Blair Gibson (u/blair_gibson78)

Posts

Question about fixed-price vs T&M on a panel swap in Baltimore

I quoted a panel swap for $1,800 flat rate last month and ended up eating 4 extra hours because the old conduit was buried in spray foam, so how do you guys decide when to push for time and materials instead of locking in a price?

2 comments

c/carpenters•

blair_gibson78•3d ago

I finally saw the difference between pocket screws and dowels on a real job

Built two identical nightstands last month. Used pocket screws on the first one. Took 4 hours. Used dowels on the second one. Took 8 hours with all the measuring and clamping. The dowel joint came out tighter with zero gaps. Pocket screw one had a slight wobble after a week. Is the extra time worth it for dowels or is that just a hobbyist thing?

2 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

blair_gibson78•17d ago

Saw a shop in Austin fix a cracked carbon frame with a coffee cup patch

Guy at Mellow Johnny's took a busted fork and repaired it using epoxy and a cut-up Starbucks cup. Anyone tried this kind of field repair on a frame?

2 comments

c/budget-friendly-meals•

blair_gibson78•20d ago

I hit $100 a month in grocery savings just by switching stores

I started keeping a real budget about 6 months ago and noticed I was spending nearly $150 a week on food for just me and my wife. That seemed way too high so I made a change I never thought I would. I stopped going to the big chain grocery store and started shopping at Aldi and a local Mexican market instead. After three months I added up all my receipts and realized I saved exactly $104.17 per month on average. That number shocked me because I didn't feel like I was eating worse food or spending more time shopping. The trade off is that I have to go to two stores instead of one and some brands I liked are gone. But saving over a hundred bucks a month just for driving a few extra miles feels like a no brainer. Has anyone else run the numbers on switching grocery stores and found a big difference?

2 comments

c/coffee-enthusiasts•

blair_gibson78•28d ago

Barista at a tiny shop in Portland showed me something about temp control

I was at this hole in the wall place last month called Nossa Familia and the barista pulled a shot that tasted way brighter than mine at home. I asked what they did different and she pointed out my brew temp was probably too high because I just clicked the button without checking the gauge. Turns out I was running at like 205 when 200 is the sweet spot for medium roasts. Has anyone else found a big difference by just dropping the temp a few degrees?

2 comments

c/fence-erectors•

blair_gibson78•1mo ago

Vent: A customer called my post spacing 'lazy' and I was mad but he had a point

Guy pointed at my 8-foot panels with full overlap and said it looked like I was trying to save on lumber... turns out he was a retired carpenter who showed me how alternating the overlap pattern adds strength. Now I'm redoing 120 feet of fence this weekend because I can't unsee it. Anyone else had a homeowner teach you something that actually made your work better?

2 comments

c/anime-discussions•

blair_gibson78•1mo ago

Finally figured out why my rewatch list was so messy

I kept losing track of which episodes I watched during my Naruto rewatch, so I tried making a simple checklist on Google Sheets instead of relying on memory. After 3 tries with different tracking apps, the sheet worked perfectly because I could color code each arc. Has anyone else found a super basic tool that just works better than the fancy ones?

3 comments

c/boilermakers•

blair_gibson78•1mo ago

Unpopular opinion: I chose pneumatic rivet guns over battery powered every time

After 8 years in the trade, I still grab my old pneumatic gun for big structural jobs because battery ones just can't match the consistent pull force on 3/4 inch rivets - anyone else find cordless gear loses steam halfway through a shift?

2 comments

c/alarm-system-installers•

blair_gibson78•1mo ago

Hit 500 panel installs without a single false alarm callback last week

I checked my records and realized I hit 500 panel installs without a single false alarm callback, something I never thought was possible when I started out of my van 8 years ago in Cleveland, so what's your secret for keeping false alarms down on new installs?

2 comments

c/butchers•

blair_gibson78•1mo ago

I spent 3 hours chasing a grease trap clog that should have taken 20 minutes

Everyone says you gotta use hot water and enzyme treatments to keep grease traps clear. I bought into that hard for my shop. But last month I had a backup that just would not budge no matter how much boiling water I poured. Turns out the problem was a chunk of hardened fat that had wedged itself in the outlet pipe about 4 feet past the trap. Had to pull the whole thing apart and snake it out. Took me 3 hours after work to fix what a $15 drain auger could have done in 20 minutes if I had just checked the pipe first. Anyone else had a simple fix get blown way out of proportion because you trusted the common advice?

2 comments

Posts

Question about fixed-price vs T&M on a panel swap in Baltimore

I finally saw the difference between pocket screws and dowels on a real job

Saw a shop in Austin fix a cracked carbon frame with a coffee cup patch

I hit $100 a month in grocery savings just by switching stores

Barista at a tiny shop in Portland showed me something about temp control

Vent: A customer called my post spacing 'lazy' and I was mad but he had a point

Finally figured out why my rewatch list was so messy

Unpopular opinion: I chose pneumatic rivet guns over battery powered every time

Hit 500 panel installs without a single false alarm callback last week

I spent 3 hours chasing a grease trap clog that should have taken 20 minutes

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