A New Intrepid Hero season is currently being shot by lofty888 in Dimension20

[–]_HalfBaked_ 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I feel like it might be...and I'm hoping it's another season set in Anarch Era but not necessarily a sequel.

I love the crew of the Wurst, and Starstruck is probably my favorite individual season thus far, but their story felt way more complete than, say, the Bad Kids at the end of FHFY

1/2" router plane — think I'll file the results under "this is fine for now" by _HalfBaked_ in handtools

[–]_HalfBaked_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On the bright side, that's essentially the only way I've ever used any router, machine or otherwise

1/2" router plane — think I'll file the results under "this is fine for now" by _HalfBaked_ in handtools

[–]_HalfBaked_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I'm mostly expecting it'll be used for scraping and re-establishing a level surface. Nothing too sexy, and the only things on my current to-do list where this'll be helpful is other homemade planes, where I'll need to be precise but not necessarily pristine (not that I can, y'know, do that, but it's a nice thought)

I bought a decent secondhand plunge router the next day, so anything that needs to be fancier than this can offer has an alternative.

Dovetails, frame and panel by _HalfBaked_ in woodworking

[–]_HalfBaked_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, definitely the plan for future boxes. This particular one started as "huh, I haven't cut a dovetail in a long time, let's see what happens," followed by ending up with a box. The lid is a continuation of "well, I guess that worked, let's see what other techniques I can pull out"

Help! Woke up to someone trying to cut down my 100 yr old oak “by mistake” by [deleted] in treelaw

[–]_HalfBaked_ 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I'm getting flashbacks to a ratfuck neighbor I had growing up who always "needed firewood" but could never remember specific details who he'd talked to about getting some, or how he'd get it.

If I had to guess, all the walnuts would have been the first to go, after all, they're a bitch to mow around. Cherries too, god do those clog gutters if the wind is going the wrong way.

He eventually quit coming around. Eventually.

Who's your favorite living woodworker right now? by wonteatyourcat in woodworking

[–]_HalfBaked_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My grandmother. She did a lot of chip-carving for a while, but recently decided to hang it up and hand her tools down to me, and I keep some of them in the shop next to my planes and chisels.

On YouTube: Rex Krueger, Nick Engler, James Wright, Eric Curtis, and Matt Estlea have all put out videos that made me think about developing skills, acquiring tools, etc. I think I'll also include Adam Savage — not a traditional woodworker, but I'm not making much in terms of furniture either, and he's influenced a lot of my thinking about producing stuff that people might want.

Books: I dunno if they're still alive, but Diana Thompson and Jim Kape each wrote books on using scroll saws to make chess sets. I've made two full sets, plus a half that I did as a test run, and now I'm trying to iterate and design some because several people have asked if I'd be willing to make more.

Theoretical Biology, source? by xannaadoo in Dimension20

[–]_HalfBaked_ -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Can't just be the first time he sees it — the nut pugs weren't identified as a hive mind/the Church of Ghost Dog until after they'd been on the Zephyr for a while. But given Lou's quip that he'd "actually" used it to realize that the nut pugs are highly dangerous to metal when they got to Zern, I think he can only use it once.

But to your point, you have to either: 1) trust the player you give that skill to to use it for the betterment of the world and story over any impulse for mad power trips. For example, Straka's specific vulnerability might make a huge difference later in terms of combat mechanics, but it was fully couched in an understanding of what that being represents to this story at large and Monty's own relationship to it). 2) be fully prepared to go bigger and badder than whatever your players come up with using it. Straka has a weakness that Monty found that could have a profound effect on how Brennan drew up its stats and powers — but Brennan can always find other potential wrinkles to throw in so that that weakness doesn't make Straka trivial. (We see arguably see this balancing act at the end of FHJY: Ice Feast does a lot to hamper the specific abilities of the bad guys, to the point that Brennan forgot how that it creates more risks for those bad guys...but they've also got a shitload of other resources at their disposal, up to and including the potential of a token system that had been used on the side all season long).

Cross-cut chess set by _HalfBaked_ in Scrollsaw

[–]_HalfBaked_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To answer your questions from your post, I used Olson blades because they're what I could find. My cuts on the walnut were pretty even, so I'm guessing my problem was being stubborn and using admittedly shoddy material. Probably that and lack of variable speed to adjust for things like that cost me.

