Smiffy2 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Morning all. Just had breakfast in the garden, and feeling quite chipper. Until I read about all of you learning metric... I was teaching metric/decimal currency in the early 70s. But I'm still as muddled over measurements as the rest. I do a lot of woodwork, and I tend to veer between metric and Imperial, which is very bad practice. Ask the Mars Rover team. Jock - glad your bad day is over. I hope a small tincture at the end of the day helped. DD - that's a good thing to do. I'll be happy to put in. Ed - you can take those things too far. We had a technician at school in the woodwork department (we still taught carpentry and joinery until 2010) who came from a science background. Told that we needed some wood planed to a certain size (in mm) he did so, but the staff were amazed to see him measuring with a micrometer. In the end he got it spot on. That afternoon he measured again, and found that it had grown - his measurements were now off. So more planing. When the wood was needed the next morning he measured again and was horrified to find that it was now too small, by half a millimetre! Much mirth from those people who understand how wood is a dynamic material and changes according to temperature and humidity, let alone the release of internal stresses... What you lot could do for me is tell me, in real world terms, what the weight limit for a first-class letter is. I can't make head nor tails of so-and-so grams when the numbers are very small. Anyway, second coffee made, awaiting delivery of new laptop, Blondie this afternoon and overnight. Have a good day, all. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Hire ladder returned. The spec suggested it extended to 5.4 metres. I'd probably say it'd do 5.4 feet safely. I've now figured out how I painted the stairwell last time - I must have stood on top of the banister, painted with one hand and clung on to a door frame with the other. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted April 16, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) Tch, had a post all written and the desktop crashed.....bloomin Windaz.... Nice to see the note from Jock - hope your day wasn't too bad, mate. Manflu still taking a grip, I thought I was getting better but my sinuses are now filled with concrete that seems to have the properties of expanding foam - my head hurts. Simon, hand raking a lawn is a nightmare. Jayne bought a cheapo QnB type electric scarifier last year which we borrowed, it only went a few feet and it was full, and our lawn looked OK beforehand as we regularly feed and de-moss it! We ended up filling a couple of one tonne builders bags with moss, and it's not a huge lawn! The lawn looked like the Somme afterwards but soon grew back and looked well. I can't find a recent photo of the lawn, this will have to do.... As for metric and imperial units, I was schooled in imperial, used metric for FE, and came across a log entry at sea of 'added two buckets of oil to No.2 Alternator', next to which the Chief had annotated 'metric or imperial buckets?' !!! A few years ago we got some paving slabs which where 2'x2'x2", they were mighty heavy being two inches thick. Jock may care to note this is where project X is to live...... edit - They're under that shed in the photo.....the rest are riven stone type, only one inch thick and much lighter - and metric! Edited April 16, 2015 by New Haven Neil 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted April 16, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 16, 2015 Morning all, Read that Mick had been passed as ok by DBS and immediately had visions of him being authorised to paint everything red, must read more carefully in future. I tend to work and think in a mixture of proper measurement and these funny new-fangled foreign ones so for low temperatures I think in Centigrade, high temperatures make more sense in fahrenheit but centigrade is coming along, distance is obviously best measured in miles, chains & yards while short distances are measured in feet & inches with translation for the good Doctor when necessary. And i find tonnes a right nuisance after years of working with proper tons as a unit. Fortunately real life freight trains lengths were simple being measured in SLUs (Standard Length Units - 1 SLU =21 feet) but NR seem to be well into metres for some reason (technically a breach of an EU ruling I do believe). Ah well a look round here and then back to teh garden - where it will hopefully be a lot cooler today. Have a good day one & all. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted April 16, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 16, 2015 Cooler? Pah......you can have some of our cool, Mike! Actually sunny out there today, it was grim yesterday, poured all morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
station cat Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Those slabs look familiar Pete, very similar to ours. The big ones certainly are heavy so my sympathies if you have to do all the moving and laying yourself. I measure things in metric, imperial or both as is convenient. I'm quite capable of going to Jewsons and asking for a plank a foot wide and a meter long. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Very pleasant again today, and the cool breeze is welcome. There's a hole to be dug for a friend's long home, and it is a lot easier when you are not sweating buckets. so that's much of my day sorted out... Talking of tolerances, when I was an apprentice we were taught to aim for the "maximum material Condition", ie the biggest shaft and/or the smallest hole within tolerance. Much later I taught with a colleague who insisted that, even if within tolerance, a further cut should be taken to aim for the middle of the limits. I still think he was wrong, what do you think? It's an economics question. For any component that can be reworked and returned to service 'good as new' by a small cut, then the maximum material condition is the correct principle. If the precision available from the machine tool(s) used is sufficiently good - high precision relative to the tolerance band - a component may be reworked multiple times, with a consequent very large saving in material procurement and the processing stages that formed the component originally. This is 'old school' now with the vast majority of equipment designed for a single (very long) life and then scrapped outright with no provision for rework. But for very high cost machinery - gas turbines are a good example - it remains the way. Or did when I last looked, things move on so fast now! