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Thank you for replying. Over the years I've learned as much, if not more, from those who created their own version of a recipe. Most often, the change was due to what they had on hand or were familiar enough with it that they knew from experience that they could make a good recipe even better. I have a feeling your father was one of those bakers. I've also learned that cooks can do wonders with food using the type of cooking tools and ovens they use frequently and know well. Some of my best breads were baked on a Big Green Egg ceramic smoker/grill using natural lump charcoal, and on my Blackstone Grill (griddle) I made a makeshift canopy over the griddle top using aluminum foil. Worked just like those countertop pizza ovens that are becoming increasingly popular these days. I'm pretty sure your dad and I would have enjoyed talking shop about 'the business of cooking.'

Good points. Funny that you should mention it. When I made the video we lived in Houston. Now I live across the lake from New Orleans and I've not been able to make a great reproduction of the famous bread. I even followed the recipe LOL... Thanks for your comment.

@@leroymcmillin I'm roughly 650 miles north of New orleans as the crow flies and the thing I've found most helpful is to dramatically increase my resting time. I do a sourdough version though, so it's a bit different, but I have a starter that's several years old and is incredibly active. It can sit in the fridge for three weeks and I can pull it out and feed it and it will double within 3 hours. I"ve gotten the fluffiest inside/crispiest outside results from pulling my starter out at 3-4pm to feed it, make my dough around 8pm, do an hourly stretch and fold until 11ish and then I'll let it sit on the counter overnight. Next day around 9-10am I'll punch it down then do another two stretch and folds for a couple of hours and shape/drop the rolls on the pan and let them sit covered until around 1-2pm and then bake it. I did this yesterday with the wet towel and it was pretty darned good - not quite new orleans style but pretty close.

Thanks for asking. I believe I mentioned about the plywood backing two or three years ago, but I'll gladly do it again. The 3/4" cabinet grade (a lot cheaper back then) plywood is mounted over the drywall and into the studs. The tracks are mounted to the plywood. One stud was off by a few inches, so attachment was only on three studs. Not to worry, the tracks carry no weight and only serve as guides for the carriage dollies that roll freely inside the tracks while the hoist lifts upward pretty much straight up. But I placed the hoist motor back about 1° off plumb so that the upper dollies would tend to remain toward the back of the track. If I had it to do over, I probably would make it 2° to compensate for me standing on the front side of the platform when I'm taking stuff up or down. I'm 300 pounds and considering the change in center of gravity, the upper dollies tend to lean forward. Even so, it has not caused a problem in over six years of almost daily use. And if there's no cargo on board, I usually stand in the center. As simple as the design is, there's always room for improvement. I'm working on a sort of friction clutch or brake to simply slow the drop-speed in case of a cable break. My experience with cables "breaking" is that it is mostly a strand at a time, thereby giving me enough warning that I should land the thing and replace the cable. I continue to feel much safer using the elevator instead of the fold-down stair-ladder that scares the crap out of me. I hope this answered your question.

@@leroymcmillin thanks for the prompt and thorough reply. Very helpful!

Thank you. I'm good..

Thank you. We moved to Covington, Louisiana from Houston six years ago after living in Houston (actually, Spring) for 30 years. New Orleans bread was only available at a few restaurants and was priced accordingly. But then came Katrina. So many NO people moved to Houston and decided to stay that the demand for real New Orleans bread shot up and we suddenly had the best bread for PoBoys and Crawfish. But I had already perfected my version of Leidenheimer French Bread. Their recipe is online if you want to bake a loaf or two. As for the text being difficult to read, I couldn't read it either. I've gotten better at producing videos. Sorry about that . By the way, Northshore is booming and is fast becoming the place to live in the New Orleans area. We're close enough for work for those willing to commute, but far enough from the crime and high prices of New Orleans. We wouldn't live anywhere else.

@@leroymcmillin I always said I would never leave the coast, but my husband got a job at International Paper ,just south of Columbus, and at the time our youngest was going to school at MS State so it seemed like the place to be {plus all of his family is here in Columbus}. My side of the family is spread all over the coast - the most northern any of them live is along the I-10 corridor in D’Iberville. 😂 However, my oldest daughter lives in Bay St Louis, and she works at Half Shell Oyster House in Covington!! How small is this world we live in?! Anyway, today I set out to make some po-boy bread. It will only be the third kind of bread I’ve tried . . . E.V.E.R!! I’ve gotten the Italian loaf down-pat {sorta}, and biscuits {even though I botched them this morning, but that’s what happens when it’s 2 o’clock and you aren’t wide awake AND you are being rushed . . . right? That’s my story anyway! 👍🏼 🤣} Is your recipe and theirs different? I’ve watched a ton of videos for “subs,” “hero’s,” the UK equivalent to the po-boy. Yours is the closest I’ve seen. I’ve even watched a video of a Michigan lady stating she was making NOLA po-boy, however those just looked like 4 small Italian loafs, especially after she put black poppyseeds over the tops of them before baking… Anyway, I’m off to try my hand at po-boys - the Real Thing! Happy baking!!

