"Mike Patterson" wrote in message
...
On 30 Dec 2004 16:53:11 GMT, Dave Hinz wrote:

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 01:12:24 GMT, Bullwinkle J. Moose
wrote:
Does the Ronco Popeil Pocket Fisherman count?

No, I think those are stipulated to be useless before you buy them. I
_think_ the topic here is things which were surprisingly useless?

You know, the Pocket Fisherman gets a lot of bad press, but as long as
you didn't expect it to act like your $100 rod/reel, it was OK.

My dad received one for Christmas one year and didn't want it, so I
carried it around in my trunk and used it every once in a while when
I'd be out somewhere and decide to go fishing without having to go
home first to get my "real" rig.

I never had to try reeling in a 10 lb. speckled trout with it, but it
worked fine for light-duty work. Caught a few bass, crappie, and
catfish with it.

Only real (reel?) problem I had with it was trying to get new line on
the reel was frustrating.

MP
Mike Patterson

Must have been almost 25 years ago, I was at a kids' fishing contest at a
small muddy pond stocked with trout for the occasion. The little kid next to
me had the "Pocket Fisherman" and was mercilessly ridiculed by everybody who
saw it.

He soon had apparently snagged his tackle on a log. The reel was so bad, any
tension on the line would just cause it to unspool more. He was just about
to take everybody's advice and cut the line - when it moved.

10 minutes later, he landed a 44lb. carp. It was as tall as the kid, and
bright orange. Maybe somebody's liberated goldfish. He could not get enough
drag on the reel to snap the line, and the fish finally beached itself. I
would not have believed it had I not been standing there.

-Gary

"Dave Hinz" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 12:17:18 -0500, Owen Lawrence
wrote:
(Dave Hinz wrote

I also
have a rack of hanging cords, the NEMA-standard computer plug type
cords,
because every time I toss something I keep the cord. Yet, new
purchases
always come with a new cord. What the hell am I (are we) thinking?

You need to get a lathe and make some lamps.

Got one. Two actually, one for wood, one for metal. Need to dig out
the russian olive & see if it's ready maybe?

Actually I _have_ used a couple of these cords for original electronics
projects and repairs, but I've got a shoebox full of them and I made a
conscious decision last year to stop saving them.

How's that working out for you?

So far so good, but I think it's a lifetime affliction. Just yesterday I
put an old 486 laptop in the garbage, one that still runs. That was hard
enough. (I've got a "new" replacement freebie laptop.) But the power
supply and its cord got wrapped up and put on the shelf for some future
electronics project. Sigh...

- Owen -

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 11:58:47 -0700, "Joel Corwith" wrote:


"Gino" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 09:40:39 -0500, "Mike Marlow"

wrote:

My SO doesn't allow me to play with fire since the time I lit up the
neighbors
fence while killing weeds with a tiger torch.g

SNORT!

I finished the back yard, hit a weed near the gate as I went to work out
front. Finished the front and went back to find the gate in flames. Garden
hose wouldn't reach that side of the house, but had plento 5 gal buckets
laying about. The chipboard used to patch the gate was very hard to put
out.

Some time later I was doing isolated weeds in the gravel when someone
shouted 'Hey, you can't do that in the city'. Was a fireman peeking over
the fence.

Heh!
I blew a four pound extinguisher on my fire.
You would think the neighbor would offer to pay for the refill...it was his
fence.g

Gino wrote in
:
snip

My SO doesn't allow me to play with fire since the time I lit up the
neighbors fence while killing weeds with a tiger torch.g


My brother-in-law did that 'accidentally' to a juniper hedge.

We're big on juniper abatement in our family. ;-)

Patriarch

Dave Hinz wrote in
:


OK, what is it with us people and cutting off cords from stuff when we
toss them? Have any of us actually _used_ one of these cords? I also
have a rack of hanging cords, the NEMA-standard computer plug type
cords, because every time I toss something I keep the cord. Yet, new
purchases always come with a new cord. What the hell am I (are we)
thinking?

I use the old cords, because it's easier than crawling under the desk to
run the functionally equivalent new ones. But it takes quite a pile of the
new ones building up, before I toss them out.

