"Dirty Jobs"

 "Dirty Jobs" 

Modern life, though clean and seemingly orderly, is made possible because there are folks out there who do the "Dirty Jobs" for us.  They are not to be condescended upon.  We do some of the  "Dirty Jobs" ourselves or we pay others to do them for us. But first, would you like to know what this is?

Mike Rowe has this popular cable TV show, "Dirty Jobs", where he focuses  on men and women who perform these "Dirty Jobs" as homage to these folks who are often taken for granted and whom we prefer to be unseen or unheard from until we need them. Mike Rowe, a college educated, trained opera singer, made it his middle-age mission to focus the spotlight on those from whom we all depend on - to do the "Dirty Jobs" for us.

I tip these folks generously when they come to do something in our household and I can speak for what it takes to do what they do because I have done some of them.  The pandemic, if one must look for a silver lining, has presented us with opportunities to do some of these "Dirty Jobs"  ourselves.

Next four photos show the diversity of these "Dirty Jobs".  One, a mysterious jumble of parts. Those are the ones we do not see under the sink.  Not too long ago I undertook the challenge to change the faucets (two sets, one for each sink) in our main bathroom.  My wife would have preferred that we hire a plumber as we had done more than a few times before. She was actually right and she knew, being the keeper of the treasury, that at this point in our life we  can afford to pay those who will do the "Dirty Jobs"; plus there is a bit of discretionary funds from cancelled and/or postponed trips and cruises . So there is budgetary headroom, so to speak. But it was not about saving money but the challenge that I can still do them.  I had twice replaced toilet bowls before. She would remind me every time I bring that up that that was over twenty years ago.  But - I have tools begging to join me in the challenge.  "We" did it!  Later on the result.

I always skip having whole fish cleaned at the store (though it's free) because I have sharp friends at home always willing to step out of their stands at the kitchen counter ready to slice and dice. These "Dirty Jobs" I do willingly with pleasure (not kidding).

Below is one "Dirty Job" I will definitely not do.  Roofs and top of tall ladders are now forbidden places for me. I used to but as my wife would say, those days were decades ago. And this one required a professional to leak-proof the chimney.  We never think about these folks until our ceilings get water marks or worst, they just simply give way to indoor water falls.  This fellow made sure it didn't happen again - during and after hurricane Ike.

Just a month ago, my wife's dream of renovating the shower in our bathroom came true. We paid dearly for the "Dirty Job" below.  Finished photo later of what is a "senior-living compliant" shower.  This is a Master plumber's job. The mess lasted for two weeks.

Now, I get a chance to do woodworking with one "Dirty Job" of my own. Again, thanks to some discretionary funds, our 30 year old cooktop can be retired. It was already 15 years old when we acquired the house 15 years ago.  It still worked but it needed to be retired. One problem, however. The 45 inch single piece "wing span" is no longer made by the manufacturer. But the counter top cut out is still going to be there. Now, the manufacturer in its infinite wisdom, makes a 30 inch cooktop and a 15 inch accessory cooktop to complement it. Awesome! Except, each of them required their own dedicated 220-240 volt power source.  Two "Dirty Jobs": cabinet work to properly bridge the two pieces and an electrician to run the extra 220 line (in addition to the existing one already in place). I convinced my wife I can do the cabinet work, half of the "Dirty Job".

 

First, the "Dirty Job" of removing the old cook top by myself. I removed as many removable pieces I could, then gingerly lifted what remained without damaging the counter top.  Piece of cake, except it took me the entire day.  Because I didn't install it, I had no idea about hidden clips that kept the  thing from budging.  Once the clips were discovered, it was a piece of cake (but NOT exactly weightless).

The manufacturer provided this metal bridge. Nope, I was not going to use it.  There was a better way that had several times more degrees of difficulty. I opted for the difficult option, although it took me another day just to figure out how to make it even more difficult.  The woodworking tools at the workshop wanted it so.

There are some tips in the following photos for anyone willing to do his/her own dirty job. But later, "the proof of the pudding is in the cooking" as I brag a little bit about my newly acquired cooking prowess.

This might seem an unimportant detail in the construction but make note. The base of the bridge is spaced between two pieces to make a long slot.  The top with the white laminate has a  bottom "keel" that is equivalent to the thickness of the slot. The "keel" allows for a perfect fit into the slot, without a need for any fastener to hold it in place.

I used a white laminate on the surface of the bridge to match the counter top. The finished  dimensions allowed only for about 1/8 inch of clearance all around for the cooktops to sit, no clips needed, custom fit, snug and tight.

