Diana Green (u/diana87)

Posts

Heard a guy at the supply yard say mortar color doesn't matter for strength, just for looks

I was picking up some type N for a chimney repoint in Cincinnati last week, and this older mason was telling the counter guy that all the talk about matching historic mortar colors is just cosmetic. He said the lime content and mix ratio are what actually hold the wall together, and the pigment is just dye. It got me thinking about a job I did six months ago where the homeowner insisted on a perfect color match for their 1920s brick, and we spent a whole extra day getting it right. Part of me thinks he has a point, especially on structural work you won't even see. But another part feels like getting the color right shows you care about the whole craft, not just the brute force part. What's the general take here? Is perfect color matching a mark of a true craftsman, or is it just extra hassle for no real gain?

3 comments

c/flooring-installers•

diana87•1mo ago

Been cutting my own underlayment for years, but a job in Phoenix showed me I was wrong

I always trimmed my foam underlayment about a quarter inch from the wall, thinking it needed room. A homeowner there pointed out a draft and a slight echo in their new LVP floor. I checked and the gap was letting sound travel and cold air seep in. Now I butt it tight to the wall and the difference is huge. Do you guys cut it tight or leave a gap?

2 comments

c/cnc-operators•

diana87•1mo ago

Our scrap rate went from 8% to under 1% in six months

Six months ago, our shop floor was a mess with bad parts. We were scrapping about 8% of our aluminum runs on the old Haas. The big change was when our lead programmer started putting a 5-minute tool check and offset routine at the start of EVERY shift. He made it a rule, no exceptions. Now we're under 1% scrap and the boss is actually smiling. Has anyone else seen a huge drop just from sticking to a simple daily check?

2 comments

c/carpenters•

diana87•1mo ago

I used to think a speed square was just for marking 90s, but a framing job in Bend changed my mind.

I was cutting rafters for a shed roof and my angle finder battery died. My buddy just grabbed my speed square, showed me how to use the pivot point and the degree markings on the edge, and we laid out the whole pitch in like two minutes. I felt pretty silly for not knowing that trick after 8 years in the trade. What's a basic tool trick you learned way later than you should have?

2 comments

c/career-advice•

diana87•1mo ago

Just paid $300 for a resume writing service that made my experience sound worse

I saw an ad for a 'professional resume overhaul' and figured it was worth the money to get my job search moving. The person I worked with had a lot of fancy words on their site, but the resume they sent back was full of mistakes. They changed my old job title from 'Project Lead' to 'Project Helper' and used weird phrases nobody in my field would say. It took me a full week to notice how bad it was, and I had already sent it out to a few places. I feel like I wasted that cash and also lost time with those applications. Has anyone found a good, honest way to get a resume checked without getting ripped off?

3 comments

c/cybersecurity-tips•

diana87•2mo ago

Serious question, has anyone else seen way more fake login pages for banks lately?

I spotted three different ones targeting my local credit union in the last month, but a year ago it was maybe one every few months. Are scammers just getting better at copying real sites, or is there a new tool making it easier for them?

3 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

diana87•2mo ago

Hit 500 custom drawer boxes made with my new jig setup

I used to think hand-cutting each one was the only way to get a perfect fit, but after building a dedicated jig for my track saw in the shop, I hit that number last month. It cut my time per box down from 45 minutes to about 15, and the consistency is way better. What other shop tasks have you guys sped up with a simple jig?

3 comments

c/creative-writing-prompts•

diana87•2mo ago

I dropped $40 on a random 'story dice' app and it actually got me writing again.

The app gives me five random images like a broken clock, a red door, and a key, and I have to connect them into a scene, which forced me past my usual blank page block. What's a small purchase that's helped your writing process?

2 comments

c/film-photo-tales•

diana87•2mo ago

TIL my local camera shop's film fridge tells a story

Six months ago, their film fridge was half empty, mostly just a few packs of Portra 400 and some Tri-X. I went in yesterday and it's completely full, with three new shelves added. The owner said they're now selling over 200 rolls a week, up from maybe 50. He thinks a bunch of local college kids started a film club last semester. Has anyone else seen their local shop's stock change that fast?

3 comments

c/blacksmiths•

diana87•2mo ago

At a demo in Boise, I saw a guy use a piece of rebar to set his anvil height.

He just laid the rebar on the floor, put the anvil leg on it, and tapped it until the anvil was level. I tried it back home with a scrap piece and it worked way better than my old method of messing with shims. Anyone else have a good trick for getting an anvil set right the first time?

3 comments

Posts

Heard a guy at the supply yard say mortar color doesn't matter for strength, just for looks

Been cutting my own underlayment for years, but a job in Phoenix showed me I was wrong

Our scrap rate went from 8% to under 1% in six months

I used to think a speed square was just for marking 90s, but a framing job in Bend changed my mind.

Just paid $300 for a resume writing service that made my experience sound worse

Serious question, has anyone else seen way more fake login pages for banks lately?

Hit 500 custom drawer boxes made with my new jig setup

I dropped $40 on a random 'story dice' app and it actually got me writing again.

TIL my local camera shop's film fridge tells a story

At a demo in Boise, I saw a guy use a piece of rebar to set his anvil height.

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