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August 24, 2022 – Review: Porter-Cable FR350B

August 24, 2022 /

It’s been a long time since I did a proper review. Part of what holds me back is I want to get some use out of something before I give it a one day run and then write about it. For example, I have gotten enough use with my Crossman Optimus that I should be able to speak with some authority on that product. Ideally, I would also like some experience with multiple models as well so the review is not in a vacuum.

Before we get completely immersed in this review, I wanted to talk a little bit about the Porter-Cable brand. It wasn’t that long ago that Porter Cable was a premium brand. In 2004 Delta Machinery was acquired by Black & Decker (parent company of DeWalt as well) and it seems like it has been relegated to to value brand. For instance, the FR350B was about 50% cheaper than the comparable DeWalt nailer.

Truth be told, I really wanted to buy a 15 degree siding nailer but I simply couldn’t justify the $350-400 price tag for my one wall project. I probably should have bought it 2 years ago when I did my remodel job. At that time, I justified that I didn’t need to spend any additional money. When I did my office project, I decided to splurge and buy a framing nailer. I no longer needed to prove anything to anyone after my apartment remodel.

What I realized was that instead of buying a siding nailer, I could do the job with the framing nailer I already owned. There are shorter, thinner, ring shank and galvanized nails that would work just fine. My only real gripe is the plastic collation remains visible after driving the nail. Lap siding is covered by the overlapping the above course. For my project, I picked and scraped the worst offenders on the T1-11 but this would never do in a pay for, job situation. And that really has noting to do with the nailer itself.

This particular nailer is a 21 degree nailer which can shoot between 2 and 3 1/2 inch nails. It would appear that there are other nailers on the market that have a more severe angle (that is the angle of the magazine to the tool) which in theory allows more access in difficult or tighter situations. I think that the 21 degree angle is the most common. It comes with the hose connection already made and a rafter hook attached.

Make sure an know your application so that you can also get appropriate nails at the same time because those are not included. Manufacturers have come up with a color coded tag to match the proper nails to the nailer. In this case, mine has a maroon 21 degree tag on it that matches the label on the box of nails. The other way to match nails to the nailer is buy the same brand nails/nailer. This is not a guarantee but it is a way but it is much more likely.

ScoreProsCons
Value3-50% less than competitors
-Nails cost significantly less $40/1000 or roughly $2/lb vs. $6/lb loose
-Comes without a specific case (to me that is a plus)		-Still Paid $180, that buys a lot of nails
-In my frequency of projects, an unnecessary luxury
Quality3-Operated on two projects without misfire
-The way the air port ejects exhaust is often in the face. It is adjustable however it seems to be frequently in the wrong location
-Mechanism seems bulkier than others I have handled
-When nail magazine gets to about 5-7 remaining, needs to be reloaded to operate
Performance5-Much easier to work alone
-Significantly faster than hand nailing
-Can make nailing in tight or difficult positions possible		-Easier to make compounding mistakes
-More difficult to tell if you missed the framing

It is not fair to review on speculation. However, I have gotten lots of comments on my nailer rebuild video that newer Porter-Cable nail guns will not last. I don’t know if that is true or not, but there has to be some kind of compromise for the price. I guess time will tell.

There are cheaper tools out there particularly online and at a national tool store we all know. To me, this was the lowest price point I was willing to go. I am a big believer in you get what you pay for. Often times, inexpensive items do the job for a while, but the value is in the durability like softer alloys, inferior batteries, no serviceable parts, etc.

End Your Programming Routine: The truth is, I really didn’t need this tool at the time I bought it and I didn’t need it here either. But, I have done this work several times and trying to do it by yourself is difficult. To top it off, it seems like some brands of nails don’t have as much integrity. With one brand of nail, I was bending and pulling 2 nails for every one that I got in. Also, hand nailing into Hardi siding is doubly difficult. I am positive that I will have other projects that I will use this for. However, sometimes the setup is not worth the effort, so keeping a hammer around and knowing how to use it can be a better and easier strategy.

