Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT Nick's Two-Car Detached Vdub Garage

[jonshonda]

That gridfinity system looks great for easy layout. Curious for a drawer setup where you would be completely filling the drawer with printed items, are you sticking to the gridfinity system for the ability to swap those printed components out to other drawers in the future, or why would you want to constrain them to a grid when they are already constrained within the drawer box?

Just asking for future use as I will likely implement the gridfinity for many projects.

 

[cccoltsicehockey]

Stop posting all these greatly organized drawers or you are going to soon cost me money

Seriously, though very cool at al the stuff you are spitting out to organize your spaces.

 

[nicholam77]

Curious for a drawer setup where you would be completely filling the drawer with printed items, are you sticking to the gridfinity system for the ability to swap those printed components out to other drawers in the future, or why would you want to constrain them to a grid when they are already constrained within the drawer box?

That is one reason, yes.

My Ikea ALEX units have been with me since post-college, definitely preceding our house. Long term plan for the office is to build base cabinets and ditch the Ikea. When that day comes, it will be easy to print new baseplates with padding for the new drawers, and carry my Gridfinity boxes over.

With a filled drawer... the baseplate isn't strictly necessary, but like my kitchen drawer, most drawers are not exact multiples of 42. So if you use the Gridfinity bins by themselves, it would still need some spacers to keep from sliding around. Might as well just go all in.

Yes, you could fill a drawer of custom designs, not sticking to a grid pattern. Even though the drawer isn't full, I originally went this route for my socket drawer:

(old pic but you get the idea)



The trouble is, even when sticking to a grid pattern, it quickly becomes a bit of Tetris and if you're not clever any space efficiencies will be lost. When not sticking to a grid pattern, this becomes even tricker, and you can see by maximizing the efficiency of each box, I'm ending up with odd negative shapes in the drawer that will be hard to make use of.

Another reason is I like having a parameter to design around (the 42mm). It gives me a starting point.

Another huge reason to use Gridfinity, maybe the biggest, is the absurd amount of existing models out there. It's a wildly popular system, so you can find many bins for stuff that people have already made. Which saves time.

Another reason is unless you fill the whole drawer immediately (which in the case of my socket drawer would be a LOT of printing hours, design hours, time spent), it's super nice to have the grid to keep things in place until the drawer is built out.

Another reason is it allows you to be flexible with the types of organization, like these modular wrench holders I just did that each take up a 1x1 square... can be placed anywhere on the grid, saving filament. That wouldn't work so well without the baseplate, because they wouldn't stay put.



Another reason is even though I don't design that much stuff myself, I'd prefer to be able to upload anything I do make to the open source project, and have it be useful to others. I think that's more likely with Gridfinity than total one-off custom sizes.

I'm by no means saying Gridfinity is the answer every time, but if you have a medium-large size drawer, and can find some existing models for the stuff you want to put in it, or it's the type of stuff that can go in regular container bins, it's a good system.

 

[nicholam77]

Stop posting all these greatly organized drawers or you are going to soon cost me money

Seriously, though very cool at al the stuff you are spitting out to organize your spaces.

Now is the best time with their sale

And thanks!

 

[nicholam77]

Winter Car Maintenance

I've self-maintained the GTI since I bought it new. Tbh with a new car there hasn't been a ton to do aside from oil changes, other fluid levels, tire rotations, etc.

But realizing I've had the car for 8 yrs now (model year 2016), I've been wanting to take it in for an inspection. I have a general distrust for the dealership, and don't really have an independent Euro shop that I've tried... because as mentioned I've been doing the easy maintenance stuff and haven't really had any major issues with the car yet. I probably need an alignment and a few other things.

Anyways, I've had it on my mind to flush the brake fluid since I've never done it. Sorry, Dennis!! @Denwood

Got a quote from a German car shop that's been in my neighborhood for forever (my dad used to take his Porsche 924 and Audi Quattro coupe there ~40 yrs ago). They gave me a quote of $160 for a brake flush, which I thought sounded reasonable by today's prices for anything... however I was having trouble finding time to schedule it since they are closed on weekends.

So long story short I found my way onto YouTube again and then to FCP Euro and realized a pressure bleeder, catch cans, and new brake fluid was about $60-70 all in. Decision made.

Also ordered some extra goodies, as this is what's on the menu for winter prep:

— brake flush
— coolant top off (reservoir is low)
— oil change
— lubricate door and sunroof seals
— swap wheels to winter setup
— install winter mats (weathertech)
— wash, clay, seal

First up was the brake flush, which is my first time doing it. It went mostly smooth I think, but there were a few things that threw me for a loop.

