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288K views 707 replies 133 participants last post by  Redoak49 
#1 ·
A journey into the workshop #1. Starting over, getting organized.

After spending the time, money, and effort to get the equipment I need to get moving in earnest in woodworking, I am doing so. But a little background might help you dear readers to understand where I am coming from…

I hated junior high, and high school. Passionately hated that entire experience with 3 major exceptions.

#1. The social interactions. Some of the best friends I have ever had, I made in Junior High, and High School. I try to maintain many of those friendships even today…

#2. Art class, for the same reasons I also enjoyed…
#3. Shop classes, specifically Wood Shop, and Welding Shop. I was encouraged to create and express myself through those classes.

While I thoroughly enjoyed college, by the time I entered college, I was in a long term, bad domestic situation that kept me away from woodworking for many years…

Fast forward 21 years, a new marriage (I am VERY blessed this time!) to a wonderful woman that actually encourages me to express and explore these things… This also coincided with my career taking off in the direction I was working toward, with sufficient income to at least indulge woodworking with a bang for the buck point of view…

I started building up my workshop from a basic circular saw, cheap router table, sanding block, and old hand me down hack saw to what it is today in January 2008.

So now it's time for me to get organized, in both the workshop and the blog… I am hopefully making progress with both.

In case you haven't seen it, my workshop tour page is renewed pretty frequently. I try to keep it up to date with the changes I am making in the shop.

Today was a day of throwing away. Of chucking cut offs from old 2×4s that had bent nails driven into them. The only uses I could think of for keeping these cutoffs are as kindling, and I have plenty of that… So in the trash can they went…

Next came hooking the long hose to the Thien cyclone, and sucking up as much sawdust as I could put a hose to… I have some leftover issues but nothing serious.

Lastly, I had to un bury my planer, and table saw. (Long story, workshop garage not just used as workshop quite yet…).

Since the long hose was out, drug the planer over to the hose, hooked it up, and planed my 4×4 cedar to, well… 3.5"x3.5" +/- .001" (The gauge on the Ryobi isn't super accurate, but this is wood after all, and not cast iron…).

I then cut all of my replacement workbench legs to length. I guess for the guys with more years experience, or even with the same years but more time out in the shop my mistakes border on the sheer stupid, but I am going at this with the motto of "safety first"... My accuracy is improving for sure, but I am still prone to mistakes, which is why I am making new legs…

As I work my way through the projects, one of my key pieces to success I fear is going to be keeping the value of what I do in the workshop relevant to what LOML wants done in and around the house, The following projects are on the TOP of my list…

#1. Finish workbench. (Progress made this weekend).
#2. Finish kitty condo. (progress made this weekend.)
#3. Finish Replacing bad insulation and decking the attic. (Ongoing project, just started). Workbench project is relevant due to need for outfeed support from table saw for safety sake.
#4. Build plywood and 2×4 shelving in attic to make tote access easier. Again workbench relevant for outfeed support.
#5. Build Thien pre separator / trash can cyclone. Safety is relevant all the time…
#6. Finish table saw extension wing. Router table insert will be moving to end of wing, with miter slot to allow use of stacked feather boards. This will be critical when routing profiles for mitered frame raised panel doors that she wants in the kitchen and bathrooms.
#7. Workshop cabinets with mitered frame raised panel doors. Practice and skill builder for kitchen and bathroom projects…. I am planning on using as clear as possible of Cedar for this project. Going to get lots of resawing and milling practice with this!

So while the organization continues, there also remains so much more to do…
 
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#433 ·
New drill press table finished, lessons learned...

I have finally finished up the redo of the drill press table, and I have learned some very important lessons here.

This is the first time I have tried to flush trim rout on a thin edge. Lesson learned? Support your router base with additional material instead of just the 3/4" edge you are routing. Now how did I learn this? Do you really want me to tell you? Cause I certainly am NOT showing…

Next thing I learned. Dadoes cut with the table saw are WAY cleaner than dadoes cut with the router. Especially if you don't have the edge guide for the router clamped down all the way. (My earlier version, and no I am not going to explain that one either…)

Next thing I learned, sanding tempered hardboard doesn't end up giving the most attractive finish. Again, don't ask me how I know…

Lesson learned. The General doweling jig works a LOT better than I had thought, I just need to keep an eye on the lock down screw for the depth adjustment between each hole. The doweling is one of the few items in this project that I am tickled silly with. It came out beautifully.

Lesson learned. I should have had a Japanese flush trim pull saw a LONG time ago. I am using a Marples flush trim pull saw that I got on the cheap from Home Depot. I should have gotten this thing years ago. This thing ROCKS…

Lesson learned, the old rubber sanding block is a hugely underrated tool. Swapping between grits is a pain, but it sure works well!

Now with these lessons learned, and tucked neatly into my head, where hopefully they won't fall out, I will be able to with any luck, not make the same mistakes again…
 
#434 ·
.............hmmmmmmmmmmmm…..............hmmmmmmmmmmmm…....

........you definitely plagarized me…........nobody but me makes that many screwups in one project!

I think I wasted 10 pieces of red oak until I finally got the miter arms right….......posted those today, just a few minutes ago…......but…........PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT..........and if I had read a little I would have saved….....well, maybe 2 pieces of red oak…...........

There is nothing easy about the router….......

Jim
 
#438 ·
Replacement filters for the Grizz air cleaner. I hope I didn't make a mistake.

In the short time I have had the Grizzly G0572 Hanging Air Filter, I have managed to get the original filter in a state of nastiness that just screams of things to come. I needed to seriously start looking for replacement filters…

Now Grizzly offers stock replacements, but one of the fusses I have with the G0572, and the Grizzly replacements is the lack of a washable pre-filter. I mean what sense is it that the secondary filter is washable, but the primary isn't? And worse, the lower model Grizzly air cleaner comes with a washable primary filter… For some reason they overlooked that highly desireable feature in this model…

Lo and behold, on Monday night, I had a Penn State Industries flyer in my mailbox, and while there wasn't much in there unless you are wanting to turn billions of pens, (I haven't started pen turning yet, so it amazes me that they can dedicate so much of the flyer to that one project type), but on close to the last page, they had their AC1000, gee that looks an awful lot like my Grizzly. Dimensions and all…

Then I look. They offer a washable pre filter with the same filtration rating as the Grizzly paper junk. The dimensions as advertised are the same as the Grizzly unit. But the sole review for this filter says that it is actually oversized, Instead of being 14.5×19, it is actually 15-7/8×19-1/8. Now the 19-1/8 I can work with… tolerances on the Grizz aren't that tight, but a full 3/8 to tall is a BIG problem…

So I called Penn State to inquire about this today. I talked with Bill at PSI, who told me that indeed the sizing is nominal, but that the 3/8" larger sizing is unacceptable, and well outside their specs. And that their filter should fit my unit. In all honesty, I suspect it will. If you look at the advertising copy and product descriptions of the PSI and Grizzly units, it looks like they are the same unit fitted with a different primary filter, and painted different colors…

So I went ahead and ordered 2 of them… (One to keep in the air cleaner while the second is being cleaned / dried, learned to do this with my HEPA filter for my shop vac… Hate not being able to use the vac while the filter is drying…
 
#439 ·
You know, I have had those same anxieties at times. Where it is nearly impossible to tell if something is truly going to fit.

