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I posted this in the main Ask/Tell small questions thread, but didn't get an answer. Since it largely pertains to home improvement sort of stuff, I thought this thread might have one for me. Someone in one of these threads mentioned using AutoCAD to do some plans for some project. A license for that is about $900, which is way out of my price range. Is there a more reasonably-priced alternative? Anything freeware or open-source would be fantastic. So what do you all use for your CAD needs?
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Mar 24, 2008 20:16
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Blowupologist posted:Personally I use Pro/E, but that's even more expensive than AutoCAD. What kind of project are you trying to do? Ah, Pro/E. The MechE students used that when I was in college. When people would leave the Sun lab without logging themselves out, we would start Pro/E and log them out, because the systems were configured to start all the applications that were running at logoff at the next logon, and Pro/E took like 10 minutes to load completely. But to answer your question, I don't have any particular project in mind. I'm doing some electrical work in my house, but I could do the planning for that just as easily on paper. I'd just like to have a basic cad program, and I don't need anything fancy right now. There's an open source program called avocado, but it looks like it's fairly new.
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Mar 25, 2008 05:26
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Sapper posted:No, mean was finding people still logged in to the school email system and sending their dad a confession of their newfound homosexuality and a 'please don't call me, I'll call you when I feel ready to talk one-on-one'. Wow, that's brutal. My school used Eudora as its main email client for windows machines, and your profile and mailboxes and whatnot were stored on your network drive so it would always be there wherever you logged in. At least until you leave yourself logged in and some passive aggressive dork such as myself deletes them because you were a jerk to me freshman year. But I digress. The avoCADo program I mentioned earlier is still in alpha phase, so I punted on that and downloaded something called qcad instead. I haven't had a chance to play with it yet, but we'll see how it works. Anyone have experience with this one?
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Mar 25, 2008 16:42
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Anonymous Name posted:Question: What tool or Dremel attachment do I need to cut steel in the middle of it? I have a 1/8" thick steel block and I used the regular Dremel cutting wheel to create two parallel cuts which you can see in the attached picture. Now I need to cut along the red line. Any cutting wheel would be way too wide to cut that without also cutting everything to the left and right. What can I use for this? Could you bend the middle tab out, and then use a cutting wheel that way? You would have to do some grinding to get the burrs off, but I imagine you'd have to do that anyway.
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Apr 6, 2008 03:43
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Sapper posted:And be damned careful, there's some bigass capacitors in there...and if you try loving with it while the thing is plugged in, bear in mind that they don't call them 'flyback' transformers for nothing. Even if it's unplugged, they can hold enough charge to give you a big jolt for at least a few hours afterwards.
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Apr 20, 2008 02:39
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Wapp posted:Sliding mirrored closet doors: tacky or help make a small room look bigger? All four walls, and the ceiling. 
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Apr 23, 2008 17:30
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Wala posted:I have a lot of hair so I bought a hair-catcher to place over the drain in my bathtub. Problem is that it doesn't stay in place, and floats up. Does your drain have the plate with little holes in it, or is it a recessed hole-type drain? We have the latter in our house, and the hair catcher we use sits inside the drain like a little cup. The house I grew up in had the former, but the drain plate did a fair enough job of catching loose hair that it was never really a problem. I wouldn't think adhesive would be the way to go here; maybe they make something that either doesn't float or has suction cups or something to keep it down?
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Jun 4, 2008 18:05
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Wala posted:It's just a recessed drain with no cover. The hair-catcher I bought at WalMart was just a round plastic thing that sat in the drain and had holes in with no suction pads. I suppose I'll try another one with a different shape and/or suction. I mean, they're not very expensive. Thanks though! So your drain is something like this then?  That's what we have, and the cup thing works great. It fits pretty snugly inside the drain, and I've never had it float up out of the drain. Maybe the one you got is just a little too small? e: Dubious Merit posted:My current hair catcher is like this one; got it at the hardware store. Works really well, cleans off easily, cheap as hell. Ours is similar, but without the flat piece around the edges. I can't find a picture online of ours though, but it's just the cup-shaped insert part. stubblyhead fucked around with this message at 17:14 on Jun 5, 2008 |
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Jun 5, 2008 17:10
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ease posted:I've just added an outlet from an existing one. I'd like to take the existing outlet out, and just patch the wall so there is nothing there? Or do I need to install a junction box for any reason other than codes? As I understand the code, anywhere that wires are joined together must be in a junction box, and that box must be easily accessible. If it's something that's not going to be used, then you just put a solid face plate over the box. If you can rig your setup so that any connections are in the junction box for the new receptacle (i.e. no wires coming in or out of the old box), I don't see any reason why you couldn't patch over the old outlet.