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 I’m feeling really pithy this am. Best, Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Shedman5 Posted April 16, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 16, 2015 Morning, dry with occasional sun here, if someone could invent a product that kept a lawn moss free for say 5 years they would make a fortune! We all seem to attack moss in April/May when as much work is needed in September, last year I raked and then spiked then applied a autumn feed and the lawn I did is quite good with little moss. The other lawn which did not get the same treatment is full of the stuff. Though I have two resident blackbirds that are pulling the moss out a great rate at the moment!!! The joys of gardening! Enjoy your day 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Hmm, I tend to think in miles and feet, but measure in metres for small stuff and feet and inches for longer stuff. So, the buildings and viaducts on my layout are cut in mm and the layout is 6' x 2'. Nearest town is a few miles away. Volumes are ml and litres, unless they're pints, in which case would you mind topping that up with a sporting half! Lager may be presented in 1/3, half or litre quantities, but only when the air temperature is above 15oC and it's sunny, and I'm abroad. I think, with model railways in 4mm/ft and 2mm/ft our hobby may be trying to tell the world something? Anyway, this won't get the stairwell painted - I've got about 20' to do and 2 litres of paint. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byron Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Tch, had a post all written and the desktop crashed.....bloomin Windaz.... Nice to see the note from Jock - hope your day wasn't too bad, mate. Manflu still taking a grip, I thought I was getting better but my sinuses are now filled with concrete that seems to have the properties of expanding foam - my head hurts. Simon, hand raking a lawn is a nightmare. Jayne bought a cheapo QnB type electric scarifier last year which we borrowed, it only went a few feet and it was full, and our lawn looked OK beforehand as we regularly feed and de-moss it! We ended up filling a couple of one tonne builders bags with moss, and it's not a huge lawn! The lawn looked like the Somme afterwards but soon grew back and looked well. I can't find a recent photo of the lawn, this will have to do.... P1180492 (Medium).JPG As for metric and imperial units, I was schooled in imperial, used metric for FE, and came across a log entry at sea of 'added two buckets of oil to No.2 Alternator', next to which the Chief had annotated 'metric or imperial buckets?' !!! A few years ago we got some paving slabs which where 2'x2'x2", they were mighty heavy being two inches thick. Jock may care to note this is where project X is to live...... edit - They're under that shed in the photo.....the rest are riven stone type, only one inch thick and much lighter - and metric! I had to look thrice to even notice the lawn! Great railway. Mike 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iL Dottore Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) I think that we have moss with a few patches of grass, and not the other way around. Furthermore (and this I state based on only a few observations), it seems that the grass is more verdant and luxurious wherever the Wolfpack widdle (although it's mostly Lucy's handiwork [paw-work?] as Schotty prefers to go off site). Does anyone know whether or not dog urine is a fertiliser, or at least has fertiliser effects? (dog urine contains urea, creatine, uric acid, carbohydrates, enzymes, fatty acids, hormones, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium and ammonia, some of which I know go into commercial fertilisers). Whilst on the subject of gardens, does anyone have any experience in installing a tall garden fence? I need to install one between our garden and the new 3 house development next door (partly for privacy and partly to keep the Wolfpack calm - they firmly believe that the path leading to the front doors of the neighbouring houses is their turf and will vigorously bark at anyone in their garden). I understand that sinking the uprights into concrete is an approved construction method, but are there alternatives? I can work in imperial or metric, neither of which does me much good as I can't estimate size, distance or volume worth a damn. However 4mm/ft is very easy to work with, Just take dimensions in ft, multiply by 4 and then divide by 10 to get cm (which I prefer to work in over mm) iD Edited April 16, 2015 by iL Dottore 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightengine Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 I know I shouldnt be 87 kilos but dont know if I should be 86 or 85 but I do know that I should be 12 stone something or less rather than 13 stone too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted April 16, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 16, 2015 I think that we have moss with a few patches of grass, and not the other way around. Furthermore (and this I state based on only a few observations), it seems that the grass is more verdant and luxurious wherever the Wolfpack widdle (although it's mostly Lucy's handiwork [paw-work?] as Schotty prefers to go off site). Does anyone know whether or not dog urine is a fertiliser, or at least has fertiliser effects? (dog urine contains urea, creatine, uric acid, carbohydrates, enzymes, fatty acids, hormones, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium and ammonia, some of which I know go into commercial fertilisers). Whilst on the subject of gardens, does anyone have any experience in installing a tall garden fence? I need to install one between our garden and the new 3 house development