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Cordless iron

Ogg

Skiing the powder
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Jun 3, 2017
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3,484
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Long Island, NY
That wasn't storage. That was the wall on which I was working and those were the tools I'd been using to repair it. The outside material started to rot so I pulled it off. Turns out the studs and parts of the plate and sub floor were pretty nasty too.
View attachment 174784 View attachment 174785
Pffft, some flashing and a tube or two of caulk and you're good as new. :roflmao:
It's amazing how much damage a little water infiltration can do.

Clients house: I was there to build a deck and had to move the hose bib up about a foot. When I pulled off the siding I noticed the sheathing was wet. By the time I was done "opening things up" to assess the damage this is what I discovered. Sheathing and framing on top and right side of the window had dissolved into soil. The only reason it was holding together was the durock, thinset and tile on the other side of the wall. The client had been wondering why they were getting bits of dirt in their shower.
IMG_1687.jpg
 
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KingGrump

Most Interesting Man In The World
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Pffft, some flashing and a tube or two of caulk and you're good as new. :roflmao:
It's amazing how much damage a little water infiltration can do.

Clients house: I was there to build a deck and had to move the hose bib up about a foot. When I pulled off the siding I noticed the sheathing was wet. By the time I was done "opening things up" to assess the damage this is what I discovered. Sheathing and framing on top and right side of the window had dissolved into soil. The only reason it was holding together was the durock, thinset and tile on the other side of the wall. The client had been wondering why they were getting bits of dirt in their shower.
View attachment 174787

The devil is in the flashing details. Improper execution of flashing details bought down the residential EIFS market.
The commercial market was not affected since flashing details are designed/specified by A/E and inspected in the field.
 
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James

Out There
Instructor
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Dec 2, 2015
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Well Europe’s a big place skiing wise. But yes, many things available. In the US there’s rentals and demos, with demos being current model. They don’t seem to call them demos there, just different levels. Not always current year, depends. Cheaper than US.

I think some places use large firms that have a 2 year rotation of product. There’s a big Swiss one, Intersport? Forget the name.

As for tuning, the worst I’ve had has been in Europe. They might touch them up, or ruin them, once every week. Or month. Who knows. This season I tried to pay the shop to grind my skis, but instead I just insulted the owner.

Ski shops seem to be the same the world over, customer generally viewed as a clueless moron. I’ve skied with people who hold the pole at the bottom of the grip they’re so long, and the shop basically refused to give them shorter because they were the right ones. Some things aren’t worth the argument.
 

KingGrump

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Remembering I'm still using an electric drill I bought around 1985. About 10 years ago a radial saw I got from my father than he bought in the 1970s finally gave up. We are not heavy users by any means, but still, those things saw some action. Both corded of course. Both Skil brand - not sure if that's any good anymore.

Nothing wrong with corded tools. Even though it's not as cool as the latest and greatest battery powered offerings.

If the drill was a good drill back the. It would still be a good drill today. Not much had changed with corded drill. Best way to tell is to flex the power cord. if it is soft and supple then it's a good one. If it's hard and brittle then it's probably a consumer model. Even a consumer should still be good.

My favorite drill for roto-brushing is a 30 yrs old Bosch 3/8" cord drill. Inline grip, trigger lock and tops out at 2,300 rpm. Great when there are 20 to 30 pairs of skis to wax.

Radial arm saw. That is definitely a blast from the past. Not many around anymore. Most has been replaced by the 12" sliders. They can be very useful but dangerous if not set up and used properly. Their propensity to climb cut and kick back have caught many inexperience users totally unaware. With bad endings. You can google "what is wrong with radial arm saws.
 

KingGrump

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And that further begs the question: should an average skier, who skis 1-2 weeks a year, buy top of the line skis, clothing, tuning equipment, boots, and other gear?

If I was to ski only couple week per year. I would still own my own gear just to stay off the rental line.
Good fitting boots is a must. The rest are negotiable.

Tuning wise for 1 or 2 pairs of ski. Throw it in the shop and pay them to make things right.
If shop tune is not acceptable for some reason and still insist the DIY path. I would go with the following listed items.
  • 200 grit diamond stone.
  • 100 mm first cut file.
  • 100 mm panzer file.
  • 3° side edge file guide.
  • A popsicle stick, tongue depressor or emery board.
  • Small spring clamp.
That is all I need to tune couple pairs of skis. Anymore is just unnecessary complication for tuning at that level.

Waxing set up would even be simpler.
  • Bar of wax.
  • Piece of cork.
  • Piece of Scotchbrite.
Done.

Let go skiing.
 

Swiss Toni

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Aug 26, 2016
Posts
586
Well Europe’s a big place skiing wise. But yes, many things available. In the US there’s rentals and demos, with demos being current model. They don’t seem to call them demos there, just different levels. Not always current year, depends. Cheaper than US.
In Europe we call demo skis test skis, some resorts have dedicated test ski centers where you can try out skis from several brands, there is one at Trockener Steg above Zermatt. Some ski shops away from the ski areas organize all-inclusive ski test weekends during November. The skis are the latest models as the aim is to get people to buy.

I think some places use large firms that have a 2 year rotation of product. There’s a big Swiss one, Intersport? Forget the name.
Intersport is a brand management and purchasing company headquartered in Bern Switzerland it has 5400 affiliated sports retailers in 42 countries and has a turnover of over 10 billion euros. They have an online booking service called INTERSPORT Rent that has 800 affiliated ski shops. There are other outfits that provide the same sort of service, but Intersport is probably the biggest.

As for tuning, the worst I’ve had has been in Europe. They might touch them up, or ruin them, once every week. Or month. Who knows. This season I tried to pay the shop to grind my skis, but instead I just insulted the owner.
Didn’t you take them to shops in French speaking resorts? What were you expecting? Ski shops in the Alps generally don’t tune skis, they service them. This involves putting them in one end of a machine and taking them out at the other end. All sorts of mysterious things happen as the skis pass through the machine. If you want to have your skis tuned by a shop you need to find one that provides a proper racing service.

Ski shops seem to be the same the world over, customer generally viewed as a clueless moron. I’ve skied with people who hold the pole at the bottom of the grip they’re so long, and the shop basically refused to give them shorter because they were the right ones. Some things aren’t worth the argument.
Many customers are pretty clueless, but so are a lot of the people who work in the shops. Resort ski shop work is for the most part poorly paid seasonal work with unsocial hours so you can’t expect much. If the shop refused to give them poles in the length they wanted why didn’t they rent from another shop?
 

KingGrump

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Didn’t you take them to shops in French speaking resorts? What were you expecting? Ski shops in the Alps generally don’t tune skis, they service them. This involves putting them in one end of a machine and taking them out at the other end. All sorts of mysterious things happen as the skis pass through the machine. If you want to have your skis tuned by a shop you need to find one that provides a proper racing service.

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:
 

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