Mobasser

I guess I've said that enouph now. Sorry guys

I was about to ask you if it was cold, and I figured it was. But, you had privacy and Dish TV.!

I was just about to ask you if it was cold in there. I figured it was. But, you had privacy and dish TV. I was just about to ask you if it was cold in there. I figured it was. But, you had privacy and dish TV. I figured it was cold in there. But, you had privacy and Dish TV!

J Francho, I've always liked the Craftsman style houses. Clean lines, and all are slightly different. We have many in KC MO, as well as smaller towns around here.

Good way to build Catt. We used to use a string line on the walls also. If they needed drawn in, I'd nail a 2x4 to the plate, and to a floor joist. Then cut a short one, to use under that brace, pulling on it to draw in the wall. A common newbie thing was I'd see guys staddling the longer brace. A big no no! When I started, we built the walls on the floor, and sheeted them also, putting in Windows if we could also. I agree about getting all the outside walls lined up straight. If you don't do this, your ceiling joist, and rafters are way off. You can't shoot enouph nails to correct that problem. I might also mention, I cut and finished a good many stairways. I was taught that the perfect stairway is 7" riser, and 11" step, because most men have a shoe size of around 10". A 12" step can work well also. It never works out to be a perfect 7" or 11". It's always a fractional measurement. You won't find this in any new house. It's always the top or bottom step that are off, sometimes by 1/2" . It should never be more than 1/4" or less. Anymore is a trip hazard.

What I've read, is that before circular saws were invented, there was always a cut man, and on big homes probably two. They worked out front cutting by hand on sawhorses, getting measurements from a carpenter on the floor of the house. This alone would have been a hard job. A laborer then packed up the cut boards to nail drivers, who put things together. The cut men were very skilled. Cutting hips, jacks, and straight rafters by hand. A slow process. Now, it's all about speed. Quality doesn't seem to.matter anymore. Not to mention the lumber and bricks were hauled by horses and wagons. The lumber quality has dropped off also. Some crews frame up with #12 nails now, where #16 used to be the standard. With newer lumber #16 nails split the studs and boards to pieces.

Beautiful home. In those days, it took months to build a home like this, maybe longer. Some real craftsmanship here.

When I started out, the boss would holler " Let's Go, Time Is Money"! That meant work hard, and keep moving, not do sloppy work. I wouldn't buy a new house now. Around here, it's hard for building crews to even find help, let alone skilled carpenters. Most young guys have little interest in this trade.

This may sound overly simple, but use the search bar here on BR. Type in anything related to bass fishing. There's really a huge wealth of info here. Good luck!

A sporting goods store near me, Rogers Sporting goods, used to carry them. Here in Missouri they had a cult following, mostly with tournament guys. I never owned one. At the time I was mostly fishing Lews Speed sticks. I remember everyone liking them, and I think they were very good rods.

Catt, I was surprised that an inspector signed off on this work. It was horrible. But, the inspector probably knows the builder and plays golf with him. That's how it goes these days. But, I still think carpentry is an honorable profession. Just get with the right crew.

After retiring from almost 40 yrs as a carpenter, I've become disheartened now. Starting at 19 as a house framer, then into trim and finish work before going to work for the union, the quality of work I've seen recently is poor at best. Recently helping a friend with a plumbing repair, I took a good look at the basement framing. Floor hoist cut 1/2" short, scores of nails which never hit the floor joist, from the subfloor. In the attic, I saw rafters which didn't touch the ridge board, and ceiling hoist which barely laid on the walls, maybe, 1/2". All this going on in an expensive house, in an exclusive home edition. This was all compensated for by shooting what looked like 40 nails in each of these areas. All of this work was inspected by an inspector, and he passed it. Over the years, I climbed into attics that were 80 or 100 yrs old. I saw framing that was cut perfectly, probably cut by hand, and I'm sure nailed by hand. In this newer house, these cuts will eventually lose any strength, sag, and cause drywall to pop loose, bringing costly repairs, and other problems over time. Here's a suggestion: if your a young man just getting into carpentry, never accept this. If your crew does this type of work, quit this crew, and hire in with a crew that does good work, and, has a good reputation. Carpentry is hard work, it's never been easy. Be prepared to come home sore and beat tired many days. If you do decide to make this your chosen profession, you'll probably be a little banged up when you get older. I know I am. But keep in mind, your name is on the work you do. Someone, at some point will judge you by your work. Don't fall in with the hacks, and the wood butchers. Keep your head up, and be proud to be a carpenter. To sum it up here: do your best work at all times. If your going to be a carpenter- be a good one.

