Above 1200 Sq/FT Cleaning Up My Shop

[bj383ss]

Andy your thread has delivered as always. The duct work looks good. Time to get some heat in the shop so work on the Stude can continue.

I have some understanding of what you are dealing with your wife. My oldest son has DMD (Duchenne Muscular Drystrophy). A very aggressive muscle disease he was born with. We found out by accident when he was 2. The doctor's said he would be wheel chair bound by age 10 and his life expectancy was 20-25 yrs of age.

Truly heart breaking to a couple of new parents to say the least. The good news and silver lining for us is he 11 now and still walking just fine. Each individual is unique and follows there on path. He does have a manual chair that he uses when he gets tired. He can't walk long distances or stand for a very long time. He can't run or jump and has no reflexes so he does fall sometimes but the kid is a fighter and very strong will(like his mother). His mother is the carrier of the gene on the X chromosome. So when we found out we were 5 months pregnant with his brother. We were very lucky he did not get the disease.

Both of them are blessings from God. We live day by day with his disease and my wife is an advocate for research and raising funds helping to find a cure for the disease. It's hard to think about the future for him but I believe God chose our family to have him for the pure reason that we are strong enough to take it on.

Sorry for the long post buy you struck a chord with me and I don't mind sharing this part of my life with you and just to tell you that you being Andy to your wife is all you can do and it sounds like you do a very good job at taking care of her.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Texas!

Bret

 

[oldironfarmer]

Andy

That was a mighty powerful, and as usual, comedic, post. I read it a couple of times. I love your attitude to life and the challenges it presents, especially with an unwell partner. I haven't got that problem, but I certainly tested Irene a few years back!

I too underwent a shed load of heart tests before my big op, including a stress test on a treadmill with strange things coursing through my veins and attached to a computer by about 100 wires - and I passed with flying colours, actually!

And on that note - I hope you and Sharon (and the rest of the Andy clan) Have a Happy cold, Christmas, and a great productive, and healthy New Year.

I look forward to your posts constantly, even if I don't reply (that's mainly because I haven't a clue about what you are doing, and if I chimed in - I'd probably make myself look stupid - or stupider).

Lyndon
From down here in the hot Southern Hemisphere!

Thanks for stopping by! And for the kind words. I stay up on your thread but don't usually comment, lots of good comments and interesting information there. Through the earth is fun!

Merry Christmas!!

Andy,
Just caught up on the last half-dozen pages or so. Laughed more than once and I think I'm glad I missed the discussion on idiot drivers. OMG, idiot drivers drive me crazy. Particularly slow pokes that are afraid to hurt their car by stepping on the gas - going so slow they'd have to speed up to stop!



I'm with you on never being a politician for the same reason you cite, as well as too many people knowing too many stories about me.

Reading your thread is entertaining and educational as always Andy!

Thanks and best wishes for the holidays!

Cheers!

Glad to see you're back, we miss you when you're gone

Merry Christmas!!

Andy,your lovely wife, family, friends and acquaintedence 's, and animals, hope youall have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May everyone be blessed with good health, and happiness.
Have a safe, and plenty of good times in the shop. BUG(Herb)

Thanks Herb! Merry Christmas!!

Andy keep the faith, as I know you will. I have found that we, as lovers of fixing things, become extremely frustrated at times when we are challenged with rescuing the prize we most treasure; our loved ones. I also believe many of us have chosen this path because we ourselves started out as "Broken" toys. This has so affected my own life that I am currently writing a book about it. (270 pages and counting) I can only add; continue to be their gift under the tree, it's everything you can do; it's all they've ever wanted anyway; it's the culmination of every effort we have ever put fourth; the joy of knowing we did not choose indifference; we cared! Merry Christmas!

I appreciate your well put comments. I'd be interested in your book, by the way.

Merry Christmas!!

Andy: nice work completing the venting for your stove to your duct into the other part of your building. i have a few questions and i hope they don't sound TOO DUMB.

what's a shrinker? and is it the tool that put the X's in the panels and any pictures of it?

i understand about the holding your tongue part and i'm still trying to think more before i speak (or type).

I hope your pies turn out delicious and Christmas is a relaxing and fun day or two.

BB: nice post!!

You know the dumb questions are those you don't ask. The X's were made with a bead roller. A shrinker and a stretcher are lever operated devices which push the metal together or pull it apart with serrated jaws. Only works within an inch of the edge. If you go to Eastwood's site you can see examples of all three, and may find something you need...

Made a pecan pie tonight

Merry Christmas!!

Good Lord, I just read this entire thread. What a journey so far, thank you for sharing your tasks with us. I look forward to more

My condolences on your slogging through this! It sure has been fun to write and interact with the fine folks in this neighborhood.

Merry Christmas!!

Hey, I think you make us all happy with your written talents. To be able to say how you feel without sounding like a blubbering fool is really cool. I too would ( sorry, do get worried) when my wife is unwell, because she does so much for me. Like just over the last few weeks I have had another 3 teeth pulled because I had an abscess under each one, so they put me on antibiotics ( yeah I know that I should read the bottle before I take them), so that gave me about 50 ulcers in my mouth again. She went into town and got me some yoghurt and chocolate custard so that I would not starve, before I even knew she had gone.
I think to have a great woman like that with you makes you feel 7'4" and bullet proof.
Anyhow the sun is coming up and the dogs want to go outside, I know you will have a Merry Christmas and a Even better New year, but I just gotta say it!

