# Daily Shop Improvement



## Janger (Apr 5, 2020)

Since we're all home for the forced time off - I'm going to try to make one shop improvement every day. Please feel free to post your own good ideas too.

I already posted about the band saw out feed fence. But I have another one which is easy to post. I made a simple wrench holder for the drawer since the ones at PA are simply ridiculously priced. A quick sketch in Fusion and I printed up a few of them.


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## David_R8 (Apr 5, 2020)

Those look great. 
I was just think tonight that I need something to stop my wrenches from sliding around in the drawer (despite the non-slip mat) 


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## kevin.decelles (Apr 6, 2020)

ER fixture for tightening collets (this one is er40).














Now I can get the torque required


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## Janger (Apr 9, 2020)

Yesterday I cleaned up and put the snow tires away.


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## YYCHM (Apr 9, 2020)

Janger said:


> Yesterday I cleaned up and put the snow tires away.



Supposed to snow tomorrow  Potential for 30cm


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## Janger (Apr 9, 2020)

Mill scale removal tub. See plastic rings as spacers. Wash down water sprayer. Filthy job. Wear gloves.


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## David_R8 (Apr 10, 2020)

Janger said:


> Mill scale removal tub. See plastic rings as spacers. Wash down water sprayer. Filthy job. Wear gloves.



What is the liquid?


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## Janger (Apr 10, 2020)

7.5% vinegar the strongest I could locate easily. Pickling vinegar. I see Home Depot in the states has 30% but not here.


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## Dabbler (Apr 10, 2020)

Brenntag Calgary is supposed to supply it in concentrations from 25% to glacial.  Their phone number is (403) 263-8660.  They didn't pick up the phone today (friday off?) but I assume their smallest size would be 5 gal or 20 gal carboy sized.


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## Dusty (Apr 10, 2020)

Janger said:


> 7.5% vinegar the strongest I could locate easily. Pickling vinegar. I see Home Depot in the states has 30% but not here.



@Janger could you be more specific with the use of vinegar. I assume you don't mix it with anything just vinegar. The spacers hold the item off the bottom of the soak tub. No serious scrubbing required??? For how long like hours or over night etc. What kind of gloves??? Do you rinse the item down with water or let it air dry???

To play safe I would like to try this method although not without additional details.


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## Janger (Apr 10, 2020)

Hey Bill
Yeah it’s easy but messy. I’m wearing latex gloves as the mill scale turns into a black very messy liquid mess on the steel. It really stains hands. No fumes though I assume it’s safe. It smells well like vinegar! I’ve been leaving it in the tub for over night / pull it out scrub down with steel wool. Rinse with water & Wipe it down and the rags go black. I’m not sure I’d do this in a sink as it might stain. I’m just making a mess with sprayer and dripping on the garage floor. Then back in the tub. I’ll post a picture. There is more over in the sander thread. https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/sanders.1604/post-22563


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## Janger (Apr 10, 2020)

Dabbler said:


> Brenntag Calgary is supposed to supply it in concentrations from 25% to glacial.  Their phone number is (403) 263-8660.  They didn't pick up the phone today (friday off?) but I assume their smallest size would be 5 gal or 20 gal carboy sized.



yeah I was surprised to learn today is a holiday!?  Nobody I’m emailing is answering!

Thanks for the idea.  @Dabbler the Brenntag web site says below. So what is a *tote? A drum? *



BUY ACETIC ACID
We sell the following various grades of acetic acid in *drums, totes*, and bulk quantities:

Acetic acid 25%
Acetic acid 56%
Acetic acid 70%
Acetic acid 80%
Acetic acid 84%
Acetic acid 85%
Acetic acid glacial


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## Johnwa (Apr 10, 2020)

A tote is 1000 litres. 


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## Janger (Apr 10, 2020)

Ah I would call that a cube or M3 cubic meter. A drum is apparently 55 gallon drum (200litres). Well I guess I’m not sure I want 200 litres of strong vinegar. Unless there are ten guys in Calgary who want 20 litres each?


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## kevin.decelles (Apr 10, 2020)

John, depending on cost, I can store a drum out here , or a tote, provided it can reside outside (freezing?)




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## kevin.decelles (Apr 10, 2020)

Two totes 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	






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## David_R8 (Apr 11, 2020)

Janger said:


> Hey Bill
> Yeah it’s easy but messy. I’m wearing latex gloves as the mill scale turns into a black very messy liquid mess on the steel. It really stains hands. No fumes though I assume it’s safe. It smells well like vinegar! I’ve been leaving it in the tub for over night / pull it out scrub down with steel wool. Rinse with water & Wipe it down and the rags go black. I’m not sure I’d do this in a sink as it might stain. I’m just making a mess with sprayer and dripping on the garage floor. Then back in the tub. I’ll post a picture. There is more over in the sander thread. https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/sanders.1604/post-22563



What does it look like after it’s done and cleaned up?


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## Janger (Apr 11, 2020)

Like this. That’s a piece of 3/8 flat bar with the usual mil l scale. to show the colour difference. That’s after about 48 hours in the tub. I scrubbed it down twice with a 3M pad and steel wool. Then cleaned up with some rags and purple super clean cleaner spray. 






here I am rinsing it off with just some water after scrubbing to loosen it more. I call that good.


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## Chicken lights (Apr 12, 2020)

Took me longer to scrounge the bits of pipe than to actually install it. All it had before was the pipe plug, made it really messy to change the oil. 

Also 8 point sockets or square sockets are the cats meow for working with them.


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## Janger (Apr 12, 2020)

Today I ordered a bunch of air fittings to improve my air lines and stuff. They are on sale at PA today. Free shipping!


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## Chicken lights (Apr 12, 2020)

If anyone needs a shop project, make up one of these tear dropped shaped pieces. The slot in the bottom lets you move the chain to be different lengths, or add a second chain even. It’s awesome for how versatile it is, plus it takes the sketchy out of moving things around.


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## Dusty (Apr 12, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> View attachment 8625
> If anyone needs a shop project, make up one of these tear dropped shaped pieces. The slot in the bottom lets you move the chain to be different lengths, or add a second chain even. It’s awesome for how versatile it is, plus it takes the sketchy out of moving things around.



Why not offer some idea of the dimensions perhaps along with a stand alone picture and the size of chain used.  Did you make it or buy same, and where??? Bill


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## Chicken lights (Apr 12, 2020)

Dusty said:


> Why not offer some idea of the dimensions perhaps along with a stand alone picture and the size of chain used.  Did you make it or buy same, and where??? Bill












I’m pretty sure the first one I found on the side of the road. If you take a close look at a municipal truck with a snow plow they use something similar. The following two I had made up, one decided it was ready to find a new home. 

I use 1/4” G70 chain, never had any issues yet. Yes I know G100 is lifting chain, I’m not gonna sweat that. 

I try to choke the chain back on itself, I feel it’s safer that way. Not saying it’s “right”


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## Chicken lights (Apr 12, 2020)

Another option is to buy weld on grab hooks, weld them to a flat plate, and torch a hole. What I did here was get two 1/4” G70 chains, put slip hooks on the ends, and now I have four hooks on four legs. I can move pickup truck boxes, flat beds, machinery, anything that you want to keep level while you’re moving it


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## kevin.decelles (Apr 13, 2020)

kevin.decelles said:


> ER fixture for tightening collets (this one is er40).
> 
> Now I can get the torque required
> 
> ...




Update: bad design. Bent the fixture arm when tightening collet, landed on my ass, bruised my pride!

@Janger sketched a better design. Please post as that will be way better 


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## Janger (Apr 14, 2020)

kevin.decelles said:


> Update: bad design. Bent the fixture arm when tightening collet, landed on my ass, bruised my pride!
> 
> @Janger sketched a better design. Please post as that will be way better
> 
> ...


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## Chicken lights (Apr 14, 2020)

Replaced the broken casters on my mechanics stool, and replaced the other two that probably aren’t far behind. 

Wandering around TSC this morning I added to my funnel collection.


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## YYCHM (Apr 15, 2020)

Nothing that hasn't been done before...






But, I finally got motivated to build a set of extended vise jaws for my band saw.  Would never have grabbed that snippet of stock using the regular jaws.

Craig


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## Dusty (Apr 15, 2020)

@YYCHM, like that I assume this is on a 5" x 6" bandsaw. Shall consider doing a similar upgrade how thick is your plate steel?
Seems to me you fit a narrow piece of brass in the blade slot. What cutting advantages are there in doing that?  Bill


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## YYCHM (Apr 15, 2020)

Dusty said:


> @YYCHM, like that I assume this is on a 5" x 6" bandsaw. Shall consider doing a similar upgrade how thick is your plate steel?
> Seems to me you fit a narrow piece of brass in the blade slot. What cutting advantages are there in doing that?  Bill



3/8" plate, I just picked what ever I had that was closest to the regular jaws for thickness.

The blade slot is filled with hardwood, not brass.  I cut a lot of little stubby short pieces of stock that without support under the blade tends to tip into the blade slot.  The hardwood fill is my solution to the tipping and seems to work.

As a bonus, the slot in the hardwood the blade leaves is real handy for lining up stock for a cut.

Craig


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## Bofobo (Apr 16, 2020)

Never thought to make a tool for this, I was taught just to use two piece of scrap and some nuts/bolts/mill-clamp pieces/ machinist jack. It’s a good trick and a nice mod


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## Dusty (Apr 16, 2020)

@YYCHM - when my knee heals properly and I get back into my shop before my next surgery this project is high on my to-do list.
I like the use of wood in the blade slot and cheap to replace. The only downside if you could call it that is metal cuttings don't have a slot to fall through, no big deal there! Like you I cut a off lot of small pieces mostly from scraps I've picked up. I always try to use up my scraps before cutting from my limited stock selection which has paid off.

Thank you Bill


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## Dabbler (Apr 16, 2020)

During my recent moves, it became necessary to lift from the bottom of the load in some cases, so I whipped together a quick set of lifting bars:









If you make your own a few design points:

make them extra long:  Mine are 36" with 33" centre to centre on the bolts
  - you need the extra width for a pallet jack.  Modern tool's are a little too narrow.
The thread is 3/4 NF, and that allows an normal Dewalt drill to lift the 900 lb Bridgeport base in lower gear.
  - the larger lower nut is necessary to use a wrench on the bolts.  
  - It is only hand tight in case it needs to be removed (for some reason)
Safe lifting distance without bracing is about 6 inches.  the bolts are 8" long


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## Janger (Apr 16, 2020)

Today...I fixed my band saw vise. It just needed grease so the nifty nut engager would work again. Very clever mechanism. 

I cleaned up the way my air tools are setup. I also discovered my new 3/8 NPT Air regulator Princess Auto brand leaks through the knob. Any body find that model works?

What about this:
https://www.amazon.ca/EXELAIR-Milton-FRL-Air-Regulator/dp/B01MCT9E2X/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3BNJ3VMMM2H1K&keywords=milton+air+regulator&qid=1587090922&sprefix=milton+air+reg,aps,243&sr=8-3

Any thoughts if this is any good ?


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## PeterT (Apr 16, 2020)

First I installed O-rings on the ends of my chuck key handles so I could vary the length on the fly & they would no longer fall out or require me to diddle with the set screw. I couldn't quite get the fit I was after though. I think I should have made a conventional square groove so the O-ring would stay put. I used a rounded cutter that didn't really match the O-ring section diameter. Then I remembered I had these silicone end plugs. I'm not even sure what they are used for but I used them to electrically insulate the live ends of RC lipo battery packs when not in use. Anyways, they pushed on tight & that was that. Ugly but functional. If only had different colors! lol


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## PeterT (Apr 16, 2020)

Dabbler said:


> The thread is 3/4 NF, and that allows an normal Dewalt drill to lift the 900 lb Bridgeport base in lower gear.



That's smart - using a cordless drill or impact wrench & just power jack them up or down. Saves a lot of socket ratchet work.

I cant quite tell - did you machine flats on the threaded rod or weld nuts on?


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## kevin.decelles (Apr 16, 2020)

NOGA mister installed today, works good, makes a mess though but I can deal with that

Running cnc programs to make t-nuts for shaper, long running , this helps as it is constant 













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## Janger (Apr 16, 2020)

what are you spraying Kevin?


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## kevin.decelles (Apr 16, 2020)

4oz per gallon of water


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## kevin.decelles (Apr 16, 2020)

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## PeterT (Apr 16, 2020)

Ghettto small part holding. Not sure I trust the method completely, it was more of a self-experiment. My usual method is Clickspring style - CA glue thin washer like parts to a machined mandrel face with CA, do the machining. It holds well, but too well. I have to heat the crap out of the assembly with a torch probably +600F to soften & fail the glue.

Pics show hot melt glue alternative, no glue between part & face, just peripheral bead. It was rigid enough to hold part during (light = 0.010") facing & turning, even a bit off center. Then I just pull the glue off with needle nose pliers. Seems to come away clean without messing up material.


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## YYCHM (Apr 16, 2020)

Nice!  Do you have a mill in your washroom or a toilet in your shop LOL.


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## kevin.decelles (Apr 16, 2020)

Toilet and hot water in shop. Toilet is also the oil storage room.









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## PeterT (Apr 16, 2020)

Without reading the prior question & only seeing the picture, one could infer someone has some serious 'blockage' issues.
Hint: more fiber!!  LOL.


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## Dabbler (Apr 16, 2020)

PeterT said:


> I cant quite tell - did you machine flats on the threaded rod or weld nuts on?



@PeterT   I machined the rod down so I could weld on a drilled out 1/2" nut (which needs a 3/4 wrench).
(the first time I did this I didn't drill out the threads - big mistake!!  I thought I'd get away with it. but the zinc on the threads completely compromised the weld!  So drilled out, then re-welded.

- when I used the Modern bars, my wrench kept slipping off;  thus the nuts to support the wrench under the drive nut.


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## eotrfish (Apr 17, 2020)

Turning precision shims...

.002 / .005 / .010 brass shims lathe turned with +/- 0.001" OD and ID

Scissor cut rough circles to fit left end of gadget, screw cap on to clamp
Bore shim ID
Fit bored shims over stub on right end of gadget, secure with clamp lid and SHC
Turn gadget and shims to OD






I've also used this method with sintered metal filter material to prevent spalling.


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## PeterT (Apr 17, 2020)

That's a nice fixture. I've got to make some 1/4 scale engine head shims of various thicknesses just like your sketch. 
When you do the OD operation, are you coming in obliquely with something like a parting tool (red)? Or coming in from the end, cutting through the end cap to same diameter (so it would be kind of sacrificial).


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## eotrfish (Apr 17, 2020)

Peter

Part of the cap and part of the main jig body are sacrificial.  In my experience parting tools aren't great for producing a precision OD.

Here's an after shot with a stack of shims turned to final.


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## Crosche (Apr 17, 2020)

Janger said:


> Like this. That’s a piece of 3/8 flat bar with the usual mil l scale. to show the colour difference. That’s after about 48 hours in the tub. I scrubbed it down twice with a 3M pad and steel wool. Then cleaned up with some rags and purple super clean cleaner spray.
> 
> View attachment 8616
> 
> here I am rinsing it off with just some water after scrubbing to loosen it more. I call that good.




I use vinegar to get the fire scale off of my forgings. It works great....24 hrs soak time and voila!


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## YYCHM (Apr 17, 2020)

Hot off the mill...…...






My cemented/brazed carbide insert lathe tool sharpening jig. 

Those diamond grit cut-off disks make short work of tuning up carbide tooling, the problem is presenting the tool to the disk.  One method is to mount the disk in a drill press or mill chuck and present the tool to the disk using a vise within a vise (there are two angles that need to be addressed).  That works but is a PITA to setup, so today I decided to craft a jig to perform the same function.  Works great

Craig


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## Janger (Apr 18, 2020)

Craig that is bloody awesome! I love it! How are you setting the angles? Just visually?
What RPM are you using?


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## YYCHM (Apr 18, 2020)

Janger said:


> Craig that is bloody awesome! I love it! How are you setting the angles? Just visually?
> What RPM are you using?



Visually and/or by feel.  For the most part I find I toast those tools by chipping a point off and need to grind them back to the same form.  The shape you want is there, it's just a matter for removing material to reform the point.

I haven't found it to be RPM sensitive what so ever.  I've been running anywhere from 1000-2000 RPM (low range on my mini-mill) and could probably go higher. The diamond grit disk isn't showing any sign of wearing out.

I don't have a green grinding wheel to compare it to, but it sure removes material fast and eliminates the irregular faces you get when trying to hand grind something.

I wonder if this would work for forming HSS tools?  May have to try that.


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## Janger (Apr 18, 2020)

Let us know about grinding HSS too. I want one of these jigs. Typically I resharpen with a diamond file - not all that consistent. I can imagine another version with a dove tail holder so you could just put the tool right in straight from the lathe tool post. Maybe with a ball head for setting both angles at once? like on a tripod..

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B071FC47R5?tag=duc12-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1


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## Johnwa (Apr 18, 2020)

Make sure cover The mill table/ways to protect from the grit.

My little experience with green wheels is that they dont really sharpen carbide but rather break little bits off leaving a new edge.  
I‘ve been meaning to try sharpening with a diamond wheel.  I have one that fits a dremel tool.  Is yours larger than that?


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## YYCHM (Apr 18, 2020)

Johnwa said:


> I‘ve been meaning to try sharpening with a diamond wheel.  I have one that fits a dremel tool.  Is yours larger than that?



https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/3-in-diamond-coated-rotary-tool-cut-off-wheel-set/A-p8405953e


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## YYCHM (Apr 18, 2020)

Janger said:


> Let us know about grinding HSS too. I want one of these jigs. Typically I resharpen with a diamond file - not all that consistent. I can imagine another version with a dove tail holder so you could just put the tool right in straight from the lathe tool post. Maybe with a ball head for setting both angles at once? like on a tripod..



Hmmmm…… I used a couple of defunct 3/8 tool shanks for my jig.   I could mount that thing directly onto my tool post and chuck the diamond disk on the lathe come to think of it now.  I'll go try that.

Ya, I have a diamond file to - not all that consistent for sure.


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## Janger (Apr 18, 2020)

Did you know you can copy and paste pictures into the forum ? - you *don't* actually have to save it to a file and upload that. If it's an image on the web just copy the image and paste it into the text editor reply. This makes screenshots easier to post.


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## YYCHM (Apr 18, 2020)

All manner of mounting options happening here.  In reality you probably don't need a jig that offers two angles to be set, one would suffice.  Still, mounting on the mill table gives you the most options.


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## Chicken lights (Apr 18, 2020)

Buddy of mine is storing some truck parts in the corner. Helped him move the frame under the cab today. Of  course the frame was facing the wrong direction so pulled it outside to spin it around. Then used my spreader bar with a flat sling to move the cab


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## Chicken lights (Apr 18, 2020)

And after. I found the floor!


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## Dabbler (Apr 18, 2020)

Today John N and I made some good progress on his shop reorganization.  A new shelf (now full), made some new shlf space and made a largish open space in the middle, near his big lathe.  All in all, a fun time!  (sorry no pics)


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## YYCHM (Apr 18, 2020)

Dabbler said:


> Today John N and I made some good progress on his shop reorganization.  A new shelf (now full), made some new shlf space and made a largish open space in the middle, near his big lathe.  All in all, a fun time!  (sorry no pics)



Jeeze John...…. Pics man Pics....  I can't fathom how you managed to create a largish open space in the middle of all that stuff with out moving stuff out of there  AND come to think about it now.... did you guys stuff that shaper in there

Craig


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## YYCHM (Apr 18, 2020)

Knocked off another to-do item today...….






I can't use this slot in my bandsaw vice jaw since installing the extended jaws so I made up a filler piece to prevent the slot from being used.  Also, I installed my extended jaws just a little too close to the blade  (as in touching) so I milled 0.1" off the nose of both.

Hope everyone is staying healthy and sane.

Craig


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## Dabbler (Apr 18, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> I can't fathom how you managed to create a largish open space



John is very skilled.  I provided some grunt.  We made another shelf and moved a bunch of stuff onto it.  We also moved a few carts around and nested them into nooks and crannies.


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## Dusty (Apr 18, 2020)

@YYCHM, all said and done how much space did you end up with between the blade and new set of jaws, 1/16" - 1/8" - 3/16" ???

Like your spacer, excellent safety idea.

Bill


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## YYCHM (Apr 18, 2020)

Dusty said:


> @YYCHM, all said and done how much space did you end up with between the blade and new set of jaws, 1/16" - 1/8" - 3/16" ???
> 
> Like your spacer, excellent safety idea.
> 
> Bill



I'm sitting at 1/8" now, but I trimmed off a little more than I intended to LOL.  1/16" would have been ideal I think.

Spacer was more for convenience that safety and I just discovered that it falls right through the table slot if you turn the jaw 90 deg.  Ohhhh Well.

Fabricator I am not.

Craig


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## Dusty (Apr 18, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> I'm sitting at 1/8" now, but I trimmed off a little more than I intended to LOL.  1/16" would have been ideal I think.
> 
> Spacer was more for convenience that safety and I just discovered that it falls right through the table slot if you turn the jaw 90 deg.  Ohhhh Well.
> 
> ...



The fix for this is too easy so hopefully you can follow my thinking. Make a thin plate that will fasten to the left side of your washer and bolt. Looking down it should fit across and rest on the flat edges of the rear jaw washer and bolt opening. Won't fall through no mater what angle its in. Then fasten the thin plate on the spacer with one or two smallish cap screw. I see no reason why that wouldn't solve the problem and whenever you want to remove the spacer simply lift up on the thin plate. Bill


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## YYCHM (Apr 18, 2020)

Dusty said:


> The fix for this is too easy so hopefully you can follow my thinking. Make a thin plate that will fasten to the left side of your washer and bolt. Looking down it should fit across and rest on the flat edges of the rear jaw washer and bolt opening. Won't fall through no mater what angle its in. Then fasten the thin plate on the spacer with one or two smallish cap screw. I see no reason why that wouldn't solve the problem and whenever you want to remove the spacer simply lift up on the thin plate. Bill



Here ya go.....My solution.... Fixed....






She ain't gonna fall out now LOL.


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## Dusty (Apr 19, 2020)

@YYCHM, right on Craig, have a nice day!


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## Chicken lights (Apr 19, 2020)

Went from a 1/4hp 6” grinder to a 1/2hp 8” grinder. The wire wheel on the 6” was worn down to a nub, so, time to make the swap.


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## DPittman (Apr 19, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> View attachment 8725View attachment 8726
> Went from a 1/4hp 6” grinder to a 1/2hp 8” grinder. The wire wheel on the 6” was worn down to a nub, so, time to make the swap.


I've got a very similar 8" grinder  mine says "craftsman" on it but I suspect it came out of the same factory.   With mine it is important not to do any grinding until the motor hits full speed.  It seems that the starter? Of the motor will keep kicking out before the motor hits top speed if you start grinding before it hits top speed freely on its own.  I like the grinder and it has been good.  Its done lots of grinding in the 25+- years or so that I've owned it.


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## Chicken lights (Apr 19, 2020)

DPittman said:


> I've got a very similar 8" grinder  mine says "craftsman" on it but I suspect it came out of the same factory.   With mine it is important not to do any grinding until the motor hits full speed.  It seems that the starter? Of the motor will keep kicking out before the motor hits top speed if you start grinding before it hits top speed freely on its own.  I like the grinder and it has been good.  Its done lots of grinding in the 25+- years or so that I've owned it.


That was a garage sale find some 8-10 years ago, if memory serves me (which, frequently my memory lets me down)


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## YYCHM (Apr 19, 2020)

Here's a grinder question for you guys.  

When torqueing the nut on a wheel how tight is tight enough?  I discovered that the nuts on each wheel aren't opposing threads, so holding one while tightening the other doesn't accomplish anything.  If you hold the wheel and tighten the nut eventually the shaft just spins in the wheel.  I can only assume that's tight enough..... but?

Craig


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## DPittman (Apr 19, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Here's a grinder question for you guys.
> 
> When torqueing the nut on a wheel how tight is tight enough?  I discovered that the nuts on each wheel aren't opposing threads, so holding one while tightening the other doesn't accomplish anything.  If you hold the wheel and tighten the nut eventually the shaft just spins in the wheel.  I can only assume that's tight enough..... but?
> 
> Craig


I believe its like tightening the nut on a tablesaw....no need to reef on it,  all forces from running it only try to tighten it up further and not to loosen.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 19, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Here's a grinder question for you guys.
> 
> When torqueing the nut on a wheel how tight is tight enough?  I discovered that the nuts on each wheel aren't opposing threads, so holding one while tightening the other doesn't accomplish anything.  If you hold the wheel and tighten the nut eventually the shaft just spins in the wheel.  I can only assume that's tight enough..... but?
> 
> Craig


I had the same issue with my PA 3/4 HP model w/ 8" wheels. I run a stone on one side and a wire brush the other. I wrap a piece of rubber around the remaining 1/4" of thread I can see on one shaft, then vice grip it. Then I can tighten the other side. The problem stumped me for a while too as there is no spring loaded shaft stop like on a grinder. Surprisingly, you don't really have to torque the heck out of it. Never put a torque wrench on it, but it can't be more than 35 lbs. I'm guessing.


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## JohnnyTK (Apr 19, 2020)

Working on getting the last wall insulated and then drywall up on walls. Ceiling is going to have to wait until I can get a roofer in as I think the roofer did not put any paper under the top course of shingles as it was leaking straight across the roof line. One wall has OSB board on it and I want to TIG in here, so not sure if I will remove and replace with some drywall. I really just want to get the stuff unpacked and being used.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 19, 2020)

JohnnyTK said:


> One wall has OSB board on it and I want to TIG in here, so not sure if I will remove and replace with some drywall. I really just want to get the stuff unpacked and being used.


Another option is concrete backer board on top of it. Just make sure to mud the seams.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 19, 2020)

Did the nasty deed today...I actually cleaned up my off-cut rack. Longer tubing hung from ceiling or kept in shed, which just leaves my 300 or 400 hundred lbs. scrap bucket left to clean up. I'll bet I have 150 lbs of scrap ready to go to the yard in the back of my truck already.

I honestly didn't think I'd ever be motivated enough to tidy up this rack. On the other side I keep my sheet stock. It looks, well, _kind of organized I think._

Where are you guys taking scrap now????


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## JohnnyTK (Apr 19, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> Another option is concrete backer board on top of it. Just make sure to mud the seams.


Have 21 feet of wall to do, but think I will do the welding area around the table with that. Might just pull the OSB down. I use to mig in my old place but that was much larger and had s steel clad walls, no mig in this one at it is attached to the house and has other stuff stored on the opposite side. So plan to learn TIG.


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## YYCHM (Apr 19, 2020)

JohnnyTK said:


> Have 21 feet of wall to do, but think I will do the welding area around the table with that. Might just pull the OSB down. I use to mig in my old place but that was much larger and had s steel clad walls, no mig in this one at it is attached to the house and has other stuff stored on the opposite side. So plan to learn TIG.



Is there a start thread for this?  What are you finishing?


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 19, 2020)

JohnnyTK said:


> Have 21 feet of wall to do, but think I will do the welding area around the table with that. Might just pull the OSB down. I use to mig in my old place but that was much larger and had s steel clad walls, no mig in this one at it is attached to the house and has other stuff stored on the opposite side. So plan to learn TIG.


Good for you. TIG is my favourite process but I don’t claim to be great at it—just adequate. For what it is worth my shop is attached too. Drywall only. I do MIG, TIG, plasma and used to do O/A. No issues for me as long as I stick to my rules: 1) Nothing flammable. 2) Don’t leave the house for 1 hour after any hot work (including grinding).
If I had it to do over again I’d do the cement backer board trick, including ceiling.
You’ll love TIG. Most people do. It’s super relaxing I find.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 19, 2020)

Janger said:


> Did you know you can copy and paste pictures into the forum ? - you *don't* actually have to save it to a file and upload that. If it's an image on the web just copy the image and paste it into the text editor reply. This makes screenshots easier to post.
> View attachment 8690


I learned this a few weeks by accident and was wondering if it was only recently enabled as a feature?  No matter—it's great especially if you capture first to SnagIt to annotate. The paste feature saves multiple steps. So thanks to whomever flipped the switch on this.