As an example, we're supposed to get rain on Friday going into Saturday morning. But, the humidity will also increase , so I expect this to change by then. We could just get another quick pop up storm.

A-Jay, I've not tried this either. This must be a really potent sauce. Lord only knows what's really in this Donkey Sauce.

Around here, in the spring, everybody and they're dog is a fisherman. At that time, it's harder to show them something different, because lots of guys are throwing every lure under the sun. Once it starts getting hot, only the diehards remain. I usually downsize, soft plastics. It's worked enouph times over the years to make me a believer.

About brisket. As a kid we had brisket and my mom.and grandma always cooked them slowly in the oven. We loved them. Most folks in the 60s just had a small bar b que grill, and you'd better keep a bottle of water close by, to spray out the fires! I never knew anyone who slow smoked meat back then. I also remember mom and grandma saying that brisket was a cheap cut of meat. They have quite a bit of fat. But, this is what makes them so good on a slow smoker. A brisket sandwich, some pickles, and just a little sauce is hard to beat! I'll rank them up there with crappie fillets. Well, almost....

I have nephew that won 7th place in the KC Missouri American Royal bar b que contest one time. He used a home made smoker. It looked like a piece of junk compared to some of the elaborate setups some guys were using, but he practiced beforehand on the heat control. I think Catt said above, it's all about the heat control, as is cooking anything. He also smoked some hard boiled eggs at the Royal. This may have been why he came in in the top ten. Nobody else had hard boiled eggs down there. The judges must have liked them.

Here in Missouri, it's hard for them to be accurate. Many of the big storms seem to start out west, and move along until they reach us. By the time they're here, the forecast changes daily. We've also had a lot of " pop up" storms, from the humidity building for two or three days. Some are strong, but usually blow through quickly.

I'm trying to learn as much as I can about smoking meat, especially roast, and brisket. Around my area, most bar b que places are really overpriced. A brisket sandwich, fries and an ice tea is around 13.00 to 15.00. I know there's a lot of time and work in this, but I think you can, with some practice, make it just as good at home

My dad used to say, " A weatherman is one job where you can be wrong much of the time, and still not get fired".

Yes. Look at Mr. Twisters website.

I guess if your cooking for folks, not everyone likes sauce on the meat first. Most KC barbecue joints do put a little sauce on, just for flavor. I like the sauce a little hotter, with a vinegar taste. Lately I've been using Gates and Sons original sauce, but am looking into making my own also. But, there's hundreds of good bar- b que sauces out there. A pit master told me once to brush on a very light coat, and leave it untill it has a shiny, sheen to it. Auteur Bryant's is a famous KC place, and they use a 2" paint brush. They've been in business for over 50yrs. Last time I was down there, I told the guy" oh, you guys are still using that same old paintbrush". He said, " no, we got a new one last year". " that old one finally gave out".?

A little off topic of smokers, but do you guys sauce the meat while in the smoker, or not at all. I've had good results with ribs or roast by putting just a thin sauce on them. Other guys I know wait, and serve sauce on the side. What's you opinion?

Going through a big tub of soft plastics I've had for years, I found two large bags of Mr. Twister Sassy Shads. I've probably had these for 25 yrs. When these were introduced in the early 1980s, they were very popular around my area. As I remember, I had the best results rigging them on a 1/8 ball head jig, casting and counting down to depth. When we fished bigger lakes years ago, we'd rig them with a 1/4 ounce ball head jig, and make long cast to any surface busting fish, feeding on shad. Finding these brought back memories.Once in the mid 1980s, my brother and I slayed the white bass on Missouri's Bull Schoals lake, and caught some nice LM bass on that trip also. Whenever I find something like these, I always wonder why I stopped using them? Fisherman , by nature, are always looking for something better. We tend to want to try the hot new thing, and, it's always fun to try new stuff. My grandson Aiden is making a trip down to Bull Schoals soon, with a friend and his dad. I gave him a sack of Sassy Shads, and , some good ball head jigs to take along. He calls it the " grandpa bait". If he fishes them like I've told him to, he'll do well on this oldie. I plan on throwing them again also. When Aiden heads down to Bull Schoals on his fishing trip, I'm expecting a call. " Granpa, you were right, these Sassy Shads are a killer bait". " They catch everything".Do any BR members still use this lure?.Tell me about your experience with the Mr. Twister Sassy Shad.

Now that I'm semi retired, I plan on getting a nice smoker. I've been using a large Weber round grill. I use the old indirect heat method. I put coals on one side, with hickory chips. Then put the meat over to the other side. It works out good most times. For thicker cuts, I sometimes have to add coals to keep it going.