Patriarch

Strangely enough, I'm starting to look at a whole stack of antique
hand tools that way. I have been accumulating them from various
sources because people know I do woodworking and I just might be able
to use grandpa's old chest drill or whatever. Frankly I have no
interest in doing woodworking that way - too much of what I do is, of
necessity, outcome based. I don't even have a place to display them,
so they sit in boxes scattered hither and yon between attic storage,
two sheds and the garashop. I don't feel right selling them, but...

Trade ya a newly refurbished Rotozip tool for them.

Patriarch wrote:
I bought a good drill press for maybe $300. Good used lathes are for
sale all the time. But I'm afraid of a good lathe. All the wood
turners I know chase tree trimmers, fill their basements with half-
turned bowls wrapped in plastic and newspaper, and upgrade to a better,
multi-thousand dollar machine every couple of years.
I already am trying to get one addiction under control. There are at
least a dozen handtools here, which I haven't used yet. ;-)


You're missing the point. You get the lathe, and hang the planes
around the edges of the stand. That's why they have those holes
near the ends. %-)

Dave in Fairfax
--
Dave Leader
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
American Association of Woodturners
http://www.woodturner.org
Capital Area Woodturners
http://www.capwoodturners.org/
PATINA
http://www.Patinatools.org/

"Dave Hinz" wrote in message
...

(snip) OK, what is it with us people and cutting off cords from stuff when
we
toss them? Have any of us actually _used_ one of these cords?
(snip)

It's probably genetic. My parents and grandparents lived thru the Great
Depression (and my birthdate is not that far removed from it). I remember
growing up that NOTHING was wasted...even if it was never used.

Perhaps in a few more generations the trait will dispppear.

"Chuck Hoffman" wrote in message
m...

"Dave Hinz" wrote in message
...

(snip) OK, what is it with us people and cutting off cords from stuff
when
we
toss them? Have any of us actually _used_ one of these cords?
(snip)


Yep, I use em all the time. But I wouldn't ruin a tool that someone else
could use to save a buck.

It's probably genetic. My parents and grandparents lived thru the Great
Depression (and my birthdate is not that far removed from it). I remember
growing up that NOTHING was wasted...even if it was never used.

Perhaps in a few more generations the trait will dispppear.


My father/uncle being cheap turned me off the habit. There's no point doing
a job, if it's going to look like ****.

Dave Hinz wrote:

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 01:12:24 GMT, Bullwinkle J. Moose
wrote:
Does the Ronco Popeil Pocket Fisherman count?

No, I think those are stipulated to be useless before you buy them. I
_think_ the topic here is things which were surprisingly useless?

ROFL!

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Joe Gorman wrote:

London CT circa 1981. Had to replace the shaft locking mechanism
but it's pretty much permanently mounted with at 3/8" round over
bit in it. Only adjustments are when I want to knock less than

Mine too! Is there actually any other use for these stupid things?

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Dave Hinz wrote:

I have a Dremel with a flexi-shaft (think 'speedometer cable in a
sheath'),
and that sucker can get in to _very_ tight places. I use it maybe once
a year, but when I need it, there's nothing else that will work.

Oh yeah, that goes without saying, doesn't it? These things are absolutely
useless without one of those flex shaft flummies. In fact, until you
brought it up just now, I had forgotten it used to not have one. Wow.

I think a dedicated flex shaft tool would probably be a better investment if
I ever manage to use this thing enough to kill it though.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Dave Hinz wrote:

because every time I toss something I keep the cord. Yet, new purchases
always come with a new cord. What the hell am I (are we) thinking?

LOL! I have no idea, but I have a bunch of cords left from the time I had a
wiring wardrobe malfunction and put 220V to all my shop lights. Oops. I
thought about saving the thin aluminum side panels too.

On this general topic, I'm gutting my closets, cleaning house HARD while
SWMBO is away. Haven't looked at it in 15 years? You'll never notice it's
missing. You didn't know where it was anyway. I found a shower curtain
rod from two places back. I have been saving it because I thought it would
be useful again some day. Well, I put a buncha crap on a shelf in my own
closet, which I have never really used for anything except my flannel
shirts and some dress clothes I haven't worn in yearrrrs. (I own a tie?
Why do I own a tie?)