I installed the 15 inch griddle before calling the electrician.  His per hour rate made it look like I was hiring a surgeon.  There's Jeff, the electrician, below. He had to run the extra wires from across the farthest corner of the house where the main breaker box is, through the attic, down by the side of the kitchen to behind the cabinet. A whale of a "Dirty Job". He was worth his hourly rate though.

There it is - a 13 X 14 inch 3/8 in. thick stainless steel, polished to a mirror finish. I thought it was much too frivolously designed until I used it.  It quickly became my favorite pet at the kitchen.

And, as I planned it (now I can talk), the finished project is like the whole thing was an original installation all along.

"The proof of the pudding is in the cooking" (should be "in the eating", but..).  Manufacturer lists the recommended settings.  With no time to spare, the project was finished just five days before our 49th Wedding Anniversary, so I needed to know how to cook with this thing.  I practiced.

Allow me to brag because my share of the dirty jobs was worth every morsel with the first try out.

 

SPAM, the canned goods that help saved Europe and the Far East during WWII, is celebrated yearly for one day by Honolulu's hotels  as SPAM day.  Once in a while I celebrate it for breakfast.  SPAM and eggs and fried rice. And don't laugh, McDonald's will soon have a SPAM burger at a food court near you. 

The Japanese style griddle cooking (as in Benihana restaurants) uses large cast steel with gas burner underneath the center. The chef actually  uses just a small area (center) to cook and set aside other portions for warming or preparatory cooking on the sides. 

Anniversary dinner !!! Covid 19 induced stay-at-home dinner.

So far, I used the standard cooktop only twice.  I will soon get tired of the griddle.  Not!

One more thing. A recurring "Dirty Job" follows every griddle cooking.  The clean up. Unbelievably easy as pie, although I did not believe it at first. Per instruction, set griddle to medium, pour a bit of warm water, scrape with non-metal spatula and non-abrasive sponge (absolutely no scouring pads, steel wool or any cleanser) and wipe clean with micro fiber cloth.  A trough in front catches the messy stuff for removal later when it is safely cool to do so. That's it.

By the way, stainless steel cookware (a great and much cheaper alternative to this griddle) is gaining popularity.  Check them out on YouTube.

Now to the sink "Dirty Jobs". My first and last attempt at this "Dirty Job". Unbeknownst to my wife I was razor's edge close to calling the plumber by late in the day.  Seat cushions and a pillow saved the day.  The only way I was able to stay on my back under the sink. Two sinks, remember.

Now, for all the senior readers.  I read that an alternative to moving to senior living, as in subdivisions designed with "senior amenities" is to do a little bit at a time at your present home without having to move (if you love your own place now). In fact, there are more businesses now catering to exactly that.

Another "Dirty Job".  Two weeks to complete.  It cost more than a two-week cruise, for two, to Alaska. But the "Dirty Job" was done masterfully. The tip was indeed generous.

The threshold from the old configuration was removed making the shower and bathroom floors at the same level (flush with each other) for obvious mobility and safety considerations.

My contribution to the "Dirty Job" here is shown below. I found a company online that caters to all kinds of senior living accessories. They make this "collapsible" rubber threshold that effectively keeps excess water from flowing over to the outside floor.  And it collapses under the weight of the wheel chair.  Mind you, we're not there (yet) but who knows when the wheelchair becomes necessary down the road.  Hopefully, not for a very long time.

I purchased the threshold, cut it to the precise length, applied the supplied epoxy and finished it off with silicone sealant.

There, my senior readers is a summary of some "Dirty Jobs" that got done under the Covid 19 environment. I know we're all fortunate to live a semblance of normalcy, albeit a limited one, but we need to appreciate those who come into our homes to do the  "Dirty Job" for us.  It costs little to show our appreciation by tipping these folks generously. They may not be college educated, but they do the hard and dirty work, and their dedication is often unsung or unacknowledged, yet theirs is the job to make modern living comfortably and orderly and often safety compliant.

YouTube Made (Under-Table) Jigsaw

This is an interesting project mainly because it is a composite of several ideas I picked up from YouTube where other woodworking enthusiasts unselfishly share their ideas for the benefits of many.  I picked what I decided were the good features from about five differently made projects to turn it into what is shown below.

Let me back up.  When I started filling up my small (or petite) workshop years ago there was one tool that I skipped.  Ordinarily, for the majority of DIY woodworkers, they would add the band saw as near last major tool after all the basic machines have been put in. A band saw as the name suggests uses a cutting blade that is a long flat metal band full of teeth over two opposite large pulleys with a downward cutting motion. It will cut curves, circles and slice large pieces into narrower boards.  However, a good band saw is not cheap and it takes up a large volume of space.