@@carischultz9038 We almost went to lunch at Half-Shell Oyster House yesterday. We've eaten there before and like it very much. Maybe next time we're on that side of town.

@@leroymcmillin my bread making went a little sideways . . . I made 4 loaves, and my husband proceeded to eat 2 and a half of them by just slicing them diagonally and adding butter to each slice. Then he took the rest for his dinner at work the next night. That part turned out wonderfully! As I was putting my kitchenaid stand mixer back on the pantry shelf, my German shepherd got excited, got in my way, and I heard bone crushing before I felt the intense, over-the-top, blood-curdling-scream worthy pain as that mixer fell out of my hand and landed on my left foot. Now I wait to see the surgeon. But at least I know I can do it {meaning I have the skill} for when I’m not in as much pain standing. Of course, my husband did ask me to make him some regular sandwich bread for him while we were sitting in the ER waiting to be seen. Bless ‘em. Btw, what do I do if the bread rises, but falls before I get back to it? 🫣 Instead of an hour, I got there in an hour-forty . . .{I fell asleep} . . . It looked like my food had an eating disorder, nearly flat with a bunch of wrinkles. 🤦🏼‍♀️😩🤷🏼‍♀️

@@carischultz9038 Wow! That's one story I haven't had to tell (yet), but if your Kitchenaid Stand Mixer is the big one like ours, I feel for you. I store it in a heavy duty stainless steel slidout draw on the lower part of my cabinet. I'm guessing it weighsa good 20 pounds or more.. Get well soon. As for the risen bread, that's a story I can relate to. Mine rose and fell while I was on a phone call. But since I had nothing to lose, I cut it in half and set each half aside in a covered bowl while I added a half cup of 120° filtered water, 1/2 teaspoon of yeast, and a tablespoon of sugar to the mixer bowl and let the yeast come alive. Then I added one of the halves of fallen dough and let it run on slow for about five minutes,, adding c couple of spoons of flour to stiffen it up a bit, took it out, re-shapped it into one of the stoneware baking pans, covered and let rise again. Then I did the same with the other half. When both were ready, I placed them in a 350° oven. They turned out 'acceptable.' Good luck with the surgery and the bread.

I prefer to call it "Magic" but I suspect that science would conclude that there was more than an average amount of moisture in the brisket. As such, the moisture steamed the meat, opening pores in the process for better smoke and heat distribution inside the meat, thereby hastening the cook. That said, I also have a three-hour brisket video that I recall being tried by a number of Eggheads, and although all claimed it worked, most preferred a longer cook time. I've recently taken up bread making and I finally understand why a "shot of steam" will make some bread turn out better. By the way, I've also used my Sous Vide Immersion Cooker with brisket. They are cheap now and worth having. Also, it took me a while to try brining some meats and they turned out great. Let us know how your future cooks turn out.

Well Scott. the video shows everything I did so I can't add much. Besides, I'm almost 82 years old and if it wasn't for the video, I wouldn't have a clue as to what you were talking about LOL. Truth is, I learned long ago to "cook 'til done" instead of "cook for time." And that's especially true with all briskets I've ever cooked. Briskets have a personality of their own and if you rush 'em, they tend to fight back. The two things I count on when cooking brisket is, 1. The Big Green Egg, and 2. the Magic that goes on inside the Big Green Egg." As much as I would like to take full credit for it, I'm happy to be able to say I introduced the brisket to the Big Green Egg and let them work out the details. My Sweetied wants another on just like it but brisket prices have gone through the roof. We'll just eat chicken until they go back down. Thanks for asking. By the way, I also did a decent baby back rib cook in 50 minutes with a ten minute rest period to take it to 60 minute. Yes, there's a video on it too.

Thank you. I probably use my elevator an average of ten to twelve times a week to go up and down. But I also lower it down to about 3' off the floor to use as a handy work-shelf. I also saved a large lawn mower cardboard box to serve as a paint booth. I just open the flaps to keep the spray inside the box, paint one side and rotate it to paint the other. If I want it to dry overnight, I just shoot the elevator, paint box and all up higher, or even into the attic. Each Christmas, we just roll our fully decorated 9' tree (bagged) down, roll it outside around to the entrance, and inside the door to where it looks best. Then remove the cover, plug it in and wait for Santa. Takes less than ten minutes each way. Sometimes, I even hear my 77-year-old wife riding up to get something from the attic. She can't even pull down the folding stairs, much less climb them. We both trust the elevator way more than the pull-down stairs.