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Jun 9, 2008 19:10
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The Human Cow posted:This may be more appropriate for PI, but does anybody know a good way to keep cats out of a room? I've heard that lavender plants are good, and that a spray exists that they hate if you put it on the carpet, and I'm willing to make my room smell like a grandmother if I have to, but I thought I'd ask here first. I just moved into a new apartment (only for a semester, or I'd consider putting up a screen door or something) and my roommate has two cats that I don't want getting into all my stuff. I'd just shut the door, but the sun shines directly into my windows in the afternoon and it's like a greenhouse if I can't open the door and ventilate into the rest of the apartment. I've heard that about lavender as well, and I'm kind of skeptical of it. My neighbors have a ridiculous amount of lavender in their front yard, and their cats are always lounging around in the garden. I've never tried this, but I understand that cats hate walking across tinfoil. Give that a shot and see if it works I guess.
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Aug 21, 2008 18:33
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EssOEss posted:Can I splash-proof my bathroom door and doorstop somehow? Right now, the water from showering hits them and there's a nice puddle outside. I'd like to avoid installing a shower curtain since the showering area is pretty small. I can't think of any reasonable alternative, though... am I just going to have to put up a curtain? Woah woah, let's back up here a second. You don't have a shower curtain? How on earth do you not get water all over the entire bathroom, never mind the puddle outside?
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Aug 26, 2008 19:23
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Soup Dragon posted:Something like this I would guess Interesting, I have never seen something like that. I stayed with a dutch family for a few days when I went to Europe about 10 years ago, and their shower was like a corner of the laundry room, but it was curtained off. What is that on the right side there? Are the toilet and sink in that room as well? As for your problem, if this is a common arrangement where you live, then surely there's a simple solution. I have a thing on the bottom of my screen door for instance, with a rubber fringe to keep bugs and dirt out (I'm not sure what it's called and I can't find a picture), so maybe something like that would work?
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Aug 27, 2008 19:06
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BrokenDynasty posted:My bedside fan stopped working the other day. I turn the power knob from off to on (any of the three on settings) and nothing happens anymore. I took off the back panel, and this is what I see: I have a fan exactly like this. Well, two actually. The oscillator quit oscillating on the one, but the fan part still worked as I recall. We gave that one to good will and got a new one, it was less than $20 I think. Not trying to dissuade you from trying to fix it, but you have to pick your battles sometimes, you know?
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Sep 22, 2008 18:41
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jackpot posted:Ended up buying a ceramic top stove, because everyone I talked to said avoid coils like the plague. Would have loved to get gas, but the neighborhood doesn't have it. Check the local fire and electrical codes, there are definitely rules for this. I would say one in each bedroom, one in the kitchen, and one in the hallway, but you really should check local laws.
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Feb 6, 2009 18:59
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I think a bar of soap works too, and doesn't conduct electricity. Although turning off the breaker for that fixture should eliminate any potential problems using a potato.
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Feb 25, 2009 00:32
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ease posted:Does your system have a grease trap anywhere to handle that grease? Failing that, use an empty can for any grease that can congeal. Used vegetable oil should probably be disposed of that way too rather than pouring it down the sink.
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Mar 3, 2009 18:51
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How about coarse gravel? I don't know how cost effective it would be, but you would certainly have much better traction.
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Mar 9, 2009 22:06
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What is this thing, and why is it filled with water? Click for huge It's a sort of concrete pipe about 6-8" in diameter, right up against my house inline with the water main. I noticed a few days ago that it had some water in it, maybe a foot from the top (the whole thing is like 2' deep I think), and my wife told me today that it was full to the top. We've lived here for about seven years, and it has never been full like this before. We've had some rain recently, but not so much that it would fill up completely so fast. I took a look at the water meter, and the fine gauge is ticking very slowly (for comparison, with the kitchen sink on full blast, it spins like a top). Is it time to start panicking?
