Bozos And Horror Stories

Oh, and for those who will freak out when they see the non-staggered panels, I used tapered backers on the butt joints, which fell between joists, so they are all tapered joints. MUCH easier to tape and finish continuous lines than interrupted ones.
 
Here's one that irked me big time the other day, file this under Bozo design flaws. I was installing a "specialized" holder for lead a lined vest and gloves to be used in an X-Ray room, nothing fancy, just some thin walled tubing bent into hooks and a stamped base, not even stainless just powder coated. However, the design put the mounting screw holes directly behind the hooks that projected out from the base so that it was impossible to actually use the holes. I had to drill new holes to get it installed, no huge deal but because it's "medical" this thing cost a ridiculous amount of money, If there was a HF equivelent it would be about $10 this cost well over 10X that!
 
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Okay, here's one of my own bozo moments.

A little over a year ago my brother gave me our father's old radial arm saw and surface/universal grinder, a Covel Type 6. I had been wanting both (though I expected to get a mill and a lathe first). I spent half a day cleaning and lubricating everything, then I just looked at it. What a cool machine!

I didn't have anything really worth grinding, but I had lots of flat stock A36 laying around, so I put a piece on the rusty magnetic chuck, with the rail in place for extra holding power, and plugged it in. I was too impatient to actually wire up a power switch and the shop-made safety cover didn't fit so I needed to modify it, but I was just going to try it out with the wheel that was already on it to see how it would do as-is, so no big deal, right? I just couldn't wait to try it out. I should have.

Apparently I had over-lubricated the vertical column adjustment because the normal vibrations caused it to gradually lower as I was grinding. When I realized it was working its way down into the material I was in the middle of the workpiece and it was now taking a dangerously heavy grind, so any horizontal movement would put it into and even heavier grind. The power cord was plugged in immediately behind the machine and the vertical adjustment is on top, behind the wheel. The only way to turn it off would be to reach through the plane of soon-to-be-detonating rapidly rotating grinding wheel. I just had to stand back and watch. A moment later it esploded and I unplugged it, gathered up the pieces of the wheel that I could find and put them with my other bozo moment reminders. Fortunately that's a small collection, but I do wish it would stop growing.

I highly recommend keeping those mementos on display, by the way. It is very healthy to be reminded of our ability to not always think ahead.
 
I once got a plan for a wall unit drawn by one of the "premier" local designers of the moment. He called for pocket doors into a cabinet with a full width shelf.

And I had a really hard time explaing to him why it wouldn't work.
 
About 2 years ago, my neighbor asked me to look at a new sink disposal installation that was performed by a plumbing contractor, not some jackleg.
The problem is that when she flipped the wall switch, it would spark and trip the breaker. When she confronted the installation technician about the electrical problem, late in the afternoon, his response was " I can't fix it. I'm not an Electrician". At the time, her husband (a Civil Engineer) was out of town, not due back until the next day.

When I got there, I noticed that the disposal was mounted and piped correctly. However, the Professional Installation Technician wired the motor wires together and the supply hot to neutral. Also, he didn't install a separate ground. The wall switch that operated the disposal had exploded.

I took a picture of the botched wiring job (see below), disconnected any unsafe wiring, and sent the picture to her husband. I figured that he could take appropriate action. Unfortunately, he couldn't get anywhere with the contractor.
Assuming that he's a Civil Engineer, he would know where to get the best bang for the buck, if he had to file a complaint at the county office for contractor's licenses.

I came back, corrected the wiring and installed a heavier switch in the wall. I don't know if the plumbing contractor made right or not.

DISPOSAL WIRING.jpg
 
Mark in Indiana said:
When she confronted the installation technician about the electrical problem, late in the afternoon, his response was " I can't fix it. I'm not an Electrician".
Click to expand...
I don't understand the complaint. He's clearly right; he's not an electrician. ;)

Good job being there for your neighbor, and for having a clue. :)
 
"Jackleg" and "contractor" are not mutually exclusive terms, as your neighbor learned. I hope he didn't pay the guy.
 
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