Hang on though, a bigger bit shouldn't automatically mean you burn the wood. I've run a 1/2 inch bit for years on poplar and oak and never had that trouble. It's usually about your feed rate and taking too heavy a pass that causes that scorching, not the bit size itself. That old timer might have been right for his specific setup but it's not a universal rule that works for everyone.

Used to think it was just bad luck but that fridge story changed my whole setup.

Are you seriously risking your stuff getting stolen just to save a few bucks? I had my phone swiped from a hostel in Barcelona while I was asleep, security is a joke compared to a proper hotel with room safes and 24hr front desk. Plus good luck getting any real rest when people are stumbling in drunk at 3am or snoring like chainsaws two feet away. Private rooms help but then you're still sharing bathrooms with strangers who leave hair all over the place, not worth the hassle for me.

yeah thats exactly why I started using a separate checking account just for side gig money, makes reconciling way easier since everything is in one place. also set up quickbooks self employed which auto sorts my transactions and calculates my quarterly estimates. it cost me like $15 a month but it saved me way more than that in time and headache at tax time.

Man, hide the ugly thing. Those keypads stick out like a sore thumb and ruin the whole look of a nice entryway. My buddy hid his behind a little panel too, said it just looked cleaner and kept people from asking dumb questions every time they came over. Plus if you ever sell the house, you can make it a fun little secret for the next owner, or just leave it and they never have to deal with an ugly box on the wall.