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## JohnnyTK (Apr 20, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Is there a start thread for this?  What are you finishing?


I have a 21' x 18' garage at the my new residence that had wall insulated and covered with OSB that I'm starting to finish up to move my shop into for the interim. Ceiling is just insulated and covered with vapor barrier. Lucky I have a very high garage roof do to it being a pitched roof.


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## Dusty (Apr 20, 2020)

Bofobo said:


> Never thought to make a tool for this, I was taught just to use two piece of scrap and some nuts/bolts/mill-clamp pieces/ machinist jack. It’s a good trick and a nice mod



@Bofoba, you have a pm.


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## Chicken lights (Apr 20, 2020)

I sold that old 6” bench grinder this morning for $20.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 20, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> I sold that old 6” bench grinder this morning for $20.


We all need beer money these days


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## Janger (Apr 20, 2020)

Today's stupid little fix. I designed this plug to be printed in plastic to keep swarf out of a hole. It's 1/4-20.





Here’s how it printed.




And this is what it’s for. Keep the swarf out.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 20, 2020)

That's pretty cool I think. I didn't know you could do threads, but it makes sense. Can you please get one of those multi-million dollar 3D metal printers with an oven next?


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## Janger (Apr 20, 2020)

Dan Gelbert is making a metal printer and sintering oven. Looks really interesting. 200k ish I think.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 20, 2020)

Janger said:


> Dan Gelvert is making a metal printer and sintering oven. Looks really interesting. 200k ish I think.


Ahh..to dream right?


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 20, 2020)

I have a 12' half gable shed on the side of my garage for my snowblowers. I also use it to hang longer metal stock from its rafters, and store sheet goods (bottom left in shed pic) when I get them cut on the long side of the sheet so they fit into my stomp shear. Once they are cut up smaller they come into the shop onto the materials rack I recently cleaned up.

But I still need to trickle charge my two snow blowers in the shed as well as keep a 12V Optima Deep Cycle battery charged. It powers the alarm system, and is a backup if I need to boost things. 

Battery Tender now makes solar panels complete with the charge controller built in. This was a 15W panel I got off Amazon for the metal shed before the covid apocalypse hit. Glad to finally mount it. This means I no longer need to park my snowblowers in the shop at night to recharge the batteries after using them. There ain't a lot of room in the shop left, so even the blowers crash the metal working party when they are inside charging. With this panel, there's no extension cord trailing to the shed, and no loss of shop space during snow days.

It's supposed to be weatherproof, and looks well sealed. I've had great luck with their chargers, including a 24VDC model I bought for my RC Lawnmower. The solar panel is bigger than you technically need for the little 5 Ah batteries on my blowers, but the shed is in between houses, shaded most of the time, and mostly needed in the winter months. When designing battery packs for the LED lights I use on my blowers, I calculated the Ah such that they provide juice for two runs—one day after another. That way if I only get a few hours of cloudy sunlight, I'll still be OK on day two. I've found if you double or (preferably) triple the size of a solar panel calculated for non-ideal conditions, you get close to what you need. Time will tell I guess.



_














_


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## Bofobo (Apr 21, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> I have a 12' half gable shed on the side of my garage for my snowblowers. I also use it to hang longer metal stock from its rafters, and store sheet goods (bottom left in shed pic) when I get them cut on the long side of the sheet so they fit into my stomp shear. Once they are cut up smaller they come into the shop onto the materials rack I recently cleaned up.
> 
> But I still need to trickle charge my two snow blowers in the shed as well as keep a 12V Optima Deep Cycle battery charged. It powers the alarm system, and is a backup if I need to boost things.
> 
> ...


Let us know how this works out please, I have a need


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 21, 2020)

Bofobo said:


> Let us know how this works out please, I have a need


_Correction to earlier post: the battieres are 1.4 Ah, not 5 Ah. Not sure what I was thinking._

I certainly will Bofobo. The two glitches I can see are if we have three days in a row where I need the blowers, they may not be fully charged. Each run of 26 properties needs about 1.5 hrs. of power from the batteries to power the LEDs.  Where the shed is I don't get full sun either, so I had to account for that too. But we rarely get three days in a row where I need the machines, so we will see.

The other thing I forgot to mention was that I placed the panel the way I did for a reason. Guys who have done similar projects like this pointed out to me that for winter use, you must ensure your panels are accessible. That's because you need to brush the snow off them for maximum efficiency. I installed mine the way I did so that whenever I open the door to the shed I can just sweep the snow off with my hand. If I had put them elsewhere, I'd need a ladder or brush to sweep it off, and I know I'd forget or get lazy.


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## JohnnyTK (Apr 21, 2020)

JohnnyTK said:


> I have a 21' x 18' garage at the my new residence that had wall insulated and covered with OSB that I'm starting to finish up to move my shop into for the interim. Ceiling is just insulated and covered with vapor barrier. Lucky I have a very high garage roof do to it being a pitched roof.





JohnnyTK said:


> I have a 21' x 18' garage at the my new residence that had wall insulated and covered with OSB that I'm starting to finish up to move my shop into for the interim. Ceiling is just insulated and covered with vapor barrier. Lucky I have a very high garage roof do to it being a pitched roof.
> 
> View attachment 8732


After further examination of the rear wall I discovered black mold and water damage. Called a recommended roofer told them about the damage, first thing they said is did you insulate the ceiling of garage. Which we have done and they told me that min code does not require ice barrier and that this happens to houses made to min code. So upon inspection it was confirmed and just like that I'm having to get it re-shingled on the back half. Oh well part of life.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 21, 2020)

Bummer. But you’re taking it well.


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## Bofobo (Apr 22, 2020)

JohnnyTK said:


> After further examination of the rear wall I discovered black mold and water damage. Called a recommended roofer told them about the damage, first thing they said is did you insulate the ceiling of garage. Which we have done and they told me that min code does not require ice barrier and that this happens to houses made to min code. So upon inspection it was confirmed and just like that I'm having to get it re-shingled on the back half. Oh well part of life.


My two cents as a roofer of many years who also has some building experience, the roof insulation needs to be blue board type or styro with air layer between the roof deck and insulation, full ice&water (ice barrier) and still requires adequate ventilation, I would do ridge venting in this instance, also requires vented soffit full length. Then vapour barrier and internal board (gypsum or ply). Wether or not an inspector would agree or not is regardless. that is an experienced professional opinion on vaulted roof insulating. The roof is very different than the wall in function and requires space for air to circulate to stop condensation. Alternatively spray foam was coming into heavy use when I started leaving the building trades.


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## David_R8 (Apr 22, 2020)

I finally finished the mobile base to my Unisaw. Got the extension table legs mounted up and tapped the cabinet so I could bolt on the uber-rare cast iron motor cover. 
Sheesh that only took about eight months...


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 22, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> I finally finished the mobile base to my Unisaw. Got the extension table legs mounted up and tapped the cabinet so I could bolt on the uber-rare cast iron motor cover.
> Sheesh that only took about eight months...


So David...I'm thinking 8 mns., eh? There must be LOTS of pics to show your friends on the forum....


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## David_R8 (Apr 22, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> So David...I'm thinking 8 mns., eh? There must be LOTS of pics to show your friends on the forum....


I'll have to shoot some... I never remember to do that as my head is usually too focused on not screwing something up.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 22, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> I'll have to shoot some... I never remember to do that as my head is usually too focused on not screwing something up.


I know...just teasing you. Half the time the only reason I half pics is because I take photos of everything to remember how I did it or took it apart. If Border Security ever looked on my phone they'd be bored out of their minds. No people—just my dog and shop pics.


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## David_R8 (Apr 23, 2020)

Here’s a couple of shots.
The base design was inspired by the base made by the fellow who has the Next Level Woodworking YT channel.


















Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Dabbler (Apr 23, 2020)

good work!


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## David_R8 (Apr 23, 2020)

Dabbler said:


> good work!


Thanks! I fabbed up the basic base easily but I have no idea why it took ages to do the rest.


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## Johnwa (Apr 23, 2020)

[mention]David_R8 [/mention] what are you sawing that requires that much extension? 


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## David_R8 (Apr 23, 2020)

Johnwa said:


> [mention]David_R8 [/mention] what are you sawing that requires that much extension?


It's not as wide as the one in the video. My full saw is 60" wide. I have 33" rip capacity to the right of the blade and 15" to the left. It's a right tilt saw so I put the fence to the left of the blade when cutting bevels.
Part of what makes it wide is that the fence rails stick out maybe 6" past the fence to accommodate the "T" part of the fence head.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 23, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> It's not as wide as the one in the video. My full saw is 60" wide. I have 33" rip capacity to the right of the blade and 15" to the left. It's a right tilt saw so I put the fence to the left of the blade when cutting bevels.
> Part of what makes it wide is that the fence rails stick out maybe 6" past the fence to accommodate the "T" part of the fence head.


Nice work. Nothing like a mobile base to create some much needed shop space.


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## trlvn (Apr 24, 2020)

@David_R8 That's kind of a stealth gloat on the goose-egg motor cover!  Why do you have the piece of angle iron below it?

Is that a Guelph-built Unisaw?  As you probably know, there is official list of serial numbers indicating when the machine was built.  I've been keeping a bit of a list for several years.  Would you mind supplying a photo of the serial number tag?  This is mine (G-18682):






I believe mine was manufactured in the early 1970's.  Not long after they changed the company name from "Rockwell Manufacturing Company of Canada, Limited" to "Rockwell International of Canada Ltd" in (I believe) 1972.

Craig


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## Hruul (Apr 24, 2020)

I am thinking the angle iron is for a shelf or wood tool chest?  There is an angle on the outer legs as well.  I think I am looking at it correctly.


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## David_R8 (Apr 24, 2020)

trlvn said:


> @David_R8 That's kind of a stealth gloat on the goose-egg motor cover! Why do you have the piece of angle iron below it?
> 
> Is that a Guelph-built Unisaw? As you probably know, there is official list of serial numbers indicating when the machine was built. I've been keeping a bit of a list for several years. Would you mind supplying a photo of the serial number tag? This is mine (G-18682):
> 
> ...



Indeed it’s a stealth gloat. Considering I paid $200 delivered I awarded myself a “You suck!” Award 

The cover has a casting date of 1965 if that’s any help. 

Here’s the serial number. 







Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## David_R8 (Apr 24, 2020)

Hruul said:


> I am thinking the angle iron is for a shelf or wood tool chest?  There is an angle on the outer legs as well.  I think I am looking at it correctly.


Indeed, it's a support for a shelf. I haven't cut one yet.


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## YYCHM (Apr 24, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Indeed it’s a stealth gloat.



What the heck is a "stealth gloat"???


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## David_R8 (Apr 24, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> What the heck is a "stealth gloat"???


I believe Craig means that one has to know how rare the cast iron motor covers are and the price they command on the 'net.
I can only find one on eBay and it's $249 USD


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## trlvn (Apr 24, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> I believe Craig means that one has to know how rare the cast iron motor covers are and the price they command on the 'net.
> I can only find one on eBay and it's $249 USD



The "stealth gloat" phrase comes from another site I follow (Old Woodworking Machines.org).  It is not so much about the price but more that the poster snuck in a photo bomb showing some cool thing that they've got and lots of other people would like to have.

@David_R8 I'll reply to you pm--that form of serial number seems to be pretty rare on Canadian-made saws.

Craig


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## Brent H (Apr 24, 2020)

Last year I went through a period of having a couple big cabinet jobs and my shop is not huge - it is a great size, but the jobs were a bit bigger than I could fit into the space and my organization was not the greatest, things had to move around a lot and it was a pain.  I took a week and went nuts clearing out some of the old work chests and made new work benches and storage across the back of the shop.  Each work bench is 10 feet long and 24" deep.  It only took I think 4 sheets of 3/4 (good one side) plywood, a sheet of 1/2" and 2 sheets of 3/4" MDF for the tops.

Before:






Radial Arm saw went to my wife's uncle in New Brunswick as it was not being used.

After:






Then I needed more storage for things so up went some shelves:






And I made a repeat work bench on the other side of the router table you can just see starting on the right.  That work bench contains all the various fastener kits and some additional drawers for sand paper, screw driver bits etc.  Further down is all the set up for the mill and lathe tools.

The boxes for the work benches are simple dado and glue and screw - no back as they attach to the plywood walls of the shop.

Some ideas for folks if you are setting up the shop:  1/2" sheeting for the wall covering: you can then hang anything anywhere, it has worked out well and is quite pleasing to the eye 

See if you can get some decent kitchen cabinets for free or cheap - lots of people doing reno and they pitch these out - makes for great garage and shop storage......I do feel hungry all the time though for some reason......

The shop is pretty decently organized now - still would like to expand and have a dedicated paint area but alas....

Since this was all done I have since made a completely new router table and fence system and have been working on the mill/lathe area.......

Lots of planning when you are stuck on a ship with nothing but autocad and rough sketches....LOL


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## Janger (Apr 24, 2020)

You're stuck on a ship? Where?


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## Brent H (Apr 24, 2020)

@Janger  - Out in Georgian Bay setting up Buoys for the ice free season ......which seems quite long this year...LOL.....


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 24, 2020)

Is it just me, or is anyone else on the forum jealous of @Brent H , and wish they were out there with him?


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## David_R8 (Apr 24, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> Is it just me, or is anyone else on the forum jealous of @Brent H , and wish they were out there with him?



Not me. I’m standing in my shop shaking my head at how much work I have to even come close to the level of organization @Brent H has achieved.


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## Brent H (Apr 24, 2020)

Well, @CalgaryPT -here are some pics to really grind it in - LOL 




this is a shot over the stern at the buoy crane.  The crew is off in the small barge  (26’) to tend to the buoys in shallow water.  We draw 18’.  The crane is rated for 15 tons but is really a 50 ton crane de-rated as we are on the water.  It is a really nice day.   The other day - not so nice and pretty rock and roll.  





@David_R8 : the organization takes a lot of time to get going - it did not happen overnight!!   I built the shop in 2007 I think and moved into it with a plan.  Lots has changed over the years.  You will get there !! - your table saw roller is great!!


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## Hruul (Apr 24, 2020)

I wish i had the space that your shop has, let alone the organization/tools.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 24, 2020)

Brent H said:


> Well, @CalgaryPT -here are some pics to really grind it in - LOL


Thanks. I know it isn't for everyone, but I've always liked the idea of being on a working ship. If this convid19 stuff goes on much longer my wife will likely pay to have me airlifted out to you.

Beautiful view you've got there. Good for you.


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## Brent H (Apr 24, 2020)

@CalgaryPT : 





> If this convid19 stuff goes on much longer my wife will likely pay to have me airlifted out to you.




HAHAHAHAHAHAHA - that is too funny!!!

Sailing for a living is not everyone's cup of tea but it pays the bills and the off time is great - provided you can stay away from home for months at a time...... I am looking forward to retirement in a few years.  The beautiful days and calm seas are super great but the storms and ice breaking can dampen out those beauty days pretty quick and when your knees start to ache, back pain etc etc ...

As far as the organization.....well, I have had 30 years plus working in pretty tight spaces so ...LOL....things need to go where they fit and are logical or they get lost or tossed pretty quick.  I like the organization of things but can put on a pretty good mess if the need suits - haha!  We have tool boards and segmented drawers here at work - and no, I am not necessarily the driving force....we have a few OCD guys that sometimes you want to strangle because the machinist hand book is no longer in this drawer because it fit better in this one...type thing...LOL - My wife , however, will say I am pretty crazy with some of the organization....


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## Chicken lights (Apr 24, 2020)

https://www.mantiscanada.com/tool-grid/getting-started

This looks time consuming to set up, but I think once set up it would be slick. For those guys that are really fussy about their tool box organization. It’s called the Tool Grid, I’ve debated getting a couple for my wrench drawers

Mantis also has drawer liner that looks like quality stuff.


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## David_R8 (Apr 24, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> https://www.mantiscanada.com/tool-grid/getting-started
> 
> This looks time consuming to set up, but I think once set up it would be slick. For those guys that are really fussy about their tool box organization. It’s called the Tool Grid, I’ve debated getting a couple for my wrench drawers
> 
> Mantis also has drawer liner that looks like quality stuff.


I found some nice rubber matting at HD, about 1/8" thick and nicely textured. A bit challenging to cut but I like it a lot.


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## Chicken lights (Apr 24, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> I found some nice rubber matting at HD, about 1/8" thick and nicely textured. A bit challenging to cut but I like it a lot.


The last stuff I did I used a pair of Olfa scissors. They are tough little scissors!


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## Dabbler (Apr 24, 2020)

A little of more of the same, in John N's shop.  We got two rather heavy storage boxes on wheels, and one of them completely repopulated.  This is real big, so now everything in front of the lathe and milling machine is mobile, and we can make a 7' X 7' clear spot any time it is needed.

Also the rear metal rack is readily accessible....


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## Marc Moreau (Apr 24, 2020)

If I was working there my boss will alway's find me with a fishing rod in my hand.  nice pictures. Thank You


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## YotaBota (Apr 24, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> Is it just me, or is anyone else on the forum jealous of @Brent H , and wish they were out there with him?


Ahhh,, the romance of being at sea,,,,,,,, until you find yourself working with the big guy that has the worst B.O. during the day and bunking with the guy who snores and farts at night to the point you need earmuffs and a Scott Airpac to survive,,LOL. 
Besides that, nice shop.


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## John Conroy (Apr 25, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> Ahhh,, the romance of being at sea,,,,,,,, until you find yourself working with the big guy that has the worst B.O. during the day and bunking with the guy who snores and farts at night to the point you need earmuffs and a Scott Airpac to survive,,LOL.
> Besides that, nice shop.



You must have heard me describe my first 6 months working for CN Rail in the 1970's.LOL


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## Chicken lights (Apr 25, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> Ahhh,, the romance of being at sea,,,,,,,, until you find yourself working with the big guy that has the worst B.O. during the day and bunking with the guy who snores and farts at night to the point you need earmuffs and a Scott Airpac to survive,,LOL.
> Besides that, nice shop.


There’s lots of reasons I don’t run team. I have buddies say they want to come on a run with me every now and again, sorry dude only one mattress. And I’m not sharing that with a dude.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 25, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> This looks time consuming to set up, but I think once set up it would be slick. For those guys that are really fussy about their tool box organization. It’s called the Tool Grid, I’ve debated getting a couple for my wrench drawers
> 
> Mantis also has drawer liner that looks like quality stuff.


That looks pretty nice and can see where the OCD guys would like it. Pricey maybe?

There's a great company in the USA called SWAG Offroad. They make some cool kits. They also make these really nice shop organizers for fabricators. They hold bench grinders, hammers, grinding wheels, vice grips, screwdrivers, etc. I keep thinking I should get one, but then I'd just want to buy more tools.

https://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-Work-Bench-Clutter-Catcher_p_46.html

My shop is nowhere as organized as @David_R8 's but I do know where every tool is because they always go back in the same place. I'm pretty anal about even putting my glasses and gloves in the spot. In a cramped shop you have to, or you never find it again. One lesson I learned to to keep groups of tools close to where you use them. For example, on my electronics test bench I keep a few of the most common items held close by with PA magnetic tool strips.


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## David_R8 (Apr 25, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> That looks pretty nice and can see where the OCD guys would like it. Pricey maybe?
> 
> There's a great company in the USA called SWAG Offroad. They make some cool kits. They also make these really nice shop organizers for fabricators. They hold bench grinders, hammers, grinding wheels, vice grips, screwdrivers, etc. I keep thinking I should get one, but then I'd just want to buy more tools.
> 
> ...




Gosh I wish my shop was organized! I believe you have me confused with @Brent H. I'm so disorganized that I have a hard time finding the shop as a whole!


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## Chicken lights (Apr 25, 2020)

Brent H said:


> Some ideas for folks if you are setting up the shop:  1/2" sheeting for the wall covering: you can then hang anything anywhere, it has worked out well and is quite pleasing to the eye






Just remember when putting screws in plywood where the electrical or plumbing lines are. One of my neighbours was putting up some shelves or something last year. Didn’t notice it at first but there’s about ten #12 screws 4-8” away from about a 6-8 gauge electrical wire.


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## JohnnyTK (Apr 25, 2020)

Bench is almost done but now I think, I will remove the slats on the bottom and reinforce around the outside so, I can put a rolling cabinet under it or other important things.


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## Brent H (Apr 26, 2020)

@CalgaryPT :  Here is a pic of the ship doing a buoy - beauty calm day 






Guys took it from the work barge yesterday - I am not out there treading water - LOL


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## David_R8 (Apr 26, 2020)

Wow that’s like glass!
We rarely see that on the coast, usually some current running causing movement on the surface. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Chicken lights (Apr 26, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Wow that’s like glass!
> We rarely see that on the coast, usually some current running causing movement on the surface.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I’ve spent a lot of time circling the Great Lakes and am constantly impressed with their beauty. Lake Superiour has to be the harshest and coldest but I think it’s the prettiest


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## JohnnyTK (Apr 26, 2020)

Brent H said:


> @CalgaryPT :  Here is a pic of the ship doing a buoy - beauty calm day
> 
> View attachment 8790
> 
> Guys took it from the work barge yesterday - I am not out there treading water - LOL


Brent did you go on the resupply mission to Greenland that would have been a trip?


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## historicalarms (Apr 26, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Gosh I wish my shop was organized! I believe you have me confused with @Brent H. I'm so disorganized that I have a hard time finding the shop as a whole!



     My shop tools are very well organized...there right where I used them last so I know where their at the next time I need them...If I put them away every time I used them I would waste much more time looking in every drawer for them....


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## Brent H (Apr 26, 2020)

@JohnnyTK


> Brent did you go on the resupply mission to Greenland that would have been a trip?



Hi JohnnyTK - I was on the second leg of the trip which was even more spectacular - Ship departed Canada and sailed straight up to Thule Greenland (Qaanaak) as the escort ship (ice ) for a US supply ship dropping off cargo for the air force base.  The Ship turned around and headed to Iqaluit for crew change - I joined there.  Our crew got to go all over the northern parts of Hudson Straight and we stopped in to visit all the local villages and meet up with the local Inuit people - Pretty cool - Most of the people up there do not ever see the Coast Guard as the ships rarely stop in the local villages.  We then headed back to Quebec city and went down the whole eastern coast and stopped in at all the historical places from Torngat National Park, Hebron, Davis Inlet, Hopedale and a few other places coming down the coast and then back to Quebec City.  Crazy beautiful scenery, some real eye opening history - Especially at Hebron and Davis Inlet.  I was not able to go ashore, however the crew did. We had the Inuit on board as guests and showed the villagers what we were all about and got a lot of insight into their lives.   I would say it was one of the best trips and humbling experiences I have been on.  The west coast also is spectacular for beauty in the fiords  and mountain views - not a fan of the non stop rain in Prince Rupert though - LOL   It was a great trip I doubt could be topped as a Coast Guard adventure goes.


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## Chicken lights (Apr 26, 2020)

Mill? We don’t need no stinkin’ mill.


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## John Conroy (Apr 26, 2020)

I've been meaning to do this for a year now. The bearing block that supports the tailstock end of the feed rod, lead screw and switch shaft on my lathe has 3 rubber plugs that hold the oil in. Every time I squirt some oil into it at least one of those plugs pops out. Today I made a little bracket and drilled and tapped two M6 holes in the block to hold it over the plugs. It should have been like this from the factory.

























No more crawling around on hands and knees looking for a wayward plug.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 26, 2020)

Brent H said:


> @CalgaryPT :  Here is a pic of the ship doing a buoy - beauty calm day
> 
> View attachment 8790
> 
> Guys took it from the work barge yesterday - I am not out there treading water - LOL


Bloody beautiful. You are so lucky.


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## Marc Moreau (Apr 26, 2020)

Brent H said:


> @CalgaryPT :  Here is a pic of the ship doing a buoy - beauty calm day
> 
> View attachment 8790
> 
> Guys took it from the work barge yesterday - I am not out there treading water - LOL


Nice picture  this should be in your shop.


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## PeterT (Apr 26, 2020)

hmmm.. maybe that's the reason my 'dust covers' were bolted on.

John, where does the oil passage travel to on your lathe? I always assumed the galleries were feeding an open (non shielded) side of bearing, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Or one of my bearings is assbackwards?


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## John Conroy (Apr 27, 2020)

Looks like yours has 2 separate oil passages to feed the 2 bearings where mine only has 1 passage that feeds the 2 bearings and the switch shaft which has no bearing in either machine. Yours has 1 shielded bearing and 1 rubber sealed bearing which seems strange. They probably removed 1 shield and 1 rubber seal from each bearing to allow oil to reach the inside of both bearings. I don't know what type of bearings are in mine as there is a collar blocking view of them. In the pic #24 and 27 are the collars and #22  are the bearings.With the rubber plugs removed, oil runs 


out all 3 shaft holes when I force it into the ball oiler. I'll slide the collars back and have a look later.


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## RobinHood (Apr 27, 2020)

Peter, I think your dust covers need to be bolted on because otherwise the lead screw thrust (or the feed rod thrust) would push the bearing out of the support block since they are mounted from the right side. Hard to see from the drawing, but I am guessing there is a stepped bearing journal on each of those shafts that the bearings sit on.
If you look at John’s lathe, the bearings go in from the left side of the support block and a collar mounted on the lead screw / feed rod transmits the thrust onto the bearing. Hence he has just plastic dust caps on the right of the block - that used to “blow out” under lube pressure until he made the mod.


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## John Conroy (Apr 27, 2020)

After pulling the bearing collars back I found a disturbing design feature. There is a flat thrust bearing under each collar that pushes shaft axial loads against the block. There was no oil in the bearings and in fact there is no way that oil could get to them. They were coated in some grease. There is no bearing or bushing in the block to deal with the radial loads of the shaft, just the shaft running in the cast iron block but this area is fed oil from the ball oiler. My old lathe was like Peter's. Admittedly a ball bearing is not the best type to deal with axial loads but I think overall that would be better than the design on the new lathe.













I cleaned out the old grease and packed both bearing and the collars with new high quality grease, this is an area that will require periodic maintenance that I would never have know about if not for Peter's question and Robin Hood's observation so thanks guys. 

Now I'm thinking about removing the bearing block and enlarging the shaft bores to accept either  bronze busings or  needle bearings to better deal with radial loads. I'm not sure it's necessary as cast iron is porous and will hold oil but it would add longevity I think. I'll have to ponder that a bit.


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## David_R8 (Apr 27, 2020)

Yikes!
Could a bearing be added to take the axial load? (asking as a complete newb...)
Maybe a counter bore added on the thrust bearing side and a low-profile bearing installed?


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## Janger (Apr 30, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Visually and/or by feel.  For the most part I find I toast those tools by chipping a point off and need to grind them back to the same form.  The shape you want is there, it's just a matter for removing material to reform the point.
> 
> I haven't found it to be RPM sensitive what so ever.  I've been running anywhere from 1000-2000 RPM (low range on my mini-mill) and could probably go higher. The diamond grit disk isn't showing any sign of wearing out.
> 
> ...



So I took Craigs idea here and decided to hold a tool in the dial indicator stand to sharpen it. Seemed like a good idea. But after fooling with it I found holding by hand and bracing my arms on the mill worked more effectively. Note everybody I'm wearing a N95 mask because the carbide dust is bad in your lungs. This diamond wheel John W mentioned is cheap at PA. It works. I used a drill sharpening gauge to make sure the sides were even at the 118Ø angle. You can get those gauges at BB cheap.


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## Janger (Apr 30, 2020)

Sorry the photos are all sideways. We have software that rotates the pictures automatically but sometimes it breaks. I'll have to get Josh to fix it. @Jwest7788


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## Marc Moreau (Apr 30, 2020)

I turn my screen it work.


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## Jwest7788 (May 4, 2020)

Janger said:


> Sorry the photos are all sideways. We have software that rotates the pictures automatically but sometimes it breaks. I'll have to get Josh to fix it. @Jwest7788



The worst is that it's intermittent, always takes me a small age to get it working. haha. 

On it!


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## Bofobo (May 4, 2020)

By being turned sideways it occurred to me one could do this operation on the lathe (unless of course it’s occupied with the critical part)


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## David_R8 (May 4, 2020)

Yesterday I relocated the switch from the left side on my Unisaw to the front rail. 
Took bleedin’ forever because working space on the motor was so cramped. Happy it’s done though as reaching around the side to turn the saw off was decidedly unsafe.