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May 9, 2009 23:08
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I think I am going to be calling a plumber tomorrow. I reached down in it yesterday afternoon. I was over elbow-deep, and just barely touching the bottom. My arm displaced a fair amount of water, and when I came back by a couple hours later, it was full again, so something is definitely leaking. My dad surmised that it might be a secondary water shutoff valve (the water utility where they live doesn't like people dicking around by the meter, so all the houses have a second shutoff valve by the house). If that's the case, then a leak there could be the cause of all this water.
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May 10, 2009 20:26
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kid sinister posted:What did you feel at the bottom? Did you feel any pipework? No, I found a small piece of a broken bottle and a couple of pebbles. It felt like mud at the bottom, but I was just brushing it with my fingertips, so I don't know how much was down there.
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May 11, 2009 01:37
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stubblyhead posted:What is this thing, and why is it filled with water? Update! The plumber came by today. It is indeed a second cutoff valve for the water main. It was of limited utility though since I didn't know if was there, and it was out of reach under about six inches of mud and debris anyway. So I got to spend my morning digging a big hole in my front yard so the guy could replace the thing, as it had a pinhole leak in it. He actually replaced it with a solid section of pipe, so I now have a solid piece of earth above it. Since I dug the hole myself, it only set me back around $200.
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May 12, 2009 05:19
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Not sure if this is worth a thread of its own or not; if so I'll be happy to make one. My house has electric baseboard heaters, and for a variety of reasons we would like to upgrade. We don't have a gas hookup, and I'm not sure if there's even a gas line on my street, so we will probably stick with electric. I have read a little about ductless heat pump systems, and I was hoping someone might have some unbiased information about them. Most of what I've found has been pretty sales-pitchy. I have a very small house; 2/1, about 750-800 sqft. What's are the installation and recurring costs like for them? It is going to be prohibitively expensive to get registers or whatever they're called in every room?
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Sep 22, 2010 22:11
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grover posted:Naw, heat pumps still work well below freezing. They lose efficiency when near the edge of their operating range in either heating or cooling mode, but have a very wide operational range. Generally, they'll run as a heat pump down to about -18C/0F [depends on the unit and if you have the right low-temp solenoids installed] at which point efficiency has dropped to that of electric strip heat and most ducted systems simply switch over to an electric strip heaters (which are super-cheap to install). Heat pumps are the way to go in temperate climates where both AC and heat are needed, and temps rarely dip below 0F. Yeah, I live in western Washington; we get a little bit of snow in the winters, but lows are generally in the 40s. I've done a little more reading, and it doesn't sound like a ductless system is the way to go for us. A traditional heat pump system might work though, so I guess we'll look further into that.
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Sep 23, 2010 17:23
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Maniaman posted:What's a good free program for doing mockups/floor plans/3D views of a structure. Preferably something ridiculously easy to use. Google Sketch-Up?
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Nov 11, 2010 21:41
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Beat. posted:How do you think that will fare in like, 120 degree heat Liquid Nails heavy duty should hold up to 140, and probably higher. http://www.duspec.com/DuSpec2/produ...tType=datasheet
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Nov 19, 2010 22:04
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Safety Engineer posted:How do I prepare my rosebushes for the winter? The temp is expected to started dipping down into the teens this week and I want to make sure they survive. Typical winter temps here are in the 40s or upper 30s, but we have prolonged periods below freezing from time to time. Our roses always do just fine the next year without taking any precautions whatsoever. If you're really concerned you could throw an old blanket over them, but I don't think it's really necessary. And I'll repost a question I just put in the A/T small questions thread since this might be a better venue for it. It is winter here, and I have an old house. I get a lot of condensation on the inside of my windows, to the point that it starts dripping down the walls and poo poo. I'm worried about mold happening or causing electrical problems, so is there anything I can do to prevent/reduce this, short of installing double-pane windows?
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Nov 23, 2010 17:55
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keykey posted:If it's not too bad or if nothing has became of the condensation issue yet, you can usually get by using some mold and mildew resistant paint. I had the same problem at my old house, it had large single pane windows in the front room and every year it would sweat on the inside because of the difference in temperature between inside and outside. Anyway, mine was fairly severe where I had to scrape out the rotten portion of wood/drywall then repair it and paint. After caulking using joint compound, I first painted with a layer of Kilz to cover up previous discolored water damaged area after sanding and such then used Behr bathroom paint which is made specifically for damp environments and it worked perfect. If you have a lot of windows, it's gonna take some time, but it's better to take the time once then to have to screw with it a few times a year. Thanks for the tip, I'll look into that. I would really like to just stop the condensation entirely, though. Would that window shrink wrap stuff help with this any?
