Recent content by sunandsand

Got a 1968 BMW motorcycle in my hangar. Weighs a whopping 416 pounds. Been there for 15 years, and I keep an eye on tire pressures (on everything, not just the bike). Keep about 28 psi in it, check and add a little air as needed - usually 60 to 90 days. I even have a checklist for all the...

You're right - we're still building this way. And we were building this way long before 1980 when these plans came out. There are some materials changes, some uprated code requirements and some better components, but we are still building houses the same way as in the 1950s. Friend of mine is...

Took a quick peek at one of them - small guest house - plans date from 1948 - I do think, or at least I sure hope that building techniques and materials have improved in 75+ years. Some of the plans are dated 1930 - makes them 95 years old. That isn't to say they are "bad", but I think they are...

Something that has always mystified me - and I'll be 79 in a few days - is this: People ALL OVER the world have good ideas . . . why don't we adopt some of them? Costs nothing to do so and it would improve our lives. No nation has a monopoly on smarts, is there a problem with copying successes...

I guess I'm just sloppy with my drink . . .

Trust a computer to make a simple thing horrendous . . . Went to a Space-related conference at a fancy hotel in Orlando. You had to register your car for free parking, they had a kiosk in the parking lot. Here's a dozen or so REAL rocket scientists from NASA, SpaceX, etc. standing around the...

I'd use Iatanium instead of felt. (I've used it on our home.) Non-flammable, waterproof, self adhesive, nothing eats it, doesn't support mold, won't rot - and not very expensive. There are similar products if you can't find this brand name. Best, Mike/Florida

Been playing with Chatgpt.com a lot lately. Fascinating . . . I've used it to cost out all kinds of structures, solar panel systems, price land clearing, ditching, fencing and a lot more (much of it non-construction or tractor related). Got a quote of $140,000 for 7,000 feet of wire fencing -...

Update on rebar . . . interesting! A number of companies are now selling basalt fiber rebar. A 3/8" diameter basalt fiber rebar is as strong as a 1/2" steel rebar. Basalt doesn't corrode and has the same coefficient of expansion as concrete. A 500 foot roll of 3/8" basalt rebar weighs about 44...

Lets take the politics and partisanship out of electric vehicles a moment . . . I'm adding a 5 or 6 kw solar array to the south side of my hangar later this year. It will make FPL unhappy (my heart just bleeds for them, up to now it has been my wallet that has been doing the bleeding for them)...

Just looked up the price of a basic work truck - Silverado 1500, small V8, single cab, 8 foot bed. Comes with A/C, power windows, "entertainment center" (I guess cars don't have radios any more). $47K base - out the door a hair over $50K. Essentially the same truck with a bunch of options is...

Most useful utility vehicle I ever owned was a 1970 Dodge B100 van, six cylinder, automatic. It would take a sheet of 4 by 8 plywood laying flat. Basically, if I could get it into the van and close the doors (or even almost close the doors), I could drive away. Bare bones, didn't even have A/C...

Sad state of affairs when someone who can render aid is afraid to do it because of some obscure laws. "Our pilot just died, can anyone here fly an airplane?" "I can, but I won't because I'm not multi-engine rated." Boom. (Actually, the FAA is slightly smarter than that. You can break ANY FAA...

Out of curiosity, asked ChatGPT for a summary of the Florida Good Samaritan laws. (ChatGPT has become reasonably good, but it is not a lawyer - so take this with a grain of salt - or several.) ------- start --------- Florida Good Samaritan Act (F.S. § 768.13) ✅ Who’s Protected: Medical...

Sandman, thank you, I feel better now. For some years, I was the unofficial BMW motorcycle dealer in Miami. People brought me their bikes and I either fixed them or bought them and then fixed them. At one point I had 27 BMW motorcycles (1952 through 1969), which I thought was a bit excessive...