Since I had to take the wheels off anyways, I also did the winter wheel swap. I enlisted my son to help, my effort to try to involve the kids more.




The pressure bleeder I got is the Motive 0100.



I've got mixed feelings about it, which I'll detail.




I put 1L of new fluid in it, as that's all I bought, and it immediately bothered me that there were massive air pockets in the delivery line after pressurizing. Everything seemed nice and tight to me.



I read on the Motive website that some air pockets are normal, and that the fluid travels around them on the inner walls of the tube... but in the videos I've watched the tube always seems to be solid with fluid. Idk, maybe not an issue, but it made it look like the fluid wasn't moving, and it felt counterintuitive.

I started out with 15 PSI.

The front brakes seemed to go fine.





My catch can bottles didn't have graduations on them, so I filled about one bottle total for the fronts.

On the first rear brake, I think I opened the bleed screw too much. Fluid was coming much slower than the fronts (despite the canister pressurized), so I opened it more, and then got a bunch of small bubbles in the catch can tubing, which I assume was air entering at the bleed ******.

The 2nd rear caliper bled very slow. I even upped the pressure to 20 PSI. It also seemed like the unit was losing pressure even though not much fluid was passing through. I was wondering if there was a leak because I felt like I could hear a hissing noise near the hand pump at times, but I couldn't figure it out.

I even depressurized and removed the pressure bleeder. The master cylinder reservoir was completely full, so that's good. I reattached and tightened everything, and same result.

Eventually the last rear filled up most of the bottle, but I was almost out of fluid in the canister. Even though 1L is probably plenty, Motive does say to put 2 quarts in the canister, which is about 1.9L. Maybe I should have bought more.



Next I tried to bleed the clutch line, and that seemed to fail. Don't have pics, but a long time ago I replaced the bleed screw on that with a one-way speed bleeder from when I upgraded the clutch line. I don't think it was a great fit for my catch can tubing.

VW instructions said to leave the pressure bleeder attached after doing the brakes, and crack the clutch slave bleeder to let out 100 mL.

I cracked it, and some came out, but it seemed like no where near that much.

Next it said to close the bleeder, pump the clutch pedal 10-15 times, and let out an additional 50 mL. After pumping the pedal it seemed like it was coming out better, but still not much.

So idk if I really got the clutch line fluid replaced well, but I don't think I introduced any air.

When I took the bleed system off again, the reservoir was still full to the brim. So I suctioned some out with the manual siphon line.

In the end my brake and clutch pedal feel normal, and the car is braking fine... so I think it went ok?

I just started to question everything when I felt like it was coming out so slow and the bleeder was losing PSI and had the big air gaps.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Please feel free to school me if you have any tips!

Also, I think I may have tightened the bleed screws more than necessary in retrospect. Just by hand with a small crescent wrench, but after watching @Denwood 's video now I'm worried I overdid it. I wish I had watched it before hand as there are some extra good tips.

Also a bit confusing to me... the new and old fluid looked pretty damn similar. It wasn't super obvious when the new stuff ran clear. FWIW my little tester pen had the green light when testing both the original reservoir as well as the drained fluid.



Sadly this took most of my free time this weekend and I still have all the other stuff to get to.

It's getting cold!!

 

[Denwood]

Nice job in taking on this work..next time it will be faster One thing I learned is that you really should test the copper content as well as moisture, or just flush every 3-4 years and forget testing. When you deep dive into brake fluid you realize that absorbing water is 100% by design (to protect from corrosion) but also that there are other additives with a shelf life in the brake fluid. My assumption is that master cylinder o-rings and other seals will last longer with refreshed fluid.

I had a super slow bleed from a rear bleeder and realized that the quick release line on the pressure bleeder was not fully clicked into place. If the bleed screw center orifice is blocked (with rust etc.) you may also have a slow bleed. I have the Motive but picked up the Speedibleed as it runs off the shop air and needs no pumping One thing I learned with my Audi A3 is that running out of the fluid in the pressure bottle is a very, very bad thing as air in the ABS took a few hours of messing around to bleed/resolve and required the VAG software to run the ABS to pump for numerous bleed cycles.

 

[fourmotioneer]

As Denwood mentioned, could be a road grime, dust restricting the bleed screw.

I always have bubbles when I power bleed. Minor inconvenience in that you have to disconnect at the reservoir to top off if the power bleeder doesn’t supply enough to reservoir. I don’t like to waste an extra bottle of brake fluid so I deal with it. It’s not really a Motiv issue, just a reality of gravity.

