If it ain’t broke, don’t break it

Tweaking your home, business and workshop.

Nov 20, 2024

Temp: Currently 72 degrees. High of 76 today with rain.
Humidity: 4 on the “Soup” scale. (1=light broth, 5=thick chowder)
Today’s Playlist: Bad Rock Radio via TuneIn.
Conditions: Rainy cold front moving in. Our Autumn is here with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s for the next few days.
Estimated Travel Time: 20 seconds
Food: Toast with peanut butter and a banana for breakfast…for supper? A pot of chili was made yesterday. It ought to be “right” today.
Coffee Level: 1/8 Tank

On the Workbench…

Readying the fireplaces (our 100 year-old home has two) and gathering firewood to build cozy fires over the next few days. My favorite time of year!

Holiday orders are rolling in, albeit a bit slower this year. A relatively late Thanksgiving will shorten the buying season, somewhat. Still, order early if you want my work by Christmas.

Scroll down to see the “Sneak Peek” slide-show of this week’s output.

…and we had visitors…

If it ain’t broke, don’t break it

Humans naturally want to improve their lives and make things easier to deal with. For the sake of convenience and speed, we amass an amazing amount of stuff. Much of it, we now consider necessary and would be hard pressed to do without.

It is easy to take for granted the daily use of things that didn’t even exist 50 to 100 years ago. Try going a few days after a major storm without electricity, cell coverage and internet. Or cooking everything (whatever is thawing out fastest) in the rain, on a grill that you have to find fuel for. Even a cup of coffee can be a production.

I am not a gadget or tool aficionado, but it runs in my family of friends. I lean towards the hoarding of hardware, containers and exotic woods for future use. I have coffee cans full of screws, nuts, bolts and parts for a variety of fix-ups. Veneers of Carpathian elm and Eucalyptus have been waiting a while for their turn to show off.

Home Improvements

Go easy on stuff! Most of the time, there is no good reason to slam a door, drop a chest freezer door or bang a window at greedy squirrels at the bird feeder. They come back every time (been there).

These days, stoves, refrigerators, air-conditioners, communications, etc., are essential. They are investments to make our lives easier, safer and more comfortable. Just 100 years ago these were luxuries available to only the rich. But, they don’t last forever. When one fails, we research and replace them with the best we can afford. Because it is just the two of us (and 3 cats), we don’t need the biggest, baddest or “smartest” features. Colors aren’t exclusionary, although a chartreuse stove may be a deal breaker.

Appliances and tools have personalities and can be temperamental. In our home, we find ourselves humanizing systems by saying “excuse me” when bumping into a vacuum cleaner or “Stop It!” when the lid on the washing machine snaps its jaws closed while unloading. They seem to operate better with a little respect and a firm hand. We’re not quite at the point of naming them, though.

Eventually rough treatment will cause things to fail quicker than they ordinarily would. Hinges wear and locks fail. Fan motors will heat up and quit when they can’t breathe. So, replace those filters. Clean those fan blades. Defrost that fridge. They will thank you by lasting a little longer. Hit that window wrong and you will have glass all over the patio and a $1000.00 glazier bill.

Second-hand stores are our go-to when anything needs replacing. We live in an area with a huge turnover of people. Snow birds escaping blizzards. Transient construction workers, determined to replace our orange groves. Families that had no idea that Florida was so frigging hot and humid 6 months a year. Natural attrition (death)... So, there is always a new load of stuff coming through the thrift stores.

Replacing or repairing does not get any cheaper with time. When estimating costs, my mind gets stuck in the pricing from the 90s. I recently got some estimates for work and was floored at how much they differed from my brain price. Working from home, you will find that you can tackle a lot of jobs that most people hire out for and save a lot of money. YouTube will teach you just about anything you are curious about.

On the plus side, technology is actually cheaper now. A $200.00 TV was $2,000.00 ten years ago. Computers are faster, safer and cheaper than then, too.

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Tools

When I first decided to resurrect my name carving business in 2008, I was doing so on a limited budget and hunted garage sales, Ebay and flea markets for used tools that I thought I needed.

Since this was initially a side gig to my “real” job at the paper mill, the sales profits from online selling went to replenishing and upgrading tools and woods. A self-supporting hobby.

Some of those early purchases have surprised me. A used Ryobi table saw that I picked up for $50 is still being used daily. A 40 year old Craftsman bandsaw is just as strong as it was 39 years ago. The Hegner scroll saw, that I traded work for 12 years ago, is easily my busiest tool in the shop.

High-speed motors, like on routers, vacuums or sanders, have an undisclosed expiration date. The factory gnomes have pre-set your tool to fail at the most inconvenient time (and they are not telling when). I always buy these new, to start their clock fresh in my shop.

One destructive tendency I have is to over-tighten screws, clamps and bolts. Once stripped, the threads need to be redone (if you can machine them yourself) or the part needs to be replaced (if you can find it). This wastes time and can completely stop production if it is on a regularly used piece of equipment.

Parts are available for most older machines, though they can be hard to find and pricey. You might consider replacement over fixing up an old tool, once you add up parts you’ll need to be serviceable again. When replacing worn parts, always use those that are compatible and maintain the safety features of that tool. Alterations can be deadly.

My heaviest dust makers are always run simultaneously with dust collection (shop vac). Keeping the dust at bay reduces fire hazards, improves air quality and keeps machines happy. I dare say I get at least 50% more life out of a tool that has been run cleanly with a vacuum.

I use inexpensive, benchtop sanders for shaping and sanding my chopsticks and keychains. I do not place heavy loads on them. I usually buy these new and run them at least 2 to 6 hours a day. They last about 4 or 5 years.

Remember that sparks ignite. If you regularly use your sanders to sharpen or grind metal, TURN OFF the vac system or it may go BOOM.

I use tools until they fail mechanically or until I smell electrical pixies sending up smoke signals.

Workshop

My work shed is comfortable to me. It may not win any “Prettiest” awards, but I know where stuff can be found and the 40 year old roof is still keeping most weather out. Things get attended to on an as-needed basis. The newts that hang around have a pool on whether the shop or I will win the race of time.

Dreams of rebuilding always get outweighed by something else that we need to take care of first. One day perhaps…

Online Store

Whether you sell on Etsy, Ebay or your own website, there is always something that needs to be fixed. You can improve your photos, search engine optimization (SEO), descriptions, about page, etc.

Just be careful when editing a successful listing. The reason it is doing good is that you have hit upon the right combinations. Instead, try to find out its secret and apply it to your other, not-so-successful listings.

Shoppers love to see that your branding is up to date and attended to on a daily basis. I post something on my verified DustyNewt Facebook page just about every day. This drives traffic to my Etsy shop. I currently have a following of over 1,400 and would love to see you there.