Above 1200 Sq/FT Garage Refurb®

[DeeDubz]

My old dept we didnt have Lts. Back in the day we had a limited term program that was the bridge from seasonal to full time. They disbanded that a long time ago. I guess they figured it was illegal. I was limited term for 3 yrs prior to getting a full time position. On the west coast most depts don't have Lts.
Not too many places out here have the drop program. I know a ton of guys would do it. It would benefit my dept. They've always had a staffing crisis. That's half the reason I retired at 41. But I think cities and counties would find a way to complain about how it cost them too much money. PERs has had many issues in the past with making crappy investments. Thankfully Im not in PERS. Two weeks ago I just got my medical disability approved by the board. That was a pretty good bump for me. But I need a knee replacement at some point...
How many stations do you guys staff? My dept had over 60 stations and we were at just over 600 sworn members. It's not a flex at all. I really wish I had gotten hired with a small city dept that had the local control. The machine I worked for was too large. It had its benefits but we were the largest dept in the county. That ment everything even though it's not in our LAR or our dirt we still provided personal and equipment. Our boss was huge on being a good cooperator at the cost of our backs. I don't recognize the place anymore. I had just heard that they are doing a tower this month with over 70 ppl in it. It was good to me and my family. It set us up very well but im glad I was able to get out with my sanity and my health... for the most part. Take care of yourself Eric.

 

[NUTTSGT]

1 station with 19 + Chief. 6 per shift with the exception of one shift at 7 due to a guy coming back from deployment. We'll be back at 18 late Spring/early Summer. We maintain 6 guys per day.

We do Fire/EMS for the city of 12K and provide EMS to 5 townships and another we go to on a semi-regular basis. All that covers about half the county. This doesn't count any mutual aid protocol stuff.

We also are partnered with the local hospital to take STEMI and OB to their sister hospital 14 miles away.

Since taking over EMS Our call volume is around 3K/year. I believe we're still trying to figure out what the average is going to stay at.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Started a little project today after doing the TV shuffle yesterday. We bought a 70" Pioneer Roku TV, somewhat on the spur of the moment.


It went in the front room, that 55" went to our bedroom. The old bedroom tv, a 50" went upstairs to replace a 43" TV. The 43" is now out in my garage which will also do double duty as a computer monitor.

So here lies the problem, the upstairs bedroom is just an extra bedroom but I will sleep up there when the granddaughter stays.....her and the wife will stay up and watch TV... something she used to do when her and her mom lived at home.... The impromptu TV stand we had was too small for the 50".

So I wanted to do something simple and kind of dorm room themed.. here's what I came up with.



The 43" TV sitting on it as a reference.


Hopefully I can get primer on on it tonight and paint tomorrow.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Got some primer rolled on after supper.


Zinsser is what I am using.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Rolled on a coat of Rustoleum (oil-based) gloss black paint just a few minutes ago.



Now to move to the TV remount project. I hope I don't create a bunch of dust doing it.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I pulled some shelves down, found it was quite dusty and holes/faded paint.



A quick dusting and repainting.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Doing some math, I'm pretty sure the old tv wall mount wasn't going to work.
Besides not being rated for the larger unit but was within the weight limit.


I considered reworking it but a new one is about $30 at Menards....also created another issue. If I use the old mount, what do I do with the old 32" tv ??

Hey problem solved .



Now I have 2 TVs in the garage..

Yes, that is in the addition.

 

[ronjon1190]

My dad gave me a whole ration of S#it when I mounted a little 28 or 32" TV in our garage- He thought it was a total waste of money and a distraction when I was "supposed to be working on things".

At the time (2020) I lived in the tiny apartment above the garage, and we used the garage as a combo mechanics shop, wood shop, party space, hangout space etc. since everything was shut down.
I don't live there anymore, but every time I go over to see dad, he's tinkering on something in the garage, usually with the TV on. He recently found "youtube university" and the other day he asked if I thought we should upgrade to a bigger screen in there...

 

[NUTTSGT]

My dad gave me a whole ration of S#it when I mounted a little 28 or 32" TV in our garage- He thought it was a total waste of money and a distraction when I was "supposed to be working on things".

At the time (2020) I lived in the tiny apartment above the garage, and we used the garage as a combo mechanics shop, wood shop, party space, hangout space etc. since everything was shut down.
I don't live there anymore, but every time I go over to see dad, he's tinkering on something in the garage, usually with the TV on. He recently found "youtube university" and the other day he asked if I thought we should upgrade to a bigger screen in there...

You know this TV shuffle started with the purchase of a 70" for the house.... He could upgrade something in the house and move the old unit to the garage...

 

[NUTTSGT]

Bought a new mount and US General outlet strip for the old TV and Roku unit.

Outlet strip was going to get stuck on the side of the 27" box but I decided to mount it between the box and foreman desk on the wall.

