Jay Gaulard Blog

How To Cut Crown Moulding

Sunday, October 29th, 2006

Ok, as promised in my last post, I am going to give you the secret on how to properly cut crown moulding. Take a look at IMAGE REMOVED and then I will explain.

The above linked image belongs to WEBSITE REMOVED. Anyway, I will give you a little instruction, because the directions above can be kind of confusing. First, I want to give you a little piece of advice. When you begin to make your cuts, DO NOT THINK. That’s right…the minute you start thinking of how the cut is supposed to come out, you will screw it up. I have been using the directions in the image above for over a year. Every cut has come out perfectly. The first cut I made today I totally screwed up because I tried to get fancy and actually consider what the angle was supposed to look like when it was done. Don’t do it. Just follow the directions. For some reason, our brains just aren’t wired for this type of work.

When making my cuts, I like to keep the blade vertical, so I use the instructions on the right. This means that I have to lay the moulding on an angle, like the picture all the way to the right, above. So, let’s say you want to make a cut on the right side of your moulding on an inside corner. Take a look at the image above and look what it has to say. If you look at the A B C D chart in the middle, it shows that your cut is a “B” cut. Look down a little lower and follow the instructions for the “B” cut. It says to turn your blade for a 45 degree angle to the left with a 0 degree tilt. Ok, easy enough. Here is the tricky part. Hold your moulding in your hand the way it will be placed against the wall…as if you were actually holding it in place in the corner. Now, take the moulding and flip it over so now the left side is on the right and vice versa. Your moulding is now upside down, with the good side still facing front. Place the moulding on the saw this way, on an angle like above, with the good side facing you, like above. Make your cut. DON’T THINK…just make your cut. Now, flip the moulding back over and hold it against the wall and notice that the cut has been made to perfection. It really is that easy. Keep trying different cuts and you will see that the less you think and the more you follow the directions, the better they come out. My advice to you is that you practice on a few pieces of scrap before you start cutting up the good stuff. If you want a larger image to print out, just IMAGE REMOVED.

My New DW703 DeWalt Miter Saw and Hanging Moulding

Saturday, October 28th, 2006

Guess what I got today? I have been wanting this particular tool for years. Last Autumn, when I was hanging moulding in one bedroom and building a new front porch, I borrowed my friend Craig’s miter saw. Recently, like a bum, he came back and grabbed it for something he was working on. Since Winter is coming up, I decided it might be a good idea to finish the moulding in the rest of the house. With moulding, it is a good idea to do room by room, so you don’t go broke. Well, this morning, I broke down and went to Lowe’s and picked up a DW703 DeWalt Miter Saw. I also picked up about a hundred feet of moulding for around the windows and doors of the bedroom.

I made some cuts on the moulding to test out this saw. Wow…what a smooth operator. The thing I like about DeWalt is that they offer many attachments to go with their tools. There are so many cheap brands of tools out there, but after I had my experience with my Black & Decker rip saw (I had to return twice because I blew the bearings), I decided to buy only quality from now on.

As I mentioned above, I started hanging the moulding in the bedroom today. I want to give a few tips, one of which I learning this morning from my father. Here is a picture of the windows before anything is done to them:

The first thing I do, whenever I start a moulding project is to grab a piece and make some marks on the walls where the moulding is supposed to go. This helps later on when I need to make some marks on the moulding itself before cutting it, as well as when I am ready to nail it to the wall. I line the marks up with the corners of the windows or doors, whichever I am working on at the moment.

I make these marks by using the moulding itself as a straight-edge. After I make the marks on the wall, I mark up the moulding. Notice on the photo above that I mark where I want to make the cut as well as the angle it is supposed to be cut. I do this on both sides. I am sure you can imagine how many people cut their angles the wrong way. This is just an error proof move.

Ok, I have cut all my pieces with my new miter saw and am ready to hang. I use the marks that I made earlier on the wall to line up the moulding vertically and horizontally. Then I use a 5/64″ drill bit to drill 4 evenly spaced holes in the moulding only…not the wall. This is what I learned from my father this morning. It stops the moulding from splitting. Also, the material that this stuff is made out loves to make it difficult to get my 1 1/2 inch finishing nails started and who like bent nails after whacking them a few times…

After I placed the moulding on the wall, one piece at a time and put the nails in the holes, I use a 1/32″ nail set to hammer the nails in the wall. This reduces the chances of those lovely hammer marks and dents in your new moulding.