August 23, 2022 – Self Reliance Magazine

August 23, 2022 /

Let the cheapness flow. Last Tuesday, I wrote about Backwoods Home Magazine, today I am reviewing the companion publication. The story as I understand it was that the kids of the publisher started this magazine. I am presuming the strategy was to leverage the name of Backwoods Home to kickstart this one.

My interpretation of the mission statement is similar content, less controversial. Of course, less controversial is subjective. What is missing is content on firearms and politics. My one look at Backwoods Home, I saw some of those two but really very little; I would say two columns. Nevertheless, as promised it is not here.

Below is a look of the contents of Self-Reliance Magazine.

  1. Tips on watering your Garden
  2. The front porch concert
  3. From tree to table: Harvesting black walnuts
  4. The jitter free cafe (coffee substitutes)
  5. How to build a bee house
  6. 11 building mistakes
  7. Protecting canning jars during an earthquake
  8. Natural Goat Horns
  9. Homeschool vs. online school
  10. Blueberries for all of us
  11. Sew a ram apron
  12. A primer on zippers
  13. Grain Sack Totes
  14. The complicated world of corn
  15. Foraging farther off the grid
  16. Making crock pot yogurt
  17. Healthy, heart smart Greek cuisine
  18. Six soulful smoothies

In many ways, I felt like I was reading an extension to Backwoods Home. Most of the subject matter was the same and even authors/columnist cross back and forth. I felt like Self-Reliance had additional food and crafts to make up for the content the parent publication has. It is probably subconscious because I knew this before I started but I felt like the the overall tone was subdued compared to Backwoods Home.

From this, I am interested in trying to make yogurt, I thought that there was some good advice to secure canning jars and the Ram apron was an eye opener. This is a device to prevent the ram from breading when it is the time of year. The zipper article offered some tips on mending and it confirmed some things that I thought I knew.

Maybe I shouldn’t admit this either but I have my eyes open for picking up a second hand sewing machine because it is so much easier and better than sewing by hand. I have sewed a number of patches on my kids Boy Scout Uniforms and it takes a long time. Ideally, they would show some initiative and do this themselves but I could see some value in mending myself.

End Your Programming Routine: I am strongly considering subscribing. If I do, there is a deal to get both in the same transaction which is what I will do. That being said, if I only could pick one it would be Backwoods Home over Self-Reliance. It just felt more like me. There are several publications that are pretty similar as well like Grit and Mother Earth News come to mind. The extra spicy Backwoods Home is a differentiator.

August 22, 2022 – Summer 2022 Status Report

August 22, 2022 /

There are a lot of twos in this title. As fall is right around the corner it hit me that we are trending toward the year wrapping up. It is nearly over 2/3 over. With summer ending and fall in sight, I felt like I needed to take stock of where I am at with things.

End Your Programming Routine: Goalsetting is integral to getting stuff done. I don’t get too down not meeting my own expectations as this is a busy family season in life. I don’t want to totally dwell on the downside because I got stuff done too. I think the key is to improving is to do a more frequent goal assessment and do things in the right order. I am looking to get better at that.

August 19, 2022 – Atlas Shrugged 1:7

August 19, 2022 /

This was a long chapter, over 50 pages. It was really a tale of two sides. The first being the State Science Institute denounces Reardon Metal, contractors/suppliers quit, unions refuse to work with it. The other was Dabny creates the John Galt Inc as own contracting company. Orders are exploding for Reardon metal because other suppliers have failed. So, in other words we have the state and media saying one thing and people doing the other… sound familiar?

Once again we hear another John Galt back story. This time he found the fountain of youth. It seems that John Galt is a mysterious character that no one really knows anything about. I know for a fact that we are going to continue to learn more about him but we will just have to wait for that to be revealed.

Also, another significant event happens, the Equalization of Opportunity bill passes. If you remember from last week, this is the statute that only allows a person to own one business. In theory, this is going to prevent industry vertical integration. With all of the supply chain issues, I am sure that this is going to have a negative effect on Reardon Metal.