Oh, um. I'm getting sidetracked. Spending seven hours on a perfectly
gorgeous shop day cleaning out the damn closets in the house must have done
it to me. Sigh. I did get my printer stand glued together, finally. Only
the second time I've tried to build anything that's well and truly
furniture-like. If I had been wanting it to look better, I would have
neatened it up and put a face frame on it, and done a more tidy job with
the glue. I *could* have done these things. I may anyway, even though it
means stripping the existing finish off the recycled plywood I used and
putting a new finish on it. Anyway, it's just simple dado + glue joinery.
Multi kerfs with the waste chiseled out by my son. It would have looked
better if I had had better control of my new rabbet plane for the top bit,
but hell, for something I knocked out in a couple hours (spread out over a
dismally long week) it's pretty damn solid. Flat on the floor, square,
tight. I guess I do have a little bit of skill after all! It was really
too damn big to make in my itty bitty shop though. I'm going to have to
move my lathe and a bunch of other stuff if I ever want to rip anything
longer than 30" out there. Kinda makes the prospect of building curio
cabinets some day seem like something that should come after I build a real
shop, in 20 or 30 years. Sigh.

Oh, blah blah blah, what the hell was I rambling about? The closet pole.
Anyway, it was supposed to help hold up the shelf I loaded down with my
wife's old childhood crap she can't get rid of. It didn't fit, so...

drum roll...

I THREW IT AWAY!

I have about two entire boxes of trash bags out by the curb FULL of stuff.

I have ****loads of closet space right now. Maybe when I'm finished you'll
actually be able to walk through my damn house without tripping over
anything. My house looks about as bad as my shop. My wife and I both got
an F in housekeeping, and the last time we called dial-a-maid, she ran off
cackling like a lunatic.

Wow. I have to go drink some beer, smoke a cigar, and maybe go buy a copy
of Hustler or something to prove I'm not gay after all this.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Larry Jaques wrote:

on a Hoover vac for you. It'll be under $50 and they can nearly

A Hoover what? This POS is a Hoover. All Hoovers ain't created equal,
evidently.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 10:39:59 -0800, Gino wrote:

On 30 Dec 2004 18:15:57 GMT, Dave Hinz wrote:

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 08:26:30 -0800, Gino wrote:
On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 08:51:32 -0500, "Norman D. Crow" wrote:

Get the larger (1 1/4") fiberglass reinforced cutoff wheels, they work
great.

I love those.
But they are costly little suckers as well.

True, but a set of 3 will outlast a whole "tube" of the brittle abrasive-only
ones.

I agree.
Those brittle *******s aren't worth the time to attach them to shaft. I never
use them except for detailing the copper and brass bits and pieces I use in my
box making.


Yeah, and those brittle ones are loads of fun when they decide to fly
apart. Safety glasses are definitely mandatory.

Someone told me using two at a time works better but I've never tried it.



+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Now we'll just use some glue to hold things in place until the brads dry

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 08:45:46 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 02:56:29 -0500, Silvan
calmly ranted:

And hey, speaking of useless, SWMBO's vacuum cleaner is USELESS. I swear I
can get the floor clean faster raking the carpet with my bare fingers and
putting dog fur and other miscellany in the trash by hand. What a piece of
crap. No wonder she never uses it.

Have the local Goodwill and Salivation Army stores keep an eye
on a Hoover vac for you. It'll be under $50 and they can nearly
suck chrome off a doorknob. they're a good investment, and some
come with the original $1,200 worth of attachments, like a carpet
shampooer, car washer, house painter, etc.


Larry,

You sure you mean "Hoover" and not "Kirby"? Kirby is the brand
that is priced in the $1k + range and had all of those attachments that
came with it. Although they were OK vacs, they certainly were not worthy
of the price tag and I wouldn't be surprised that a number of them wind up
in Goodwill stores. I think the Looney Toons "Suckolux" was modeled after
the Kirby claims. They also usually came with a *very* pushy salesman, the
kind that gave door to door such a bad name.



+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Now we'll just use some glue to hold things in place until the brads dry

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

On 30 Dec 2004 16:51:50 GMT, Dave Hinz wrote:

On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 18:52:28 -0700, Mark & Juanita wrote:

Funny thing is, that doesn't always happen. I had one of those Wagner
paint drip squirters a number of years ago.

The roller-hollow-handle type, or the "buzz to make your whole arm numb"
type? (got both).


The "buzz to make your whole arm numb" type. I guess I didn't notice
that part near as much as the "buzz loud enough to wake the neigbors' dead"
noise.



Now we'll just use some glue to hold things in place until the brads dry

I just noticed what that actually says.