After a few minutes of work, I was pleased to see such a wonderful result.

Now, All I need to do is to caulk the corners and nail holes with white caulk and paint the moulding white. Next…the crown moulding and the base moulding. I am going to do a post on how to install crown moulding, because I have the secret as well as a guide you can look at. Adios…

We Watched Red Dawn Last Night

Friday, October 27th, 2006

Last night was movie night at my house. I recommended that we see “Red Dawn.” I was excited to see a thriller like this. After sitting patiently through the movie, I decided to very, very short review on it.

First, here is the story:

“The film’s plot involves a Soviet and Cuban/Latin American invasion of the United States in the year 1984, igniting a world war. The story is about young people resisting military occupation.

The film is set in a small Colorado town, where a group of teenagers flee to the hills first to escape the Soviets, and eventually begin an insurgency against Soviet occupational forces. The Colorado high school students call themselves the Wolverines after their school’s mascot and proceed to launch raids, set ambushes, use sniper attacks, plant bombs and even execute a prisoner of war and one of their own American members who tried to betray them to the Soviets during their campaign.

The film’s epilogue suggests that the United States won the war several years later; a plaque is displayed with “Partisan Rock” in the background, which pays tribute to the Wolverines killed in action, and reveals that the events in the film occurred during the early days of World War III.”

I have to say that I expected more out of this movie. It was pretty one dimensional. While the makers of the film had a huge story to work with, they really kept it very basic. I can describe it like this: People invade; townspeople hide in the mountains and fight back. Damn, that was hot. Now, I know this movie was made a while ago back in the 80’s, but I have seen movies from that era with great storylines and special effects. Oh well…I guess I could recommend this movie only if you are really bored and have seen all the other movies out there.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Friday, October 27th, 2006

I am getting pretty excited about Halloween. Hands down, one of the best things about this season is “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” The other great thing is the chill in the air.

As I was driving in this morning, NPR had a story on this classic. It got me thinking about if I could find a good picture of this show to put up in a post. Like 99% of blog posts out there, this is pretty random. Anyway, here is the best picture I could find.

Here is a great description of this show:

“As Linus and Charlie Brown’s little sister, Sally Brown, sit in the pumpkin patch, the gang of Charlie Brown, Lucy Van Pelt, Schroeder, Pig-Pen, Patty and Violet go trick-or-treating. Everyone gets candy (except for Charlie Brown, who for some reason always gets a rock in his bag). Meanwhile, Charlie Brown’s dog Snoopy, dressed up as the famous World War I flying ace, goes on his Sopwith Camel (which is his doghouse) to shoot down the infamous Red Baron. Linus, missing out on trick-or-treating, also misses out on the Halloween party at Violet’s house. At the pumpkin patch, Linus thinks he finally sees his mysterious hero, but instead he sees a silhouette of Snoopy in his World War I Flying Ace outfit. Sally is outraged and threatens to “sue” Linus. She leaves him alone in the pumpkin patch, where he stays late into the night. Lucy later finds him shivering on the ground, covered in his blanket and helps him into the house. Linus vows to Charlie Brown at the rock wall that the Great Pumpkin will return next year.”

I think they said this show is on NBC tonight. I know what I am doing…

More About the Satan Caves

Friday, October 27th, 2006

I have decided that a trip back to the Satan Caves would be worthwhile. After looking at Google Maps (satellite view) and typing in “Croton Falls, NY,” a few questions arose. I am telling you, this whole area is strange. Take a look at these photos:

The photo above is the entrance to the Satan Caves. You can see the entrance from the ground here. This is just to give you a reference on what the area looks like from above. Now, my sister Laurie says that there is a lake with more entrances to the caves in the area. It was part of a Girl Scout camp. I found the lake, but I think the Girl Scout camp was transformed into a development.

I have to go for a hike to see for myself. Also, from the aerial view, I see some more dark areas that look like entrance ways to the caves. One thing that strikes me is in the photo below. What the heck are these things in the middle of the woods?

After I go for the hike and take TONS of photos, I will post them here to give the full story.

I Joined AOPA

Wednesday, October 25th, 2006

I heard that the thing for a good pilot to do, is to join AOPA. That stands for “Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.”