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Nov 24, 2010 18:02
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If anyone is interested in my follow-up, I put some window shrink film up in the bedroom yesterday, and there was zero condensation on them when I woke up this morning. Next step living room.
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Nov 29, 2010 19:43
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Grave $avings posted:Supposedly (i.e. where it was located) it's a woodworking tool. One "expert" thought it was a shaving horse but I'm fairly certain it isn't that. Try asking in the Woodworking Megathread, someone there might know.
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Jan 10, 2011 17:40
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dokmo posted:Thanks. I'm going to try this. I've been meaning to replace that toilet for years, this is a good opportunity to get that done as well. If you're going to do this, go ahead and buy another wax ring at the hardware store. The old one is quite likely to get trashed during removal, even if you're quite careful. They only cost a dollar or so, so it's worth the peace of mind in my opinion knowing you won't have to make a second trip to the store.* *You will always have to make a second trip; it is inevitable.
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Jan 13, 2011 17:29
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keykey posted:edit: Another option is pea gravel. Just do yourself a favor and don't use cement. My dad's used pea gravel with good results on a number of projects like this.
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Jan 31, 2011 19:20
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Other than exterior house paint, what's a good paint to use for something outdoors? It's a very small something, so I don't think house paint would be economical.
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Feb 3, 2011 07:23
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Yeah I guess materials would have been good to know. Some stone and some wood. We had a pet die recently and it's for a little memorial to put in the garden.
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Feb 3, 2011 18:30
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mlmp08 posted:What's a decent, common (available at most brick and mortar stores easily) wet/dry shopvac which can be used on wet carpet that can still be taken home in a sedan? Same question for a dehumidifier. I got a Sears Kenmore dehumidifier a few years back that I've been happy with. It looks like they've revamped the casing, but the basics look about the same. Manual on/off or automatic based on desired humidity or timed cycles. You can hook up the outflow to a hose and snake it outside too so you don't have to worry about the bucket filling up. Reasonably quiet too. Richard Noggin posted:Now you need to tell us how you flooded your basement. Also looking forward to this story.
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Feb 3, 2011 21:37
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jackpot posted:If it came to the point of replacing it and moving it inside (impossible anyway, there's just not enough space) we'd get an electric heat pump and be done with all this drat trouble. I hear some people say oil heat is more efficient, but at this point I'd definitely pay more money to not have to worry about this poo poo anymore. Is natural gas available in your area?
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Mar 3, 2011 19:50
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I bought a cube storage unit like this: that I would like to hang on the wall. Would a french cleat be an appropriate way to do this? How much weight could something like that support?
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Mar 13, 2011 01:46
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Zahgaegun posted:So I've got a rusty old basketball post (still functional, with hoop) cemented in my driveway. I've got young kids, so it's getting a little use now and I see more down the road. It's similar to any old post, like this one: http://imgur.com/HdLnS I've got it about halfway sanded down and Rustoleum "heavy rust" primed. Tetherball?
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Apr 13, 2011 21:51
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dwoloz posted:Optimal solution would be a metal anchor that would keep the post up off the ground. You sink the prongs into wet concrete, let it set, then bolt your post What would one call this thing? I've tried various permutations of concrete, bracket and anchor and can't find this on Lowe's or Home Depot's website.
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Apr 26, 2011 19:14
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CuddleChunks posted:A concrete saddle is what I've heard them called on Holmes on Homes. I saw that too, not sure if it would work for my application though. The link jeremiah johnson posted led me to the correct name, which is post base. They carry them at both Lowe's and Home Depot, and are more expensive than one might expect.
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Apr 27, 2011 18:57
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NancyPants posted:Running my tiny microwave and my blow dryer at the same time is hilariously enough to trip a breaker. Microwaves and hair dryers are both pretty high powered devices. Microwaves are generally in the 1000W range, and I was very surprised to learn that my wife's hair dryer is like 1850W. If the two outlets in question are on the same 15A circuit, then that's definitely enough to trip the breaker. Sure, microwaves are supposed to have a dedicated circuit, as is the bathroom, but that may not have been the case when the building was constructed. Shoot, my house was built in the 40s and my kitchen and front of the living room are all on one circuit, and both bedrooms plus garage are on another.
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Apr 28, 2011 17:22
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