Thank you. Like most decisions involving anything at all, one must weigh safety against practically. If we don't want to be injured or killed in an automobile accident, we can remain home the rest of our lives. Even then, if we live near a busy street, it is very possible that a runaway car might come through our bedroom while we're sleeping. The same holds true fro claiming ladders, especially while carrying items up or down. Every rung of the ladder increases your chances of injury or death should you slip, or the ladder breaks, or you experience a physical problem from the exertion. Although safety was a major factor in my design and construction, I knew I would be safer using my freight elevator than climbing a ladder at my age (83). I now go up and down sometimes three or four times a day. I even park my 9' Christmas tree, with all its decorations in place, in the attic after the holidays. It only takes a few minutes to roll it down and to the living room next season. Given that my A/C filter change requires me to go into the attic, and the some items need to be stored there, avoiding going into the attic is not an option. Now I don't give it a second thought. And If the power goes off, I have an automatic whole-house natural gas generator that starts up immediately and the power is back on for as long as it takes.

Thanks Alvin. Yes I finally did. After my 6th Harbor Freight swap using the extended warranty option, I found another hoist online that looked similar to Harbor Freight's hoists, but it had a larger payload and slightly larger cable. It wasn't as good 'a quality as Harbor Freight's hoists, but it was less expensive. And it fit my needs well. So far, one year later, it is still working fine. This one also states in the manual to "replace the cable when worn." There was no instruction or obvious provision for replacing the cable in the Harbor Freight hoist. The replacement Harbor Freight hoist is still in the box if I need it. Thank you for asking. It's a good point to keep in mind when selecting a hoist motor. Also, don't confuse "Hoists" with "Winches" like those on the fronts of Jeeps and such. Huge difference... L

Yes, I made it a policy to never take elephants into the attic. Problem solved.

Thank you. I will be 83 in three months. I know the problems of climbing into the attic on those scary pull-down ladders, especially if you carry something bulky or heavy. I solved the problem with parts and dollies from Tractor Supply, a Hoist motor from Harbor Freight, and the platform made by a local welder. The attic framing was figured out by my nephew. The power was already in place. It has never failed me. I can take 4'x8' sheets of plywood up and bring them back down with ease. Out 9' Christmas Tree rolls from the living room, hout the front door, down the sidewalk, into the garage and onto the elevator, and parked out of way until next year. We're old, so it takes about ten minutes. A youngster of 69 could do it eight minutes easy. The video shows everything you will need to consider in order to design your own. There's a lot of talk about safety issues, and rightfully so. All I can say is that it is much safer than the pull-down ladder.. I occasionally get suggestions to improve the safety of it, but so far, it does exactly what I want it to do with no concerns on my part. Even my wife goes up alone to take stuff up or bring stuff down. She may call me if it's heavy. As for the payload of the ceiling, my ceiling joist ore 2"x12"s on 12" center. I may have 500 to 700 pounds of stuff up there but it spread over 300 square feet. I'm not the least bit worried that the ceiling will fall in. Potentially dangerous, yes. But not nearly as potentially dangerous as the Pull-down ladder. I consider the "Potential" danger very low compared to many other things in life. But I am trying to lose a few pounds to soften the fall if the cable breaks.

I've since given up on the metal hoses and tossed them. They were a well-timed item for frustrated hose owners but the "Lifetime" warranty was meaningless. We only have one left that works and it does not work well. Leaks a lot. I'll probably remove the video one of these days.

Thanks Sherry. When Judy and I moved to Terra Mariae from Texas in 2017, the friendly folks who would soon be our neighbors made the transition a lot easier. Judy and I decided to pay back everyone's kindness with some of our talents. So I began making videos of the luncheons. Judy started making stained glass. Moving here was the best decision we could have made.

Thank you. You are one of my first fans. I thought most people would think I was showing off when I started with the videos. But then I noticed that luncheon attendees began growing in number and dressing up nicer. I think we all kinda rub off on each other. I'm just glad to be a part of it.

I'm not suggesting you do this, you know, legally speaking, but if I were in your shoes, I'd consider switching to a synthetic line, and shorten it to the point where you leave about 8-10 wraps on the drum, maybe less. I there's a rule, you can look it up somewhere. But the synthetic lines are supposed to be much smoother when comes to not overlapping like that. I think, partly due to them being thicker, they fall into place easier. As for the coasting to a stop... That's tricky with something like a hoist or winch without a load. I think the best you can do is just get good at letting of the button at the right time. Oh, and I'd seriously consider a safety brake of some sort. Especially if you modify the cable and/or still use it for people. Check out the channel called The Elevator, that guy has some great examples on his. If not for safety's sake, it's at least a fun project.