 

[NUTTSGT]

How to hang it easy, I found a piece of scrap steel, knocked off the dross and cleaned up the edges. After drilling two mounting holes, it got primer and paint.



Now this new mount... you know ....one rated for the larger TV ... Same damn mount but with a cheaper mounting surface.



Old one looks heavy duty compared to the new one.


Bastards......

 

[madison069]

How to hang it easy, I found a piece of scrap steel, knocked off the dross and cleaned up the edges. After drilling two mounting holes, it got primer and paint.



Now this new mount... you know ....one rated for the larger TV ... Same damn mount but with a cheaper mounting surface.



Old one looks heavy duty compared to the new one.


Bastards......

New one has more carbon in the metal, you can’t see it. Trust the marketing, it never lies!

 

[NUTTSGT]

New one has more carbon in the metal, you can’t see it. Trust the marketing, it never lies!

Doubtful....but, I will take it into consideration....not.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Outlet strip mounted and wires *******.


A little closer shot between the desk and box.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Due to the location I was putting the larger TV, I was worried about it hitting the ceiling. I thought I had the mount adjusted enough to clear but I didn't.

It took me a few seconds to realize the mount was like a transit or laser level, gotta go the opposite way...

I now have the mount way high on the TV.


Doing so, I will have to make some custom lower mount brackets. I'm going to use some angle.



That will be for another day. I got called in to work tomorrow and I was planning on cutting firewood. That will now get put off till Friday.

 

[Bob Heine]

I have a bit of a dark but true story on this one. I had a friend who got sucked into a sandpaper rolling machine that was rolling 4 grit. Found out later that his employer had disabled all the emergency shutoffs because they didn't work right and he didn't want to pay to fix them. Anyways, he got sucked into the machine after his hand got pinched, whole body was wrapped in the roll like a dead body in a rug before anyone could get over to shutoff the main power to the machine. It broke most of the bones in his body in the process. It was pretty brutal looking.

Paramedics showed up and it appeared to be a DOA. They cut the roll open and while they were preparing to extract his body, he breathed. The one paramedic had a break down on the spot and had to go sit down. They had already processed it as the just a body category, and the shock of that lump of flesh needed to move back into the person category took a minute. They saved his life and he made nearly a full recovery minus strength in certain ranges of motion of his left arm.

Sam, I can relate. Fortunately no one pronounced me dead or treated me that way. My broken bones were limited to one arm and my head. The special gravel, known as ballast between railroad ties is probably off the sandpaper grit rating scale but rolling around in it is quite unpleasant. I saw one photo of the aftermath and I find in hard to believe that much blood can come out of a person who can then go home from the hospital 11 days later (should have been 10 but one wound was showing signs of infection).

 

[Bob Heine]

I don't try to talk to much about it here at GJ, but I know there are other members here involved in LEO, Fire and EMS. I try to avoid the details as I don't want someone to get upset but at this moment, this is my thread, so I feel I can talk about it here a little more.

Eric, I owe my life to a number of strangers who stepped up. Two of them were volunteer firefighters having their morning coffee at the station before heading to their primary jobs. Both held trauma cards so they were able to move me from the tracks to the platform, down a staircase 20 feet to the ground and into the ambulance. I was in the hospital 4 miles away less than 10 minutes from the moment I went under the train. My father and mother were too traumatized to throw out the bag containing the remains of my suit and miscellaneous pieces of clothing that the hospital gave them. I took care of it during my first visit to their house because there was a horrible stench in the garage they hadn't noticed. Had to dig though the mess to make sure nothing was left in the pockets. Those two firefighters were just glad I made it and acted like what they did was no big deal when I went to thank them.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Eric, I owe my life to a number of strangers who stepped up. Two of them were volunteer firefighters having their morning coffee at the station before heading to their primary jobs. Both held trauma cards so they were able to move me from the tracks to the platform, down a staircase 20 feet to the ground and into the ambulance. I was in the hospital 4 miles away less than 10 minutes from the moment I went under the train. My father and mother were too traumatized to throw out the bag containing the remains of my suit and miscellaneous pieces of clothing that the hospital gave them. I took care of it during my first visit to their house because there was a horrible stench in the garage they hadn't noticed. Had to dig though the mess to make sure nothing was left in the pockets. Those two firefighters were just glad I made it and acted like what they did was no big deal when I went to thank them.

A simple thank you goes a long way for us.. many times, we get nothing. Which is fine, it's our job and what we do.

When we have people tell us, "we appreciate what you do." I try to reply back to them " we appreciate you appreciating us"

 

[NUTTSGT]

Been busy the last week or so and not much for updates.

Winter is coming soon and time to cut firewood. First thing to come down was this tree, dead and leaning towards towards my parents newer building.

Using a couple of straps and the JD, I got it down safely.

Safely as in nobody got hurt. I did however, cut the stitching of my left boot with the chainsaw. I shared that picture elsewhere.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Sunday was peaceful... cutting wood, listening to Pandora and had a fire going cleaning up as I went.


