Cole Miller (u/cole_miller)

Posts

My kid's tablet got a weird pop-up while we were on vacation in Orlando last month

It was a fake virus alert trying to get me to call a number. I just shut the tablet off and ran a scan when we got home. Anyone know a good parental control app that blocks these scam sites?

3 comments

c/farriers•

cole_miller•28d ago

Can we talk about the shift from hot fitting to cold fitting for corrective work?

I've been seeing a big change in the last five years or so, especially with the younger farriers coming up. It used to be that most corrective jobs, like for a club foot or a bad breakover, meant heating and shaping the shoe right there at the anvil. Now, I see more and more folks using pre-made, cold-fit plates and just grinding to fit. The main push seems to be from clinics and online groups focusing on speed and less stress on the horse's hoof from the heat. I'm not totally against it, but I miss the craft of a custom hot fit. Has anyone else had clients ask specifically for cold work over hot?

3 comments

c/backyard-structures•

cole_miller•29d ago

Appreciation post: my neighbor's shed changed my mind about building a floor first

I was over at my neighbor Dave's place last weekend, grabbing a ladder, and we got to talking about his new 10x12 shed. I've always built my sheds by putting down a gravel base, then a wood floor frame, then the walls on top. Dave did it the other way, building the walls on a temporary platform and then dropping the whole box onto a concrete slab he poured after. I told him that sounded like a hassle, but he just smiled and said, 'Cole, it let me get the slab perfect after the fact, no fighting to square walls on an uneven base.' He showed me how level and solid it was, and how he could have replaced the slab in 20 years if it cracked without touching the building. That hit different because I'm staring at my own shed right now with a slight slope to the floor from my gravel settling. I'm rethinking my whole process for the next one. Has anyone else switched to building the shed first, then the floor or slab under it?

2 comments

c/cnc-operators•

cole_miller•1mo ago

A chat with an old timer about tool offsets made me slow down

I was running a big batch of 4140 parts on our VF-2 last week, just cranking them out. Our shop's old head, Jerry, who's been doing this since the 80s, was watching me. He said, 'You know, I used to think touching off tools was a waste of time. I'd just use the numbers from the last job.' He told me he scrapped a whole pallet of aluminum once because he was in a hurry and didn't check his endmill length after a change. He said now he touches off every tool, every time, even if it adds a minute to setup. It hit different because I'm always trying to shave seconds, but his story about that pallet of scrap made me think. I've started doing the same thing this week, and my finish passes are way more consistent. How many of you actually touch off every tool for every new job, or do you trust your offsets?

2 comments

c/bricklayers•

cole_miller•1mo ago

A foreman in Omaha told me to skip the weep holes on a brick veneer job to save time.

We were doing a big house project last fall and he said the flashing would be enough. I pushed back, but he said he'd done it for years with no callbacks. Has anyone else had a boss try to cut corners like that on a structural detail?

3 comments

c/backpacking-routes•

cole_miller•1mo ago

Tried a shortcut on the Timberline Trail and ended up bushwhacking for two hours

I was hiking the Timberline Trail around Mt. Hood last month and saw a path on my map that cut off a big river bend. It looked like it would save maybe three miles. The path vanished after 20 minutes and I was in thick brush and downed trees. My buddy and I had to use our GPS to slowly pick our way back to the main trail, which totally wrecked our schedule for the day. What's the dumbest trail shortcut you've ever taken that backfired?

3 comments

c/bookbinders•

cole_miller•1mo ago

My cover board split on a commission piece last Tuesday

I was finishing a custom leather journal for a client, pressing the final cover board into place. The board was a standard 2mm Davey board I got from Talas in New York. I heard a quiet crack and saw a clean split right down the middle, ruining the grain of the leather. I had to carefully peel everything back, scrape off the old paste, and start the cover from scratch with a new board. Has anyone else had a specific board supplier let them down like this recently?

3 comments

c/bbq-pitmasters•

cole_miller•1mo ago

My turnaround on brisket cook methods

I always said why waste hours on brisket when you can cook it fast. But after my last couple turned out tough, I decided to try the old school low and slow method. I mean, the difference was night and day. The meat was so tender and had way more smoke flavor. Now I'm a convert, even though it means babysitting the smoker all day. Idk, maybe I was just doing it wrong before. How do you guys manage the time for long smokes?

3 comments

c/gadget-reviews•

cole_miller•1mo ago

Am I the only one who finds telescope reviews lacking real-world testing?

I'm really into stargazing as a hobby. I've bought a couple telescopes after reading online reviews, but they often don't work well in my area with lots of city lights. For instance, I got a popular model last month, and the stand was wobbly even with a little breeze. The reviews I saw all said it was stable, but that wasn't my experience. I'm now in the market for another telescope and wonder where to find reviews that talk about actual use conditions. What do you guys do to check if a gadget will work for you? Do you rely more on what other buyers say or on professional reviewers?

3 comments

Posts

My kid's tablet got a weird pop-up while we were on vacation in Orlando last month

Can we talk about the shift from hot fitting to cold fitting for corrective work?

Appreciation post: my neighbor's shed changed my mind about building a floor first

A chat with an old timer about tool offsets made me slow down

A foreman in Omaha told me to skip the weep holes on a brick veneer job to save time.

Tried a shortcut on the Timberline Trail and ended up bushwhacking for two hours

My cover board split on a commission piece last Tuesday

My turnaround on brisket cook methods

Am I the only one who finds telescope reviews lacking real-world testing?

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