The rest of this post I am going to focus on the smear campaign against Reardon Metal. There were lots of interesting quotes in the interaction between Dr. Robert Stadler of the State Science Institute and Dabny however, I chose these two. “Set science free of the rule of the dollar.” “And when we deal with people, considerations other than the truth enter the question.”

Now, taking it one at a time. Once again, there is this higher level thought that science should be free from the influence of money. As an educated scientist, I can say that attitude is really still pervasive within the educational doctrine. It is not so much the case on the front of research. You see, it take money to perform ‘research’ and institutional budgets are not adequate. This means that industry is funding academic studies. At that point, the outcome is likely tainted because it is not an impartial hypothesis.

Stadler proclaims that the sole purpose of the Institute is to create cutting edge materials research i.e. invent new products. Since this is a publicly funded venture, he is concerned that his entity will be judged for little to no output. And to make matters worse, Reardon Metal is the technological biggest breakout in the current era. Therefore, slander on the metal is an attempt to save his own reputation. Aligned with him are all of the lazy industrialist that have a comfort in not having competition.

Like the Betamax/VHS debate of the mid-1980s, the best product (or truth) isn’t always important. Sometimes when something dominates the market, then it doesn’t matter if it is the best. This is not what Stadler was inferring with his statement. He was actually saying the opposite. It is OK to lie to the public when it is in their best interest.

I like to call that the ‘better-than-you liberal’. There is something about the arrogance of people that have this prevailing opinion that the ends justify the means. Whether it is a mask or vaccine judgement or you don’t announce your pronouns or you don’t have a Ukraine flag icon on your social media it has the feel of judgement to me. Remember, even if masks don’t decrease the risk of transmission, it can’t hurt to require people to wear them.

End Your Programming Routine: I am open to being wrong, but this is the behavior I have observed from the left side of the political spectrum. The difference with the right side is they are always saying “what you should do is…” or “they ought to…”. If you recall, I choose neither. I am perfectly OK that you think that you were born a cat or the earth is flat; I am not going to respect that but that is your right. Once again, examine the motivations of the source of data or opinions to get the appropriate understanding for yourself.

August 18, 2022 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

August 18, 2022 /

We finally get to the whole reason for doing weeks of testing today. My initial question was what difference does the pellet weight make in energy. Or said differently, what pellet would be best to eliminated pests. Is a heavier or lighter pellet better? My opinion is that the highest energy pellet is the best. To calculate that, I need to know the velocity of the different weight pellets.

On the left is the Crossman Powershot 5.4 grain and on the right is the Gamo Rocket 9.6 grain. You might recall to date, all testing has been done with various models of the Gamo 7.54 grain pellet. An interesting anecdote about the Powershot is that I was reading reviews about it and apparently can penetrate 16 gauge steel in the right circumstances. I bought it because it was light, for comparison purposes.

5.4gr Muzzle5.4gr 30′7.54gr Muzzle7.54gr 30′9.6gr Muzzle9.6gr 30′
1006879942849864797
1028884946853855777
1028901966866855785
1005904959859857798
1040875953855847795
1007880952870848784
1049913973852840793
1039885947853852787
1027895951868840786
1036903966858844791
1026.5 +/-46.9891.9 +/- 38.9964.6 +/- 19.5857.3 +/- 22.2850 +/- 23.4789.3 +/- 20
All values in fps

Why do I keep measuring velocities at two different distances? I am hoping to get enough data that I can calculate (or guess) velocity at distance and have an educated guess at performance with one measurement. Using formulas I have discussed in the past, here are the results in energy at target distance.

5.4gr 30′7.54gr 30′9.6gr 30′
9.5 12.313.2
All values in ft*lbs

From the data, it would appear that my hypothesis is correct for my assumption. The 9.6 grain pellet has the most energy at target range. Therefore, this would be the most effective pellet for pest control.