Aside from not having the space nor a desire to spend the money, I mainly favor straight lines for my projects in the majority of my blog.  Occasionally if I needed to cut curves or circles I use a hand held jig saw or a router.

Then I saw on YouTube several folks who permanently attached their hand held jigsaw under a platform with just the cutting blade protruding on the surface.  It is a reciprocating cut (blade runs up and down) that looked really interesting. So, instead of running the jigsaw blade over the work piece, one holds down on the work piece with both hands and run it across the reciprocating blade. This allows for far better control and accuracy.  The one thing the band saw cannot do is make an inside cut because of the inherent limitation of a continuous band.  The jigsaw can cut curves and more importantly it can cut from within after a hole is made with a drill from the inside of a work piece.

The challenge is incorporating the design features I picked to work together into a small package, using common material (scrap wood mostly) and turned it into one safe coherent machine that looks nice and truly functional.  I spent many hours not from the actual work but from designing and re-designing it, even changing a part or two midstream, and time even in bed, or waking up in the middle of the night, going over and over the details in my head.

At last, it is finished and miraculously it works. The over arm has an adjustable range to move forward and backward and the support column can be raised upwards or downwards (according to the blade height).  Both are removable. And the ball bearing guides can be adjusted to the thickness of the blade.

 

Many years ago, maybe in the late '80s or '90s, long before online sales, I purchased a hand held jigsaw with a CP (Chicago Pneumatic) label on it. The salesman told me over the phone that the tool that was made in Germany was being discontinued by the manufacturer. Chicago Pneumatic bought a lot of their remaining inventory and put in their own (CP) label on it. The third photo below is that of a Festool jigsaw I purchased a few years ago.  I suspect that, based on the near similarity of design, this new tool was perhaps the newer re-designed tool.  I don't know that for sure.  Anyway, the CP jigsaw was powerful but heavy and not easy to maneuver.  So, I basically "benched" it into storage.  Until recently when this idea came up; hence, the reason for the project  

I removed the shoe to better make a good accurate fit into the bottom of the platform.

The jigsaw as shown from below the platform

With vacuum hose attachment

This was all worth it and glad to have spent the hours making it.  This will not necessarily compel me to cut more curves but it is there when I need to and I know it will serve me well.

Rodent-Proof Bird Feeder

Unlike bird houses which require specific designs depending on the species of birds, bird feeders may be free-styled to suit the builder's whim.  Really.  Well, except for humming bird feeders, of course.  Feeders for seed-eating birds are typically free-standing as opposed to hanging types (again, humming birds come to mind).  

One thing to consider with a feeder on a stand is its vulnerability to rodents (squirrels, mice, even rats). Rodents come with the territory, literally and figuratively, with yard feeders.  You might think that putting up feeders attract these pests - yes - but feeders or none, in rural or urban settings, these rodents are always out there patrolling the areas in the dead of night.  If you have security cameras (with infrared sensors), check the playback at after midnight to dawn and you'd be surprised at what you will see, which includes field mice and "el raton" occasionally and raccoons and possums. Squirrels, of course, are day-raiders.

Rodent-proofing with paste wax and (not shown in photo) smearing petroleum jelly (Vaseline) four inches at bottom and top of PVC pipe.  

This project was made even more worthwhile from the amusement I derived from the video playback the first two nights when several climbing attempts were foiled in comedic style.  What is kind of a mystery though is that since then all visitations had stopped during subsequent playbacks hence.  I know these night raiders don't easily get discouraged.  It is either they no longer want to provide the nightly entertainment or some predator, like a raccoon, or the neighborhood cat that occasionally comes around had put a stop to the visiting rodents.  I miss the jump and slide routine.

Bird table manners though have much to be desired.  So I added four shallow walls and perches.

I built this feeder for sparrows, not necessarily for the more popular cardinal or blue jay.  The sparrows don't really have  any kind of advocacy from home owners but they are feeders too.

Update: My son just sent me a Youtube video of squirrels getting through an obstacle course to get to the feed.  Now, I am convinced my feeder is not squirrel-proof.  Fortunately, they don't go out at night and during the day they never come by; besides, they have so much more to feed on from acorns off plenty of oak trees and other fruit bearing trees.

However, as far as squirrels are concerned, if you make the PVC pole long and tall enough and set the feeder far enough away from where these rodents have a launching pad to jump from - such as a nearby branch or window sill, etc. - then this can truly be rodent proof for all species.  The floor wax paste and petroleum jelly are that effective, 100%!