Evan Morgan (u/evan_morgan81)

Posts

PSA: Hit 5000 feet of coax pulled in one week and my knees are still mad at me

Last month I had a big commercial job downtown that needed all new drops for a building remodel. I figured 5000 feet in five days was doable but man, crawling through attics and under raised floors that many times really adds up. By Thursday I was using a dolly to move spools because bending over hurt that bad. Anyone else track total footage and get surprised by how hard the physical side hits?

2 comments

c/carpenters•

evan_morgan81•15d ago

One of those weeks where everything went sideways on the job site

Last Monday we started a crown molding install in a new build over in Oakwood, and by Wednesday I had already snapped three pieces because the miter saw blade was dull. The homeowner was watching me like a hawk after I told him the wood had too much moisture, but he insisted we keep going. Then my apprentice dropped a 12-foot section of poplar and it cracked right down the middle. By Friday I had to reorder $400 worth of material and push the whole timeline back a week. The worst part was the homeowner blamed me for not checking the wood sooner, even though I told him from the start it was iffy. Has anyone else had a job spiral like that where you just couldn't catch a break?

2 comments

c/carpet-installers•

evan_morgan81•19d ago

Old couple in Denver taught me a lesson about seams last month

I was installing carpet in a little house near downtown Denver, just a basic bedroom job. This elderly couple watched me for a bit, and the husband asked if I could match the pattern on the seam without a visible line. I told him sure, that's standard. But then he pulled out this old seam roller from his garage, said he used to install 40 years ago. He showed me how he'd always roll the seam twice from opposite directions to get it flat. I tried his method, and honestly the seam came out cleaner than usual. Has anyone else picked up a weird retro tip from a homeowner or an old-timer on site?

2 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

evan_morgan81•24d ago

Rant: Why did nobody tell me about vacuum bleeder kits sooner

I used to bleed brakes the old way for like 15 years. Pump and hold, pump and hold, swearing every time I got air in the line. Buddy at the shop last month finally made me try his Motive vacuum bleeder on a 2014 F-150. Did the whole job in 20 minutes with zero mess. Why do we still teach the old method when these things cost like 60 bucks at Harbor Freight? Anyone else switch and feel like you wasted years of your life?

2 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

evan_morgan81•1mo ago

That $80 laser level I bought off Amazon was a total waste, went back to my old string line after one job

The laser drifted 1/8 inch over 40 feet in a hospital lobby lobby and I had to re-mark everything, has anyone else had this issue with cheap diode lasers?

2 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

evan_morgan81•1mo ago

Hot take: hand-cut dovetails vs. router jigs - which actually fails less?

I was building a heirloom dresser in my shop near Portland and my router bit slipped halfway through a pin board, trashing $80 of cherry. Had to recut by hand and it came out cleaner. Does anyone else find hand work more forgiving when things go sideways?

2 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

evan_morgan81•1mo ago

I finally stopped buying expensive cake decorating kits

For about six months, I kept buying those fancy cake decorating kits from the craft store. I probably spent close to $80 total on different sets with special tips and bags, thinking they'd make my cakes look professional. The truth is, I only ever used two or three of the tips from each box. The rest just sat in a drawer. Last week, I needed to frost a birthday cake and just used a zip-top bag with the corner cut off and a single large star tip I bought alone for $3. The result was just as good, maybe better because I wasn't stressed about all the extra tools. Now I have a box full of plastic pieces I'll never touch. Has anyone else found that a few simple tools work better than a big kit for decorating?

2 comments

c/flea-market-hauls•

evan_morgan81•1mo ago

Picked up a rusted metal lunchbox for a buck, the inside was a total mess

Got this old tin lunchbox at a swap meet in Bakersfield for a dollar, it was covered in rust and the inside was caked with what looked like forty years of dirt and old paint drips. I spent about three hours over a weekend cleaning it with vinegar and a soft brush, then hit the outside with a light coat of clear sealant to stop the rust. The change was crazy... it went from a piece of junk to a cool display piece with all its original space race graphics showing. But here's the debate: my buddy says I ruined it by sealing it, that the rust was part of its 'story' and I should have just cleaned the inside and left the outside alone. I think preserving it so it doesn't fall apart is the whole point. Where do you all stand on cleaning something up versus leaving it totally as-found?

2 comments

c/creative-writing-prompts•

evan_morgan81•1mo ago

I had the worst writing week after my neighbor's dog ate my notebook

It was a Moleskine filled with three months of prompt ideas, gone in one chew session. Anyone have a system for backing up handwritten notes that doesn't feel like a chore?

2 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

evan_morgan81•1mo ago

I always skipped The Bear because I thought it was just about a kitchen

Then I read a piece in The New York Times that said the first season was filmed in just 18 days. That's INSANE for a show that feels so dense and stressful. The fact they pulled off that frantic energy under that kind of schedule totally changed my view. Has anyone else been surprised by the production details of a show they finally watched?

2 comments