ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Where are you and where are you going?
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shaz
Posts: 420
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Location: Colorado, US

Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by shaz »

Have you tried using average view duration to measure whether you are providing valuable content?

ffj
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by ffj »

@Gilberto

Nobody seems to know definitively how all of this works. Of course, I would like to know to make a game-plan or at least to see if this is worth my time. There are many videos out there claiming to know how to game the "algorithm" but ultimately everybody is speculating in my opinion. Really my only option is to get better and see what happens, but I want to know if the cost is worth bearing. I'm not going to relinquish my privacy or spend hours doing fancy jump cuts and editing for an extra couple thousand subscribers for example. It's still an interesting position to be in however.

@shaz

I've looked at all the metrics and I've concluded I'm average at best. I don't speak well, my editing sucks, and my intros are absolute shit. For example:

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The reason my average view duration sucks is because I can't retain a lot of people past the 30 second mark. This is called the dreaded hockey stick graph. And it's all my fault because I don't take the time to be more professional. But in my defense, I was hoping to achieve a home-spun feel to the whole experiment as that attracts people too, especially people who like this topic.

I'll continue to experiment and see what is worth my time. It's been nice talking about all of this to you guys as it has been something on my mind for a while now.

ffj
Posts: 376
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by ffj »

@anybody interested in YouTube algorithm

I think I found the answer. This guy makes the most sense to me at least.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laXuSHKoWhg


Since I stopped working on the porches (in time for Thanksgiving be damned) I picked back up on my bridge. Since it's fairly low tech it's pretty fun to build as it doesn't require much thought process other than straightening out the crooked and twisted beams. They weren't on sale for nothing. ;)

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Normally before I installed the crosspieces I would have shored up the 24 foot beams from below with some uprights placed on large rocks but because the beams are so crooked I am having to use the cross-pieces to straighten everything out, which affects the final height of the bridge. If I would have put them in first in all likelihood they would have been wrong slightly. Here I am using bar clamps to remove the humps and twists before I screw everything together.

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Now that I have the cross-ties in place, I will secure the uprights. And then it is simply putting on boards on top of the cross-ties on which to walk and drive over. Which I need, as I fell off the damn thing today and caught myself before I plunged into the water below. By skinning one leg and torquing my other leg over a beam. :( That hurt, and I've strained my calf muscle so now I walk around with a limp. What was funny is that I watched myself miss the beam with my foot and then I was upside down. I don't really feel like I should be this clumsy but here I am and I really don't want to come to a point where I have to watch myself all of the time over easy stuff like this. Hopefully it was just bad luck. Anyway, progress.

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ffj
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by ffj »

After indulging myself all day yesterday it felt good to be working on a project today, and why not finish the uprights on my bridge? As I was working, my little buddy came to visit which was a treat. We shared some quality ear scratches before my dog figured out what was happening and he wasn't down with sharing me so the visit was cut short. She has really grown and looked super healthy.

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The project was fairly simple today. Find four flat stones, level and place them beneath the beams, measure the lengths needed, cut, jack up the bridge slightly and place the uprights into position. Then lower the jack. Done.

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By adding that support, I have really stiffened up and strengthened the bridge. It's dead solid now when you walk across it and I would feel comfortable driving something as heavy as a tractor if I needed. But it is mainly for my 4-wheeler and trailer as well as walking of course. I do need to obviously add the boards on top for driving across but as I'll have to buy those I'm going to wait a bit as every year we host Thanksgiving for our families and we spent a lot of money this year, so we need to rebalance our finances for a bit. The bridge can wait.

What is exciting is that I'm getting closer and closer to building a proper treehouse, which will be a blast to build. The house is finished, the woods are almost clear, the fences are almost done, the bridge is built. I've got lots of ideas in my head just itching to get out.

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mountainFrugal
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by mountainFrugal »

I generally like all of the projects you post. The deer head scratch has been a favorite. :).

ffj
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by ffj »

@mountain

Wait until I build my treehouse. It's going to be great. I posted over on your MMG just for you. Hope you enjoy.

AxelHeyst
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by AxelHeyst »

I am SO excited to watch the treehouse build. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better. Loving all your build updates ffj.

ffj
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by ffj »

@Axel

Yeah I'm ready to do something fun. I've definitely got some ideas worth exploring that I think will interest folks. Thanks for the encouragement.

ffj
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by ffj »

Here is the end result of nailing fencing to a tree. I know, know, know how tempting it is to have a ready made fence post when you are stringing wire but man what a pain in the ass to remove these "posts".

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I don't think my chainsaw can cut hot butter at the moment after hitting metal in these trees. Man it's aggravating. But the neighbor was available these past two days with his tractor and you make hay when the sun is out so to speak, and even though I had no intention of ripping this old fence section out and replacing it I can't magically make a tractor appear so the work got done. Whether planned or not.

The first thing I had to do was create a temporary fence so the cattle couldn't get out.

