Home Projects (upkeep/repair/mods/cool sh*t/advice/question)

[Blackhawk]

No, under the desk. A thin board would butt up against the back side of the lip, hopefully flush with that inside edge of the lip that’s under the desk.

So then, if your accessory could open wide enough it would simply clamp the current desk on top, and the bottom would be clamped perhaps half against this thin board and half on the lip.

Gotcha. I think my lack of the proper terminology to describe what it is (it is already flush with the desk, but just makes the first inch curved.) I guess that's not really a 'lip', but I'm not sure what else to call it. Plus my inability to paste image links properly created confusion.

Sorry.

[Unagi]

OK, so Bullnose (not the 1 1/2" Bullnose)

[Blackhawk]

OK, so Bullnose (not the 1 1/2" Bullnose)

Close. According to that chart, demi-bullnose.

[Blackhawk]

I fixed the pictures that were supposed in the original post (they got lost due to a formatting error), but the page changed so they got buried. I'll repost them here (and in plain view.)

[Unagi]

OK, so the issue is the top side of the clamp, finds no purchase - as the land runs downhill too quick.


Could you afix something thin and inflexible and strong on the top of the desk, so you have a bit of a 'metal balcony', and the clamp would hopefully pinch before the start of the demi-bullnose?


https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-12-in- ... id/3054563

[Blackhawk]

OK, so the issue is the top side of the clamp, finds no purchase - as the land runs downhill too quick.

Right. If you look at the headphone holder in one of those picture's (my son's), or the clamp-on arm rest that I use (this one, the clamps come up close to the edge. If placed on the front, they're opposite the curve, the desk is barely 'squeezed' in the clamp, so anything on there just falls off.

Putting something on top might work, if it were thin enough, inflexible enough, and didn't just flip up at the back when pressure is applied to the front edge. I'm pretty sure that 26 gauge steel sheeting wouldn't come close to being rigid enough to withstand clamping over a curve. I'm not sure what thickness would be required.

[Unagi]

Ok. No metal... So let’s fill the gap, only where it needs to be filled, in the negative space of that curve.

Could you cut a oversized piece of foam (like used in those swimming noodles) , so that it would compress as you clamped.
If that makes sense....

Heh. I’m not sure that wold hold

[Blackhawk]

Yeah, whatever it would be would have to be part of the desk - either bolted down (which would cause issues with things placed on top, as the mousing surface would be uneven) or molded into it, which would be possible to do with resin now that I think of it, but really, really hard to pull off to the point of being impractical. I've pondered the whole thing a fair amount. I think my options are:

1. Cut the edge off entirely
2. Add an extra 'top' to the desk (which would also likely make it too thick for some clamps)
3. Get two new desks

#1 is the easiest, or would be if I could figure out how. I just need to make a single cut - bzzzzzz- along the front.
#2 would probably be impractical, as it would cause different issues. It would make it too thick for some clamps, as the desk is already pretty thick, and it would make it taller, and it's already too tall.
#3 would be the simplest and would work the best, plus it would solve other problems. It's an L-shaped desk, and my son and I each use one 'arm' of it, so if I were going to replace it, I'd need two rectangular desks, plus we'd be able to space them out another foot or two such that we aren't constantly bumping elbows. It would, however, cost hundreds of dollars.

[disarm]

I have a Dremel tool and have successfully used it for a similar purpose, but it was on a bit smaller scale and I used a router attachment. Trying to do it for the entire front edge of a desk would work, but it's going to be pretty time consuming and hard to make it look smooth all the way across.

I actually did exactly that - I've got a section of the desk about an inch and a half wide that I carved the lip off of with my Dremel to mount an arm rest. It took about 30 minutes and three cutoff wheels. Cutting off a three foot section that way would be... impractical. Like I said, it is about an inch thick and it is extremely dense for particle board.

If you don't come up with a better option than the Dremel, use one of these instead of a cutoff wheel...

Dremel straight router bit

It works really well at removing a lot of material quickly, without wearing down. The trick in your case, however, is free-handing a straight line with the Dremel. That's why it's beneficial to have the router attachment for the Dremel or an actual full-size router.

[Carpet_pissr]

Before I even saw the pics you posted, I suspected your lip was a separate piece. When I saw it was MDF, even moreso.

Look VERY closely from the top and you will see where it’s glued. You can’t see it from the side because that is a solid piece of what looks like laminate trim, and it hides the seam.