I bought a new Dremel tool the other day, and was wondering whether any of my old Dremel stuff would fit. But it turns out they at least have done a pretty good job at staying backwardly compatible. Usually doesn't work that way. Shop vac stuff always seemed to be a nightmare, but at least now I don't use one much at all anymore.

It's the little things in life that can irritate the heck out of you, and wear you down…............

Jim
 
#450 ·
The band saw - lidded log box of doom...

So I have this very large crotchy section of what I believe is camphor, that came from a tree that was downed during hurricane Ike in 2008, that was in front of the office building my wife worked in when we first met / dated… We lunched under that tree many times…

So I decided to make a simple band saw box out of it. Not your normal curvy drawer job, but rather a lidded box, natural with the bark etc… My method was to slice it crosswise so there is a lid, a bottom, and a middle. The middle would have material hogged out by forstner bit (not a bad idea, but big bits tend to bog down if you run them too fast!), chisel (makes for very nasty, and mundane work, then finally spindle sander (even with DC running, DUST PLUMES!

So I got to the spindle sander part last night, strapped on the respirator, turned on the DC, and just got after it… I am not sure if I need coarser sleeves, or what, but it seemed like I had to keep stopping to clean the sleeve… Yeah I was hogging off a LOT of material, and my walls aren't exactly uniform thickness, yet…

Next I looked at the base piece, and noticed that the heartwood, in certain spaces has sizeable fractures. I noted this when trying to turn some of this stuff before. So I mixed up some 2 part epoxy, and filled the cracks with the epoxy.

I figure I need to hog more material out of the the thick wall of the box, but I do not have enough to want to get after it too aggressively, I may chose to nibble away material with a mid size chisel, and just keep after it until I am "just so…" then get back to the spindle sander. At that point, I need to clean up some glue drips from around the hinge pin (3/8" oak dowel pin) so that the lid will sit flush. I am planning on doing that spray in felt flocking stuff on the interior of the box, and then spray lacquer on the exterior…

For those that are interested, the top of the lid, is being left "chainsaw rough" except for cleaning up some splinters etc… I am aiming for an outdoorsy, rustic feel to this box. If this one turns out well, I have a smaller hunk of walnut I want to make a similar box out of. One (the Camphor) is slated to go to LOML, and the other (walnut) is to go to my Mom for Christmas…

I really should have had these things done months ago. I have so much to get done, and so little time…
 
#456 ·
My 8 piece Stanley screwdriver set finally has 8 pieces again!

For the most of you that have never met me in person, I should tell you, I wear carpenter jeans most of the time. My office is fairly casual as we tend to dig around in raised floors and server racks a lot, and I attend very few meetings and interface with the customer pretty much only on the phone.

Now why am I talking about fashion here? Me of all people. I mean the shortest book in the world is the Engineer's Guide To Fashion, and the second shortest, the System Administrator's Guide to Fashion. And I am a System Administrator that knows a lot of engineers… But this is relevant to woodworking, and without a doubt relevant to my shop…

You see this past spring, I noticed the #2 phillips head screwdriver from my Stanley 8 piece screwdriver set was missing. Not a huge loss, but annoying. I like sets to be complete… I had a single #2 that is Stanley, but it had the older fluted style handle that took its place but looked really bad. (I have no idea where the old Stanley #2 came from by the way…).

Now over the months that passed, I have spent quite a bit of time and energy looking for the missing #2. More than the dumb thing was worth… Asking LOML on at least 3 occasions, if she had seen it… Now this is an example of Men are from Mars, and Women are from Venus. To her way of thinking it appears, that when I ask…

"Have you seen a Phillips screwdriver laying around anywhere?" that means to tell me no, even if she say it, in a pocket…

Yep. I had the thing in a pocket of one of my pairs of carpenter jeans when it went to the laundry… She plucked it out. But wait, there's more!

It would appear that instead of setting it on the dryer where most the rest of the forgotten pocket stuff goes, she needed to use it. Fair enough… But where, oh where did that screwdriver go now?

Long story short, the new-ish shop dog around the house has been going bonkers lately, the weather is too danged cold for us to want to be out walking him, and truth be told, he doesn't want to go out in it either… So all that energy has to go somewhere right?

So I go to the dog's toy box to see if I have any rawhide chews for him to play with… Lo and behold! A yellow and black handle peeking up at me from the bottom of the box! After carefully inspecting the handle for teeth marks (thank God there weren't any!) and washing it from second hand dog slobber, back in its rack it went.

Upon seeing it in the box, LOML exclaimed "Oh yeah, THAT's where I put it…"

It's so good to know that I'm not the only one in the house that forgets things like that…

We had a good laugh about it. And kept about our housekeeping. I just now know to look in the dog toys when tools come up missing!
 
#457 ·
Did you ask the dog whether he wanted his own set of screwdrivers?........this is not only the season of hope and good cheer, it is the season of giving. Perhaps he was using that screwdriver regularly. Seems to me you made a lot of assumptions here.

I am missing one socket out of my ….......... I don't know what you call them, but they are used a lot in electronics work, you know, they have different color handles like a screwdriver, but have a socket on the end, going from 3/16 to 1/2 inch. My set came with a stand. Made by Vaco. I bet you have a set at work. Well my 3/8 one took a permanent hike somewhere, and got lost, about 7 or 8 years ago. I couldn't find a Vaco replacement, but I found an Xcelite. Of course the handle is a different size, I had to modify the stand, and it is taller. Those things are rather expensive for some reason. So I really don't want to replace them. They work fine, even with the odd ball Xcelite in the group.

I blamed myself….....I keep thinking I will find it some strange place in the garage, perhaps behind my set of cabinets from the old kitchen remodel. Of course, some itinerant workman, like the furnace man or some such may have purloined it, but I don't think so. Every year or so, I go on another hunt to no avail.

It has left an empty spot in my soul. Yup, even checked Kermit's cage.

I think I'll look for it again today…..............(-:

Jim
 
#463 ·
Trying dovetails again, SUCCESS!