:-)



+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Now we'll just use some glue to hold things in place until the brads dry

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

gw wrote:

10 minutes later, he landed a 44lb. carp. It was as tall as the kid, and
bright orange. Maybe somebody's liberated goldfish. He could not get
enough drag on the reel to snap the line, and the fish finally beached
itself. I would not have believed it had I not been standing there.

Wow! Did he eat it, or make goldfish crackers out of it?

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Gino wrote:

I agree.
Those brittle *******s aren't worth the time to attach them to shaft. I
never use them except for detailing the copper and brass bits and pieces I
use in my box making.

Someone told me using two at a time works better but I've never tried it.

They make a "heavy duty" flavor that works much better. The expensive
reinforced deals are much better still, but they cut a wide kerf. The
regular thin ones seem likely to break if you fart out the wrong side of
your pants.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Patriarch wrote:

I use the old cords, because it's easier than crawling under the desk to
run the functionally equivalent new ones. But it takes quite a pile of
the new ones building up, before I toss them out.

Yeah, me too, now that you mention it. I think I'm still using the cord
from my original 286-12.

Though that's really not all *that* surprising. I used to actually upgrade
computers, and I had the same power supply for yearrrrrs. It wasn't until
the switch to ATX, and the incredible cheapness of new computers that I
started getting lazy. Upgrading is a PITA keeping up with what class of
this works with what type of that, and I don't bother anymore. I bought my
last two computer pre-assembled. Wuss.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Owen Lawrence wrote:

enough. (I've got a "new" replacement freebie laptop.) But the power
supply and its cord got wrapped up and put on the shelf for some future
electronics project. Sigh...

LOL! I have eight AT style power supplies. I'm thinking about tossing
them, but probably won't.

I finally threw away my EGA card though.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 11:08:40 -0500, alexy wrote:

"foggytown" wrote:

And now in a burst of refreshing honesty we're all going to admit to
the most useless, waste-of-money, unnecessary, white elephant, "why the
hell did I ever buy that" tool in our arsenal.

Fun list. And shows very well that what is useful for one person may
be useless for another who works in a different style.

Mine are two that many here probably love:

My 6" jointer. Maybe I need someone to come help me with setup or
teach me how to feed wood to get good results, but I find I get much
better results, and more quickly and enjoyably with my old #8. If the
wood is badly twisted, cupped or bowed, I may use the jointer instead
of my scrub plane and #5 to get it close before bringing out the #8.

My PC plunge router. Nothing philosophical here. I know that a router
can be useful, particularly mounted in my table. But I find that FOR
ME, I hardly ever use it. It has pretty much sat in its box since I
got a great deal on it a year ago when HD was closing them out.

You know, I was starting to feel the same way about my plunge router,
until I took it out of the table to cut some dadoes, and remembered
how useful it was for things other than chamfering edges and cutting
ogees. Now it gets all sorts of use.
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 12:44:30 -0600, Duane Bozarth
wrote:

Dave Hinz wrote:

...
... sockets in there that are split, some
smushed (how the hell do you smush a socket?), and a ton of duplicates
to what I already have, but enough new ones to be nice. I'm not sure
what they'll say about the collection of crap, but I'm going to try it.

Anyone heard of a socket exchange, so I can turn these duplicates into
sizes I don't have but need?

They don't give a flip about what shape they're in or what caused it (as
long as it's Craftsman, not Companion or any of the other names) but
afaik they'll only exchange for what you got...

They don't. I took in a tape measure that not only had no numbers
left on the first foot and a half, but it was also missing the label
and had been inadvertantly been crushed by an opening bandsaw vice.
The cashier didn't even blink, just handed me a new one from under the
counter.

Can't hurt to ask, though, although I'd guess they'll not unless you get
somebody who just doesn't care...
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

Dave in Fairfax wrote in news:41D4A596.97ABBC97
@fairfax.com:

Patriarch wrote:
I bought a good drill press for maybe $300. Good used lathes are for
sale all the time. But I'm afraid of a good lathe. All the wood
turners I know chase tree trimmers, fill their basements with half-
turned bowls wrapped in plastic and newspaper, and upgrade to a better,
multi-thousand dollar machine every couple of years.
I already am trying to get one addiction under control. There are at
least a dozen handtools here, which I haven't used yet. ;-)


You're missing the point. You get the lathe, and hang the planes
around the edges of the stand. That's why they have those holes
near the ends. %-)

Dave in Fairfax

That's pretty much what the Shopsmith is doing now. I need a Oneway for
that? ;-)

Patriarch

Norman D. Crow wrote:

"Silvan" wrote in message
...

