an old flat story of things gone wrong

Messages
2,323
Location
Houston, Texas
There will be no photos, as the events of this story happened long before the camera was invented.:rolleyes:
Back in the early 80's, my time was spent trimming out houses and building cabinets on site for remodels, along with the other chores that a woodworker would be expected to do, hanging doors, wainscote and block paneling etc. Framing, roofing and fence building all had had their place.I had also done some serious decks and patio shades so up until that time my experiences were quite varied.
I had a box van they called it, in which I carried my tools. I could stand up inside it which was very nice. I carried a 10" rockwell contractor saw on a stand, 3/4" oilless ITT portable compressor, guns, 9" rockwell mitre box, saw horses, short ladder, circular saws, drills etc, just about every thing I needed to do whatever I needed to do.
Well anyhow in trying to make the story short, i can't because it stretches out a bit.:dunno::D.
I was called to a house for a remodel. The contractor was a friend who was real good at figuring the way to make the old fit in with the new additions so that the new looked just as old or the old looked just as new. That is VERY important! More later.:wave:
Shaz
 
Back in those days every day it was roll out the cords, pull out and set up the table saw, mitre box and stand, compressor, the saw horses etc. Well, the setting here at this place seemed okay at first. It was a two car garage with the overhead door facing the street and just enough room for me to back my truck up so folks could walk around the front of the truck and still stay on the side walk, yet without me taking a chunk out of the overhanging eaves/ facia/ soffet.:D There was a freezer on the wall near the side entry door through the garage to the house. That opened into the utility room then through a door into the kitchen.
.I had to remove the plug for the freezer to plug in the tablesaw/ mitre box and compressor and the other hand tools to be used out in the garage. We kept flipping breakers on that all the way through the job yet for some reason we never could change outlets.:huh: Then, there was the two door entry for everything, the garage door, the utility room door then around the corner into the den. Each door had to be shut because for some reason they had two little white dogs that could not be put up elsewhere:doh:.. The plot thickens especially when that breaker flips while using the table saw:dunno: Every trip in and back meant dealing with 4 doors and two dogs that might surprise you behind the door and the tripping of the breaker during cuts when you should be at peace in the garage.
 
Okay Shaz, you've set the hook. Reel us in.

So far this sounds like something I'd read on the last page of Fine Homebuilding magazines - the funny stories of house building.

My dad was a finishing carpenter, but by the early 80's he was only about 5 years from retirement. He never did make the switch to air tools. I'm still amazed at how he managed to flip up his old 9" beaver table saw and carry it into the house. Yes, I said carry it: take off the motor and hoist it up. (just the top section - still, with all that cast iron!)

Couldn't you run an extension cord through a basement window to another circuit?

Keep it coming...
...art
 
The weather was quite pleasant as that time of year, it was just starting to get hot, several weeks before memorial day. We didn't work the weekends as the owners always went out of town, which was great just being away from the dogs and the doors.:eek: Atthat time I had about 6 years experience but had not realized that the farther you have to walk from the saw the more boards you get measured before you head to the saw.
I was still doing the cut and fit except it was cut, door door fit,door door cut door door fit door dog door cut! Yeah I was younger then, had more energy but a lot less sense.:rofl:
Well, somewhere in the midst of cut door door fit dog door door cut door door, dog poulation was reduced by 50%. :(I don't know how, there was an electrician and a tile guy there too with a helper, but somehow dog number one vanished. We shut down and went looking for "Rover?" We scoured the neighborhood but never found the little guy to my knowledge. It is tramatic to have that happen on your watch, sadly we did all we could but gave up the hunt. It was solemn working there the next few days even though the owners seemed okay with it all. That puzzled me :dunno:but it made it a bit easier on the workers. I learned something that day,,,,,,,,,Ms. You need do something with that animal!

