What's everybody doing today?

[NannyPatty]

Resting! I have been crawling around and re-caulking baseboards and filling nail dents to get ready to re-paint them. My living room and my bedroom needed touch ups. But this older body is fussing and stiff and needs to quit for a few days.

 

[hiwall]

We're up in Colorado visiting our kids. Cold and snowy here.

 

[Spikedriver]

got off work a tad early tonight..
today to millright: " the trim saw/ sorter" rythym" is "off" , has been off , kinda herkey jerky since the new drives were put in 2 weeks ago and getting worse daily..weird vibration..I know it sounds funny but, something isn't right.."
Millright looks at me kinda sideways..like..
"Well...yea..the timing is screwed up and the new drives I don't thing were worth it..something is wrong and I hope it doesn't break on our shift tonight. "
Me: " sideways smirk, I have my 80 hours and we still have 4 days left..Im cool if we do .."
The sorter in our mill is about 2 stories above, wood travels through the trim saw, out the sorter toward the sorting bins where all the wood gets "sorted" into all the bundles of say..all the 16 foot 2x6 get put in a "bin" (holding area) until the bin is full and I call it down to my machine to stack it in nice layers of wood to send it to the drying kilns..
My stacking maching is about 10 feet off the ground or so..The full bins of various lengths and dimentions of wood are held in the sorting bins, once full I call the full bins to me to be stacked..they fall down onto chains and travel down and up to my machine. My machine is lower than the sorting bins , which get to about 3 stories high at the tippy top, but the travel of the wood goes through the trim saw, past the sorter chains under me, to the sorting bins and back to me..and Im over, just to the side of the trim saw. So I get a view of the wood coming out of the trim saw as it passes to the sorting chains to the bins...
Tonight, lots of bin crashes..where wood doesn't settle into the designated bins and instead "crashes" jumbled, screwed up on the chains, sometimes falling off the chains 3 stories down to the floor..bang, boom, and once tonight a 16 foot 2x6 board almost hit me as I was walking under the sorter area to the control panel opposite my station to make room for more wood. A unit of stacked wood caught its fall instead of my shoulder n head but being it was inches away got my blood moving regardless...
For hours , it was stop and go on the trim saw sorting chains, lumber not getting to the correct bins..it was all screwy and messed up..
Finally, one of the maintenance guys just stood by the transition area between the trimsaw backtable and sorter chains to the bins and watched. this area is above my workstation about 30 feet out and above me..in my view..
he is looking and watching the area..where earlier I had told the other guy ..the rythym is all wrong..and soon he shuts the operation down..
he and the other guys start inspecting the area..it turns out..the new drives were tearing apart the support I beams and frame supporting the mulit thousand pound machine located 2 stories above ground level..he said he is surprised the back table and beginning of the sorter chains didn't break and fall to the ground. Metal fatigue and cracks all over the main support frames..The main cat walk is in this too..
So, I go up there after all my stuff is shut down, they give me the scoop and I look at the millwright and say, "remember eairler tonight I mentioned the rythym was off and you looked at me like I was crazy..lol?"
Him, "Yea, I knew something wasn't right too, dang it!" "these drives were basically tearing the machine apart the last two weeks!"
Kinda like the last week Ive been complaining the incline motor kept cutting out the chains on me with a firework show and my electrical panel shutting off..They cant find anything wrong with the motor so use it till it finally breaks..Im thinking ..I really don't like the electrical issues, sparks n such..It took me a day to figure out the electrical conduit 3 feet away from the motor that kept crapping out and throwing the panel switch off jiggled loose from a elbow in the pipe, the pipe was cutting the wires and exposing them to metal. every now and then it would jiggle right and boom, flash sparklies would crackle and a 480 motor would trip. I found the problem yesterday to that one too..It was under a frame not far from the motor and I had a piece of lumber get wedged in it ..
I wont deny If we don't work next week due to all the issues I will be a happy girl..

Glad you're safe, Hooch. Hope you get the time off!