Gino wrote:

I couldn't live without a Dremel. I even used it to remove
the exhaust system from my 3/4 ton pickup.

How many cutoff wheels did YOU go through?

Get the larger (1 1/4") fiberglass reinforced cutoff wheels,
they work great.

If you like those, you might also like the diamond grit metal
cutoff wheels.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/solar.html

Silvan wrote in
:

Upgrading is a PITA keeping up
with what class of this works with what type of that, and I don't
bother anymore. I bought my last two computer pre-assembled. Wuss.


Tuning handplanes is the badge of honor amongst these fellows.
Preassembled computers that upgrade their own software, and handplanes that
were old when our fathers were born. Saws & chisels, too, if we can find
them.

I pick my battles these days.

Patriarch

You need to get a lathe and make some lamps.

SONOFABITCH!!!! Why didn't I think of that? I just *bought* a
friggin' lamp cord to make a lamp on the lathe, and I've already got a
couple of beheaded extension cords laying around.

Actually I _have_ used a couple of these cords for original electronics
projects and repairs, but I've got a shoebox full of them and I made a
concious decision last year to stop saving them. Like you said, new things
come with them. Like you didn't say, new things these days wear out faster
than ever, so there will always be a supply of cords. But it just doesn't
feel right to throw away something that's still functional, no matter how
useless it might be.

- Owen -


Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 11:42:31 -0800, Tim Douglass
wrote:

On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 20:38:45 -0500, "Bill Stock"
wrote:


"mark" wrote in message
...
A rotozip tool. How can they even sell one? Why did I buy one? I thought
I could use it to rough out some sheetrock electrical socket holes, but it
was pretty crappy.
This one gets my vote. Created so much damn dust, I was back to my drywall
saw in a flash.

I bought the $19.95 HF clone. I use it every time I do drywall work
with a good guidepoint bit. It is, without question, one of the
absolutely essential tools for hanging drywall at anything but a
casual amateur level. Every professional drywaller I know uses one and
I would have killed for such a tool back when I was doing it
professionally. The dust is a pretty minor thing when you compare the
speed and accuracy issues.

Having used both, I still prefer a utility knife and a straightedge
when it comes to drywall- even over a drywall saw. Never got the
rotozip to do anything but cut rough, curvy lines in my nice clean
sheetrock.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

When i get a good sized handful of sockets that need replaced I just carry
them in and get the ones i want off the shelf. The cashiers normally just
count how many I'm returning and how many replacements i have without
actually comparing sizes. --dave





"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 12:44:30 -0600, Duane Bozarth
wrote:

Dave Hinz wrote:

...
... sockets in there that are split, some
smushed (how the hell do you smush a socket?), and a ton of duplicates
to what I already have, but enough new ones to be nice. I'm not sure
what they'll say about the collection of crap, but I'm going to try it.

Anyone heard of a socket exchange, so I can turn these duplicates into
sizes I don't have but need?

They don't give a flip about what shape they're in or what caused it (as
long as it's Craftsman, not Companion or any of the other names) but
afaik they'll only exchange for what you got...

They don't. I took in a tape measure that not only had no numbers
left on the first foot and a half, but it was also missing the label
and had been inadvertantly been crushed by an opening bandsaw vice.
The cashier didn't even blink, just handed me a new one from under the
counter.

Can't hurt to ask, though, although I'd guess they'll not unless you get
somebody who just doesn't care...
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 09:53:31 -0500, alexy wrote:

"the_tool_man" wrote:

Those little Veritas corner rounding planes - the ones bent from a
piece of steel with the little elliptical opening. Woodcraft sells
them for $14 apiece. They either split the grain
Yep. You have to be VERY careful about grain direction, since with no
mouth, this "plane" will split off more than you wanted pretty
quickly. And the grain direction on a corner can be tricky,
particularly when the grain on each adjacent surface is sloping in
opposite directions.

or require so much
pressure to work that my fingers get sore quite quickly.
Never noticed that. But getting the right angle can be somewhat
tricky.