I got their offer in the mail and is seemed pretty good, so I joined online. They give you like $444 worth of stuff for free and you get the monthly magazine. You can choose from either the Pilot magazine or the Student one. I chose the student one. They also send over a free pilot’s bag. I could use that, since I now have my new headset. I will let you know more about this association once I get more involved in it.

Student Pilot Certificate - 3rd Class Medical Certificate

Wednesday, October 25th, 2006

By request from my flight instructor, I went to the doctor this morning. Well, he is a doctor as well as an Aviation Medical Examiner. Real nice guy located in Middletown, NY. I went in for my medical certification. All student pilots need this before they can fly solo and get their Pilot Certification. Once your instructor endorses the back of the certificate with the date, make and model of airplane and their signature, you are golden to perform your first solo. This will be the first time in your life you are in an airplane (in the sky) alone.

I wanted to write this post to describe exactly what happened at the doctor’s office. I was kind of curious before I went and I am sure that other students out there want to know what goes down and are kind of anxious about it. So here it is…

I walked in and said hello. That was the hard part. They handed me the application sheet that basically asked me who I was and when was the last time I went to the doctor and for what. It also asked if I have any medical conditions…diabetes, hearing problems, etc…I filled this out and handed it back to the desk. They then asked me to give them a urine sample. I did this and gave it to them. Then, they walked me over to the eye test machine. They had me read the bottom row of letters…the really teensy weensy ones. I completed this fine. My right eye is slightly blurry, but I still read the letters. My left eye is crystal clear. I then had to read the sheets with color bubbles mixed with black and white ones. This tested my eyes for color accuracy. Then I went into the exam room to meet the doctor. He asked me to remove my shirt and he asked me to breath with a stethoscope against my back. Then, he checked my heartbeat from the front. He said it was beating fast and told me I needed to exercise…that would slow it down. I told him I was a little nervous because I really wanted this certificate. Oh well. He then had me sit on that little bed covered with paper. He checked my ears with the light and made me open my mouth to look in. Then, he shined the light in my eyes to see if there was anything wrong there. All looked good. Then, I had to lay flat on the bed and he tapped my stomach and my back with the tips of his fingers. All good. All the while, he kept conversing with me, sometimes quietly. This was to check my hearing and to make sure it was suitable for flight. There are certain requirements. For the third class, they are listed below:

Third class certifications require the least involved examinations of all medical certifications. They are required for those intending to be pilot-in-command of an aircraft under the Private or Recreational pilot certificates or while exercising solo privileges while a student pilot.

To qualify for a third class medical certificate, pilots must meet the following requirements:

Distant vision: 20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without correction
Near vision: 20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without correction, as measured at a distance of 16 inches
Color vision: Demonstrate the ability to perceive the colors necessary for the safe performance of airman duties
Hearing: Demonstrate the ability to hear an average conversational voice in a quiet room, using both ears, at a distance of six feet, with their back turned to the examiner, or pass an approved audiometric test
Ear, Nose, and Throat: Exhibit no ear disease or condition manifested by, or that may reasonably be expected to be manifested by, vertigo or a disturbance of speech or equilibrium
Blood Pressure: Under 155/95
Mental Status: No diagnosis of psychosis, bipolar disorder, or severe personality disorders
Substance Dependence: No dependence on alcohol or any pharmacological substance in the previous two years

For pilots under 40 years of age, third class medical certificates expire on the last day of the month they were issued, three years from the date of issue. For all others, they expire on the last day of the month they were issued, two years from the date of issue.

I hope I am not leaving anything out and I hope this helps any anxious students out there get a feel for what they need. Also, make sure you drink some water before you go in, because, as I said above, you will need to give a urine sample.

If you do ok during the appointment, you will most likely walk out with a card that looks like this:

This is actually a first class certificate I found online (I changed it to say “3rd”), so your third class one may look slightly different.

How to Attract Links and Increase Web Traffic

Tuesday, October 24th, 2006

I just came across this excellent blog post and thought it would be a good idea to share with fellow website owners and “Webmasters.” You know, I still get laughed at when I use that term? I guess people don’t get the fact that I didn’t make it up.

Anyway, the post is called “How to Attract Links and Increase Web Traffic – The Ultimate Guide.” Give it a browse and see if you can’t get some more traffic to your site!