Highly recommend against cutting it or really even trying to knock that piece off simply due to the brittle nature of MDF. As you probably know, that stuff crumbles easily, and even if it’s a higher density/better quality than your typical WM/IKEA stuff, it does not like to be beaten on, or around.

Edit: on second thought, and looking at those pics again, it looks like a higher than average quality MDF. I suspect you will see the seam between the bullnose and table top if you look underneath. If you take a chisel and pry them apart (again, from underneath), it might just pop off.

It’s highly likely that it’s just glued on. Then you just pry off the two laminate sides, trim them to match the new, square side, and voila.

[Blackhawk]

Edit: on second thought, and looking at those pics again, it looks like a higher than average quality MDF. I suspect you will see the seam between the bullnose and table top if you look underneath. If you take a chisel and pry them apart (again, from underneath), it might just pop off.

It’s highly likely that it’s just glued on. Then you just pry off the two laminate sides, trim them to match the new, square side, and voila.

That was my first thought as well, and something I checked years ago. It isn't. It's solid and shaped. Since I wouldn't believe me either, here:

[Carpet_pissr]

That’s a shot from underneath?

If so, I’m intrigued as to what the visible seams are in your earlier shot!

Edit: ok, I guess they put a veneer on the front as well. Please disregard my entire prior post!

My revised advice after reading through the posts: I personally would hate to uglify and potentially damage (cracking or splitting/crumbling, as MDF does when cut) that nice desktop since it’s obviously a higher quality one based on what you wrote.

Seek alternatives other than cutting!

[Blackhawk]

It really is a surprisingly good desk for MDF. We picked it up at either Staples or Office Max right after we moved here in the fall of 2000. Michelle splurged because she felt guilty that I didn't have a computer desk (mostly because she'd dropped my old one down the stairs when we were moving out of our apartment in Reno.) It's really served me well - but it's nearing the end. The top surface is worn to shreds. It's had almost 21 years of gaming, snacking, spilling, and bumping, plus all of the above from two kids who made regular use of it. It's still rock solid, but it is scratched and scraped to oblivion, and the surface is puffy from spills and scraped from decades of use. And now there are two of us using it - myself and my son, sitting on opposite arms of the desk. That means are chairs are both in the center of the 'L' and, that is causing clipping problems that is making our physics engine glitch out (usually in the form of us elbowing one another or tripping over each other's chairs, but occasionally running over each other's toes.)

Before too terribly long I'll likely replace it with two smaller rectangular desks. One end could actually move over about two feet if they weren't connected together (no, they won't separate.) It would give us significantly more space, and I could solve the problem properly then.

But two desks are money. Even the cheapest are close to a hundred bucks each, and even that's taking a chance on them being junk. So it will be a while, likely months, and I was hoping for a solution until then.

[Default]

Harbour freight deep throat c clamp? $2.99

https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tool ... 98112.html

[Zarathud]

Thought at first it was a lip you could fit in a block spacer, rather than a curved edge.

What you really have is a curved edge to the desk like this ---
XXXX\
XXXXX\ (had to reverse it to get the spacing to look right)

If you measure the height of the desk and divide it by half, you can get a thin piece of wood that you cut into 2 long pieces and 2 short piece.
Long pieces remain separate and are like this --- [OOOOO]
Short pieces get put together like this --
[O]
[O]

The long pieces are the top and bottom, and the short piece is just there as a spacer. You can glue it up with wood glue to make this:
[OOOOO]
[O]
[O]
[OOOOO]

Then slide the piece over the desk, and the clamp will put pressure on the top and bottom to affix to the desk like this:

[OOOOO]
[O] /XXXX
[O]/XXXXX
[OOOOO]

It's the type of project you can do with a handsaw and sandpaper.

[Blackhawk]

You threw me when you said, "measure the height of the desk and divide it by half". So make a u-shaped piece that slides over the front, like the cover over a book. That makes sense, and would work for a couple of the items. Although I'd have to use thinner wood for the top and bottom, or else it would make it two inches thick, thicker than a lot of the clamps would handle. Maybe a one-inch square... dowel? Whatever square dowels are called, combines with some pieces of hobby plywood (which is thin, and stiff enough to not crack, but thin enough to flex and 'grab' the desk.) Maybe some grippy rubber between them and the desk?

It would work for a couple of the items, specifically those that I would put on when using them and remove when I'm not. I think they'd be in the way for items that were permanently mounted (the wood would be under my mouse pad... I think... they might not have to go back much further than the clamp itself.)