 

[MoBookworm1957]

Laundry sorted
Lunch fixed-done
Dishes to do.
Vacuumed the whole house.
Checked mail which will make mailman happy.
Getting ready to walk several blocks to start laundry, maybe tomorrow.
Crocheting on Uncle's afghan, just about ready to change over colors again.
It's growing slowly.
Think I have figured out it will be 105 (2 inch square) wide, and 210 blocks long when I get to that point.
Will decide if will be bigger.
Started using up scraps fabric to make two great nieces and nephews quilt tops.
Hope to finish these two Gram's Threads projects this coming week.
Then that family will be done.
Then will start on next family for finishing up Gram's thread projects.
Only got 6 more families of Gram's Thread projects.
Most of them are toddler bed quilts, embroidery birth announcements,2 queen size quilts and 1 full size quilts before I can start my Gram's thread project.
But slowly and surely getting there.

 

[Hooch]

Once you have been working machinery for a while you just know when it isn't working properly @Hooch and usually the bosses never believe you when you tell them either.

I worked in building hardware and used to cut all the timber for the builders who would come in. We had one huge drop saw and the thing was mightily dangerous and used to jump sideways by a good distance. Keeping your hands clear and well away from the thing was your best course of action. This thing was responsible for cutting many a limb off and usually I trained people on this abomination of a thing.

this is true..we all knew after the new drives were put in, there was going to be some fine tuning to get it all going right. But everyday, no matter what they were doing it just kept getting worse. This week is the first week a maintenance guy was assigned to night shift due to staffing issues. The millwrights fix things to keep the mill running until the maintenance guys can properly address issues. Problem is we have at best only 3 guys tending to all the mill issues on a shift. Things are breaking constantly so they are run ragged and have little time to really stop and have time to figure stuff out before something else is breaking. Where the issue was , is not around close to the main part of the mill. My station is off at the end of the production line away in the back 40 and so unless there are issues, no one hangs out. Me and the other stacker operator see and hear/feel it all shift along with our machine.
It was a good move to have the maintenance guy on the shift. Although he has been helping the millwrights fix stuff during production, his main job and mindset is to find out why it isn't working right and fix it right during down time. So this week he had the opportunity to watch during production what was going on and while the millwrights were running around like crazy trying to keep it all going, he got to stop and just watch often.
It was a group effort to figure out where the problem was starting, clues from everyone kept pointing to that area as the beginning of the issues.

 

[Hooch]

Glad you're safe, Hooch. Hope you get the time off!

I do too!!
but they will probably just tell the guys to weld the cracks and call it good until the whole shebang fall apart...
I asked the guys last night when they were showing me all the cracks how they need to properly fix it being it is a huge support holding up the who thing. They said replace the whole structure and add more support because the machine was not engineered and designed to hold and support 3 drive engines yanking on miles of chain like it is now. ..and its designed for dry wood..not wet.

They put the new drives in because the old system kept breaking couplers a few times a week...couplers are designed to break when the system reaches a max stress point. The couplers in the chain drive system break instead of gear boxes. Couplers are cheaper, $ 2400.00 for one and since ive been there they never lasted more than about 2 weeks at best. Sometimes several a week break and there were a few points in the system where they were.

Gear boxes are more expensive, so breaking couplers was a cheaper option.
I once watched 2 gear boxes and all the couplers on the sorter drive chains break at once.

It was epic!

It was another time things were not moving right for awhile. I kept hearing a clacking noise coming from the gear box area to the left of my machine up high. They kept trying to make adjustments over about a weeks time and everyday they would ask me if it was still making funny noises..I kept telling them yep..still not moving right.

One night, I was caught up and just watching and listening to it clacking and grinding all sorts of wrong and then a huge grinding noise then,
BOOM!

The sorter chains lurched about 5 feet and they rose up out of their channels about a foot (Ive never seem that before) . The gear box up straight ahead of my station grinded so hard the main sprocket drive sheered off the shaft, broke the chain and fell to the floor at the same time the main gear box broke all the sprockets teeth, its shaft and all connected to it was toast.

Everything came to a grinding halt as sawdust on everything floated down to the floor like snow...

I got on the intercom..and in a calm voice called for the millwright, " I need a millwright to the sorter please..I think the machine just blew up"..lol chuckling as I said it.
I hung up and he calls me back over the intercom,
"What do you mean ? Is it making funny noises again?
I respond, "No..its not making any noises now.. half the parts are on the floor , but that kinda made funny noises when that happened"
Millwright, "oh _hit!"