Thanks for the kind words! And watch the sun with those antibiotics

A good marriage is valuable beyond measure.

Merry Christmas!!

Andy,
Some eloquent words, thanks for sharing. I'm sure your wife says you're ten feet tall and everything you do is a slam dunk.*
Great work with the heater ducting, how's the dust extraction working, it was a grand day when ours went in , though to be honest it was probably a bit late as I'm sure I'm full of dust.

May I wish you and your family, seasons greetings and good health in 2018.
Merry
Steve.

* I played basketball for my county when I was a teenager, I'm hoping the terminology is correct.

Thanks for the visit!! Haven't done much work with the dust extraction system but what little I've done is working well. I'm needing to hook up the band saw, but I have a 4" connection near it and just having that open really cuts the airborne dust. I don't mind stuff on the floor, but as you know in the lungs is not good, and I've had plenty too, both in the wood shop and hay field.

My wife does like me, and slam dunk is putting it right! She just wishes she could help around the house. She did come in the kitchen tonight and watch me make a pecan pie before her basketball game started. She is an Oklahoma Thunder fanatic. So I mess around in the kitchen while she's watching the big game. I've never been much of an athletic supporter.

Merry Christmas!!

Andy your thread has delivered as always. The duct work looks good. Time to get some heat in the shop so work on the Stude can continue.

I have some understanding of what you are dealing with your wife. My oldest son has DMD (Duchenne Muscular Drystrophy). A very aggressive muscle disease he was born with. We found out by accident when he was 2. The doctor's said he would be wheel chair bound by age 10 and his life expectancy was 20-25 yrs of age.

Truly heart breaking to a couple of new parents to say the least. The good news and silver lining for us is he 11 now and still walking just fine. Each individual is unique and follows there on path. He does have a manual chair that he uses when he gets tired. He can't walk long distances or stand for a very long time. He can't run or jump and has no reflexes so he does fall sometimes but the kid is a fighter and very strong will(like his mother). His mother is the carrier of the gene on the X chromosome. So when we found out we were 5 months pregnant with his brother. We were very lucky he did not get the disease.

Both of them are blessings from God. We live day by day with his disease and my wife is an advocate for research and raising funds helping to find a cure for the disease. It's hard to think about the future for him but I believe God chose our family to have him for the pure reason that we are strong enough to take it on.

Sorry for the long post buy you struck a chord with me and I don't mind sharing this part of my life with you and just to tell you that you being Andy to your wife is all you can do and it sounds like you do a very good job at taking care of her.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Texas!

Bret

Since the shop is insulated it has not fallen below 60F yet. I have three 1,500 watt heaters set on 60F for general comfort. They don't use much power. If the wood heat works out I'll turn them down but still rely on them to keep it workable. If I go into the shop and it's too cold to work it takes too long to heat. Same with A/C. I've wished I hadn't started on the wood heat as it has taken too long. But it in part was a desire to use my dad's stove. It's ready when the air gets cold now.

Thanks for sharing the story about your son. It certainly gives some purpose to life. My wife had two cousins in Kentucky with cerebral palsy who were not supposed to live past their teenage years. They were a few years younger than us. The sister died in 02 and the mom died in 03. Their dad had been gone many years. Tommy came to live with us. Always happy, observant, slow to speak, but pretty sharp. He used a walker for short jaunts and a wheel chair otherwise. He was in his fifties and lived with us about 7 years before passing on. We know he had a great life on the farm (among other things he got to pee in the pasture and had never done that outside) however we recognized he did more for us than we did for him. It concerned him greatly when Sharon was diagnosed with the brain tumor as she was his primary care giver but all worked well.

My only concern with taking care of my wife is that she may have developed the tumor from listening to too many dumb jokes for too many years. She had to hear them over and over and over.

But when this stuff pops into my head I have to spit it out or it will pollute my brain.

Merry Christmas!!

 

[y'sguy]

Have a merry Christmas Andy! And to all of your family.
I just wanted to say that after many years of being on the GJ, I only come here anymore to read your posts most of the time!
I'm still just a little to the east of you and will give you a heads up on acquiring 2 brooms, a hammer and assisting you in a project at the time if you allow! We all have much to learn!

 

[don long]

Andy
You have made my GJ experience a very enjoyable one this year and I want to thank you and wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas.

So Let All do it again next year

don

P.S.
I use the broom every day out in the work shop
Thanks again

DL

 

[ranger101ran]

Merry Christmas to you and your family.