next door (partly for privacy and partly to keep the Wolfpack calm - they firmly believe that the path leading to the front doors of the neighbouring houses is their turf and will vigorously bark at anyone in their garden). I understand that sinking the uprights into concrete is an approved construction method, but are there alternatives? iD I don't know about Swiss land but over here there is very often something in the deeds which prevents fences being above a certain height or being made of a particular material and some local authorities also like to put their stamp on such matters with a pile of restrictions. So it might first be worth checking if anything similar applies in your part of the world or to see if the Canton/local council is working to some sort of Euro-standard (surely there is one? ). Having seen what you are, or aren't, allowed to do I suppose the next thing is to establish what sort of fencing you can get or make but it will have to be high to contain a couple of boisterous canine family members - but you knew that anyway of course.. I've put in 4ft tall panels with no trouble but wouldn't fancy 6ft - the chap who recently did ours had all the right gear for the job and a helper to assist (the good Doctor is a bit short for easy handling of 6ft panels although she can move them). Posts over here are readily concreted in with some top notch stuff called Postcrete - open the sack, pour into the hole around the post and add water, job more or less done as it goes off pretty quickly, far quicker than home batched concrete. But you could mix concrete and use it fairly dry and well tamped down - it's just that unlike Postcrete you have to tamp it down and that isn't always simple. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold grandadbob Posted April 16, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 16, 2015 Flavio, About 15 years ago I erected a 7' fence in our garden using wooden panels, concrete gravel boards and concrete posts set in concrete. I had to replace the panels about 4 years ago but the posts and gravel boards haven't budged. (unlike our neighbours who used a cowboy outfit to do theirs using wooden posts plonked straight in the ground) PS 9ft concrete posts & 6' x 12" concrete gravel boards are flippin' heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Metr0Land Posted April 16, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 16, 2015 In the UK it's max 2 metres high without planning permission or 1m where it front onto a public highway http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/fenceswallsgates/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 ...Whilst on the subject of gardens, does anyone have any experience in installing a tall garden fence? I need to install one between our garden and the new 3 house development next door ... I understand that sinking the uprights into concrete is an approved construction method, but are there alternatives?... Further to Mike's posting there are now some good coated steel fencing systems available to choose among too. These also will be set in concrete. What your local authority requires or permits, definitely the first thing to research; and also whether the developers have any obligation toward maintaining your privacy, and thus should choke up some or all of the cash required? ...and partly to keep the Wolfpack calm - they firmly believe that the path leading to the front doors of the neighbouring houses is their turf and will vigorously bark at anyone in their garden)... I fancy you may have to be reconciled to disappointment on this one! While your wolfpack may be prevented from seeing the intruders, they will sure enough smell and hear them. What's required here is a mental reorientation. (There's a wonderful PK Dick short story titled 'Roog' based on his own experience with a dawg, relating to this kind of behaviour, and specifically focussed on the garbage collection.) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurenceb Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 I have never heard a new Mun quote her offsprings weight in kg's, allways in good old lb's! Greetings to all. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewC Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 I think that we have moss with a few patches of grass, and not the other way around. Furthermore (and this I state based on only a few observations), it seems that the grass is more verdant and luxurious wherever the Wolfpack widdle (although it's mostly Lucy's handiwork [paw-work?] as Schotty prefers to go off site). Does anyone know whether or not dog urine is a fertiliser, or at least has fertiliser effects? (dog urine contains urea, creatine, uric acid, carbohydrates, enzymes, fatty acids, hormones, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium and ammonia, some of which I know go into commercial fertilisers). Whilst on the subject of gardens, does anyone have any experience in installing a tall garden fence? I need to install one between our garden and the new 3 house development next door (partly for privacy and partly to keep the Wolfpack calm - they firmly believe that the path leading to the front doors of the neighbouring houses is their turf and will vigorously bark at anyone in their garden). I understand that sinking the uprights into concrete is an approved construction method, but are there alternatives? I can work in imperial or metric, neither of which does me much good as I can't estimate size, distance or volume worth a damn. However 4mm/ft is very easy to work with, Just take dimensions in ft, multiply by 4 and then divide by 10 to get cm (which I prefer to work in over mm) iD I've done too many fences in my lifetime. The grumpy guide to fences. Assuming either a 6' or 2m fence and points in between. UK style: Don't use 75mm posts. Too flimsy and thin. If you have to use wood make sure you are using 100mm or better yet 150mm posts. Don't bother with those crappy post spikes. They will eventually work loose in the ground. Concrete the posts in with a minimum depth of 450mm, 500mm better. Best practice if using pre made panels. Concrete posts with 450mm holes, concreted in place. concrete gravel boards