I had a tough time with dovetails when I first tried a couple of years ago, so I set the jig aside, and have been busy working on other projects. But I have a big kitchen overhaul I want to do, and I want to do it soon… So Dovetails are a MUST…

Now mind you, cheap me had tried to practice dovetails in cheap lumber, you know, to keep from ruining good lumber as practice boards… But I thought, solid wood is better than plywood. So I went to the BORG and got some white pine S4S hacked it up, and started cutting dovetails in it, which resulted in blown out tails left and right, and a few pins that were downright ugly…

So the thought process came in the form of scrap plywood, and something the guy at Rockler said to me the other day (which is another story all together) about guys getting blow out in plywood, and just slow the bit down… So I figured, what the heck, I have a piece of scrap, and before I knew it, I had the jig set up, and was cutting perfectly sharp dovetails. Now these aren't the fancy pants variable spaced dovetails that an Omnijig or similar will produce, but these are nice, evenly spaced, very functional dovetails, in 3/4" construction grade plywood…

Now the whole reason I mentioned Rockler. I was up there taking advantage of a January lumber sale on curly maple. I came home with a little under 10 bd/ft of 6" wide curly maple with some GREAT figure to it… Now I am really wanting walnut as well, but since I live in Texas, Maple isn't exactly super easy to come by. And I have a few clocks I am wanting to build soon.. So right now, the maple is up on my racks stickered and acclimating to my shop. I wish I had a few hundred that I could have dropped on lumber, but I just don't right now… The holidays kind of killed my funds…

After I get a few bucks ahead, I am going to have to take a trip up to Huntsville to grab a stack of walnut, and probably pecan. Just load it up and get on back to the shop sort of thing. I am keeping an eye open for any Craigslist deals, but nothing is jumping out these days… A pity too…

Tonight is family time, but this weekend, I should have some shop time, and with that I will spend at least a couple more hours cleaning my shop disaster up. I have a few boxes that are now empty after installing my ductwork and such, so I have a lot of cardboard and other misc stuff that needs to get taken out to be recycled… So much work, so little time…
 
#464 ·
Interesting about bit speed. Haven't gotten into dovetails yet, but that is coming. Got a link to a wood and tool supplier here in Anchorage that I wasn't aware of, prompted by Joedcatman, so think I will stop by there today after work, time willing. Couple of surgeries today, the first a csection, and the last is a bad looking oncology case that I am assisting on….....it might take quite awhile and ruin my afternoon plans.

Have a good one…........21 deg at 0645hrs….....never did learn how to say "you'll" or whatever it is…..must be a northerners speech impediment thing…...(-:

Jim
 
#468 ·
How did it get so dirty so soon?

So last night I go out to the shop to mill down some 2×6 stock for a project when I took an inventory of what I saw… Planer left on the workbench, jointer shavings from when I forgot to open the blast gate and had the jointer spewing shavings all over the shop, hand plane shavings, lawnmower sitting in front of the band saw, bicycle in front of the lathe, EZ UP canopy in the way of everything, and don't even get me started on the junk covering the table saw and the large workbench…

It's time to clean up again…

Time to pitch the huge pile of paper waste bags that we don't use in our town (they came from my BIL's house that is presently being contested in his divorce from his worthless lawyer wife), put all the tools back in their proper places, sweep up and make good use of the floor sweep!

THEN I can get back to making a mess…

It looks like a busy weekend for me!
 
#475 ·
It's been a busy Saturday...

After having discarded pretty much every last bit of bad wood from my old siding tear out, picking up the bent nails etc… I looked around my shop and realized it is a disaster area. So clean up was in order!

I managed to sleep in a bit today, which was a real blessing as I have been running myself ragged for far too long. I dragged myself up and out by around 10:00 A.M. and for the first time in a very long time, felt fully rested and ready to hit my day with all I had…

I went ahead and finished the clean up which consisted of stashing trash bags in the lawn and garden rack, putting my tackle box and painting supplies box up where they belong…

Looking at my scrap box, my drill press, and my router bit / drill press holder, I realized I hated the way it was all working, put less than 5 minutes of thought into it, and cobbled together a holder for all my un cased drill press accessories. You can read about it, and see pics HERE

I fired up the compressor, drug the hose to the driveway, and aired up the tires on BILs car. Need to keep an eye on that, might have to go to Discount and get those things patched…

After stowing all my goodies where they belong, I did some lawn work, I know not shop related, but needed to be done…

Followed that up by ripping an 8'piece f 3/8" thick stock from a 2×6 (I have a few of those I am trying to use the material up, free up my storage for better lumber and all…) This will make part of the trim for the door in the main bathroom. I need to rip it now to 1" wide and deep the rounded over edge on the one side, then I can cut the miter, and overall length…

Ripping the very thin stock required that I kept my guard off of my saw. Needless to say, that is NOT my favorite thing to do… Not only does that expose the spinny thing with all those carbide teeth, but it means my overhead dust collection is useless. I guess this is one of those times an overarm would be nice…

In the middle of all of that, since it is the weekend, I got to cook, this time was simple, open faced roast beef sandwiches on toasted French bread with gravy and vegetables.

I am now totally done with my tasks for the day as I just don't want to mess with it any more. Monday is another day, and I am sure I can get more of this done after work…
 
#476 ·
Hey, you sound like a busy man. Understand about organizing tools, built a little tool holder while I was in La Conner, and hopefully it will come up on a blog today. So got a bunch to do myself, got to get the winter tires off of my car today as a have to project…............
 
#477 ·
I should have rested today, but I couldn't just sit idle....

Not to make this a discussion of religion, but I must admit something here. I am not the best at following the 10 commandments, specifically the 3rd and 4th commandments. The 3rd typically when I cause myself some sort of stupid pain, and the 4th because somewhere in my head there is this voice telling to get it done now or it will never get done…

Typically that voice belongs to my wife. But sometimes it is my own inner monologue doing dumb things to me… And at my age, I now realize just WHY we are supposed to do the whole work 6 days and chill on the 7th. I end up paying a price for it, typically running out of steam by Wednesday, and being pretty much worthless the rest of the week…. But I digress…

Anyway, back to the point. Today's activity while it did include work, at least gave me time to myself, where I could be with my thoughts. I managed to finish milling the door jamb trim for the main bathroom. I am stunned how close to the original profile I was able come by simply ripping one of my scrap 2×6's on one edge by 3/8" (the thickness of the trim) which was done yesterday. Today the trim was flipped and ripped to 1.25" leaving the factory 1/8" roundover from the 2x stock…. Upon installing, the matchup is amazing! I installed that, caulked it up, and have the whole door jamb ready to get primed once that caulk cures….

I finished painting all the house surround trim this afternoon as well. Not a perfect job, but the house is really starting to look like a winner!

