@Aaron Wasps are not an approved grounding method. 1) because they move around too much. and 2) because they get really pissed off when you try to connect wires to them.
I work for a kitchen joinery company and I am trying to find software that we could use for quoting and estimating. We are currently using Excel spreadsheets and I and concerned that this is not a safe or stable process. We already use Cabmaster software but this is very slow if you only want to ...
I thought it looked OT, but I was waiting on the community to chime in with some close votes. I'm not sure where to draw the line between this and CAD-like questions that we've permitted in the past.
I'm conflicted, because it's nice to see "professionals" getting involved, but I'm not sure we should really be dealing with the "business" end of home improvement.
This sounds more like a business/accounting question.
I agree that it probably crossed the line by asking about the "quoting and estimating" aspect, rather than the planning question. We should take care to not make questions like these OT:
I am going to be finishing my basement. I would like to design the new basement myself using design software. What is the recommended home design software?
This question falls dangerously close to being a software question, but it's definitely specific to DIY...
My house is around 100 years old. Off-the-shelf home design programs have nice libraries of drop-on components like walls and windows that can be adjusted somewhat to fit, but they are basi...
Background: We have about 1500 feet of unfinished basement that I am contemplating finishing off into a "grandma suite". Before getting serious about the project, however, I would like to play around with some layouts.
My first thought was to download the 30-day trial of AutoCAD LT. But surely ...
@Tester101 @BMitch I thought that question might be useful for DIYers as well since estimating time and/or materials is a good thing to do when planning a project (so I'm told :).
@NiallC. maybe, if the software is free. It's not likely a DIYer would pay for this software, or use it enough to make paying for it economically viable.
@NiallC. The problem with laminate/engineered is that the end t&g doesn't fit into the side t&g, so you can't get creative with diagonals. Once you start, you're stuck with that angle, and can't do any herring bone type stuff.
@TheEvilGreebo I know, but if the space is open enough it may seem like one room. In which case, doing the flooring the other way (the way you suggest) might make it feel partitioned.
Curious what you guys think -- this question got answered/commented on, including by a couple top users: diy.stackexchange.com/questions/18402/… and yet, several others in the past that are similar and asked how to build something get closed as off-topic, because while they're "DIY", they're not "home improvement".
in fact, here's an example of a similar question that was closed:
@gregmac They are not asking how to build something, they are asking what tool to use to cut metal. Tool questions are on topic. Saying "I'd like to build something, but only have a rough idea how. Could you design and tell me how to build x?" are off topic.
@Tester101 I would say it's a bad question, not that it's off-topic.
Eg, "I'm trying to build X, here's what I figured out, but I need a way to join these together. I've tried y but it's not strong enough, and z is too expensive, can anyone give a better recommendation?"
It's the same as questions that all the other SE sites are dealing with. I was just reading some stuff about the 'homework' tag on stackoverflow, and it seems applicable here.
that's not really a good argument, as you can apply that logic to pretty much any question :)
eg, "There's a 1" round hole in my drywall, how do I fix it?"
Actually I'd requalify your statement. There are several right answers. Which one is the best for the situation is a matter of opinion - and that's what the answer votes are for. Which one actually accomplishes the OP's goal is what the accepted answer mechanism is for.
I'm just saying the way I read the LCD question is "I want to build this complex thing, but don't really know how. Can you tell me how to build it, and what materials to use?". Where as the metal cutting question I read as "What tool can I use to cut thin metal?"
I guess I'm saying I disagree with it being closed as off-topic (as we were apparently doing at the time.. there were several questions like that are hard to find now), but I would agree as-is, it should be closed as "not constructive" or the question needs to be improved to be more specific
I have read pretty much every question on the site since almost the start of beta, and I have definitely seem some closed as off-topic which was the consensus at the time (eg, not related to home improvement)
I was just looking for clarity, as it seems there was never really a clear decision on it (case in point: all the meta discussions about scope)
specifically cutting beer kegs doesn't seem to have relation to DIY Home improvement (in fact destroying your kegs is probably more likely to be the opposite..)
Yeah, I'd agree with that, and it's an easy statement.
I think along those lines an argument could be made for fasteners or materials.. though it has to be very specific to not be a 'design this for me' question
@Tester101 again, should be closed as 'not constructive' or 'not a real question'. To encourage better questions and not scare away users, it should also get a comment or link to FAQ explaining what could be done to improve the question.
I found this link by mistake so it's been a while since you asked your question, Eli Iser, so I hope it all worked out for you.
My main reason for responding is shirlock homes answer, tho it appears he enjoys what he does I have been an electrician since 1977 and although we do very little resid...
It's very forum-y but has pieces that should be comments on both existing answers.
@gregmac: the question on cutting the beer keg was clearly off topic (I was ready to close it without discussion) but the question of how best to cut through steel is on topic. Since the question could be reduced to something that's on topic and useful to others, I let it slide. That said, I really wish the OP didn't mention the keg since it distracts from the core question.
Given the following text in an email body:
DO NOT MODIFY SUBJECT LINE ABOVE. Sending this email signifies my Request to Delay distribution of this Product Change Notification (PCN) to 9001 (Qwest). The rationale for this Request to Delay is provided below:
This is the reason I need to ...