I want to point out that energy should not be the sole determining factor in selection of ammunition. Barrel rate of twist can only stabilize projections within a certain weight range. That really translates to accuracy and consistency. There are additional considerations for wind drift as well. The lighter the pellet, the more likely wind is going to effect point of impact as well. That variable is more difficult to test, but it is a known fact. Finally, depending on the distance of the target and the overall velocity, pellets drop based on the rate of gravity, so the slower the pellet the more drop at distance making aiming (and accuracy) more difficult.

End Your Programming Routine: I hope that you have enjoyed my mini-series on pellet ballistics. I have learned a lot as well as re-awakening some long dormant brain cells on math. I will be back from time to time with this line of writing because I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and I have the tools to do it now. I have one more test in this line to complete but it is going to take a bit of effort to finish. For now, I am coming back with something different next week.

August 17, 2022 – Forget the Projects, There are Car Problems

August 17, 2022 /

Just because I haven’t posted about my project in the last two weeks, doesn’t mean I am not working on it. The siding is done, I am working on the rake board and that is about done so this is finally wrapped up. Check out YouTube for more on that.

My niece was having some issues with her car. She asked me to take a look at things. One was an obnoxious clicking noise (even when the car was off) and the other was a headlight that wasn’t working. She bought the actuator after watching some YouTube videos. I took a look at the headlight.

It turns out that there are two actuators in the glove box area. after swapping the closest one, it was still making the clicking noise. Fortunately, the second one was the exact same part, so I took the old one from the front and put it in the back. Problem solved. You can see from the picture that the culprit is broken teeth on the plastic gear inside the housing.

Supposedly, my nephew changed the headlight bulb a couple months ago. I suspected that the problem was bigger than the bulb. Well, it didn’t take long to identify the problem. One wire was broken and the connector was burned (and the bulb was ruined). The wiring harness was snaked through the headlight assembly. I was hoping that I could just purchase the piece that I needed without replacing the entire assembly.

After a trip to the parts store, they gave me the idea of simply splicing a new connector onto the existing wiring. The only problem was that the new connector was much bulkier than the original so I ended up cutting the plastic structure so I could fit the bulb and connector in the space properly.

The whole thing took about three hours. The first was messing with the actuators trying to determine the problem and how to get to it. Then it was two hours to get the things put back together and get replacement parts. Considering the scope of what needed to get done, I think the time was pretty reasonable and they are now fixed.

End Your Programming Routine: Admittedly, if I was a mechanic, I probably wouldn’t have approached the project in the same way. However, I didn’t do anything that I wouldn’t have done to my own car. Despite the fact that I had to do some modifications to make it work, I still believe that the work was quality and this should be a permanent fix.

August 16, 2022 – Backwoods Home Magazine

August 16, 2022 /

Among the podcasts I listen to, Backwoods Home Magazine (BHM) is an advertiser or vice versa. I have never really paid much attention to it. In fact, two or three years ago, the publisher actually retired and the magazine ceased to exist. One of the children started a sister publication called Self-Reliance magazine with the idea that some of the more ‘controversial’ content removed. That is any content on politics and firearms.

Then, another child of the publisher re-started Backwoods Home Magazine. As I understand, the magazine went from bi-monthly to quarterly. The only reason I paid any attention to it was that the magazine was based on the southern Oregon coast. Content comes from contributors across the country, but there is definitely some local effect to the entire magazine.

I started thinking to myself that I would be interested in checking it out so I picked up a copy. Tractor Supply carries a lot of different books and magazines in these types of topics. I had never even opened up a copy before and here is what I found.

At the risk of being boring, here is an abstract of the table of contents.

  1. Realistic goals for a first-year homesteader
  2. The return of victory gardens
  3. Balancing homeshooling and homesteading
  4. A method for washing hair off-grid
  5. 10 rabbit raising mistakes and how to avoid them
  6. Bake your own dog treats
  7. Grandma’s thrifty wartime recipes
  8. Blackberry bonanza
  9. Making and using an osier willow crayfish trap
  10. Homemade insulation cutter
  11. Crust crisis? (pies)
  12. Depression era pies
  13. The good, bad and the ugly of keeping a buck (goats)
  14. Cross stitch your own Backwoods Home sampler
  15. Homeschooling and the question of socialization
  16. Build a clever under-the-bed storage drawer
  17. Homesteading and the bird flue
  18. Medical preparedness for nuclear war

What I started to realize is that this is the magazine version of AltF4.co. Sure, maybe the topic mix are not quite what I want to talk about. I actually read the articles on how to wash hair and cross-stitching with interest. I didn’t list the columns but they are along the lines of political editorials, firearms (from Massad Ayoob of all people) and Americana like poems, anecdotes, jokes and user submitted photos. Heck, maybe I should advertise or become a contributing author?

