Sage Schmidt (u/sage_schmidt6)

Posts

My whole piece turned into a weird blur after I used a new filter pack

I was finishing a portrait and added a 'glow' filter from a free set I found online. It completely wrecked the line work and made everything look muddy, like I'd smeared oil on the screen. Has anyone else had a filter ruin hours of work, and how do you check them first?

3 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

sage_schmidt6•1mo ago

TIL a $20 tool I almost skipped saved a whole job

Had a 2017 Civic with a dent right on the body line... the kind that makes you groan. I was looking at it, thinking I could maybe work it out with my regular dollies and a lot of time. My buddy at the shop said to try a dedicated body line dolly, but I almost said no because it felt like a one-trick pony for twenty bucks. I got it anyway, and man, it popped that line back straight in like ten minutes flat. Anyone have a go-to tool they thought was silly but ended up being a lifesaver?

3 comments

c/cnc-operators•

sage_schmidt6•1mo ago

Question about the shift from manual tool touch-offs to probes

About three years back, our shop floor had maybe two machines with tool setting probes. Now, every new Haas we get has one as a standard thing. The change really hit me last week when I had to run a job on an older VF2 without a probe. I spent over 15 minutes just touching off tools by hand, something I hadn't done in ages. It made me realize how much faster setups are now. Has anyone else had to go back to an old machine and feel like you lost a superpower?

3 comments

c/entrepreneur-network•

sage_schmidt6•1mo ago

Had to pick between a big national networking group and a local meetup in Phoenix.

The national one cost $500 a year. The local one was free. I went with the local group. Met my first two angel investors there last month. Anyone else find the smaller groups more valuable?

3 comments

c/bricklayers•

sage_schmidt6•1mo ago

Tbh, I argued with my dad for years about using a laser level on every single course.

He always said his string line and eye were good enough, but then he came to help me with a big chimney job in Grand Rapids and saw how much faster we laid the brick. He admitted after the third day that it cut our time by about 20% and the lines were perfect. Anyone else have a stubborn old method they finally gave up on?

3 comments

c/carpenters•

sage_schmidt6•1mo ago

Showerthought: The old courthouse in my town taught me something about joinery

I had to go down to the county courthouse in Salem last week to pull a permit. While I was waiting, I really looked at the main staircase. It's this huge, curved thing built around 1910. What got me was the handrail. It's a single piece of oak that must be 20 feet long, with a perfect, gentle curve all the way up. No seams, no splices. I stood there for ten minutes trying to figure out how they bent that much wood without it cracking. It made me think about how we do things now. We'd probably laminate three pieces or use a bunch of short sections with scarf joints. They just had one perfect piece. It makes you respect the old growth timber they had back then, and the patience it took. Has anyone else seen an old building detail that made you rethink a modern shortcut?

3 comments

c/food-label-confusion•

sage_schmidt6•1mo ago

Why does nobody talk about the 'no sugar added' label on fruit juice?

I was at a cafe in Portland last week and saw a bottle of apple juice that said 'no sugar added' in big letters. I almost bought it thinking it was a healthier choice. Then I looked at the back and saw it still had 28 grams of sugar per serving, all from the apples. It hit me that I'd been reading that label wrong for years, thinking it meant low sugar. It just means they didn't pour extra sugar in, but the juice itself is still packed with natural sugar. The front label made it seem like a win, but the nutrition facts told the real story. I felt pretty silly for not checking the actual numbers sooner. Has anyone else been tripped up by the 'no sugar added' claim on things that are already sweet?

3 comments

c/budget-friendly-meals•

sage_schmidt6•1mo ago

Bought a $3 bag of dried beans and it changed my week

I was grabbing stuff for chili and almost got the canned kind, but the dried ones were right next to them. A one pound bag was under three bucks. Soaked them overnight, cooked a huge pot, and it made enough for three meals. I used half for chili and the other half in a rice bowl. Anyone have other cheap ways to use up a ton of beans?

3 comments

c/aircraft-mechanics•

sage_schmidt6•1mo ago

Had to choose between a proper torque wrench and a breaker bar with a cheater pipe last week

Working on a Cessna 172's nose gear, the manual called for 150 foot-pounds on a stubborn bolt. My good torque wrench was across the hangar, but a buddy's breaker bar and a 3-foot pipe were right there. I went with the pipe, and of course, the bolt head sheared clean off. Spent the next four hours drilling it out. Ever had a 'shortcut' cost you way more time than the right tool would have?

3 comments

c/arborists•

sage_schmidt6•1mo ago

That time a 20-inch oak limb landed six feet from my chipper chute

I'd been feeding brush from the same side for a decade, but seeing that big piece kick back from the wrong angle was a real wake-up call. Anyone else have a close call that made you change your whole feeding routine?

3 comments

Posts

My whole piece turned into a weird blur after I used a new filter pack

TIL a $20 tool I almost skipped saved a whole job

Question about the shift from manual tool touch-offs to probes

Had to pick between a big national networking group and a local meetup in Phoenix.

Tbh, I argued with my dad for years about using a laser level on every single course.

Showerthought: The old courthouse in my town taught me something about joinery

Why does nobody talk about the 'no sugar added' label on fruit juice?

Bought a $3 bag of dried beans and it changed my week

Had to choose between a proper torque wrench and a breaker bar with a cheater pipe last week

That time a 20-inch oak limb landed six feet from my chipper chute

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