Welcome to Westwood Metalworks, What is he building in there?

[Dan Dubeau]

I love my m12 angle die grinder with a 2" roloc disc. But id still give the nod to an air die grinder if i have a lot of work that need to be done. Its much nicer for occasional stuff without the whine though

 

[Dan Dubeau]

I just had to buy another power supply for my laptop because the power supply cord gets twisted and eventually breaks the wires inside. This is the 3rd one in about 10 years that has failed this way. The laptop (lenovo thinkpad) wont charge unless I use at least a 170w power supply ( I replaced with a 230w one this time for same price), and I tried just replacing just the square end with another lower wattage one salvaged from a thrift store buy, but there's something in the potted circuit at the plug end that wont allow that. So I chipped and cut all the potting away on my old 170w, cut back the cable and re soldered it until my new one arrived to replace it. Thought I'd try to prolong the life of this new one by 3d printing a 90* strain relief. Fit is great, but I'm not 100% sure about it. Seems like it might just shift the strain to the connecter on the laptop. This design is a bit bulky, but was more of a quick fit test for the nest inside. The next version I will thin it down and make it more of a thin shell, and perhaps print it from TPU to allow some more give. I also though about just making a clam shell mold, and filling it with silicone, enveloping the entire end in a molded 90* tube. Still thinking about that one.....

Pics of old power supply.






I'm also going to repot the old adapter again, and move it out to the garage so I can more easily take the laptop out there for CNC programming changes etc.

 

[Susquatch]

I just had to buy another power supply for my laptop because the power supply cord gets twisted and eventually breaks the wires inside.

That's Amazing Dan! Exactly the kind of thing I'm looking forward to with my future 3D printer.

Till then, I use epoxy to make similar gizmos using molds made from whatever works. I try to make then before the wires themselves need repair.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

That's Amazing Dan! Exactly the kind of thing I'm looking forward to with my future 3D printer.

Till then, I use epoxy to make similar gizmos using molds made from whatever works. I try to make then before the wires themselves need repair.

When you get one, you'll find all kinds of uses for it you didn't previously think about. It's truly a household appliance I don't ever want to be without again. I'm already looking forward to upgrading to a multi nozzle machine in a couple years and can't wait to see where the tech is by then.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

I don't know when it happened, but i've arrived at the point in life where I'm genuinely excited about getting new tires for my lawnmower. I did try seating the bead the proper way first before resorting to the fun way though......




I got new back tires too, but will get to those after I catch up with mowing for now. Been chipping away fixing all the little things that I've been ignoring, and temp fixing for years......

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Bit of a rainy day in pizzaville here, so I just puttered around the shop. Cleaning, organizing, with no real direction, just see job, do job.

Its been a giant mess in here since about March. Lots of surplus hardware scattered all over so that was my first focus. Tables, benches and containers were full, so I just started putting stuff were it belongs.


With a clean table to work on, next up was a couple new bearings for an idler pulley on the lawnmower. Was cutting out behind the barn last week when the bearing went, and caught the dead grass on the deck on fire, then the ground....Raced back to the house to put the mower out, then back out behind the barn with a bucket of water to get the grass 😀 Maybe it's time to fix and refit the covers back on this deck......


Then I decided to do something with this broken shovel handle I've been hanging onto for a few years....Back in march I picked up a nice chipping hammer from a scrap bin at work that had a broken handle. I cleaned it up, and cut a section of shovel handle then rehung it.

Traced the eye


Draw knife took care of the bulk.


Rasps did the rest






I've put couple coats of tung oil on it now, and that's as far as I go with it. I did flatten out the sides a bit for a better feel in the hand, but didn't take pics of that.

That's it for now. Feel like I can move and work in the shop again, so I'll get back on a couple of small projects hanging around and hopefully get them done, then maybe onto some bigger ones... I'll head back out after dinner to tidy up the machines too. They've also become flat surfaces to stack stuff on too.....

 

[140mower]

so I just started putting stuff were it belongs.

Must be a pretty crappy day if it's come down to this...... 🙄

 

[Stuart Samuel]

Bit of a rainy day in pizzaville here,

Me and my haff brovfer, Raul...
(Maybe an Ontario thing?)

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Must be a pretty crappy day if it's come down to this...... 🙄

It was bad enough the golf course closed and we missed out 1:00 tee time. I didn't think it was actually that bad, I would have played in it, but I guess it's still pretty saturated from yesterday.

 

[140mower]

It was bad enough the golf course closed and we missed out 1:00 tee time. I didn't think it was actually that bad, I would have played in it, but I guess it's still pretty saturated from yesterday.