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## Dabbler (May 4, 2020)

A couple days ago John N came over and we worked on making room for my new lathe.  Made great progress.  I now have enough room for all the rest of the pieces and my shop crane, to boot!


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## John Conroy (May 4, 2020)

The shaft bearing block design on my lathe was bugging me so I picked up some bronze bushings from PA today. The feed rod and the switch shaft are both 3/4" OD and the lead screw end is 20mm so I got bushings that are 3/4 ID and 7/8" OD and 1-3/8" long. The OD of the bushing measured .880" so about .005" over 7/8" so I bored all 3 holes to .879" for a .001" interference fit.  They fit the two 3/4" shafts with .003" clearance so I bored the lead screw bushing to the same clearance spec. I shortened them to 1" long so the oil passage would not be blocked by the bushings. I had to extend the oil passage to the bottom bore as it was only connected to the top 2 bores originally. The factory drilled passage entry was filled with bondo so I dug it all out to expose a nicely bored hole that that fit a 10mm ball oiler after I was finished with the long drill bit. It turned out well and should last forever.


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## David_R8 (May 4, 2020)

John Conroy said:


> The shaft bearing block design on my lathe was bugging me so I picked up some bronze bushings from PA today. The feed rod and the switch shaft are both 3/4" OD and the lead screw end is 20mm so I got bushings that are 3/4 ID and 7/8" OD and 1-3/8" long. The OD of the bushing measured .880" so about .005" over 7/8" so I bored all 3 holes to .879" for a .001" interference fit. They fit the two 3/4" shafts with .003" clearance so I bored the lead screw bushing to the same clearance spec. I shortened them to 1" long so the oil passage would not be blocked by the bushings. I had to extend the oil passage to the bottom bore as it was only connected to the top 2 bores originally. The factory drilled passage entry was filled with bondo so I dug it all out to expose a nicely bored hole that that fit a 10mm ball oiler after I was finished with the long drill bit. It turned out well and should last forever.
> 
> View attachment 8918View attachment 8919View attachment 8920View attachment 8921View attachment 8922View attachment 8922View attachment 8923View attachment 8924View attachment 8925View attachment 8926



Well done. 
Probably far easier than my ball bearing suggestion. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## John Conroy (May 4, 2020)

I thought about needle roller bearings but I think a bronze bushing is a better solution on a shaft that is not hardened.


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## RobinHood (May 4, 2020)

This will last for a very long time. Nicely done.


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## Marc Moreau (May 5, 2020)

John Conroy said:


> The shaft bearing block design on my lathe was bugging me so I picked up some bronze bushings from PA today. The feed rod and the switch shaft are both 3/4" OD and the lead screw end is 20mm so I got bushings that are 3/4 ID and 7/8" OD and 1-3/8" long. The OD of the bushing measured .880" so about .005" over 7/8" so I bored all 3 holes to .879" for a .001" interference fit.  They fit the two 3/4" shafts with .003" clearance so I bored the lead screw bushing to the same clearance spec. I shortened them to 1" long so the oil passage would not be blocked by the bushings. I had to extend the oil passage to the bottom bore as it was only connected to the top 2 bores originally. The factory drilled passage entry was filled with bondo so I dug it all out to expose a nicely bored hole that that fit a 10mm ball oiler after I was finished with the long drill bit. It turned out well and should last forever.
> 
> View attachment 8918View attachment 8919View attachment 8920View attachment 8921View attachment 8922View attachment 8923View attachment 8924View attachment 8925View attachment 8926View attachment 8927View attachment 8928


Nice job  beautiful  pictures


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## Dabbler (May 5, 2020)

These are slow speed so bronze bushings are the right choice.  Really nice work!!!


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## Brent H (May 5, 2020)

@Marc Moreau : Our Utilathes have a similar arrangement with the feed and lead screws just going into cast iron.  If I find excessive wear @John Conroy 's sweet modification will work great!


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## Johnwa (May 5, 2020)

My Southbend spindle has been running in cast iron for over 50 years and Is still fine.


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## YYCHM (May 5, 2020)

Johnwa said:


> My Southbend spindle has been running in cast iron for over 50 years and Is still fine.



No bearings or bushings?


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## Brent H (May 5, 2020)

Cast iron is pretty high graphite’s and as such is classed as “self lubricating” to some extent.  Adding oil to the mix will give you a nice slippery surface.  As the lead and feed are relatively slow turning an oiled cast iron will work quite well.  Do a google on cast iron lubricity


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## PeterT (May 5, 2020)

Johnwa said:


> My Southbend spindle has been running in cast iron for over 50 years and Is still fine.



I have a theory about that (and I have been known to be wrong about many things). In principle, if the shaft is aligned to the machined CI bearing block & adequately lubricated like a good old school N-Am machine, they should run together for a long time. Unless the shafting has been heat treated CI is typically harder so the shafting will wear first. The question is, what is easier/less costly to replace when the time comes. A simple pinion shaft is easy to make. You might be able to re-bush the end of a lead screw, or maybe not depending on the assembly. And something like a leadscrew or splined 4 ft shaft is a typical PITA component to replace if the machine is getting on in age. OTOH, after 50 years who cares unless its a family heirloom.

Enter the offshore machines where they semi-adopted this configuration. Now you have the potential for some degree of shaft/hole misalignment or ratty hole finish or slightly bowed shaft or maybe poor choice of lubrication. Now the seemingly same recipe is a future problem in the making. My power feed shaft was pretty much textbook example. The shaft was unobtanium. I ended up getting it straightened & making a new bushing block using bronze similar to John. Its been running very smooth since then.

If I was modding a machine I would put bronze in every hole! lol. The PA bushings (also available at most bearing shops) are great value if you can utilize them as-is or a bit of turning like John did. You are paying for the shell, not a solid rod of bronze. Now those become the wear point & more readily replaced year 51. It also gives you a chance to correct bad geometry if one inherits a factory problem as the the block can be re-bored.


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## Johnwa (May 5, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> No bearings or bushings?



Nope, just just straight cast iron.

[mention]PeterT [/mention] 
The spindle is hardened.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## DPittman (May 6, 2020)

I never liked the fact that the only off switch for my band saw was a tiny little switch that might be hard to safely get at in a quick emergency.  I'm surprised that these are sold with out an emergency stop switch.  






So I put one on myself.  Its maybe not quite "right" as it doesn't kill power to the entire machine and the coolant pump still runs when it is hit but it kills the motor.  And its easy to get at.


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## John Conroy (May 10, 2020)

One of the plastic head wing bolts that locks the belt tension adjustment on my drill press broke. I machined a couple of new ones with steel wings and extended the left one to prevent interference with the slide handle. I have also been annoyed by the short handle on the table height pinch bolt so I machined a longer one to round out my drill press improvements yesterday.
The original wing bolt was hard to reach.






The new parts.





Welded wing bolts compared to the originals.






Much better access.











Original pinch bolt with 3" long handle compared to the new 6" long one


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## Janger (May 11, 2020)

Wishing for a new welding table. Actually any welding table. I thought this one was interesting with the lazy susan in the middle. The three John's have a welding table project... it's stalled. 








2.7M views on this one! I hope the author made some money.


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## Dabbler (May 12, 2020)

yeah, sorry about that (stalled project).  We'll get back to it in June.


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## Janger (May 12, 2020)

Of course John. No problem. What do you think of this guys table?


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## Dabbler (May 12, 2020)

pretty sweet!


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## Brent H (May 12, 2020)

Hey John,

I watched the build video - there are a few things the same as the one I built - with the side table for the saw - I made mine removable.

Some thoughts:  The thin metal for the table top I was not keen on - needs to be thicker in my opinion to try and stay flat and to absorb abuse - also I sometimes tack jigs in place and always nice to be able to grind them off.

The gap around the lazy suzan could be a problem - lots of sparks, grind etc will fall down onto whatever you have below

The permanent turn table in the middle might drive me nuts  after a while - would be nice to move it at times, not have it at times, I think the idea of the rotary part is cool but might be better as a separate table you could place onto the bench

I have extension arms you can mount and pull out to length - also vice is detachable so you just have a flat surface to work on - nothing in the way of a frame.

It has potential

I have an AutoCad I did up of a table prototype I can send you if you wish - it is not dimensioned but is to scale and you could develop from there if you wanted


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## RobinHood (May 12, 2020)

I was using the universal dividing head yesterday to space the 10 holes and one slot in the brass disc for the old safe. I was tilting it from horizontal to vertical and then back again. It was very hard to move - it had been doing this since I got it. The dividing head was made by the NEWS Yamatokoki MFG. CO. in Tokyo, Japan, in 1968 (inspection certificate is dated 9.9.1968). Today I decided to find out what was wrong. I had figured that it had to do with the tilt locking mechanism. There are two bolts through the casting that each have a brass “shoe” that engages the operator side dove tail (much like gib locks on straight gib lathes and milling machines) except the shoes are pulled onto the dovetail vice being pushed by bolts.

Disassembly revealed some decades old swarf that had found its way into the bottom of the casting - it was mostly aluminum.






Here are some more parts






What was concerning was the deformation of the rotating body and the worn clamping shoes




 




I stoned and removed the worst of the deformation on the casting. The brass parts were also cleaned up so that they would be a sliding fit into their bores again. I was considering making new shoes - turns out that they were cut in situ during the original milling of the curved dovetail. So I decided against it.

Here was the original problem (a design flaw). When the bolts are tightened to lock the tilt, they slightly rotate in the bore, taking the shoes with them. This results in the brass shoe jamming in the dovetails. After unlocking the bolts to tilt the head, the shoes jam further when trying to further tilt the head (It is like a tapered gib - the harder you push, the more it locks). I was able to duplicate this jamming over and over again. It would explain the deformation as attempts to free the shoes requires a very large force. Also, since the shoes are not making good contact with the dovetail while canted, more force was used in the past to lock the head - another possible reason for the deformation.

The solution: prevent the bolts and shoes from rotating while being tightened. Enter the Scotch Key (anti rotation pin)















I used a 3/16” end mill to make the 1” deep hole for the brass pin. I was concerned that a drill might wander off because it was drilling half cast iron, half steel and half brass. Worked great.

Dressed the original brass shoes to fit the dovetail nicely and reassembled. Testing revealed that there is no more jamming and the shoes release every time,  making tilting very easy. You can just see the little brass anti  rotation pin on the bottom lock (below the gear)






Sorry for the sideways pictures. Not sure what’s going on...


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## PeterT (May 12, 2020)

Nice TLC & mods, Rudy. I've often wondered how they locked.
Is the spindle nose threaded for chuck mount? And does inside have a standard taper?


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## John Conroy (May 12, 2020)

That's a nice dividing head Rudy and good thinking on the fix.


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## RobinHood (May 13, 2020)

Thanks Peter & John. I was lucky, it came with the mill. All change gears and the inspection certificate!

Some dividing heads, like Walter,  have a slot in the base casting and the tilt locking happens by squeezing this slot closed with bolts on either side of the rotating member. I think that is a better design still as there in 360* surface clamping contact.






Yes, the nose is threaded, 21/4”-8TPI. The bore has a B&S taper - not sure which one.


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## YotaBota (May 15, 2020)

Rudy you're a tough act to follow, I'm happy if I get parting to work. Speaking of parting, I successfully made collars to keep my lawnmower wheels together and they actually parted off well.










Then thanks to Brent H I made up table covers for my mill, a bit of hardboard and some left over arborite worked nicely.


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## David_R8 (May 15, 2020)

Clever idea on the wheels @YotaBota


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## YotaBota (May 15, 2020)

The collars are working well, it was that or spend $70 each for new wheels that have the same poor design.


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## RobinHood (May 15, 2020)

Great repair on the wheel collars.

Your table cover beats my OSB ones hands down! Very nice


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## Johnwa (May 24, 2020)

I finally made a jacking screw for my bandsaw vise.  I made a wobble nut so the screw can be be slipped in to the approximate position.  The first picture shows it angled to where it will slip in.  The second one shows it with the threads engaged.  A looser thread standard would likely work better as there isn’t  many threads left in the nut.
i am going to have to fire my welder.  First he welded the nut on the wrong side of the jaw and when he got it on the right side he didn’t get it at quite the right angle.   It seems to work though.


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## YYCHM (May 24, 2020)

Cool!  Never heard of a wobble nut before? 

How do you like the wood fill in the blade slot?  I find it real handy.

Craig


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## Dusty (May 24, 2020)

Hi Johnwa, I agree with YYCHM cool however, I don't understand the need for the wobble nut. Isn't a bolt square on with the back plate stronger?

Would you kindly explain your theory behind using a wobble nut whatever that is?

Sort of lost with this although it doesn't take much these days.

Bill


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## YYCHM (May 24, 2020)

@Dusty I had to look it up.

https://www.berger-tools.co.uk/Gn63051_Quick_Release_Toggle_Nut_Zinc_Plated_Steel/

Pretty slick.

Craig


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## Johnwa (May 24, 2020)

@YYCHobbyMachinist I like it.  I made it after I saw your post.

@Dusty A solid nut is stronger but with a wobble nut is way quicker.  If the screw needs to be 4” you just shove it in approximately 4” and then a few turns to adjust.  With my 3/8x16 screw a solid nut would mean 64 turns.  So far mine seems to be strong enough.


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## YYCHM (May 24, 2020)

@Johnwa How does one make a wobble nut?


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## Johnwa (May 24, 2020)

@YYCHobbyMachinist 
I‘m sure there is a proper way, mine was by eyeball.

You have to start with a fairly thick piece of steel.  I used ½ but I think ¾ would be better.  First drill and tap at 90 degrees.  Then you set it up an angle in a milling vice and run a larger endmill through it.  You are aiming for 1/2 thread left at both ends.  I drew up this after the fact. I tried a few different angles until it looked right.


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## Janger (May 24, 2020)

Nice John. Slick idea.


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## YYCHM (May 24, 2020)

I missed the "fire my welder" part Who was your welder?


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## Johnwa (May 24, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> I missed the "fire my welder" part Who was your welder?


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## historicalarms (May 25, 2020)

There is another design used extensively on cut-off saws, stop at most any hardware store with a tool isle and you would be able to see an example, not sure if a fac-simile would be easier to build than Johns but they sure do work slick...they are more or less a 1/2 nut top that flips over a treaded vise adjusting ready rod. push with your hand until all the slack is removed and then give 1/4 turn...takes a lot longer to type than actually use.


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## Dusty (May 25, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> There is another design used extensively on cut-off saws, stop at most any hardware store with a tool isle and you would be able to see an example, not sure if a fac-simile would be easier to build than Johns but they sure do work slick...they are more or less a 1/2 nut top that flips over a treaded vise adjusting ready rod. push with your hand until all the slack is removed and then give 1/4 turn...takes a lot longer to type than actually use.



When johnwa first mentioned 'wobble nut' I went out to my shop (attached garage) and took a close look at how my Makita chop saw worked.  Not easy to see the inner working of the quick release although I assumed it was built along the lines you mention above.  Not easy for me to move about with my lame right knee and leg.  Bill


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## Brent H (May 25, 2020)

@Johnwa - I too have fired my welder - but, I love the guy - He always gets hired back.   Can’t help myself I guess!  Punish him with some time off, a cold beverage and he will be back begging for his job!


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## kevin.decelles (May 26, 2020)

For casting enthusiasts, the Gingery series of books uses a split nut casting to drive the lead screw..... same concept

Pretty fine cast required, I ended up welding mine, tapped a thread in some pipe, then surgically cut out the pieces and welded it in place. 

Your way is cleaner


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## YotaBota (May 26, 2020)

I needed a place to keep a notepad at the mill so a little cut and chop on a bit of aluminium (1/8 plate) and attached it to one of the head bolts. Until I find a better clamp to hold the notepad a spring clamp will have to do.


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## David_R8 (May 26, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> I needed a place to keep a notepad at the mill so a little cut and chop on a bit of aluminium (1/8 plate) and attached it to one of the head bolts. Until I find a better clamp to hold the notepad a spring clamp will have to do.


Great idea, and good looking mill!


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## YYCHM (May 26, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Great idea, and good looking mill!



I was admiring the mill as well.  @YotaBota what make and model is your mill?


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## Marc Moreau (May 27, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> I needed a place to keep a notepad at the mill so a little cut and chop on a bit of aluminium (1/8 plate) and attached it to one of the head bolts. Until I find a better clamp to hold the notepad a spring clamp will have to do.


This machine is like mine.  Just different color.


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## YotaBota (May 27, 2020)

David - we bought our mills within a couple of days of each other.
YYC - The mill is a KBC branded 830 (8x30 inch table) dated 1995 so it's one of the generic Taiwan machines. Sure beats the old hacksaw and file method and just a bit more accurate.
Marc - what is the brand on yours?


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## Brent H (May 27, 2020)

Since we are on mill improvements and I was showing mine some love for the surfacing of my son’s exhaust manifold - I finally completed the base on mine.  

I made the base so I could “theoretically move” my mill - hahahahaha - cough - 

But it has found its place and I needed to level it and get it on some firm support.  Watching the you tube there is a set of Bridgeport type machine leveles with some rubber feet.  I upped the construction a bit and it is all tied into my original base.
Pads are 1/2” x 4” plate with 3/4” pipe welded on.  Jack bolts are 1”-8 tpi threaded rod.


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## Dusty (May 27, 2020)

Nice work Brent H. Did you uses 'sintered iron or machined steel' casters? What load do the casters carry? Bill


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## Brent H (May 27, 2020)

@Dusty : the load for the castors was 750 lbs each.  The mill was approximately 2300 lbs plus accessories and a table load max of 750 lbs.  (I think)   The castors are from princess auto (4”) size.   Concept was to allow the castors to include a bit of movement if required and the feet would lock things down.


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## YYCHM (May 27, 2020)

Brent H said:


> @Dusty : the load for the castors was 750 lbs each.  The mill was approximately 2300 lbs plus accessories and a table load max of 750 lbs.  (I think)   The castors are from princess auto (4”) size.   Concept was to allow the castors to include a bit of movement if required and the feet would lock things down.



How did you get a 2300 lb mill into that tray????


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## Dusty (May 28, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> How did you get a 2300 lb mill into that tray????



Couldn't resist YYCHobbyMachinist, just say the wrong thing to the boss lady and stuff happens. LOL Bill


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## Brent H (May 28, 2020)

@YYCHobbyMachinist


> How did you get a 2300 lb mill into that tray????



1. ask very politely
2. Spread some swarf in the opening and wait for it to jump
3. Have a neighbour as nutty as yourself that happens to own a fork truck 

When I bought the mill I went to the steel store and bought some 6X4 x 1/2” angle and welded up the base.  When I got the mill home (The next day) my neighbour boogied over in his fork truck (he bought about 2 days prior ) and we lowered the mill in.  Took a bit to move all the stuff around my shop so it could fit.


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## Alexander (Jun 1, 2020)

This morning I made a handful of nuts for my strap clamp set. They are good high carbon steel so they should outlast a regular nut. I machined them out of round stock and made them to match the cheap strap clamp set for the milling machine.


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## David_R8 (Jun 1, 2020)

Alexander said:


> This morning I made a handful of nuts for my strap clamp set. They are good high carbon steel so they should outlast a regular nut. I machined them out of round stock and made them to match the cheap strap clamp set for the milling machine.
> View attachment 9395


Nice work!


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## Janger (Jun 1, 2020)

Manual or Cnc? Lathe?


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## Alexander (Jun 1, 2020)

Janger said:


> Manual or Cnc? Lathe?


This


----------



## Johnwa (Jun 1, 2020)

kevin.decelles said:


> For casting enthusiasts, the Gingery series of books uses a split nut casting to drive the lead screw..... same concept
> 
> Pretty fine cast required, I ended up welding mine, tapped a thread in some pipe, then surgically cut out the pieces and welded it in place.
> 
> ...



I wasn’t really happy with my first version. @kevin.decelles mention of the Gingery nut gave me an idea.  Here is version 2.  I think it is easier to make this way.  This time I also managed to weld it at an angle that tends to force thread engagement.


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## Tom O (Jun 1, 2020)

For all the metal casters Johnson & Johnson is discontinuing talc in their baby powder so if that is what you use for parting powder it’s best to stock up.


----------



## Janger (Jun 1, 2020)

And it's asbestos free, no really, it is.


----------



## Dusty (Jun 1, 2020)

What in ell will they use when we're back into wearing dippers.  LOL

Bill


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## Janger (Jun 3, 2020)

I was watching a vid on quieting down the 3d printer. I've had complaints from those in the basement. So I tried this sidewalk paver on top of a piece of packing styrofoam. It's surprising the difference this has made. 









Here is the vid on the topic:

https://www.cnckitchen.com/blog/reduce-your-3d-printing-noise-with-a-concrete-paver


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## Janger (Jun 5, 2020)

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4422253 

I designed and printed a big swarf scoop with drain holes and matching paddle to get swarf out of the bottom of the machine. I put the parts up on thingiverse if anybody is interested.


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## Brent H (Jun 10, 2020)

Well I am back to Work but before I left I finished a steel pan for my welding table.  The pan fits under the table and will collect anything falling through the table clamp holes and - (once home again) will be fitted with spacers to hold parts when using the plasma cutter.  
The table slides out either side.  












Should work well.


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## Alexander (Jun 10, 2020)

Nice work Brent


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## Marc Moreau (Jun 10, 2020)

Nice job this table must be heavy by the size of the top plate.


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## Dusty (Jun 12, 2020)

Carriage Stop - here's a small project that I'm finally getting around to posting the pictures.



View attachment 9588





































Yes that's my cane laying there, can't get around without it.


----------



## Dusty (Jun 12, 2020)

And the info on how I made same.

Lathe Carriage Stop  (made for Craftex10"x18" B2227L lathe)

Materials:  Steel & Brass
                   Body - 1" thick x 3" long x 1 & 3/8" high.
                   Bottom Plate - 3/8" thick x 2 & 1/" long x 1 & 1/8"wide.
                   Stainless Steel - 1/16" thick <L> shaped back plate guide that fitsdown the
                   carriage stop toe and under the way.  
                   Adjusting Rod - 3 & 3/4" long x 5/16" diameter with 5/16"-24thread turned
                   down to 1/4" at the carriage end with a flat spot milled at the other end
                   for knob set screw.
                   Brass bumper end that strikes the carriage 3/8" diameter x 3/4" longdrilled
                   out to fit the 1/4" adjusting rod end which leave lots for re-facing same.
                   Glue used J-B Weld which I have much faith in.
                   Knurled Knob - 1" diameter with 5/16"-24 internal thread.
                   Set Screw for knurled knob - 1/4"-20 x 3/16" long.
                   Red Plastic Knob - something I had on hand which fit nicely.
                   Brass Screw - 1/4"-20 x 1 & 3/8" long so not to mar adjusting rodthreads.
                   Socket Cap Screws - 5/17"-18 x 1 & 1/2" long.
                                      -two 3/16"-24 x 3/4" long.
                                     - 3/16"-24 x 1/2" long.
                   Birchwood Casey Super Blue - used on carriage stop body.
                   J-B Weld (Original)
                   Screw clearance above and forward of lead screw more than adequate clearance for
                   hex key.
                   Brass - 0.020 thick - during milling I accidently removed too much steel in
                           two places so I deepened them to 0.020".  Then I glued in two pieces
                           of 0.020" brass (shim) for want of a word which corrected the error.
                           Glue used was J-B Weld, handy stuff.


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## Dusty (Jun 12, 2020)

QCTP Drill Rig - Another project, now you know why I needed the 6mm brass ball oilers.


View attachment 9595


----------



## Dusty (Jun 12, 2020)

And the info on how I made it.

QCTP- 90° Cross & Offset Drill Rig

Materials:  Steel & Brass 
           Dedicated AXA Accusize 250-101T Tool Holder
           Body - mild steel 2" diameter x 2 1/2" long.
                - milled 5/8" flat on one side of body to fasten key stock.
                - mild steel spacer 1/4" x 3'4" drilled holes in spacer to fitbetween body and key stock
                - drill & tap three evenly spaced holes for 1/4"-20 x 1" capscrews in flat of body.
                  said holes will marry up with the hole in the 5/8" key stock.
                - chucked body then drilled 3/8" pilot hole full length.
                - followed by .096" hole for brass bushings.
                - top of body drilled two 3/16" holes 1/2" from toe and heel into the0.096" hole cavity.
                - followed this with 6mm holes deep enough to take the two 6mm brass oilers.
                - oil drain centered bottom of body drill 3/16" hole into 0.096"cavity then counter sink.                
                - clean body then coated same with Birchwood Casey Super Blue.
           Brass Bushings - (note: I barely had enough brass stock to work with 1"x 2& 1/4")
                          - turned O/D down to a hair under 0.097"
                          - drilled pilot hole followed by 31/64" undersize drill for 1/2"reamer.
                          - cut brass bushing in half (faced ends) leaving me with two 0.097" x 1& 1/16".
                          - pushed bushings into heel and toe of body slightly recessed from body face.
                          - drilled 1/8" hole through brass bushings from top of body into bushingcavities.
                          - chucked body then passed 1/2" reamer one more time to remove drillburrs.
                          - blew out body cavities then pushed the two 6mm oilers into place at toe andheel.
                Key Stock - 5/8" x 4 & 3/8" long angled inwards at the toe,additional finger room at chuck end.
                          - match the spacing in key stock from (square end) with the heel end of thebody
                            then drilled three 1/4" holes with recess right side of key stock forthree 1/4" cap screws.
              Drill Shaft - 1/2" x 9 & 1/4" Drill Rod which was 0.005"oversize so I polished it down lightly with
                            Norton 150 grit fine 1" cloth tape.
                          - turned down the toe end to 3/8" threading it to 3/8"-24UNF for mykeyless chuck.
                          - milled the heel end to 3/8" square so as I could turn threads with taphandle.
                          - made two brass washers 1/16" thick x 7/8" diameter.  One witha 3/8" hole for the toe
                            meaning (chuck end) at the heel end 1/2" hole for the main shaft.
                          - installed a set screw collar with brass screw 1/4"-20 x 1/2" so itwouldn't mar the drill rod
                            shaft.  The set screw collar acts as a drill depth gauge stop.
                    LATHE - to lock the chuck in position for drilling I simply set the Head Stockgear handles to
                            the lowest speed of 115 RPM.  Locked.....!             
                          - to drill offset to the chuck face simply turn the QCTP a quarter turn to therear then
                            reverse the shaft. 
                          - Don't forget to add your 1/2" cordless drill.


----------



## David_R8 (Jun 12, 2020)

Nice work @Dusty!


----------



## Dusty (Jun 12, 2020)

Sorry list, I have 2 projects posted however, my first post (Carriage Stop) has a duplication of photos which I can't seem to correct. Bill


----------



## PeterT (Jun 12, 2020)

Looks good, Dusty!

I initially used a cap screw to hold down my stop but replaced with one of these quick action handles. One less hex wrench to remember! You can detente the handle off to one side or another to clear things. I like your red knob lock more than my double jamb nut. Does it grip the threads nice & tight?

You might want to consider another one for the right side of carriage. having 2 stops comes in handy when you you have to turn a groove feature in between 2 dimensions. I use my stops mostly for roughing but its surprisingly repeatable as long as everything is locked solid & you just kiss the end of the stop, probably within 1-2 thou.


----------



## DPittman (Jun 12, 2020)

Dusty said:


> Sorry list, I have 2 projects posted however, my first post (Carriage Stop) has a duplication of photos and I can't seem to correct that. Bill


It was worthy of duplicate pictures. Nice job.

Thats got to be one of the cleanest shiniest lathes I've seen.


----------



## Dusty (Jun 12, 2020)

DPittman said:


> It was worthy of duplicate pictures. Nice job.
> 
> Thats got to be one of the cleanest shiniest lathes I've seen.



Thank you for the complement, keep reminding the list I haven't done any work on the lathe outside of keeping it lightly oiled due to my knee/leg issues. Besides that's my air force jet training showing through. meaning good housekeeping. The biggest killer for a jet engine is FOD meaning (foreign object damage) and a fine example of that is what happened at Kamloops. Bill


----------



## Dusty (Jun 12, 2020)

Jet engines works like this (suck - bang - blow ) so whenever turbine blades become damaged you'll have compressor stall. Bill


----------



## Brent H (Jun 12, 2020)

Beauty work @Dusty!!  a lathe carriage stop is on my list of things to make after I get a few other projects cleared up - great ideas!!