I also bought a copy of Self-Reliance magazine. That will be for another day. Like all periodicals, not everything was temporal or I see myself using the information. But, there was certainly enough variety and interest to make me want to see more. I suppose the focus on thrift, self reliance, tradition, cooking, using and preserving bounty, and variety is what appeals to me.

Before I purchased the magazines, I almost just subscribed. But then I thought maybe I only want one versus the other. How do I even know I want to when I have never even opened either? Reading the magazine, I learned that both publications moved from the coast to the town next door to the south. So, now they are less than twenty miles away.

End Your Programming Routine: In the last couple months, my wife and I have had serious conversations about moving, particularly more rurally. That is always where I wanted to be but the familial issues have been making us consider proximity to the situation as well. Our kids have three years max in the current school system so that is our stage gate from making a real move. We have a some friends that are leaving next spring for retirement and their property is in the school district. We took a detailed tour of the shop, garden and home, just saying. I am keeping a close eye on state politics. Even though I am Oregon born and bred, I don’t like the way things are going so commitment is still in doubt that I will want to stay. BHM is the type of stuff I want to be doing when the nest empties.

August 15, 2022 – Keep Your Enemies Close

August 15, 2022 /

I don’t have much to add that I haven’t already said in the podcast. Shoot the Breeze with Paul Evans was a campaign fundraiser that I participated in a little over a week ago. I will let you draw your own conclusions from the podcast.

End Your Programming Routine: Just like Jack Spirko says, just because you don’t agree with the systems doesn’t mean you don’t try to use it to your own benefit. So, I definitely don’t support Oregon Democrats, but my neighbor that is also a member in my fraternal order and willing to help with causes that I am involved is probably worth keeping a relationship with.

August 12, 2022 – Atlas Shrugged 1:6

August 12, 2022 /

There was a lot going on in this chapter. As little as there was in the last, there was ten times as much in this one. It helps with the setting as the Reardon’s hold a cocktail party for their wedding anniversary. This was the perfect canvas for having all kinds of characters that may never be seen again in the book have impactful lines or reveal true colors.

I’m not going to try to keep things in chronological order today. I am going to use the different conversations to support what I see as the primary theme today. Before I get totally into it, there was one other thing that came up and that was an origin story of John Galt. Supposedly, he found Atlantis by sailing and he or his crew was never seen again.

Probably the most seminal moment in the chapter is the conversation between Henry Reardon and Frank D’aconia. The characters Frank, Dabny and Henry seems to be becoming a disrupters but more so Frank. He is stirring up the thought provoking insights like when he asked Henry “Why are you willing to carry them”? This is in context to the idea that there are the doers in life and then there are the non-doers (better phrasing than parasite?).

Among the conversations happing at the party, the political idea came up of the Equalization of Opportunity Bill. This is the idea that a person can only own one business so as to not become to rich, powerful or influential. The idea that there is a fragile balance between still having some degree of autonomy or freedom and too much is supported by this quote as well. “Property rights are only superstition. One holds property only by the courtesy of those who do not seize it.”

It is not just the economy discussions that lean toward communism. “Culture should be taken out of the hands of the dollar chasers. We need a national subsidy for literature.” Has anyone ever heard this argument for NPR? I have. When I was younger and a much different world, I used to sympathize more in this direction. Now that I am more mature, I feel like if people don’t value something enough to support directly, then is it really valuable? There are new and different ways today such as crowd funding and I am much more willing to let survival of the fittest prevail.