Due to that self induced nagging, and Alaska Jim's needling, my drill press accessory shelf came off the wall today, and got thoroughly coated in Watco Danish Oil….

A little bit more organization work and some cleanup from ripping those thin strips and the shop is now clean and ready to go for my next project. Which sadly will be stripping and restaining the kitchen cabniet doors and drawer fronts. I have been dragging my feet on this project (don't tell LOML!) but I really don't want to do this. (her idea) I would MUCH rather haul my tail up to M&G in Huntsville or Clarks in Houston (whichever I can get at a better price) for a mess of Pecan & Mesquite and do some 2 tone raised panel doors / drawers… Of course I would need to at the very least veneer the existing casings, or build new ones with vennered ply….

Now it's evening, once I am done here, i go to the bedroom, pick up the Ibanez, throw in some ZZ Top and see if I can keep up with Dusty! (Google Dusty Hill if you don't know what I talking about…)
 
#485 ·
I REALLY need a sub panel in my shop!

Okay I admit it, I am electrically challenged. I simply do not have enough electrons moving through sufficient gauge wire at the correct voltages, and amperages to properly provide for all my shop's needs….

Tonight was yet another rude reminder of that.

It's just stinking hot today, so in goes the A/C, there's 15 amps.

Next, i am using the 3/4 HP drill press. 7.5 amps. Ooops to much…

Drag extension cord to the laundry room's dedicated 20 amp circuit for the washer.

Now where on earth do I plug the *#$! dust collector in?

Okay step inside, blog about it a bit, wait for the shop to cool off some more, and swap the A/C for the DC (pun intended)....

Complete cutting disks (for wide drum sander).

Drool over all the shops with sufficient power…
 
#486 ·
db,

How far is it to your main electrical panel? You should seriously evaluate the cost/difficulty in getting a subpanel installed in your shop area.

Be Careful!

Herb
 
#504 ·
The weekend plans, that I am aware of...

So my weekend is looking pretty full… But assuming I get even half of it done, I will have accomplished a lot…

My pile of honey do's that are scheduled for this weekend are…

#1. Tune up on the Saturn. Meaning…
1a. Change spark plugs,
1b. Change spark plug wires,
1c. de-gunk the Mass Air Flow sensor.
1d. Clean and oil the K&N air filter. It will take at least a day for this to dry, so I will drop in a temporary filter just to be able to use the car during that time.
1e. Dump the remainder of the SeaFoam engine cleaner in the gas tank. (Been using this stuff for years in my trucks. I don't as often as I should in the Saturn…)

#2. Prep walnut and curly maple stock for a custom doggie urn for Deacon.

#3. Order inlay router bit / bushing set for above project. Never done router inlay before, but I want to inlay a dog bone piece in the top of the urn.

#4. S4S a mess of PT pine (the newer stuff, not the old Cyanide junk) fence pickets, left overs from the hurricane Ike damage to my "old" fence that stood for less than 6 months before that storm. I majorly overbuilt the new fence just to be sure!

#5. Glue up pairs of these fence pickets double, to eventually come out with 6" wide x 1" thick after milling x 6' long stock. My thought is to use these for outdoor furniture projects, I need a couple of Adirondack chairs and a table or two for the yard, not to mention I need to get rid of all that old lumber somehow…

#6. Run to Sams Club to get some household supplies for the next few weeks.

#7. Run to Clarks Hardwoods in the pickup to get some white oak.

#8. Take the truck to the inspection station, I was informed this morning that my safety inspection sticker is expired. Ooops…

#9. Back to the Saturn, aim the headlights. I had to replace the drivers headlight a couple of weeks ago after the heat got to the adhesive holding the lens to the body of the light, and the lens fell off on the highway… Right now, the new headlight is looking at the ditch next to the car…

#10. Rack the oak in order to use it on the threshold project I have been tasked with…

#11. And I just remembered this, I need to run by a friend's shop / business this weekend. They had a construction project that they finished with, and he has a bunch of extra uncut kiln dried 2×4 SYP. I am hoping if it is straight, I can use it for a new workbench…

I will be lucky if I get even half of this done… One of the bad things about being married, you never know what your wife has scheduled for you until about 20 minutes before the scheduled time to be wherever you two are supposed to go, and you are covered in sawdust…
 
#508 ·
Kicking more simple painted projects out the shop door...

Yet another basic project has crossed the threshold of my shop on the way out. This time, the painted pine Christmas Tree Stand for my artificial Christmas tree. The original plastic piece of junk died when disassembling the tree at the end of last Christmas season, so I have been wanting to build a new one, as the year went on, other priorities kept creeping up, until a couple of weeks ago, I decided it was time for me to get busy with it. This has actually been done for a little over 2 weeks, I just lacked the paint to finish it, and the inspiration to go get it… I thought about coating it with the same white I painted the library with, but I thought better of that… Nope. It needed to be hunter green…

Well Thanksgiving came, and went, and feeling the Turkey bloat, I KNEW I had to spray this thing, or I wouldn't get that tree up…

So this afternoon, a trip to Home Depot to get some supplies, a spray can of Rustoleum hunter green was tossed into my basket, along with some stuff to go under that tree…

The arms are designed by me, simple curves done on the band saw, everything sanded on the Ridgid sander, and I rounded the edges over with a 1/2" roundover bit.

This wasn't what I would call fancy, or even fine woodworking, but it sure will be functional. And God willing, it will be an important piece of my family history for many years go come…

The project page can be found http://lumberjocks.com/projects/56440
 
#512 ·
Cleaning up, and getting back to putting the shop in order.

During the whole rip the walls down, add insulation and power thing, my shop became a total mess, then came a few nasty bouts of sickness that kept me out of the shop for far too long.

While I am not pushing too hard, I am getting back to getting things in order. That means putting things where they belong, assuming a where they belong still exists…

So LOML willing, is going to be the Texas Two Step as it were in my shop…

Step #1. Take garbage out. I have a couple of bags of drywall, busted plastics, and other misc trash that need to hit the curb, along with coil spring assemblies and other misc junk parts that do not need to take up space in my shop.

Step #2. Clean and put up all the mechanic tools. This is important because the mechanic tool mess is right by the stack of sheetrock that will be going on my walls..

I figure at the rate I am on the mend, and the amount of just how much I have to clean up, if I get through those two steps I won't have pushed too hard, and will actually feel like a human being afterwards…

I still have a big pile of lead acid batteries (UPS batteries) that I want to recycle, that I have no clue what to do with… I know I can take them to Best Buy, but those guys have been busted taking the recycle batteries and just dumping them in their dumpster… I am no peace love and granola type, but I do want to to the responsible thing with dangerous materials… So they sit and wait in my shop. Until Houston does another electronics recycling day where they take these things… For all I know they are dumping them and burying them in the bottom of the Jacinto River though…

Well, hopefully when I get this all done, I will be a little less pessimistic about things. I know if feels good to be able to get things accomplished again…
 
#519 ·
Got on a good roll with the cleanup, but didn't get as far as I had wanted to...