minimum of 75mm but better at 150mm. Use a good treatment on the panels. None of that crappy Cuprinol stuff that needs a respray after 2 years. Canadian style 9' long 6" by 6" pressure treated post. Hole 36" concrete filled. top and bottom cross members 2" by 4" pressure treated timber fence slats, 6' long 1" by 4" treated cedar planks 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted April 16, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 16, 2015 We have had over 20 years of privacy but the new three story block of flats now look straight into our conservatory and rear windows (my view of planning has usnk to a new low these days). We already have a 5ft fence but to give us privacy back we are now growing bamboo. This is / will be planted in large pots as we dont want it spreading and affecting any foundations but should grow tall enough to block out the view yet allow light through it (unlike fur trees). Not sure how well bamboo does in Switzerland though. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiffy2 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 9ft concrete posts & 6' x 12" concrete gravel boards are flippin' heavy. Oh yus. When I was putting our gravel boards in (unassisted - I was stronger in them days) I rested one on my knee and was alarmed to see my shin bending. Just a bit. But enough to bring on a lifting frenzy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopardml2341 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Use a good treatment on the panels. None of that crappy Cuprinol stuff that needs a respray after 2 years. Are you still allowed to use old engine oil diluted with diesel? 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted April 16, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 16, 2015 I had to look thrice to even notice the lawn! Great railway. Mike Thanks Mike. It's just a roundy-roundy train set really, the fun with this line is driving the locos, there are several steep gradients to surmount! The full extent is quite modest. Looking both ways.... But there is scope for a little modelling - this is a repaint I did myself. Upsets the locals.... 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted April 16, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 16, 2015 I put up a 6' fence 35 years ago using Concrete posts. These were concreted into holes about 18" deep. The poles had 3 holes cast through them so I used threaded 10mm rod to secure a 5omm square timber rail either side of them. The panels are then nailed onto the stringers. I've had to replace the panels once in the intervening years but the posts and stringers are doing fine. Just one slight problem, and ash sapling grew a bit too big and knocked one of the posts out of alignment. I've no intention of digging it up and trying to get it vertical again though the ash tree is no longer with us. Jamie 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock67B Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Afternoon all, Late start today and still weary but very happy with the results of my 'extraordinary' visit to the oncologist yesterday - apparently the recent CT scan shows no significant advance in the tumours but the 'Nuclear' scan gives a better picture of the bones so he has booked one for me! The extreme pain I've experienced over the last few days is possibly due to my body becoming adjusted to the medication so he has changed that. I have also been having some bowel issues but that is apparently almost certainly due to having been on the chemo for so long and I'll have to live with it although he has changed medications there as well. He even had me X-rayed whilst I was there to check for any blockages! I am really impressed with my treatment by him and his team, treating me with dignity at all times and I have to say that the kindness of my digital friends on here gives me a fantastic boost - THANK YOU ALL once again. Neil, I certainly wouldn't say that I was good at being ill and I suffer from 'man-flu' like the next man but my science and engineering background has given me a pragmatic approach to adversity. Being a Shakespeare fan, I think of Hamlet's lines : 'Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?' I decided to take up arms! The funeral yesterday afternoon went as well as any such event could. It was a very dignified civil ceremony conducted by a superb speaker on behalf of our late friend Jo's only son. She had suffered a heart attack last month you might recall. She was one of the founder members of 'Vague Recollections', the name we gave to our wine tasting, eating and drinking club almost thirty years ago! We were fifteen strong then but sadly there are now only six of us and one couple and a widow live in Spain. They played some of Jo's favourite music and I have to say that the Fleetwood Mac track 'Songbird' brought a tear to the eyes of most of the congregation. We celebrated her life at a nearby hostelry and I was astounded to discover that, although having known Jo for all those years, two of her cousins, as well as her uncle and aunt were Citroen customers of mine without me realising the connection until yesterday! Although a sad event, we can now turn to remembering all the good times we shared and during this week I've been asked to burn a disc of images from the many wassails we attended, for her son to keep. Poor lad lives in Manchester and now has a logistical nightmare, trying to cope with the house clearance and sale from so far away so we'll all have to help. Sadly, one of our fellow mourners is the oldest surviving member of our club and it was her daughter who died after fighting so bravely some days back. Not a very nice time for her as she was close to Jo and now she has to go through it all again early next month with Sue's cremation. There is always someone worse off than you!! Certainly keeps Joanna and I busy offering comfort and it's probably a plus not to have time to worry too much about your own issues! I'm going to continue my catch up on here and so I'll try to post some more of my drivel later today! Enjoy the rest of Thursday, and thank you all again, Kind regards, Jock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now