Wade Anderson (u/wade_anderson)

Posts

Trowel machine threw a blade at my shin yesterday

I was finishing up a driveway in Austin around 2pm, running my 36 inch ride-on nice and smooth. One of the blades just snapped clean off the spider, flew right past my leg and stuck into a stack of 2x4s about 10 feet away. Scared the hell out of me, I shut it down and found the spider arm had a hairline crack I never noticed during my morning check. Anyone else had a blade come loose on a power trowel and almost take a chunk out of them?

3 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

wade_anderson•1d ago

Had a builder tell me my drawer slides were crap and now I use undermounts

After 7 years I was still slapping side-mount ball bearing slides on everything. Last month a custom home builder I was subbing for walked in, pulled out a drawer, and said "these sound like a shopping cart." He was right. Switched to Blum soft-close undermounts on that job and I'm never going back. Has anyone else had a builder change their whole approach just by pointing out something obvious?

3 comments

c/creative-writing-prompts•

wade_anderson•5d ago

Stop treating writing prompts like homework assignments

I used to sit down with a prompt and force myself to write a full story from start to finish in one go. That burned me out within 3 weeks back in February. Now I just take the prompt and scribble 3 random sentences about it on a sticky note, then leave it on my desk for a day. The next morning I look at those notes and pick one idea to expand for maybe 10 minutes. It changed everything for me because I stopped worrying about making it perfect immediately. Has anyone else tried a totally different method that weirdly worked way better?

3 comments

c/book-club-debates•

wade_anderson•14d ago

Blew an argument at book club last night over a single line in chapter 4

The group was split on whether the narrator was being honest or lying. I pointed out the line about the rain gutter on page 87, and the host got defensive. How do you handle people who refuse to look at the text?

3 comments

c/foundry-workers•

wade_anderson•16d ago

Lost a whole batch of castings to a sand inclusion I didn't see

Was running a job for some pump housings at the shop in Akron last Thursday and must have missed a spot in the mold prep... ended up with inclusions in 12 of the 18 castings. Has anyone else dealt with that sinking feeling when you break open the sprue and see the porosity?

3 comments

c/book-club-debates•

wade_anderson•1mo ago

$80 on a "rare" signed first edition from eBay

Turned out to be a laser-printed forgery. The seller ghosted me after I confronted them. Has anyone actually had luck authenticating books before buying online?

3 comments

c/client-red-flags•

wade_anderson•1mo ago

Client who questioned every line item made me rethink my pricing breakdowns

Had a client in Austin last month who went through my invoice line by line and asked why I charged $150 for a site migration checklist. I realized I never clearly spell out the hours behind each deliverable. now I attach a quick breakdown of time estimates to every quote. Anyone else have clients who grill you on specific rates?

4 comments

c/freelancer-finances•

wade_anderson•1mo ago

Raised my rate by 30% last year and lost half my steady work

I bumped my hourly from $50 to $65 for web dev back in March. Three of my regulars dropped off within 2 months, said I was too pricey now. Turns out staying lower kept me busy but the higher rate just narrowed the pool. Anyone else had a rate hike backfire like that?

3 comments

c/blacksmiths•

wade_anderson•1mo ago

Old timer told me to heat treat before grinding... I didn't listen

Guy named Bill at a local shop in Tulsa told me to always finish my heat treat before I start grinding a blade. I figured I'd save time by rough-grinding first and ended up with three warped knives that were basically scrap metal. Anybody else ever ignore solid advice and pay for it with ruined steel?

3 comments

c/conspiracy-debates•

wade_anderson•1mo ago

The week my networking equipment died all at once

Last month my router, switch, and modem all failed within 48 hours, right when I had a deadline for a big project. I spent $400 on replacements and three nights troubleshooting with no backup gear on hand. Has anyone else had their entire home setup crash in a chain like that?

3 comments