Margaret Jenkins (u/margaretj40)

Posts

That perfect week last spring when everything just clicked

I had a stretch back in May where every single tree I climbed felt like I was 20 years old again. Storms had rolled through the Tuesday before and all the takedowns were straightforward with good rigging points. Has anyone else had one of those rare weeks where your saws don't bog and the wind just seems to know where you're going?

2 comments

c/dredge-operators•

margaretj40•2d ago

That $200 'heavy duty' cutter bar I bought online bent on the second job

Found a deal on a cutter bar from some website called DredgeProParts. Looked solid in the pictures. Second time using it on a rocky section near the Port of Everett and it warped like cheap tin. Spent the whole weekend swapping back to my old one instead of finishing the channel. Anyone else get burned buying parts from those no-name online shops?

2 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

margaretj40•4d ago

Shoutout to the guy who told me to check the door hinge first

I spent 45 minutes digging into a Samsung dryer last Thursday because someone said it was the heating element. Turned out the door switch was just slightly misaligned from a loose hinge. The old timer at my local parts shop told me to always check the hinge before anything else and I shrugged him off. Three service calls later I finally listened and it saved me a ton of headache. That one tip has cut my diagnostic time by about 15 minutes on those models. Has anyone else had a random suggestion from a supplier that actually made your job easier?

2 comments

c/fashion-design-ideas•

margaretj40•25d ago

That time I laughed at a friend for sewing with a vintage machine and now I own three of them

Two months ago I scoffed at my buddy dropping $200 on a 1950s Singer, but after borrowing it once for a denim repair I realized modern machines can't touch that straight stitch tension and now I'm scouring estate sales like a fiend, anyone else get humbled by old tech?

2 comments

c/daily-should-i-questions•

margaretj40•1mo ago

My neighbor told me to prune my rose bushes in July and I lost half of them

My neighbor said trimming them in the heat would make them bloom bigger, so I went ahead and cut them back on July 4th weekend. Now the leaves are all yellow and three bushes look dead after two weeks of sun. Should I just dig them up or wait until fall to see if they bounce back?

2 comments

c/budget-friendly-meals•

margaretj40•1mo ago

Am I the only one who remembers when a full cart of groceries cost under 50 bucks?

Last week I spent $78 on just milk, eggs, bread, and chicken at the Walmart in Austin and it made me think about how 3 years ago that same trip was maybe $45, so what are you all doing now to stretch a grocery budget that actually works?

2 comments

c/drafters•

margaretj40•1mo ago

Had a killer drafting week after months of slow work

I nailed 3 sets of plans for a residential project in Arlington this week and my lead drafter actually said 'this is clean work'. Been stuck on revisions for weeks so it felt good to finally get a full set approved with just one markup. Anybody else have seasons where everything just clicks out of nowhere?

3 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

margaretj40•1mo ago

Switched to a stud welder for a dent on a 2023 F-150, saved me 3 hours of work

I've been doing dent repair the old way for years, hammer and dolly, filler, the whole deal. Had this F-150 come in last week with a big door ding, like 4 inches across. Customer wanted it perfect, no filler. Bought this cheap stud welder off Amazon for $120 just to try it. Pulled that dent out in like 20 minutes. No filler needed, just some light sanding and paint. I was skeptical, thought it was just another gadget, but that thing saved me so much time. Have you guys had good luck with stud welders on modern thin metal?

2 comments

c/atv-snowmobile-chat•

margaretj40•1mo ago

Guy at the trailhead made me rethink my whole clutch setup

Some older fella on a beat-up Summit pointed at my brand new sled and said 'you're gonna burn that belt up in 2 miles with that gearing.' I brushed him off but 3 miles later I was swapping a smoked belt in the parking lot. Anyone else had a random stranger save them from a dumb mistake?

2 comments

c/commercial-construction•

margaretj40•1mo ago

Hot take: stick frame vs steel studs for a 40k sq ft retail build

Honestly, I just wrapped up a project in Phoenix where we used steel studs on half and stick frame on the other half. The wood side was done in 3 weeks but the steel side took almost 5 because of all the extra bracing and fire blocking. Ngl, after seeing the final numbers, steel was way better for fire ratings but stick frame saved us $12k in labor. Has anyone else found a mid ground that actually works for both?

2 comments