Used to be a real stickler for perfect 90s. Then I watched a deck I built with all that fussy precision turn into a pretzel over two summers. @victorw95's grandpa had it right. Letting the wood settle where it wants beats forcing it into a shape it won't hold.

Ever wonder how much a sweep actually costs these days?

Totally get why it feels like extra work, but that cookie experiment proves the point. Scooping flour packs it down differently every time, so your cups are never actually equal. A scale cuts out all the guessing, it's just a direct number. Once you do it a few times, it's faster than washing all those measuring cups. Your cookies turned out different because you finally used the amount the recipe meant. How much did your batch change, were they better or worse?

Agree with phoenix_lopez3 on the weird feeling. It just lacks that solid, permanent trust you get from a proper weld. A fiberglass wrap feels like a quick cover up, not a real fix, even if the specs say it holds. My gut says you can't beat melting metal together for something under that much pressure and heat. The old way just felt more honest, like you were leaving it better than you found it. This new stuff feels like waiting for the next problem.

Notice the best fixes are usually the simple ones. A piece of string beats high-tech tools half the time.