Took me 3 seasons to figure out I was trimming heels way too short

I was at a clinic in Boise last spring watching a guy demo on a standardbred and he pointed out how much flare my horse had in the heel. I told him that's just how the hoof grows and he just laughed and said 'no, that's how you trim it.' Went back to my shop that night and compared photos from the last 18 months. All my horses had the same wedge shape because I was nipping off heel way past the live sole line without thinking. The next morning I left more heel on a mare that always looked clubby and she stood flatter than I ever saw her. Something about hearing it from a stranger in front of 20 people made it click. Anyone else have a basic habit that took a public embarrassment to fix?

Just remembered a shortcut for finding old reruns on low-budget cable

Back around 2005 I wanted to watch this show called 'The Lost World' that nobody talked about anymore. I figured out that checking the 3am time slots on weird channels like PAX or TechTV would sometimes have them, and it worked for a few weeks before they pulled it. Anyone else find a show that way?

Flat top vs charbroiler for burger production, the difference is night and day

I ran a 3 month comparison at my buddy's place in Phoenix switching his lunch rush from a charbroiler to a 36 inch flat top. The charbroiler gave us flare ups every 20 minutes and the burgers cooked uneven top to bottom, plus we had 15% more waste from overcooked edges. The flat top held steady at 375 and we pushed out 80 covers an hour without a single temp complaint. Anyone else ditch their charbroiler for a griddle and see the same thing?

Changed my mind about using coolant additives after a job in Bakersfield last summer

Was helping a buddy swap a water pump on an old Pete. He swore by that purple additive stuff. I always thought it was just snake oil. But the pump we pulled had a ton of scale and crap built up inside the water jacket. His rig had been running the additive for years and looked clean as a whistle inside. Still not sure I'd use it on every truck, but for high-mileage ones it might actually help. Anyone have good or bad luck with that stuff?

I finally stopped buying those $4 bagged salad mixes

My neighbor told me I was wasting money on bagged salads that go bad in 2 days. She showed me how she buys a head of romaine for $1.50 and it lasts a whole week in the fridge with a paper towel. I switched over last month and now I'm saving about $10 a week on lunches. Has anyone else made that switch and found a trick to keep lettuce fresh even longer?

Had to decide between shellac and lacquer for a dining table job last month

A customer in Portland wanted a high-gloss finish that could handle hot plates and kids, so I had to pick between shellac and pre-cat lacquer. I went with the lacquer because it's tougher, but the fumes were brutal in their basement. Has anyone else been burned by a finish choice that seemed like the right call on paper?

Just realized my old coffee can worm bin is way better than the fancy one I bought

I was sure the $80 plastic tumbler was the answer, but after 6 months, my free setup with holes poked in the lid and shredded junk mail works faster with zero smell. Anyone else find the simple way just works better in a small space?

PSA: my $200 kiln shelf upgrade was a total game changer

I finally replaced my old, warped shelves after a year of fighting with uneven heating and it completely changed my annealing results. The new ones are so flat I can actually set a cup down without it wobbling. Anyone else put off a simple upgrade that made a huge difference?

Heard a guy at the farmers market say his sauerkraut was too salty after only 2 days, made me check my own brine math

Caught a coolant leak just before a long run on a VF-2

I was setting up a 6-hour job on our Haas VF-2 last Thursday and saw a tiny puddle under the tank. The main line fitting had cracked. I shut it down, swapped the fitting from an old parts kit, and refilled the system. Has anyone else had a coolant line fail right before a big job?