Well, I have a large tote, approx 24"w X 24"h X 48"l. And it was up until yesterday, jam packed with mechanics tools, sockets, box end wrenches, impact wrench, air hammer, bits, several clamps of differing varieties, ball joint press, and extended size cup set, tap and die set, multimeter, jack stands, pry bars, pretty much you name it, mechanics tool wise, it was probably in there.

Well after spending at least 2 hours on the project, I can proudly and honestly state that my mechanics tools, minus the ball joint press and cup set are put up where they belong. Along with reshelving my power drills, drill bits, and other misc bits and pieces, so I am at least making a dent in my messy shop…

It's not much of a way to store it but I did get an opportunity to hang up the my dozen quick grips as well to the bar in front of my clamp rack I had been using for spring clamps. It works more or less, but Lord help me if I need any 6" F clamps! Yeah a new clamp racking system is being brewed up in my head for build once the rest of this is done.

Speaking of clamp racking system, I am thinking something along the lines of Suwat Phruksawan's folding clamp rack, OR possibly and more conveniently, an upright, rolling clamp rack. The better question there though, where to put it when not in use…

LOML wants to spend the weekend cleaning up, painting the trim in, and replacing the chandelier in the dining room. I of course need to get my hands on a contractor pack or 2 of Decora wall plates in bright white to finish things off, and then I get to hurry up and get the shop done. I need the table saw, and my planer for ny next project. Preparring lumber for, building, and installing a cedar sheath for the ridge beam in the living room cathedral ceiling. Probably paint the drywall by it before I get the cedar up there. Last thing I want to do is get Glidden Ceiling White paint on brand spanking new Cedar trim…

That means, more cleaning in the shop, and then get busy, busy busy with our sheet rock, and reinstalling everything in the shop. Should be a fun process…

I am under time pressure here to. The living room, small hallway, and 2 bedrooms need to be done before February.
 
#520 ·
Little and often is the key, so long as you have a plan, stick to it (barring emergencies) and you will be surprised how quickly the work will be done.

If you don't mind me saying, make sure to take some time out from time to time, for both yourself and for those close to you.

David
 
#521 ·
I hate being sick...

So a coworker of mine decided to be generous, but not in the way I would have liked… this colleague decided to come to work sick, and share the joy as it were.. Now I am out, although working remotely, and feeling pretty miserable…

The good that did come from this is I managed to spend some quality time with the doc, and finally got them to run some Xrays. I honestly think there is something wrong with my shoulder. I have been trying to lose weight, but I can't do a whole lot overhead, so I have been spending a LOT of time in the pool, doing sidestroke because I can't rotate my shoulder enough to do a crawl stroke without crippling pain…

I got the blue plastic storage bins that were installed next to the door moved, all 8 bins are now mounted up to the wall between the tool stacker and the water purification system tank.

http://daves-workshop.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-sick-day-and-finally-got-dr-to-agree.html

It's been a slow couple of days, but at least I am able to keep working on the wood instead of fertilizing it…
 
#522 ·
I have a number of those closet shelf gizmos. I have mounted some on the end of a metal and fiber board heavy duty shelving unit, giving me more storage room…........

Hope you kick the virus, and get back in the game…........

On call this weekend….....may get some shop time, we'll see.
 
#531 ·
Prepping stock for the mission ish dog kennel... My jointer is WAY too small...

I put up a post about this yesterday on my personal blog site at" http://daves-workshop.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-jointing-sled-for-my-13-lunchbox.html":http://daves-workshop.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-jointing-sled-for-my-13-lunchbox.html

A few years ago, I gues probably 4 years ago now, I came across a great deal on some farm harvested walnut from Craigslist. I think I paid less than $2.00 bd/ft for what he called 4/4, although according to my measure it is just over 5/4. The stuff has been sitting in my lumber rack waiting for a project. I am filling the cracks and securing loose knots / bark inclusions getting it ready to joint. However I am running into a SERIOUS problem…

The stock is on all but the pieces I have already used, a minimum of 8.5" wide. So even an 8" jointer would be too narrow for this stuff.

The solution is to use Marc Spagnulo's suggestion from years ago and make a simple planer jointing sled. Yeah I cut up a piece of flat plywood and dug up my hot glue gun. The glue gun was the hard part! My wife had it buried in an old tote.

I figure how that i have found the glue gun, It's just one of those simple cheap mini glue guns with the short sticks, I am going to build a nice box for it. Not like the one I made for the hole saw cups, but an honestly nice divided box, perhaps with a sliding lid to contain the hot glue gun, or at least similar sized ones once this one goes bad, and a bag or two of sticks…

I figure a couple of these boxes, and I can keep on in the shop, and give a new, clean, pretty one to my wife for her crafting.

Some may have noticed I am not spending a lot of time in the shop this month. I am in the middle of a major project at work and have been working ghastly hours Double shifts plus most of the month. I will be done here by next week though…

The good thing is the work I do tends to have me waiting on progress indicators a LOT… so at least this weekend I have some shop time. But it is going to be auto shop not wood shop time. I am doing some transmission repair on the lumber wagon, and doing a lot of the 100K mile service, admittedly early. I am looking at spending about 10 or so hours under that truck this weekend…

To prep for that work, I had to replace my old Blue Point air ratchet. I can get a rebuild kit from Snap On for it, but the Snap On man is hard to find in office buildings, and they don't have store fronts… So off looking around, it looks like the Harbor Freight Central Pnuematic #47214 3/8" air ratchet has a pretty good reputation among the car repair crowd.

So I swung by Harbor Freight for some items needed for the weekend job..

Air ratchet.
Air Compressor accessory kit. It was cheap with a coupon, and I am NOT taking my Snap On blowgun to my BILs shop for fear it won't come back with me… I also grabbed some mechanics gloves, and a set of hex keys. For the life of me I can't find my old SAE set and have been needing it…

I am now set up and everything is packed so that when I get there, all I need to borrow from the BIL is the lift, a flywheel turner, and an air hose…

I need to figure out a way to not be busy… My wife has a different idea of vacations than I do… I personally want to go hang out on a hammock under some palm trees with a drink in my hand you know?
 
#532 ·
Vacation:

Vacation focus is somewhat age dependent, job related, and but highly individualized. Vacation for me is primarily stress relief, so I do nothing related to my job, except when I tack vacation onto a job related conference.