Fortunately the long memorial day weekend had arrived and we needed the time to reflect and Party. We rolled up all our tools as usual a bit earlier that Friday, about noon as I recall as the homeowners were headed out of town for an extended weekend away, they would be back Tuesday, we could start work Wednesday ""Tick tock start the clock :thumb:"" Friday noon til wednesday at 8:00 AM....:D:D:D
 
Nahh, you need one like this... View attachment 12572 ( Art !!!!!! Where did you conjure up that guy????!! I laughed and laughed... thanks...S)
(we gots lots of smilies, but sometimes just the right one isn't there...)

:dunno::huh::rofl: ( Steve, your little popcorn munching buddie also makes me laugh and smile!!!!!Thanks...S)
















:lurk: waiting............
Steve was right about the freezer. In a hurry to begin a long weekend of frivolity and beach play, I forgot to replug the freezer. Tick Tock...Tick Tock would not be a bad thing with the freezer empty, right! ? no such luck....................:doh: you can't imagine the smell come Wednesday morning.
.I had work to do but couldn't resist the urge to open that white coffin of death, to reveal the source of the putrid smell.:eek: A knock you over smell, But what!!!! Empty!!!:eek:,, yet still smelling like a back alley refuse pile in a downtrodden Vietnamese village, reminiscent of days gone by...:doh:Whew...stinky!!!!!! I was so glad that there was nothing in the freezer as i would have felt really bad, knowing it was my fault.:) :D :thumb:
Seems like I escaped the bullet this time :thumb:..... or........did I :eek:????????
 
Shaz said:
( Art !!!!!! Where did you conjure up that guy????!! I laughed and laughed... thanks...S)

Google is your friend.

I tried doing a google image search for "toetapping smilie", and got some weird replies. So then I swapped to a search for "impatient smilie" and bingo.

Here is the actual link - which is just some random other forum, not an actual smilie collection.
 
Steve was right about the freezer. In a hurry to begin a long weekend of frivolity and beach play, I forgot to replug the freezer. Tick Tock...Tick Tock would not be a bad thing with the freezer empty, right! ? no such luck....................:doh: you can't imagine the smell come Wednesday morning.
.I had work to do but couldn't resist the urge to open that white coffin of death, to reveal the source of the putrid smell.:eek: A knock you over smell, But what!!!! Empty!!!:eek:,, yet still smelling like a back alley refuse pile in a downtrodden Vietnamese village, reminiscent of days gone by...:doh:Whew...stinky!!!!!! I was so glad that there was nothing in the freezer as i would have felt really bad, knowing it was my fault.:) :D :thumb:
Seems like I escaped the bullet this time :thumb:..... or........did I :eek:????????

Wheeew :eek: :doh:

Escaping the bullet :thumb::rofl: ( or so I thought... but:eek:...S )

Google is your friend.

I tried doing a google image search for "toetapping smilie", and got some weird replies. So then I swapped to a search for "impatient smilie" and bingo.

Here is the actual link - which is just some random other forum, not an actual smilie collection.( Thanks Art, I just love that little toe tapper:D:rofl::rofl:...Shaz P.S. I expect to do some real simile searching :rolleyes:)
.
.
.Let's face it, come Wednesday morning and something stunk! There may have been nothing in the freezer but I know stink when I smell it!:D:rofl:........
.
An aside, Every year Houston, being a western town with a cowboy and oil kind of beginning, has a Big, Big rodeo at the old Astrodome. You all are invited, it is usually in late February after the trail rides into Houston from far away, groups coming on horse and with wagons and the whole bit. I can't put you up at my place but we can sure go to the shop and visit some. It is a big affair and has the usual Rodeo events, as well as Big name country western singing stars to highlight the evening events. There are also auctions where , and I am not exactly sure, but I think the area High School kids enter their prize animals for judging and sale. Every thing from pigs and cows to bulls and lambs, maybe even chickens and roosters, anyway it is a big event! One year the grand prize steer sold for well over $100,000.00.... So if you can break free it might be worth the trip.:thumb:
Shaz
 