It won’t affect the bleed rate though - 15psi in the bleeder is 15psi whether it’s brake fluid or air. The pressure delta vs environment (bleeder open) creates the fluid flow.

 

[hobie18]

Rear first? No?

 

[Denwood]

As Denwood mentioned, could be a road grime, dust restricting the bleed screw.

I always have bubbles when I power bleed. Minor inconvenience in that you have to disconnect at the reservoir to top off if the power bleeder doesn’t supply enough to reservoir. I don’t like to waste an extra bottle of brake fluid so I deal with it. It’s not really a Motiv issue, just a reality of gravity.

It won’t affect the bleed rate though - 15psi in the bleeder is 15psi whether it’s brake fluid or air. The pressure delta vs environment (bleeder open) creates the fluid flow.

I was going to mention...don't worry about a few bubbles in the pressure bleed supply line. As long as you have fluid in your master, it's all good. Just watch it on the first bleed and you'll see that the level in the master won't change a whole lot if everything is ok on the pressure bleeder side of things. On the LEAF, similar size to the GTI, I found about a liter did the trick.

 

[nicholam77]

Nice job in taking on this work..next time it will be faster One thing I learned is that you really should test the copper content as well as moisture, or just flush every 3-4 years and forget testing.

Thanks... I think now that I have the pressure bleeder unit I will just do it the VW recommended 2 yr service interval.

I had a super slow bleed from a rear bleeder and realized that the quick release line on the pressure bleeder was not fully clicked into place. If the bleed screw center orifice is blocked (with rust etc.) you may also have a slow bleed. I have the Motive but picked up the Speedibleed as it runs off the shop air and needs no pumping One thing I learned with my Audi A3 is that running out of the fluid in the pressure bottle is a very, very bad thing as air in the ABS took a few hours of messing around to bleed/resolve and required the VAG software to run the ABS to pump for numerous bleed cycles.

Gotcha. The Motive doesn't have any quick connects, and I made sure everything was tight, so maybe it was rust or grime. I saw the Speedibleed in your video and that looks nice, although with the frequency I'll be doing it I doubt I'll switch now that I've bought this one already.

That is scary with the A3 and definitely a nightmare scenario for me... I don't have the time or the VAG tools to fix it... it would be a tow to the nearest shop for me if I messed up.

As Denwood mentioned, could be a road grime, dust restricting the bleed screw.

That is definitely possible considering my location and that they haven't been cracked in 8 yrs.

I always have bubbles when I power bleed. Minor inconvenience in that you have to disconnect at the reservoir to top off if the power bleeder doesn’t supply enough to reservoir. I don’t like to waste an extra bottle of brake fluid so I deal with it. It’s not really a Motiv issue, just a reality of gravity.

I was going to mention...don't worry about a few bubbles in the pressure bleed supply line. As long as you have fluid in your master, it's all good. Just watch it on the first bleed and you'll see that the level in the master won't change a whole lot if everything is ok on the pressure bleeder side of things. On the LEAF, similar size to the GTI, I found about a liter did the trick.

Ok, that makes me feel better. Yes, every time I checked the master was completely full so I guess it's ok. The only time I really got bubbles at the caliper was the one time I opened it too much or had a poor hose fitting.

I did use pretty much the whole liter. Even though it would be somewhat wasteful, the Motive got pretty low at the end and I think I'd feel better with more in there.

Rear first? No?

Tbh other than the basics of how brakes work, I don't have a clear anatomy in my head of the full system w/ABS etc or why you would want to rear first or front first.

I was just following the VW service manual for my car I downloaded, as well as several YT videos related to my car.



Not sure if that's incorrect but I tend to follow instructions exactly so I did it in the order above.

 

[hobie18]

Opposite of what most would have guessed. Usually furthest first. Wow. Good on you.
And Don't get me started on the Prius computer mandatory bleed...

 

[nicholam77]

Opposite of what most would have guessed.

Well, VW do be like that sometimes

And Don't get me started on the Prius computer mandatory bleed...

Yikes!

 

[jonshonda]

I know those power bleeders are good for many, but I've never really had good luck with some....granted I've never tried something as fancy as the Motive stuff. Soon enough your kids will be strong enough to help, and they can get their leg day in helping dad bleed the brakes conventionally.

Also, the green brake clean isn't nearly as good as the red stuff. If you are using the green as you have something against the color red then by all means carry on...but red is right when it comes to brake clean!!

 

[kaymccampbell]

I know those power bleeders are good for many, but I've never really had good luck with some....granted I've never tried something as fancy as the Motive stuff. Soon enough your kids will be strong enough to help, and they can get their leg day in helping dad bleed the brakes conventionally.

