HEAT!! (for your feet...and hands...in the garage) Topic is solved

[matthew1]

Good work costs money. Good anything costs money.

A poor man pays twice.

[BlackBart]

tru

"If you don't have the time to do it right, where will you find the time to do it over."

[abscate]

Ah. You have to put BX in, that’s not cheap, and very labour intensive.
I got a $1500 quote to put in a 150 amp service and did it myself in 3 hours.

Parts $150

I’m very comfy around electricity in the house because I worked many years with 60 kW power supplies

[BlackBart]

I’m very comfy around electricity in the house because I worked many years with 60 kW power supplies

Not I. Is that an innocent piece of metal, or something that can kill you? It's invisible. Especially with 220. But I see that he changes things over without flipping the main shut-off - just a matter of knowing what you're doing and not getting careless. I'm still of the school of "one hand in the pocket at all times!"

[abscate]

I do the same. The expert in this field has practices that you and I haven't developed, so we need to use engineering controls to keep us safe.

With my breaker box, I was lucky as the main 200 A feed could be shut down and isolate the box I replaced.

Even then, I....

Shut off breaker
Locked out the breaker with a lock
Measured voltage at panel - 0.00 VAC
Wore insulating gloves
Practiced one hand technique.

[matthew1]

Good best practices, Steve.

I just wired in a hanging lamp in the dining room. My best practices was to turn on the existing light before starting (set the control), turn off the light (control check), nobody home to switch light on, test wires for 0V.

I have a feeling I'll get some s#it from you guys for not doing enough. I should have opened the breaker.

[matthew1]

Good work costs money. Good anything costs money.

A poor man pays twice.

A friend who does furniture restoration quoted $700-900 to recondition my sideboard, a 1960s walnut gem. Clean lines, beauty grain. It's not that bad, needs some finish love and a few low-down chips fixed.

I paid $700 for it in 2004, so this is 100%+ the cost of it.

I might eval it for a few days or weeks after I get it back from my dad's today. Maybe try it myself.

A small voice in my head tells me I'm going to violate my own policy and pay twice if I don't take it straight to my refinisher's.

Sorry for going so far afield with this BB. I'll split this off if it gets responses.

[abscate]

Very little you can do to wood that can’t be fixed. That does sound a bit pricy though. It would be half that with my guy.

[volvolugnut]

Solid wood furniture can last generations with some care. Children are often their worst threat. I think of good furniture as a lifetime purchase - not an investment.
A wise friend once told me: many people today know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
volvolugnut

[abscate]

That’s about $1000 in today’s money vs 2004.

I think 6 hours rework for a refinish of that size is reasonable. That’s $300 in labor and $50 materials

Practicing a new skill and converting time spent watching reality TV to value...priceless while kids watch