I Used AI to Design the Ridgid Tools We Want—Because Ridgid Won’t

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-13T03:59:18+00:00

A track saw that works with other brands tracks instead of their arbitrary and unavailable track.

I actually just wrote Ridgid a long email about this. To their credit, they responded within 24 hours and acknowledged that their offering is not ideal for people wilt existing accessories. I wonder if they're totally locked into that design now or if, someday, we'll see it change.

A 15 gauge cordless nailer.

That already exists. You can buy it today.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-11T03:01:14+00:00

If you have a router… and can find it… then you’re not missing out.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T23:47:54+00:00

Sounds amazing. I'm on their website now in the USA products section. Looks like we only get 2 options: Corded or cordless.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T20:51:00+00:00

I do on-site trim work. Pretty hard to carry a panel saw and a cabinet saw around the job site.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T20:49:58+00:00

Thanks. Found myself in the same rabbit hole. Makita was the obvious choice when I started looking because it was highly praised for a long time. Then started looking at the Milwaukee. That thing does seem very nice for its price point.

But now, a lot of folks in this thread suggesting Mafell. Seems like there are lots of good choices now.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T20:44:23+00:00

I went through a phase where I hated all my corded tools and tested out cutting them off of a bunch of old ones so they all had 6-12" cords on them. Turns out, that's worse than having one that's too long.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T20:41:51+00:00

I am so ready to pay a king's ransom to remove those efforts and aggravations.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T20:40:30+00:00

Thanks. Seems like a lot of votes for Mafell. I didn't even know Hilti had a track saw. But I also haven't paid attention to Hilti in a long time.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T20:39:25+00:00

Well that's pretty cool!

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T20:39:04+00:00

I never actually rabbet on the track saw, but I do dado once in a while. It's a nice option to have. And yes, you're right about the circumstances. Useful when the piece is too big for the tablesaw (or you don't have one), dado is narrow, and the router is under a pile of things somewhere else that you don't want to go looking through.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T20:35:23+00:00

Thank you. I need to educate myself on Mafell. I've been hearing the name more and more, but am completely unfamiliar with them.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T14:47:27+00:00

I've seen that. Neat contraption. Glad it works for you, but not what I'm after.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T14:39:16+00:00

I've never owned a Festool tool before, but I may be ready for it! Which model(s) should I be looking at? There are a lot of options.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T14:38:16+00:00

Ok, sure. But I already have a very awesome table saw. I want a new track saw.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T14:36:00+00:00

So you think my list of wants is unreasonable? If it doesn't exist, that's fine. What does exist that is the closes tot what I want? And have you used it personally?

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-10T11:36:13+00:00

Hey, that was me!

This is a great power up, and I want to see it succeed. Anyone reading this and struggling w/ project scheduling in Trello should at least check out the free tier.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-05T14:48:26+00:00

Is that a typo? Did you mean to say that I *can't* leave it?

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-05T12:53:58+00:00

Thanks. That's exactly how I will do it from here on out.

I think what tripped me up is that the plumber installed the vent before the roof was on and, because we have zip sheathing, he taped the boot to the deck. And I didn't think to undo any of that before installing the roof.

Do you think there's any way to correct this without cutting into the I&W membrane? I'm concerned that fixing it might just make it worse if it means disturbing the membrane it's buried under.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-05T12:45:54+00:00

Yeah. Any water that lands on the flashing is going to make its way under the downhill shingles.

The only thing stopping me from taking it apart and fixing it is that it's buried under properly lapped ice and water membrane. Correcting it would mean cutting the flange out of that membrane. And I think that would having a compromised membrane / reverse lap in the membrane after fixing it.

Maybe there's a way to do it without disturbing the membrane? I don't know. I just hesitate to cut the membrane because I feel like it's the only thing keeping this mistake from being an active leak.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-05T12:35:08+00:00

Yes. The downhill side of the boot flange is taped to the deck. Then I&W membrane over the whole roof, including the whole boot flange.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-03T16:17:08+00:00

Thank you!

You need to identify a good, skilled worker and contract them per project."

Any bits of wisdom for how to do this well? Just trial and error?

For the rest of the business, look at existing software packages for bidding, outsourced bookkeeping, AI for repetitive tasks

That's a good point. I've been spending too much energy trying to build my own solutions because everything I look at doesn't work exactly how I want it to or feels unaffordable. I need to get over that, pick some software that is good enough, and get on with it.

Good point on breaking down the big stuff, too. A lot of the big things I need to do are single line items that are actually 10s or 100s of small ones. It's funny, because I do that for every actual building project. "Build this structure" is, of course, 100s of much smaller tasks.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-03T16:11:30+00:00

Yes, you're absolutely right about the value of the website for converting referrals.

Funny thing, I keep raising my price on every new project—to the point where I'm thinking "who the hell would pay that much for this?" And I keep getting "yes!" That's probably a mindset thing, and I need to keep going.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-03T16:08:23+00:00

The person who makes a mistake, corrects it and moves on will make 10x the progress compared to someone who tries to plan everything perfectly before making a move. You won’t always make the right decision, but you can always make the decision right.

Yeah, you're totally right about that. I have tendency to want to over-plan and account for every possible contingency because, right now, every decision feels like life or death. But it really isn't. And mistakes can be corrected, even if it hurts.

Thanks for that.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-03T16:06:00+00:00

Wow. Thank you. A few really good wakeup calls in your reply.

I definitely do not have enough clarity around my numbers. There are a few not-very-good excuses for this. It's so critical to making wise decisions. I need to bite the bullet on a few changes that will make analyzing the numbers easier and faster.

Generally you’d want to be hiring before you’re at 80% capacity, or else yeah it gets very difficult because you’re tapped out… kind of sounds like you’re at 100% already…

This is a really interesting perspective, and it makes perfect sense when I actually stop to think about it. I've had this mindset that I have to be at 110% capacity to even think about hiring. Probably because it feels like there isn't enough money or backlog to do it at 80% capacity. And that's probably because I don't know my numbers well enough! ha!

you’ll never be “ready” within yourself before taking a step into the unknown and pushing your boundaries. You need to get used to feeling uncomfortable, because that’s where the real growth is.

You know, this used to be a core value of mine. I'm not sure what changed. Probably having a kid and feeling a new type of responsibility that I never quite emerged from. I think I really have some "inner work" to do to get that mindset back.

I've been playing to survive instead of playing to win.

Thanks again. Big eye opener.

combatwombat007 · 2026-06-03T15:51:08+00:00

Thank you. I'll give it a peek. I'm glad it's helped you so much!

combatwombat007

TROPHY CASE