Because of the stress of my job, I learned that I had to focus vacation strictly on recovery. I learned to let Sherie make all the decisions while we were on vacation, and we both learned to include a lot of unstructured free time. While I am in La Conner, I will spend considerable time just tinkering in the shop, and Sherie will do a lot of quilting.

I never set goals for myself on vacation, and I avoid getting relatives into the mix most of the time. If relatives will vacation using my rules, then they work out OK. And we do tack on the occasional visit with relatives, but always include quiet down time for me. Physicians, in general, seem to structure vacations around themselves, rather than other family members. It is about survival. We either take care of ourselves, or we burn out in our job. To put perspective on it, remember, when I am on call for a weekend, that is a 72 hour shift. That happens every 4th weekend for me.

Is this have anything to do with your vacations.? Don't know, but keep in mind that we all have limits, and vacation is not just an opportunity for fun, it is necessary for continued productivity, just like a good night of sleep.
 
#535 ·
Shop cleanup, again. Where the *#$% is the floor!

So I haven't been doing much woodworking as of late mostly due to a flurry of auto repair projects, as well as home repair / improvement projects.

Well, with sockets here and there, combination wrenches everywhere else, I decided it was time to start digging into cleaning the shop. I have projects I need to be working on and no room to work…

I literally spent the last couple of days, at least 2 to 3 hours a day digging into cleaning up the shop. Finding sockets, putting them back on their rails. Finding the HF Digital Multimeter, and then finding the Blue Point digital Multimeter I bought the HF to replace because I couldn't find it. What to do with that old multimeter…?

I have GOT to get busy soon to build a proper lathe bench as well. I am still using the stock legs under my lathe, and, well it tends to walk on me. Not to mention I really need to arrange more proper, easily accessed storage for my turning tools…

I honestly anticipate the next several days will be spent cleaning up out there, putting things back where they are supposed to go, and getting rid of stuff that doesn't belong…

I have a project planned, after I picked up the Rockler signmakers State Park fonts router template kit, I am ready to start making some signs for gifts. I want to be good and ready for Christmas this year!

Another part of my shop cleanup involves documentation, and the digital age… As my magazine collection kept growing, the back issues of Wood Magazine and Shop Notes kept pling up, and I noticed something. Not all, but the overwhelming majority of the articles, plans etc… are simply republished from year to year. So about 2 years ago, after my Shop Notes magazine subscription ran out, I bought their DVD Archive. Basically every issue from the beginning until whenever it was, within about 2 months or so of when I bought the archive, every copy of the magazine on .pdf format. Well this past weekend, I went ahead and did the same thing with my Wood Magazine collection.

Once the thumb drive comes in, I am going to either sell off my copies of ShopNotes and Wood Magazine, or I am going to donate them to the Library. Either way, I want them out of my house, and I would like them to see more life moving forward…

For what it's worth, the Shop Notes current collection is only $79.00, it's online access. Now that's a great way to go. Affordable, and no physical media to take up space, no digital media to lose if you have a hard drive failure. Sounds like a winner to me!
 
#536 ·
Here in the vacation home in Washington. We are having a kitchen remodel started on Wednesday. I am preparing areas in the garage/shop for the current kitchen cabinets. I did that in Anchorage in 1985. I am still using those cabinets today. The cabinets here are of a better quality, but nothing great. They will work in the garage/shop just fine. So, I am into some demolition and reconstruction, so I am going to be busy the next few days.

I have the FWW collection on DVD. They are very useful. Other collections from the magazines must have similar utility.

So off to get some work done…..........I may be a little quiet here on LJ's this week…......
 
#541 ·
Shop, and bedroom cleanup. Free woodworking magazines (Local pickup only)

As I mentioned in a prior post, in an effort to save space in both my shop, and the house, we are digitizing as much of our media as possible.

After digging through the many pages of the various magazines, I have found that my favorites hands down are Wood Magazine, and Shop Notes.

To the end of the goal of physical media reduction, and the fact that at least Wood Magazine keeps shipping out the same articles recyled year after year with a few new ones sprinkled in to keep you subscribing, I simply purchased the digital archive collections. I have had the Shop Notes collection now since early 2013 (Most recent issue is Volume 21 issue 126). And now I have added to that the current Wood Magazine collection of flash drive.

So now I can pull up my woodworking magazines on my laptop, my tablet, my phone, even my smart TV, so…. I have boxes of physical magazines I need to get out of my house, and out of my garage…

I would like to make sure they see some use instead of ending up in a recycling bin somewhere, in that vein, I am considering donating them to the local Universities Art and Architecture library, the public library or to some local woodworkers or woodworking club that can put this stuff to use.

There are gaps in the subscriptions, but generally it is Wood Magazine from 2009 to current, and Shop Notes from 2009 to 2013.

My next step is to see if I can't get my library of auto repair manuals on .pdf format and do away with the old paper copies…Not to mention the various DIY books from Home Depot, Black and Decker, and…. well you get the idea…

Of course my old tablet is just that, old… And SLOW…. so chances are I am going to end up with a new Galaxy tab, or MAYBE an iPad Pro at some point in the not too distant future (I am not a big Apple fan, but Garage Band might just get me to change my mind!)

So here's the deal. If you are in the Houston / Galveston metro area, can put my old woodworking magazines to use, and can pick up locally, I am willing to donate these off. If you are interested, I also have a selection of admittedly much older American Rifleman magazines, as well as automotive magazines such as Petersens 4 Wheel and Off Road, 4 Wheeler, Dune Buggies and Hot VWs, VW Trends, and Hot Rod Magazine some of those dating back to the late 80s that need to go as well!
 
#545 ·
Slow weekend. Fixed an old electric bass guitar.

I had very little shop time this weekend. Mostly due to family events, and the Super Bowl, but I did get some time in there…

I cleared off the workbench, and laid down some old raggedy towels that I have dedicated just for shop use, and drug my old 2002 Ibanez SR480 electric bass out to the shop. The bottom strap button screw hole has been flaky since it came from Ibanez new. I finally had enough of it and was going to fix it…

I sourced up a small piece of mahogany from a friend that had some left over from his projects. Literally just cutoff that would have ended up in the fire pit soon if I hadn't used it. And I managed to cut a nice 1/4" plug 3/4" long, just enough, ish… I drilled the pilot hole, and trimmed the plug so it would sit flush, and then got to gluing…

After it sat for 24 hours drying, I pre drilled the pilot hole for the strap button screw, I ran the screw in where it should be, and viola! better than new!

I spent a bit more time in the shop cleaning up the junk, shavings etc… And finally, it has finally been dry enough that I managed to get the last of my Christmas lights down. I am not the last one of the block, but this was particularly bad. Every weekend when I have had the time, the weather has been downright foul until this week, so down finally came the C-9s that take oh so much care to put up and down!