The Trimsaw operator walked into my view at this time and looked to where I pointed. His mouth dropped to the ground..he looked at me and I gave the touchdown sign with a thumbs up as I giggled..
Earlier on break we were talking about being tired and hoping we get to go home early.
We were sick of 5 10's and it was our Friday..

Iit took a few days to replace all that not to mention thousands of $$

I actually hope they take the time to fix it right even if it means more than a few days off. Every time we start working crazy amount of hours stuff breaks epically and people get tired and sloppy.

Just about 2 hours before they found the problem last night, the trimsaw op and millwright were on top the the sorting bins fixing a wreck and the edger operator noticed the panel say, the sorter was ready, so he started it up as that is normal clue and routine.

It was not ready..the guys were still on top of it..3 stories up and the chains started moving and bin doors opening and shutting.

The trimsaw op cleared the error BEFORE they were done on top..and of course no one locks it out or tags it out. They keep it all on and take chances and its all good until it isn't..again..

I happened to be on the catwalk when it started running, I just saw them on top , so I turn around to run to hit the kill switch at the nearest panel about 20 feet away. The trimsaw op leaped off the top, landed on the catwalk and hit the kill button before I got there. Luckily he was on the catwalk side of the machine when it started. The other side is strait down 3 stories..The millwright jumped on top of the closest support beam and hung on till it stopped.

People get tired and $hit happens..especially when safety isn't enforced..at all. crazy..

 

[hashbrown]

Cold day here! I'm so proud of Jake!

 

[MoBookworm1957]

Nice job Jake!

 

[timmie]

oldest brother hospitalized. said he couldn't breathe. he had flash pulmonary something. his level was 48 when ne got to the hosptal, it is now 98. I don'tknow what all that means ,except had it been a few minutes later we would have lost him. This brother was always like a second dad to us kids even though he is only 8 years older than me.

 

[Patchouli]

@timmie prayers for your brother

 

[Weedygarden]

We're up in Colorado visiting our kids. Cold and snowy here.

You must be in the mountains. The front range had snow a couple days ago, but the snow is mostly gone now. I raked leaves in my yard today, but there is snow in the shadows.

 

[Sewingcreations15]

@timmie prayers for your brother.

 

[Sewingcreations15]

@Tank-Girl it may pay you to have a home cash emergency kitty for instances like you had with Centrelink so you have a bit of a back up and we started ours with putting in $20 a fortnight and it really builds up in no time, but of course even $5 a fortnight will work too. We have found ours has come in handy many times for flat batteries, tyres and the like and recently an electrician friend popped by and we paid him to put in a new TV antenna and 3 double power points with it too. He was meant to come a week later but was visiting his sister that lives across the road.

 

[Peanut]

Update on the albino doe… I stopped by my cousin’s house this afternoon. He wasn’t home but his grandson was there.

Turns out they have been aware of the albino since the winter of 16\17. They hadn’t seen her this winter and was worried she’d been killed. They were relieved to know she was still alive.

Didn’t do much today, to cold to go outside.

 

[Sewingcreations15]

Round 1 of today is that we did scripture study this morning together. At the moment we are making a quadruple batch of honey, almond, sultana, oat and coconut with vanilla extract granola to last us a few weeks.

 

[NannyPatty]

oldest brother hospitalized. said he couldn't breathe. he had flash pulmonary something. his level was 48 when ne got to the hosptal, it is now 98. I don'tknow what all that means ,except had it been a few minutes later we would have lost him. This brother was always like a second dad to us kids even though he is only 8 years older than me.

Those are blood oxygen levels, Timmie. Most people are in the upper 90s to 100. Anything under 90 is reason to be addressed and anything lower than 88 consistent is time for oxygen adm and testing to find the reason why it is so low.

 

[backlash]

Finishing up my bathroom project.
We didn't like the grey color on the new vanity so I painted it white.
Letting it dry overnight and I'll get it installed tomorrow.
It has been a long 2 day project. Not difficult just time consuming.
The important thing is my wife and brother are both happy and I have one less thing to do.

 

[timmie]

Gonna get back on canning and dehydrating out of freezers tomorrow along with vacuum sealing crackers. Got a lot of chicken to can.

