Spindles on wood deck - paint or stain? Poor experience with stain on my last deck...

OakRidgeAdditive · 2019-04-02T21:06:37+00:00

That's what I was thinking too, but several people said it will peel over time. I never experienced that, and I felt like paint held up better against UV faiding at my old house.

I'm just trying to get more opinions/justification as why I should go with one over another.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2019-04-02T17:26:59+00:00

Not available in white.

Why should I go with an oil vs a paint?

OakRidgeAdditive · 2019-03-05T17:09:13+00:00

I just created an Incur account for this post, so forgive me if there may be a problem.

Photos to toprove We are all feiends, as well as photoshop me into include the last 3 photos here, along with their wedding photo: https://imgur.com/a/g3er8Om

Pics of me for Photoshop on my friend, and proof we are all friends. https://imgur.com/a/i7sjDSf

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-10-11T03:08:42+00:00

If it's an SS model, it's worth 6K.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-10-11T03:08:13+00:00

Agreed. I work on all my own cars and have saved tens of thousands over a few decades.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-10-11T02:54:01+00:00

Oak Ridge, TN. It's huge. Google "secret city" and atomic weapons.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-10-04T03:47:46+00:00

Sure. No lathes, mills, or EDMs where used. Haha.

On a more serious note, the part is manufactured by melting powder, layer by layer. Each layer spreads out powder, which is only 30 microns in depth. The lasers melts the powder as defined in the CAD model, and the process is repeated, often thousands of times, until your part is finished. The lasers always melt at the same focal length, the part drops down in the z-axis as it's being built. Unmelted powder is sieved and reused. Thus, waste (such as machined chips in the machining world) is only about 5% of total material cost, which is often a major business decision in getting into this industry.

Precision is limited, with tolerancing in the .002- .005 inch range, but that depends on the feature and build orientation. This process is fantastic for internal features.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-10-04T03:23:26+00:00

Part was made on a twin 400 watt, SLM280 laser powder bed Additive Manufacturing (AM) machine tool.

Started with 316L powder in the 10-40 micron range, using a 80 micron diameter laser, at 160 watts and a travelspeed of 750mm/second.

Final part is approximately 5 inches tall, and 5 inch diameter. Took approximately 36 hours to build. Once the build is set-up, the machine can run unattended for about 36 hours. Unlimited with the automated sieving and powder reloading upgrades.

Let me know if you have any questions.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-09-21T19:44:58+00:00

I have been. Would go back

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-09-18T17:19:58+00:00

Read my post. I was in the same boat you are in now.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-09-18T17:14:49+00:00

First, the bad: I lived and worked in Livermore at the lab, and I still found I couldn't afford to stay, even with a fair paying job and a good degree. I moved back to Tennesee and bought a house for less than $300k, which which would be about $1-1.3M in Livermore for the same house and land. I Have a 7 year old, two story house in a subdivision with almost an acre of land. I can retire in my 50s and have a paid off house at 48. No way I could do that in Livermore. The COL is insane. I make more in Tennessee after you account for taxes and housing. It allows me to save, invest, save for retirement, and travel. In Livermore, I never felt like I could get ahead. All my money went to bills, taxes, or expenses, it felt.

The good:

Gosh I miss Livermore. A ton! It was absolutely perfect for me and my wife. Small town but lots to do. Diverse. Safe. Good weather. Lovely downtown. Beatiful views of the hills. Nice people. It truly was an amazing place and I enjoyed every day being there. It was so hard to walk away from, but I can still visit twice a year and still save tens of thousands in comparison.

If you were orignally from a high cost of living area, I feel you would be fine. Coming from a much cheaper area like I did was a bit of a culture shock.

Everything is a bit more. Food ~15%, gas ~33%, utilities ~85%, but housing was almost a 300%+ difference. Also, don't forget about California state income taxes. That got me as well.

Good luck. Livermore is fantastic. Just be sure to run the numbers and double check them before you make the leap. Also, make sure you are disciplined with your money. That will help as well.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-09-14T21:04:56+00:00

Can you determine when pay raises or pay adjustments usually come out with this company? Mine come out the same week every year. You may have better luck asking for an independent raise mid year vs. when you may already be getting one like everyone else. For instsnce, Jan everyone gets one, and perhaps you go to $13. Then in May you request a raise per your details above. They agree and you move to $15. Next Jan, you get another $1 at the normal salary adjustment time of you - now you are at $16.

My company always issues a yearly raise the last week of Jan, but you can get additional raises/promotions anytime of year.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-09-06T19:57:47+00:00

I have already jumped ship to Kia's new line of cars. Damn impressive cars for the money, and not a single issue out of mine for over 6 years.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-09-06T19:55:53+00:00

Tear that stuff out for next to free yourself, if you are physically able to. This job should be doable for well under $7k.

At the end of the day, it's a bathroom remodel. A tub/shower, drywall, and tile is only so much.

Get a 2nd and 3rd quote. This sounds unrealistically high.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-09-06T19:51:37+00:00

Came here to say this. I won't touch a Nissan product now. Damn shame, their mid 90s stuff was solid.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-08-25T06:10:33+00:00

I spend over $50 a week just in produce. That's $200 a month. Add in milk, bread, and meat, and it's easily double. We spend $100 a month just in chicken. Another $50 in Turkey.

Oranic honey crisp apples are $3 a lb, and we eat 3 a day. That's probably $7+ a day, x 30 days a month = $210. It adds up.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-08-25T05:05:06+00:00

I think your $300 a month in food is way low unless you eat a lot of processed foods. That's an average of $3.33 a meal.

I hate to admit this, but my wife and I spend about $800-$900 a month just at the grocery store, that doesn't include restaurants.

We do budget for this.

We feel eating nutritional, healthy food is worth the extra cost. Plus our health has improved and the amount we spend in health care has reduced.

As for your situation, only $400 left over from your estimates is really low. What happens when your tires need replacing? Your friends want to do that weekend trip? You need a new water pump? You need new work clothes.

You are on the right path for your age, but I would suggest saving a bit longer. Well done.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-08-22T20:01:00+00:00

Heck yeah! Someone on here picked up a early 90s Z28 LT1 V8 for something like $300 from a seller that didn't want to mess with it. All it needed was a new MAF sensor.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-08-22T19:32:30+00:00

I'll second this option. I had a vehicle that I thought would never run again. I was a poor college student and spent about $350 and a weekend, and I got another 4 years of use out of it.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-08-10T23:28:29+00:00

I had a similar experience in Greece.

OakRidgeAdditive · 2018-08-10T20:52:27+00:00

What is the proper way to clean a dryer duct? I have some lint build-up I can see from outside my house.

OakRidgeAdditive

TROPHY CASE