Maybe that's why golf never stuck with me........ I am more of a coffee kinda guy. 🙄 😛

 

[jorogi]

Must be a pretty crappy day if it's come down to this...... 🙄

I'd take it.

The plan.
Sleep in. Eat waffles. Drink coffee. Saunter out to the shop and spend a quiet, pleasant day by myself.

The reality.
O dark thirty, there's no water pressure. Switch the pump off, isolate the well, turn the lower well on. Pressure tank spraying water everywhere.

Drive into town to correct someone elses screw up. Get half way home and turn around to correct their next screw up.

Get home and there's no water pressure. Drive into town for a new 1x1 brass nipple to replace the one that failed in the lower well circuit.

So, too much driving, two empty wells to start our summer with and no shop time. Not even for a bit of cleanup.

 

[140mower]

I'd take it.

The plan.
Sleep in. Eat waffles. Drink coffee. Saunter out to the shop and spend a quiet, pleasant day by myself.

The reality.
O dark thirty, there's no water pressure. Switch the pump off, isolate the well, turn the lower well on. Pressure tank spraying water everywhere.

Drive into town to correct someone elses screw up. Get half way home and turn around to correct their next screw up.

Get home and there's no water pressure. Drive into town for a new 1x1 brass nipple to replace the one that failed in the lower well circuit.

So, too much driving, two empty wells to start our summer with and no shop time. Not even for a bit of cleanup.

Working for three hours to pay a pro one hour to do something that takes me 8 hours to repair is one of my favorite pass times too...... I knew there was a reason we got along. 🙄 😛 😉

 

[jorogi]

Working for three hours to pay a pro one hour to do something that takes me 8 hours to repair is one of my favorite pass times too...... I knew there was a reason we got along. 🙄 😛 😉

Yeh but we have an apprentice plumber freeloading in the house with us for two months as he goes to school. Apparently they teach them how to eat on these courses, at least it'll let him be a straight A student. In fairness he did put one tube of grease away for me at the end.

 

[140mower]

Yeh but we have an apprentice plumber freeloading in the house with us for two months as he goes to school. Apparently they teach them how to eat on these courses, at least it'll let him be a straight A student. In fairness he did put one tube of grease away for me at the end.

Ahhhhh, it was tuition day..... very little education comes in the classroom.

 

[Chicken lights]

Ahhhhh, it was tuition day..... very little education comes in the classroom.

I ain't saying nothing

You're welcome

 

[mbond]

It was bad enough the golf course closed and we missed out 1:00 tee time. I didn't think it was actually that bad, I would have played in it, but I guess it's still pretty saturated from yesterday.

I made my 4:00 with my son, but we got rained on and I introduced him to the concept of casual water

 

[Dan Dubeau]

I play some of my best golf when its rainy and windy. Don't know why.

The new owners of this course are so afraid of water and either shut the course down, or park the carts and go walking only with even the slightest precipitation. Been playing this course for 30 years. It drains very well and There are only a handful of spots that hold water when it rains, and are easy to stake off. Im pretty sure it more of a financial decision to send staff home when the tee sheet clears, than a course one like they say.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Aside from golfing as much as I can (back's all healed up, I'm finally able to swing again) I've been chipping away at oddball fun projects. Doing the big tires on the lawnmower I had to use the hydraulic press to break the bead.



It worked but I want to do better. Did some googling for bead breakers, and found they're about $65-75. Same old story, why spend that much money, when I can make one for twice the price...So I found one I liked, printed out a side shot for scale, and went rummaging through the scrap bins.


Started cutting some pieces and shaping on the belt grinder.


Welded some together and it started taking shape.



Then it was "done"


Looked great, functioned fine, but when I went to test it out on an old tire the 1/2" allthread seized up in the nut and sheared off.....Back to the drawing board with a couple new ideas. I cut the welded nuts off both spots and welded in 5/8" ones. Then made a new plunger screw from 5/8" all thread and rounded the end then dimpled the end of the bead pusher with a 5/8" ball endmill. I also welded on a hammer pad on the back of the square tube to help pound it into the bead to get started without damaging the tube



Back out to the barn to try it out and it works great.



I have it apart now to paint.



I didn't really make it to do car tires, I was planning on making a bigger version, but it actually works pretty good.

Disclaimer, I'm not going to be using this on nice aluminum rims though. Mostly wanted it for atv/lawnmower/trailer etc type stuff around here.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Action video

 

[Doggggboy]

So the bolt coming in from the inner side of the rim is holding the foot of the jig tight to the inside of the bead?