 

[drivesitfar]

Andy: thanks for the tip on the SHRINKER and EASTWOOD TOOLS. i'm not sure i have enough time (or money) to go down that HUGE RABBIT HOLE, but it was a learning experience watching a few of the videos that is for certain.

in case you'd like to maybe try making some SWEDISH CINNAMON TWISTS that my bride makes every Christmas day for us just ask and i'll get you the recipe. she makes it look so easy and they are SOOOOOOOO GOOD TOO.

you seem to like making pies and i'm guessing that pecan pie is going to be pretty tasty even though i've never tried a piece of one.

hope you have a relaxing day with the family.

cheers

 

[NedNorton]

Andy,
Jen and I wish you, the Mrs. and the family a Merry Xmas. We hope that 2018 brings you joy and happiness.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[tym]

Merry Christmas! Checking in on this thread has become a near-daily ritual.

Spent today finishing the repair/service of my folks' snowblower to get it ready for the snow coming tomorrow. For giggles, here's what happens when you never lubricate anything...

 

[Hubscrub66]

Andy your thread has delivered as always. The duct work looks good. Time to get some heat in the shop so work on the Stude can continue.

I have some understanding of what you are dealing with your wife. My oldest son has DMD (Duchenne Muscular Drystrophy). A very aggressive muscle disease he was born with. We found out by accident when he was 2. The doctor's said he would be wheel chair bound by age 10 and his life expectancy was 20-25 yrs of age.

Truly heart breaking to a couple of new parents to say the least. The good news and silver lining for us is he 11 now and still walking just fine. Each individual is unique and follows there on path. He does have a manual chair that he uses when he gets tired. He can't walk long distances or stand for a very long time. He can't run or jump and has no reflexes so he does fall sometimes but the kid is a fighter and very strong will(like his mother). His mother is the carrier of the gene on the X chromosome. So when we found out we were 5 months pregnant with his brother. We were very lucky he did not get the disease.

Both of them are blessings from God. We live day by day with his disease and my wife is an advocate for research and raising funds helping to find a cure for the disease. It's hard to think about the future for him but I believe God chose our family to have him for the pure reason that we are strong enough to take it on.

Sorry for the long post buy you struck a chord with me and I don't mind sharing this part of my life with you and just to tell you that you being Andy to your wife is all you can do and it sounds like you do a very good job at taking care of her.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Texas!

Bret

Your post brought tears to my eyes, your family is in my thoughts and prayers. My oldest daughter Danica, had turner's syndrome. One of the specialist my wife seen kept telling her to abort her. No way we were gonna do that we are God fearing people and left it in his hands. My wife was alone on the visit we found out and I still feel bad about that. She was stillborn around 22 weeks in June 14, one of the hardest things was laying my baby in the ground. I will lay down beside her one day and be with her in heaven, she has changed my life even in her short time made me a better man. I do have some anxiety problems now from the experience but I'm a blessed man. We have two more little girls one is 22 months and one is 6 months and I wouldn't have any other way.

Sorry for hijacking your thread Andy and well wishes and prayers to your wife. Merry Christmas to all and God Bless

 

[TwoBytes]

Merry Christmas Andy!

Very inspirational words over the last few pages. I especially like the basketball star analogy.

Hope Santa treats you well and brings new tools (though I know you prefer old ones)

 

[Rex_A_Lott]

Merry Christmas, hope you enjoy your day!

 

[cruzer75]

Merry Christmas! Im way back on page 118 and enjoying every bit of this thread! Have a great day and enjoy a "lazy" day.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Merry Christmas to one and all!!

I'll find time later to respond to posts, but I want to thank each and every participant of Garage Journal for the kindness, concern, and original ideas consistently shown. It's truly a place where we can learn that although each of us is different, each has something to add and we are less with the absence of any one person, whether they have a thread, post, or only enjoy reading the things that interest them.

May 2018 be a stellar and peaceful year.

The future is bright for all except the optometrists, we need to feel for them, they're in trouble. Just two more years and we'll all be seeing 2020

 

[drivesitfar]

ANDY: great post and a little humor added as per usual.

well it snowed here yesterday afternoon so we are having a WHITE CHRISTMAS and we'll have some tasty leftovers from last night's Christmas eve dinner where all our kids, their spouses and their kids showed up (just 14 at our house last night cause 2 just moved to your part of the USA last month so they were here on FACE TIME on my bride's phone for a few minutes).

hope you have a fun relaxing day and manage to find time to eat a few pieces of pie and other treats.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours too!!

 

[shortykorte]

Andy, thank you for a year full of wisdom and wonder. May you and yours have a Merry Christmas and a great New Years.

 

[jbmatth]

Andy, it looks like you have been doing a good job to get the wood heat up and going. I'm sure I speak for others when I say you are an inspiration. You have a great outlook on life in general and a great work ethic. Keep it up and I'm looking forward to more next year. Wishing you the best in the years to come,
JB

 

[oldironfarmer]

Have a merry Christmas Andy! And to all of your family.
I just wanted to say that after many years of being on the GJ, I only come here anymore to read your posts most of the time!
I'm still just a little to the east of you and will give you a heads up on acquiring 2 brooms, a hammer and assisting you in a project at the time if you allow! We all have much to learn!

Merry Christmas!! We had a great one, and am looking forward to a fantastic New Year. I'd be tickled for you to come out for a visit. Just let me know. I prefer for someone to watch their broom being made. I'd love to learn from you!

Andy
You have made my GJ experience a very enjoyable one this year and I want to thank you and wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas.

