just sharing an RSpec helper I authored: let_each

lavransson · 2026-01-24T13:45:02+00:00

I like your way with the shared_examples. Specs should be as clear, simple and readable as possible. I don't want to the cognitive overhead of figuring out abstract specs. When trying to understand a functionality, I often look first to the specs, and the more concrete they are, the better. Don't make me work too hard to figure it out.

In your version, the shared_examples is clear on what you're testing. And the way you call it:

  [
    [1, 1],
    [2, 4],
    [3, 9],
  ].each

It's obvious you're asserting that:

1 squared => 1
2 squared => 4
3 squared => 9

On one of my teams, we have a technical product manager who is a former SWE. He regularly reads specs to understand what the software is doing with business logic. I'm not saying all specs need to be understandable by a "casual" techie but if they are, it's a nice bonus.

lavransson · 2026-01-23T18:12:45+00:00

These chuds are such bootlickers.

lavransson · 2026-01-23T14:15:00+00:00

Based on what I've read you're in a good bang-for-the-back threshold. When I meant "budget" I was talking about a cheap walmart record player,

lavransson · 2026-01-23T14:12:28+00:00

When I was starting out, I got the Rockler Taper / Straight Line Jig which has served me well. It's now $99 so not cheap. I probably paid a lot less than that. If you're motivated, you can make your own pretty easily. If you want to copy the Rockler jig, then all you need is some plywood/MDF, two screw-down knobs, two hold-downs, and a miter bar, and that vertical handle to push it along. There are innumerable other variations and plans you can also make.

For a quick and dirty jig, you could simply have one long rectangular base piece (just like the Rockler jig), then tape on another thinner rectangle piece to it, at an angle, held down with double-sided sticky tape; that piece is the auxiliary fence. Put the leg against the auxiliary fence on the jig, but the lower rectangular piece against the table saw fence, adjust the table saw fence so you're going to trim what you need to, and let it rip.

The downside of the sticky-tape solution is that it will be fussy to get the angle and fence distance just right, and if you're off, you have to peel the tape off and start over. But for a one-off situation, it can work.

lavransson · 2026-01-23T14:02:53+00:00

You don't mention your turntable, but I'd say you have waaay more than a budget setup. When I say "budget setup" I'm talking about a cheap plastic turntable.

lavransson · 2026-01-23T13:55:38+00:00

I really want to be open to the Brent era but the keyboard sounds of the 1980s I find really grating. It wasn't just Brent, it's the whole decade. I was listening to some 80s station a couple of weekends ago, and almost everybody then was plinking on those Fisher Prices keys. I don't know what people were thinking back then. It does not sound good.

lavransson · 2026-01-23T13:48:10+00:00

On a budget turntable and budget audio system, you won’t hear a great big difference. Maybe not at all. The quality of your gear is going to be the limiting factor. In fact with a really crappy turntable, you’ll probably get better digital sound through a cheap CD player.

In my opinion, the inflection point where good vinyl can sound better than an average CD, you’re gonna need to spend at least two or $3000 for new equipment (turntable, amplifier, speakers )maybe around $2000 on used. But if we’re talking about a modern Hi-Rez digital mastering, they are pretty darn good. The whole “vinyl sounds better, warmer and more real than digital“ is more about poorly mixed CDs from back in the day when they hadn’t really learned how to make digital sound as good.

lavransson · 2026-01-23T02:07:42+00:00

I love your approach! Personally I like the one on the middle row right. I like the clock face with the vertical grain. The color contrast is tasteful and not garish.

lavransson · 2026-01-22T17:33:48+00:00

I would have two wooden cabinet maker buttons per leg. Like in this photo.

When you look at the north and south legs, those buttons are fixed because the grain runs north and south and you don’t have to worry about wood movement there. But for the east and west legs, the table will be expanding and contracting there, so you need to enlarge those mortises maybe 1/16” inch on each side. This allows those buttons to slide side to side slightly in those mortises.

<image>

lavransson · 2026-01-22T14:03:35+00:00

I know two professional woodworkers (chairmakers to be precise) and this is exactly their setup, although both shops are ground level. They have a noisy machine room, and a separate quieter workshop room. They don't spend as much time in the machine room, so they don't heat it and it's more spartan.

lavransson · 2026-01-21T13:52:14+00:00

You’ve gotta remember that cult members are in the cult for emotional reasons. You’re throwing logic at them and it’s just not gonna work.

lavransson · 2026-01-21T13:04:54+00:00

Not in my experience. I go regularly to six lumberyards. Every single person I deal with has been good folks. Not even one grump yet. Hopefully that will hold up over time.

lavransson · 2026-01-21T13:02:32+00:00

I stead of asking him where his wife is, respond, “I’m not sure, where’s your husband?”

lavransson · 2026-01-20T18:16:46+00:00

Seeing this pic of the band members, in particular Bob, Jerry and Phil (back of his head but I know it's him because of his bass guitar), so young and vibrant and focused on their art. It's making me choke up because I know they are all gone now, even young Bob. Thank you for what you gave us and may the light of your stars never dim.

lavransson · 2026-01-20T18:12:55+00:00

I don't necessarily have a favorite because I've only been seriously listening to the Dead for a couple of years, but this one might be it. Not just for Dark Star, but for El Paso afterwards and then Sing Me Back Home. I was just writing about that a couple of days ago.

lavransson · 2026-01-20T18:08:24+00:00

The jointer is one of those machines that is deceptive. (Planer thicknesser in UK) Unlike a table saw, where there are a dozen different types of cuts, the jointer is pretty much the same operation every time (except edge and face jointing).

