Messages

Swan neck?  Call it that instead of Gooseneck and you can get 35% more.   Sort of like "Luxury" apartment.

"There is hardly anything in this world that some man cannot make a little worse
and sell a little cheaper, and those people who consider price only, are this man's lawful prey. It is unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much you lose a little money - that is all.   When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.    The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot; it cannot be done.   If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better"

John Ruskin (1819 - 1900)

Almost all my business is/was on newer furniture.   Lots of retailers, delivery companies, warranty work, and "protection plans."   So almost all of it was either just out of the box or less than 5 years old.


( Btw, I "semi-retired" a couple years ago, and let go of all my customers except one.     But in the 15 years I've been in business, I  think about 1/3 my retail customers had gone out of business.  Some more than once.)

Interesting article here: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/millennials-havent-saved-two-years-salary-theyve-saved-one-weeks-worth-2018-05-17

Is it legal to logo your vehicle and park in the driveway?

Ah, math geek here.   In fact, I'm doing a presentation on compass and straightedge constructions at the woodworker's club tomorrow.    I can probably help you, but I don't quite understand your problem.

But like above, you don't often need to be that precise.

And there's an article I did a while back at Carr's Corner.
http://www.cincinnatiwoodworkingclub.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=_wjx0Ex24H0%3d&tabid=105&portalid=0&mid=481

Sounds like my cordless drill. I go through one about every 4 or 5 years. New batteries cost as much as the drill. I have an air drill and a corded drill but the cordless drill is just so much more convenient.

I have moved to Ridgid with the LSA (Lifetime Service Agreement).   I'm on my third set of batteries, all covered by the LSA. 

FRA (Full Retirement Age, according to SSA)  (66)

My first (summer) job out of HS was with the state highway dept. -- new construction on probably the last stretch if I-80 across the state.   Headed off to college, the first 10% of the trip back roads to catch where that interstate was done. and took about 1/3 of the time.   Anyway, we had a large "Marchant calculator"     All mechanical, (i.e. "cordless" :-) ) with about 100 buttons.   To do multiplication, you ran the crank one way until it dinged, then you flipped the carriage over to the next digit and repeated.  (essentially repeated additions).     To do divides, you ran the crank the other way until it dinged.  Then you reversed one turn, then flipped the carriage.  (repeated subtraction until underflow, then back off the last subtract and continue.).     Lots of digits*.   In college that fall, I bought a good slide rule because I thought I'd probably use it for a long time.   One in the project trailer was electric and did all the turning and flipping automatically https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchant_calculator

By the time I graduated 4 years later,  a lot of the engineering students had HP calculators that used reverse Polish notation.  For example, you would do 12*(3+8) by entering    1 2 enter 3 enter 8 + *    I dreaded to think of using one of those in my 8 term chemistry problems.  And it cost twice what a university tuition was for a term.   At that time, my to-be wife was a teacher and bought a simple 4 function calculator that cost 1% of her annual salary. 

* the reverse of "measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with an axe."

Quote from: Mojo on December 11, 2017, 11:37:05 AM

    Do people still write checks for everyday items ?

Yes, they're usually the one in the grocery store line on the phone the whole time they are being checked out, then they start to look through a large purse to find their checkbook once the total comes up.   Then another search for a pen (still on phone).   That pen does not work so another search.

I'm thinking, "At what point in time in this transaction did you realize you'd have to pay for your items???"    Not the grumpy old man in the grocery line, but close to it, and keep my mouth shut.  So far.

SW Ohio.  I used to do a bit of Northern KY (Cincinnati Suburbs) but moved further out a couple years ago and with all the construction, was just too far to drive.

Re-Posting this https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/devices-probably-ruining-productivity-heres

Responding to an Email Could Cost You 28 Minutes

Gazzaley stresses that our tendency to respond immediately to emails and texts hinders high-level thinking. If you're working on a project and you stop to answer an email, the research shows, it will take you nearly a half-hour to get back on task.

The same is true of interruptions, "Hey, gotta minute?"

ALL of my work is in-home repair.

I do my very best to be prompt.   On the rare occasion that I'm running late due to a prior job overrun, I call and let them know.   I  also generally re-confirm the appointment the day before unless I've just made the appointment.    There is nothing worse for someone (especially someone who has to arrange to be away from work, pick up kids, etc.) than to say "I'll be there between 8 and noon, show up at 1pm, then say, "We'll be back in half an hour, we haven't had lunch yet."   On the other side, I show up on time and if I don't get an answer at the door, then  on the phone, I'm out of there in 15 minutes.  They are not running late or stuck in traffic, they forgot.

Cleaning up and working neatly is a must.   No smoking, foul language, eating and drinking, likewise.

I generally look around the door for a pile of shoes and at the customer's feet to see if they are in socks or slippers, and I remove my shoes.  This is a tendency especially for Asian clients.   I tried the slip on covers and 1) they don't fit size 13 shoes and 2) they are really slippery on stairways.   First time I tried, I nearly sprained my ankle.

The 4 walls of my shop really close in on me. Facebook upholstery groups, and other forums like this one help me keep my sanity.

I think that might be up for debate? 

Master: If you use this word to describe yourself, and you don't have a certificate that explains your qualifications, then you aren't a master. You are a wiener. "Master" is a real word that has been made meaningless by self-important fancy boys.

The guy that wrote this is a friend of mine and I think he uses the term "wiener" frequently as a euphemism for something a little less flattering.  It occurred to me last week that since I was born and grew up in Vienna (no, not that one), I'm probably by birthright a "Wiener".

Then there is the use of retronyms.  Now we have things like "hand cut dovetails."   Up until mid century, it seemed like they were just "dovetails" until machines came along.   Hand-carved, not until we had CNC machines, etc.   A friend has a "dial telephone" that his grandkids are both amused by and unable to figure out how to use.

Handmade bespoke artisanal furniture exquisitely curated

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/words-woodworking-make-barf