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And then I cleared out the old trees and fencing and old posts. I then strung a line to make sure the boundary was kept proper and straight.

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Now my neighbor is an older man and I think his equipment is older than him. ;) He would appreciate that joke. But I want to show you how I drove those posts into the ground.

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Not for the faint of heart. There are no safety measures in place. You just slam that big plate down on the top of post until you get it deep enough, which requires you to hold on to the post while working a hydraulic lever. Each time this happens, which is many, you are going to think this damn thing is going to crush your arm. I was glad when that was over. They made that tool when men were men, haha.

Anyway, got it done and I can move on to something else.

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shaz
Posts: 420
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Location: Colorado, US

Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by shaz »

Nice job with the fence. Why did you choose to use wooden posts rather than t-posts?

ffj
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by ffj »

Strength. One of the main advantages of driving these wooden posts is that once you are done, they are dead-solid. Usually I do a wooden post, then two T-posts, then wooden post, repeat, all on 8-foot centers. This pattern will get interrupted at times due to gate openings and in the case of the woods, roots.

The T-posts are cheaper and easier to drive and sometimes they are the only thing I can get into the ground as they are narrower, so they definitely have their place, but once you start tensioning up the wire fence you have to have something that won't move, which would be the wooden posts. The T-posts will just flex. I have seen where some fence builders will build bomb-proof corners and tension the hell out of the wire so they can exclusively use T-posts in between, but that technique I think is limited to flat land and no obstructions but I could be wrong. The reason I have 3 wooden posts in a row in the photo is because I have a gate just out of the picture.

shaz
Posts: 420
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2021 7:05 pm
Location: Colorado, US

Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by shaz »

Oh, yes, you need braced corners and then also H's at gates or anywhere there is a sudden bend (elevation or direction) in order for t-posts to hold up. I use a lot of t-posts because I can bang them in without a tractor. I use a hand tool to dig the holes for the corners. Having a mechanized plate banging away in the vicinity of your hand sounds nerve-wracking!

Hristo Botev
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by Hristo Botev »

My son and I are really enjoying the YouTube channel. He has decided to make knot-tying part of his homeschool curriculum.

ffj
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by ffj »

@Hristo

Great! That makes me feel good.

If he sticks with it, get him a good rope and a few carabiners. I cringe every time I watch a knot tying video and they're using some cheap hard nylon "rope" they picked up at the hardware store. A rope with good hand will make your day.

IlliniDave
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by IlliniDave »

Pounding in those posts looks like quite a job--like you say, not for the faint of heart! Don't be surprised if you get an invite one day should I ever take the plunge on a chunk of land in the Northwoods. Not that I'd try to rope you into any 'development chores' or anything like that, ha. ;)

ffj
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by ffj »

@IllniDave

Sure, as long as you take me fishing and buy some quality beer.

Bud Light, Coors, Miller, PBR, Natty, etc. are good examples of what constitutes not good beer. Haha

ffj
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by ffj »

Rain, rain, and more rain here at the homestead, but yesterday we caught a break in the weather and the precipitation stopped in the morning and promised to behave the rest of the day. So my construction partner ( really I'm just his helper) called up and asked me to help him install a wood burning fireplace in a cabin he was working on. This cabin sits in the middle of a 3,000 acre plot of land which I didn't think existed in my part of the world. Now I've worked with him on this cabin before installing trim, but I still find it incredible that one family owns that much land around me.

This was a true learning experience for me as I have never done this kind of work before, but it was fairly straightforward and the same principles applied whenever you cut a hole through a roof. You had better install the flashing correctly with the proper materials and sealants or the roof will leak, so we took our time. This operation was complicated a bit because the roof had metal panels but it worked out well.

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You see that ladder my buddy is sitting on? Works great until you have to remove it. Then you are stuck at the ridge with no way down ( on long roofs such as this) other than sliding and praying on a slick metal roof. Now I came prepared and brought my ropes and I rigged a simple system for him not to die and I didn't think to take a photo of him, curses. It's not everyday you get to see an Amish fellow rappelling with a Petzl I'D! He seemed to like it though, haha.

Once that was complete we finished the install of the free-standing fireplace, which weighed hundreds of pounds. But we got it centered with the stovepipe installed, finishing with the trim pieces on the ceiling.

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All of the wood on the interior was installed by my buddy before I started working with him. The decor is rustic hunting cabin and overall the whole cabin looks pretty nice. It's a bit too rustic for my personal taste but from what I understand this building is mainly going to be a place for the family to gather and hunt during the holidays so that seems appropriate.

ffj
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by ffj »

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My biggest tree yet. I had good technique and it fell exactly where I planned for it to fall, but damn these things scare me. And it's not even my tree!