Also, the green brake clean isn't nearly as good as the red stuff. If you are using the green as you have something against the color red then by all means carry on...but red is right when it comes to brake clean!!

Both of those make me sick. I buy the black can.

 

[nicholam77]

@jonshonda @kaymccampbell I had no idea there were different options. Are they different formulations in some way beyond the can color? Great... another thing for me to fixate on... Brakleen can color!!

 

[jonshonda]

@jonshonda @kaymccampbell I had no idea there were different options. Are they different formulations in some way beyond the can color? Great... another thing for me to fixate on... Brakleen can color!!

You might lose some GJ cred for not knowing this, but the red can is chlorinated, green is not. Red is MUCH better at cleaning.

 

[kaymccampbell]

@jonshonda @kaymccampbell I had no idea there were different options. Are they different formulations in some way beyond the can color? Great... another thing for me to fixate on... Brakleen can color!!

It's not Brakleen brand. It's the CarQuest Wearever 50 State Compliant black can. I ran out to the **** bin to check.

 

[nicholam77]

Been busy trying to get winter chores wrapped up.

Car

brake fluid flush
oil change
winter wheel swap
coolant top off
replaced wipers
lubricate door + sunroof seals
washer fluid
install weathertech winter floor mats
rust treatment (Fluid Film)



Annoyingly since the wheel swap, my front springs have been screeching on bumps again. So I jacked it up to make sure the rubber spring coil pads I have on didn't come loose, but they seemed more or less ok. I can't figure it out... why it's happening now when it didn't happen all summer with my summer wheels.



Does anyone else's workbenches look like they got hit with an atomic bomb after some car maintenance?




House / Misc

shut off outside water and drain hose
wash windows
pressure wash sidewalks
tons of leaf bagging
put covers on patio furniture + AC
organize / clean shed
drain mower gas, engine air filter
snowblower oil change, fresh gas
wrap trees
move chemicals / tools / batteries / hose inside
install exterior holiday lights



In organizing the shed, my heavy-*** 80v leaf blower normally hangs on a pegboard hook, and the hook always falls off when I grab it, and then I lose the hook, and then the leaf blower sits on the floor.

So I made a custom 3d-printed holder.

It's an odd shape, so I took a picture of the mount and set the scale and traced it in Fusion.






And then I got distracted and spent entirely too much time trying to print this unicorn lamp for my daughter.




We got our first real cold swing and a little snow yesterday, so it finally feels like winter now.

I'm disappointed I ran out of time on a few things this season, but I intend to keep going on whatever projects I can, inside the house.

 

[hobie18]

Thanks for the list. Hopefuly I will get half that done before the first...

 

[Nolift911]

I usually do 20-25 psi - (i know they say you can blow seals etc. Never had an issue. The gaps in fluid or "air" in the Motive line is normal.

Sorry if I missed - but never had luck with a Motive on cars with modern ABS/Traction etc. - usually need at least like 30psi or higher to work/cycle those valves properly from my experience. I think the Motive gets you 75% there and then a reader to cycle the ABS pump properly in concert with a pressure bleeder. I have also seen more than 1 pump or multiple that work traction control in concert with ABS. Just my 02.

The Motive works perfect every time on my 911 with no electronic nannies. Even my 2001 Disco needs and ABS/Tool reader to cycle to get a decent pedal, Motive will not get it there.

 

[Finallygotit]

Does anyone else's workbenches look like they got hit with an atomic bomb after some car maintenance?

You call that a mess?? Looks pretty damned organized to me for all the work you did.

 

[nicholam77]

Quick little December update.

I finally got that MRI for my back. Turns out there's nothing wrong with me

Or my spine, anyways. No disc issues, the doc said my spine is in top 10% of people my age. They had no answers for me. I got a new order for PT but haven't gone yet.

To be honest I was a bit shocked, I really thought I had a disc issue, even a bit disappointed at first with a non-answer. Kind of had me questioning everything over the past 3+ years. But now knowing I don't... it's changed my perspective a bit. It sounds silly but I really think it's just a muscular imbalance / muscle laziness from sitting too much at my job and not getting enough exercise and strength training over the years. I think it's been a slow decline since college, and then kids + covid just made things more difficult. To find the time and motivation to take care of myself. Most of my current pain issues are in my leg, which when bad, manifests in the lower back, too.

So I've been on a mission to stretch and strengthen mostly through yoga, core exercises, and light walking. Been putting time into that morning and evening, and it's definitely helped. A lot. Unlike PT where I'd go for a few months, get results, then relapse, I fully intend to keep the routine going, forever, and keep moving the goal post. It's not solved or gone by any means, but definite improvement and for now that's good enough for me. I've even been able to resume walking a bit (for exercise).