I have more cleaning to do, but not going to happen tonight. I have been on a big weight loss / fitness kick lately, and I am paying the price for the workouts. I have muscles screaming at me that I didn't know i had! Oh well, hopefully it will stop hurting soon! They were right. Getting older isn't for sissies!
 
#546 ·
Travel day yesterday, now back in Anchorage. I overdid it for a few days in the shop in La Conner. I made and installed French cleat to accept the old cupboards that we were removing from the kitchen remodel, and then installed select items from the available cabinets. Also used flow standing cabinets. Two were used for pedestals under my static workbench replacing some adjustable plastic saw horses. Perfect height cabinets for the purpose. But all that involved a whole lot of pushing, carrying and lifting beyond what I do routinely. So today I am avoiding heavy duty exercise. My wrists and hands got the worst of it. Ham strings as well from squatting and getting into strange positions.

Yes, getting old is not for sissies, and since I am going to turn 75 this summer, I am definitely getting into the well aged group…..........

I have a few projects to post, and I suspect I will do that over the next two weeks.

Your tale of the plug for the strap screw reminds me of a La Conner project I did last year. Had a towel holder that came out of the wall. The plaster was just a little too torn up. I repaired it, and then put a piece of wood underneath the mount, painted the same as the wall, and contoured to the shape of the mount, just bigger. Then I could put in 3 plaster screws over a wider area, and the fourth actually reached a stud. I am going to replace two floor standing toilet paper holders with wall mounted ones, but will again make a custom wooden back plate to allow stronger and more widely dispersed attachment.

All for now, keep up the weight loss program, you will never regret it…..........
 
#548 ·
After a pile of automotive repairs, shop cleanup.

I have had a pile of car repairs over the last 6 months or so, pretty much every free moment not spent at work, practicing, gigging, or with my wife, has been spent under a hood.

The results are coming to fruition, but my shop was getting to a state where I couldn't find most of my tools, drawers were so disorganized that I couldn't open / close them, and well I knew there was a floor in there somewhere, just not sure where.

I spent 3 hours last night, mostly rounding up tools from 2 car trunks, strewn all over, and under my major shop tools, under the seat in the truck, etc… and I still can't find the floor.

What did I accomplish?

After months of being MIA, I found my 1/4" Craftsman socket set, or at least most of it (the 3/32" shallow socket is missing) hiding under a pile of shavings under the lathe.

Found and put back my shallow, and deep well Husky 1/4" drive sockets. I am missing my 1/4" drive 6pt Husky 10mm deep socket. It flipped off of my ratchet, and QUICKLY ran down the driveway and into a storm drain. I need to buy a new one…

My Metric, and SAE, 3/8" drive shallow, 3/8" drive deep, 1/2" drive shallow, 1/2" drive deep, and 1/2" drive shallow impact sockets are all organized, on their respective socket rails, or in the factory socket holders if they came with one.

My specialty sockets (Torx, Allen, Tamper Resistant Torx, etc…. adapters, universal joints etc… are on their appropriate socket rails.

My breaker bars (the original 1/2" drive Snap On, and my new to me 3 weeks ago Pittsburgh 3/8" drive are in the drawer they belong in.

My socket extensions, speed wrench, ratchets etc… are back where they belong.

I put away my HF Digital Multimeter.

I FOUND the Blue Point Digital Multimeter that took to missing months ago under a pile of shavings behind the work bench..

I put back together, and put away my drilling accessories such as drill bits, driver bits, forstner bits, and hole saws. All the pieces are where they belong.

Finishes, solvents, primers, and fillers were sorted, the bad stuff was put into a box for hazardous waste recycling, the good stuff put back into rotation.

My floor jack, and jack stands were organized out of the way next to the lathe.

My lathe tools were cleaned up, sharpened, and put away in their cases, or in most cases, the cardboard box they came in. I need to work on storage for them still…

I did take the compressed air hose, and blow gun out, using a respirator of course, and the ambient filter running, and blew down the lathe, and bench top tools.. Now it's been over year since i have used the scroll saw which is on top of the stack, how on earth did I get shavings on top of that?!

I finally put back in its proper place the ball joint tool, AC manifold gauge set, cooling system tester, etc…

There is far more that was done, cleaned, reorganized, BUT it ts too much to go into. Long story short though, I probably am about 1/4 of the way through shop cleanup, which is a disgusting statement, but at the very least, I have found at least $500.00 worth of tools that I thought were gone for good.

Moral of the story?

Don't be like me, keep your shop clean instead of getting to the point of no return and, well… having to clean it because where the floor / table saw etc… are is a mystery.
 
#559 ·
More shop cleanup, more found tools!

So in going through my guest room / music room, I found a bit of stuff that has been missing from the shop. As I mentioned in prior post, IN my shop I tend to put things back, WAY out of my shop like visiting my BILs shop, I tend to put things back, but just barely out, like in the house, or out to the cars and I just seem to space it off…

Found today!
Hand tool Tool Wood Pliers Metalworking hand tool


Stanley phillips head screwdriver, Pittsburgh stubby phillips head screwdriver, Pittsburgh SAE allen wrench set, Eklind Metric allen wrench set, Stanley Proto SAE feeler gauge set, Craftsman Metric feeler gauge set, SX Guitars allen wrench for bass guitar bridge adjustment (I have tons of these), Craftsman slip joint pliers, and cheap Chinese (Amazon) pickup magnet.

I keep digging like this I might manage to find out I actually own a wide drum sander just hiding in a closet!
 

Attachments

#560 ·
More shop cleanup, more found tools!

So in going through my guest room / music room, I found a bit of stuff that has been missing from the shop. As I mentioned in prior post, IN my shop I tend to put things back, WAY out of my shop like visiting my BILs shop, I tend to put things back, but just barely out, like in the house, or out to the cars and I just seem to space it off…

Found today!
Hand tool Tool Wood Pliers Metalworking hand tool


Stanley phillips head screwdriver, Pittsburgh stubby phillips head screwdriver, Pittsburgh SAE allen wrench set, Eklind Metric allen wrench set, Stanley Proto SAE feeler gauge set, Craftsman Metric feeler gauge set, SX Guitars allen wrench for bass guitar bridge adjustment (I have tons of these), Craftsman slip joint pliers, and cheap Chinese (Amazon) pickup magnet.

I keep digging like this I might manage to find out I actually own a wide drum sander just hiding in a closet!
Yep, keep digging..
 

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#568 ·
Why you don't leave air hoses plugged in and compressors turned on.

So I had to run some errands yesterday due to some medical stuff, I wasn't out of the house very long. Maybe 2 hours. Well I came back and from the driveway I could hear it…

Air compressor was flailing away and there was a constant FAST hiss coming from the shop.

