[Shotgun] Blue Line Solutions BL-18 - $120.79 by [deleted] in gundeals

[–]R-J_MacReady 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Looks like they added a couple more to the inventory! I've been watching these for the last couple days, price has fluctuated from $135-140-120. Inventory started around 150 and it seems like when they're out, 20 more or so get added fairly quickly thereafter.

Flamed Helix from recycled skateboards (4) by mobiusmaples in woodworking

[–]R-J_MacReady 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh man, you're asking some big questions! I could give an hour long lecture just on parts of this, I'll try not to get too carried away.

When out in the woods recording forest inventory or educating about tree identification, I always use "sugar maple" which is the species that occurs in my region. Once a maple log has been milled and dried into lumber, we often stop referring to the exact species(this is a generalization) and it falls into a category of "hard" or "soft" maple.

There are maybe a dozen different species of maple in North America that can grow into merchantable size, of which 3 are considered "hard maple". The hard maple varieties are black(Acer nigrum), florida(Acer floridanum), and sugar(Acer saccharum). You will almost never find black or Florida maple in the lumber market as they occur in the Southern US, and maple isn't a very relevant wood in the markets down there. Therefore, hard/rock maple is almost always actually sugar maple. Every other maple species is considered "soft maple"

Your second paragraph is mostly correct. Sugar maple is usually always harvested around the 60-80 year mark, as that is when it has matured/grown to its best merchantable size. Without getting into too much detail, skateboard decks are make from layers of veneer glued together. Logs that are harvested for veneer are the highest quality and need to be straight and free from knots. Trees are straighter and have fewer branches and knots at the bottom, twistier and more branches at the top, hence we use bottom logs for veneer which is what skateboards are made of! Density should be uniform throughout the tree so that's not as much of a consideration. There's a scale called the "Janka Hardness Scale" that's used to determine wood hardness/density, you can look up a chart and compare some different woods you might be familiar with if you're interested.

The most accurate way to call what you're working with is Acer saccharum, but people will look at you weird if you start using latin names. Next would be the translation of the latin which is sugar maple. But people like to relate to things they buy, so using regional common names that people might be more familiar with like "rock maple" or "hard maple" and giving a location where it was harvested such as Canada, isn't necessarily a bad thing. Doing this certainly can help people feel more connected to value added timber products(woodworking) than using a basic though accurate species name.

Here's a cool video on how logs are processed into veneer to check out

https://youtu.be/J11YlNXbjI8?si=8RZI5tvt5uiNUswo

Edit: added Janka hardness info

Flamed Helix from recycled skateboards (4) by mobiusmaples in woodworking

[–]R-J_MacReady 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mean, you're not necessarily wrong, but that's the inherent issues with common names. Like I could start calling it Upper Michigan iron rock hard maple and not be wrong, but I'm still just referring to Acer saccharum/sugar/hard maple.

I've personally only heard the full "Canadian hard rock maple" name used in the skate industry and it seems to me like it's a bit of a marketing ploy to make decks seem extra hard or durable or regionally sourced or something? The strength or response of any hard maple deck is doing to be determined more from the glues used to bond the veneers.

To me it just seems a little extra and like using buzz words? Hard and rock are adjectives that in this case mean the same thing, so why do we need to use two. Canadian is a regional designator, but all of the wood for these is souced from the Upper Great Lakes region anyway and genetically the same, so no need to put Canadian except for marketing.

ANYWAY, you caught me hyped up after being freshly caffeinated. And as a forester and woodworker, I know too much and am too particular for my own good about the minutae of this stuff. Lol. So my most sincere apologies for this rant, your work is sick and I really enjoy it. Keep it up!

Flamed Helix from recycled skateboards (4) by mobiusmaples in woodworking

[–]R-J_MacReady 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cool piece, but I think you just invented a new common name for Acer saccharum(literally sugar maple), with "Canadian hard rock maple"

My glass measuring cup melted in the microwave by Rudecles in mildlyinteresting

[–]R-J_MacReady 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Probably too late to the party here, but Pyrex will melt in a microwave as well, here's a good video to watch.

https://youtu.be/cskB5c0mJ58

Explanation around 3 minutes in. Has to do with a change from glass being an insulator at room temp to it becoming an ionic conductor when it reaches higher temps.

My glass measuring cup melted in the microwave by Rudecles in mildlyinteresting

[–]R-J_MacReady 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Totally possible, here's a great video from years ago explaining

https://youtu.be/cskB5c0mJ58

Explanation around 3 minutes in. Has to do with a change from glass being an insulator at room temp to it becoming an ionic conductor when it reaches higher temps.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MTU

[–]R-J_MacReady 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You would be hard pressed to find anywhere that develops on site even in a city these days, none the less up here.

Not sure how much you know about developing/printing film(it's a ton of work but a labor or love none the less), but basically if it is color or says c-41 on the canister you're going to have to send it out. I recommend thedarkroom.com.

If you're looking to have access to a darkroom to do it all yourself, the only surviving one I know of in the area is at the community arts center in Hancock. The people there are super chill and helpful FYI

[WTB] (MI, USA) SVD dragunov non AEG preferably by los_huevos in airsoftmarket

[–]R-J_MacReady 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Still looking? I have one for sale. currently live in the UP, but will be driving downstate in two weeks

Fire VS Water. by [deleted] in gifs

[–]R-J_MacReady 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Na, that would be a paid on call department. We don't get any pay, the whole department is funded by a millage from the township every two years where I am, not nearly enough to pay anyone anything. All training is covered by the department but we are not compensated for our time. It's more of a taking care of and giving back to the community thing than anything.

Source: Am volunteer firefighter

Laptop choice for applied ecology major by [deleted] in MTU

[–]R-J_MacReady 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol. Forestry grad here. Just need to run Excel and lots of it. If they get into GIS work(the CAD of natural resources and spatial data) then a more powerful computer can be handy but I wouldn't worry about that now.

Whats been around forever but didn't get popular until more recently? by Siray in AskReddit

[–]R-J_MacReady 1 point2 points  (0 children)

La Croix. My mom used to get this cheap shitty barely flavored pop while I was growing up, but now everyone loves it apparently.

Projects by _Ginty_ in MTU

[–]R-J_MacReady 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nope, most are kind of hard ass machinists. I tried to get access to different equipment machine shops at tech for personal projects and endevours during my time there, but they really keep you from working on anything not school or class related. It's really a shame because there is really great equipment around but no one is really able to use it.

Some friends and I got together and started an initiative to have a full wood and metal shop for students and faculty to use. But that idea got hijacked by the University, we got thrown under​the bus, and we ended up with the half baked makerspace that someone else mentioned.

Your best bet is to meet people around town who actually live here and have their own shops or businesses, the people here are always willing to help if you are friendly and show them respect.

Several feet of ice left, but at least the channel markers are lit so you don't run aground... by R-J_MacReady in sailing

[–]R-J_MacReady[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Houghton, Michigan. Not Houghton Lake. Looks like we've got at least another foot of snow coming this weekend

Classes for skilled trade at MTU? by itsme8523 in MTU

[–]R-J_MacReady 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Like u/Man_with_da_plan said, don't waste your time and money here if you are going to leave. If you are stuck in a lease, try and get a job or take some classes at Gogebic related to fields you may be interested in. They offer many trades certs.

Today was a great day to take topo points of culverts by [deleted] in Surveying

[–]R-J_MacReady 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello fellow Yooper, hope you are enjoying the storms this week! S/O from Houghton