Your drill attachment looks really pro!!! excellent - 2 thumbs up


----------



## Janger (Jun 12, 2020)

DPittman said:


> It was worthy of duplicate pictures. Nice job.
> 
> Thats got to be one of the cleanest shiniest lathes I've seen.


Very nice Bill. And thanks for posting the materials details and threading. Good stuff.


----------



## Dusty (Jun 12, 2020)

Brent H said:


> Beauty work @Dusty!!  a lathe carriage stop is on my list of things to make after I get a few other projects cleared up - great ideas!!
> 
> Your drill attachment looks really pro!!! excellent - 2 thumbs up





Brent H said:


> Beauty work @Dusty!!  a lathe carriage stop is on my list of things to make after I get a few other projects cleared up - great ideas!!
> 
> Your drill attachment looks really pro!!! excellent - 2 thumbs up



Both projects work fine and the drill rig saves loads of time. Here's where I got the idea for the carriage stop along with the templates I made.







.


----------



## Dusty (Jun 12, 2020)

Janger said:


> Very nice Bill. And thanks for posting the materials details and threading. Good stuff.



Any job worth doing is worth doing well so my Scottish grandfather taught me. I use the KISS method in putting up the photos and build information. KISS method meaning 'keep it simple stupid'. So when one supplies the background music (information) along with pictures there's much less confusion don't you think? Bill


----------



## Tom O (Jun 12, 2020)

Quoting my Father and his Father before him “ Well Shite! “


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## Marc Moreau (Jun 12, 2020)

Very nice job Thank You for the Pictures.


----------



## Hruul (Jun 14, 2020)

Awesome work Bill!!. I have also seen that popular mechanics image for the micrometer stop.  It is on my list, once I get back on my lathe and finish the dial indicator holder that I am making.  Currently, busy with making a base cabinet for my table saw.


----------



## Tom Kitta (Jun 15, 2020)

I got one with my small lathe and finally decided to make it for my large lathe - it makes setting tool height on a lathe quick & easy. Everyone should add it to their project list.


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## Dabbler (Jun 15, 2020)

I've made one for my 12" and 14" lathes.  they are the best way to set tool height!!!


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## Marc Moreau (Jun 15, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Nothing that hasn't been done before...
> 
> View attachment 8665
> 
> ...


Question.   is it the only model made by member's ?  or  is there other model available  ?  I like this when you just have a little piece to cut . Thank you


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## YYCHM (Jun 15, 2020)

Marc Moreau said:


> Question.   is it the only model made by member's ?  or  is there other model available  ?  I like this when you just have a little piece to cut . Thank you



Not understanding your question?


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## Marc Moreau (Jun 16, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Not understanding your question?[/Q  When somebody make a patent  an other person will make something different for the same utility.  Sorry for  my english  I have a hard time .


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## Marc Moreau (Jun 16, 2020)

Could you put more picture  of your project I really want to make one  . When I cut small piece I have to put something the same size at the other  end  to get an equal pressure on the vise . If you don't do it this way there is  a chance your small part jump out the vise . Broke your blade or jam the saw or get hurt .  Thank you


----------



## YYCHM (Jun 16, 2020)

Marc Moreau said:


> When somebody make a patent  an other person will make something different for the same utility.  Sorry for  my english  I have a hard time .



Can't say I have seen an aftermarket one offered for sale but that doesn't mean they aren't out there.  Apparently some bands saws come with extended jaws as an accessory.  It's an easy item to make up and mount.

Craig


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## YYCHM (Jun 16, 2020)

Here you go.
















Does this help?


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## Johnwa (Jun 16, 2020)

@Marc Moreau 
after Craig made his I did mine as well.  I had a nice piece of 1/2” angle so I made a new movable jaw.  I was able to drill a couple more holes in the fixed jaw so it would be closer to the blade.


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## francist (Jun 16, 2020)

I sometimes clamp my small fixture plate into the bandsaw vise and then use strap clamps (milling clamps) to hold small or odd-shaped parts to be cut. It works well for me. My fixture plate is nothing special — just a piece of 1/2” thick aluminum with a bunch of 5/16”-18 tapped holes in it — but it’s super handy.

-frank


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## Johnwa (Jun 17, 2020)

This worked for me.  The picture is posed after some rotary table work but the saw got it pretty close.


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## YYCHM (Jun 17, 2020)

Brilliant John  Doing something like that would never have occurred to me.


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## Marc Moreau (Jun 17, 2020)

Yesss I like this one to. Thank you


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## Marc Moreau (Jun 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Here you go.
> 
> View attachment 9642
> 
> ...


Perfect pictures . Thank you


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## Marc Moreau (Jun 17, 2020)

Perfect Thank you


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## YYCHM (Jun 17, 2020)

A vise clamped in the saw vise is another strategy.


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## Johnwa (Jun 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Brilliant John  Doing something like that would never have occurred to me.



I made sure the clamp was good and tight.  I used a second clamp when it would fit.


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## Dabbler (Jun 17, 2020)

@Johnwa that is brilliant!


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## PeterT (Jun 17, 2020)

The intermediary clamping plates are a great idea. They work great on flat/rectangular stock but don't work quite as well holding short nubs of cylindrical stock though. That's where either the modified jaw solution close to the blade is a bit easier. Or alternatively I have just clamped my lathe chuck in the band saw jaws with the part in that. But try & prevent saw chips from entering the jaw scroll or remember clean it afterwards.


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## Janger (Jun 21, 2020)

Harold Hall Tap Guide Blocks 
You guys know Harold Hall books? They are full of good stuff. I just bought another one of his books - Model Engineers' workshop projects. New old stock from book depository in England. (It took 3 weeks to get here... ) cheaper. Anyway he has these simple tap guide blocks in his book and I thought I could 3d print those pretty easily and I bet they would work just fine... So I got busy and here is an imperial version for 1/4,5/16,3/8, & 1/2 NC taps. I tapped a few 3/8-16 holes and I would say they work pretty well. Definitely keeps the tap straighter than I typically can by hand.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4490402


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## YYCHM (Jun 21, 2020)

@Johnwa found me a PDF of #39.  Great stuff in there.  I have a zip file containing 207 Model Engineer issues but it's too large to attach.  Can you post it if I email it to you?

Craig


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## David_R8 (Jun 22, 2020)

On Saturday I went from this: 







To this:






First of three walls wired, sheeted and painted. Two more to go. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Janger (Jun 22, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> @Johnwa found me a PDF of #39.  Great stuff in there.  I have a zip file containing 207 Model Engineer issues but it's too large to attach.  Can you post it if I email it to you?
> 
> Craig


If it’s open source yes but no if it’s copyright is still active. I would assume it is still covered by copyright.


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## YYCHM (Jun 22, 2020)

Janger said:


> If it’s open source yes but no if it’s copyright is still active. I would assume it is still covered by copyright.



How would you determine that?  I'll try and find the web link I downloaded it from.


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## David_R8 (Jun 22, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> How would you determine that?  I'll try and find the web link I downloaded it from.


Copyright typically exists for 50 years past the death of the author. In the UK it's 70 years past the death of the author.
So pretty much zero chance that those issues are free from copyright.


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## Tom Kitta (Jun 22, 2020)

Google the link. I got it right away. Copyright can also be relinquished by the author.


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## Janger (Jun 22, 2020)

Yeah I don't think we can 'publish' those issues despite them being widely available.


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## YYCHM (Jun 22, 2020)

Ok, we will drop that idea.  There are a pile of them available out there.  Just google.

Here is a link to his website http://homews.co.uk/index.html


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## Johnwa (Jun 22, 2020)

I tend to agree with @Janger.
I will download files that are out there and will share links but I don’t tend to share the files themselves.


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## Tom O (Jun 22, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> On Saturday I went from this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


If anyone is doing a ceiling in Calgary I have a lift they can borrow.


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## YYCHM (Jun 22, 2020)

Tom O said:


> If anyone is doing a ceiling in Calgary I have a lift they can borrow.



That might interest @RobinHood


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## Tom O (Jun 22, 2020)

No doubt he wouldn’t need all his Merry Men!


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## Chicken lights (Jun 22, 2020)

Drywall lift?? Just grab a buddy and a couple two steps 

One of the few times I won’t wear a hat while working is hanging ceiling board


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## YYCHM (Jun 22, 2020)

Tom O said:


> No doubt he wouldn’t need all his Merry Men!



BIG quonset style shop he plans to insulate. Are you talking a dry wall lift or a scaffold type lift thing?


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## Tom O (Jun 22, 2020)

It’s a Standard drywall crank to ceiling type.


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## Tom Kitta (Jun 22, 2020)

Tom O said:


> It’s a Standard drywall crank to ceiling type.


I have same lift - I am thinking of selling it as I done my garage some time ago.


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## Tom O (Jun 22, 2020)

It was the garage for me but who knows I might do something in the basement my Son has taken over a room for his English Wheel and sheet metal stuff.


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## RobinHood (Jun 22, 2020)

Tom O said:


> If anyone is doing a ceiling in Calgary I have a lift they can borrow.



I’ll keep that in mind when I get to that stage @Tom O . Thanks.


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## historicalarms (Jun 23, 2020)

Janger said:


> Yeah I don't think we can 'publish' those issues despite them being widely available.


   I was told by a patent/copy write lawyer that something that has been published and available to the public can be re-published as long as it isn't used for monetary gain in any way...this site is free & has no paid advertising so anything out in public domain should be ok...according to him.


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## Dabbler (Jun 23, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> published and available




@historicalarms the legal situation is far from that simple.  Small portions can be used under 'fair use' if used for commentary or other value add.  Redistribution of any copyrighted material in whole or substantive part is  very definitely illegal.  

In Canada telling someone where they can find the material (legal or not) is legal.  Sending them a copy, however or hoisting it on a website is on the wrong side of the law.


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## Tom Kitta (Jun 23, 2020)

The PDF is hosted on a website that hosts other documents and clearly adheres to copyright laws. Most likely the copyright owner simply did not bother to claim his copyright and bring the work down. 

What the lawyer talks about is releasing it to public domain - i.e. you keep copyright but it can be freely distributed - best example is open source software - it is free to use and free to distribute (over simplified here) but you cannot charge $ for it - it comes with a license that tells you what you can do with it.


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## CalgaryPT (Jun 23, 2020)

Dusty said:


> And the info on how I made same.



Beautiful work Bill. 

You're getting dangerously close to falling out of the hobby category here


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## CalgaryPT (Jun 23, 2020)

Dusty said:


> View attachment 9604



Just had to share a trick I leaned from Kyle Voss, the guy from Fab Forums I like.

I do a lot of fab'ing and use a lot of cardboard for templates as well. I use to collect used stuff and cut up boxes too until I saw his video (see below). He uses RAM Board—the stuff for putting on hardwood floors when a house is being built. It's great for fabricating because it is stiff, durable, cheap and thin enough it won't offset your measurement like corrugated board will. You can get it at Home Depot, and I always look for a damaged roll, then go to the sales guy and get him to mark it down to half price or less. I read on the Aircraft Spruce forum that airplane and race car guys say you can saturate the stuff in water and it will conform around larger parts. Rumour says it will dry that way, preserving the contours. This would make sense because the glue used in it probably isn't water soluble as construction guys would be tracking wet, dirty boots across it in a new house. But I've never tried this.

It's great stuff, and if you want thicker you can spray with adhesive like 3M Super 66 and layer it. A trick I learned is that if you spray it with PlastiDip and let it dry, you can roll it in a slip roll and it will keep its shape long enough to cut a curved pattern, which is pretty cool. I also use it in my bead roller to test new patterns out before using the metal sheet.

I pre-cut it off the roll and store it flat so it is ready when I need it. Here's Kyle's video:


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## RobinHood (Jun 23, 2020)

Thanks for sharing those excellent tips @CalgaryPT! Will have to get a roll.


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## Tom O (Jun 23, 2020)

Nice I’ll pass that on to my Son.
( If he buys it I won’t have to )


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## Chicken lights (Jul 12, 2020)

Friend of mine has a oxy-acetylene set of torches at my shop. I used them yesterday on a job I needed a little delicacy. So today I changed the hoses and made up a bracket to store them


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## David_R8 (Jul 12, 2020)

I’ve been bashing away at sheeting the interior of my shop. 











































Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## DPittman (Jul 12, 2020)

Nice. When i built my shop/ garage I did a pretty nice job of finishing it all of with drywall but in hindsight I wish i would have used plywood/ osb sheathing instead, more durable.


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## David_R8 (Jul 12, 2020)

I used plywood in my last shop and really liked it. This is going up well. Only messed up cutting the hole for one outlet. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Tom O (Jul 12, 2020)

Well I can't say that I envy you after doing ours but it does make a big difference in mine temperature wise we used chipboard and changed out the electrical panel for more breakers.
( cutouts for plugs look like they fit what did you do wrong! lol )


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## David_R8 (Jul 12, 2020)

Tom O said:


> ( cutouts for plugs look like they fit what did you do wrong! lol )



The sheet with the one I did mess up got used in a different location. I had no idea that I wanted a plug there 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## YotaBota (Jul 12, 2020)

The plywood is a great idea, I find myself putting up plywood to mount stuff to the wall. You're probably going to swear at me but,,,, when I wired my shop I put all the plugs 4' up the wall so I wouldn't need to try and reach down behind a bench or toolbox to get to a plug.


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## David_R8 (Jul 12, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> The plywood is a great idea, I find myself putting up plywood to mount stuff to the wall. You're probably going to swear at me but,,,, when I wired my shop I put all the plugs 4' up the wall so I wouldn't need to try and reach down behind a bench or toolbox to get to a plug.



Dag nammit Yota, now you tell me. [emoji16]

Actually those plugs on the white wall are the only ones not high up. The balance are all 50” off the floor. 
I have to surface mount ones on the partition wall in the first photo because I didn’t want to drill into the beam. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## DPittman (Jul 12, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> The plywood is a great idea, I find myself putting up plywood to mount stuff to the wall. You're probably going to swear at me but,,,, when I wired my shop I put all the plugs 4' up the wall so I wouldn't need to try and reach down behind a bench or toolbox to get to a plug.


Godd idea.  
I just had a 240 outlet installed and the electrician suggested the outlet be placed about 4ft off the ground. Despite the common sense suggestion I had him place the outlet down low to match the others.  This 240 outlet was a surface mount so I wanted the wire down low.  If I were to build a new shop I would place all the outlets at the 4ft level.


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## Brent H (Jul 13, 2020)

Yes to 1/2” plywood wall covering, outlets at 44” (same as a kitchen back wall) to accommodate work benches, compressed air line with outlets - I have a filter/drier on the one run and a retractable hose at the far end.  I ran that just below upper cabinets with the outlets in between cabinets for access.   If you know where your 240 V machines are going you can add outlets as required.  I have a centre post and on it is a 120 and 2 x 240 volt outlets for the machines I move around - planer,  Edge bander , bandsaw etc.

looking good @David_R8 !


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## Bradells (Jul 13, 2020)

Outlets at 4’ to me are a little low ... coming from a carpentry background, you still can’t lean sheet goods on a wall..

I usually go at a minimum 50” to the bottom of an outlet for this reason (MDO/MDF) are 1” oversized too...

Not as easy to cut out as 48”, but not that hard too... just make a jig/template and router it out, easy peasy.


Brad


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## David_R8 (Jul 13, 2020)

Brent H said:


> Yes to 1/2” plywood wall covering, outlets at 44” (same as a kitchen back wall) to accommodate work benches, compressed air line with outlets - I have a filter/drier on the one run and a retractable hose at the far end.  I ran that just below upper cabinets with the outlets in between cabinets for access.   If you know where your 240 V machines are going you can add outlets as required.  I have a centre post and on it is a 120 and 2 x 240 volt outlets for the machines I move around - planer,  Edge bander , bandsaw etc.
> 
> looking good @David_R8 !


Thanks @Brent H, it's definitely coming along.  I have one wall left to frame in to finish the separate space for the motorcycles.

I also have a centre post that now has a 20A 220 circuit but I am going to move that closer to the overhead door. I'm trying to put as much space as possible between the metalwork and the woodworking areas.

@Bradells I remember reading about MDF being 49" wide so I put my outlets at 50".


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## YotaBota (Jul 13, 2020)

I blame the women,,, I don't see anything wrong with having the motorcycle in the living room and they always want to park their cars in our shops taking up valuable tool space.LOL


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## Janger (Jul 13, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> I blame the women,,, I don't see anything wrong with having the motorcycle in the living room and they always want to park their cars in our shops taking up valuable tool space.LOL



Mountain bikes and computers also belong in the living room.   my eccentric uncle had stacks of bankers boxes full of stuff up to the roof in many rooms. He made piles of boxes and put a door on top as desks. It wasn't hoarding exactly...


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## JohnnyTK (Jul 13, 2020)

I can never cut the outlets out correctly. 3 left to do on the next 2 sheets for my shop.


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## David_R8 (Jul 13, 2020)

JohnnyTK said:


> I can never cut the outlets out correctly. 3 left to do on the next 2 sheets for my shop.



I managed to almost pull it off but messed one up.
I was strategic in where I put the outlets so that they were near the edges of the sheets or a solid reference point like a door jamb. That way measurements were were short, under 13” in from any edge. I checked wall studs for plumb and the roof joists for level. The joists were dead level so that became had a level roofline that I used as my reference. Each sheet has less than 1/16"gap and some have no gap so I'm pretty pleased.


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## Bofobo (Jul 13, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> I’ve been bashing away at sheeting the interior of my shop.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





David_R8 said:


> I’ve been bashing away at sheeting the interior of my shop.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ah! a blue boy! That a 250 or 125?


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## David_R8 (Jul 13, 2020)

Bofobo said:


> Ah! a blue boy! That a 250 or 125?


It's a 2000 125. I bought it for cheap because the owner said it needed a top-end job. When I saw it it wouldn't kick over so I knew it was more serious. 
I have powdercoated the frame to as close to factory colour as possible, new bearings throughout. New OEM crank and rod  and cylinder which was my eBay score of the year, and a Vertex piston. Rebuilt the rear shock and went through the forks. I swapped out the original rear brake setup with the remote master cylinder for a later unit that has the integrated master cylinder.
On reassembling the engine I discovered that one of the internal webs was cracked so I sourced a new case. Now I just have to get my shop back together so I can reassemble it. I don't plan on keeping it as I have another bike resto waiting in the wings, a 1988 Honda Hawk.


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## Bofobo (Jul 14, 2020)

Sounds a lot like the build list of my roommates ‘05 250 except it was a runner that lost shifting onto first and fifth. And Has black factory frame, great bikes, always command the highest resale and are coveted by many. Fun if you are a crazed madman like myself but flying is not my favoured pastime and that’s what a YZ does best, in my case, trees stand still. Looks great!! Very sharp.


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## David_R8 (Jul 20, 2020)

Another wall sheeted and painted tonight. Was 30 degrees inside when I started. Buckets I tell you, buckets. Drank two litres of water during the thrash. 








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## CalgaryPT (Jul 20, 2020)

Yeah but look at your results. Don’t be sad when all that beautiful work is hidden by machines.


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## David_R8 (Jul 20, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> Yeah but look at your results. Don’t be sad when all that beautiful work is hidden by machines.



Thanks Pete, I’m getting closer and closer to having it be usable again. 
Happy days!


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## CalgaryPT (Jul 20, 2020)

And If your garage door faces south like mine check out the thread from me on cheap shade cloth from Home Depot. Wish I had bought some earlier. It allows me to keep my door open in the summer and cuts down on the sun by 60 percent. Huge difference in temperature.


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## David_R8 (Jul 21, 2020)

Thanks Pete, that’s good advice. 
The overheads face north but at this time of year I get a lot of afternoon sun on the West side so I may put an awning over my west side window. 


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## DPittman (Jul 21, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> Yeah but look at your results. Don’t be sad when all that beautiful work is hidden by machines.


You will also be sad when you accidently make your first ding in that nice wall.


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## David_R8 (Jul 21, 2020)

DPittman said:


> You will also be sad when you accidently make your first ding in that nice wall.


It's 1/2" ply so I hope it takes a bit of abuse


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## DPittman (Jul 21, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> It's 1/2" ply so I hope it takes a bit of abuse


Oh yes you will be glad you did that.   It is so smooth it looks like drywall.


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## Janger (Jul 21, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> It's 1/2" ply so I hope it takes a bit of abuse


Good idea David!


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## David_R8 (Jul 21, 2020)

Thanks @DPittman and @Janger
In another forum I was questioned re my choice because of plywood's lack of fire resistance vs. fire resistant OSB or fireguard drywall.

My thinking is that fire risk comes from sparks hitting piles of dust and flammable debris such as sawdust.
I only TIG and MIG (no flux core or stick) so there's very little sparks. Any grinding is in a dedicated area that I keep very clean or I prop up barriers to contain sparks.

IMHO the possibility of a solid sheet of plywood catching fire from a shower of sparks from grinder or MIG is very small. I agree that there's fire risk with open flame and wood interiors but that's never my situation. All of my spark-producing work is pretty short duration.

My space has an 8ft high flat roof and has open roof rafters. Any fire that starts is going upward and then it's all over. But this is my opinion and I feel comfortable with these choices.

If I regularly used open flame in my shop I would have used something different.


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## Tom O (Jul 21, 2020)

We have OBS in ours with drywall on the ceiling it holds the heat well in the winter months and for the summer we have a inline exhaust fan (Amazon) controlled by a temp control (PA) where you can set the on off temperatures for max heat or cold start temperature it’s plumbed to a roof vent we put in.


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## David_R8 (Jul 21, 2020)

Tom O said:


> We have OBS in ours with drywall on the ceiling it holds the heat well in the winter months and for the summer we have a inline exhaust fan (Amazon) controlled by a temp control (PA) where you can set the on off temperatures for max heat or cold start temperature it’s plumbed to a roof vent we put in.


I'm considering adding a fan but I'll need to vent out the  side. I was wondering about a temp controlled switch. PA = Princess Auto?


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## Tom O (Jul 21, 2020)

Yes from Princess Auto I’ll put up a pic of it later here’s the fan plumbed to the roof vent.


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## Tom O (Jul 21, 2020)

This is the control from Princess A.


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## YYCHM (Jul 21, 2020)

Tom O said:


> Yes from Princess Auto I’ll put up a pic of it later here’s the fan plumbed to the roof vent.
> 
> View attachment 10248



What did that fan set you back Tom?


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## David_R8 (Jul 21, 2020)

More progress tonight. 
Last night I cut near 2 ft off the right end of my bench. 
Hung my parts bin rack and a wall cabinet. Not sure about the cabinet to be honest. But at least I can see the floor now. 
The tablesaw and upright bandsaw will go against the wall to the right of the bench. Trying to get some separation between wood and metal tools. 







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## YYCHM (Jul 21, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> More progress tonight.
> Last night I cut near 2 ft off the right end of my bench.
> Hung my parts bin rack and a wall cabinet. Not sure about the cabinet to be honest. But at least I can see the floor now.
> The tablesaw and upright bandsaw will go against the wall to the right of the bench. Trying to get some separation between wood and metal tools.
> ...



Which bench did you cut 2' off?  I see 3, maybe 4 benches.  I like your lathe bench, looks nice and solid.


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## David_R8 (Jul 21, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Which bench did you cut 2' off? I see 3, maybe 4 benches. I like your lathe bench, looks nice and solid.



Thanks , the lathe bench has an interesting background. The top is part of an old fir beam from Safeway store that was torn down in Vancouver. 

I took the end off the big grey bench with all the drawers in the middle of the photo. 
I have a dozen 22” full extension 100lb capacity drawer slides that I’m eventually going to turn into a new bench. That one is falling apart but it came with the garage. 


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## CalgaryPT (Jul 22, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Thanks @DPittman and @Janger
> In another forum I was questioned re the my choice because of the plywood's lack of fire resistance vs. fire resistant OSB or fireguard drywall.
> 
> ...


Not sure if there is empirical data to back it up, but I have heard that during spark tests the issue of material is less important than the joints. For example, if you shoot sparks at OSB, pressboard, drywall, plywood, etc., the risk is minimal. It's when the sparks get in between the joints, or the gaps at the top and base of the material where they encounter sawdust, vapour barrier, insulation, dust, etc., that is problematic. This stuff can be flammable and fires can smoulder for a while before igniting. Once the fire starts, the choice of material is more important (but too late to change). 

Ideally, we'd only weld and grind in cinder block commercial shops. But the same can be said of cooking in your own kitchen vs. a commercial one. At some point you need to be practical and tolerate some risk. Sealing the joints in any wall is a good idea. Keeping the shop clean is another way (I try to do a regular big clean in my shop, including vacuuming the joints and gaps—which you should do before moving your tools and machines in anyway).

If I were to do it over again I'd stagger concrete backer board on drywall, both with sealed joints. Having said that, your plywood approach has a distinct advantage in a shop my solution wouldn't be good for: the plywood provides a convenient and solid background for hanging tools, attaching fixtures, shelving, etc. I'm willing to bet a lot accidents can be avoided in a crowded shop if it were just easier to attach things to the wall. So you get marks for that David. My heavy shelves are stud located obviously; but there are lots of places in the shop I would have liked to hang things, but didn't because there was no stud.

I think you're going to enjoy your new space. In my experience fire departments are impressed as heck when a homeowner has a fire extinguisher _anywhere _in their home. So you're already ahead of the pack.


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## David_R8 (Jul 22, 2020)

Thanks @CalgaryPT, I tried very hard to minimize any gaps and for the most part was successful as no gap is more than a 1/32". I ran the sheets vertically so that I would take advantage of the factory edges which were remarkably straight. 

I actually have two 10 lb ABC extinguishers, one on the central post and one by the entry door. Nothing is plugged in unless I'm in the shop. 

The ply is definitely a plus for ease of hanging brackets etc for light weight items. Heavy things need the added security of stud mounting. For example, the blue bin rack is stud mounted down the length of one side as its weight is considerable when fully loaded.


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## YotaBota (Jul 22, 2020)

I'm having my own issues with a combined wood/metal shop. I've got curtains around my lathe and mill trying keep the swarf in and covers on the lathe and mill to try and keep the saw dust out. I had to cut a pressboard and mactac table top (1 1/4 thick) with the skil saw and the dust is everywhere. Ya, I know, should have taken it outside. On a positive note I can now see all the cobwebs.
You shop is really taking shape, it makes the hobby so much better when you have a place you want to work in.


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## francist (Jul 22, 2020)

I don’t do a lot of hard grinding in my shop nor a huge amount of welding, but when I do I have a smallish area that I curtain-off using 20 mil vinyl that hangs from some steel angle on the ceiling. I just use 1” rare earth magnets to hang the curtains (hence the use of the 1” angle) so when I don’t need them they’re just rolled up in a corner somewhere. Any obvious joints in either the ceiling (painted plywood panels) or adjoining wood members are taped over using foil HVAC tape. The stuff sticks to everything, is obviously heat resistant, and is pretty neat. The only down side is you end up with shiny foil stripes all around but that doesn’t really bother me — helps with light reflection 

-frank


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## David_R8 (Jul 22, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> I'm having my own issues with a combined wood/metal shop. I've got curtains around my lathe and mill trying keep the swarf in and covers on the lathe and mill to try and keep the saw dust out. I had to cut a pressboard and mactac table top (1 1/4 thick) with the skil saw and the dust is everywhere. Ya, I know, should have taken it outside. On a positive note I can now see all the cobwebs.
> You shop is really taking shape, it makes the hobby so much better when you have a place you want to work in.



Thanks! 
It’s definitely coming together. At this point I feel like I have moved everything at least six times. The big pieces are making way to their homes. 

Tonight I hung cabinets and moved the tablesaw and jointer to their new homes. 







The engine hoist is where it’s going to be stored.






The blue motorcycle is going behind the wall that’s going in behind the black tool box. Building that wall is next on the to-do list. 







