Pity the floor if I do... I could probably make it anywhere from 2,000psi to 10,000psi concrete... It'll probably end up being a lightweight SCC mix that will make 5kpis because that is what is getting tested in the lab currently and it would be leftover scrap that would fill the voids...

I like you ... you don't do things half assed.

When in doubt, build 'er stout.

When in doubt, protect your sprout.

sean, i need recommendations for kitchen knives. I love the look of damascus but is it a good steel for kitchen knives? what brands should i look at? i was looking at the Calphalon Katana series but it's mainstream and i'm sure there's something i don't know of that's far superior and hopefully not too much more expensive?

thanks aaron

me and mike are goin to try the surf fishing thing again tomorrow

The C knives get decent reviews, but not sure why they chose to make them in China. Not where I'd cut cost on a knife set.

Knives come down to the user a lot. I have a set of Global's that I bought before I realized that you really should try them on before buying. Some of the Global's I have I love, others I don't. Personally I think they make great "slicing" knives, but chopping is not their thing.

The other thing I'd say is that I'd never buy a set of knives again, unless magically there was one that included the exact blades that you wanted. Realistically people use only a couple knives and you can get away with very few. If it were me, I'd pick out:

A pairing knife -- this can be a cheaper one as really fine blades are almost hard to use without cutting your thumbs

A chef's knife -- this is where I'd spend the dough. If you have a real limited budget, I'd spend it all here and get the rest at restaurant supply.

A boning knife -- preferably flexible so you can "filet" with it as well

A serrated bread knife -- easily added later, in particular if you don't do artisan style bread

A serrated all purpose knife -- a must for tomatoes and some other items

I'd look at real brands when putting this together: Wusthoff, Henkels, F Dick, Chroma, Global, MAC, Furi, Messermeister and the list goes on in particular for Japanese manufacturers that have some stellar blades.

Expect to pay ~$150 for a chef's knife, the rest of the budget is up to you. The hard part now is really deciding, 8", 9", 10"...I can tell you for sure that you'd hate bigger than 10" I have a 12" F Dick and it is unwieldy even for my big hands. It will be easier to be proficient with an 8, but a 9 is more flexible.

I probably should have asked how much the C set you were looking at was before recommending brands, but at least the general idea is there. What is your budget?

Ryan or Kent, do either of you do any aluminum welding?

My bro-in-law does. Stainless welder by trade, but whacked together my outdrive when a tree fell on it.

think he could notch a cast-AL oil pan?

Probably, but he would need some instruction. If it were stainless he could do it in his sleep.

the second post here explains what needs to be done: http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=472609

I have many months to figure this out so no rush at all. If he thinks he can do it though, I'll get a pan out to you/him.

Out of curiosity what does Street & Performance charge to do it? Brian charges $40/hr for side work but I can surely run it by him and see if I can minimize any expense.

I can't find an actual price on their site (what a mess) but I've heard it's in the $500 range, but that includes the pan. If I could find the dimensions of the LH8 pan and make sure that it's not too deep, then I could just go that route and not have to worry about notching one.

The $500 was for a new pan, I'd call to ask them what notching the stock is. It would give you a baseline to laugh at if it is absurd anyways

sorry i missed this, but i aluminum weld all day pretty much, lol. not much metal i can't weld. what are we trying to accomplish?

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Ryan or Kent, do either of you do any aluminum welding?

My bro-in-law does. Stainless welder by trade, but whacked together my outdrive when a tree fell on it.

think he could notch a cast-AL oil pan?

Probably, but he would need some instruction. If it were stainless he could do it in his sleep.

the second post here explains what needs to be done: http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=472609

I have many months to figure this out so no rush at all. If he thinks he can do it though, I'll get a pan out to you/him.

Out of curiosity what does Street & Performance charge to do it? Brian charges $40/hr for side work but I can surely run it by him and see if I can minimize any expense.

I can't find an actual price on their site (what a mess) but I've heard it's in the $500 range, but that includes the pan. If I could find the dimensions of the LH8 pan and make sure that it's not too deep, then I could just go that route and not have to worry about notching one.

The $500 was for a new pan, I'd call to ask them what notching the stock is. It would give you a baseline to laugh at if it is absurd anyways

sorry i missed this, but i aluminum weld all day pretty much, lol. not much metal i can't weld. what are we trying to accomplish?

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

He is trying to notch an aluminum oil pan.

tom, just read that post. that's all you need done? send me a pan, with return shipping and whatever you think it's worth. i'll get it notched for ya bro. you want it tig or mig welded? would you like it painted afterwards? polished? just let me know what you want done and send me the pan.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Everyday is more often than once in a blue moon

Matt, you can go cheaper than $150 on a chef's knife but I will repeat I am not a fan of knife sets. If you want something on the counter that gathers compliments, get a set of Global or Wusthoff Culinar's, but if you want something that cooks get a reliable blade that feels comfortable in your hands.

