he would not let him watch
him do anything with a wrench. The painful words were "Go away, you'll
get your hands dirty". He only told me about that phrase once. So my
dad served in the military and went to college on the GI bill. Probably
used some of the same engineering text books as Diamond Lew.

So he went to school to learn how to teach -others- how to get their
hands dirty? Interesting.

You know, he was an especially avid gardener (as is hinted at by his
rock-making). I never made the connection between that and getting his
"hands dirty", which he certainly was not afraid to do. Also evident in
the brick laying I mentioned. I think having your dad tell you to "go
away" is pretty powerful stuff. He enjoyed surveying (no lasers).

OK.


Do you wash your lumber off before you use it?

I've had lady's insist on it (J/K)! ; )

Hah! That's one request I've never heard. Was that pressure treated
or regular old pineywood? Soap, too? What was their reasoning?

--
Progress is the product of human agency. Things get better because
we make them better. Things go wrong when we get too comfortable,
when we fail to take risks or seize opportunities.
-- Susan Rice

Bill wrote:
On 5/18/2012 12:51 AM, Bill wrote:


In January, or so, I added to my "To-do list" that I needed to repair
my door that was loose enough that wind would blow it open. The latch
just wasn't long enough. In the meantime, I reinforced it from the
inside so that the door would not open at all, for security.


Now, here in May, I've observed that it works just fine. It locks solid.
T'ain't broke! %-)

After getting feedback here, looking at the door a few times, and
reading a bit, I thought I would provide an update (before I commence
cutting and pounding).

My wife observed that the door/door frame, screen door, etc. probably
used to be on the front of the house.

Drywall goes up to the hinge side of the frame. Once I cut some of the
drywall away, what is holding the door frame and door in place should
be revealed! My 24"-level indicates that the hinge side of the frame is
close enough to vertical.

The jamp on the hinge side is actually slightly narrower at the top and
bottom than at the middle. And except for the gap being just a little
wider on the hinge side than the latch side, this is just the opposite
of the situation on the latch side (where the jamp is slightly wider in
the middle than at the top and bottom). The top and latch side have not
been shimmed.

If the entire door frame needs to be shimmed, I hope that whatever is
holding the door in place now will not get in the way (this seems like a
key potential problem to me).

I'll refrain from writing more so that I don't obfuscate things.
As a minimum, I could shim the top and latch side with hopes that this
would take care of my winter-time problem of the door not closing tight.
I think that's what my dad would advise--but not because he had any
special expertise with doors; I think he would have me listen to you.

I'm going to close this door, while I go work on my worktable.

Bill

Bill wrote:


The jamp on the hinge side is actually slightly narrower at the top
and bottom than at the middle. And except for the gap being just a
little wider on the hinge side than the latch side, this is just the
opposite of the situation on the latch side (where the jamp is
slightly wider in the middle than at the top and bottom). The top and
latch side have not been shimmed.

That's what's causing your problems with season shift. It's a common enough
short cut for guys to count on the trim to hold the jam in place, and not
shim the jam. Not a good approach - especailly for an outside door. Shim
it, re-install the trim and Bob's your uncle.


If the entire door frame needs to be shimmed, I hope that whatever is
holding the door in place now will not get in the way (this seems
like a key potential problem to me).

There's a good chance the hinge side is screwed directly to the studs, and
as long as it's plumb nothing more is required on that side. You may not
need to shim the top on a single wide door. The latch side - definitely
needs shims.


--

-Mike-

Mike Marlow wrote:
Bill wrote:

snip

If the entire door frame needs to be shimmed, I hope that whatever is
holding the door in place now will not get in the way (this seems
like a key potential problem to me).

There's a good chance the hinge side is screwed directly to the studs, and
as long as it's plumb nothing more is required on that side. You may not
need to shim the top on a single wide door. The latch side - definitely
needs shims.

Will do! Thank you very much!!
It will be nice to have that door working properly, all year.

Bill

Mike Marlow wrote:
Bill wrote:


The jamp on the hinge side is actually slightly narrower at the top
and bottom than at the middle. And except for the gap being just a
little wider on the hinge side than the latch side, this is just the
opposite of the situation on the latch side (where the jamp is
slightly wider in the middle than at the top and bottom). The top and
latch side have not been shimmed.

That's what's causing your problems with season shift. It's a common enough
short cut for guys to count on the trim to hold the jam in place, and not
shim the jam. Not a good approach - especailly for an outside door. Shim
it, re-install the trim and Bob's your uncle.


If the entire door frame needs to be shimmed, I hope that whatever is
holding the door in place now will not get in the way (this seems
like a key potential problem to me).

There's a good chance the hinge side is screwed directly to the studs, and
as long as it's plumb nothing more is required on that side. You may not
need to shim the top on a single wide door. The latch side - definitely
needs shims.

Mike Marlow, I just added 5 (pairs of) shims on the latch side. It took
less than an hour once I cut off some drywall to make the gap
accessible. 4 or 5 months from now, I hope that the door is not stuck
and is still staying closed! I will withhold some of my joy for when it
passes those tests; I'll let you know!

I am ready to move on to the next thing. Unfortunately, it is just too
HOT here in Indiana to do much outside--105 F. today, The heat didn't
keep me from sawing up half (maybe 1/3) of a tall Silver Maple tree that
fell in my yard last Friday, but it is sapping some of the fun
out of doing drywall work. Temps should drop to "high-of-90" by Sunday!
: )

Nature works cheap though--taking the rest of the tree down this week is
going to take a chunk of change! I am thankful however that the tree
didn't knock our electrical (AC), as I think the odds actually were in
much greater favor of that, than not.

Cheers,
Bill