 

[MoBookworm1957]

Sitting here doing final version of Uncle's Tunisan Entreloc stitch afghan.
My counts were off by quite a bit.
So went up and seen friend whom was helping me learn this stitch.
He counted 5 times couldn't figure out where the mistake was either.
So he showed me the final step to stitch, like this so much more.
His wife was glad to see me too.
If he was complaining to me, she could get shower, shampoo her hair.
Last Thursday his appendix and gall bladder ruptured; emergency surgery.
Will go up Wednesday for him to recheck my progress.
Give Gus chance for shower, run to store etc.
Gus is short for Augusta like in Georgia.
Hopefully everything will be correct.
Still haven't done laundry, but don't really care always tomorrow.
Got a dab of dishes to do up tonight.
Finish scrubbing out refrig.
Timmie, sorry to hear about your brother.
Strawberry is still clingy.
She gets any closer to me, it will be like white on rice.
Hopefully I got all the ingredients for granola.
If not think I got the ingredients for oatmeal cookies.
Everybody have a wonderful day, afternoon, evening, night.

 

[Amish Heart]

So far....got the crockpot started with Hawaiian ribs. Cooked two whole chickens, took the meat off and froze it. Made husband breakfast and lunch. Changed bedding. Did 4 loads of wash and it's hanging to dry. Did animals (twice), cooked rice for the animals. Emptied dehydrator of chopped bell peppers, and filled it with mixed vegetables. Cleaned our bedroom. Made husbands lunch for work for tomorrow. Went to work for 45 minutes. Folded three loads of laundry from yesterday and put it away. Swept. Leaving now to take granddaughter jean shopping. This should be fun. I don't allow skinny jeans or low cut ones or tight ones or super expensive ones.

 

[Weedygarden]

So far....got the crockpot started with Hawaiian ribs. Cooked two whole chickens, took the meat off and froze it. Made husband breakfast and lunch. Changed bedding. Did 4 loads of wash and it's hanging to dry. Did animals (twice), cooked rice for the animals. Emptied dehydrator of chopped bell peppers, and filled it with mixed vegetables. Cleaned our bedroom. Made husbands lunch for work for tomorrow. Went to work for 45 minutes. Folded three loads of laundry from yesterday and put it away. Swept. Leaving now to take granddaughter jean shopping. This should be fun. I don't allow skinny jeans or low cut ones or tight ones or super expensive ones.

You will probably sleep really well tonight! You have been on the go.

 

[Terri9630]

Just some canning and laundry today.

 

[Weedygarden]

Did some cleaning in the kitchen, some sewing on my fleece jacket, made a chicken fried steak that needed to get used, took apart my two Samsonite folding chairs and cleaned up the metal frames. Got the frames spray painted with the antique bronze paint. I have the seat backs to get cleaned up and painted. The really old glue is a lot of work to clean off. I have been working on them for a while and have a ways to go. The frames already look so much better. I am looking forward to how the chairs will look when I get them recovered. I have some rusty tannish colored naugahyde left from recovering my card table that I think will look great. It will be durable and able to be cleaned easily over the years to come.

 

[Terri9630]

Oh I forgot! I got an All American 915 for $25 st the flea market this morning.

 

[timmie]

Oh I forgot! I got an All American 915 for $25 st the flea market this morning.

There is no way I could find one of those around here. I have been looking and will keep looking. How many pressure canners do you have? I have 3.

 

[timmie]

Brother had a heart attack and still has a lot of fluid . They are giving him lasik for that. They also had to do a trach so he could breathe. He is stable but in serious condition.

 

[Bacpacker]

Prayers going up for your brother for full recovery.

 

[backlash]

Brother had a heart attack and still has a lot of fluid . They are giving him lasik for that. They also had to do a trach so he could breathe. He is stable but in serious condition.

Prayers going out for your family.

 

[Amish Heart]

Sorry about your brother, Timmy. Prayers go out to him and you, too.
I've never seen an All American at a yard sale....you are so lucky, Teri. I have one pressure canner and 3 water bath canners.
Survived the jean shopping with granddaughter...youngest daughter came over just in time to go with us. We came away with 3 pairs for granddaughter and two pairs for daughter. Finished up dinner, hung out with the old man cat (George) who isn't going to make it much longer. Poor old cat. Out of the shower, and not looking forward to work Monday.

 

[GrannyG]

My friend's son went to a farm auction and bought the tin...what a surprise….under the last piece , denned up....luckily they were slow moving..26 of them