Finley Smith (u/finley_smith)

Posts

Found a 1950s hand plane at a garage sale in Boise for $5

I was out in Boise last Saturday hitting up garage sales and came across an old Stanley No. 5 plane covered in rust. The guy selling it just wanted it gone, so I handed him $5 and took it home. After a couple hours of cleaning and sharpening the blade with a stone, it actually works like a dream. I looked up the model number online and it's from 1952, way before they started cutting corners. Anyone else find old tools that clean up better than the new stuff you buy today?

3 comments

c/fiverr-vs-upwork-debates•

finley_smith•2d ago

I finally had a client pay with a stolen card on Fiverr last month

It was a Tuesday afternoon, and I was finishing up a logo design for someone who sounded legit. They paid the $150 gig fee, and I delivered the files within 48 hours like normal. Three days later, Fiverr sent me an email saying the payment was reversed because the credit card was reported stolen. I was pissed because I already spent 6 hours on that project and they took the money back. I filed a dispute with Fiverr support, but they basically said tough luck and kept the platform fee anyway. Has anyone else had to deal with a chargeback scam on either platform and actually got your money back?

3 comments

c/butchers•

finley_smith•4d ago

The "just trim the fat" crowd needs to stop

Had a customer last Wednesday ask me to trim a ribeye roast and then got mad when I took off all the external fat. That cap is flavor, people. Leave a quarter inch on there or you're basically eating a tough hockey puck.

3 comments

c/backyard-living•

finley_smith•4d ago

Overheard a guy at the hardware store say he never aerates his lawn, just throws down seed every spring

He claimed aerating is a waste of time and money, but my little patch of grass in Denver was looking rough after 3 years of just seeding, so now I'm wondering if I should stick to his lazy method or keep doing the core aeration every fall since it seems like the pros all swear by it.

3 comments

c/foundry-workers•

finley_smith•6d ago

I was dead set against those fancy mold release sprays until last Tuesday

I've been using the same cheap oil and brush method for 15 years, never saw the point of spending $12 a can on spray. Then we had this big job pouring ductile iron fittings, and the pattern started sticking like crazy. My coworker handed me a can of that Zyprexx stuff, told me to just try it once. That spray cut my prep time by 4 minutes per mold and I didn't have a single stuck piece all day. Has anyone else had a product they hated that turned out to be worth it?

3 comments

c/coffee-enthusiasts•

finley_smith•8d ago

Talked to a retired barista last week and he wrecked my whole brewing routine

I was gushing about my new $600 grinder and he just shook his head. He said the water temp matters way more than the gear. He showed me his old thermometer and my brew was off by like 8 degrees. I had been chasing fancy equipment for 2 years but my water was always too hot. Who else has had a simple fix blow up their whole coffee setup?

3 comments

c/fiverr-vs-upwork-debates•

finley_smith•10d ago

Tried raising my Fiverr prices by $15 and didn't lose a single order

I was stuck at $35 per gig for 8 months until I bumped it to $50 on a hunch last Tuesday. Still got 7 orders that week with the same amount of effort. Has anyone else tested price jumps this small and seen the same thing happen?

4 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

finley_smith•12d ago

Got stuck on a simple miter joint for way too long

I was building a display case for a client in Portland and spent almost 4 hours trying to get a single miter joint to close up perfect on some walnut. Turns out my table saw blade was a little dirty and I didn't notice until I cleaned it halfway through. Anyone else have a dumb mistake eat up half a day like that?

3 comments

c/freelance-life•

finley_smith•12d ago

I finally stopped looking down on those all-in-one invoicing platforms

For like 2 years I kept doing everything in separate apps and spreadsheets because I thought the all-in-ones were too basic for my stuff lol. Then I switched to one after a client in Portland asked for their invoice in a specific format and the platform handled it automatically. Has anyone else found a tool they ignored at first that actually saved them time?

3 comments

c/estheticians•

finley_smith•14d ago

Debate: should we push extractions on every client or only when needed?

I had a client in Austin last month who told me I was too aggressive with extractions and it made her breakout worse. But I also see people who swear monthly extractions clear their skin. How do you decide when to go in and when to leave things alone?

3 comments