Been busy the last several weeks moving everything out of the shop tent and into the shop pod, and consolidating where some of my stuff has been in my others sheds into here. Drug out all my axes and knives and realized I may have a problem. Still lots of reorganizing to do, and a few things I don’t use much had to go back into the storage shed, but we’re getting there. #DIY #Tools #ToolPorn #SkilledTrades #ShopPod #Axes #AxeJunkie

Well, we had a hellacious wind and rain storm Wednesday that claimed an entire side of my shop tent. I dragged out the biggest tarp I had on hand and it wasn’t long enough, and I knew then I was about to begin an endless fight. I knew it needed replacing, and I’ve been looking for the right deal on either a container or an enclosed trailer, but it was now or an endless stream of fighting tarps and having wet tools. After I checked the weather and saw I had about a week of good weather, I jumped on Facebook marketplace and came across a guy selling PackRat mobile storage units. He had 8x12’s with plastic roofs listed for $1000 for pickup. I struck a time and me and Evan headed down this afternoon. Get down there and the only 8x12 he’s got available has a busted door, a problem I don’t have time for. BUT, all was not lost, as he had an 8x16, freshly repainted, with a metal roof, for $1500. SOLD. Strapped it down and took the backroads home, cause with all that wind resistance my old IDI could barely maintain 55 lol. We got her home, and between the 12k winch on the trailer and the 9k on the pathfinder we managed to get her down off the trailer rather gently. More to come. #DIY #SkilledTrades #Handyman #Trucks #TruggaDugga #Tools #GrowNostr

So the $100 swingset I bought the youngins for Xmas had a a rotted A-Frame. Knew such at time of purchase but knew it would hold out till I could make a better one. Weeeellllllllll, my boy got hold to a 20ft stick of 4” x 4” 1/4” wall tubing. Welded with 7018. Scavenged baseplates from a scale install served as the covers for the ends and the feet, and also the bracketry up to. Used 1/2” pins and washers scavenged from another scale job. Then painted with whatever spray paint I could get to spray from my stash (it was pretty cool yesterday). All in, we have maybe $10 between the welding rod, flux core wire used to tack it, and the R-pins used to secure the 1/2” pins. This A-Frame may well outlive my grandkids. Stay tuned for possible gantry crane upgrades lol #Welding #Fabrication #SkilledTrades #DIY #Handyman #HotRodLincoln #Tools

Been nose on the grindstone recently. Totally reorganizing my work for the scale company (inherited it with a shitty plywood box in the back…don’t get me started). Also set up my weight cart to carry cleaning supplies now, using a couple self tappers and a Toughbuilt Cliptech pouch lol. I said last year, when I started this gig, that I kind of count it as a trade but I wasn’t getting the tradesman vibe from most of my coworkers, and that has only continued to prove true. As I’ve learned what we are actually expected to do vs what they do, it was very silly of me to think I could snag this job, keep my head down and just be the reliable quiet employee that neither gets the spotlight nor gets the paddle…I can’t lower myself to the level of shortcut taking these guys have been and continue to do, it’s wild. #Handyman #WeighBetter #Tools #SkilledTrades #GrowNostr

Traded a scrap engine for a trailer the other day. Took my buddy’s service truck instead of mine causes he’s got a better crane, making moving the 70’s era 318 and transmission far easier to move. Get up there, offload the engine, and realized we hadn’t brought a hitch…good thing we were in a service truck lol. Managed to improvise a hitch good enough to get us down the road to the Northern Tool….at a max of 25mph lol

Built some 2” pipe handrails for the side hustle today, and realized I was kind of tired of my cheap apron just swinging all around at the bottom. Got home, got supper and put the youngins and wife to bed, now I’m up after cutting and stitching on my apron to turn it into a split leg style and make the pockets more functional lol And yes, I’m in the floor in my kitchen. #Handyman #Leather #DIY #SkilledTrades #Welding #ToolsOfTheTrades #Insomniac #GrowNostr

My wife was on a podcast a while back, the episode just came out a couple weeks ago. Thought I’d share it here. PS: there’s actually quite a bit edited out of this episode, like the fact we cut contact with my mom and had to move a couple months prior to my dad passing, and that in December after my first daughter was born I had to have my Australian shepherd, who had been with me for almost exactly a decade, put down.

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The ol #TruggaDugga got to earn its keep yesterday, and I got to practice with that ol hot rod Lincoln we mounted. Probably the first time I’ve melted a stick in 10 years or better. Took a couple tips from my boy Evan and I was back to laying decent beads. #SkilledTrades #Handyman #ServiceTruck #FiatMiner #MobileWelding

Been a hot, busy, productive day. Me and my boy Evan got some shit done on the #TruggaDugga today, ready to start making some of that sweet, sweet side money. #SkilledTrades #Hustle #DIY #GrowNostr