@Tester101 and I had a good discussion on scope earlier today (scroll up). Essentially, I think we should be much more lenient about DIY-but-not-home-improvement questions (eg, building or repairing stuff not attached to your house). Tester101 thinks those questions are okay but only because "When, where, and how to use tools is almost always on-topic."
We both agreed that questions like "How do I build something to do x?" are bad questions -- but not because they're off-topic, but because they're either essentially asking "Design this for me" and/or they show no research has been done.
@TheEvilGreebo no though I think to finalize any discussion I'm going to have to go find some. I have definitely seen some before, it's hard to find closed/deleted questions though.
I'd suggest we keep the scope limited to home improvement, but if someone asks about something for a hobby project that has a more general application to home improvement, then it can be considered on topic. It would be best if we edit those questions to remove the hobby aspect.
I mean it's tough to draw the line.. To me asking something like "I'm trying to build a go-kart, but the axle which I've attached with #8 1.5" screws keeps falling off when I go over bumps. How can I make the connection more secure?" is okay
right now, I'm pretty sure if that question got asked it would be closed as off-topic
I guess seeing the beer keg question get answered was surprising to me, so I'll keep an eye out now for that type of question, and if I'm feeling very adventurous I'll go looking for old deleted/closed questions..
Will someone at Home Depot or Lowe's be able to cut this for me? If not, what tool should I buy and use?
Edit
Thanks for all the help! I ended up buying a Dremel. I went through 6 cut-off wheels in order to finish all my cuts. I was customizing an IKEA drawer to fit under my smaller IKEA tabl...
mine was doing the same thing.. i heard that by putting a little vaseline on the door stops it.. so i tried it and guess what no sticking sound. it does tend to wear off in time, but i just reapply it and no noise...
Looking at this bathroom sink from below a round area is visible in the middle where the material is thinner. Is there a safe way to drill a middle hole there (to install the faucet recommended at http://diy.stackexchange.com/a/18330/7480)?
The first time I did it, I was holding the punch on the mark, sweating, and breathing deep. My friend snatched the hammer, and said what are you waiting for. WHACK!
So my own project update this week: attempted replacement of exhaust fan switch with a timer, sadly the attempt failed and will have to be retried in a week.
It seems that the timers stocked by HD only support incandescent lights, not fans
@BMitch At my local store, the timers are not near the other switches. They have one or two near the switches, but those are light loads only. The good ones are hidden on the end of an aisle.
It should say on the box "Works with incandescent lights" or something like that, if it's only for lights.
@ChrisCudmore That has happened to me more than once. Bummer.
Fortunately I'm not as bad as another person at Habitat that cut the end off of his tape measure because he left it on his board when cutting it with a miter saw. And he did that 3 different times.
Shoddy workmanship by a lousy contractor has left me with a vinyl deck that allows water to leak into the garage below. I identified the location of the leak - where the vinyl meets the metal frame of the sliding door. He had put some caulking over the joint (not visible in photo, removed by me...
Habitat is like persuading cats with chainsaws to behave better. The first thing we learn is where the first aid kit is. And the second thing they do is pray to God. I'm not a religious person, but that second part still seems like a good idea.
Caulk is needed for all these joints, and it's something that requires periodic maintenance. It won't last forever, especially if the structure is moving.
Learn something new every day: modern ballasts require a neutral AND a ground to operate.
If you don't have a ground, the ballast will check one cycle out of every 60, which to a non-contact voltage detector will make the entire fixture seem like it's live.
(Of course, the hack who ran the wire from the switch to my garage light cut the ground in the switch box so I had to run a new wire all the way to the fixture box... but thankfully he didn't affix it in the wall as code required even when the house was built so it was a clean pull and I only had to knock a tiny hole in the wall to grab the wire and shoot a romex staple just above the switch box...)
Given the following text in an email body:
DO NOT MODIFY SUBJECT LINE ABOVE. Sending this email signifies my Request to Delay distribution of this Product Change Notification (PCN) to 9001 (Qwest). The rationale for this Request to Delay is provided below:
This is the reason I need to ...
Will someone at Home Depot or Lowe's be able to cut this for me? If not, what tool should I buy and use?
Edit
Thanks for all the help! I ended up buying a Dremel. I went through 6 cut-off wheels in order to finish all my cuts. I was customizing an IKEA drawer to fit under my smaller IKEA tabl...
mine was doing the same thing.. i heard that by putting a little vaseline on the door stops it.. so i tried it and guess what no sticking sound. it does tend to wear off in time, but i just reapply it and no noise...
Looking at this bathroom sink from below a round area is visible in the middle where the material is thinner. Is there a safe way to drill a middle hole there (to install the faucet recommended at http://diy.stackexchange.com/a/18330/7480)?
Shoddy workmanship by a lousy contractor has left me with a vinyl deck that allows water to leak into the garage below. I identified the location of the leak - where the vinyl meets the metal frame of the sliding door. He had put some caulking over the joint (not visible in photo, removed by me...