I'd stop in at a La Sur Table or comparable store in your area and try some out. Report back what you like as there are always alternatives.

tom, just read that post. that's all you need done? send me a pan, with return shipping and whatever you think it's worth. i'll get it notched for ya bro. you want it tig or mig welded? would you like it painted afterwards? polished? just let me know what you want done and send me the pan.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

polished *drools*

tom, just read that post. that's all you need done? send me a pan, with return shipping and whatever you think it's worth. i'll get it notched for ya bro. you want it tig or mig welded? would you like it painted afterwards? polished? just let me know what you want done and send me the pan.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

polished *drools*

might not get mirrored finished, but i'll do my best, lol. and we have a powdercoater right down the road too...could always see what he would charge for that.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

not sure that Tom is the type to want an oil pan polished...but I thought it'd be cool. When I finally build a car the underhood will be all flat, Exile cycle style.

flat black would be pimp, lol. shiny doesn't add any go fast, that's for sure!! i'm a fan of the natural look of aluminum, to me, it's industrial. and IMO, that means stout.

but shit, all i see is aluminum for the biggest part of the day, lol. i'm currently fabricating a skin and frame cabinet, 120 3/4 x 154 x 30, that's 2x2x1/4 mild steel frame. it's a big bitch, lol. and i still gotta do all the pretty stuff.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

well the full set is like $500 but includes all kinds of knives i don't need and would never use. the set i was going to make was going to be just under $300

i'd like to stay at $300 or less but could go up a little more. This will of course be once i get a damn job, but this is one of those things i've always wanted but never had the setting to spend the money on it (refuse to buy nice knives when i have roommates)

flat black would be pimp, lol. shiny doesn't add any go fast, that's for sure!! i'm a fan of the natural look of aluminum, to me, it's industrial. and IMO, that means stout.

but shit, all i see is aluminum for the biggest part of the day, lol. i'm currently fabricating a skin and frame cabinet, 120 3/4 x 154 x 30, that's 2x2x1/4 mild steel frame. it's a big bitch, lol. and i still gotta do all the pretty stuff.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Yep, I prefer the plain subtle look.

well the full set is like $500 but includes all kinds of knives i don't need and would never use. the set i was going to make was going to be just under $300

i'd like to stay at $300 or less but could go up a little more. This will of course be once i get a damn job, but this is one of those things i've always wanted but never had the setting to spend the money on it (refuse to buy nice knives when i have roommates)

$300 can get you there.

150 chef

80 boning

30 pairing

30 serrated

buy a bread knife later

--if you are stuck on matched sets though this won't work

<-- could easily spend $300 on one knife, but hasn't yet

Might be picking up a Mark VIII on the cheap.

Check out the air suspension. I've had a couple of them and other than the suspension woes really love the cars.

It needs a new compressor, but holds air and works well. Windshield is cracked and passenger side door handle is broken.

The old man has 3 in the yard, and I have 2 engine/tranny combos from them and one only has 50K on it, so I have all the parts at my disposal for nothing.

well the full set is like $500 but includes all kinds of knives i don't need and would never use. the set i was going to make was going to be just under $300

i'd like to stay at $300 or less but could go up a little more. This will of course be once i get a damn job, but this is one of those things i've always wanted but never had the setting to spend the money on it (refuse to buy nice knives when i have roommates)

$300 can get you there.

150 chef

80 boning

30 pairing

30 serrated

buy a bread knife later

--if you are stuck on matched sets though this won't work

i love that breakdown, though i'm not sure i'd even buy a serrated, to this day i still hate the damn things. The chef knife and boning knives are the two i really want though i really like the slicer in the C set as well. I have a decent knife similar to the slicer and use it more than probably all my other knives combined though I'm not sure if the slicer is too long or not.

bah seems like i really need to go somewhere that will let me play with all their knifes. I'll never find that around here.

I like a long, grantoned slicer myself

well the full set is like $500 but includes all kinds of knives i don't need and would never use. the set i was going to make was going to be just under $300

i'd like to stay at $300 or less but could go up a little more. This will of course be once i get a damn job, but this is one of those things i've always wanted but never had the setting to spend the money on it (refuse to buy nice knives when i have roommates)

$300 can get you there.

150 chef

80 boning

30 pairing

30 serrated

buy a bread knife later

--if you are stuck on matched sets though this won't work

i love that breakdown, though i'm not sure i'd even buy a serrated, to this day i still hate the damn things. The chef knife and boning knives are the two i really want though i really like the slicer in the C set as well. I have a decent knife similar to the slicer and use it more than probably all my other knives combined though I'm not sure if the slicer is too long or not.

bah seems like i really need to go somewhere that will let me play with all their knifes. I'll never find that around here.

Sean u may beg to differ.............But i would have to say Cutco.................made in Olean,NY (my hometown) and IMO their knives are amazing.

Chime back in, let me know if I am off my rocker.

J

I like a long, grantoned slicer myself

Nice to have, but it isn't really all that often that I need one. Curious as to what you use yours for?

I also agree that I don't like serrated knives either Matt, but there are many times that it is the right tool for the job and should be used. Things that are partially frozen are much better "sawed", hard vegetables like squash are easier and safer to cut with a serrated knife, delicate things as well for instance a really ripe tomato or piece of fresh bread.

Sean u may beg to differ.............But i would have to say Cutco.................made in Olean,NY (my hometown) and IMO their knives are amazing.

Chime back in, let me know if I am off my rocker.

J

I have a set as my mother won them in a cooking contest; however, they don't cut that well with the stock sharpening on them and they don't stay sharp very long. It is actually rather easy to get a knife sharp, but keeping it that way is the trick. Cutco to me is along the lines of Chicago Cutlery quality, but at 3x the price. I use them for the who gives a fuck I know I shouldn't cut this with one of my knives, so I use the Cutco for those. I do like their bread and butter knife and my serrated knife is a Cutco as I have never bothered to replace it. It does everything I need, although I do have a Global tomato knife & a Global bread knife that are serrated as well and they are downright dangerous they are so sharp. I can't say that about the Cutco, but for a general purpose I haven't replaced it either. One other positive on the Cutco, the handle on the pairing knife is sweet for people with big hands.