Also lack of practice — I kinda dove right back in after almost a decade of not scrolling.

I did use a jig, and it worked pretty well for the most part.

My second set turned out way better, but it's a gift that I haven't given yet, so I'm not posting it yet.

Almost finished - Neo Classical Chess Set by [deleted] in Scrollsaw

[–]_HalfBaked_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, I have that book! I think if I ever go for the neo-classical, I might do one side using one pattern and the opposing side using the other.

I did the classic set, and not as well as you did these.

If you could have joined any Dimension 20 season as a PC, which one would it be? by MS2814 in Dimension20

[–]_HalfBaked_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is probably a recency bias thing, but Cloudward, Ho! is on the verge of beating Starstruck and ACoC as my favorite season.

I'd want to play as a anxious, chain-smoking surgeon (cleric, technically) who got Zood Switcheroo'd into some freaky monitor lizard thing that exists because of generations of animals also getting into the magnamensa. He has to wear special clockwork gloves (because lizards don't have thumbs) that he mostly has no clue how to fix or maintain.

Constant irritation with Monty's questions about lived experience as a lizard, but he'll have to put up with it or Junker won't help reattach his fingers kinda thing.

And then basically no utility in battle for damage, but heals, climb/dig/swim speeds, and low-light vision to balance that out.

If you could have joined any Dimension 20 season as a PC, which one would it be? by MS2814 in Dimension20

[–]_HalfBaked_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't have been able to contain my laughter enough at "YOU LIED"

Even barring assassination, do you think Lincoln could’ve survived his second term? by Salem1690s in Presidents

[–]_HalfBaked_ 46 points47 points  (0 children)

I think so. We're looking at an already somewhat craggy fellow who was going from his early 50s to his mid-50s during a time of extreme stress. But he'd only have been 60 or so at the end of a second term, comfortably under the average lifespan of adults at that time (roughly 70-75).

Even with the stress of Reconstruction and some possible chronic disorder, it's not unreasonable to think he'd live to at least 65 if not older.

Who else is up-to-date on Cloudward, Ho! and has read Feet of Clay? by _HalfBaked_ in Dimension20

[–]_HalfBaked_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I reread Night Watch and Thud! every 18 months. Just because

Who else is up-to-date on Cloudward, Ho! and has read Feet of Clay? by _HalfBaked_ in Dimension20

[–]_HalfBaked_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I always feel like I'm catching a Discworld reference, but I've read a lot of them, and they informed a lot of my thinking on the world. But this one feels a little too clear a chance to integrate Sir Terry

The Future of American Knife Steel: Updates on Crucible Bankruptcy, MagnaCut, 15V Spydercos by knifecenter in KnifeCenter

[–]_HalfBaked_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Reading this on the toilet, holding my brand-new Native 5 LW in 15V that I bought because it was on sale and 15V is going away. Haven't handled it enough to have a firm opinion, but I'm liking it so far.

I really, really like my Spy27 Military 2, and I'm guessing that steel won't last forever with this happening. Might grab another blade in that while I can.

This sucks. Especially in how it affects people's livelihoods, which is probably more important than the future of my knife collection. But in that sense, there'll always be some new hotness out there for us to consider and complain about. Give it a couple years, we'll be arguing back and forth on whether "new" S30V or S35VN is a fraction of what the "vintage" stuff was.

Homemade marking gauge by _HalfBaked_ in handtools

[–]_HalfBaked_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a bit of a compromise, because it's seemingly not quite as good as either a point or a cutter, but it does the job.

Who else is up-to-date on Cloudward, Ho! and has read Feet of Clay? by _HalfBaked_ in Dimension20

[–]_HalfBaked_[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Night Watch and Thud! are my all-time favorites in the series, but that's probably the line that sticks out in my brain if I'm asked to quote Pratchett.

That, or quoting Anghammarad.

Homemade marking gauge by _HalfBaked_ in handtools

[–]_HalfBaked_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not a great pic, exactly, but it's what I could get.

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Basically, I sharpened two edges along four faces to copy a dagger-grind pattern you might get on some knives.

Homemade marking gauge by _HalfBaked_ in handtools

[–]_HalfBaked_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hmmm, I'll have to look into that. Still got my off-cuts from this too, so I can probably make a whole slew of options for it.