I couldn't find the "Just a tradesman" kinda post.

Safety squints

This thread delivers! 

Went to a new pool start up last week. I opened up the panel to flip the breaker for the pool equipment on and found this clusterfuck, brand new. The breaker for the pool sub panel is the 50 Amp one on top. Don’t let your hand slip and touch those little silver metal tabs.... Brand new. No secondary inside cover behind the main panel door, just wide open right to the business parts. I know what I can and can’t touch in there but the average homeowner doesn’t. It seems pretty sketchy for a brand new installation in 2024 ? 

Not to mention the inner cover kind of holds the breakers in place if you have to turn them off and on, the way it is if you one hand em the breaker wants to pop off the tab, Seems pretty sketchy to me. I wouldn't want homeowner Joe poking around in there when a breaker trips that's for sure 

Oh and for an extra added bonus there's no way to effectively label the breakers either, way to go guys ! Good Job !  

I'd never, ever, be an electrician. Fuck that noise.

I'll change out a breaker once in awhile but for the most part all of the pool wiring is out by the equipment in a sub panel. I've seen one other panel like that but it was in a giant "Smart House" down in Cyprus Shores by tricky Dicks old digs. They wanted the spa to be voice activated, "Spa, 102 degrees"  I get it it's the latest greatest thing but my honest thoughts are fuck all that shit. So what if you have to hit a switch and GASP, wait 20 minutes for the spa to get hot. Shit it takes ten minutes to grab a towel get naked and open a beer  lol. 

 I think the homeowner might've done it himself, not sure but he's very hands on, like in too much lol.  There were a couple things I looked at and had to keep my mouth shut because it was his design.   My brains going wtf.. but my mouth says, "Oh ok wow, cool, never seen that before" 

I did some telecom cable running in my younger years

i think i did a pretty decent job of keeping them straight and labeled (not shown in photo)

Nice mix of flat, quarter and rift sawn white oak! I'm assuming that's a dining room hutch?  How come exposed hinges instead of concealed? Client choice?  Very nice work! 

It’s a kitchen ‘Larder cupboard’. 

‘Client’s choice’?  You could say that. The ‘client’ is my wife!  This is just a hobby for me. 

I see Home Depot contributed to the project. LOL

Not the best photos, but the shit I've been building lately.

All the woodwork is knotty alder.

Stain grade.

Cool coffered ceilings, 

Billard room.

(A bit cluttered at the moment)

A malfuntion juntion of column, door jambs, panels, coffered beams.

A case of, makin the shit up as you go along.

And a study, everything scratch built, raised panel doors and drawer faces. 

Nickel gap backs on the uppers.

Still need to tie the beam and crown molding.

I'll get better shots once everything has been stained, and the rooms are cleaned up.

Woodworking is definitely something I hope I can get into as a hobby when I'm a little bit older and my career is winding down, seeing the level of work in this thread is just mind blowing to me.

I was really lucky in high school to basically have free reign in the old woodshop and got to come up with some pretty fun projects over the years (or at least as fun as some 14-17 year old kids could come up with), but man I would kill to be able to work in there again now that I'm older and have a little more mental aptitude.  All of the equipment was installed back in the 50s I believe so it was big, loud, and still ran like it was new.  No idea if they still use that shop but last I heard they were phasing out the shop programs and my year (2013) was one of the last years that had access to it.  Pretty sad to see shop programs being cut all over the country, the skills and lessons learned in a shop can be applied to almost any career and were invaluable to me growing up, it's sad to see that opportunity taken away from kids.

Started out taking woodshop in jr high school. 

Continued on through all four yrs in high school. 

Learned building construction, welding, fiberglass work, and auto repair, all in high school. 

Nothing to make you a journeyman. 

But definitely formed a base of skills.

A few yrs past the age of normal retirement. 

And I still get up in the morning, and head off to build shit because it's fun.

Been self employed for over 35yrs.

It is indeed a shame that the basics of the crafts, skills, trades aren't offered to kids throughout their school years.

This thread is full of guys who are very proud of their respective trades.

And I'd bet all say it's a shame that more young guys aren't following in their footsteps. 

Someone has got skills! Now we need Robin Leach to come do a documentary on that place!

The builder, and sales office has had a professional videographer, come in and document the progress, and finished product, on the last two homes I've worked in.

Big selling point for showing prospective property owners the fit and finish they can expect from my builder. 

I'm usually given a lot of "executive decision" making privilege when it comes to cabinetry design. 

The trim, and coffered ceilings, etc.. are usually held to specs.

Looks amazing 

People are really nice to me these days....

( Try to find anyone to freaking do this stuff off the top of my head on the fly  AND get it right the first time) ..

Tied in the rest of the coffered ceiling into the cabinets yesterday. 

 Nice Work Joey,  my wood working skills choke the second I figure out nothing is Square.... 

" Now what " lol

90° or I don't know shit crowd speaking up!!!

Had a few timbers to cut.

Had to break out the "man's saw".

16", worm drive skill saw.

Tim the toolman Taylor would break out in a cold sweat, pulling the trigger on this torquey, two fisted, bad boy.

# Beast !!

Built a walk in shower in my 6x12. Used a rubber membrane like a tile shower. Used shims under a piece of luan for my slope. Siliconed LVP flooring together and covered the walls with aluminum trim coil.

I'll probably never use it.

Built this screen porch and stairs for some ungrateful pieces of shit.

Mexicans built the deck and roof, I had to make chicken salad out of chicken shit.

Home owner is the head building inspector/a fuckin idiot. I went in great detail of how I was going to build everything. Comes home hungover and bitchin about the width of my steps.

I had a concrete pad underneath and the handrail attaches to the post on the porch.

What in the flying fuck was I supposed to do. I told the retard I was going to build the steps 48". The pad is 48" and the fuckin post is 48".

I'm tired of people thinking they can speak to me that way on a Monday morning at 7:30 am.  He borrowed my tape measure and tried to find a way to say my steps weren't up to code. 

Once the tape went out I lost my fuckin mind. Once I said what I needed that pussy didn't have a word to say. Got here at 6:30 this morning hoping to speak to him, but nope, left out the front door.

I grew up on a Jobsite, my Dad is a builder, this shit is my life and I'm fuckin good at it.

Rant over you guys can tell me to fuck off.

Sandusky I've been dealing with a health inspector that knows ZERO about how commercial pools work, and I mean zero. She knows how to test the water and see if the gate closes, how she got the job is anyones guess (well not really but that's another subject) I feel your pain dealing with "Inspectors"