That just might be a working solution until I can replace the desk.

Harbour freight deep throat c clamp? $2.99

I can get clamps that will work just fine. It is the accessories with built-in clamps that are unusable. They just aren't deep enough.

[Zarathud]

If you get a piece of wood 1/2 the thickness of the desk, you can glue 2 together for the middle.

That way you can buy 1 piece of wood to cut up for the whole thing. Thin wood is much cheaper. Probably looking at trim or shim woods.

You’ll want to dry fit before gluing, and you can sand it down to improve the fit.

[Blackhawk]

If you get a piece of wood 1/2 the thickness of the desk, you can glue 2 together for the middle.

That way you can buy 1 piece of wood to cut up for the whole thing. Thin wood is much cheaper. Probably looking at trim or shim woods.

You’ll want to dry fit before gluing, and you can sand it down to improve the fit.

You said 'height of the desk' rather than 'thickness' the first time, which is what threw me until I figured out what you meant (as the height of my desk is around 28 inches.)

And yeah, I got why I'd use one piece of wood, but doubling the thickness of my already thick desk would make it thicker than some of the cheap clamps I use open (it would be fully 2" thick.) That's why I was thinking of just getting a square dowel (apparently they actually are called 'square dowels') the same thickness as the desk and using craft plywood (maybe 1/8" or 1/4") for the top and bottom. A 4"x12" sheet of craft plywood is only two bucks at 1/8" or three at 1/4" at the hobby store. I could make two of the assemblies for... about six bucks, or four for eight as I'd have tons of dowel left over.

I have a ryoba saw that will cut the dowel (it's my only full sized saw), and craft tools that will work just fine on that small of a piece of plywood.

[Zarathud]

That can work. You’ll need multiple strips of wood for the sandwich inside but the math can work if you use 1/3 or 1/4 or 1/5 of the desk’s thickness. Wood glue is awesome.

[Blackhawk]

That can work. You’ll need multiple strips of wood for the sandwich inside but the math can work if you use 1/3 or 1/4 or 1/5 of the desk’s thickness. Wood glue is awesome.

Nah, I'll just grab a piece the right thickness (maybe 1/4" x 1" basswood - it's on the same shelf at the hobby store as the plywood, and I just just calipered the desk at 1.005 inches thick.) Believe it or not, I do have a tiny bit of experience working with balsa and bass wood, mostly because my father taught me to build 1930s/40s style wooden model planes when I was a kid. I was never good with it beyond the cutting and gluing, but at least I know the materials!

[Default]

I would think any basement would have some minor slope to make any water problem slope towards wherever they would want water to go. As long as that slope is maintained you might be okay without leveling.

Probably not - it isn't a uniform slope and it slopes down a bit but the house is build into a hill. This would be sloping down towards up the hill. Builders aren't known for great concrete work generally.

My carpenters used to use the self leveling concrete product you speak of, but they knew how to do it. But yea, there is a reaon I would think that most basements are finished concrete. You could do some nice work on just the finish and go with that?

It is pretty wavy. It is not terrible and you don't notice until you're inspecting it. It's just ugly and not fun to walk on. The planks are going to happen and the slope is out of spec so I'm going to try to get it close to spec. It won't be perfect but then again I am covering it. I just can't have one end of a floating floor that sags when you walk on it and pulls the whole thing apart over time. There will be a lot of swearing, probably repair grinding, and tears but it will get done. Or I'll get to that point where I'll bring a pro in. It is an adventure.

Floor leveling compound is not that difficult to use. You mix it up, pour it out, and it does what it says. I used it before. Helluva lot easier than sawing and shimming.

[stessier]

The control board came last night for the dishwasher. It took 12 minutes to disassemble the door, remove the old control board, and install the new one. It then took 50 minutes to get the stainless steel door housing back in place - so frustrating!! It is just supposed to slide up into place and catch on 4 hooks - but one side would not slide into place stopping about 1/4" short of where it needed to be. We couldn't find anything obstructing it or anything to pinch or bend to get it that last quarter inch. Finally, while I was working on the stuck side and I was on the other, it gave an audible "pop" and everything slid into place. We still don't know what she pinched differently to get it in place. We ran it through a quick rinse cycle and everything seems to work.

Next up - snaking a slow draining tub. Never done this before...

