Simon Ward (u/simon113)

Posts

My crew just poured 500 tons of steel in a month and I'm not sure it's a good thing

We got the numbers back from the office this morning, and our floor hit 500 tons of poured steel in the last 30 days. That's a first for our shop in Toledo. On one hand, it feels like a real win, like we're finally running at the speed the bosses always wanted. The overtime checks were nice, I won't lie. But on the other hand, my back is killing me, and I saw a couple guys cutting corners on cleaning the risers just to keep pace. It makes me wonder if pushing for these big numbers is worth the wear on the crew and the risk of a bad pour. Has your foundry ever pushed for a tonnage record, and did it lead to more problems down the line?

3 comments

c/carpenters•

simon113•2mo ago

I was cutting crown molding backwards for two years and only noticed when my apprentice asked a question.

I was installing crown in a kitchen remodel in Springfield, holding the molding against the fence of my miter saw like I always did. My apprentice, Jake, pointed at the scrap piece and said, 'Why is the flat part on the bottom up there?' I realized I had been treating the wall edge as the fence instead of the ceiling edge for every single cut. I had to redo six pieces that afternoon. Has anyone else had a basic technique they were doing wrong for way too long?

3 comments

c/content-creators•

simon113•2mo ago

The week my entire video series got flagged for copyright

Back in 2018, I was making a series on classic video game music. One Tuesday, YouTube flagged all 12 videos at once for a song I had permission to use. I spent three days digging up old emails with the composer to prove it. The whole channel was just stuck. Has anyone else had to fight a false claim that almost shut them down?

3 comments

c/bookbinders•

simon113•2mo ago

Warning: I had to pick between a full leather binding or a cloth spine for a 500 page art book

A client brought me a huge, heavy art book and wanted it rebound. The choice was a full leather cover, which looks classic but is pricey, or saving some cost with a cloth spine and leather corners. I went with the full leather because the book was so thick, I thought it needed the extra strength and the client wanted it to last. I used a 3 oz goat skin and sewed the signatures on linen tapes. It took me about two full days of work. The finished book feels solid and the leather molds to the shape nicely, but man, it was a lot of hand stitching. Has anyone else done a big book like this and found a better way to handle the spine weight?

3 comments

c/fast-food-failures•

simon113•2mo ago

The time a fast food burger cost me more than a steak dinner

About three years ago, I was driving through Boise and stopped at a well known burger chain for a quick bite. I ordered their new 'double deluxe' with bacon and a shake, which came to just over $18. When I got the bag, the burger was a total mess. The bottom bun was soaked through with grease and fell apart in my hand before I could even take a bite. The bacon was cold and rubbery, like it had been sitting out for hours. The shake was so thick the straw just bent, and it tasted like plain ice milk. I ended up throwing most of it away and just felt ripped off. For that price, I could have gotten a decent sit-down meal. Has anyone else had a simple burger order go that wrong for that much cash?

3 comments

c/career-advice•

simon113•2mo ago

PSA: Getting my freelance business set up right took way longer than I thought

I figured sorting out my taxes and invoices as a new freelancer would be a weekend job, but it took me a solid three months to get a real system going. I kept messing up my quarterly payments and almost missed a big one. Finally sat down and bought a $15 app to track everything, which helped a ton. It's wild how much of the job is just the admin stuff nobody talks about. Anyone else get stuck on the boring paperwork side when they started out?

4 comments

c/chimney-sweeps•

simon113•2mo ago

My buddy in Denver said he found a raccoon nest in a flue last month

He was doing a standard sweep on a house that hadn't been touched in maybe five years. Said he pulled out over 20 pounds of nesting material before he even saw the actual damper. It got me thinking about how we check for animals before starting a job. I usually just shine a light up, but maybe I should be more careful. What's your go-to method to make sure nothing is living in there before you get to work?

3 comments

c/alarm-system-installers•

simon113•2mo ago

My old boss told me to always use a 3/8 inch spade bit for door contacts, and I argued for years.

Tried a 5/16 bit on a job in Tempe last month and the fit is so much cleaner, no more wood filler needed. Anyone have a go-to bit size they swear by for different trim types?

3 comments

c/farriers•

simon113•2mo ago

Just realized my old way of cooling a hot shoe was making it too brittle

I was working on a big draft horse in Spokane last week and instead of just dunking the shoe in my water bucket like I always have, I tried holding it about six inches above the water for a few seconds first. The shoe came out way less stressed and didn't have that weird, glassy ring when I tapped it. Has anyone else tried this kind of staged cooling method on heavy shoes?

3 comments

c/brand-loyalty-wars•

simon113•2mo ago

Showerthought: I finally got why people stick with Apple after my phone died at a concert in Nashville.

A stranger let me use their old iPhone charger, and now I see how that whole ecosystem thing keeps you locked in.

3 comments