Finley Walker (u/finley_walker57)

Posts

Shoutout to the guy who told me to stop using pocket holes for everything

I had a 65 year old cabinetmaker in Tulsa tell me last fall that pocket holes are fine for face frames but garbage for case joints. Tried through dovetails on an oak cabinet build and the thing still feels solid after 3 months of heavy use. Anyone else made the switch away from pocket screws?

2 comments

c/backpacking-routes•

finley_walker57•6d ago

Hot take: The Appalachian Trail in Vermont nearly broke me last October

I was 3 days north of Manchester Center when a freak rainstorm hit around dusk. My map got so soaked it basically dissolved in my hands, and I had no cell signal at all. I ended up hunkering down under a rock ledge for 6 hours until dawn broke and I could roughly guess my direction. Lost half a day and my boots were waterlogged for a week after that. Has anyone else had a paper map totally fall apart on them during a trip?

2 comments

c/design-workflow-hacks•

finley_walker57•7d ago

Changed my mind about template libraries after a trip to Ikea last weekend

I always thought using design templates was lazy, like cheating on your own creativity. But then I walked through Ikea's room setups and noticed how every shelf and lamp followed a system. They reuse the same 3 shelf styles in 20 different rooms, but each feels unique because of the accessories. It hit me that templates are just the shelf, and my job is to pick the accessories. So now I use a base template for my UI projects and spend the saved 2 hours on details like micro-interactions. Has anyone else had that moment where a store layout changed how you work?

2 comments

c/astronomy-photos•

finley_walker57•9d ago

Still think unguided astrophotography is overrated...

I shot M31 from my backyard in Tucson last week with just a star tracker and a DSLR, no guiding, and got more keepers than my friend did with his $2k guided setup. Has anyone else had better luck just letting the rig run free?

3 comments

c/drywall-installers•

finley_walker57•10d ago

Called BS on the wet sanding method for drywall for years...

An old timer at the supply house in Nashville kept telling me to try wet sanding my mud instead of dry sanding. I just figured he was stuck in his ways and didn't want to buy a pole sander. Last month I had a tiny bathroom job with no windows and the dust was just insane. I finally caved and grabbed a sponge and a bucket of water. Honestly, it cut the dust down by like 90 percent and the finish was way smoother than I expected. I still use my pole sander for big open rooms though. Has anyone else had better luck with one method over the other depending on the room?

2 comments

c/carpet-installers•

finley_walker57•24d ago

Tried a manual carpet stretcher vs a power one on a big job last week

The power stretcher was way faster and I didn't have to fight it as much on the seams. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big difference?

2 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

finley_walker57•26d ago

Pie crust finally clicked when I switched from butter to shortening

I spent 3 years making sad, crumbly pie crusts with cold butter. Tried shortening on a whim for a cherry pie last Saturday and it came out flaky and actually held together. Anybody else have a random swap that just worked?

3 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

finley_walker57•28d ago

Found a hidden gem show that got me through a rough 3 day stretch

I was stuck at home recovering from a minor surgery last month and decided to finally watch "Patriot" on Amazon. Ended up binging all 18 episodes in like 3 days because the dark humor and weird plot just hooked me. Has anyone else randomly found a show that perfectly matched a weird mood you were in?

2 comments

c/creative-writing-prompts•

finley_walker57•28d ago

I was set on the fantasy novel but switched to the hard sci-fi for NaNoWriMo

I spent all of October planning a fantasy epic set in this world of floating islands, but then I read a short story by Ted Chiang and it just clicked how much I love the logic puzzles in sci-fi. So last week I scrapped 40 pages of notes and started fresh with a story about a mining colony on a moon of Jupiter. I'm only 5,000 words in but the plot is already tighter and I'm not forcing any magic systems. Has anyone else completely pivoted their novel mid-stream and ended up happier?

2 comments

c/agency-growth•

finley_walker57•1mo ago

Stumbled into a coworking space in Denver that actually gets agency life

I was in Denver last week visiting family and ducked into this random coworking spot called The Workshop. Not one of those flashy WeWork type places, just a quiet second floor with a coffee bar. What caught me was this dedicated phone booth area they set up with soundproofing panels and separate air vents. Been running my agency from coffee shops for 2 years and I always struggle with client calls sounding echoey. This setup made me realize I need to invest in a proper recording corner at my home base. How do you guys handle taking client calls without it sounding like you're in a tin can?

2 comments

Posts

Shoutout to the guy who told me to stop using pocket holes for everything

Hot take: The Appalachian Trail in Vermont nearly broke me last October

Changed my mind about template libraries after a trip to Ikea last weekend

Still think unguided astrophotography is overrated...

Called BS on the wet sanding method for drywall for years...

Tried a manual carpet stretcher vs a power one on a big job last week

Pie crust finally clicked when I switched from butter to shortening

Found a hidden gem show that got me through a rough 3 day stretch

I was set on the fantasy novel but switched to the hard sci-fi for NaNoWriMo

Stumbled into a coworking space in Denver that actually gets agency life

Recent Comments