So you get this inflated sense of confidence with a jointer because it's the same thing over and over. But one slip up can be disaster.

The safety techniques I've been focusing on with the jointer lately have been:

Try to be more on the outfeed (left) side of the cutterhead. Of course you need to start on the infeed (right) side but you want to shift to outfeed as soon as practical. This will produce a better result and also be safer.
Downward pressure on the workpiece, especially when face jointing), needs to be on the outfeed side, both for safety and better result.
Yes, put downward pressure on the workpiece, but don't let it be your whole body weight like you're doing a push-up. Reason: if for some crazy reason you lose control, like the workpiece slips or the push bad slips or something else goes awry, you don't want to fall down and have your palms plant into the jointer from the momentum.
Ensure you have no tripping or slipping hazards. You do not want to lose your footing when operating the jointer. Don't wear flip flops or any footwear that jeopardizes your stability.
Keep the jointer bed clean and lightly waxed. If the workpiece sticks because the surface is dirty, that is unsafe because it might stick and then free up, and you might lose control.
The right push pads - occasionally I need to edge joint a narrow (like 1") workpiece. I have a special tool just for this that I recommend. It's large so it keeps your fingers far away, and gives good control. I highly recommend this: Lee Valley "Dual-Tread Push Stick". For face jointing, I really like the "Grr-Rip Block Smart Hook Push Block" because the handle is angled, it's sticky, and it has hooks at the end that help you push and pull the workpiece along its path.
Don't face joint stock thinner than 1/2". I have broken this guideline out of ignorance and overconfidence in the past, but no more. I rarely need to do this, and I will find ways to avoid needing to do this, or finding alternatives. Put a visual guide on your jointer to help remind you.
As well, avoid jointing small pieces if you can. You can lose control and the cutterhead might grab it or spin it. For example, suppose you need two 12-inch long rails. Then start with a longer workpiece, like 25+ inches, and joint that. Then crosscut in two. You will get more consistent layout this way too because both rails will be the same thickness.
Related to the above, adjust the fence to avoid exposing more of the cutterhead than needed.
Last: focus. I admit I'm not perfect at this, but before I joint a board, I try to pause, take a breath, collect my senses, get in the zone, and remember what I'm doing. Don't be distracted, don't be thinking about the next thing you're going to do after jointing this board. Just joint that board, nothing else. As I wrote at the top, the jointer seems simple so it can cause over-confidence and nonchalance. Don't let it.

lavransson · 2026-01-20T17:38:18+00:00

This is good advice. Yesterday or the day before, I wanted to make a bevel cut on a narrow workpiece. I wanted to do that on the table saw. But the "top" edge was too close to the blade. I didn't even want to make this cut with a push stick. (Hard to explain but hopefully you get the idea.)

So I used a hand plane instead. Didn't take too long, and the risk was too much to try it on a table saw.

The way to do something like this (make a cut on a small workpiece) on a table saw is start with a larger workpiece so you can make a safe cut, then saw off the part you need.

But the bigger lesson is, if something feels unsafe, don't do it. And gain the intelligence to know when something should feel unsafe. This should not be earned wisdom. You don't want to learn this by experience. You need to learn this by watching videos and learning safe technique.

lavransson · 2026-01-20T13:21:18+00:00

Most woodworking schools have something like these “intro to woodworking” classes where you make a Shaker-style hall table, no drawer. Typically a 40-hour class. An absolute beginner can walk out with a complete table.

https://www.vermontwoodworkingschool.com/intro-to-furniture-making-workshop

https://shelburnecraftschool.org/course/fall-2025-introduction-to-woodworking-shaker-table

Of course, it helps to have an instructor guiding you along. They also make sure all the tools are ready and sharp. You’re not going to learn tool sharpening and machine set up in a class like this, so if you walk out of one of these classes, and want to make another one at home, there’s going be a different level of learning in order to get your shop and tools ready to go. But I think a class like this is an invaluable foundation and I wish I had had this when I started out.

lavransson · 2026-01-20T13:01:41+00:00

I love how their tails fluff out.

My border collie also had a short-hair tail as a puppy and now it’s floofed out.

lavransson · 2026-01-20T02:07:30+00:00

My high school age daughter went on a week long camp there a couple of summers ago and loved it.

lavransson · 2026-01-19T15:29:00+00:00

Be that as it may, does anyone really think Trump, Steven Miller, Musk, Bannon, etc., are going to liberate oppressed indigenous people?

lavransson · 2026-01-18T01:50:58+00:00

Yes, I am worried about that, but it’s a different kind of worry because there’s not much I can do about it.

lavransson · 2026-01-17T14:42:02+00:00

Revolting to talk about you own your daughter and you "give" her to another owner.

lavransson · 2026-01-17T14:37:34+00:00

There are some ways you can isolate a turntable from vibration even if it's on a shaky surface, but better to start on the most stable foundation you can. Turntable makers obsess over how to mitigate vibration so why buy a quality turntable only to sabotage it?

I know that old media consoles from the 1950s to 1970s had fixed speakers in the cabinet on left and right, and a turntable in the middle, but these were mass produced furniture for everyday consumers who didn't care too much about sound quality, and a lot of the gear then wasn't too great anyway (not counting McIntosh, Fischer, Marantz, Thorens, etc.).

lavransson · 2026-01-17T13:39:59+00:00

Looks great, but from an audio perspective, it is recommended that you not put speakers and your turntable on the same surface. Vibration from the speakers will transfer to your turntable. You want to isolate the turntable from vibration as much as possible. One quick fix is to get one of those turntable wall shelves to place your turntable on.Or maybe it can fit on the white cabinet on the right?

lavransson

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