A load in the dump trailer a day and ready to split.


But first, time to change the oil in the splitter. I have no idea when I changed it last.

 

[NUTTSGT]

While not in the woods or running my parents to a few appointments, I did get the brackets finished for the 43" TV.



Connected to the 'net.


I still needed a few cables to attach it to the PC for monitor use so a trip to Menards yielded this purchase.

 

[NUTTSGT]

First load split. The wife said she would help but I need to get this stuff split and stacked.

 

[Prospecter]

There's a nip in the air and it's time. I need to get moving on my wood, too. I like how you rigged that tree. Those old splitters just seem to go on forever.

 

[NUTTSGT]

There's a nip in the air and it's time. I need to get moving on my wood, too. I like how you rigged that tree. Those old splitters just seem to go on forever.

I replaced the engine many years ago. The carb was wore out and I figured the splitter was 25-30 years at the time. I went ahead and bought the Honda engine as basically my only investment in the splitter.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I tried to get it all split today but it didn't happen. Working by myself, I was happy with the progress.

 

[Johanfpa]

Didn't Henry Ford say: "chop your own wood and it will warm you twice"?
Great effort cutting & splitting that amount in a day, and that splitter with a Honda engine will probably outlast all of us.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Didn't Henry Ford say: "chop your own wood and it will warm you twice"?
Great effort cutting & splitting that amount in a day, and that splitter with a Honda engine will probably outlast all of us.

I hope the splitter lasts a long time. I would dread buying a replacement as those things are not cheap anymore.

 

[Prospecter]

I tried to get it all split today but it didn't happen. Working by myself, I was happy with the progress.

That's a good day's work.

 

[NUTTSGT]

That's a good day's work.

That was yesterday, steady pace by myself about 7-8 hours worth

Just finished up splitting 10-15 minutes ago, cleaned up a bucket load of splitter debris and dumped on the burn pile.

Sitting out back right now with Mr Bones outside, then lunch and going out to stack after lunch. Final clean up afterwards and maybe burn the debris this evening.

5 days of hard but relaxing, peaceful work for a winter's worth of heat for the the garage.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Notice the firewood QC inspector.

 

[XJSuperman]

Always wondered about those older splitters that seemed to always be so low to the ground. Ours was taller so you weren't bent over all day running it. Downside was lifting the logs that much higher to split them. You certainly made good progress for working alone.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

I admire you and prospecter's splitting production - I still split all mine with a splitting maul and wedges. Of course I only burn about 1 to 1.5 ricks per year

 

[Prospecter]

I admire you and prospecter's splitting production - I still split all mine with a splitting maul and wedges. Of course I only burn about 1 to 1.5 ricks per year

Been a long time since I heard anyone talk about ricks. My shoulders won't tolerate a maul and wedges anymore. I always have a few rounds that I split in half so I can load them on the splitter. And then wish I had just rolled them off a bank with the front loader.

 

[captain14]

Notice the firewood QC inspector.

Does the QC inspector choose his own wood or do you throw it for him, hoping he’ll return it close by?

 

[NUTTSGT]

Always wondered about those older splitters that seemed to always be so low to the ground. Ours was taller so you weren't bent over all day running it. Downside was lifting the logs that much higher to split them. You certainly made good progress for working alone.

That is the pro/con of these things. I remember seeing a stand built for one like this, but that meant picking up the splitter to sit on the stand.

Over the years, I got one of the daughters out helping me, just running the lever greatly helped. Once the wife saw that the youngest daughter did it and didn't mind, she agreed to help. The daughter got $20 and I wife got dinner out.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I admire you and prospecter's splitting production - I still split all mine with a splitting maul and wedges. Of course I only burn about 1 to 1.5 ricks per year

I started out splitting when we bought the place still have the maul and 2 steel wedges.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Been a long time since I heard anyone talk about ricks. My shoulders won't tolerate a maul and wedges anymore. I always have a few rounds that I split in half so I can load them on the splitter. And then wish I had just rolled them off a bank with the front loader.

I've picked some big stuff up over the years...do it enough, it'll hack up the lower back. It's like lifting people at work, you can't always follow the lift with your legs theory.

I see people with that **** that is like 3 & 4 feet across and tell myself, I hope they have fun with that ****.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Does the QC inspector choose his own wood or do you throw it for him, hoping he’ll return it close by?

He picks his own but I returned it to the pile last night when all was finished.

Since the all the wood comes from my parents place, he likes to sniff around every load that gets dumped out before it's split and stacked.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Finished stacking after supper last night. Got the blue security paint applied but still need to finish cleaning up the mess, mostly out of the driveway.


There was 2 rows left from last year so the current total is 10 rows, 8' long, about 5' tall.

Chords ? No idea but I stack it on landscape timbers and all but one is used...some how, I have an odd number.

 

[captain14]

How often do you find someone has “borrowed “ your fire wood to use at their place?