A lot of other holiday-related action going on. Got the tree decorated.




For the most part I've just been enjoying the basement. Enjoying the office space and watching movies at night.

I recently installed this Tapo RGBW LED strip on the tv which is mildly amusing. Still working out some Home Assistant automations for it.



Because the basement is 90% finished, it's pretty much done in my eyes. But since I've been feeling better and with some pressure from my wife, I've been persuaded to keep at it knocking off the remaining to-do items.

This weekend I finally finished the passage doors.

To do that I took them off the jambs, and tweaked the fit of one with a good ol' track saw taper.



I gave everything a quick orbital sand with 220. Just to clean up any smudges. And also refresh the surface... whether it's oxygen or sunlight or something, you can tell a color difference in the plywood as it's sanded.




Finishing is one of my least favorite processes as it takes so many steps or cleaning and prepping and coats to get a halfway decent result.



Using my go-to General Finishes High Performance. 3x coats.

Price has gone bananas! Had to pick up two quarts at $50 each!




I ordered the doors with satin nickel hinges. I have oil rubbed bronze on all the white-painted doors in our house, but decided I wanted lighter with the birch. Went with the same simple Schlage knobs elsewhere in the house, but in nickel.




Office door:




Office + Laundry doors together at the landing:



When I stop to think about it there are actually so many things to finish. But hey... one more off the list!

Not sure what else I'll be able to get done rolling into the holidays here, but I'll drop in for an end-of-year recap / new years goals at least.

 

[legenddc]

I guess it's good there's nothing really wrong with your back. Hopefully your stretching and exercising are able to fix it. That seemed to work for me. Definitely needed to stretch a few times a day when I was doing our baseboard.

Nice work on the doors. You're getting there and you'll keep chipping away at things. Quickest way to get things done is send the kids to their grandparents house. Always amazing how much you can get done in a night when you start at 5:30 instead of 8:30!

I bought some Stop Loss Bags earlier this year to hopefully avoid cans of expensive finish going bad. Hopefully you at least keep yours in the house and not out in the cold garage.

 

[pat9198]

I'm really glad you don't have any spinal issues, that is not something you wish for.

Great work on the basement so far! It's come a long way.

 

[SamYoung]

You're very likely on the right path with your back. I went through a series of spinal/back pain issues when I was big into mountain biking in my 20s. Mine was due to lack of core strength and muscle imbalance as you're suspecting yourself. I did a lot of stability exercises to strengthen my core and stretching and the pain naturally subsided.
I will say that through that I learned that muscle imbalance often shows up in the opposite muscle as the one that's weak. I didn't have a particularly weak back but very weak abdomen and obliques which was forcing my back to try and make up the difference. Since it was the one in the most tension, it took the most damage/pain. I learned it through exercise trial and error, but in more recent years had it reaffirmed by trainers like Ben Patrick (knees over toes guy) talks through this frequently as an injury prevention for athletes in ankle/knee/elbows.

 

[jonshonda]

I've been on a long journey to keep my back healthy, and a few things have helped me that most people really don't pay attention to.

1) Monitor height. IMHO your eyes should be looking at the middle of the screen you are working on when you posture is correct. Meaning your sight line is perfectly horizontal.
2) Split key board. Sit at your desk with you shoulders open and relaxed, and place your hands on your desk. Note that w/o a keyboard or laptop in front of you they likely rest shoulder width or slightly further apart. Now bring your hands in and rest them on the laptop or keyboard and note what that does to you posture and back...not good.
3) Concentrate on low resistance high interval training. Lots of times your big muscles take over the work and don't allow your small muscles to do anything, and you become very unbalanced. Look into resistance band upper back/shoulder workouts for low resistance training to help engage your smaller muscles and restore some balance.

 

[nicholam77]

I guess it's good there's nothing really wrong with your back. Hopefully your stretching and exercising are able to fix it. That seemed to work for me.

100% it's good news. More of a head scratcher. I think back on certain times where I've had acute pain in lower back (like keep-you-from-sleeping bad), and it's hard to believe that was all just from weak or spasm-y muscles, but it's all I have to go off of at this point because I've had x-rays and MRI and everything with the bones and discs checks out.

I've done PT on and off and have never totally surpassed the issues except maybe a 3 month period two summers ago. I'm not expecting an immediate or total fix, but even just having the discipline to maintain and minimize flare ups and have slow progress in the right direction is my goal.

Nice work on the doors. You're getting there and you'll keep chipping away at things. Quickest way to get things done is send the kids to their grandparents house. Always amazing how much you can get done in a night when you start at 5:30 instead of 8:30!

