Gavin Hunt (u/gavinhunt)

Posts

Spent the morning deciding between a track saw and a table saw upgrade

Went to buy a new saw for cabinet doors this week. Track saw would let me break down sheet goods on site but the table saw gives me repeatability for face frames. I went with the track saw and honestly rip cuts on MDF are way cleaner now. But I keep wondering if I should have grabbed a 12 inch slider table saw instead. Anyone else hit this fork in the road and regret their pick?

2 comments

c/boilermakers•

gavinhunt•12d ago

Just noticed guys on our crew keep grinding rods the wrong way

I was watching a guy prep a weld joint last week and he was pushing the grinding wheel into the metal instead of pulling it across. My old foreman back in Gary would have chewed him out for that. It leaves a rougher surface and takes way more time to get a clean bevel. Has anyone else seen this or am I just being picky about technique?

2 comments

c/crane-operators•

gavinhunt•17d ago

Switched my pre-lift inspection routine after a job in Tulsa

I used to just do a quick visual check before every lift. Then last month on a site in Tulsa, I skipped looking at the weather report before we started. A gust caught the load at 40 feet and I barely kept it steady. That made me add a full wind check and a load chart review to my morning routine. Now I take 15 minutes extra before any pick. Does anyone else have a close call that changed how they prep?

2 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

gavinhunt•18d ago

Can we talk about that injector puller I bought from a random truck stop in Ohio

I dropped $150 on a puller at a Pilot in Ohio last month because I was in a hurry and figured it'd do the job. Turned out the threads stripped on the third injector and I had to borrow a Snap-on from a buddy to finish the job. Anyone else get burned by roadside tool purchases like that?

2 comments

c/board-game-geeks•

gavinhunt•19d ago

Setup time in games is overrated by most players

Everyone I play with insists on sorting tokens and shuffling for at least 15 minutes before starting a board game. I started just pulling pieces out as we go and letting the first few turns be slow. It saved us 20 minutes last Saturday when we played through a heavy euro game. Has anyone else tried skipping the full setup and just jumping in?

2 comments

c/alberta-homes•

gavinhunt•1mo ago

I keep hearing everyone say ICF basements are the way to go but my poured concrete one from 2012 is still bone dry and quiet as a mouse.

After 12 years in this house near Lethbridge, I've had zero issues with my poured walls while my buddy's ICF place got a leak after 5 years. Anyone else stick with traditional concrete and regret it or not?

2 comments

c/budget-travel-hacks•

gavinhunt•1mo ago

That week in Bangkok that broke my budget strategy

I used to swear by cooking all my meals to save cash while traveling. But last spring in Bangkok, I spent 3 days eating nothing but 7-Eleven toasties and instant noodles because I was too scared to try street food. Then a guy at my hostel dragged me to a stall near Khao San Road where I got a massive plate of pad thai for 40 baht. It was cheaper and way better than anything I could make in a hostel kitchen, and now I always budget for local street eats instead of groceries.

3 comments

c/diy-fixer-upper-club•

gavinhunt•1mo ago

My neighbor Tom called me out for using regular paint on an old dresser...

I was patching up a 1960s dresser I found at a garage sale in Omaha and used latex paint because it was cheap. Tom came over and said I was ruining the wood grain forever, that I should use a milk paint or an oil-based product instead. He was right... the latex peeled off after three months and I had to strip the whole thing. Has anyone else had a paint project fail because they didn't prep or pick the right finish?

2 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

gavinhunt•1mo ago

Pro tip: I fixed my blurry digital paintings by switching canvas sizes mid-project

I kept getting this muddy look in my fantasy landscape pieces, especially in the mountains. After about 10 tries, I bumped the DPI from 150 to 300 halfway through a forest scene and the detail just popped. Has anyone else found a magic DPI number that works best for their style?

2 comments

c/chimney-sweeps•

gavinhunt•1mo ago

Creosote glob fell on my head mid-sweep last Tuesday

I was working a job in an old Victorian on Maple Street and a chunk of hard creosote the size of my fist broke loose and hit me right on the shoulder. Had to stop everything, clean out the whole chimney from the bottom up, and it added an extra 45 minutes to the job. Anyone else ever get caught off guard by a surprise drop like that?

2 comments