Seconds away from the house fire.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

I smelled smoke. It smelled just like a bug flying into the halogen, so I assumed it was a bug flying into the halogen. The Queen smelled smoke. I said it was a bug. She believed me.

But as I walked into the hall, I noticed the smell of smoke was even stronger. Flipping on the lights in the kitchen, I instantly realized the smell of smoke did not come from a bug flying into the halogen. The Kitchen was full of smoke. I had accidently switched on our other toaster oven when I shoved my lunch pail up against it. The papers on top of the toaster oven were charring quite nicely. The roach trap had melted into a pile of goo. Ah, the aroma of melted plastic and burning roach bait. My wallet, which was in one of the pockets of my lunch cooler, got so hot, the reciepts inside it were charred when I looked at them this morning.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Time to put you in a home, Grandpa! once you can't trust 'em with the stove (or toaster)...

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Did I mention the neighbor who's cats burned her house down? She did get a whole new house out of the deal. Plus, a whole new set of pets. Seems cats can turn on the stove. They just can't open doors.

[Drunk Monk]

i guess i shouldn't complain about snakes in the house anymore....but i will.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

And tonight' Snake Talk with DM . . . . .
I think they learned by doing or accidently as the case may be. It was the last thing they learned, though.

[Drunk Monk]

paw prints on the stove controls? or did they witness the cats doing it before and that act went unpunished. i chase after the cat with the broom when it brings a snake in. i'd chase after it with frying pan if it turned the stove on.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

They surmised the fire started at the stove. The only thing that could have started the stove, the only mobile thing in the house, was the cats. Damn Cats. Anyway, long story longer, Roberta (the neighbor not the sister) ran to the grocery store. When she returned, the house was already gutted.

[cranefly]

Let me get this straight.
You stacked papers on top of your toaster oven.
Flammable material.
On top of what comes close to being an open flame.
Is this a sane thing to do?
I mean, this isn't haiku.
I've exceeded the syllable count already.
It's common sense.

All we stack on our toaster oven is paper plates and napkins.

--cranefly

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

What is this thing called "toaster", Earthman?

-PPFY(zy)

[cranefly]

If you're going to install some shelving on a wall, and it's going to take, say, 6 screws, is 9 holes considered an okay job?

I buy a stud finder to make the job easy. The problem is, it keeps picking up false positives. Still, it you make enough passes (say, 43), you can statistically weed out the bad ones.
Eventually I determine that my studs are 20 inches on center.
A quick check of the web confirms that this can't be right. Studs are either 16 or 24 inches.

Lots more testing with the stud finder. Okay, 16 inches it is.
Things go well at first. I get three shelves up, but need to put up more shelves. No problem, because I've found three studs, all I gotta do is go another 16 inches over.

I miss. Nothing there. That's when I go in the kitchen and discover that I just drilled into a power outlet location. Is that something I should check for more often? Also I just miss water pipes elsewhere. But I'm lucky. It's hard to imagine how lucky I am. The shelves are up, and I am happy.

But what's up with my stud finder? It was all over the place. Do professionals actually use these tools?

Last night, when I went to bed, I tried the stud finder out on Lady Cranefly. I was amused by the beeps, but the sentiment wasn't shared by all.

Let's hope my eye is healed by Black Friday.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

There is a magnet in the studfinder which finds the nails that have been pounded into the wood. As far as I know, there is no wood magnet.
So, the stud finder actually looks for metal. It does a great job of finding conduit in the walls and allowing you to put screws into them.
I might suggest the molly bolt or the drywall anchor.
Studs are always 16 or 24 on center unless they are the king studs around doors and window.

Easier yet. Pull off all the drywall to actually see the studs. Re Drywall. Replaster. Repaint. Try and remember where studs are. Rip off drywall. Mark on floor where the studs are located. Re Drywall. Replaster Repaint. Simple really.