Whelp, the dishwasher is making a noise that I've narrowed down to either the motor or pump. Replacement parts range from $200-600 depending on which part it is. I suspect we will just get a new one. This after the refrigerator makes for a very expensive two months.

[Carpet_pissr]

The control board came last night for the dishwasher. It took 12 minutes to disassemble the door, remove the old control board, and install the new one. It then took 50 minutes to get the stainless steel door housing back in place - so frustrating!! It is just supposed to slide up into place and catch on 4 hooks - but one side would not slide into place stopping about 1/4" short of where it needed to be. We couldn't find anything obstructing it or anything to pinch or bend to get it that last quarter inch. Finally, while I was working on the stuck side and I was on the other, it gave an audible "pop" and everything slid into place. We still don't know what she pinched differently to get it in place. We ran it through a quick rinse cycle and everything seems to work.

Next up - snaking a slow draining tub. Never done this before...

Whelp, the dishwasher is making a noise that I've narrowed down to either the motor or pump. Replacement parts range from $200-600 depending on which part it is. I suspect we will just get a new one. This after the refrigerator makes for a very expensive two months.

FWIW, I did a crap ton of research on dishwashers a couple years ago. Came down on a higher end model Kitchenaid (whichever least expensive model included the "Prowash" function, which was around $1200), and it has not disappointed (EXCEPT in interior quality of plastics and such...very cheap material quality considering the cadillac price I paid). In terms of cleaning, it absolutely smokes all my previous dishwashers.

[stessier]

The control board came last night for the dishwasher. It took 12 minutes to disassemble the door, remove the old control board, and install the new one. It then took 50 minutes to get the stainless steel door housing back in place - so frustrating!! It is just supposed to slide up into place and catch on 4 hooks - but one side would not slide into place stopping about 1/4" short of where it needed to be. We couldn't find anything obstructing it or anything to pinch or bend to get it that last quarter inch. Finally, while I was working on the stuck side and I was on the other, it gave an audible "pop" and everything slid into place. We still don't know what she pinched differently to get it in place. We ran it through a quick rinse cycle and everything seems to work.

Next up - snaking a slow draining tub. Never done this before...

Whelp, the dishwasher is making a noise that I've narrowed down to either the motor or pump. Replacement parts range from $200-600 depending on which part it is. I suspect we will just get a new one. This after the refrigerator makes for a very expensive two months.

FWIW, I did a crap ton of research on dishwashers a couple years ago. Came down on the high end model Kitchenaid, and it has not disappointed (EXCEPT in interior quality of plastics and such...very cheap compared to the cadillac price I paid). In terms of cleaning, it absolutely smokes all my previous dishwashers.

Interesting. Earlier in the thread where the original problem came from, I came down to wanting a Bosch. I'll checkout the Kitchenaid options tonight.

[Carpet_pissr]

The control board came last night for the dishwasher. It took 12 minutes to disassemble the door, remove the old control board, and install the new one. It then took 50 minutes to get the stainless steel door housing back in place - so frustrating!! It is just supposed to slide up into place and catch on 4 hooks - but one side would not slide into place stopping about 1/4" short of where it needed to be. We couldn't find anything obstructing it or anything to pinch or bend to get it that last quarter inch. Finally, while I was working on the stuck side and I was on the other, it gave an audible "pop" and everything slid into place. We still don't know what she pinched differently to get it in place. We ran it through a quick rinse cycle and everything seems to work.

Next up - snaking a slow draining tub. Never done this before...

Whelp, the dishwasher is making a noise that I've narrowed down to either the motor or pump. Replacement parts range from $200-600 depending on which part it is. I suspect we will just get a new one. This after the refrigerator makes for a very expensive two months.

FWIW, I did a crap ton of research on dishwashers a couple years ago. Came down on the high end model Kitchenaid, and it has not disappointed (EXCEPT in interior quality of plastics and such...very cheap compared to the cadillac price I paid). In terms of cleaning, it absolutely smokes all my previous dishwashers.

Interesting. Earlier in the thread where the original problem came from, I came down to wanting a Bosch. I'll checkout the Kitchenaid options tonight.

IIRC, from reading WAY too much on what used to be called Gardenweb forums (now Houzz I think) which also had a forum for appliances, where you could find TONS of posts from people who REGULARLY bought new appliances as frequently as getting oil changes in your car, apparently, constantly seeking the best. There were some...intense people on there, but they were solid in their research and reasoning (and some engineers as well). They suggested getting a dishwasher that had it's own internal heater, and that that made all the difference in the world in terms of cleaning power.