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## Chicken lights (Jul 22, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Thanks!
> It’s definitely coming together. At this point I feel like I have moved everything at least six times. The big pieces are making way to their homes.
> 
> Tonight I hung cabinets and moved the tablesaw and jointer to their new homes.
> ...


How do you like the Husky box?


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## David_R8 (Jul 22, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> How do you like the Husky box?



Generally I like it. I bought it used for $200. The casters were absolutely locked up so it wouldn’t turn. I had to give them a thorough clean and lube before it was movable in anything other than a drunken circle. 


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## Chicken lights (Jul 22, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Generally I like it. I bought it used for $200. The casters were absolutely locked up so it wouldn’t turn. I had to give them a thorough clean and lube before it was movable in anything other than a drunken circle.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


No grease fitting?


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## David_R8 (Jul 22, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> No grease fitting?



Not that I found. 
I think what happened was that it sat in one spot and the ball bearings in the swivel races just seized up. They would swivel without weight but as soon as any weight was applied the just stuck in one direction. 
I literally had to kick them to make them go straight when I first unloaded it. 


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## Chicken lights (Jul 22, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Not that I found.
> I think what happened was that it sat in one spot and the ball bearings in the swivel races just seized up. They would swivel without weight but as soon as any weight was applied the just stuck in one direction.
> I literally had to kick them to make them go straight when I first unloaded it.
> 
> ...


Ugh that’s annoying


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## David_R8 (Jul 22, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Ugh that’s annoying



Yup. 
I don’t move it much though that may change given that I actually have space. 
Ideally I’d like casters that switch from swiveling to fixed. I have no idea if such a thing exists. 


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## DPittman (Jul 22, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Yup.
> I don’t move it much though that may change given that I actually have space.
> Ideally I’d like casters that switch from swiveling to fixed. I have no idea if such a thing exists.
> 
> ...


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## David_R8 (Jul 22, 2020)

I’d just like the ability to push it straight back against a wall instead of doing a three point turn in a cramped space. 
Apparently they are a thing. 

https://www.colsoncaster.com/accessory/swivel-lock/


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## Tom O (Jul 23, 2020)

My toolboxes are all set and forget I wouldn’t mind some cabinets though it would clear a lot of bench area.


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## David_R8 (Jul 24, 2020)

More progress tonight. 
Finally got the two motorcycles side by side where they belong. 







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## Brent H (Jul 24, 2020)

So the lawn mower and gas cans and other “bombs” in the garage where I weld and grind and such had to move.   I have a 700 square foot shop for other stuff like machining and wood working:





So the lawn stuff cannot go there.  Decided to build a wee barn beside the big shop:





Building the roof on the ground and will lift into place with the neighbours fork truck And a few other - get it there things





Weather has been great and things going fast .


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## Hruul (Jul 24, 2020)

Brent, is that loft area for material storage?


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## Brent H (Jul 24, 2020)

@Hruul - yes.  The “barn” is an 8x10 footprint with a 13 x 8 roof.  Trusses all have a 2x6 bottom. Door will open in the front for longer piece access


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## Brent H (Jul 24, 2020)

@David_R8 : this is the wall I put in for my tool chest:


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## David_R8 (Jul 24, 2020)

Brent H said:


> @David_R8 : this is the wall I put in for my tool chest:
> 
> View attachment 10290



Did you build that for the additional wall space?


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## Brent H (Jul 24, 2020)

@David_R8 : yes totally.  It is also on hinges so I can swing it out of the way (once I move the opener (oops)).   But it moved my car mechanic type tools closer to where I use them and on the other side is my parts washer and the big tool grinder I bought (hence the opening wall).  For the most part the wall will just be there (99% of the time).  

The garage is split 60/40 so my wife has the 60% for the car and her school stuff and I have  40%, but also the shop and the wee barn etc but that is off set by the basement etc. as far as “sharing goes” LOL. 

I can shoot you a panorama of the main shop if you are interested.


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## Hruul (Jul 24, 2020)

Brent H said:


> @Hruul - yes.  The “barn” is an 8x10 footprint with a 13 x 8 roof.  Trusses all have a 2x6 bottom. Door will open in the front for longer piece access


Hmm, interesting, thanks.  I may have to use something similar when I replace my backyard shed.


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## Bofobo (Jul 24, 2020)

Hruul said:


> Hmm, interesting, thanks.  I may have to use something similar when I replace my backyard shed.


Being under 6’ i put a shelf at 6’5” all the way around and put in a removable section leaving a space large enough to pass a Rubbermaid tote up. Full 8’ studs for the walls because a short shed is like a small lathe


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## Brent H (Jul 24, 2020)

@Hruul  I can send you the rough plans if it all works out


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## David_R8 (Jul 24, 2020)

Brent H said:


> @David_R8 : yes totally. It is also on hinges so I can swing it out of the way (once I move the opener (oops)). But it moved my car mechanic type tools closer to where I use them and on the other side is my parts washer and the big tool grinder I bought (hence the opening wall). For the most part the wall will just be there (99% of the time).
> 
> The garage is split 60/40 so my wife has the 60% for the car and her school stuff and I have 40%, but also the shop and the wee barn etc but that is off set by the basement etc. as far as “sharing goes” LOL.
> 
> I can shoot you a panorama of the main shop if you are interested.



Gotcha. 
A panorama shot would be great!


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## Chicken lights (Jul 24, 2020)

If I ever own/build a shop it’s getting a sea can or a compressor room off the back. Somewhere to house the compressor and all the tools you rarely use. Something to isolate the compressor noise from the shop workspace. I’d also have a separate office 

My uncle has one with a small apartment on the mezzanine, it’s pretty trick. Looks like a shop from the outside but a 1 bedroom one bath with kitchen is hidden in there. 

Lots to dream about. 

If I REALLY wanted to dream I’d have a 40’x80’ shop with two floors, 16’ ceilings in the bottom floor with 8’ ceilings in the second floor


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## Hruul (Jul 27, 2020)

Brent H said:


> @Hruul  I can send you the rough plans if it all works out


Sure, that would be great.  Thanks.


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## David_R8 (Aug 4, 2020)

More progress over the long weekend. 








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## DPittman (Aug 4, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> More progress over the long weekend.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks like a great working space, neat and tidy and well thought out.


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## David_R8 (Aug 4, 2020)

DPittman said:


> Looks like a great working space, neat and tidy and well thought out.


Thanks, it's coming along. So much better now that I don't have to move a big whack of stuff to get to the bench or move around inside.


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 4, 2020)

That's looking really good David. You're going to have many years of fun in there.


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## YotaBota (Aug 4, 2020)

If you find the door opener getting in the way try one of these
https://www.liftmaster.com/8500-wall-mount-garage-door-openers/p/8500
I put one in a while back and the extra height is great when swinging around taller stuff.


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## David_R8 (Aug 4, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> If you find the door opener getting in the way try one of these
> https://www.liftmaster.com/8500-wall-mount-garage-door-openers/p/8500
> I put one in a while back and the extra height is great when swinging around taller stuff.



Interesting idea.
I thought about switching to a roll up door but they are expensive.
The only challenge is that I have minimal space on the side of my track.
It would all depend on the width of the unit.
@YotaBota who did you get the unit from? Can I ask the ballpark price?

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## YotaBota (Aug 5, 2020)

Here is the link
https://overheaddoorparts.ca/collec...ducts/liftmaster-8500c?variant=29442761850966
I also bought the battery backup s I'm out west of Sooke as power outages are common and it works well.
The manual says you need 8" of room from the wall to the end of the pipe. There is a collar that attaches to the drive unit and the end of the pipe and just spins the pipe to raise/lower the door.
I looked into the roll ups as well but like you they were to much money


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## David_R8 (Aug 5, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> Here is the link
> https://overheaddoorparts.ca/collec...ducts/liftmaster-8500c?variant=29442761850966
> I also bought the battery backup s I'm out west of Sooke as power outages are common and it works well.
> The manual says you need 8" of room from the wall to the end of the pipe. There is a collar that attaches to the drive unit and the end of the pipe and just spins the pipe to raise/lower the door.
> I looked into the roll ups as well but like you they were to much money


That's fantastic. Not a bad price really. Especially since it looks like a DIY-possible and there's the possibility to recover some by reselling the old opener.


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## YotaBota (Aug 5, 2020)

DIY is totally doable, I installed mine, it's still on the wall and it passed the cardboard box crush test after all the sensors were adjusted.
I'd have gone with the roll up to get rid of the rails if they weren't so expensive but this is a good compromise.


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## David_R8 (Aug 5, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> DIY is totally doable, I installed mine, it's still on the wall and it passed the cardboard box crush test after all the sensors were adjusted.
> I'd have gone with the roll up to get rid of the rails if they weren't so expensive but this is a good compromise.


The rails for my doors are pretty unobtrusive.
One rail for each door is attached directly to the beam that runs down the centre of the space. The other rails are about 9"-10" away from the outside wall. I'll measure to be sure.

I'd love to have access to the ceiling space with the doors open but $1500+ per door for a roll-up is way too steep for me.


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## Chicken lights (Aug 5, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> The rails for my doors are pretty unobtrusive.
> One rail for each door is attached directly to the beam that runs down the centre of the space. The other rails are about 9"-10" away from the outside wall. I'll measure to be sure.
> 
> I'd love to have access to the ceiling space with the doors open but $1500+ per door for a roll-up is way too steep for me.


I grumble every time I have to slide my main shop door open....but it is nice to not have all that junk up there like if I had a garage door.


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## David_R8 (Aug 5, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> I grumble every time I have to slide my main shop door open....but it is nice to not have all that junk up there like if I had a garage door.


I totally hear you there. I'd love to have roll-ups but would rather spend the cash on tools


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## David_R8 (Aug 7, 2020)

I spent some time with SketchUp this week and drew out the shop. No stuff in it but this should give folks an idea of what the space looks like.
The lathe and mill are on the wall with the passage door and the workbench is under the window on the long wall.
The walled off area is for the motorcycles.


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## Dabbler (Aug 8, 2020)

@YotaBota that door opener is quite a nice unit.  I almost bought one from the U.S. before the Covid thing hit.  Now I'm thinking about manual, just to save money...


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## YotaBota (Aug 8, 2020)

The shop in Vernon was the best price at the time and they were really good to deal with. I just looked at Amazon.com and they are $700 shipped from the states, much better to stay here and shop.
When I brought the mill home I was able to back the truck into the shop and just lift it straight up and out without hitting anything.


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## Clearcutter (Aug 8, 2020)

So glad I found this Forum!
This has been my project during the Covid. I have a small 15x20 shop that is a constant challenge to fit things into and still keep it workable. I have been working on cabinets the last couple months which has been a huge help. They are done and painted but I still have to finish the doors.

Scott


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## YYCHM (Aug 8, 2020)

Clearcutter said:


> So glad I found this Forum!
> This has been my project during the Covid. I have a small 15x20 shop that is a constant challenge to fit things into and still keep it workable. I have been working on cabinets the last couple months which has been a huge help. They are done and painted but I still have to finish the doors.
> 
> Scott




Nice!  Model RC enthusiast are we?  Are those electric?


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## Clearcutter (Aug 8, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Nice!  Model RC enthusiast are we?  Are those electric?


I was really involved with RC years ago, But have barely touched them lately and sold most. That's what I have left. All electric yes.


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## YYCHM (Aug 8, 2020)

Clearcutter said:


> So glad I found this Forum!
> This has been my project during the Covid. I have a small 15x20 shop that is a constant challenge to fit things into and still keep it workable. I have been working on cabinets the last couple months which has been a huge help. They are done and painted but I still have to finish the doors.
> 
> Scott



Need pics of your lathe as well....


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## David_R8 (Aug 8, 2020)

Welcome to the forum @Clearcutter


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## Clearcutter (Aug 8, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Welcome to the forum @Clearcutter
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Thanks David,  I see you have a Honda Hawk! Love those bikes. I had two in the late 90's. Sure wish I had kept one. I have an NC700 now and a bunch of old CT's that I play with.


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## PeterT (Aug 8, 2020)

Welcome. HaHa, 7000 items in that shop and my eye goes straight to the ceiling models. 
I'm an RC guy too. But Mother Nature has not been cooperating this year & summers are short. Seems like every weekend she puts the sprinkler on or leaves the fan on High.


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 9, 2020)

Clearcutter said:


> So glad I found this Forum!
> This has been my project during the Covid. I have a small 15x20 shop that is a constant challenge to fit things into and still keep it workable. I have been working on cabinets the last couple months which has been a huge help. They are done and painted but I still have to finish the doors.
> 
> Scott


Beautifully organized shop


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## Brent H (Aug 9, 2020)

Hey @Hruul the baby Barn came together very well and the loft space is great!  I was able to put all my excess wood from the shop up there and get it out of the way.  I do not have the "finished" pics but I will show what I have.  The roof was totally built on the ground and then my neighbour popped over with his fork lift and we strapped it up and set it in place - was great!  only took me about 2 hours to shingle the whole thing as it was on the ground.


















The heat has bent over the shingles that were sticking out already and the lawn mower etc is all stored away.  I added a couple 6x6 support/decorative braces at 45 dgress at the front.  It is all capped in now and I put a bunch of lumber up top.  I had to leave for work before I could get all the siding a trim on but it is all closed in.

@David_R8 :  Here is my shop layout and some panorama pics:


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 9, 2020)

That's _really_ great progress and nice work to boot.

When I built a half-gable storage shed next to my house for my snowblowers, I decided to over-build the framing. Instead of 24" OC I built to 16" OC and properly fishmouthed the rafters. It's vinyl-sided to match the house perfectly, and the framing was intentional. I strung chains from the top plates and can now slide up to 14' long flat bar and tubing across it for long term metal storage. The shed has doors and ramps on each end for the snowblowers and lawnmowers, and the chains make it super easy to slide in metal and store it long term. But one issue emerged—rust.

I now have a 12V solar panel on the roof that charges an Optima battery. This powers LED lights, an alarm system, and a circulating fan. Since I added the fan, rust is down to a minimum on the metal stock. It's controlled by an Arduino that senses humidity and turns itself on and off as needed. It's made a big difference in the rust compared to when I first built the shed years ago.

The rust lesson I learned the hard way. I had purchased a large quantity of flat bar at a good price for future use; two years later I had to put a lot of sanding into it to make it useable. The doors on my shed are not weather sealed, but pretty well fitting. I didn't expect the rust that I got though. It got me thinking about the expensive machines I store in there, and how the moisture was affecting them.

The last thing I added to my shed was an open door alarm (amber flashing light in pic). I did this because my shed is beside my shop (attached garage) and I was frequently going back and forth between the shop and the shed. Inevitably I'd leave one of the two shed doors open, and sometimes my neighbour would let me know. With $6K of machines in there this seemed like a bad thing. So I added a flashing light and buzzer to the doors that are wired in series as a NC switch. Now the light flashes in the shop if I've left the door open and the buzzer alerts (if I enabled it). I've never left it open since.

Those are my lessons learned. Your storage space is much more robust and nicer than mine, but I suspect our requirements are somewhat similar.

Great job. I wish I had space like you (and neighbours with a forklift). My neighbour once refused to help me lift a box out of my truck because he said he'd "have to buy a work shirt first."

Keep up the great work @Brent H and the pics. Such a nice shop you're going to have


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## Janger (Aug 9, 2020)

Hey Peter - so if it gets humid in the shed the fan runs? What setting is "humid"?. Does it run in the winter? pretty cool.


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## Brent H (Aug 9, 2020)

@CalgaryPT : that is a great idea with the chain and hanging the stock - keeps it well above "sitting is water" - excellent!!!

Our municipality is quite strict with out buildings and the size of things - I wanted my shop to be bigger or at least have a wing for painting etc but we are limited to 735 Sq Ft  and then you need to apply for permits, pay more money for "grading and septic".  We have just over 2 acres so you would think a 35 x 40 would not be an issue - but it is.  My neighbour with the fork lift ended up building 4 shops all together that are 700 Sq ft each because the neighbours squashed his original larger shop concept.  Crazy dumb and now they stare at the side of 2 of his shops instead of trees and things as he moved the shops right on over from where he was going to put the bigger one.

I took over half the garage as my "welding" area  so I think I have expanded pretty well.  With my middle lad starting up an HVAC business and also needing space: things will get a bit tight until he moves off for his own space - LOL

For ventilation in the baby barn my Fork lift neighbour (he runs a roofing company) gave me a solar powered vent fan that he received as a demo - works great!  not humidity controlled but pretty slick!  Your Alarm Idea is excellent as well!


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 9, 2020)

Janger said:


> Hey Peter - so if it gets humid in the shed the fan runs? What setting is "humid"?. Does it run in the winter? pretty cool.


Correct. I've tried both the DHT11 and DHT22 sensors. "Humid" is relative; I just played with the sketch code while putting the sensors next to a boiling kettle closer and closer to tweak it. I watched the serial output from the Arduino to decide when I thought it was "humid." But the best thing I did was to test it over several weeks in the spring; after a rainy day if it didn't kick in I would adjust the code so that the fan would engage. Then I played with how long the fan stayed on, re-sampled the analog inputs, and ran the loop again. If you combine the temp output with the humidity setting and add a duration loop, you get a reasonable algorithm. I never quantified it with other test instruments; I just know it kicks in after rainstorms and the rust is almost absent on my stock now (tested over several years).

The hydroponics industry sells OTC sensors that do this. I used to grow hot peppers in my basement before we developed it and I used them. They are so sophisticated now you can program them to open roof vents to do a "harsh discharge" when it get too moist or hot. PA sells lots of 12V automotive fans that work, but you can ramp it up with small barn fans or bigger fans obviously.

My sensor/controller is on loan to a friend for his hot pepper greenhouse and I hope to have it back in a few weeks. But if I were doing it over again I would just buy a controller from the hydroponics industry.

It doesn't kick in during winter.


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 9, 2020)

Brent H said:


> @CalgaryPT :
> 
> Our municipality is quite strict with out buildings and the size of things - I wanted my shop to be bigger or at least have a wing for painting etc but we are limited to 735 Sq Ft  and then you need to apply for permits...


Calgary is the same, maybe even more anal.

I have two sheds, and technically I think I am slightly over the sq. footage limits for my yard size, or pretty close. Most complaints WRT outbuildings relate to their "unsightliness," which is why I went the extra mile to match them to my house colour and materials. I snowblow all my neighbours' sidewalks, so if they want to turn me in, have at 'er. (Then shovel your own walks.)

Having worked for government for 30 years and written multiple bylaws I am pretty respectful of community standards. But realistically I know Bylaw Officers mostly respond to complaints, and unless you have a neighbour from *ell, and you are reasonable, you're OK.


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## YYCHM (Aug 9, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> Calgary is the same, maybe more anal.
> 
> I have two sheds, and technically I think I am slightly over the sq. footage limits for my yard size, or pretty close.



Hey Pete,

Are we talking permanent structures here or does that apply to your common comes in a box metal garden shed as well?

I ask because I know someone in a high end NW neighbourhood that has a least 5 12'X12' sheds in his back yard LOL.


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 9, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Hey Pete,
> 
> Are we talking permanent structures here or does that apply to your common comes in a box metal garden shed as well?
> 
> I ask because I know someone in a high end NW neighbourhood that has a least 5 12'X12' sheds in his back yard LOL.


I've been retired for a while, so am not as current with regulations as I used to be. But generally speaking a structure in Calgary under 107 square feet does not require a permit, foundation or not. There are exceptions, such as a structure attached to a house, tent garages, and most municipalities don't allow you to "no-pool" your outbuildings (Calgary included). This means you can't get around the square foot rule by having two or more separate out-buildings that collectively exceed the 107 square foot rule for the given lot size. It would be in the Community Standards Bylaw, Land Use Bylaw or zoning restrictions (permit required) to go past a specific percentage of your lot footage devoted to outbuildings. I think it used to be 20%, but again I'd have to double check...it might be lower. This caveat was added years ago specifically because people would try to get around the outbuilding cap by having multiple sheds—thinking the municipality wouldn't figure it out (they do).

There will also be restrictions in Calgary and other places related to set-backs from the street, utility ROWs (Rights of Way), as well as adjacent lot lines and even possible overland drainage (actually a big issue).

FYI, in municipalities with sophisticated GIS systems that do aerial surveys (like Calgary), they spatially correct the images they take and feed them into software that can analyse the footprint of your outbuildings and compare it to your lot size. Using this information they can verify assessments for tax purposes, and calculate whether or not your outbuildings, deck size, swimming pool, unidriveway, etc., exceed what is permitted for your given zoning. Based on this, the municipality can legally reassess your property or send out bylaw officials for specific violations. Outbuildings are one example.

They also have more sophisticated technology that can detect thermal anomalies such as grow ops. This, and other technology from the same pics was in fact used to find dead bodies outside of Calgary (Airdrie) in the infamous Douglas Garland murders several years ago. I recall seeing some thermal peaks in a residential image once no one could figure out. They were off the charts for the residential area and really baffled the analysts. It turned out to be a blacksmith forge in a backyard.

Unless the municipality is hard up for cash (and certainly not in an election year), they don't do this kind of analysis routinely. But they will do it when there is a complaint. And generally speaking, they don't do it every year—often every second year (due to budgeting). So if in your example a complaint is lodged, the first thing The City will do is check the latest aerial survey and compare outbuilding size to lot size as a percentage. This is automated.

If you ever see people putting camo netting on their out-buildings or RVs in the fall, they are doing so because they understand _when_ municipalities do this aerial photography. I've seen examples of it when I still worked for government. It always occurs in the fall season because this is what is known as "leaf off" season—or the time of year when the leaves fall off the trees and the planes can photograph the buildings (and determine square footage) better. Using thermal imagery, a municipality can distinguish the thermal signature of an outbuilding from the primary residence.

In rural areas, townships generally don't have the money to do this kind of aerial photography as cities do. However, if you live in a township or place such as Airdrie that is just barely outside municipal limits you might get photographed—big cities usually fly over an "overlap" area that will include your town. This is how Douglas Garland was caught and the bodies were noticed—it was Calgary doing the flyover that took the pictures.

Having said all this, I have a recommendation for people that are upset because a neighbour possibly built/erected oversize outbuildings for storage, or they are welding or grinding in their garage, etc. Unless there is an environmental or safety hazard, or the violation has a big impact on you or your property (e.g., overland drainage), think seriously before reporting someone. A minor issue like having an outbuilding a few square feet over the limit can cause irreparable relationship damage in a neighbourhood far exceeding the small infraction itself. Often the issues can be resolved with a simple conversation between neighbours.

Sorry for the rant


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## David_R8 (Aug 10, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> I've been retired for a while, so am not as current with regulations as I used to be. But generally speaking a structure in Calgary under 107 square feet does not require a permit, foundation or not. There are exceptions, such as a structure attached to a house, tent garages, and most municipalities don't allow you to "no-pool" your outbuildings (Calgary included). This means you can't get around the square foot rule by having two or more separate out-buildings that collectively exceed the 107 square foot rule for the given lot size. It would be in the Community Standards Bylaw, Land Use Bylaw or zoning restrictions (permit required) to go past a specific percentage of your lot footage devoted to outbuildings. I think it used to be 20%, but again I'd have to double check...it might be lower. This caveat was added years ago specifically because people would try to get around the outbuilding cap by having multiple sheds—thinking the municipality wouldn't figure it out (they do).
> 
> There will also be restrictions in Calgary and other places related to set-backs from the street, utility ROWs (Rights of Way), as well as adjacent lot lines and even possible overland drainage (actually a big issue).
> 
> ...


In my previous property I wanted to build a 12' x 16' 'shop' where a single car garage stood before I bought the place.
Went to the muni and got the third degree about needing full-on architectural drawings to build anything more than a shed.
I asked if I could have more than one 107 sq ft shed and they said no problem, just mind the setbacks.

So I built two 8' x 12' sheds. Built them as two separate units and bolted them together. Each half had a door and a window, roofed it in steel and put an overlap at the join of the two sheds.

Sold the place a few years later and the buyer wanted a survey. I gave them the survey that we got from the municpality and lo and behold it showed a garage, right where my shop was. Who would have thought it would work out like that?


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## YotaBota (Aug 10, 2020)

I saw an article a while back about a guy who couldn't build bigger or higher so he went lower. Built the shop below ground level and had a shed and grass on top. I think it was Halifax, the city probably amended the bylaws after that.


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## Bofobo (Aug 10, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> I saw an article a while back about a guy who couldn't build bigger or higher so he went lower. Built the shop below ground level and had a shed and grass on top. I think it was Halifax, the city probably amended the bylaws after that.


The YouTuber Colin furze has something like this in his Garden in the UK. The bunker.


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## historicalarms (Aug 10, 2020)

Craig, in Calgary there are city ordinances on development, but in some city communities there are also "restrictive covenants" installed by the developer, in all lot agreements that everyone in the community must sign before a lot # address is issued to them...and believe me some of them can be very restrictive, I built all the streets& lots in Aspen Estates 15 years ago & those owners can't even build a bird house in their back yard with out neighbor's throwing a fit.  These covenants can restrict the # & height of trees and shrubbery you plant in a yard. I even had to ask a lot owner to remove a mountain rock the size of a recliner chair from his back yard after a complaint from his neighbor that it was "unsightly because the birds were staining it by crapping on it"....


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## BMW Rider (Aug 11, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> If you find the door opener getting in the way try one of these
> https://www.liftmaster.com/8500-wall-mount-garage-door-openers/p/8500
> I put one in a while back and the extra height is great when swinging around taller stuff.



I have the older version of that opener on my garage addition door. Its a high lift door to clear my car lift, so a conventional opener would not work. If I had to replace the opener on the other door I would not even consider a conventional opener and would use one of these on it too. The deadbolt feature is really nice for the added security.


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## David_R8 (Aug 14, 2020)

Added a steel top to my bench. 
Before:







After:






And removed 99% of the hideous gold paint from my Record 34P vise. 
Before:






After:







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## YYCHM (Aug 14, 2020)

How did you get the front edge of your steel top rolled over so nicely like that?  What thickness is it?


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## YotaBota (Aug 14, 2020)

And here I thought everyone needed a golden vise lol. Is the cabinet map drawers?


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## Tom O (Aug 15, 2020)

Nice top I have a 4 X4 table like that for welding, for the Causing lathe we put a 2" desktop on dads plywood one.


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## David_R8 (Aug 15, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> How did you get the front edge of your steel top rolled over so nicely like that? What thickness is it?



The top actually came from a Gap store display table that a fellow was selling. 
I originally bought it for the steel base as the ad said it had a Formica or melamine top. When I picked it up I discovered that it had a steel top. 

There were two layers of 1/2” MDF under the steel so was bloody heavy to move about. 
It was 73.75” long and about 30” wide. I cut it to 22” wide to fit over the top of my existing bench. 

I’d say the steel is a good 1/16” thick. I’ll measure it tomorrow. 


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## David_R8 (Aug 15, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> And here I thought everyone needed a golden vise lol. Is the cabinet map drawers?



The cabinet came out of the Royal Jubilee hospital during one of their renovations. It’s a good 40 years old. 


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## DPittman (Aug 15, 2020)

Very nice bench. I think steel is the best bench top.


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## Tom O (Aug 15, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> The cabinet came out of the Royal Jubilee hospital during one of their renovations. It’s a good 40 years old.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I was born there we use to go there and eat at the cafeteria


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## David_R8 (Aug 16, 2020)

And the wall is sheeted!
Next up is build the door frame and hang the door. 
Originally I thought I’d put in a pocket door. I thought about the framing for a pocket door and how it would limit what I could hang on the wall. So I’m going with a standard 2-8 door that will open toward the drill press. 












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## David_R8 (Aug 16, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> How did you get the front edge of your steel top rolled over so nicely like that? What thickness is it?



I just measured the top. It’s 14 gauge so definitely took some oomph to shear and bend it.
This is a shot of the underside of the piece I cut off. I don’t know what the little square piece is for as nothing was attached to it. 







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## David_R8 (Aug 16, 2020)

And the door is in!
This was a really big step as it separates the bikes from the mess of sawdust etc. 
Let’s us get our riding gear out of the house and stored with the bikes. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	






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## Chicken lights (Aug 16, 2020)

Looks good!


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## David_R8 (Aug 16, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Looks good!



