217 lines
10 KiB
HTML
217 lines
10 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
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<html lang="en">
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<head>
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<style id="fort-styles">
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[data-fort]{font:inherit;color:inherit}
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</style>
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<meta charset="UTF-8">
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<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
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<title>Shop Notes — Clifton Ellis</title>
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<meta property="og:type" content="website">
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<meta property="og:title" content="Shop Notes — Clifton Ellis">
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<meta property="og:description" content="These are the notes I">
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<meta property="og:url" content="https://clifton-ellis.4ort.net/shop-notes.html">
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<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary">
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<meta name="description" content="These are the notes I'd hand a young man or woman walking into my shop for the first time. Not theory — practice. The things I wish someone told me at…">
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<style>
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:root {
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* { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; }
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font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;
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background: var(--paper);
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color: var(--ink);
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line-height: 1.7;
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font-size: 15px;
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max-width: 780px;
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margin: 0 auto;
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padding: 2rem 1.5rem;
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.footer {
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border-top: 3px double var(--rule);
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padding-top: 1.5rem;
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margin-top: 3rem;
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text-align: center;
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.fort-nav { margin-bottom: 1.5rem; }
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.fort-nav a { color: var(--accent); }
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@media (max-width: 600px) { body { padding: 1rem; } }
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</style>
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<script defer src="https://analytics.4ort.xyz/script.js" data-website-id="d3ed927c-888a-4a6c-ae5f-0b1c613ddf5b"></script>
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</head>
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<body>
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<header class="site-head">
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<h1>Shop Notes</h1>
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</header>
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<nav class="breadcrumb">
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<a href="index.html">Home</a> › Shop Notes
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</nav>
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<fort-nav><nav class="fort-nav" data-fort="nav"><a href="/">Clifton Ellis</a><a href="/films/fixing-a-leaky-faucet/">Fixing a Leaky Faucet</a><a href="/flood-guide.html">Flood Survival Guide for Seniors</a><a href="/negros-fruit-dove.html">Negros Fruit Dove</a><a href="/shop-notes.html" class="active" aria-current="page">Shop Notes</a></nav></fort-nav>
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<section>
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<p>These are the notes I'd hand a young man or woman walking into my shop for the first time. Not theory — practice. The things I wish someone told me at twenty.</p>
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<div class="pullquote">"A sharp plane is a happy plane. A happy plane is a smooth board. A smooth board is a joint that closes. Everything starts with the edge."</div>
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</section>
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<section>
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<h2>§1 — The Five Tools You Actually Need</h2>
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<p>You don't need a $2000 tool cabinet. You need five tools, used right, and the patience to learn what each one does.</p>
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<div class="tool-card">
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<h3>Cordless Drill / Driver</h3>
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<p>Get a brushless 18V model from DeWalt or Milwaukee. Brushless motors last longer, draw less battery, and run cooler. Learn the clutch settings — they're the difference between driving a screw and stripping the head. The clutch is the ratcheting ring around the chuck. Click it to setting 3-4 for most driver screws, and you won't overdrive.</p>
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</div>
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<div class="tool-card">
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<h3>Tape Measure (25 ft)</h3>
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<p>Stanley FatMax or the old 60-foot tape my daddy used. Learn to read the fractions — 1/16, 1/8, 3/16. If you can't read 1/16th, you can't build furniture. Practice with a scrap board: mark it at every 1/8th inch until it's muscle memory.</p>
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</div>
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<div class="tool-card">
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<h3>Circular Saw (7-1/4 inch)</h3>
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<p>The workhorse of the jobsite. Set the depth to just barely through the material — 1/16th past the bottom of the board. Too deep and you'll kick back; too shallow and you won't cut all the way. Use a straight edge as a fence for straight cuts.</p>