[malchior]

I've had both Kitchenaid and Bosch and they are both solid performers. My current dishwasher is a Bosch 800 series and the main feature for me was it uses a lot less water than comparable ones. Or least it did about 4 years ago. My city water is the world's most expensive water so it was a driving factor. It's also super, super quiet. In any case, I have minor nits to pick about it. It gobbles up Jetdry and even then it doesn't consistently dry plastics in the top rack. We still have to rack dry them when they come out.

[ImLawBoy]

The house we're buying has a Thermador dishwasher, which is apparently the luxury line for Bosch. I'm expecting it to put away the dishes when the cycle is done.

[stessier]

Went with the Bosch as it had one specific property... It was in stock.

[TheMix]

Went with the Bosch as it had one specific property... It was in stock.

That feature is really hard to argue against.

[Carpet_pissr]

Absolutely. I had a maddening experience about a year ago trying to buy a washing machine.

[stessier]

Went with the Bosch as it had one specific property... It was in stock.

This thing really is as quiet as advertised. Very impressive.

[Carpet_pissr]

May you get at least three years out of it (that's my current blessing for all modern large appliances).

[stessier]

May you get at least three years out of it (that's my current blessing for all modern large appliances).

[Holman]

Bathroom plumbing issues:

Our third-floor bathroom features pretty old pipes. For a year or more we've had very slow drainage out of the sink and the bathtub. Our plumber says the pipes under the floor are probably narrowed with rust, and they'll need to be replaced sooner or later.

Sooner is probably now. This morning I was filling the bathtub and the water had a very pronounced red/brown color. There is no odor, and I assume it's rust. Something dramatic must have happened, as yesterday's bath was perfectly clear. Water in the toilet and out of the sink faucet is also still clear.

What's more, there's a small water stain in the ceiling of the bedroom just under that bathroom. It looks to me like it has gotten worse since the last time I checked it.

Plumbing, ladies and gentlemen!

[Carpet_pissr]

What's more, there's a small water stain in the ceiling of the bedroom just under that bathroom. It looks to me like it has gotten worse since the last time I checked it.

I am soooooo sorry.
Been there.

[Holman]

What's more, there's a small water stain in the ceiling of the bedroom just under that bathroom. It looks to me like it has gotten worse since the last time I checked it.

I am soooooo sorry.
Been there.

Thanks!

It's not toooo bad, and the house is 130+ years old. If we can manage to get the pipes in order, no one will mind some ceiling discoloration.

[Jeff V]

When searching for a house, I liked the idea of an older house (there was a very charming corner house 110 years old for a LOT less than I paid for our, at the time, 5 year old house). My wife wanted new, however. Now the house is approaching 10 years old, and my wife wants to renovate most of it.

[Holman]

Three things about older (century+) houses:

1) The former owner has probably had to deal with problems already.

2) The home inspector knows exactly what to look for.

3) Frames and floors of old-growth timber are *amazingly* solid and secure.

[Skinypupy]

We woke up to no hot water this morning, which was super fun as we scrambled to try and get everyone showered and ready for school (ever tried to get two 8-year-olds to take cold showers?). The mechanism that regulates the gas on our 10-year-old water heater crapped out, and because of all the changes to both technology and regulations, both of the companies that came to look at it said it's pretty much impossible to repair. All the connections were in pretty bad shape anyways and I knew I was going to have to replace it sooner rather than later, so I'm getting a new one put in this afternoon.

Mrs. Skinypupy has been asking for a water softener for years now, and we never did it (I'm not crazy about how soft water feels). Figured if we were replacing the heater, I may as well tack on the softener as well. I didn't have anything picked for her birthday yet (on Thursday), so this will have to do.

Wasn't expecting that expense today.

[stessier]

Dryer stopped drying. After complete disassembly, it looks like the internal fuse blew. The heating coil is intact, but the sheet metal it is mounted on is charred and split both length and width wise. It's possible when it heated and expanded, the cracks grow and cause the short. Anyway, new parts ordered and will be here Monday. Only $36 - which make me question how good they are, but for a 13 year old dryer, there don't appear to be a lot of choices.

I've done this once before and in that case the coil had actually broken. Doesn't look like I documented that though. With this comment, I'll now be able see how long it lasts until the next time I need to fix it.