:doh:
.
.
.Let's face it, come Wednesday morning and something stunk! There may have been nothing in the freezer but I know stink when I smell it!:D:rofl:........
.
An aside, Every year Houston, being a western town with a cowboy and oil kind of beginning, has a Big, Big rodeo at the old Astrodome. You all are invited, it is usually in late February after the trail rides into Houston from far away, groups coming on horse and with wagons and the whole bit. I can't put you up at my place but we can sure go to the shop and visit some. It is a big affair and has the usual Rodeo events, as well as Big name country western singing stars to highlight the evening events. There are also auctions where , and I am not exactly sure, but I think the area High School kids enter their prize animals for judging and sale. Every thing from pigs and cows to bulls and lambs, maybe even chickens and roosters, anyway it is a big event! One year the grand prize steer sold for well over $100,000.00.... So if you can break free it might be worth the trip.:thumb:
Shaz
There I was in the garage setting up the tablesaw, with a smell of something gone bad, real bad.
The tile guy came in about 9:30 just a bit after I had every thing laid out and had done a few, door door dog, fit, dog door door cuts.:doh:He had to say it!!
. "Whoa man this place stinks!!" Obvious to me, what could I say...nothing...
He too went straight to the freezer, a large upright. Opening the door he said,
"What happened to all that meat?":eek:
Me...:dunno:"what meat" :huh:" There was no meat in there!" :dunno:Trying to believe that the "really something stinky smell" did not have anything to do with me:rolleyes:.
He looks at me and says " last week that freezer was packed with stacks of butcher wrapped meats.!!!! I peeked in and saw every shelf loaded... up to the bottom of the shelf above it, neatly stacked and completely full!!! Never saw so much meat!!":eek::eek::doh::doh::doh::doh::eek::doh::doh::doh::doh::doh:
"They were all written on too, you know, FILET/RIBEYE/GROUND/T-BONE/ROAST/PRIME RIB..............":eek::eek::eek:
 
Last edited:
Wow, you sure know how to drag out a story. I tried to hold off for a couple of days thinking it would be finished by the time I checked again. I guess I checked too soon.:doh:

Now the question is, can I hold off after that last cliff hanger or will I be mindlessly clicking this thread every time there is a new post?

Btw, I think the butler did it.
 
:doh:
There I was in the garage setting up the tablesaw, with a smell of something gone bad, real bad.
The tile guy came in about 9:30 just a bit after I had every thing laid out and had done a few, door door dog, fit, dog door door cuts.:doh:He had to say it!!
. "Whoa man this place stinks!!" Obvious to me, what could I say...nothing...
He too went straight to the freezer, a large upright. Opening the door he said,
"What happened to all that meat?":eek:
Me...:dunno:"what meat" :huh:" There was no meat in there!" :dunno:Trying to believe that the "really something stinky smell" did not have anything to do with me:rolleyes:.
He looks at me and says " last week that freezer was packed with stacks of butcher wrapped meats.!!!! I peeked in and saw every shelf loaded... up to the bottom of the shelf above it, neatly stacked and completely full!!! Never saw so much meat!!":eek::eek::doh::doh::doh::doh::eek::doh::doh::doh::doh::doh:
"They were all written on too, you know, FILET/RIBEYE/GROUND/T-BONE/ROAST/PRIME RIB..............":eek::eek::eek:


During those days it was common for the contractor to be the direct link to the client and I had little or nothing to do with them. That was the case here also. I don't remember ever meeting them, just met the dogs and the housekeepers.
We were really close to finishing up when I started to work that day. About 11:00 the contractor came in to look things over. He was usually well composed and this day was no different. He didn't mention the smell, he just came in and considered what had to be done to finish the job.
Well that wasn't good enough for me. I figured I had something to do with the odor that permeated the garage and by golly I wanted credit:eek::doh: for it.:( First I needed to find out what it was.
I asked him about the smell. He said the freezer plug had been out the whole time they were away, and the meat they had in it defrosted and got ruined.:doh:... We were friends, and had a working bond that would stand by oneanother even in the deep waters, if something needed done. I needed more information. I asked how much meat was there. He said " Most of a whole steer". :doh:Oh Man!!!!!:doh:! I told him It was my fault and that I would some how make it right.
Remember my aside to the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo. Sadly enough there was a reason I mentioned it in this thread. Yep:doh::doh::doh::doh:
You probably guessed already:doh:
 
Top