[Jetakai]

LOL, speaking of safety, do you all remember the OSHA Cowboy?

Cowboy after OSHA inspection - photo - HomemadeTools.net

[rjm1cc]

Originally Posted by BK001

Here is the gist of a totally true, personal story I posted a while ago in the Nothing Thread:

Many, many years ago (in between husbands) I decided to build a closet in my bachelorette apartment bedroom. It was a simple design that basically involved constructing 4 sliding doors across the room - just frames with rice paper -- basically Japanese style.

I thought I did a great job. However there was a gap when the doors were closed. I could not figure out why. For months it bothered me and I would measure, re-measure and check my math. Always worked out perfectly -- yet still a gap! So frustrating.

Finally, in a fit one evening, (and aided and abetted by a bottle of Merlot) I decided this was not going to get the better of me and I measured every last portion of this closet -- INCLUDING each piece of wood.

It was then I learned this sorry, testosterone-laden fact. A 1" x 2" piece of wood does not measure 1 inch x 2 inches. Same for a 2 x 4, etc. etc. I was shocked. The next time I was at the lumberyard/hardware store I complained to the clerk. His answer was "Look lady, everyone knows those are the measurements at the mill before the wood is cut down."

Conclusion #1: I should have built the closet at the mill.

Conclusion #2: Make sure you always check measurements even when you buy a 12" ruler - since you never know.

Conclusion #3: If you ask a man "what color was George Washington's white horse" don't be surprised if you get a different answer.

So I am totally unsurprised about the ladder!

It is surprising what shills and knowledge a person who normally does a task has compared to someone that does not have the experience.

[tophcfa]

It's about 15 feet with me standing on the top step and my hand extended as far as I can above my head. Definitely tall enough to put the ornament on the very top of the Christmas tree. We put a border collie angle on the top of our tree, our dog with a halo over his head : )

[BK001]

Originally Posted by rjm1cc

It is surprising what shills and knowledge a person who normally does a task has compared to someone that does not have the experience.

Yes -- so true, reminds me of an old joke:

A woman calls in a plumber when her washing machine breaks down. The plumber arrives, studies the machine, then produces a hammer and gives it a hefty whack.

The washing machine starts working again and the plumber presents a bill for $200.

‘Two hundred dollars?’ says the woman. ‘All you did was hit it with the hammer.’

So the plumber gives her an itemized bill: ‘Hitting washing machine with a hammer – $5. Knowing where to hit it – $195.’

[Velvet]