So Let All do it again next year

don

P.S.
I use the broom every day out in the work shop
Thanks again

DL

Thanks for the kind words Don! I'm all for another year

I'm hoping you can make your trip to this area work.

Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Thank you, and a great year next year!!

Andy: thanks for the tip on the SHRINKER and EASTWOOD TOOLS. i'm not sure i have enough time (or money) to go down that HUGE RABBIT HOLE, but it was a learning experience watching a few of the videos that is for certain.

in case you'd like to maybe try making some SWEDISH CINNAMON TWISTS that my bride makes every Christmas day for us just ask and i'll get you the recipe. she makes it look so easy and they are SOOOOOOOO GOOD TOO.

you seem to like making pies and i'm guessing that pecan pie is going to be pretty tasty even though i've never tried a piece of one.

hope you have a relaxing day with the family.

cheers

Thanks Drives! Glad you stopped by!! I like new recipes, I just never seem to find time to try them. I look forward to it when things slow down.

You need to try some pecan pie when you come for your visit.

Andy,
Jen and I wish you, the Mrs. and the family a Merry Xmas. We hope that 2018 brings you joy and happiness.

Cheers,
Chris

Thank you so much. I wish you prosperity and happiness for 2018!!

Merry Christmas! Checking in on this thread has become a near-daily ritual.

Spent today finishing the repair/service of my folks' snowblower to get it ready for the snow coming tomorrow. For giggles, here's what happens when you never lubricate anything...

Some things are hard enough to lubricate they don't ever get it.

Glad you stop by. Things have been a little slow around here lately, but I'm feeling good and ready to get back to the shop!!

Your post brought tears to my eyes, your family is in my thoughts and prayers. My oldest daughter Danica, had turner's syndrome. One of the specialist my wife seen kept telling her to abort her. No way we were gonna do that we are God fearing people and left it in his hands. My wife was alone on the visit we found out and I still feel bad about that. She was stillborn around 22 weeks in June 14, one of the hardest things was laying my baby in the ground. I will lay down beside her one day and be with her in heaven, she has changed my life even in her short time made me a better man. I do have some anxiety problems now from the experience but I'm a blessed man. We have two more little girls one is 22 months and one is 6 months and I wouldn't have any other way.

Sorry for hijacking your thread Andy and well wishes and prayers to your wife. Merry Christmas to all and God Bless

Hijacks welcome. Thanks for sharing your story. It's tough, but God knows best, doesn't mean it's easy to accept.

Merry Christmas Andy!

Very inspirational words over the last few pages. I especially like the basketball star analogy.

Hope Santa treats you well and brings new tools (though I know you prefer old ones)

HA! I didn't even try to be nice. All I got was coal. I can always burn it in the forge

Merry Christmas, hope you enjoy your day!

Thanks! I've had great holidays!!

Merry Christmas! Im way back on page 118 and enjoying every bit of this thread! Have a great day and enjoy a "lazy" day.

Hope you don't wear out slogging through my drivel! Good news is I have lots of fine visitors. They keep me out of a lot of trouble.

ANDY: great post and a little humor added as per usual.

well it snowed here yesterday afternoon so we are having a WHITE CHRISTMAS and we'll have some tasty leftovers from last night's Christmas eve dinner where all our kids, their spouses and their kids showed up (just 14 at our house last night cause 2 just moved to your part of the USA last month so they were here on FACE TIME on my bride's phone for a few minutes).

hope you have a fun relaxing day and manage to find time to eat a few pieces of pie and other treats.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours too!!

We had a great day, sounds like you did too. We were invited to my Zumba teacher's for Christmas Eve dinner. Great food and a fun time. She has said she likes to mix friends from her different circles so we met some interesting people. There was an elderly lady next to me, while everybody was laughing at something stupid I'd said I had to tell her I was glad to be invited but always a little concerned sometimes I get invited for entertainment. She commented she didn't think it was entertainment.

Andy, thank you for a year full of wisdom and wonder. May you and yours have a Merry Christmas and a great New Years.

Glad I could add some wisdom in addition to the "wonder why I'm doing it this way".

Looking forward to a grand 2018!

Andy, it looks like you have been doing a good job to get the wood heat up and going. I'm sure I speak for others when I say you are an inspiration. You have a great outlook on life in general and a great work ethic. Keep it up and I'm looking forward to more next year. Wishing you the best in the years to come,
JB

Thanks for the kind words!!

I fed the stove several sticks of wood today. Supply air was coming in at 58F and discharge air got up to 98F but was mostly in the 80's. Surface of the stove stays cool so it appears it will do as planned, and that is to lower electrical heating cost. I don't dream of heating only with wood as I have to have the shop warm when I arrive or my limited time to work is spent standing around in the cold while I'm trying to get he shop warm.

I spent some time working on dust collection for the bandsaw bu tdon't have pictures developed yet. If they turn out I'll show you a picture.

Thanks for all the visits and for the kind comments. It is very motivating to know someone is interested in what you are doing.

Bring on 2018!

 

[gordyy]

well winter has hit here in North Dakota
its a balmy -14 as Im writing this (or is that typing this) anyway that is getting cold
supposed to be around -25 this weekend but it might warm up to 7 or 8 tomorrow but the only problem with a warm up at these temperatures is it snows than gets colder lol
got to go get me a new windshield wiper motor tomorrow for the tractor, gets ugly in there when the wiper quits.