Thanks! 
It’s hotter than blazes here so yesterday and today have been a slog [emoji3062]


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## DPittman (Aug 16, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Thanks!
> It’s hotter than blazes here so yesterday and today have been a slog [emoji3062]
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


35 degrees here right now.


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## David_R8 (Aug 16, 2020)

DPittman said:


> 35 degrees here right now.



That’s too hot for man or beast!


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## Chicken lights (Aug 16, 2020)

Thankfully it’s cooled down now that the suns going down


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## DPittman (Aug 16, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> View attachment 10691
> 
> Thankfully it’s cooled down now that the suns going down


Now THAT'S too hot for man or beast.  Once it hits 30 degrees, every degree after that feels like 10 to me. It just tuckers me out.


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## Chicken lights (Aug 16, 2020)

DPittman said:


> Now THAT'S too hot for man or beast.  Once it hits 30 degrees, every degree after that feels like 10 to me. It just tuckers me out.


I’ll take -10C over +40C anyday


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## historicalarms (Aug 17, 2020)

Yup...Texas heat...3 of us helped tarp a couple loads in the mid-day heat, the yard manager offered the use of the employees shower afterwards...we discovered we couldn't dry off after the shower...too much sweating.


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## historicalarms (Aug 17, 2020)

My kid brother tells the story of his first tour of working in Dubai (don't know how he did it, very light skinned red head). He was taping down some piping on a trailer for a rig move . H says he laid a roll of "red green duct tape" on the metal trailer frame rail for 15 minutes while he did something on the other side of the trailer, when he returned there was a small puddle of plastic with a ball of cord sitting in the middle.


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## David_R8 (Aug 17, 2020)

The hottest place I've ever been was working in LV.  Did a 6-week stint there in July building some telecom out by the race track. After we had a number of aerosol paint cans blow up beside the building and having to pay for the paint to be removed I made it a jobsite rule that no paint was left outside. Nor inside the Seacan...


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## Dabbler (Aug 17, 2020)

I was in Chicago during their worst heat wave in history.  Ambient temperatures reached 110F, I distinctly remember walking into a mall where the reflection off the glass doors was unbearable.  Inside it was 55 F, and that was plain uncomfortable.


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## Chicken lights (Aug 17, 2020)

historicalarms said:


> Yup...Texas heat...3 of us helped tarp a couple loads in the mid-day heat, the yard manager offered the use of the employees shower afterwards...we discovered we couldn't dry off after the shower...too much sweating.


The last Texas load I brought back I loaded it early afternoon, then went back the next morning around 6:30-7:00 am to tarp. I didn’t have permits to run the first day anyway. I’m not tarping in that heat unless I have zero say in the matter


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## YYCHM (Aug 17, 2020)

Dabbler said:


> I was in Chicago during their worst heat wave in history.  Ambient temperatures reached 110F, I distinctly remember walking into a mall where the reflection off the glass doors was unbearable.  Inside it was 55 F, and that was plain uncomfortable.



Was that the one where the planes couldn't take off and people were stuck for hours (days?) in parked aircraft?

Chicago has to be the most oppressive heat I have ever experienced and I lived in East Africa for 3 years.

Humidity has a lot to do with making it very uncomfortable.


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## Chicken lights (Aug 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Was that the one where the planes couldn't take off and people were stuck for hours (days?) in parked aircraft?
> 
> Chicago has to be the most oppressive heat I have ever experienced and I lived in East Africa for 3 years.
> 
> Humidity has a lot to do with making it very uncomfortable.


What did you do in East Africa for 3 years?


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## YYCHM (Aug 17, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> What did you do in East Africa for 3 years?



Was in my youth.  Father hauled the whole family over there on a Canadian Education Aid Program (I think it was called CEDA at the time), he was a math/science teacher.

Come to think of it now Khartoum has to the hottest place I have ever been.  Like tarmac sticky hot.


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## Chicken lights (Aug 17, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Was in my youth.  Father hauled the whole family over there on a Canadian Education Aid Program (I think it was called CEDA at the time), he was a math/science teacher.


Any stories or experiences you can remember? Africa must be a lot different than Canada


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## YYCHM (Aug 17, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> Any stories or experiences you can remember? Africa must be a lot different than Canada



Oh Ya lots and lots, I was 10-12 ish at the time.  The one for the books though was we flew from London to Dar es Salaam in a de Havilland Comet the worlds first jet airliner.  God I'm aging myself.

In any event we should get this thread back on track.


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## Dabbler (Aug 18, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Was that the one where the planes couldn't take off



yes it was.  people were dying because of the heat in apartment buildings.  Very little wind (despite the "windy city") and people didn't have electricity or water for days.


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## Crankit (Aug 18, 2020)

I thought I read today that Death Valley was going to reach 130F today.....Osoyoos ,BC was indexed at 40C


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## YYCHM (Aug 21, 2020)

See the bow in that shelf board...…...






That's about 1/4 of how much the shelf was bowing down LOL.  So.... today's shop improvement was to make a 1/2" thick backer for it.


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## David_R8 (Aug 21, 2020)

A bit of organizing and decorating last night. 








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## David_R8 (Aug 21, 2020)

Stripped the paint off the bench top. 







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## Janger (Aug 21, 2020)

Dust cover for magnet attached macbook power cord. I get swarf stuck in the port on the magnet so I made this quick 3d printed cover. The metal pins are just some tig rod cut down and glued in.

I'll post the designs on thingiverse.

If you want one here is the posting:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4577010


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## David_R8 (Aug 21, 2020)

Janger said:


> Dust cover for magnet attached macbook power cord. I get swarf stuck in the port on the magnet so I made this quick 3d printed cover. The metal pins are just some tig rod cut down and glued in.
> 
> I'll post the designs on thingiverse.



That is brilliant!


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 21, 2020)

Janger said:


> Dust cover for magnet attached macbook power cord. I get swarf stuck in the port on the magnet so I made this quick 3d printed cover. The metal pins are just some tig rod cut down and glued in.
> 
> I'll post the designs on thingiverse.


That's a great idea John. I had the same issue.


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 21, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Stripped the paint off the bench top.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's way too neat and tidy. Have to work on that before reposting


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## David_R8 (Aug 21, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> That's way too neat and tidy. Have to work on that before reposting



A mere few hours later and it’s a mess again. 


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## Chicken lights (Aug 22, 2020)

Got a bunch of junk cleaned up today, and got that bumper switched out. Still needs the lights wired in. Picked up a tailgate in Texas, it’s black now, the painter is gonna leave the Super Duty lettering black and repaint the rest of it to match. 
Now I need to repaint my trailer hitch


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## YYCHM (Aug 22, 2020)

@Chicken lights  What's wrong with the old tailgate and bumper?  They look good to me?

Do you get your big horse in there???


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## Chicken lights (Aug 22, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> @Chicken lights  What's wrong with the old tailgate and bumper?  They look good to me?
> 
> Do you get your big horse in there???


The old tailgate is really heavy to close for some reason, plus it has that pull out step I never use, with a broken cap. 
The bumper I just wanted to upgrade 

Yes, the big horse fits in the shop but it’s a little tighter. But I can pull it in and close the door, cooler in summer and I can heat it in the winter


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## Tom O (Aug 22, 2020)

I’ve a bit of a bum knee so I use mine but I do like the fold out rail and I notice a bit of rust in the bottom below the handle.


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## YYCHM (Aug 22, 2020)

I'm finding the pull out step on my 150 the best thing since sliced bread.  That and the stand up handle.  I'd have to keep a milk crate handy in order to get into that sucker otherwise LOL.


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## David_R8 (Aug 22, 2020)

Just a couple of things today. 
Used the cutoff part of the metal top to make a stock shelf. 







And hung my clamps. 
(Is not ideal and will likely be modded but I was tired of tripping over them.)







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## CalgaryPT (Aug 23, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> I'm finding the pull out step on my 150 the best thing since sliced bread.  That and the stand up handle.  I'd have to keep a milk crate handy in order to get into that sucker otherwise LOL.


Agree about the step and especially handle. I love my SuperDuty. It's my second one. But I made a bit of a mistake. If I were doing it all over again I'd do what my son did: he got an F150 with the 2.7L EcoBoost and it sips gas. But I thought I'b be doing bigger projects, not smaller when I retired. So I bought another 250. Live and learn. I still the love the F250, including the tail step....except at the pump. Fortunately it's, 6.2L at least.

One thing about the tailsteps is that they are often no good at the landfill. You can't toss heavy stuff out when it is extended, and you can't manoeuvre around the side of an extended load as easier. Even though I like it, I also bought an AMP bedstep that goes on the side and fip out of the way. I find it useful at the landfill and for loads that extend over the tailgate.


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## David_R8 (Aug 27, 2020)

Here's my final shop frontier.

This wall of shelving, 8’ long x 2’ deep has to be emptied and removed so I can finish the electrical and sheet with plywood.
The pile of stuff is various small wood stock on the top left, on the left side, top right is all parts for my NT650 project, at the left under the top shelf is all YZ125 parts, next to that is various flotsam and jetsam,more flotsam with power tools on the lower right. Bins on the bottom hold electrical supplies and plumbing bit. Part of the contents of the box marked electrical is a huge box of drywall screws left by the P.O.





For context, this is where the shelves are relative to the wall I built to keep the motos at bay!





My plan is to run a new shelf (or maybe cabinets) along this long wall, turn the corner and onto the new dividing wall that I built. Thinking putting the shelf about 12 or 16 inches down from the roof joists.

Depending whether I go with 12” or 16” would allow me to stack either two or three layers of these boxes which are 5” tall, 12” deep and 7.5” wide. That would give me 18 linear feet of shelving.


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## DPittman (Aug 27, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Here's my final shop frontier.
> 
> This wall of shelving, 8’ long x 2’ deep has to be emptied and removed so I can finish the electrical and sheet with plywood.
> The pile of stuff is various small wood stock on the top left, on the left side, top right is all parts for my NT650 project, at the left under the top shelf is all YZ125 parts, next to that is various flotsam and jetsam,more flotsam with power tools on the lower right. Bins on the bottom hold electrical supplies and plumbing bit. Part of the contents of the box marked electrical is a huge box of drywall screws left by the P.O.
> ...


Very nice. Something to be proud of and enjoy.


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## David_R8 (Aug 27, 2020)

DPittman said:


> Very nice. Something to be proud of and enjoy.



Thanks, it’s coming along. 
Feels like I’m in the home stretch!


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## David_R8 (Aug 29, 2020)

Here’s today’s before noon progress. 
Unloaded the shelves. Now the floor is impassable but that’s temporary. 












Dismantled the shelves recovering a hundred or so 1.5” deck screws in the process. 











Peeled off the nasty Saran Wrap grade plastic and put up proper 6 mil poly. 












I have to run a few outlets but I should be done by this time tomorrow. 
Yahoo!


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## CalgaryPT (Aug 29, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Here’s today’s before noon progress.
> Now the floor is impassable but that’s temporary.



After 25 years my temporary has became her permanent.


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## David_R8 (Aug 29, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> After 25 years my temporary has became her permanent.



Entropy is my enemy!


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## Dabbler (Aug 29, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Entropy is my enemy!



Granted.  Entropy is a way of life for me I'm trying to change.  The greater the chaos, the harder it is to change!


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## Dusty (Aug 29, 2020)

Turning the pages back several months I say David_R8's level of negentropy is something to be highly proud off.  Bill


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## David_R8 (Aug 29, 2020)

Truth be told @Dabbler and @Dusty, I suffer a bit from ADD and so when my space is all cluttered I find it really hard to focus as I’m completely distracted by the chaos. 
So tidy I must! 


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## Chicken lights (Aug 30, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Truth be told @Dabbler and @Dusty, I suffer a bit from ADD and so when my space is all cluttered I find it really hard to focus as I’m completely distracted by the chaos.
> So tidy I must!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I find it to be a bit of both- it irritates me to no end to keep on top of shop inventory- nuts/bolts, pails of oil, aerosol sprays, hoses, hose clamps etc. But then when I start a job on the weekend I rarely have to scramble to run for parts. I think it’s worth the time spent tidying and organizing, it’s rewarding to have a calm space to work in


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## Dabbler (Aug 30, 2020)

I agree it is so nice to be able to find stuff.  Organization has always been a very temporary thing for me.  When I was on very strong ADHD meds, it was far better.  But the side effects were bad on the big side.  So i am organizing on the 'little bit every day' plan, and it is working, slowly.


----------



## Marc Moreau (Aug 30, 2020)

On my compressor  I add a ball valve and the plug for safety. When I remove the plug I have all the time to put a funnel  so I don't make mess.


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## David_R8 (Aug 30, 2020)

Bit of a long day but the end result is worth it. 
I wired in four 120v outlets and a 40A 240v plug for the welder. 





















All that’s left to do is fill in the space above the panel and paint. 
Then all the interior wall done 
I still have to run some outlets in the wall 
but those I have to do with conduit as there’s no overhead access due to the beam. 


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## PeterT (Aug 30, 2020)

Nice. One thing about plywood is its tough. You can screw & hang legitimate stuff to it.

You probably mentioned this a many moons ago, but what kind of (I assume TIG) welder are you plugging into the 40A & have you had any issues approaching the max?

oh crap it says right there in your profile. duh


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## David_R8 (Aug 30, 2020)

PeterT said:


> Nice. One thing about plywood is its tough. You can screw & hang legitimate stuff to it.
> 
> You probably mentioned this a many moons ago, but what kind of (I assume TIG) welder are you plugging into the 40A & have you had any issues approaching the max?
> 
> oh crap it says right there in your profile. duh



Yup, it’s a Primeweld 225 AC/DC TIG. 
I’ve only just installed the 40A circuit so I have no idea what it’s like at max amperage. 
I will say that I could squeeze 85A out of a 15A 120v circuit so 225A on 240v 40A should be doable. 
Specs call for a 50A breaker but none of the folks who I know are running 50A and it maxes out just fine. 


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## David_R8 (Sep 4, 2020)

Put in an hour or so after work and got the beginnings of the shelving up. 
Reusing the 5/8 ply from the freestanding shelves, 2x2 clear along the wall, 3/4” metal strapping down from the roof joists wrapped under the front edge of the plywood. Fastened with 5/8” wood screws. 
Bit hard d to see the single strap in place near the left end. 
Strong enough to hold me doing a chin up. Just one 


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## DPittman (Sep 4, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Put in an hour or so after work and got the beginnings of the shelving up.
> Reusing the 5/8 ply from the freestanding shelves, 2x2 clear along the wall, 3/4” metal strapping down from the roof joists wrapped under the front edge of the plywood. Fastened with 5/8” wood screws.
> Bit hard d to see the single strap in place near the left end.
> Strong enough to hold me doing a chin up. Just one
> ...


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## David_R8 (Sep 5, 2020)

Finished up the shelving today. 












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## CalgaryPT (Sep 5, 2020)

I'll bet my Shamu like body can break that shelf with a chin up. Probably crack the floor when I fall too. Is there a prize?


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## David_R8 (Sep 5, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> I'll bet my Shamu like body can break that shelf with a chin up. Probably crack the floor when I fall too. Is there a prize?



Ok now I have to clean up the pumpkin tart I just coughed onto table!
Well done! 


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## Chicken lights (Sep 6, 2020)

Plus 1 for loving plywood on the walls for easy hanging stuff. I’m not a huge fan of pegboard but it works. 

No making fun of me for labelling my bolt bin 

I’m going to look at pressure washers


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## David_R8 (Sep 6, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> View attachment 10924View attachment 10925View attachment 10926View attachment 10927
> Plus 1 for loving plywood on the walls for easy hanging stuff. I’m not a huge fan of pegboard but it works.
> 
> No making fun of me for labelling my bolt bin
> ...



Well done!
I’m nearing the labeling stage so kudos to you for blazing the trail 


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## Brent H (Sep 6, 2020)

Great work @Chicken lights and @David_R8 - looking great!!!  

@David_R8 - I will be welding up brackets for my shelving in case of a chin up contest.  Lots of heavy parts and things for the sharpener need a home.


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## CalgaryPT (Sep 6, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> No making fun of me for labelling my bolt bin


You're going to get beat up behind the bike rack at recess for being so neat. Nice job though


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## Tom O (Sep 6, 2020)

My Sons mother in law bought a broom and stuck it in the corner of their porch I told him to put up a No Parking sign.


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## Chicken lights (Sep 6, 2020)

Tom O said:


> My Sons mother in law bought a broom and stuck it in the corner of their porch I told him to put up a No Parking sign.


That was brave of you


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## Chicken lights (Sep 6, 2020)

We have a pressure washer now.
And learned how to patch tarps today


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## David_R8 (Sep 6, 2020)

Yet more organizing happened today. 
Got rid of a huge Ridgid shop vac freeing up four sq ft. Good riddance!
I have a stainless Husky vac which is much more manageable. 
I no longer have any big plastic totes on the floor. From three totes to zero!







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## YYCHM (Sep 6, 2020)

Your shop makes your mill look tiny


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## David_R8 (Sep 7, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Your shop makes your mill look tiny



Might have to start looking for a Bridgeport 


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## CalgaryPT (Sep 7, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> We have a pressure washer now.


Remember to run antifreeze through it before storage and not to store it outside. Those ceramic plungers crack in really cold weather and the whole pump is a write-off if you can't get replacements. Ask me how I know....


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## Chicken lights (Sep 11, 2020)

Had some time tonight to get the tailgate changed out. I’m digging it, I think that looks sexy. 
There’s a spring inside of these tailgates, which I didn’t know. My old one was hard to close, turns out my old tailgate spring was broken. I guess it’s like a torsion spring, when you open the gate it puts tension in the spring to assist you closing it. Night and day difference in opening and closing it.


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## Everett (Sep 11, 2020)

Looks good!  That's a much more substantial bumper too, it's amazing how thin the factory ones are as they try to save weight.


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## Chicken lights (Sep 11, 2020)

Everett said:


> Looks good!  That's a much more substantial bumper too, it's amazing how thin the factory ones are as they try to save weight.


Thank you! 
The new bumper was around 95 pounds, quite a difference 
And who doesn’t like more work lights


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## Brent H (Sep 14, 2020)

Can’t remember who was asking about breakers?

here is what I have to give away - just the postage 

Stabl-lok - 100, 60 and ( 2) 15 amp

Commander (screw in type) 

40, 30, 20 (double pole).  A 15 single and double 20 without the locking bar.


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## David_R8 (Sep 14, 2020)

Hung up some racking so I could empty the storage container. 
Sheet good get stacked underneath this rack. 
Container gets removed on Tuesday!


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## Dabbler (Sep 14, 2020)

@Brent H, I'd love the Stab-lok breakers.


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## kevin.decelles (Sep 14, 2020)

Spur of the moment farmer fab of a camshaft gear puller for my ‘54 Ford NAA 

When u don’t have a tool...... make one






Worked like a charm




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## Brent H (Sep 14, 2020)

@Dabbler - PM sent


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## Chicken lights (Sep 20, 2020)

Probably fixable....but I’d rather gain the floor space. The way it seems to have been the last couple months is I’ll be on the road for a bit then come home and fix the truck. Then next trip home I’ll clean the mess I made the last time. 
This is a cleaning weekend, haven’t even looked at the truck


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## David_R8 (Sep 20, 2020)

I’m calling this a shop improvement. 








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## YYCHM (Sep 20, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> I’m calling this a shop improvement.



Needs wheels


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## David_R8 (Sep 20, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Needs wheels


I'm on the fence about casters. I'll have to cut some length from the legs or it will be too high.


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## YotaBota (Sep 23, 2020)

Well the crank on by bandsaw finally got to the point that it took the vicegrips to turn it. I did a search of the usually tool shops but no one had a replacement crank so it was off to a Amazon and I found this one, 

https://www.amazon.ca/Big-Horn-1433...keywords=band+saw+crank&qid=1600907928&sr=8-1

Getting the old one out was a bit of a battle as the threads are pretty much hooped but the new one went in easy. The new nut is twice as thick as the original one, it is .5 thick and .750 square and fits better than the original. The crank has a handle that is a lot easier to turn than the knob that was on the old one.


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## gerritv (Sep 23, 2020)

Main improvement is the addition of a Reflection Room.


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## PeterT (Sep 23, 2020)

Is that a die filer / filing machine? Not sure I'm using the proper term.


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## kevin.decelles (Sep 24, 2020)

PeterT said:


> Is that a die filer / filing machine? Not sure I'm using the proper term.



I think it was a toilet [emoji3]


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## gerritv (Sep 24, 2020)

It is a Beaver scroll saw/die filer combo. Made in Ontario somewhere, I think Guelph, with real cast iron?
The machine came configured to work as both saw and die filer. A $20 Kijiji find from Brantford. I might be selling it later this year.....

The toilet I am keeping, one of the best additions to to shop 

Gerrit


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## YYCHM (Sep 27, 2020)

Using these crescent wrenches to tighten my ER20 collet holder was getting stale.... 






So time to make something to replace them.






Decided to do it as a mill to the line project using 1/4" aluminium plate.






The finished product.  Took less time than I though it would.


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## kevin.decelles (Sep 27, 2020)

I’d be interested to see if you get enough torque . I made a fixture out of steel for my er40 set and bent the finger when putting the 120ft lbs on it




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## Tom Kitta (Sep 28, 2020)

Yeah I also tried making my own tool out of mild steel and it looks like mild steel is not "tool grade" - I made a spanner wrench - lets just say these little pins need to be a tiny bit tougher then mild steel has to offer.


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## Tom O (Sep 28, 2020)

Ha you need Doubleboosts bell end ones your hand will never slip off! 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Doubleboos...v=DefaultOrganic&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1


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## Chicken lights (Dec 25, 2020)

I was scratching my head wishing I could hang those somewhere. Then I got looking at the stuff hanging on the pegboard. The pegs want to push apart so I added a zip tie to pull the pegs together more. It “works” for now....

I think I want to build a charging station somewhere, somehow, it doesn’t take long to add up to 6-7 things that need charging


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## Janger (Dec 25, 2020)

That’s simple and neat chicken lights ! Look at this cool Christmas tree for holding tools. It’s at steel inc.


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## Chicken lights (Dec 25, 2020)

Janger said:


> That’s simple and neat chicken lights ! Look at this cool Christmas tree for holding tools. It’s at steel inc.
> 
> View attachment 12395


That’s pretty badass!!


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## YYCHM (Dec 25, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> That’s pretty badass!!



And on wheels no less


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## Chicken lights (Dec 26, 2020)

First attempt just using what was around the shop at a charging station. It puts the batteries by the cordless tools and gets the chargers off the bench. Good enough for now


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## David_R8 (Dec 26, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> View attachment 12402
> First attempt just using what was around the shop at a charging station. It puts the batteries by the cordless tools and gets the chargers off the bench. Good enough for now


I have a setup pretty much exactly like that...tools are orange but otherwise...


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## CalgaryPT (Dec 27, 2020)

Nice. I use a similar setup, but have to take a second to point out a safety tip @Dabbler taught me. For years I always kept my chargers plugged in all the time. Apparently there have been fires caused by batteries that fault and then overheat during the charging cycle—which is likely why most manuals tell you not to leave charging batteries unattended. Duh...that makes sense. It got me thinking about my setup. I wasn't prepared to only charge when I could supervise them, as I often need to recharge batteries after a full day's work. But I did want to reduce the risk as much as possible.

My solution was to tie a powerbar to an Auto Shut Off Timer. This way when I go to bed, or go into the shop, I just hit the button on it to dial in 2-8 hrs. It shuts off after this and I feel safe knowing it isn't on all the time. The price has skyrocketed on this model since Covid, but I'm sure you can find them for much less if you look around. Another solution could be to tie your charging station into your overhead lighting circuit so you are only charging when in the shop; however, this doesn't solve the overnight charging issue like the timer does.


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## Chicken lights (Dec 28, 2020)

Helped a friend install an axle in his project today. Thought we had the right upper spring plate but we didn’t. It’s a little crude but it’s temporary. Cordless drill, drill press, zip disc, die grinder, cutting torches and a 1” reamer. No idea what size holes we needed and still don’t, we “made it fit”


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## Marc Moreau (Jan 11, 2021)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> Nothing that hasn't been done before...
> 
> View attachment 8665
> 
> ...


I make mine but I did not cut the angle at the end close to the blade. I love it but I don't think I can cut in angle if I don't remove my plate. Most time I cut straight cut now I could cut very small peace. Thank You for this post.


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## GlenG (Jan 16, 2021)

I need to cut a bunch (72) of 7" pieces of aluminum angle and don't have a roller stand to feed in the 9' pcs I bought.  I really didn't feel like going to HD and figured I had enough scrap lying around, including a salvaged roller from a treadmill. It will go from 28" to 48" and has an optional edge guide.  It needs some rubber feet and a coat of paint but it will do for now.


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## kevin.decelles (Jan 23, 2021)

Neither of my mills have spindle brakes or spindle locks, makes it interesting for tightening draw bar manually

Made spindle wrenches out of some old wrenched from an auction and some 2” 12L14




































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## johnnielsen (Jan 26, 2021)

Nicely done Kevin. Looks really good.


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## YotaBota (Jan 26, 2021)

Your compressor looks like one of the bug eyed Star Wars creatures. lol


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## Alexander (Jan 26, 2021)

As you might already know I work at a machine shop full time. The sheet metal shop next door made these tool racks. I think they turned out great.


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## Marc Moreau (Jan 27, 2021)

When I was working at Gatineau city we had a program the 5S  and this is very similar to this one fact is behing each tool there was a sticker with the form of the tool.   for exemple the broom was on the wall behind it there was a sticker with the form of the broom. So a new employee could see where the broom is supose to be same thing with wrench socket ratchet gauge and more. That was funny when they come with this program because when I was a little kid my dad did the thing with is tool's when we open the two door on each side is wrenh was on the door with the form made by a black marker behind .If one wrench was missing you know than you look to find it.  I was in this program and that was good but it was very expensive to . I don't thing tax payer will be very happy  but in the garage it was a must.


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## Brent H (Jan 27, 2021)

@trlvn : You must be mind linking me in some way...LOL....before I left for work I got a load of smaller end mills and I need a place to organize them and put them in some order of size.  My one tool box has 2 drawers full of end mills from 1/16 to 2"  and other cutters that have inserts.  It would be nice to move these to a common place - I am thinking to tool cabinet them like a divided drawer system according to size?

I would also like to free up a whole drawer of taper drills and have them out and sorted into size.  Drives me nuts going through the drawer to find a half inch one and picking the 1/64th size difference all the time.  

Anyone have a nice taper drill stand? (pics etc) I would only be going from about 1/2" #1 MT up to 7/8" #2 MT - maybe 1" but those have a straight shank after the 7/8"


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## JohnnyTK (Jan 29, 2021)

Almost done the shop, ceiling is up. Just some mud, paint and then on to getting it set up. I hate drywall.  18'x21' shop with a true usable 15'x20'.  PS: Going for function not form on this shop.


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## Dabbler (Jan 29, 2021)

looks like nice high ceilings.  well done, so far!


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## GlenG (Feb 11, 2021)

Finally upgraded my sandblasted with a cyclone separator on the back and a control panel for the shopvac on the front:








It seems to work well, if not too well here is what it captured from one horseshoe:









overall i’m pleased with the result.


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## GlenG (Feb 11, 2021)

Finished a drill bit organizer this week.  Just leftovers from a bathroom remodel. it will hold 36 plano cases and my Drill Dr. down below with long drill bits on the side.


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## ShawnR (Feb 16, 2021)

Been thinking about doing this for a while.  When I built the shop 15ish years ago, I had access, at a very good price, to large windows (82 x 36") so put three in the shop. Thought it would be great! As much as it is nice, it robs a lot of of wall space. And I am starting to have concerns about the shop contents being too visible, especially when working at night. We are semi rural. One window got fully covered a couple of years ago with a sheet of plywood (don't miss the window at all) and this weekend, I got this done. I still have the options of opening it, but can close it up when I want. I also got rid of some of my materials pile. The cherry plywood was left over from a kitchen job I did a few years ago. That leaves one large window over the lathe to decide whether to do the same or not. That one will be missed more as it looks over the yard. The other ones just backed onto the treed property line. 

And that project lead to cleaning and reorganizing a bit too. The oil stains on the wall are from the old lathe that I had at one time. All in all, a good change so far.