@@AlexR_44 I looked into the synthetic line and may do it if this cable ever wears out. It has settled down and I never give it another thought. until I decide to inspect the cable on the way up. No broken wires so far. As for a brake, I've considered several designs I found online, and some I came up with myself. They all have at least one flaw or undesirable quality about their performance or reliability. I even considered mounting a smaller hoist that was capable of handling the weight and wiring it so that the smaller hoist motor would only bear part of the weight just to keep the cable tight. But there seemed to be a syncretization problem in that setup. I have an automatic whole-house generator, so I'm not concerned about power loss. And the hoist motors are very good at stopping when the button is released, or the lift touches the limiter. Cable breakage, I have learned, is rarely due to a complete cut through a cable that instantly drops the elevator. Instead, the cable becomes frayed, usually from wear. Frequent inspections would notice this problem long before total failure, and appropriate steps could be taken. One braking idea I've been working on is a caliper-driven mechanism that does not instantly stop the elevator in place, but instead, slows the downward 'fall' of the elevator until it reaches the floor. This idea solves two problems: safely lowering the passengers, while also making it easier to service the problem without the elevator stuck somewhere inaccessible. We'll see. Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I think a lot of folks appreciate the thought that goes into such a project. And it helps to get independent input to consider.

cool cool. and yea, I wouldn't worry about cable breakage either, way more concerned with the quality of the internal components of a HF hoist allowing it to freewheel down, but it seems like they've been selling these for a while now and I haven't heard any stories of broken shear pins or anything yet, so, godspeed. 👍

Ha.... Good eye you have for detail.

Thanks Phil. Beautiful is a nice word. I like it. In my mind, 'Functional' is probably a more practical word for it. But all that you see there is a composite of a lot of ideas from others who wanted/needed an elevator that would handle their specific needs. Each of them came up with novel ideas to address their specific situation. Some were fairly basic, but some were very creative. All were useful in my design process. I took my drawings and photos to my local welder and within minutes he knew exactly what would work. He could have 'over-built' it but he didn't and probably saved me money and even grief down the road. He loved the video when I showed it to him. I should point out one issue. I've replaced the hoist five times in four years. I had purchased the extended warranty, so it was just a swap-out. The hoist was fine, but the cable would eventually get to the point where it would 'Bump' as it got crossed on the hoist drum. Eventually, the cable would start to develop 'knots' where the cable rubbed the other cable. There was no instruction in the User Manual as to how to replace the cable, and Harbor Freight's Customer Service didn't offer any advice or instructions as to what to do. I suspect they didn't want someone to screw up the replacement instructions and then blame them for any damage or injuries. I'm fine with that. I personally do not want to take the hoist motor apart to replace the wire cable, so I just returned it for a new hoist. Even at 80 years old, it only takes me about half an hour to take it down and put it back up. And yes, people wanting to see my elevator always come when the cable is making that annoying 'SNAP' that shakes the elevator. The replacement rides smoothly most of the time , depending on where I'm standing on the deck. My nephew who actually did all the framing and installation was here yesterday and we talked about it. We both agree on the cable issue, so next time we just might try replacing the cable. By the way, a lot of folks have left comments and asked questions. If you are thinking about installing a similar lifting device, you would do yourself a favor by reading some of those questions and comments. If nothing else, it will satisfy your mind about construction and safety issues before you invest time and money in it. Thanks for your comments and questions.

And worth every Penney... Thanks

Steel, as recommended by the welding shop for loads not exceeding 2,000 pounds including the weight of the elevator, cargo and any passengers. The hoist motor and cable has a 1,300 pound limit when looped through a snatch-block, lifting approximately 12'. Works perfectly for mine.

A double plate across the end with the cuts we took out. My nephew to do that.

yeah my debuyer warped a little.. I think you might have to start low, and steadily go up on an electric stovetop

Did your repair hold up over time?

Probably where the water was leaking out?

YES! I love these hoses, but now on 2 of mine, the connectors have pulled out of the crimp connection to the hose. Someone needs to make/sell crimp kits to repair them.

A reply above from "Vernon and Bery Voss" seems to have addressed this issue. I don't understand everything that was said, but I have this same problem and am going to try to understand it better and attempt the fix.

Thank you. And definitely "priceless" for us. I'll soon be 81 years old and my wife 76. We bagged our 8' Christmas tree, lights and decorations still on, rolled it out the front door to the garage, onto the elevator, off in the attic and parked it until next year. Took almost ten minutes with a brief pause. I rode up with it. I'll reverse the process about ten days before next Christmas. Yes to Priceless...

😆😆