 

[TwoBytes]

HA! I didn't even try to be nice. All I got was coal. I can always burn it in the forge

Santa brought you coal for your forge, that's great! Maybe you've been nicer than you thought.

If you keep trying not to be nice maybe he'll bring you another rusty old tractor next year

 

[dlcwent]

The future is bright for all except the optometrists, we need to feel for them, they're in trouble. Just two more years and we'll all be seeing 2020

I can't help but saying that I SEE the way you LOOK at things.

 

[oldironfarmer]

well winter has hit here in North Dakota
its a balmy -14 as Im writing this (or is that typing this) anyway that is getting cold
supposed to be around -25 this weekend but it might warm up to 7 or 8 tomorrow but the only problem with a warm up at these temperatures is it snows than gets colder lol
got to go get me a new windshield wiper motor tomorrow for the tractor, gets ugly in there when the wiper quits.

Enjoy the balmy weather. It's +14 here and I think it's cold. -25 can certainly be hazardous to the unprepared.

Thanks for stopping by!

Santa brought you coal for your forge, that's great! Maybe you've been nicer than you thought.

If you keep trying not to be nice maybe he'll bring you another rusty old tractor next year

More tractors! Don't get me to start dreaming. I think I only bought one this year

I can't help but saying that I SEE the way you LOOK at things.

If you truly understand the way I look at things you need professional help. Just tell them right up front that a straitjacket will be unnecessary. I find those things to be so constraining.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Finally got the pictures of my band saw dust collector developed.

Here's the band saw. It's an old Grizzly 14".

Small hole at the bottom is intended to be for vacuum hose. I was pretty sure it was too small to do much.

I had tried a shop vacuum in it and had lots of dust coming out right under the table.

Made a box to capture the hole at the bottom and go up close to the table. It also will mount to existing holes.

Then today I needed more feed for my heifers so we went and picked up a ton of 20% cubes. If it's not too muddy it's easy to get feed to the new container.

Ground the welds, painted and installed the dust hood.

I plan to make a loose piece which will hook onto the hood and go under the blade guard knob.

The last piece will need to come off to change a blade. However I tried it out and all the dust seemed to be sucked up by the current dust hood so there may be no point to adding to it.

Thanks for stopping in!

 

[drivesitfar]

ANDY: i don't check out the fab section much cause i don't have the need right now or some of the essential tools, but i'm surely enjoying your fab work you seem to do on a daily basis. WELL DONE AGAIN SIR!!

if you might have a store that sells RUBBER HORSE MATS that are 3/4 inch thick and come in 4x6 foot or 5x7 foot sizing you might buy a few and put them down where you unload the feed and get in and out of your truck if that area around your shipping container (feed store room). i use these horse mats in my gym and at my shop to protect the concrete from all the steel stuff i move around. it's also good to have a few of these or maybe a little softer ones at your work stations so you can stand for a while without getting a sore back. i added some more 1.5 inch thick rubber gym mats on my floor in my home's garage last year and it really helps my back if i stand out there for a while doing a small or large project.

HOW'S THE BULL!!

cheers

 

[oldironfarmer]

ANDY: i don't check out the fab section much cause i don't have the need right now or some of the essential tools, but i'm surely enjoying your fab work you seem to do on a daily basis. WELL DONE AGAIN SIR!!

if you might have a store that sells RUBBER HORSE MATS that are 3/4 inch thick and come in 4x6 foot or 5x7 foot sizing you might buy a few and put them down where you unload the feed and get in and out of your truck if that area around your shipping container (feed store room). i use these horse mats in my gym and at my shop to protect the concrete from all the steel stuff i move around. it's also good to have a few of these or maybe a little softer ones at your work stations so you can stand for a while without getting a sore back. i added some more 1.5 inch thick rubber gym mats on my floor in my home's garage last year and it really helps my back if i stand out there for a while doing a small or large project.

HOW'S THE BULL!!

cheers

Thanks for stopping in, Drives! I've been a little out of it lately but the holidays are about over and its back to work.

I have a few mats in my shop, mostly thin. I do have a couple of commercial work mats I've never got around to laying down.

Of course rubber is not good where you are welding. Fortunately, I have no back trouble. Standing does not bother my back. If I stand in one place too long, and don't move, my knees get stiff, but I don't think a mat will help that. In front of my lathe I have a piece of carpet. It helps trap small chips so they don't get embedded in my shoe sole.

Bull is surviving! I took a video of him today, just for you, but it's not loaded yet.

Have a safe and sane New Year!!

I try to celebrate with the Irish, then go on to bed by about 2:00 AM Cork time (9:00 PM here)

 

[oldironfarmer]

As the year draws to a close it is a happy and sad time.

I've made many new friends, one set being a physician and his family who have been to the shop a couple of times now. he came yesterday with six others. We had a great day. Melted some cans, cast a hammer head, and forged out a knife for the doctor. I was too busy to think about pictures. He is coming back Sunday to finish the knife so I'll be more diligent. His uncle did get a decent trip hammer video which I'll post. And his step father got into the act running the bellows.