Easier and
more consistent to use sandpaper or a router.

Easier yet, a block plane set for very fine cut, with very tight
mouth. Three or four passes at different angles gives you as rounded
an edge as you could ask for. (At least to these over-40 eyes, an
1/16" octagon is close enough to a 1/16" diameter circle.)

I actually like a chamfer from a block plane rather than the round-over
for many projects. And putting in a chamfer with the plane is a whole lot
more fun than running a screaming router.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Now we'll just use some glue to hold things in place until the brads dry

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 10:29:01 -0500, Tom Watson wrote:

On 29 Dec 2004 08:02:38 -0800, "foggytown" wrote:

And now in a burst of refreshing honesty we're all going to admit to
the most useless, waste-of-money, unnecessary, white elephant, "why the
hell did I ever buy that" tool in our arsenal.


B+D Electric Brad Nailer.
Stanley 55.
Delta POS Wet and Dry Sharpening Station.
1974 C10 Chevy.

1988 Sterling. British automobile need I say more?




+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Now we'll just use some glue to hold things in place until the brads dry

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Gino wrote:

I blew a four pound extinguisher on my fire.
You would think the neighbor would offer to pay for the refill...it was
his fence.g

Yeah, the NERVE of some people!

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

"Dave Hinz" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 01:12:24 GMT, Bullwinkle J. Moose
wrote:
Does the Ronco Popeil Pocket Fisherman count?

No, I think those are stipulated to be useless before you buy them. I
_think_ the topic here is things which were surprisingly useless?


Many years ago we were on a family vacation up in northern California
(Trinity Lake). My daughter was about 4 at the time and I let her use one
of those things. Put a very small egg hook on the end with a single salmon
egg. She was spashing right near the shore with MAYBE 4 feet of line out
and she caught a 4lb large mouth bass just two feet off the bank. Hmmm.
That was 26 years ago. Maybe it's about time to start talking to her again.
:-)

Wayne

B+D Electric Brad Nailer.
Stanley 55.
Delta POS Wet and Dry Sharpening Station.
1974 C10 Chevy.
Electric Socks.
PC Profile Sander.
B+D Spray Gun (w/ tire inflator).
Electric Gloves.
Minwax Touchup Kit.
PolyShades.
TOH Magazine.
Progressive Lense Eyeglasses.
Any reference book with "All About..." in the title.
Any book with "The Complete Guide To..." in the title.
Any article with "The Ultimate..." in the title.
Electric Hat.
AOL.
CTX Laptop.
Freud Carving Set.
Penco Guitar.
Anything sold by Ron Popeil (sp?)
Anything that says "Not Available In Stores!".
Religions that advertise in the backs of magazines.
Electric Ties.



Regards,
Tom.

You forgot any book with a title that ends with "..for Dummies".

Wayne

Dave Jackson wrote:

When i get a good sized handful of sockets that need replaced I just carry
them in and get the ones i want off the shelf. The cashiers normally just
count how many I'm returning and how many replacements i have without
actually comparing sizes. --dave

You know, come to think of it, I have never had to take a Crafstman socket
back. Only screwdrivers and mauls so far.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Patriarch wrote:

were old when our fathers were born. Saws & chisels, too, if we can find
them.

Cute story. I was showing my son my type 11 #4 today for some reason or
other... I old him it was made in about 1905, which was actually 10 years
off, oops, but I didn't bother to correct myself later. He nodded, went on
about his business for a moment, and then his eyes bugged when it dawned on
him what I had just said. I was off, yes, but it's still pretty close to
100 years old. Possibly older than my grandfather, or at least the same
age.

I'm afraid the plane will outlast him.

I pick my battles these days.

It's not even that in my case, really. I'm a Geek after all. It's just not
fun anymore. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. When will my new
computer be ready?

I'm thinking about taking my car to a quickie lube place too. Wuss.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Mark & Juanita wrote:

You sure you mean "Hoover" and not "Kirby"? Kirby is the brand
that is priced in the $1k + range and had all of those attachments that
came with it. Although they were OK vacs, they certainly were not worthy
of the price tag and I wouldn't be surprised that a number of them wind up
in Goodwill stores. I think the Looney Toons "Suckolux" was modeled after
the Kirby claims. They also usually came with a *very* pushy salesman,
the kind that gave door to door such a bad name.