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## YotaBota (Apr 4, 2021)

Ya gotta have a place close for tools. The other lathe is on a 9 drawer tool bench that has peg board added on the backside of the bench.
The new lathe is on a flat top angle iron stand with just a shelf underneath, no place handy and dry for wrenches and stuff. So I made a frame for a 3'x4' piece of peg board, screwed it to the wall and made a shelf for the toolpost holders. Now most of the tools I use are right close, clean, dry and there's a bit of room to grow.


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## YYCHM (Apr 4, 2021)

How many QCTP tool holders do you have?  I count 7 there.


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## YotaBota (Apr 4, 2021)

That's all of them, for now. I have the knurler as well but it's,,,,,,,,,,,, around here somewhere. lol


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## Janger (Apr 5, 2021)

I bought some accusize holders recently - they’re surprisingly nice.


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## David_R8 (Apr 5, 2021)

@YotaBota let me try one of his Accusize holders on my Bostar toolpost and they fit well.


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## Dusty (Apr 5, 2021)

David_R8 said:


> @YotaBota let me try one of his Accusize holders on my Bostar toolpost and they fit well.


 
Atta boy David, I just knew you would like them.


----------



## Dusty (Apr 5, 2021)

Janger said:


> I bought some accusize holders recently - they’re surprisingly nice.



For me they're a good bang for the buck.


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## kevin.decelles (Apr 5, 2021)

Modified a welding tank-cart to handle propane bottle for my oxy propane rig


added some supports for the torch and cables, and a quick coat of primer

Ready to roll.





















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## DPittman (Apr 5, 2021)

Looks like one I remember somewhere along the way that was built out of old chromed frame kitchen chairs.  Looks good!


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## Bofobo (Apr 13, 2021)

Got myself a 2x72 belt grinder built finally, couple finishing touches and I’ll have an update w/photos, but it would be rude not to tease a photo I guess.


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## Dusty (Apr 13, 2021)

Bofobo said:


> Got myself a 2x72 belt grinder built finally, couple finishing touches and I’ll have an update w/photos, but it would be rude not to tease a photo I guess. View attachment 14182



Had a wench tease me before but never a wrench.


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## Bofobo (Apr 13, 2021)

Dusty said:


> Had a wench tease me before but never a wrench.


That was totally Unrealized at the time, that’d be meme-able material lol


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## Chicken lights (Apr 22, 2021)

Don’t zoom in on the welds 

Made that yesterday to hang an oversized load banner, at the back of a trailer. It’s just an idea I’m trying, it may work great it may not


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## kevin.decelles (Apr 22, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> Don’t zoom in on the welds
> 
> Made that yesterday to hang an oversized load banner, at the back of a trailer. It’s just an idea I’m trying, it may work great it may not



That looks aquarium support ready.


----------



## Chicken lights (Apr 24, 2021)

Got my chain trays (centre) clearanced and test fit, and catwalk bolted in. Then spent a couple hours mounting the second toolbox. Made sure it was nice and square to the frame, measured 16 times drilled once. All bolted up try to open the door and CLUNK it hits the headache rack by 1/8”

GD it 

Also I probably should buy an annular cutter but drilling frames suck without a mag drill. However a reamer with lots of oil seems to work decent


----------



## YYCHM (Apr 24, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> Made sure it was nice and square to the frame, measured 16 times drilled once. All bolted up try to open the door and CLUNK it hits the headache rack by 1/8”



That sounds like the story of my life LOL...…...


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## Janger (Apr 24, 2021)

You didn't measure 32 times. tsk tsk. 
sorry couldn't help it. ! ha


----------



## PeterT (Apr 25, 2021)

I've been wanting to replace my drawer/cabinet units for over a year now. They are probably 25 years old, so don't owe me anything. They have been through a few moves and probably endured thousands of drawer cycles. But they are falling apart despite several hack job fix-its, maybe helped along by overloading a few drawers due to limited space. I wanted to keep my table top but I no longer sit at this table so I didn't need the center opening. figured I'd fill the volume with drawers & shelves for maximum SCF (Stuff Concentration Factor). The originals were Ikea but not great quality. Kind of mickey mouse slides, hardware & not much depth. I searched high & low for 'cheap' kitchen cabinets but they are slim pickins. I wasn't too keen on making my own because I'm not really set up for that.


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## PeterT (Apr 25, 2021)

I found some units at... guess where... Ikea again. But they have improved over my vintage. Legitimate steel bearing slides with stops, beefier box & retention hardware. They had a system with identical box dimensions but one had a filing cabinet bottom drawer which I actually preferred over a bank of drawers only because I could put tall stuff in there. But with all the pandemic rigmarole they were perpetually out of stock. This went on for better part of a year & I just gave up. Then about a month ago I checked again. Lots of drawer units but discontinued or redesign of the deep drawer unit. I figured I wanted this over & with so just bit the bullet. To make me feel a bit better I couldn't even buy the materials at Home Depot never mind the work.


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## David_R8 (Apr 25, 2021)

PeterT said:


> I found some units at... guess where... Ikea again. But they have improved over my vintage. Legitimate steel bearing slides with stops, beefier box & retention hardware. They had a system with identical box dimensions but one had a filing cabinet bottom drawer which I actually preferred over a bank of drawers only because I could put tall stuff in there. But with all the pandemic rigmarole they were perpetually out of stock. This went on for better part of a year & I just gave up. Then about a month ago I checked again. Lots of drawer units but discontinued or redesign of the deep drawer unit. I figured I wanted this over & with so just bit the bullet. To make me feel a bit better I couldn't even buy the materials at Home Depot never mind the work.


Indeed, I have  plans to make a new cabinet/workbench and I shudder to think of what the materials would cost. I have the 100# full extension drawer slides but plywood has gone through the roof.


----------



## YYCHM (Apr 25, 2021)

Not following  What did you end up with?


----------



## PeterT (Apr 25, 2021)

It didn't take me long to assemble the units. I also bought these leveling pucks & screwed them to the bottom. My buddy helped me with the leveling & assembly. He is much better at this stuff than me. We left the outer corner brackets but moved the adjuster plates to straddle 2 boxes so they kind of tie 2 together & reduce the adjusting. I pulled out all the old stuff out. Found a bunch of long lost missing hardware that had rolled under over the years. (Sorry no tail stocks). Got it in place & voila.


----------



## PeterT (Apr 25, 2021)

I somehow managed a slight Svuckup (that's Swedish I believe). Can anyone spot?


----------



## YYCHM (Apr 25, 2021)

David_R8 said:


> but plywood has gone through the roof.



Apparently so much so, that thieves cut through the wire fence in order to cart off the shops wood supply at the local HS my wife works at


----------



## PeterT (Apr 25, 2021)

Apparently even though the rails have a forward facing arrow, its possible to orient the box incorrectly (upside down) such that the middle rail heights are different & therefore middle drawers don't fit. Discovering this on the home stretch with the whole assembly leveled & table top screwed on was not a welcome surprise. I removed the rails & carefully re positioned using the neighbors as guides. All is well. Glad it was only one box.


----------



## Chris Cramer (Apr 25, 2021)

I spent a lot of time cleaning my shop, and reorganizing it. I purchased a 9 drawer husky tool chest from home depot, a storage bin rack for my fasteners, added more hangers to my racking, and I mounted a magnetic rod to the wall in front of my work bench. It definitely could use some more work, like storage for my metal, but I've made good progress.


----------



## PeterT (Apr 26, 2021)

Nice. Yes, just to clarify. I don't intend to fill these new units with anything heavy duty. They are too shallow & not up to the task. Although my buddy gave me a good idea - one can cut a doubler drawer bottom out of say 1/4" MDF, lay it in the bottom & it will add more meat than the 1/8" stuff they have which sits in the drawer side & back groove. Kind of acts like doubling a shelf for strength without losing much depth. Anyways with this task mostly wrapped up, next task is a cheapo wall cabinet vs my open floppy bookshelf (currently out of stock Grrrrr...)

And maybe turn attention to mechanic drawers for under the lathe or close proximity where I have some unused room. That would be a perfect spot & heavier duty drawer application for metalworking stuff.


----------



## DPittman (Apr 26, 2021)

PeterT said:


> where I have some unused room


I've heard of that but have never experienced it myself.  Can you post pictures?


----------



## Chicken lights (Apr 29, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> View attachment 14329Don’t zoom in on the welds
> 
> Made that yesterday to hang an oversized load banner, at the back of a trailer. It’s just an idea I’m trying, it may work great it may not






that worked awesome....but there’s no good place to store it on the truck. I’m kicking around how to make one in aluminum that would fold up somehow but don’t have anything on paper. It was still worth the time to make up, now I kinda know how to make the next one


----------



## YYCHM (Apr 29, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> View attachment 14446
> that worked awesome....but there’s no good place to store it on the truck. I’m kicking around how to make one in aluminum that would fold up somehow but don’t have anything on paper. It was still worth the time to make up, now I kinda know how to make the next one



What's on the trailer?


----------



## Dusty (Apr 29, 2021)

Looking good Blockade Runner, does your oversize load sign not balloon out in the frame while running? Just saying!


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## historicalarms (Apr 29, 2021)

I got a hunch that that is the weed harvester....heavy looking thing it is... Weed harvesters Im use to seeing come from Mexico in a bus...


----------



## Chicken lights (Apr 29, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> What's on the trailer?


That’s my seaweed harvester


----------



## Chicken lights (Apr 29, 2021)

Dusty said:


> Looking good Blockade Runner, does your oversize load sign not balloon out in the frame while running? Just saying!


I don’t know I’m always up front 

It’s mesh and dances a little but from what I’ve seen on stepdeck loads it mostly stays put


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## Dusty (Apr 29, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> I don’t know I’m always up front
> 
> It’s mesh and dances a little but from what I’ve seen on stepdeck loads it mostly stays put



Mesh why didn't I think of that, see what happens when you crawl out of bed too early. Thought all truckers use a cam at the back of their cab and trailer? Maybe not.


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## combustable herbage (Apr 29, 2021)

Ok I have to know what do you do with the seaweed you harvest?  and where do you harvest it?




Chicken lights said:


> That’s my seaweed harvester


----------



## Chicken lights (Apr 29, 2021)

combustable herbage said:


> Ok I have to know what do you do with the seaweed you harvest?  and where do you harvest it?


Well I don’t actually own one, I just delivered it. I meant “that’s my seaweed harvester” as in “that’s what I dragged around”


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## historicalarms (Apr 30, 2021)

Except when .... god forbid it ever happening, you have a "pile-up" and then their insurance company will tell you "is yours from the time it hits your truck until you deliver it intact to us"


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## kevin.decelles (Apr 30, 2021)

Ah yes,  the ins and outs of product ownership/bill-of-lading/liability......   Which leads to revenue recognition date....  when can you 'count' the money... is it after the pickup or after the delivery.....    I need a career change.  Perhaps apprenticing as a deburring specialist at @CalgaryPT 's shop.


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## RobinHood (Apr 30, 2021)

combustable herbage said:


> Ok I have to know what do you do with the seaweed you harvest? and where do you harvest it?



This is getting a bit off-topic, but here is one use of a seaweed harvester.

On Chestermere Lake, just east of Calgary, the city operates 3 during the summer. The lake is part of Alberta’s 7500+ km canal and pipeline irrigation system to send water from main rivers to areas of low water for irrigation of crops, cattle, households and to dewater wet areas and control flooding.

It is a shallow lake and the water temperature gets quite warm, promoting seaweed and algae growth. The water level is controlled based on irrigation / flood mitigation demands. The harvesters pick this weed / aquatic plants and bring it to shore. It is then mixed in with regular household/garden compostable materials and composted.
We get to go and pick the finished product for free at the city works and it is an excellent natural fertilizer for around the house.


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## Doggggboy (Apr 30, 2021)

I have fought for years trying unsuccessfully to manage the cords on my corded hand tools. Wasn't too bad when I only had a few but then I inherited my brothers and then my dads.
Everything has lived on one shelf in the pallet racking at the back of the shop and while it was nice having everything where I could find it, it was a nightmare untangling the cord of the heat gun from the cord of the planer which had somehow tied itself to one of the drills. 
I tried the toilet paper roll trick...too flimsy
I tried the sealer ring trick.. too fragile
I tried the piece of twine trick...hard to untie and easy to lose
Then I saw this guy make his own snap strips and thought Hey, that might work.




I think it's going to work. The more you jiggle them, the tighter they get. Made about a dozen from an old tape measure.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 30, 2021)

This is really interesting. Thanks for posting. So much you can do with spring steel...I remember making reed valves using a technique similar to Bruce Simpson's technique years ago when I was playing with pulse jet engines.


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## YYCHM (Apr 30, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> I remember making reed valves using a technique similar to Bruce Simpson's technique years ago when I was playing with pulse jet engines.



Time to build another one Pete.  Those things are soooo cool.


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 30, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> Time to build another one Pete.  Those things are soooo cool.


I got shutdown by my neighbours. They are so loud you need ear protection.


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## YYCHM (Apr 30, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> I got shutdown by my neighbours. They are so loud you need ear protection.



Tell me about it....  When we fired the one up we had in JHS shop you could feel and hear it all the way out into the parking lot. Was GREAT fun.


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## Tom O (May 1, 2021)

I wonder how fast you’d have to go to start one rather than use a leaf blower?


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## kevin.decelles (May 30, 2021)

Made one of these today....  figure if I didn't, I should give away my lathe and drill press.   It's an auger bit extension for a post hole auger I bought at Princess Auto.  The bits they sell are only drill 32" deep, any real Saskatchewan born farm-kid won't risk a back hand from his father for putting posts less than 48", so the extension is a must.  I'm just not paying 60 bucks for a 18" piece of 1" bar.  Can't do it.

Auger bit extension


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## kevin.decelles (May 30, 2021)

Drilled 6 post holes, worth every penny of the auger.  Bought one because I don't relish the drive/rental process at Home Depot, and something tells me I'm not done drilling holes on my acreage.


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## CalgaryPT (May 30, 2021)

kevin.decelles said:


> Made one of these today....  figure if I didn't, I should give away my lathe and drill press.   It's an auger bit extension for a post hole auger I bought at Princess Auto.  The bits they sell are only drill 32" deep, any real Saskatchewan born farm-kid won't risk a back hand from his father for putting posts less than 48", so the extension is a must.  I'm just not paying 60 bucks for a 18" piece of 1" bar.  Can't do it.
> 
> Auger bit extension


Good for you Kevin. I used to beat myself up for all the tools I own, but since I bought good quality and I still have them decades later, I feel great when I can fab something for next to nothing that some store charges an arm and a leg for. It feels even better when you realize that $60 part only cost $5 bucks to make. I swear they manufacture many things these days knowing the actual device is useless w/o the "optional" accessory/extension etc.


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## Redneck_Sophistication (Jun 21, 2021)

I’ve used citric acid to clean steel and other metal with fantastic results! 200g at the grocery store is even cheaper then the big bags on Amazon.
Strips and is safe.  Very handy!

EDIT: oops didn’t realize there were so many reply’s already


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## YotaBota (Jun 26, 2021)

I replaced the front wheels on my engine hoist with casters. With the legs up for storage, the two wheels in front don't swivel so that meant skidding the hoist sideways for stowage.




So I had a spare pair of casters kicking around from something else and finally found a place for them.
I made up two plates that bolt onto the cross bar and mount the wheels.





Next cutoff the ears for the original wheels and drilled and tapped the holes in the cross bar for attaching the plates.




Mounted the wheels to the plates 




and then bolted the plates to the crossbar, done.





Now I can steer the hoist in any direction without having to skid it across the floor, sooooo much easier.


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## kylemp (Sep 22, 2021)

Well I figured I'd add into this thread a couple things that I've done.. Not recently really but since I've done them I've found they really helped me.
Personally I'm finding that the more I do to speed up my general fumbling around the shop, the more motivated and productive I am. I'm sure this isn't only me, but I'm getting to a point where if its too much frustration I stop getting things done and eventually give up.

The first is a collect rack that fits exactly in a drawer of the toolbox holding all of the lathe tools. I had them all in their boxes, and they were organized and in order but this works much much better for quickly finding the collet I need.

I started with a cutting board from Canadian wholesale club, I think they're 18inx24in and 0.5in thick. Easy to cut and obviously won't damage the collets. I think the router was probably the fastest part of doing this.

















I printed labels for each one with its imperial and metric size, as well as the fraction - Each 1/16 increment is printed in yellow so I can quickly identify them and I find it super useful to have them arranged in this way. I believe this was the longest part of the whole process, but for what I put into it, I am quite certain it has saved me more time than that already.


















The 2nd is colour coding the fasteners I am constantly using. I picked up a bunch of dollar store nail polish that sits in a bin and I use it to mark fasteners that I know I could go back to and don't want to be looking for the right tool for. It may look stupid, but it is a lot easier to look for the orange hex key than fuck around trying to get the right key and go back and forth, especially if its somewhere less than convenient.

For like a buck a piece you can pick up a bunch of easily identifiable colours, because nailpolish is meant for hands its pretty tough and will stand up quite well and if you're not happy with it use a little acetone and take it off. You can also use paint pens, which is where I started but there really are not a lot of colours available and they're a lot more money.













The only thing to watch out for is don't accidentally mark your 17mm wrench orange, and then the 3/4 in imperial, offset them by a substantial degree and you can reuse the colours.. use red for maybe 12mm and then again for 19mm. The other thing is its quite hard to find easily identifiable colours outside of a few - Red, green, orange, white, yellow.. those are all easy to spot. But if get something purple-ish you could confuse it with red quite easily. 

Anyways, these two things I notice often speed up my day and lower the overall frustration - figured I'd pass them along to others to try out.


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## Hruul (Sep 22, 2021)

Thank you for the great ideas @kylemp.


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## historicalarms (Sep 23, 2021)

Awesome  kylemp. I use the same idea for all my reloading dies ( I have and could load for, I think, 32 different calibers at one time) but I just used an appropriate sized piece of 3/4" plywood....serviceable, but not near as appealing looking as yours....well done.


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## Chris Cramer (Sep 29, 2021)

While quarantining for the past week I made some big improvements on my shop's circuits. I added a 6 pole breaker panel to my shop's original single nema 6-50 receptacle to split the circuit into four different receptacles, one for each machine. I will no longer need to continually change the plug on a single receptacle to use a different machine.


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## kylemp (Sep 29, 2021)

Chris Cramer said:


> While quarantining for the past week I made some big improvements on my shop's circuits. I added a 6 pole breaker panel to my shop's original single nema 6-50 receptacle to split the circuit into four different receptacles, one for each machine. I will no longer need to continually change the plug on a single receptacle to use a different machine.


We added 6x50a outlets, 2 per wall for the walls without the door.. It makes it so much easier to have power available all over. Would do it again in a heartbeat.


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## kevin.decelles (Sep 29, 2021)

Assuming the plugs provide convenience, not the ability to run up high amp loads on all plugs?


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## kylemp (Sep 29, 2021)

kevin.decelles said:


> Assuming the plugs provide convenience, not the ability to run up high amp loads on all plugs?


Meh, whichever. 
It is for convenience but sizing the plugs to specific loads would defeat that, everything I have runs on 50a or less, and it's a standard plug for compressors or welders generally. It'd be hard to justify running a 10a line for a 1hp drill or something just to have the exact correct breaker.


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## Chicken lights (Oct 3, 2021)

I think it’s time I found a vise for the drill press. The ol’ “wear leather gloves and move fast” works but it’s not great long term

I also would like to find a decimal to fractions chart. But that only gets me in the ball park. What do you do when it’s halfway between 1/2” and 9/16”? Or halfway between 9/16” and 5/8”? I used a tapered reamer and wallered the holes to the “right” size but they are grabby.

Fabbed up a bracket for a buddy yesterday and he gave me stainless to make it from, not my most favourite metal to work with. But it’s done


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## YotaBota (Oct 3, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> I also would like to find a decimal to fractions chart



If you Google "decimal fraction metric chart" and search the images I'm sure there will be one that suits your needs.


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## trlvn (Oct 3, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> I also would like to find a decimal to fractions chart. But that only gets me in the ball park. What do you do when it’s halfway between 1/2” and 9/16”? Or halfway between 9/16” and 5/8”?


KBC Tools gives away a wall-size chart with their tool catalog.  I think you can request the catalog online.  Or if you are going to be near the Toronto airport, you could drop in and pick up a copy.

Craig
(I refer to mine all the time.)


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## 6.5 Fan (Oct 3, 2021)

I got a free wall chart with decimal conversions plus drill bit and tap sizes from BB years ago. Not sure if they still have them. Handy for when my crusty rusty mind isn't working fast, never was good at math unless i put it on paper.


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## PeterT (Oct 3, 2021)

I don't own a cam action drill press vise but I've always been curious if they might be faster to set up on a variety of part sizes to hold. I'm kicking myself because there was a CDN seller on Ebay that was blowing out a progressive size range  with decent shipping cost. Looks like I waited too long. Their pictures looked decent but they were obviously offshore. Some had side lug, others were flat. Anyways they generically look like this. Maybe others have some user experience. I was thinking of of using it for my bandsaw too.


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## PeterT (Oct 3, 2021)

Tap & drill charts are also very handy. I keep these on my wall because it has % thread, imp/met drill equivalents & clearance holes.


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## YotaBota (Oct 3, 2021)

Here is one from Starrett


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## Chicken lights (Oct 3, 2021)

Thanks guys, I knew they’d be


YotaBota said:


> Here is one from Starrett


I’ll have to grab that tonight, thanks!


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## YYCHM (Oct 3, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> I think it’s time I found a vise for the drill press. The ol’ “wear leather gloves and move fast” works but it’s not great long term
> 
> I also would like to find a decimal to fractions chart. But that only gets me in the ball park. What do you do when it’s halfway between 1/2” and 9/16”? Or halfway between 9/16” and 5/8”? I used a tapered reamer and wallered the holes to the “right” size but they are grabby.
> 
> Fabbed up a bracket for a buddy yesterday and he gave me stainless to make it from, not my most favourite metal to work with. But it’s done



These work well....






Not following your decimal to fraction issue?


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## PeterT (Oct 3, 2021)

Mr. Pete video on Heinrich vises. 
I think I was holding out for a lug-less (side) version like he shows ~ 4:00 so I could rest vise on its side for taller parts, but they seem to be rarer. I guess one could possibly mill them off too. KBC sells a cersion of these but they are spendy.


----------



## Janger (Oct 3, 2021)

kylemp said:


> Well I
> 
> The 2nd is colour coding the fasteners I am constantly using. I picked up a bunch of dollar store nail polish that sits in a bin and I use it to mark fasteners that I know I could go back to and don't want to be looking for the right tool for. It may look stupid, but it is a lot easier to look for the orange hex key than fuck around trying to get the right key and go back and forth, especially if its somewhere less than convenient.



Good method Kyle - that works on nuts was well as bolts. I have a bolt only method where I scribe the size on top of the bolt. I have a little battery powered diamond engraving tool - got it at harbour freight when I was in USA. Some marker increases the contrast.


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## Chicken lights (Oct 3, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> These work well....
> 
> View attachment 17476
> 
> Not following your decimal to fraction issue?


Yep, I use the C clamp style vise grips on flat stock, they work nice.


It’s not a huge issue, it would just be faster than googling every time.


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 3, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> Yep, I use the C clamp style vise grips on flat stock, they work nice.
> 
> 
> It’s not a huge issue, it would just be faster than googling every time.



9/16 = 18/32
5/8 = 20/32

19/32 is in the middle, don't have to look anything up?


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 3, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> 9/16 = 18/32
> 5/8 = 20/32
> 
> 19/32 is in the middle, don't have to look anything up?


Thats fractions to fractions 

I can’t do 0.620 to 21/32” in my head


----------



## YYCHM (Oct 3, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> Thats fractions to fractions
> 
> I can’t do 0.620 to 21/32” in my head



Fractions to Fractions was the example in your post?

But Ya, I can't do those conversions in me head either LOL.  That's why I keep a calculator handy.

Got a Metal Supermarket near by?  The one in Calgary has/had nice laminated 4 X 6 fraction-decimal-mm conversion cards up to an inch that they give out for free.  Gauge Chart and Pipe Schedules & Weights on the back.


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## kylemp (Oct 3, 2021)

PeterT said:


> I don't own a cam action drill press vise but I've always been curious if they might be faster to set up on a variety of part sizes to hold. I'm kicking myself because there was a CDN seller on Ebay that was blowing out a progressive size range  with decent shipping cost. Looks like I waited too long. Their pictures looked decent but they were obviously offshore. Some had side lug, others were flat. Anyways they generically look like this. Maybe others have some user experience. I was thinking of of using it for my bandsaw too.


I've got one of those and they're ok, but it spends more time off the drill press than on. I honestly prefer to use strap clamps, I've had smaller drill grab and throw the vise too many times. They're annoying to set up often but it's worth the extra time to use them. 
I've got a drill press addon that I'll hopefully finish soon and I'll post, it solves a lot of these issues.


----------



## kylemp (Oct 3, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> I think it’s time I found a vise for the drill press. The ol’ “wear leather gloves and move fast” works but it’s not great long term
> 
> I also would like to find a decimal to fractions chart. But that only gets me in the ball park. What do you do when it’s halfway between 1/2” and 9/16”? Or halfway between 9/16” and 5/8”? I used a tapered reamer and wallered the holes to the “right” size but they are grabby.
> 
> Fabbed up a bracket for a buddy yesterday and he gave me stainless to make it from, not my most favourite metal to work with. But it’s done


Go to any tooling supplier and they'll likely give you a wall chart, I've got 3 from act here in Calgary and they're super useful. You can also use the calculator (at least on Android) and it'll show you the fraction of the decimal number but it doesn't work backwards. I'm SURE there's an app for this but a lot of them want money for a tap chart which I think is a little much.


----------



## Chris Cramer (Oct 12, 2021)

I'm trying to think of a way to improve my exhaust system to prevent as much dust from building up over so much grinding. My current extractor arm powered by two in line fans works just fine as a fume extractor, but not so much as a dust collector. I'm thinking of putting up something like a welding bay with a hood vent instead of doing so much work in a more open area.


----------



## Dabbler (Oct 12, 2021)

I decided to use a cheap shower curtain to limit air exchange between grinding and my machine tools...


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## Chris Cramer (Oct 14, 2021)

I decided to work on designing a downdraft table for cutting and grinding. I already have most of the parts I need, other than the fan.


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 23, 2021)

Got some of the tools hung up today.


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## Chicken lights (Oct 23, 2021)

Picked up a cheap bottom box tonight, I’m gonna move the rest of the fabrication tools out of the main tool box, I’m out of room. Isn’t it cute?

Had a local machine shop clearance the number 3 tap handle. A 3/8” NPT tap wouldn’t fit by just a hair. What’s annoying is the smaller tap handle was designed that way, wonder why they wouldn’t do that on all the handles? 

If anyone has any suggestions for tool drawer liner material that won’t let tools slide around, I’m all ears. I ordered a grid lock system to try out for my wrench drawers but it hasn’t come in yet. They supposedly make an awesome tool box drawer liner but I haven’t heard if we can get it up here yet


----------



## DPittman (Oct 23, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> View attachment 17813View attachment 17814Picked up a cheap bottom box tonight, I’m gonna move the rest of the fabrication tools out of the main tool box, I’m out of room. Isn’t it cute?
> 
> Had a local machine shop clearance the number 3 tap handle. A 3/8” NPT tap wouldn’t fit by just a hair. What’s annoying is the smaller tap handle was designed that way, wonder why they wouldn’t do that on all the handles?
> 
> If anyone has any suggestions for tool drawer liner material that won’t let tools slide around, I’m all ears. I ordered a grid lock system to try out for my wrench drawers but it hasn’t come in yet. They supposedly make an awesome tool box drawer liner but I haven’t heard if we can get it up here yet


Some people use that shelf/cupboard liner stuff. I know people with travel trailers really like it for dish cupboards.  I'm not sure how it would stand up in a tool box tho?


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 23, 2021)

DPittman said:


> Some people use that shelf/cupboard liner stuff. I know people with travel trailers really like it for dish cupboards.  I'm not sure how it would stand up in a tool box tho?


