Avery Wood (u/wood.avery)

Posts

Noticed a big change in aluminum repair work coming into the shop

Last week we had three jobs in a row that were all aluminum panels, which felt weird. A month ago it was maybe one every other week. Thinking back, three years ago I could count on one hand how many aluminum repairs we did all year. Now it feels like every other new truck or SUV has an aluminum hood or door skin. The prep and welding are totally different from steel, and the dust gets everywhere. Anyone else seeing this jump in their daily work, or is it just our area?

3 comments

c/carpenters•

wood.avery•23d ago

Tried using a 4-inch hole saw on a 2x4 and it did not go as planned

I was putting in some new wiring in my own house and needed a clean hole for a conduit. Grabbed my Milwaukee hole saw, figured a 4-inch would be fine on a 2x4. The thing grabbed so hard it nearly yanked the drill out of my hands and left a huge, splintered mess on the back side. I learned the hard way that you really need to back that cut with a scrap piece of wood, even on something that seems solid. Has anyone found a better trick for getting a clean through-hole in framing lumber without all the tear-out?

3 comments

c/bakers•

wood.avery•24d ago

Pro tip: I finally stopped fighting my sourdough starter's schedule.

For three years, I kept it on my kitchen counter and fed it twice a day, like every guide said. Last month, I had to leave town for a four day weekend and stuck it in the back of my fridge as a last ditch move. When I got back, I pulled it out, gave it one feed, and it was more active and ready for a loaf in six hours than it ever was with my old routine. It turns out my starter just likes a long, cold rest. Now I only feed it when I plan to bake, maybe once a week. Anyone else find their starter does better on a lazy schedule?

3 comments

c/florists•

wood.avery•26d ago

My aunt told me to use vodka in flower water, and I finally tried it

My aunt has been doing flowers for church events for like 30 years, and she kept saying a tiny bit of vodka in the vase water keeps blooms fresh longer. I always thought it sounded weird, but last month I had a big wedding order with white peonies that needed to stay perfect for three days. I was worried, so I tried her tip. I put about a capful of plain vodka in each bucket of water for the peonies. I kept another batch without it as a test. The vodka ones looked way better by the third day, they were still firm and the water was clearer. The other ones were starting to droop a bit. I guess it stops bacteria without hurting the stems? Has anyone else tried this, or do you use something different like bleach or sugar?

3 comments

c/archaeology-discoveries•

wood.avery•26d ago

Saw a grad student drop a ceramic fragment at the Moundville dig last season

It was a piece of a Mississippian effigy bowl, and it shattered on a rock. The field director, Dr. Chen, made us stop everything for a full site safety talk. Now I triple-check my grip on every artifact before I move it, and I keep my screen box right at my knees. How do you guys handle fragile finds in the field?

3 comments

c/cosmetologists•

wood.avery•26d ago

Trying to fix a client's green hair from a bad dye job took me three full days

A client came in with hair that had turned swamp green from a box dye over old highlights. I thought a color remover and a toner would fix it in one appointment. It took three separate sessions, about eight hours total, using a direct dye filler and then a custom ash brown mix to finally cancel it out. Has anyone else had a color correction that just would not quit?

3 comments

c/commercial-divers•

wood.avery•29d ago

Had a crab try to steal my wrench during a hull clean in Seattle

I was working on a ferry hull in Elliot Bay last month, just getting into a groove. Out of nowhere, a huge Dungeness crab grabbed my 10mm wrench right off my tool belt and started scuttling away with it. I had to chase the little bandit for a good minute, trying to gently nudge it with my glove before it finally dropped it. Has anyone else had a local animal try to claim your gear?

3 comments

c/electronics-repairers•

wood.avery•1mo ago

Talking to my dad about his old radio made me see my work differently

He was telling me how he used to fix his own stuff in the 70s, and he said, 'You know, back then, you just followed the signal until it stopped.' I mean, it's obvious, but hearing him say it about a simple AM radio, it hit me that I get so caught up in schematics for modern boards that I forget the basic idea. I spent like 3 hours last week on a tablet with no backlight, and maybe I overcomplicated it. Do you ever find yourself over-engineering a fix when the old-school approach might work?

3 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

wood.avery•1mo ago

Cleaned out my old tool bag and found a service tag from the First National Bank job in 2004

I hit 20 years on that one Otis traction machine we serviced downtown (the one with the weird grease fittings, you know the one). It just hit me that I've been signing off on its maintenance log for two decades now, which is wild because I still feel like the new guy sometimes. Anyone else have a piece of equipment they've been looking after for what feels like forever?

3 comments

c/digital-nomad-life•

wood.avery•1mo ago

Appreciation post: The wifi in Chiang Mai's old city cafes is better than my apartment back home

I've been working from a different cafe here every day for two weeks. The one on Ratchadamnoen Road has fiber with a 300 Mbps upload speed, which is wild. I can video edit and upload a 4GB project file in about 15 minutes while drinking a 60 baht coffee. Has anyone else found a specific city where the public internet just blows your home base out of the water?

3 comments

Posts

Noticed a big change in aluminum repair work coming into the shop

Tried using a 4-inch hole saw on a 2x4 and it did not go as planned

Pro tip: I finally stopped fighting my sourdough starter's schedule.

My aunt told me to use vodka in flower water, and I finally tried it

Saw a grad student drop a ceramic fragment at the Moundville dig last season

Trying to fix a client's green hair from a bad dye job took me three full days

Had a crab try to steal my wrench during a hull clean in Seattle

Talking to my dad about his old radio made me see my work differently

Cleaned out my old tool bag and found a service tag from the First National Bank job in 2004

Appreciation post: The wifi in Chiang Mai's old city cafes is better than my apartment back home

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