Oh yeah, I definitely know that drill. When I was younger and pooer and
searching for a way to escape my crappy dead end low wage retail job, I
kept running into cleverly disguised attempts to suck people into selling
those stupid things. "Air purification system salesmen wanted" and such.
I got tricked into going to one of their little love-ins once. They were
very careful to avoid saying the word "vacuum cleaner" on the first day.
My friend and I did some math and figured out what we had gotten ourselves
into, and didn't bother to go back.

Even if such a beast would actually work, I'd never get one at one of those
places. People stand around all day waiting on stuff to come through the
door, and then there's a stampede. Most stuff like that never gets more
than 3' away from the back room doors before five people are cussing each
other out over it.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

"NoOne N Particular" wrote in message
m...

"Dave Hinz" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 01:12:24 GMT, Bullwinkle J. Moose
wrote:
Does the Ronco Popeil Pocket Fisherman count?

No, I think those are stipulated to be useless before you buy them. I
_think_ the topic here is things which were surprisingly useless?


Many years ago we were on a family vacation up in northern California
(Trinity Lake). My daughter was about 4 at the time and I let her use one
of those things. Put a very small egg hook on the end with a single
salmon
egg. She was spashing right near the shore with MAYBE 4 feet of line out
and she caught a 4lb large mouth bass just two feet off the bank. Hmmm.
That was 26 years ago. Maybe it's about time to start talking to her
again.

Not about the Pocket Fisherman, but . . . .
Nope! Too soon. 25-30yrs. ago, we'd go bullhead fishing after the ice left
the lake. (To some of you, that may mean mudcat or yellow cat) Normal
average 10-16". Youngest was around 9 or 10, could only cast about 10-15',
so she was fishing in a little hole near the roots of a huge willow tree.
Seemed like every 10min. she'd start in with "I got one, I got one" and RUN
away from the bank, as she wasn't all that coordinated on reeling, until the
fish was dragged out on the bank. Seems those darn fish just loved that
little hollow, and on more than one occasion, she caught more than the rest
of us put together. Still not talking to her about fishing!

--
Nahmie
Those on the cutting edge bleed a lot.

Bill Stock wrote:

"Chuck Hoffman" wrote in message
m...

....
It's probably genetic. My parents and grandparents lived thru the Great
Depression (and my birthdate is not that far removed from it). I remember
growing up that NOTHING was wasted...even if it was never used.

Perhaps in a few more generations the trait will dispppear.


My father/uncle being cheap turned me off the habit. There's no point doing
a job, if it's going to look like ****.

Being cheap and/or sloppy is not the same as thrifty or frugal...

I'm w/ Chuck on this one...the generation which survived the Depression
has a whole different understanding of "need" than current ones. I, for
one, am grateful that my grandfather did keep so much -- now, while
some of it is, in fact, not valuable, other things are fond
remembrances. Plus, all the old lumber salvaged from the old chicken
coop or other places and stored in the haymow for 60 years or more came
in extremely handy in the barn restoration. Not easy to find
full-dimension 2x stuff anymore...

What's with all this 'lectric clothing stuff?
ANd, speaking of.. what's an electric hat?

Renata

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 10:29:01 -0500, Tom Watson
wrote:

On 29 Dec 2004 08:02:38 -0800, "foggytown" wrote:

And now in a burst of refreshing honesty we're all going to admit to
the most useless, waste-of-money, unnecessary, white elephant, "why the
hell did I ever buy that" tool in our arsenal.


B+D Electric Brad Nailer.
Stanley 55.
Delta POS Wet and Dry Sharpening Station.
1974 C10 Chevy.
Electric Socks.
PC Profile Sander.
B+D Spray Gun (w/ tire inflator).
Electric Gloves.
Minwax Touchup Kit.
PolyShades.
TOH Magazine.
Progressive Lense Eyeglasses.
Any reference book with "All About..." in the title.
Any book with "The Complete Guide To..." in the title.
Any article with "The Ultimate..." in the title.
Electric Hat.
AOL.
CTX Laptop.
Freud Carving Set.
Penco Guitar.
Anything sold by Ron Popeil (sp?)
Anything that says "Not Available In Stores!".
Religions that advertise in the backs of magazines.
Electric Ties.



Regards,
Tom.

"People funny. Life a funny thing." Sonny Liston

Thomas J.Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.)
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1