Earlier, when I talked over the division of doer and non-doers, this chapter gets into it with the Frank/Hank conversation. Frank is pointing out that Hank is killing himself to make a go with Reardon Metal while everyone else is whining about people becoming too rich. And yet, they are doing little to improve their own situation other that supporting laws that limit other’s potential.

While this was written almost 70 years ago, I feel like I could hear these conversations today. My observation is that we are lucky that position hasn’t fully taken hold. However, I predict that it is a matter of time. As an example in my lifetime I will use health insurance.

When I was really young, no one had health insurance. My dad got it added as a benefit when I was about four. Growing up and getting my first job, health insurance was a competitive requirement to attract employees. Almost fifteen years ago, it became a punitive requirement, have it or be fined. Even unemployed people have insurance through socialized medical programs. When we lay it all out, what we have effectively added was an abstracted layer between the patient and doctor. I defy you to prove that this is more effective treatment, more efficient process or even a better quality of standard.

Have we really achieved the care that we want by adding ‘insurance’? I think not. This entire charade has inflated the cost of care such that paying out of pocket is nearly un-achievable for all but the simplest of procedures leaving the companies dictating the care by proxy of affordability. What happens when the doers stop supporting the non-doers? Well, the non-doers force them to support them anyway through laws like healthcare.

End Your Programming Routine: As I eluded last week, there are those that see what is happening and those that do not. It seems that Frank and Dabny do not yet, do you? I am constantly amazed by the number of schemes or smoke and mirrors. You cannot tell me that the economy is burning in the background that everything is fine. What is the first step in correcting a problem? Admitting you have one.

August 11, 2022 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

August 11, 2022 /

I promise that this topic line is not going to go on forever. Right now, I am am having too much fun and still have too many questions. This week, I am comparing results from Crossman Optimus and the Crossman 1000 using the 7.54grain Hunter pellet. To date, all of my work has been with the Optimus because it is just a better tool. The 10 pump BB/pellet rifle (1000) is a pain in the butt to shoot multiple times.

That being said, I am going to do a pump/velocity test in the future. I want to know if it is really worth pumping 10 times or not because it 5 pumps is almost the same, then I will be more willing to shoot it more consistently. I already know that the point of impact changes with less pumps. This implies a velocity change, but I want to know definitively.

For the record, the Optimus is on the left and the 1000 is on the right of this picture. I wanted to compare as closely as possible so I used the same pellet and the 1000 was pumped to the maximum 10 pumps. The data is below.

Muzzle – Optimus30′ – OptimusMuzzle – 100030′ – 1000
942849752726
946853740708
966866749719
959859748700
953855743699
952870743703
973852752729
947853755700
951868736724
966858737729
964.6 +/- 19.5857.3 +/- 30745.5 +/- 20713.7 +/- 35.6
all values in FPS

The Optimus data is the same data from a couple weeks ago. The 1000 data is all new. I suppose the thing that struck me was that there was not much velocity change over 30 feet. So, I did some comparative analysis below. I think that it all makes sense from what I expected.

% Difference
Optimus muzzle vs 30′10.8%
1000 muzzle vs 30′4.4%
Optimus vs 1000 Muzzle25.9%
Optimus vs 1000 30′18.3%

For fun, I checked a couple other things. What happens if it is over pumped? With 12 pumps at 30′ I got 727, 651 and 771 fps. It looks like the data is all over the place and I didn’t do enough for proper statistical analysis. Maybe there is an overpressure valve? I don’t know and I am not really going to pursue more, I was curious what happened.

Finally, I changed pellets from the Hunter to the Magnum Energy @ 30′ 712, 711, 726 fps. I think those results were the same that I observed in the Optimus. So, that data seems to make sense.

End Your Programming Routine: The truth be told was that I purchased the Optimus because the 1000 was such a pain to shoot repeatedly. All that being said, the Hunter pellet out of the 1000 is potent enough to dispatch cat sized vermin at eight pumps in one shot. My biggest fear was needing a follow-up shot to finish the job and spending 30 seconds reloading. Let us see where the data leads.