Looks like he's having fun.

Now about somebody else. An old friend. I met him in 1978. I was in Nigeria supervising construction of a compressor station. Drawings specified piling, however the elevation on the pile drawing and on the concrete drawings did not match. The top of the piles were exactly a foot below the bottom of the concrete! When the contractor pointed this out, laughing, I almost told them to raise the pile tops by two feet so the piles would support the concrete. But I sent a Telex to Tulsa explaining the drawing error. Response was

OK YK

Did they even understand? So I sent another Telex (it takes 24 hours to send and receive an answer because we're far from the Telex machine in Lagos, so we radio, double check, and then send. And the contractor is ready to cut off pile tops at the chosen elevation.) I asked "Please verify drawings are correct as to pile cap elevation in relation to concrete". Answer came back "drawings OK".

OK, you idiots, you will get it like you want.

When I finally got back to Tulsa I ask why did the Telex say YK? Answer "Oh, YK Lee, Civil engineer". So I go look up YK Lee. Small Chinese guy. I asked him to explain why the drawings were OK. His reply:

With this soil type, if the piles contact the concrete the vibration from the compressor will make the piles vibrate and the compressor, piles and all will sink out of sight. The piles are soil consolidation piles to compact the soil for 40 feet under the foundation, not to support the foundation directly. The concrete must float on a layer of sand as specified, bedrock is several hundred feet down in the river delta. Whew. I came close to really screwing up.

Thus began a 35 year relationship where anything YK said was gospel. He never let an error through, I always relied on him and he never ever let me down. Not once. He was always kind, thoughtful, quiet, and respectful of others, but he had the full respect of one and all.

Years later I was the Engineering Manager at an engineering company and we had designed a pipeline to run inside the length of a dike constructed to hold the pipe. High pressure ethylene (very hazardous). Client engineer was British and they verified we had screwed up, the dike would not hold the pipeline expansion during temperature swings and was making a major case out of it. We had all of our management together with the project manager to explain why we had screwed up so bad and what were we going to do to fix it. The client engineer had at least five people on the phone and their PhD expert was very derogatory. I asked our guys "who designed this". "YK". Hmmm, so he finally made a major blunder, and I didn't want to see YK embarrassed in his old age but had no choice other than to bring him into the meeting, with no preparation. We all waited while the project manager went to get him. I felt terrible for him, and embarrassed for us. He comes in and in his quiet way asks "is there a problem?"

The expert laid into him for about ten minutes. YK actually raised his voice a bit (which was not normal and made me even more nervous) and explained the physics to the expert, instructing him in firm language as to how the design must be done to be successful, and where the expert's logic was wrong, all in less than two minutes. The phone was quiet. Then the UK expert said "Well, OK then, top job, sorry for the confusion".

YK never ever let me down.

His memorial service is tomorrow...

Rest in Peace, Mr. Lee.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Andy, sorry for your loss, our thoughts are with you.

He has clearly had a profound impact on you over the years both professionaly and as a great friend.

Regards

 

[dreamingmuscle]

Such good men are hard find. Rest in piece Mr. Lee.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Andy, sorry for your loss, our thoughts are with you.

He has clearly had a profound impact on you over the years both professionaly and as a great friend.

Regards

Thank you, Steve.

Such good men are hard find. Rest in piece Mr. Lee.

Thank you, it is a somber morning.

 

[drivesitfar]

Andy: sorry for your loss and I bet Mr. Lee had great respect for you to by the sounds of some of the things i bet he learned from you too.

i'm very happy to hear your Bull is still alive and maybe even making a few calves for this coming spring too.

i was a bit quick on typing my post about the rubber mats cause when you mentioned MUD around the shipping container that is your feed warehouse cause a lot of equestrian people up here put down these rubber mats around their barns to keep their horses from getting too muddy. it might not eliminate all the mud, but if a few of them on the ground could make your access less muddy i thought it worth mentioning.

yep there are downsides to having rubber on the floor of a working shop where welding and metal scraps are, but having a few stations where you can stand maybe on a piece to give you some back relief has helped me along with my inversion table.

hope you have a good day and i'm betting you are just thankful that you actually knew Mr. LEE or YK as you called him.

cheers

 

[Bob Heine]

Andy, thank you for sharing YK's story. The holidays are a time of joy but often also a time of sadness. Most holidays mark the passing of family members and friends. You will remember YK Lee every year as these holidays approach. Know that you have my sincere condolences.

When you mentioned the PhD's attitude, it reminded me that education doesn't ensure wisdom or intelligence. Many advanced degrees seem to include a minor in arrogance.

 

[Finallygotit]

Such good men are hard find. Rest in piece Mr. Lee.

So true!

Sorry for your loss Andy

 

[slimpickins]

As the year draws to a close it is a happy and sad time.

I've made many new friends, one set being a physician and his family who have been to the shop a couple of times now. he came yesterday with six others. We had a great day. Melted some cans, cast a hammer head, and forged out a knife for the doctor. I was too busy to think about pictures. He is coming back Sunday to finish the knife so I'll be more diligent. His uncle did get a decent trip hammer video which I'll post. And his step father got into the act running the bellows.