I have an older neighbor who I am helping build a fence through a patch of woods and he asked me to cut this particular tree down because it was dead and he didn't want it falling on his new fence. Fair enough, but I told him it was a bit too big for my comfort level hoping he would abandon the thought and he replied " well, if you don't cut it down then I will" . This man is a tiny 84 year old and my only thought was he was going to kill himself ( he has a habit of showing me his wounds he creates for himself, last one a few days ago where he pinned his hand against his tractor) , so I decided to do it while he was away and my dog was penned up. My wife said he inadvertently black-mailed me which is true, but he wasn't bluffing about doing it himself. But it's down and I can walk away with nobody hurt.

I can see an end to all of the work on the property, at least not nearly as much. I feel like I need to tap back in to my creative side at some point as most of my work currently involves brute strength as well as primitive labor, such as cutting and stacking. I have a couple of ideas in mind one of which is bit silly but it would be fun, and the other involves a heating source. I'm also toying with the idea of building a geodesic dome. I have to be careful not to clutter up my life with whimsical projects but everything with the exception of one would serve alternative purposes.

The other issue is having fun money, or more precisely, not having as much fun money as I used to have before we built a new house. While our new domicile is completely paid for, the property taxes are quite a bit more than our old place. That has really cut into our safety margin so I''ll probably take on some more work and build up a slush fund. I've even entertained the idea of working quite a bit more but I really don't want the responsibility of heading up jobs, what a headache. I'd rather just be someone's helper and then I can walk away after the day is done. I spoke with a friend today who had wanted me to build a porch for him and I declined, but he told me how much he paid someone else to do it and I was momentarily kicking myself for leaving so much money on the table. It was substantial, but I had to remind myself what a pain in the ass it was to earn that money so I congratulated him on getting it done. There are so many opportunities out there to make money at the moment but I just can't get too motivated.

AxelHeyst
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by AxelHeyst »

That's a big ol tree. Nicely done.

Apologies if you've already covered it, but I'm curious how/where you picked up your general skillset? How much did you learn growing up vs. later?

Does the idea of doing something like building a little cabin or campsite on your homestead that you can rent out when you like, to cover property taxes, have any appeal to you? A combination of a fun project you might want to do anyway with a financial justification?

ffj
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Re: ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

Post by ffj »

My Dad taught me some of it, but he is/was a rough carpenter at best. His main skill was hanging drywall which he is excellent at, even in his eighties. Now as a kid he would make me work with him which I greatly resented at the time, especially since he never paid me a cent. Which I could have lived with, except that all my friends got paid by their fathers and since the age of 14 I've been offered paying jobs by others. Looking back I was a shithead with an attitude which I've tried to make up for in my adulthood but at the time I hated it.

In high school I took shop and carpentry which I did well at, even placing at a regional competition for carpentry skills. It all made sense to me and I've always liked building things.

In college I built furniture in several classes and was also a student supervisor in the shop labs. What was memorable about that was the amount of girls that had to take a furniture making class for their Occupational Therapy degree. That was something to see, the beauty of the girls and their almost complete disconnect with anything related to tools. Nobody lost a finger though.

After college I ran a furniture-making shop in the Peace Corps in Africa. That was also something to see, as there was a complete disconnect amongst my employees to show up on time or complete a task. There is always tomorrow my friend. Have a beer.

After that, I worked at cabinet shop in the States. I had three bosses, all of which disliked each other and each gave me conflicting orders. One was out of prison for dealing drugs who would complain about his rich wife, one had killed his brother, and the other could have been an heir to a vast fortune but he gave it away to strike out on his own.

I then worked at another shop which specialized in high end interiors such as banks and yachts. I really learned a lot at that job even though I grew to hate the inequities after a while. The stories I could tell about how to shit on your employees. I spent four years there and after an altercation I left.

To run a furniture factory to the most narcissistic dude I have ever met. This guy was an idiot who had a smoking hot girlfriend. She really liked me. No, not that way, I wish. It was because I was the only sensible one in charge and I singlehandedly saved that company, until I left because I got accepted to the Fire Dept. Praise God. He offered me a large sum to stay and not take the FD job but I knew that place wouldn't last with him running it, so I joined the fire service. The furniture factory went out of business 10 months later.

Then I was a firefighter until I retired in 2014. Still did some side jobs in construction but what really taught what I know is that I bought a 70 year old house. I remodeled and replaced everything in that house and it really took the apprehension away from taking on new tasks, because when you break the steps down it's not that difficult. And when your house looks hideous because of the chain-smoking former owners, then doing anything to change the appearance is quite motivating. You'll never know true satisfaction until the cigarette stained black wall-paper starts to shrivel and peel off the walls after you've sprayed it with a solvent.

No, as far as renting out something on my property. I don't want strangers running around my property. As a firefighter, I can say that I've been in thousands of other peoples homes and I'm not impressed with how too many of them live. The thought of them staying in something I've built does not interest me. But mainly I want my privacy and if I could single out the cool people I would consider it, but I don't know how to do that. That's a good thought though.

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