swt61

I had another Doctor's appointment Friday. Mostly to go over my blood pressure readings and to evaluate my machine against the Dr's. machine. After checking my home machine against theirs, it seems it's functioning just fine. My blood pressure log has been averaging about 155/90. Way better than before I went on medication, but still not where we want it to be. My Dr. has decided to add a beta blocker to my current meds, but only to be taken if my BP is above 130/80. One thing the nurses did was to check how I'm taking my BP, and it seems I wasn't doing it just right. It was determined that I should be resting my arm at a level even with my heart. And maybe even more importantly, I was taking my morning BP first thing after waking. They told me to wait an hour after taking my meds before taking my BP reading. Well, after making these two changes, my last 3 BP readings are as follows... 124/71, 127/74 & 129/61. All within my 130/80 goal. Now it's early on in this new routine, but it sure is making me feel good about achieving this BP goal. My Dad had Hypertension, to the point where he was often bright Red in the face. He had Congestive Heart disease, diabetes and probably some other issues. Also he was a lifetime smoker. So my own health has always been a question for me. With my A1C below 7, my blood sugar testing well, the diabetes is under control. My cholesterol is normal. I have an appointment for an EKG in two weeks. If the EKG shows no worrisome issues, then I'll be feeling really good about all of this. I'm also down 30 lbs. from when I first discovered my health issues a few years ago. Assuming that this coming 61st. birthday is not spent puking in the toilet all day, due to Vertigo, my 60's are not looking as gloomy as I worried they might be. It's a crap shoot, as my Father's family all died pretty young (mostly in their 50's and 60's). But my Mother's side have lifespans like golopagos tortoises.

One may be the loneliest number, but Eli's comin', so hide your heart girl.

The Ridge is a very good blade. The Forrest is the best blade I've personally ever used. I just don't buy them, because inevitably when I have my saw set up at a jobsite, some yahoo will cut something without asking, and many times they cut through a nail or screw. If I had a Forrest blade on the saw, I'd probably go to jail for manslaughter. With a Freud blade, I don't really sweat it.

BTW, Bourbon Moth guy says he only buys Forrest flat grind blades for everything. Seeing the cuts he's getting even on plywood, I'd have to agree with his choice. Normally a beveled grind blade scores before it cuts, leaving a very clean edge. But the flat grind Forrest blade leaves just as smooth a cut. The benefits of a flat grind blade are many. A few of them are much smoother datos and half lap joints, but there are others. Not having to change out blades all the time would be a big time saver. These don't really make sense as a jobsite blade, because I trash a blade within a month, and the Forrest are expensive. But in a shop setting I'm convinced its the blade to use. Also, a lifetime of free sharpening. You just pay postage, and send the blades to Forrest whenever needed. I think Doug has already made this determination.

In a perfect world.

Next you're going to tell me climate change is real.

You know what they say about 'assume'.

I like to keep a few big suckers around too!

Not here as your dictionary are we. Just realized that sounded like Yoda.

The light those put out is amazing. Pretty good color too.

Hope you have a phenomenal day!

It allows you to stop your blade at any depth. Which makes it easy to do half lap joints, rabbit joints, datos and such at the chop saw.

You need a Festool. The trenching feature alone is very worthwhile. I attach the gate as a unit, with two hinges on each side. Then I cut the top 2x4 and bottom 2x4 of the gate frame, right in the middle, where I have left the 1/8" space.

I almost missed this one. Have an amazing day. The weather sure was cooperative.

Then I align the front, apply the hinges, and use a sawzall to cut the top and bottom 2x4s right in that tiny 1/8" gap. That way everything stays aligned perfectly once you cut the two sections apart. It took me a few years to figure this out, so I thought I'd pass it along.

Thought I'd share a little tip since I'm building and installing double gates on a trash can container. So I'm building a large bin to hold trash and recycling containers, as well as loose cardboard. This is for a bookstore we're building for a repeat client. I always get annoyed when two gates don't line up perfectly. And installing two gates and getting them to line up can be a pita, especially if your working alone. So some years back I developed a better way to do this. First I build the bin, then take the measurements for the opening where the two gates will live. Then I build the two gates as one unit. I make the top frame and bottom frame full length. I put in my rail supports, and leave a strong 1/8" between the middle rails. I've already started cladding the gate frame with reclaimed lumber, but you can see the small gap in between I'm referring to. After cladding the gates, I then set the gate assembly in place using shims at the bottom to ensure each side is level with the top of the bin walls.

Archive 81

I can taste again after days of fighting a cold. Bacon, tomato, avocado and cheese omelet. Crispy, homemade hash browns, toast and an Earl Beige.

Yeah, not sure why so many woodworkers are wanna be stand-ups, but if the work is good I can overlook the bad humor. His work is pretty damned good.

As Al stated, I like KV. I've used them for 40 years or better and have had no issues. They make an undermount glide that IMO is a quality unit. https://www.cabinetparts.com/p/knape-and-vogt-drawer-slides-undermount-drawer-slides-KVMUVHDB27-p29674?gclid=Cj0KCQiAoY-PBhCNARIsABcz771LxncWljnBQEOzIxrRTzbrduGTPDsdskITdRUcCNQKdZYdcpOb5FAaAv51EALw_wcB

Brings back memories of putting woodscrews through my Cannondale Red Shred mountain bike tires, back in the 80's. I'd pick screws that were about 1/2" long, then screw them through the knobs of the tires, then put in a protective liner, then the tube. Worked great, with the added bonus of texturing your slippery, icy walkways.

I've used much of the Amazon Basics hardware lately, including doorknobs and deadbolts. I've been really happy with the quality. They are a bargain price, but even more important, they just work well. On the other hand, I've had nothing but problems with the uber expensive Emtek shit that the posers love to buy and namedrop. Baldwin is my fave, but these Amazon Basics are damned good for the $. On a different note, I've discovered a few new YouTube woodworkers worth watching. Bourbon Moth Woodworking and KJ Sawdust. BTW, The real Blum hardware is also excellent. The Bourbon Moth guy has some good tips on easy installation of their bottom mount drawer guides

It will always be one of my favorite drum solos, but as Antonio stated, it's nearly a perfect song. I turn it up every time I hear it.

Have an amazing day, filled with bacon, burgers and diet coke!

Now you're talking like a true wood-o-phile!