Thanks! Unfortunately these days we don't feel like we can dump the kids on the grandparents for an extended period of time. My parents are older (upper 70's) and seem to get overwhelmed. A full day would wipe them out and my mom goes to bed at like 7pm lol. I can't remember the last time I dropped them off. On my wife's side it's just her dad now (her mom passed away a bit over a year ago), and he's still in grief mode, although slowly climbing out of that. He loves to see them but it's a bigger ask to do mealtimes and whatnot. We do use him occasionally but I guess we often feel guilty asking and want to be respectful of their situations and time... but honestly we should probably try to invite that more often.

But yeah, your right... a solid stretch of time is pure gold.

Earlier on we had more grandparent involvement, and thus far I've been reluctant to find a babysitter, but I really should.

I bought some Stop Loss Bags earlier this year to hopefully avoid cans of expensive finish going bad. Hopefully you at least keep yours in the house and not out in the cold garage.

All the finishes and chemicals are inside in the laundry room. I've never tried any sort of protector for them, but I should.

I'm really glad you don't have any spinal issues, that is not something you wish for.

Absolutely, and thanks!

Great work on the basement so far! It's come a long way.

Thank you!

You're very likely on the right path with your back. I went through a series of spinal/back pain issues when I was big into mountain biking in my 20s. Mine was due to lack of core strength and muscle imbalance as you're suspecting yourself. I did a lot of stability exercises to strengthen my core and stretching and the pain naturally subsided.
I will say that through that I learned that muscle imbalance often shows up in the opposite muscle as the one that's weak. I didn't have a particularly weak back but very weak abdomen and obliques which was forcing my back to try and make up the difference. Since it was the one in the most tension, it took the most damage/pain. I learned it through exercise trial and error, but in more recent years had it reaffirmed by trainers like Ben Patrick (knees over toes guy) talks through this frequently as an injury prevention for athletes in ankle/knee/elbows.

Good points, and I remember them focusing on that in PT (opposites). I don't know if it's weakness, or tightness, or both, but the areas of pain are my right glute / piriformis / obliques, and general lower lumbar area. For some reason my left side is totally fine. So I'm focusing on strengthening those mostly, but as you mentioned I've been thinking about opposites and what else I could work on (like front side leg muscles such as quads or hip flexors that might be tight). And general core stuff for abs etc. Can't do everything all at once, but I'm hoping like you said and with some trial and error I can figure out a routine that works for me.

The other option is to go back to physical therapy and try to find someone good who can really give specific direction and diagnosis... but imo that's hard to find and after going two bouts previously I kind of feel like I can recreate the basics at home without the expense.

I've been on a long journey to keep my back healthy, and a few things have helped me that most people really don't pay attention to.

1) Monitor height. IMHO your eyes should be looking at the middle of the screen you are working on when you posture is correct. Meaning your sight line is perfectly horizontal.
2) Split key board. Sit at your desk with you shoulders open and relaxed, and place your hands on your desk. Note that w/o a keyboard or laptop in front of you they likely rest shoulder width or slightly further apart. Now bring your hands in and rest them on the laptop or keyboard and note what that does to you posture and back...not good.
3) Concentrate on low resistance high interval training. Lots of times your big muscles take over the work and don't allow your small muscles to do anything, and you become very unbalanced. Look into resistance band upper back/shoulder workouts for low resistance training to help engage your smaller muscles and restore some balance.

Thanks Jon, good insights. I could probably stand to raise my monitor a bit. I'll have to think about a keyboard, I totally get what you're saying (and agree with it). I will look into the resistance band training, too. I do have one.

 

[RickP]

I went through a period of lower back pain from lack of exercise and sitting at a desk -- it started around age 40 for me. The good news is you can beat it with the right exercise -- you're on the right track with yoga. I cut down on my time spent sitting and I haven't had pain in years. Does your desk chair have good lumbar support and do you sit with a slight backward lean of the chair?

Also, I had good results from visiting a chiropractor who detected tight muscles that were twisting my vertebrae -- it didn't show up on an MRI, but he was really able to loosen everything up eventually.

I'm glad your pain is going in the right direction. Good luck beating it!

 

[jonshonda]

Thanks Jon, good insights. I could probably stand to raise my monitor a bit. I'll have to think about a keyboard, I totally get what you're saying (and agree with it). I will look into the resistance band training, too. I do have one.