Looks like he's having fun.

Now about somebody else. An old friend. I met him in 1978. I was in Nigeria supervising construction of a compressor station. Drawings specified piling, however the elevation on the pile drawing and on the concrete drawings did not match. The top of the piles were exactly a foot below the bottom of the concrete! When the contractor pointed this out, laughing, I almost told them to raise the pile tops by two feet so the piles would support the concrete. But I sent a Telex to Tulsa explaining the drawing error. Response was

OK YK

Did they even understand? So I sent another Telex (it takes 24 hours to send and receive an answer because we're far from the Telex machine in Lagos, so we radio, double check, and then send. And the contractor is ready to cut off pile tops at the chosen elevation.) I asked "Please verify drawings are correct as to pile cap elevation in relation to concrete". Answer came back "drawings OK".

OK, you idiots, you will get it like you want.

When I finally got back to Tulsa I ask why did the Telex say YK? Answer "Oh, YK Lee, Civil engineer". So I go look up YK Lee. Small Chinese guy. I asked him to explain why the drawings were OK. His reply:

With this soil type, if the piles contact the concrete the vibration from the compressor will make the piles vibrate and the compressor, piles and all will sink out of sight. The piles are soil consolidation piles to compact the soil for 40 feet under the foundation, not to support the foundation directly. The concrete must float on a layer of sand as specified, bedrock is several hundred feet down in the river delta. Whew. I came close to really screwing up.

Thus began a 35 year relationship where anything YK said was gospel. He never let an error through, I always relied on him and he never ever let me down. Not once. He was always kind, thoughtful, quiet, and respectful of others, but he had the full respect of one and all.

Years later I was the Engineering Manager at an engineering company and we had designed a pipeline to run inside the length of a dike constructed to hold the pipe. High pressure ethylene (very hazardous). Client engineer was British and they verified we had screwed up, the dike would not hold the pipeline expansion during temperature swings and was making a major case out of it. We had all of our management together with the project manager to explain why we had screwed up so bad and what were we going to do to fix it. The client engineer had at least five people on the phone and their PhD expert was very derogatory. I asked our guys "who designed this". "YK". Hmmm, so he finally made a major blunder, and I didn't want to see YK embarrassed in his old age but had no choice other than to bring him into the meeting, with no preparation. We all waited while the project manager went to get him. I felt terrible for him, and embarrassed for us. He comes in and in his quiet way asks "is there a problem?"

The expert laid into him for about ten minutes. YK actually raised his voice a bit (which was not normal and made me even more nervous) and explained the physics to the expert, instructing him in firm language as to how the design must be done to be successful, and where the expert's logic was wrong, all in less than two minutes. The phone was quiet. Then the UK expert said "Well, OK then, top job, sorry for the confusion".

YK never ever let me down.

His memorial service is tomorrow...

Rest in Peace, Mr. Lee.

What a tremendous tribute to your friend, Andy! And a great story! Thank you for sharing! We could certainly use more people like him in the world with the supposed declining average intelligence worldwide. I read an article a couple years ago about humans (as a race) getting more stupid?

I wonder if I can find it? ..........

Yup, here it is: (FWIW)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2730791/Are-STUPID-Britons-people-IQ-decline.html
Sorry, when I read it, it's almost a bit depressing ...

Anyway, thanks again and ...
Have a great new year!

Cheers!

 

[bj383ss]

Sorry to hear that Andy. Looking forward to the next year of your stories and adventures.

Bret

 

[booch]

Andy, sorry to hear about the loss of YK; you have done a great job memorializing him. The lasting memories and impressions he made will insure that, while his body has moved on, his soul lives on in you and the other folks who knew him... And also in the folks here who read your thread, and feel like a little part of your extended family.
Happy new year, and thanks for all the knowledge, laughs and wisdom you've shared with us this year!

 

[Bob Heine]

I read an article a couple years ago about humans (as a race) getting more stupid?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2730791/Are-STUPID-Britons-people-IQ-decline.html
Sorry, when I read it, it's almost a bit depressing ...

Cheers!

Slim, you should watch Idiocracy. It's a 2006 documentary and according to this review...

https://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/idiocracy-is-a-cruel-movie-and-you-should-be-ashamed-fo-1553344189

... "Idiiocracy is a cruel movie and you should be ashamed for liking it."

Needless to say, I am ashamed.

 

[Farmall450]

Rest in peace. Sounds like he was one hell of a guy to know.

 

[sublime68charger]

Sorry to hear of you loosing a guy like that!

Thanks for sharing that story.

 

[Farmall450]

Andy I hope Sharon is still doing better.

Sorry I fell a bit behind on the thread. Merry Christmas!

