Just remember Rick, you know our friend George doesn't have the bad sense, he has the good kind of Common Cents...…… now me on the other hand …….. See Bwahahahahahaha
If common sense is so common, why is it so rare? BTW, it is 14 degrees below zero here, right now. And, in Minnesota, we consider two feet of snow a light dusting. Doug
We had another bean counter that said our 757 crew was just sitting around reading newspapers and gave his report to our manager. The manager came down to chew out our supervisor and saw us still sitting. Then he released we were looking at blueprints and not newspapers. We never saw the bean counter again. Joe
Reminds me of a story my grandfather told me. At his first job as an intern engineer (co-op student), his boss handed him a beaker with no markings or graduations, and told him to find out how much liquid it would hold. So my grandfather took it back to his desk, borrowed some measuring instruments, and proceeded to calculate the capacity of the beaker. When he took his answer to his boss, his boss took the beaker into the lab, filled it from the tap, and poured it out into a graduated beaker. "Yep! That's 'bout right."
A very wise man once said. “Common sense is commonly uncommon.” His name and face is known to most, and he lived 250 years ago... Ben Franklin.
Saturday morning and this is what I woke up to. Can't handle a wee bit of snow. So much for a California made canopy. Glad the layout wasn't under it. Did you ever wonder what $125.00 can buy you? This is what you get for $125.00. At about 4:00 a.m. this morning I went out and danced the snow off of it. That was about three inches worth. At about four inches, that's the straw that broke the camels back. The results are obvious, as you can see in the picture. The joints in the center pole gave out and down she came. Guessing, no BETTING they were made in China. Will I replace it? Not likely. Overall we have about six inches of accumulated snow on the ground. Hardly worth talking about as the Minnesota Kid pointed out. If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. Sigh! I've got to get some and get me warmed up inside. No big deal. I didn't expect it to last this long. Most of my outdoor work is all but completed. Later!!
Rick I've been following your thread. I can relate to your statements about crawling under the layout and restroom issues. My knees aren't what they used to be and I need to stay well hydrated per my cardiologist. I know my layout is much smaller than yours, and not on permanent legs. Just by dumb luck I came up with a way to hold it on edge while wiring. Hey even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while! My bathroom is about 6ft away. I just wanted you to know I was thinking about your experiences and filing them away in case I ever try to convince my self to build a larger layout in the cellar.
Thanks for the comeback. My bathroom is about 23 feet away. I've considered getting an extension cord uhh...err hose with a sump pump. Not to worry. I built this monster when I was younger and considerably more capable. After getting the layout here and into the house. If I had been willing to look down the road and prep the wires while it was still on it's side. A better idea, for sure. No doubt that would have worked saved me some aches and pains. I can do most things from topside. The job of stripping the wire's, the ones I can get to is almost done. Getting under the table will be the troublesome part. Again, don't worry. I'll get through it. There's no more football to watch so I won't be as easily distracted. My neighbor isn't out running around in a Bikini, tooo cold for that. Again I won't be as easily distracted. My colony of four pawed feline friends are finally figuring things out. No real distraction other then they like the attention they can get. I'll get'er done. The train layout not the neighbor. Do you have a better understanding? I will apply Common Sense, Wiring Sense, and George's Penny Cents to get the job done. I've been looking at wire strippers. A friend of mine who managed and engineered things at a cable company has one that actually removes the insulation as part of the process. As soon as the snow clears and the roads melt off I'll be headed off to True Value. If I can't find what I want there I can go to Lowe's, Home Depot and/or Harbor Freight. There is an Idaho Tool Store and Grover's Electrical so as soon as ZZZZZ Biden poops out the stimulus checks. I'll have the financial surplus to get the job done. Oh, in the sentence prior to the last one...... spelling back there is exactly what I meant to say. These smilie faces say things I can't say. I have to agree they can be over done at times. I'll talk to management and see if they share the same opinion and see if I can get permission to confront the author that uses them. Do you think that will work?
I don't know about the smiley faces. I probably use to many " ", and ; and . . . in my sentences. Somewhere I have two Ideal strippers that remove the insulation. I mostly use these Valco's for modeling. They fit nicely in my shallow bench drawer or on my bench organizer.
I'd suggest one of the K L E I N wire strippers for under $20 that Home Depot should have in stock. True Value might have them in stock, but their website seems to indicate that they are ship-to-store items that would have to be special ordered. (Had to spell out the name of the wire stripper's manufacturer that way, otherwise the bot that TrainBoard employs to censor any mention of a certain hobby e-tailer in MD - which purely coincidentally has the same name - will throw a fit.)
I have a Self-Adjusting Wire Stripping Tool that I've had for more years then I can remember. I dont know what brand they are....the name has worn off the handles eons ago...lol. Invaluable tool IMHO.
The electrician's wire strippers. Not the ones in the men's only club's scattered about. Humm. Those aren't just for men anymore. As to your wire strippers, this is exactly what I'm using. Nice shot, great illustration. "And, and", see there you aren't the only one.
I'll look into the "K L E I N wire strippers for under $20". Yep, TB can be a bit touchy about some things. Keeps everything friendly and family orientated.
The K-brand tool has a series of slots, each one for a specific gauge of wire. If you go to buy one, make sure it covers the range of wire sizes you'll be working with. The one shown below handles 16-26 gauge wire. (Had to use an eBay image because the URLs from the various tool retailer sites all contain the dreaded K-word. Stupid bot that can't tell the difference. )
Those old tools are the best tools. Well, son in law came by looked at the canopy and said we will get that back up. We'll use some galvanized pipes and get it back up. Good News. Never mind the good news out of Washington D.C. Yes, Yes, Yes!!!!!! Say what? Really! Yes.
I have no idea. I can only take so much good news in one day before my brain frizz's out. One thing I do know the Diem's Love all that tax money and want it paid on time. Just think-in out loud. Son in law, was impressed with what I've done so far with the layout. Offering to help me put in a door between the kitchen and train room. That will keep the cat's out of there at night. I do like good news.
That bites about the canopy Rick. Maybe you could replace any of the damaged poles with PVC pipe. Not as expensive and maybe even a little stronger than the factory tubing that came with it. Just a thought.