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</div>
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<div class="tool-card">
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<h3>Level (24 inch)</h3>
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<p>Not just for hanging pictures. A level tells you truth when your eyes lie. Learn to read the bubble: centered means level (horizontal) or plumb (vertical). A wall that's "close enough" to your eye is often 1/2 inch out of plumb — enough to ruin a cabinet installation.</p>
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</div>
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<div class="tool-card">
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<h3>Clamp Set (4-6 assorted)</h3>
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<p>Bar clamps, pipe clamps, and a couple of quick-grip bar clamps. If you're doing any glue-up — shelves, frames, repairs — you need clamps. Glue needs pressure and time. No clamp, no joint.</p>
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</div>
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</section>
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<section>
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<h2>§2 — How to Fix a Leaky Faucet (The Senior Center Special)</h2>
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<p>This is the most-requested repair at my workshop. I'll walk you through it the way I do with 80-year-olds — slow, clear, no jargon.</p>
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<h3>What You'll Need</h3>
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<ul style="padding-left:1.5rem; margin-bottom:1rem;">
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<li>A adjustable wrench (crescent wrench) — about $8 at Home Depot</li>
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<li>A small flathead screwdriver</li>
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<li>A replacement washer pack — comes in a universal kit for about $12</li>
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<li>A rag — to protect the faucet finish from the wrench</li>
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</ul>
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<h3>The Steps</h3>
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<ol style="padding-left:1.5rem; margin-bottom:1rem;">
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<li><strong>Turn off the water.</strong> Look under the sink for two valves — hot and cold — and turn them clockwise until they stop. If there aren't any valves, shut off the main house valve (usually in the garage or basement near the water meter).</li>
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<li><strong>Open the faucet.</strong> This releases the remaining pressure in the line. Any water left in the spout will drip out.</li>
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<li><strong>Remove the handle.</strong> There's usually a small screw under a plastic cap (pry the cap off with your screwdriver). Unscrew the handle. If it's stuck, tap the wrench gently on it — don't force it.</li>
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<li><strong>Unscrew the cartridge.</strong> Use the adjustable wrench with a rag between the jaws and the brass. Turn counterclockwise. Inside, you'll see a rubber washer held by a small screw — that's your leak.</li>
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<li><strong>Replace the washer.</strong> Take the old one out, pop the new one in, tighten the screw snugly (not tight). Reassemble everything in reverse order.</li>
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<li><strong>Turn the water back on.</strong> Slowly. Test both hot and cold. If it still drips, tighten the cartridge a bit more.</li>
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</ol>
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<p>Most of these repairs take 20 minutes once you've done it once. Come to the center and we'll practice on a broken faucet I keep for workshops.</p>
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</section>
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<section>
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<h2>§3 — The Smartphone Basics (What I Teach at the Center)</h2>
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<p>Every Tuesday morning, I run a "Tech at Your Tempo" session. No rush, no judgment. Here's what we cover:</p>
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<ul style="padding-left:1.5rem; margin-bottom:1rem;">
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<li><strong>How to call someone</strong> — the phone app, favorites, speed dial. Set up three speed dial numbers: your doctor, your child, the center.</li>
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<li><strong>Texting</strong> — how to send a text, how to reply, what "typing..." means (the other person is writing, not a glitch).</li>
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<li><strong>Video calls</strong> — FaceTime on iPhone, Zoom or FaceTime on Android. How to join a call when a grandchild sends you a link.</li>
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<li><strong>Brightness and volume</strong> — the buttons on the side. How to make text bigger: Settings → Display → Text Size.</li>
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<li><strong>The camera</strong> — how to take a photo and send it. How to zoom with two fingers (pinch and spread).</li>
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</ul>
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<div class="pullquote">"Technology doesn't need to be scary. It just needs a patient person to show you the buttons."</div>
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</section>
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<section>
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<h2>Coming Soon</h2>
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<p>I've got more shop notes cooking — a piece on door and window weather-stripping (essential before wildfire season), and a guide to setting up emergency radios. Drop by the center and let me know what you'd like to see.</p>
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</section>
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<footer class="footer">
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<p>Clifton Ellis · Roseville, California · <a href="index.html">Back to home</a></p>
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</footer>
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</body>
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</html> |