Recent content by rlitman

I wouldn't go that far, but I will agree that everything CHEAPER than Ridgid is swine vomit, so you're not doing yourself any favors looking to cheap out on a wrench, and you certainly can't go wrong with a Ridgid. That being said, while I own a number of Ridgid pipe wrenches (all iron), and...

I usually just look. Carbide comes in two flavors. Solid carbide, where the whole tool is carbide, and carbide brazed onto a shank, where the shank is steel, and you can usually make out a "yellow metal" line at the base of the burr head (better quality ones will have a harder to spot joint)...

A few of those look like they might be carbide tipped. Most do not. The HSS should be fine cutting softer metals, but isn't ideal for steel. Can't tell from here if they're sharp or dull junk. I'm not to keen on using old abrasive stones. Too much of a chance they'll explode on you.

Looking at your decking running parallel to the railing, I would assume the rim joist is perpendicular to the floor joists. If so, attaching the post to the rim joist makes it relatively easy to push out on the railing and twist the rim joist, separating it from the floor joists at the top...

You don't lose STATIC pressure, but you lose DYNAMIC pressure (pressure at your desired flow rate).

There's no way I'd use that on SO, and even less chance I'd use it on SJ. For a jobsite, OSHA only allows unmodified factory made extension cords. No replacement ends, no tape, no splices, no repairs. Nothing. For my own purposes, I'd take the two cut ends, add a plug and connector, and...

Just be aware that split core CTs (clamp meters) will never meet the accuracy of solid core CTs.

Ugh, sandpaper. You needed a proper pencil pointer.

My 3/4 hePEX is orange. hePEX is fine for potable water. It just has an oxygen barrier layer on the outside.

Probably too late for this then, but what my take is that a pull chain is fine, so long as the chain can be reached from the opening. Section 210.70(C), at least one lighting outlet with a switch or controlled by a wall switch (or a listed wall-mounted control device) is required in attics...

The EVSE supplies 240V to the vehicle, BUT it also verifies that the ground is good (so that the chassis cannot become energized), and it needs a separate neutral AND ground to do that (oddly enough it does not need 120V). Interestingly, that is true even for 120V Level I charging. I found out...

PEX-A is quite a bit more flexible and less likely to kink than any other type. Also, kink repair is ONLY acceptable in PEX-A. You absolutely must not heat PEX-B or C like that.

The first generation of expanders (and many of the cheap ones) don't rotate the die with each expansion cycle. That is known to stress PEX and lead to failures (even on PEX A, but certainly on expansion certified PEX B). That's fine, but you just need to know to manually rotate the die so the...

Laser etched scale? LOL. I could eyeball about as well off a Stanley Fatmax tape. Save your money on that thing.

On a single needle dial caliper, the needle is on a pinion shaft that rides the rack. The pinion shaft sits LOOSELY in a pivot hole, and is held against the rack by light spring tension (to eliminate backlash). That system works well, though the loose fit allows the pinion to jump the rack if...