Flight School - Lesson #9 - 8AM-9:30AM - Wind & Balloon While Landing

Tuesday, October 24th, 2006

Since finishing my last lesson, I have been going over my mistakes in my mind. There were a few…you can read this post to catch up. I went into this lesson on a mission. I even told Yigal that I was going to impress him today. I figured that a few days of dreaming about this lesson would handle that.

Well, today was windy again. Let’s be clear, it is good to practice in the wind. It draws out a lot of issues and teaches a student pilot how to correct them. Trust me, flying in calm air has just become much easier. Also, I appreciate the fact that I am learning crosswind takeoffs, landings and crabbing with the instructor in the cockpit with me, rather than being all alone trying to gain this important experience for the first time. It is challenging to say the least.

I am doing very well with the taxi, takeoff, climb, pattern, speed, crabbing and descent. I am actually getting the hang of descending smoothly to bring the plane about a foot off the runway. Up to this point, I have had a problem with maintaining enough airspeed to avoid a full stall before I needed it on landing, so I wanted to correct that for today. Well, apparently when you land, everything you do becomes extremely sensitive.

As stated above, I come in nicely for my final descent and bring the airplane about a foot off the runway. At that point, the problems begin. Right when I hit my target height, wham, we balloon back up to about twenty feet off the runway. Now, this is very dangerous because at such a slow speed at that height, the airplane can drop suddenly, causing damage.

Here is a good description:

“Most pilots, especially of small aircraft, will experience ground effects on landing; in fact the art of landing largely comes down to understanding when these effects need to be taken into account. As the aircraft descends towards the runway, it will not be influenced by ground effect, but as the aircraft flares and descends within one wingspan of the strip, ground effect will cause a pronounced increase in lift. If not anticipated by the pilot this can cause the aircraft to rise suddenly and significantly — an effect known as a “balloon”. Left uncorrected, a balloon can lead to a dangerous situation where the aircraft is rising yet decelerating, a condition which can rapidly lead to a stall, especially when it is considered that landing speeds are generally only a very small margin above the stall speed. A stall even from a few tens of feet above the ground can cause a major, possibly fatal, crash. A “balloon” may be corrected given sufficient runway remaining, but for novice pilots a better option is to go around. A good landing approach allows for ground effect such that the aircraft flares and is held off in ground effect until it gently descends onto the runway.”

So, this issue had to do with airspeed and ground effect causing a balloon. It happened twice today. A few landings were ok, with one being very good. As you can imagine, my personality does not accept this that well. Yigal tells me not to be hard on myself and that almost all student pilots experience this at this point in their training, but I really need to conquer this. I will be doing a lot of research on this to prepare for my next lesson on Sunday. Of course, any advice from other student pilots would be GREATLY appreciated. I would also appreciate other experiences…Bob C.?

PS - Yigal tells me to get ready for my first solo.

Total hours - 10.5

The 450 Mile Yard Sale

Monday, October 23rd, 2006

I saw this over the weekend on HGTV (the homeowner’s channel). I got a kick out of it. It’s called “The 450 Mile Yard Sale.”

Straight from their site…take a look:

The World’s Longest Yard Sale, although its official name is The 127 Corridor Sale.

The route runs 450 miles along Highway 127 from Covington, KY all the way to Gadsden, AL, with a little side trip on Highway 28 dipping into Georgia.

“The Sale is headquartered in Jamestown, Tennessee at the Fentress County Chamber of Commerce. Hundreds of thousands of folks join us each year for this fun filled event, spanning 450 miles and four states. It’s impossible to keep track of how many shoppers and vendors we have, but its grown to be the biggest and best event of its kind in the world. You’ll find homeowners selling stuff they’ve accumulated throughout the years as well as professional dealers and vendors. Its almost impossible for shoppers to cover the entire route in four days, so be prepared to pick up where you leave off next year! You’re going to discover some neat places, interesting people, and quaint stops that you’ll probably want to visit again and again. So pack your camera, sunglasses, a good pair of walking shoes, and plenty cash - you’re in for the World’s Longest Yardsale!

Nestled in the beautiful Upper Cumberland Region of Tennessee, the Fentress County is also home to Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historical Site, and Pickett State Park. We’re also known to the equestrian community as the Trail Riding Capitol of the Southeast!“