I can check at a Home Depot? I’d like it to not be slippery, which the cheap tool box liners are


----------



## DPittman (Oct 23, 2021)

Well I know that shelf liner stuff I'm talking about is definitely not slippery.


----------



## kevin.decelles (Oct 23, 2021)

We had a futon mattress that came with a rubber-ish anti-slip sheet to stop it from sliding, and an area rug we bought also came with one.  You can buy this stuff in bulk sheets (5x5, 6x9, 10x10) (all feet) which I find more economical than the cupboard stuff.   Sample amazon link below.  I've never bought that brand but you can get the idea.

https://www.amazon.ca/Mockins-Preve...cphy=9001288&hvtargid=pla-1144254108847&psc=1


----------



## trlvn (Oct 23, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> I can check at a Home Depot? I’d like it to not be slippery, which the cheap tool box liners are


I used shelf liner from Bed Bath & Beyond!  My wife gets 20% off coupons all the time and it turned out to be on sale as well.  It was 16 inches wide which was a pretty good fit for the drawers of my chest.  

Craig
(Trying to cut straight following the row of bubbles was weirdly difficult.  Made my eyes swim!)


----------



## jcdammeyer (Oct 23, 2021)

The material I used was a rubber anti slip liner from Princess Auto #8058424.   Unfortunately it's no longer listed.  At least not under that number.  Too bad.  It's perfect.  Don't remember what I paid for it.  Probably too much but it's nice for placing tools on.  I can supply a photo if someone wants.  I'd also check IKEA.  They might have something.


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## Chicken lights (Oct 24, 2021)

trlvn said:


> I used shelf liner from Bed Bath & Beyond!  My wife gets 20% off coupons all the time and it turned out to be on sale as well.  It was 16 inches wide which was a pretty good fit for the drawers of my chest.
> 
> Craig
> (Trying to cut straight following the row of bubbles was weirdly difficult.  Made my eyes swim!)


I’m not positive I’ve ever stepped foot in a Bed Bath and Beyond....


----------



## trlvn (Oct 24, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> I’m not positive I’ve ever stepped foot in a Bed Bath and Beyond....


It worked out to about half the cost of Canadian Tire or Home Depot, so...

Craig
The profit margin on "Shelf Liner" must be enormous.  It is the same stuff that is produced by the hectare for carpet underlayment--just cut and packaged differently.


----------



## Susquatch (Oct 26, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> If anyone has any suggestions for tool drawer liner material that won’t let tools slide around, I’m all ears. I ordered a grid lock system to try out for my wrench drawers but it hasn’t come in yet. They supposedly make an awesome tool box drawer liner but I haven’t heard if we can get it up here yet



Try Canadian Tire. This is what I have used. You have to cut it to fit. Mine doesn't slip nor do they stick, nor does it stain my tools. I've been happy with it for 10 years now.



			https://cantireapp.page.link/XYjgqm1HSgwuDLx48
		


It's about $15 for a roll.


----------



## jcdammeyer (Oct 26, 2021)

That looks like the Princess Auto stuff I have.


----------



## Chicken lights (Oct 27, 2021)

Susquatch said:


> Try Canadian Tire. This is what I have used. You have to cut it to fit. Mine doesn't slip nor do they stick, nor does it stain my tools. I've been happy with it for 10 years now.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I’ll check that out when I’m home again, thanks


----------



## Chicken lights (Nov 13, 2021)

Janger said:


> Since we're all home for the forced time off - I'm going to try to make one shop improvement every day. Please feel free to post your own good ideas too.
> 
> I already posted about the band saw out feed fence. But I have another one which is easy to post. I made a simple wrench holder for the drawer since the ones at PA are simply ridiculously priced. A quick sketch in Fusion and I printed up a few of them.





Could you print something like that, but with a deeper throat?(widen the gap)


----------



## Chicken lights (Nov 13, 2021)

Cleaned up my imperial wrench drawers today, using a new system. It’s a bit fussy but I think after having it for awhile it’ll grow on me. No I don’t need two double box end sets but ones made in Canada and a big set.


----------



## Chicken lights (Nov 13, 2021)

Much neater.


----------



## historicalarms (Nov 14, 2021)

Good job Dave....man, I cringe when i think of what you must have thought of the condition of my shop/tool box's compared to yours... in my defense, if everything was to be put back where it belongs i wouldn't be able to badger the "boss" if I can't find something she may have used. (she never has but why miss an opportunity at badgering eh).


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## Chicken lights (Nov 14, 2021)

historicalarms said:


> Good job Dave....man, I cringe when i think of what you must have thought of the condition of my shop/tool box's compared to yours... in my defense, if everything was to be put back where it belongs i wouldn't be able to badger the "boss" if I can't find something she may have used. (she never has but why miss an opportunity at badgering eh).


Nah, no judging here, my actual shop is a disaster right now, I need to clean up big time before winter really sets in

I’m not a married man....but badgering the hand that feeds seems....unsafe? I guess you’ve survived this long with the “boss” you know the limits


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## Janger (Nov 14, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> View attachment 18234Could you print something like that, but with a deeper throat?(widen the gap)


Yes but do you have the cad model? Not just the .stl file.


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## Chicken lights (Nov 14, 2021)

Janger said:


> Yes but do you have the cad model? Not just the .stl file.


I don’t have anything for a file. How would I get you a cad model?


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## Janger (Nov 14, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> I don’t have anything for a file. How would I get you a cad model?


Where did you find that part? is it a wrench holder? If you can get a cad file or maybe the .STL file then changes could be made to it. You can PM it to me if you can locate it. Otherwise it would have to be drawn up from scratch.


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## Chicken lights (Nov 14, 2021)

Janger said:


> Where did you find that part? is it a wrench holder? If you can get a cad file or maybe the .STL file then changes could be made to it. You can PM it to me if you can locate it. Otherwise it would have to be drawn up from scratch.


It was part of the kit I bought, they sell different assortments related to what drawers you’re trying to organize. I got the wrench assortment they have others for sockets or ratchets etc 

How long (roughly) would it take to draw up? I could mail you one if that’s easiest


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## YYCHM (Nov 14, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> It was part of the kit I bought, they sell different assortments related to what drawers you’re trying to organize. I got the wrench assortment they have others for sockets or ratchets etc
> 
> How long (roughly) would it take to draw up? I could mail you one if that’s easiest



Hey David,

Poke around on the website https://www.thingiverse.com/  You'll probably find something close to what you're after.

Craig


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## Tom O (Nov 17, 2021)

I made a test piece for a Bridgeport knee handle that I measured months ago it looks good but the hole is 1/2” and I need to open it to 5/8” to try the fit. There’s no hurry though they still have 3 teeth on theirs.


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## Marc Moreau (Nov 17, 2021)

Nice part.


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## Tom O (Nov 17, 2021)

Thanks


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## deleted_user (Feb 18, 2022)

gerritv said:


> It is a Beaver scroll saw/die filer combo. Made in Ontario somewhere, I think Guelph, with real cast iron?
> The machine came configured to work as both saw and die filer. A $20 Kijiji find from Brantford. I might be selling it later this year.....
> 
> The toilet I am keeping, one of the best additions to to shop
> ...


@gerritv did you ever use the Beaver scroll saw as a die filer? 

I had a modern smaller scroll saw and did not use it enough so I sold it. I see a beaver scroll saw for sale that would make a good restoration project, but it is 24" model and takes up space. It may be worth keeping if the saw actually proves useful as a die filer. While they say it can be used with files, their manual is thin on info and implies use for wood only. 

I've been looking at actual die filer casting kits as an option and cant decide which way to go


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## PeterT (Feb 18, 2022)

I've made a number of filing gadgets for my scroll saws. The older pin blade style allowed a few more mounting options over the current/predominant pin-less quick change style. Scroll saws vary in their blade clamping mechanism so if you want to flip back & forth between blade mode & file mode without too much setup fuss, then either the holder or file part has to accommodate. In the end I found them to be 'meh' & that was limited to light work (wood, composites, light gage metal). The stroke length is limited. The table/hole may limit files to smaller X-sections. Clamping & supporting the underside can be pita.  I'm not too familiar with scroll actions but I seem to recall not all are axial? They either have a slight rock as a byproduct of the arm layout or maybe that's by design to assist with cutting. Anyways, I think filers are intended to be more axial. Personally I think putting effort into a dedicated die filer would be better time spent, especially if the clamp mechanism can accommodate off the shelf files with no or limited modification.

I've seen some nice bar stock filer ideas. With a speed controlled motor it would be a nice to have hobby tool. OTOH a belt sander will do a large part of any external surface work within the limits of the belt/platten, arguably a lot faster & comparable finish / accuracy over power filing. The filer would come in handy for internal profiling & utilizing all the available shapes & tooth cutting styles of files. I could see some design improvement in the holder mechanism would pay dividends so it can still support top & bottom of file vs cantilever & not rely on dedicated files. Bonus points would be nice to grip any kind of file tapered or combination profiled file, but the holder would have to accommodate that.


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## deleted_user (Feb 18, 2022)

PeterT said:


> I've made a number of filing gadgets for my scroll saws. The older pin blade style allowed a few more mounting options over the current/predominant pin-less quick change style. Scroll saws vary in their blade clamping mechanism so if you want to flip back & forth between blade mode & file mode without too much setup fuss, then either the holder or file part has to accommodate. In the end I found them to be 'meh' & that was limited to light work (wood, composites, light gage metal). The stroke length is limited. The table/hole may limit files to smaller X-sections. Clamping & supporting the underside can be pita.  I'm not too familiar with scroll actions but I seem to recall not all are axial? They either have a slight rock as a byproduct of the arm layout or maybe that's by design to assist with cutting. Anyways, I think filers are intended to be more axial. Personally I think putting effort into a dedicated die filer would be better time spent, especially if the clamp mechanism can accommodate off the shelf files with no or limited modification.
> 
> I've seen some nice bar stock filer ideas. With a speed controlled motor it would be a nice to have hobby tool. OTOH a belt sander will do a large part of any external surface work within the limits of the belt/platten, arguably a lot faster & comparable finish / accuracy over power filing. The filer would come in handy for internal profiling & utilizing all the available shapes & tooth cutting styles of files. I could see some design improvement in the holder mechanism would pay dividends so it can still support top & bottom of file vs cantilever & not rely on dedicated files. Bonus points would be nice to grip any kind of file tapered or combination profiled file, but the holder would have to accommodate that.



Yeah I suspected as much on the suitability... I need more internal filing capability. I'll likely go with the casting kit from MLAtoolbox. It's completely enclosed drive mechanism, tilting bed and 1" stroke length.

I'll still buy the saw to restore... and then send it to brother's basement.


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## Chris Cramer (Feb 21, 2022)

Chicken lights said:


> It was part of the kit I bought, they sell different assortments related to what drawers you’re trying to organize. I got the wrench assortment they have others for sockets or ratchets etc
> 
> How long (roughly) would it take to draw up? I could mail you one if that’s easiest


It shouldn't be too difficult to design something like that with fusion or solid works based off of the location you would place it in your shop, as well as the size and shapes of the tools you want to place in the assortment. IMO I would rather design the assortment myself, because it gives you more freedom to change the components within the whole design. That setup you have with all the wrench assortments gave me a good idea of how I should use the top of my tool box rather than the way I have things stacked on top.


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## Degen (Feb 23, 2022)

kevin.decelles said:


> ER fixture for tightening collets (this one is er40).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I made something similar just recently for two different sized R8 holders both for ER32's


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## Janger (Feb 23, 2022)

Tom O said:


> I made a test piece for a Bridgeport knee handle that I measured months ago it looks good but the hole is 1/2” and I need to open it to 5/8” to try the fit. There’s no hurry though they still have 3 teeth on theirs.
> 
> View attachment 18339
> View attachment 18338


Hi @Tom O , DId you CNC this one or hand bomb it on the rotary table?


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## Tom O (Feb 23, 2022)

Janger said:


> Hi @Tom O , DId you CNC this one or hand bomb it on the rotary table?





Janger said:


> Hi @Tom O , DId you CNC this one or hand bomb it on the rotary table?


It was done on the CNC I did drill it out and it fits good.


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## Marc Moreau (Feb 24, 2022)

Good idea and nice job look very strong.


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## Chicken lights (Mar 31, 2022)

Fixin’ chicken lights today I picked up a new battery charger. It works but it makes the lights blink, for some reason. The older style just had them stay on solid.
Wonder what the difference in the electronics is?


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## Susquatch (Mar 31, 2022)

Chicken lights said:


> View attachment 22612Fixin’ chicken lights today I picked up a new battery charger. It works but it makes the lights blink, for some reason. The older style just had them stay on solid.
> Wonder what the difference in the electronics is?



Just guessing here as I'd need much more detail or hands on. 

But is it possible that the lights are just reflecting duty cycle? They would stay on when charging a discharged battery, but flicker when the battery gets close to full charge. 

Most battery chargers put out a variable current full time that reflects the charge current needed. But some only send out a full charge current but turn it off and on to achieve lower charge currents on average. 

Just a guess assuming it isn't broken.


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## Chicken lights (Mar 31, 2022)

Susquatch said:


> Just guessing here as I'd need much more detail or hands on.
> 
> But is it possible that the lights are just reflecting duty cycle? They would stay on when charging a discharged battery, but flicker when the battery gets close to full charge.
> 
> ...


It’s acting exactly like there is a flasher built into the circuit, steady one second on, one second off. 

It’s possible the charger isn’t seeing the load necessary to charge a battery bank, sensing no load, shutting off, then retrying one second later, on an endless loop 

It’s a definite on, pause, off, pause, on, pause, off cycle repeat


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## Susquatch (Mar 31, 2022)

I'm still leaning toward a duty cycle type charge. 

Try it on a depleted battery if you have one, and also a fully charged battery. 

What is the voltage on the battery doing while this happens?


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## jcdammeyer (Mar 31, 2022)

Back in the day it was a simple transformer with selenium rectifier and once the battery reached the desired voltage it limited the input current to the trickle charge.
Things have changed.  Having developed both Sealed Lead Acid and Lithium chargers and worked with COTS units all I can say is it depends...

One way to do it is to use the Bulk, Absorption, Float model.  The charger may apply something like 14.8V and check the current and what the voltage drops to as current limit cuts in.  So say it's a 30A charger with the voltage set to 14.8V.  If the battery is really flat then it will draw 30A pulling the voltage down to 12V or even less.  As the battery fills up in the Bulk state it reaches a point where the 14.8V is reached and the current starts to drop off.  This is the Absorption stage and the voltage is held at 14.8V until current drops below a certain point.  Say that's 1A.  That may take longer than the bulk state.  Once the 1A is reached the charger drops back to Float lowering the voltage to something like 13.85V and now the battery can sit like this 24/7.

Where it gets interesting is if the battery is also connected to an inverter for a full time connected UPS system.   The UPS can handle 13.85 or 14.8V but the charger now much track how much current goes into the battery and how much feeds the load so it knows when to cut back to 13.85V so the battery isn't overcharged.

Often during the Absorption state the voltage isn't fixed as much as it's adjusted to keep the current into the battery (and load) at a certain point up to that maximum voltage.   

So back to the question.  If the charger applies 14.8V and sees current at 200mA for the LEDs then it says batteries are past the bulk and absorption charge point.  At that point it might also disconnect the charger and measure the system voltage to see if instead it's a battery that won't take a charge even if it's dead flat.  It might do that once per second since it may not be smart enough to do it 3x and then stop.

Way back in 2012 the ONAN generator was on the outside of my office window.  The batteries, chargers, controllers and load were in the office on a rather temporary setup.


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## historicalarms (Apr 1, 2022)

my old chargers could be hooked direct to a light circuit to test with no problem at all but the new charger (about 3 yrs old) needs a battery between the charger & circuit to work...even can be a dead battery as long as its 12 volt. 
     Don't know the reason why or if it will help you Dave, good luck.


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## ShawnR (Apr 1, 2022)

I think if the charger is an inverter type, then the led's might not draw enough. Try putting an incandescent light (old headlamp, 1157 bulb?) across the connections to the led bar, see if that resolves it. Like computer supplies, iirc, there needs to be a min draw for the inverter to work. In a battery charging application, the battery sinks enough current to satisfy that. 

Guessing...


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## Chicken lights (Apr 1, 2022)

ShawnR said:


> I think if the charger is an inverter type, then the led's might not draw enough. Try putting an incandescent light (old headlamp, 1157 bulb?) across the connections to the led bar, see if that resolves it. Like computer supplies, iirc, there needs to be a min draw for the inverter to work. In a battery charging application, the battery sinks enough current to satisfy that.
> 
> Guessing...


Adding in a headlight didn’t help. I just scrapped a junk battery the other day too. Guess I’m putting up with the blinking
Thanks fellas


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## Chicken lights (Apr 1, 2022)

Today we learned that’s a “fillister” type screw head, compared to a pan head. 
0.060” skinnier than the pan head. One fits in the light the other sits proud. I was gonna redneckery make the pan head fit but they were 25 cents each to buy new,  in stainless even


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## ShawnR (Apr 1, 2022)

Chicken lights said:


> Adding in a headlight didn’t help. I just scrapped a junk battery the other day too. Guess I’m putting up with the blinking
> Thanks fellas


What happens when you connect the light bar across the battery?


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## Susquatch (Apr 1, 2022)

Chicken lights said:


> Adding in a headlight didn’t help. I just scrapped a junk battery the other day too. Guess I’m putting up with the blinking
> Thanks fellas



I dunno if that's a good plan. It assumes the charger works. Putting up with a blinking light on a charger that doesn't work is prolly not a good idea. Unless you already know that it works, I'd recommend a little more testing. When are you headed Chatham way next?


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## Chris Cramer (Apr 1, 2022)

I’ve finally got into cleaning out my whole shop. I have removed all the metal I have from my garage bay/shop, and now I am trying to think the best way I could store it back inside in a much more organized manner and save as much room as possible. I have come up with some good ways to store my rods, tube, bar, and and angle iron, however I also have quite a few large metal sheets and plates that take up most of my space. the best way to save space would be to build or buy a shed; but until that happens I need to store it inside my shop.


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## Chicken lights (Apr 2, 2022)

Susquatch said:


> I dunno if that's a good plan. It assumes the charger works. Putting up with a blinking light on a charger that doesn't work is prolly not a good idea. Unless you already know that it works, I'd recommend a little more testing. When are you headed Chatham way next?


Not for awhile, dispatch making noise about an oversize to PEI next week


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## Chicken lights (Apr 2, 2022)

ShawnR said:


> What happens when you connect the light bar across the battery?


The junk battery I had went for scrap, I’d have to find another one to test this


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## jcdammeyer (Apr 2, 2022)

Chicken lights said:


> The junk battery I had went for scrap, I’d have to find another one to test this


Can we take a step back on all this?  

What is the total expected current draw of the LED lights at 12V?  

Have you access to a large filter capacitor from an old S100 computer power supply?  They had 12V so the caps would have been rated at 16V.  You'd have to condition it before trying it since it's old but it could fake out the charger.

Alternatively if you have a small 12V AC adaptor and a blocking diode you can put that across the LEDs (with the diode in series so the charger doesn't force current into it) and that voltage may 'fool' the charger into thinking there is a battery there.


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## Susquatch (Apr 2, 2022)

jcdammeyer said:


> Have you access to a large filter capacitor from an old S100 computer power supply?



S100 Computers. Now there is a trip down memory lane! So cool! I bet I still have a/d d/a and a plethora of control boards for the S100 system. Amazing capability even in today's context because bloatware didn't really exist yet! 

@Chicken lights - if you need big capacitors like that, I'm sure I have lots to choose from.


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## Dabbler (Apr 2, 2022)

Susquatch said:


> I bet I still have a/d d/a and a plethora of control boards



I still have a tube of new, unused 2102 memory chips and an S100 backplane in my garage somewhere.


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## jcdammeyer (Apr 2, 2022)

Dabbler said:


> I still have a tube of new, unused 2102 memory chips and an S100 backplane in my garage somewhere.


We are _not_ going to make this a competition


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## Janger (Apr 2, 2022)

jcdammeyer said:


> We are _not_ going to make this a competition


hmm nobody has mentioned paper tape yet.  jacquard loom control anyone ?
This is much earlier than I realized. 1804!









						Programming patterns: the story of the Jacquard loom | Science and Industry Museum
					

The Jacquard loom ties together two of Manchester's most important historic industries: textile manufacturing and computing.




					www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk


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## jcdammeyer (Apr 2, 2022)

Janger said:


> hmm nobody has mentioned paper tape yet.  jacquard loom control anyone ?
> This is much earlier than I realized. 1804!


Well now.  Back in the late 70's working at Bowtek Electric in Edmonton first introduced to the National Semiconductor Basic SC/MP kit. And programmed with paper tape...  Teletype for I/O.
Didn't last long.  Moved to S100 Z80 with my own design wire wrapped S100 48K memory board and a dual Persci 8" floppy drive.
Used it to try and build a robot arm with my little DB-200 Unimat Mill/Drill.  All before computer control of any hardware.
So very long ago...


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## YYCHM (Apr 2, 2022)

jcdammeyer said:


> Well now.  Back in the late 70's working at Bowtek Electric in Edmonton first introduced to the National Semiconductor Basic SC/MP kit. And programmed with paper tape...  Teletype for I/O.
> Didn't last long.  Moved to S100 Z80 with my own design wire wrapped S100 48K memory board and a dual Persci 8" floppy drive.
> Used it to try and build a robot arm with my little DB-200 Unimat Mill/Drill.  All before computer control of any hardware.
> So very long ago...



My first programing experience was in 1st year engineering in the mid-late 70's.  We card punched Fortran code.
When I worked for PanArctic Oils,  drilling reports were paper tape punched and transmitted to Calgary via a Teletype machine.


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## Dabbler (Apr 2, 2022)

I *finally* threw out all my paper tape a couple of years ago.  Focal, Basic, FORTRAN and PDP11 binaries.


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## Susquatch (Apr 2, 2022)

I confess I threw out my S100 system box in the last move. I did keep a few boards. No idea why. And I kept a few programs I wrote, not so much because I might run them, but rather because of the ideas and methods they contain.


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## YYCHM (Apr 2, 2022)

Dabbler said:


> I *finally* threw out all my paper tape a couple of years ago.  Focal, Basic, FORTRAN and PDP11 binaries.



PDP11 binaries LOL.... Why would one keep them in the first place


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## jcdammeyer (Apr 2, 2022)

Never did do a PDP11.  PDP8 yes.  PDP10 at Uni. in 4th year for computer graphics course.  First year Algol-W on punch cards, APL on special terminals on IMB370.  Next year terminals on the Amdahl 470.  First home monitor a converted 12" TV and a 64x16 TV Typewriter board.  Even accounting for the relative dollar difference the ascii keyboard for that cost more than a Raspberry Pi4 does now.


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## GlenG (Apr 3, 2022)

Wow.  You guys are making me feel so young, I had to use DECwriter for my Fortran 77 course in Uni.


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## Chicken lights (Apr 3, 2022)

jcdammeyer said:


> Can we take a step back on all this?
> 
> What is the total expected current draw of the LED lights at 12V?
> 
> ...


I’m measuring 220-240 K ohms on one circuit, of six (now working) lights 

That seems like a lot of ohms, but not a lot of amps?


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## jcdammeyer (Apr 3, 2022)

Chicken lights said:


> I’m measuring 220-240 K ohms on one circuit, of six (now working) lights
> 
> That seems like a lot of ohms, but not a lot of amps?


Measuring the resistance of that sort of circuit won't predict current consumption.   The problem at the moment of course is you don't have a stable 12V supply.  If you could even 'borrow' the battery from a car to run a single light and measure the current with your meter then you'd have an idea of what you need to do.  

LED lighting is pretty low power.
https://www.amazon.ca/Waterproof-Flexible-Daylight-Gardens-Kitchen/dp/B00HSF66JO
This are 18W at 12V.  That means 18W/12V=1.5A

A search with these terms shows up all sorts of inexpensive AC adapters for 12V LED lighting.
https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=LED+lamp+...ed+lamp+power+supply,tools,141&ref=nb_sb_noss

And Amazon is really expensive for those sorts of things.  If you can wait for Aliexpress to end of April.  
Aliexpress power supply

Even Lee Valley Tools carries this sort of thing.


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## Susquatch (Apr 3, 2022)

jcdammeyer said:


> Measuring the resistance of that sort of circuit won't predict current consumption.   The problem at the moment of course is you don't have a stable 12V supply.  If you could even 'borrow' the battery from a car to run a single light and measure the current with your meter then you'd have an idea of what you need to do.
> 
> LED lighting is pretty low power.
> https://www.amazon.ca/Waterproof-Flexible-Daylight-Gardens-Kitchen/dp/B00HSF66JO
> ...



Or a trip through Chatham.


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## Dabbler (Apr 3, 2022)

YYCHM said:


> Why would one keep them in the first place


I regret getting rid of them now.  I could have run them on a PiDP11/70 kit.  it is available for $255 USD

No one mentioned FOCAL!  I loved using APL - it was a great innovation that would eventually go nowhere.  My first was an IBM 1130 running at 600KHZ, with between 4 and 16 cycles for each instruction, with 16 KB of memory, then programmed DEC PDP9's then 8's then 11's  I used to own a working PDP8i, compete with 2 DECtape drives... those were the days!


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## Chicken lights (Apr 3, 2022)

jcdammeyer said:


> Measuring the resistance of that sort of circuit won't predict current consumption.   The problem at the moment of course is you don't have a stable 12V supply.  If you could even 'borrow' the battery from a car to run a single light and measure the current with your meter then you'd have an idea of what you need to do.
> 
> LED lighting is pretty low power.
> https://www.amazon.ca/Waterproof-Flexible-Daylight-Gardens-Kitchen/dp/B00HSF66JO
> ...








I tried amps and milli amps and got zilch. One single, new, light on a borrowed battery. Battery positive unhooked just jammed a 3/8” bolt in there to use as a terminal

I’m guessing it’s the dummy attempting to use the multimeter


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## jcdammeyer (Apr 3, 2022)

Chicken lights said:


> I tried amps and milli amps and got zilch. One single, new, light on a borrowed battery. Battery positive unhooked just jammed a 3/8” bolt in there to use as a terminal
> 
> I’m guessing it’s the dummy attempting to use the multimeter


Should be at least about 20mA.    Power from battery into meter positive lead, negative lead to the lamp.  Other lamps lead to the negative post.   From the picture it doesn't look like that.

Here's an example.  The power supply is 12V and shows .41A.  It powers the board in that little black box which sends messages out to the strip of LEDs to tell them to go to full intensity.   The big clip leads are the power supply and red goes to the LED assembly.   The black wire on the connector goes to a red clip lead which goes to the red probe on the meter.  The black probe on the meter goes to the power supply negative black clip lead.

Meters normally have a fuse (sometimes very expensive).  Make sure you have the meter set correctly and that you won't exceed the current setting.


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## Susquatch (Apr 3, 2022)

As @jcdammeyer said, most meters have a fuse - sometimes two. Often the fuses only affect the current (amps) function. So your meter might work on volts but not current. 

Or drop by the farm and we can figure it out together....... 

Or maybe I'll be out your way in the near future.....


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## jcdammeyer (Apr 3, 2022)

Susquatch said:


> As @jcdammeyer said, most meters have a fuse - sometimes two. Often the fuses only affect the current (amps) function. So your meter might work on volts but not current.
> 
> Or drop by the farm and we can figure it out together.......
> 
> Or maybe I'll be out your way in the near future.....


From the first photo it almost looks like the probes were put across the power leads to the lamp.  So current goes in one, out the other toasting the fuse in the process.

You will know the fuse has been popped by putting the meter in series with the power to the lamp under the 10A setting.  If the lamp doesn't light, the fuse is popped.  Hopefully it's a cheap one.  My meter is a 600V one so the fuse was rated for that which made it a $30 item IIRC.  So I 3D printed a small holder for a normal $1 fuse and that's what I use now.  At least I think that's what I did.  I'd have to pull the meter apart to find out.


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## Susquatch (Apr 3, 2022)

jcdammeyer said:


> From the first photo it almost looks like the probes were put across the power leads to the lamp



I think you meant to reply to @Chicken lights .

But ya, I had the same thought but figured you covered the details quite adequately on that.


----------