I know you are going to get 1,000,001 suggestions on back related issues, as people are passionate about helping if they have been through pain. It saw three PT's, one insisted on an expensive MRI and a cortisone shot (didn't work), another acupuncture (very temporary), and the 3rd finally just looked at my body type and said "you are a big guy with broad shoulders, and when you have to bring your hands together to type at your keyboard you are bunching everything up at the front of your body which leads to poor posture etc. Here are a list of exercises and the resistance bands needed to start to work the smaller muscles in your upper back, which help to stabilize it."

I made it a priority to concentrate on low resistance-high interval training and my posture, and it really has helped. And while you might not have issues that an MRI can detect, many PT's who work with office staff just use their fingers to feel what is out of place or out of balance, and can help correct your back using other methods. I personally wouldn't trust an MRI to tell you that your back is 100% aligned and balanced, and let at least one or more PT's get their hands on you to really help you understand what kinda tune up you need.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

I'm happy to hear that there is nothing wrong with your back! At least you know that there is nothing "damaged" per se.... and that you're (in theory) not going to do any more damage working through the pain. Glad to hear that the increase in movement is helping.

I struggle with mine a lot too. I haven't really seen anyone for it yet. I'm incredibly active, weather it's hiking, biking, going for walks, and working out in the gym several times per week. And my job is extremely non sedentary as far as engineering goes - I'm moving for a lot of my day. I don't know what it is, but I move the wrong way ONCE and that's it. I'm laid up. And I **** at sitting still, so it takes a mental toll on me too.

Anyways... looks like you're being productive around the house, and still chipping away in the basement. Keep up the momentum!

 

[Bob Heine]

Nick, if you favor one side of your body, it can mess up your back. When I wore my artificial arm every day (living in the Hudson Valley) my back was fine and the artificial arm handled its share of the weight. The move to Florida meant lots of sweat and heat rashes so I stopped wearing the arm. That imbalance was giving me backaches so I took to lifting heavy objects with a strap over my left shoulder. I still get the occasional backache but something stupid triggers it, like reaching for something when I'm in a twisted position. Standing on a stepladder facing the wrong way is the typical scenario.

 

[quadrcr87]

Add me to the list of victims. A Bambu A1 arrived yesterday and I haven't even opened it yet. The stuff I see you and everyone else on here making is just too good not to jump on board.

Your house and projects are looking great, thanks for the inspiration!

 

[bdbecker]

I know you are going to get 1,000,001 suggestions on back related issues, as people are passionate about helping if they have been through pain...

I'll add another one to the pile... rowing is a great, low impact way to build up core and back strength.

With winter coming up, and knowing that I tend to hibernate when I can't be outside, I decided to purchase a relatively inexpensive Amazon-special rowing machine. On the first day, I did a light 30 minute session spent mostly focused on form rather than resistance or speed. After that session, I was second guessing my decision a little because it didn't feel like I'd really done much. I figured I'd add a half-gallon of water to the resistance tank the next day and max it out to see if the machine would really do anything for me. Long story short, I still haven't added water to the tank because by that first night, I had found a bunch of lower back and core muscles I forgot I had. Holy **** was I sore when I woke up the next morning - even getting out of bed was a chore.

The next few days were a struggle. As much as I didn't want to hop back on that damn thing each day, I did. I kept my sessions light for the next week or so just to keep my newfound muscles moving. Just like anything else, it takes awhile for your body to become accustomed to a new set of movements. Now I've worked up to the point of being able to incorporate some more intense intervals into my workouts to get my heart rate up. Someday I'd like to think I'll be able to really hammer away on the machine for the whole session, but for now, I'm content with steady progress. I've also noticed a difference in my mobility, mostly when I'm at wrestling practice with Smasher. It's no longer an issue to hop down on the mat and help him learn a new move.

Obviously talk to your PT about it if it seems like something you'd be interested in. I know you are a movie buff - rowing is a great excuse to get some solid screen time. I've been re-watching a bunch of old favorites.

 

[a_thiel24]

@bdbecker do you have a link to the rowing machine?

 

[legenddc]

@nicholam77 I know this is a random question but I swear I saw you post a screenshot of a habit tracking app but I can't find it anywhere. If you do in fact use one, do you like it and what is it?

 

[bdbecker]

@bdbecker do you have a link to the rowing machine?

This is the one I bought...

Amazon.com

The only complaint I have is the straps that hold my feet in take a little bit of fiddling to get tight, otherwise it's been a solid unit so far. I think I've got an idea that might fix the foot straps, but haven't dug into it yet with all the busyness of the holidays.

This one is pretty similar and less expensive, but I went with the first one purely for the smaller form factor when folded up.

Amazon.com

I also had my eye on this one, but again, space. It was also more expensive at the time, but I see they've got a nice sale going on today.