 

[oldironfarmer]

Andy: sorry for your loss and I bet Mr. Lee had great respect for you to by the sounds of some of the things i bet he learned from you too.

i'm very happy to hear your Bull is still alive and maybe even making a few calves for this coming spring too.

i was a bit quick on typing my post about the rubber mats cause when you mentioned MUD around the shipping container that is your feed warehouse cause a lot of equestrian people up here put down these rubber mats around their barns to keep their horses from getting too muddy. it might not eliminate all the mud, but if a few of them on the ground could make your access less muddy i thought it worth mentioning.

yep there are downsides to having rubber on the floor of a working shop where welding and metal scraps are, but having a few stations where you can stand maybe on a piece to give you some back relief has helped me along with my inversion table.

hope you have a good day and i'm betting you are just thankful that you actually knew Mr. LEE or YK as you called him.

cheers

I had a great time at YK's memorial service. His daughter and only grandchildren were there from Los Angeles. They had a funeral in CA and traveled here for his Tulsa friends. As nice as YK. I only saw 5 or 6 company people there, and part of the service was in Chinese for those with limited English skills. However, when they asked for stories, I had to get up and relate what I wrote here. Mainly because his family had no way to know what an exceptional engineer he had been. When I got to the tough meeting late in his career I saw lots of long faces. Then relief and laughter when he resolved the issue. Just like when it happened.

I decided to stay and have lunch with them, although there were no signs to tell me what I was getting.

During lunch his daughter stopped by to thank me for the memories of her dad. I knew she was a doctor. Well she is a MD, PhD, FAAD, Chief and Residency Program Director at Harbor-UCLA. Hmmm, smart lady. I asked her specialty, dermatology. Hmmm, so I said I've got this place on my arm. She says roll up your sleeve She inspects me and tells me it's not urgent but I must have it biopsied within 30 days. Yea, I've got a lot of gall, asking for free medical assessment at her father's memorial. But we all had a good time with it. She said people pull up their shirts on elevators, she says "please, not on the elevator". Now my doctor had looked at it and said not to worry, and she can't give a "it's ok" without more medical history, but I appreciated her time, and she was gushing over how much she appreciated story I figured it gave her a chance to repay me. While I was talking about her dad being one of my heroes she was crying. So I showed her husband some pictures of my shop and they said they want to bring YK's wife out to visit. That would close a nice circle for me.

I hope this little story has not been too heavy. After meeting YK's daughter and son-in-law I see he was blessed with a wonderful family.

Andy, thank you for sharing YK's story. The holidays are a time of joy but often also a time of sadness. Most holidays mark the passing of family members and friends. You will remember YK Lee every year as these holidays approach. Know that you have my sincere condolences.

When you mentioned the PhD's attitude, it reminded me that education doesn't ensure wisdom or intelligence. Many advanced degrees seem to include a minor in arrogance.

So interesting, isn't it? Even a bachelor's degree makes some people feel superior to the uneducated masses. I have been successful at hiding my education and crucifying some of those types over the years. When they get a little cocky they'll always mis speak and I can give them a bit of their own medicine in the way of ridicule. It's great fun and educational for them. The people I admire are the Don Long's of this world with PhD's from the school of hard knocks. They never wilt under duress.

So true!

Sorry for your loss Andy

Thank you! It was a wonderful day today

What a tremendous tribute to your friend, Andy! And a great story! Thank you for sharing! We could certainly use more people like him in the world with the supposed declining average intelligence worldwide. I read an article a couple years ago about humans (as a race) getting more stupid?

I wonder if I can find it? ..........

Yup, here it is: (FWIW)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2730791/Are-STUPID-Britons-people-IQ-decline.html
Sorry, when I read it, it's almost a bit depressing ...

Anyway, thanks again and ...
Have a great new year!

Cheers!

Thanks for the kind words. I wish that I had some of YK's qualities. But I'm quick to act and slow to think of others first.

I'm a farmer, next year will always be better

Sorry to hear that Andy. Looking forward to the next year of your stories and adventures.

Bret

Thank you, we are also looking forward to the adventures that await in 2018. And perhaps some successes.

Maybe Drives will get organized

Maybe you'll drive your truck

Maybe I'll get my shop cleaned!

Andy, sorry to hear about the loss of YK; you have done a great job memorializing him. The lasting memories and impressions he made will insure that, while his body has moved on, his soul lives on in you and the other folks who knew him... And also in the folks here who read your thread, and feel like a little part of your extended family.
Happy new year, and thanks for all the knowledge, laughs and wisdom you've shared with us this year!

Thanks for kind words. I appreciate your insightful comments.

But don't laugh at me, I could be offended.

The New Year is soon to be sweeping around the world, Guster will test it out first and let us know whether to follow. Let's embrace it!!

 

[oldironfarmer]

Slim, you should watch Idiocracy. It's a 2006 documentary and according to this review...

https://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/idiocracy-is-a-cruel-movie-and-you-should-be-ashamed-fo-1553344189

... "Idiiocracy is a cruel movie and you should be ashamed for liking it."

Needless to say, I am ashamed.

Now you've got me needing to learn.

Rest in peace. Sounds like he was one hell of a guy to know.

He was one of the giants upon whose shoulders we little guys could stand to look big ourselves.

Sorry to hear of you loosing a guy like that!

Thanks for sharing that story.

Thank you

Andy I hope Sharon is still doing better.

Sorry I fell a bit behind on the thread. Merry Christmas!

You get two demerits for falling behind and have to take a day off work to catch up...

Thanks for all the kind comments and for stopping by. I'm ready to get on with 2018