Amazon.com

 

[jake28]

@nicholam77 glad to hear that you’re on the mend.

 

[nicholam77]

Hey everyone,

Been an incredibly busy few weeks leading up to the holidays. Thanks again for all the advice and well wishes about the back pain stuff. I'll try to respond to everybody.

---

I went through a period of lower back pain from lack of exercise and sitting at a desk -- it started around age 40 for me. The good news is you can beat it with the right exercise -- you're on the right track with yoga. I cut down on my time spent sitting and I haven't had pain in years. Does your desk chair have good lumbar support and do you sit with a slight backward lean of the chair?

I agree, Rick. I'm optimistic about it, just need to put in the work and time. On paper I have pretty good chairs for work (Herman Miller Setu at home, Herman Miller Aeron at the office). When my pain is in a slump, neither chair seems to be perfect. I got an extra lumber pillow and have trying to be focused on my posture. I also have a standing desk at my downtown office. As a video editor I do have a lot of seat time, though. I wish I had a more active job.

I'm happy to hear that there is nothing wrong with your back! At least you know that there is nothing "damaged" per se.... and that you're (in theory) not going to do any more damage working through the pain. Glad to hear that the increase in movement is helping.

Thank you! Me too! It does at least give me confidence that doing something like a short run isn't going to do any disc-related damage. Makes me less afraid to try things in small doses. Yoga exercises are definitely helping, and I'm actually enjoying them.

Nick, if you favor one side of your body, it can mess up your back.

That could definitely be part of it Bob!

Add me to the list of victims. A Bambu A1 arrived yesterday and I haven't even opened it yet. The stuff I see you and everyone else on here making is just too good not to jump on board.

WooHoo! If it's your first printer, I recommended watching a good setup video and maybe some videos on the basics. With Bambu it's pretty intuitive, though. There really are so many things available to download you hardly need to know how to model to enjoy it, and I've found the custom solutions I've wanted to print only require very basic modeling. Have fun!

Your house and projects are looking great, thanks for the inspiration!

Thanks! It's been a long road and I have SO many more ideas, big and small, from simple cabinets to a full 2nd story remodel. I don't really know what the future holds for us house-wise, if a move will be possible, or if I'll keep improving this place into oblivion. But rest assured, likely many more projects ahead.

I'll add another one to the pile... rowing is a great, low impact way to build up core and back strength.

With winter coming up, and knowing that I tend to hibernate when I can't be outside, I decided to purchase a relatively inexpensive Amazon-special rowing machine.

Last year I did the same with a small treadmill. I don't know I have room for another machine at this point. It's funny my wife was reluctant to get the treadmill, and shortly after is went things majorly went downhill and I haven't used it all that much. But now she uses it all the time.

Either way, it's great to have something to do indoors when it's too cold out. Although, as long as it's above 0°F after factoring in windchill, I am a huge proponent of actually getting outside.

Obviously talk to your PT about it if it seems like something you'd be interested in. I know you are a movie buff - rowing is a great excuse to get some solid screen time. I've been re-watching a bunch of old favorites.

Idk about a movie buff but I did pretty well on my goal of watching movies this year. I went to the theater quite a few times and so far have watched 126 films this year.

Trying to watch a mix of current films, and older films I haven't seen but probably should. Despite going to film school I had not seen 2001 so I recently checked that off "the list".

@nicholam77 I know this is a random question but I swear I saw you post a screenshot of a habit tracking app but I can't find it anywhere. If you do in fact use one, do you like it and what is it?

I don't use a habit tracking app. Maybe it was the Apple Fitness app or Reminders or something? Or maybe it was someone else!

@nicholam77 glad to hear that you’re on the mend.

Thanks Jake!

 

[nicholam77]

And a quick check in before Xmas.

Since my last post I begrudgingly put another coat of mud on the TV room closet.




I **** at drywall and not sure I made it any better with the 2nd coat haha.

Other than that we finally got a real snowfall and will have a white Xmas.

Walking to the bus top in the morning:



Snow Egg doing ok at winter duty.




My screeching springs are driving me nuts. I was THIS close (*motions with hands*) to getting a set of coilovers over black friday but they weren't on sale.

Made sure to get out for a morning walk before work.




And burned the annual once-a-year fire.



We have some family in town, kids are off school, should be a busy but fun holiday.

I'll save the year's recap and goals for next year for New Years.

A very happy holiday to anyone following along here!

Now off to wrap some presents!

 

[loganb]

Merry Christmas to you and your family sir! Please keep the white powdery stuff and related cold weather up north....I'm enjoying 40's and dry!