I know what that sound is!

Go in to the shop as fast as I can, it's hot in there, I flip the switch on the compressor to shut it down, and disconnect the feed hose to my manifold.

Right where the hose bends to go up to the manifold there is very clearly a 1/4" long tearout in the hose.

Now mind you, all of my hoses except for my Hitachi, came from Harbor Freight. Now before anyone goes bashing Harbor Freight, mind you I have a LOT of experience with compressed air systems, and hoses. The BEST air hoses I have used hands down have been Goodyear, the black ones.

This experience was back when I was a MUCH younger man, and gas stations actually had full service. I managed one for several years, and we averaged a 12 month time to failure on hoses. My home garage workshop use has been, well I need to verify but I believe it has been 26 months since I set up the reel / manifold rig, and I leave it pressureized and connected WAY more than I ever did in the gas station.

Now like I mentioned, I was only out for about 2 hours, and the hose wasn't blown out when I left, so some time in that 2 hour time frame, the hose blew, the compressor kept running, and it produced enough heat to heat up the shop to over 90 deg F.

This could have possibly led to a shop fire, and considering my shop is attached to the house, this had the potential to be REALLY bad.

Lessons learned?

#1. ALWAYS disconnect the feed whip when done with the system for the day. I am considering a simple ball valve on the feed line to keep things connected, and moist air out of the filter / dryer.
#2. Turn the compressor OFF when not likely to be used that day.
#3. Drain the compressor tank FAR more often than I do. I never neglected to do this to the big 60+ (Actually a bank of 4 120 gallon compressors) on a daily basis, but their drains were a LOT easier to get to. I will end up extending the drain out with a ball valve so all I have to do is flip a ball valve open instead of reaching way back in and under to get to a petcock valve that instantly spews every bit of shop dust into your face.

Now the question is… How to approach fixing this disaster next?

Step #1. Gather supplies. First I need 2 1/4" full port ball valves.
http://www.harborfreight.com/14-in-full-port-ball-valve-68254.html (I already have one).
Will need one 1/4" NPT male x female brass elbow.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sioux-Chief-1-4-in-x-1-4-in-Lead-Free-Brass-90-Degree-MPT-x-FPT-Street-Elbow-930-271001/202254920
Need 10" brass 1/4" NPT nipple. Can't find a link, but I know my local Lowes has them. That's where I got mine.
3/8×8 - 15ft air hose remnant. (Useful for whip hoses).
http://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-x-8-ft-15-ft-rubber-air-hose-remnant-60356.html

#2. Disconnect the compressor from power. And pull it out of its cubby hole.
#3. Remove the quick connect from the outlet port on the compressor. Treat the threads with pipe dope, and install the first of ball valves, Install the quick connect on the ball valve.
#4. Transfer over the quick connect fittings from the blown hose to the new one.
#5. Dry out the dessicant beads, seal them up while I finish the rest of the work.
#6. Remove the petcock valve from the bottom of the compressor tank.
#7. Pipe dope the male of the street elbow, and install it onto the tank insuring the female threads point back toward the wheels.
#8. Pipe dope both ends of the 10" nipple, Install the second 1/4" ball valve onto the nipple, install the assembly onto the street elbow.Close all valves, check for tightness.
#9. Reconnect to power. Power on and test fittings for leaks.
#10. Assuming step #9 passes. Move compressor back into place, replace dessicant in dryer / filter, and reconnect whip hose. Open output valve, Check for leaks.
#11. Close output valve, turn compressor off, and open drain valve to bleed tank.
#12. Create, print, laminate, and post compressor operation / maintenance procedures on cabinet behind compressor.

Step #12 is for my wife since she may end up having to know how to turn the compressor off in an emergency.
 
#569 ·
Thanks Dave!

I need to be better about maintenance on my compressor. It isn't an every day tool for me, so I probably neglect it a bit. I'll start emptying the tank regularly.

Also, rule #12 is a fantastic idea. I might do this for several machines.
 
#585 ·
Air Compressor dump line, mistakes, home AC fixes and replacement tools...

So during my AC compressor dump line install, I messed up and managed to break my pressure gauge.



So I went ahead and went to Harbor Freight again, and picked up a 200PSI filled gauge and a few replacement tools for those that are lost broken etc… I pressurized the system, and held it for 26 hours. Sadly the system went from 150PSI to 40PSI. I know what the problem is, the gague when threaded in all the way points down, so it is 1/2 turn loose on the compressor, Not sure how to fix this and keep being able to use the gauge. I might plumb this remotely and do a couple of things. #1. Get the leaks fixed. #2, protect the gauge with the handle, and #3, put the gauge at a better angle for reading.

While I was at Harbor Freight (and Home Depot) I managed to replace my missing 1/4" sockets, as well as add a second digital caliper (The Pittburgh cheapie), and add a set of swivel head ratcheting SAE combination wrenches. I have the Metrics from Harbor Freight and have loved them… They SAE versions earned their place.

I also ended up fixing a terribly noisy AC Condenser Fan that had a bit of rust and a LOT of mud on the shaft and bearing. Cleaning and flooding the bearing with WD-40 until the chunks of dirt stopped flowing and the AC is perfectly quiet…

My latest blog post in full detail is at HERE.
 
#586 ·
I got the air system fixed!

So I blew out a hose a couple of weeks ago due to keeping the system under pressure and turned on. Had the compressor run constantly, good thing is I was only out of the house for a couple of hours. But… I had to fix it, and prevent a return episode. Well, the video attached will give you a good idea of my fix…

 
#587 ·
Interesting db. I've never left all that pressure in my system before. If I'm not using it, I depressurize it. Plus, draining the water out of the tank should be on everyone's list who has a compressor, just like changing the oil in your vehicle. I try to be a "preventative maintenance" type of guy. I do appreciate your information on this subject.
 
#590 ·
I got too lazy to drain the compressor tank... The updated video...

I have updated the video I linked yesterday to allow you guys to see what I am up to. This gives you a MUCH better idea of what I used, how and why.

Please don't be like me with this. Drain your tanks and keep an idle compressed air system depressurized!




View on YouTube
 
#592 ·
More cleanup, where the *#$% did I put the...?

Okay now this isn't funny…

If you would recall a couple of years ago, I made a simple plywood holder box for my Harbor Freight bimetal hole saw sets to keep them organized. I had been keeping them on top of my miter saw dust hood as that was as good a place as any to keep them. I haven't used them in a while, but while I was cleaning up the dust hood, well I noticed the hole saw sets and box are missing from their place!

Now I am not going to go back out and buy new hole saw sets just to be sure I have them. I know I need to clean my shop. DESPERATELY, so instead, I will be diving more into cleanup and organization, maybe, just maybe the hole saws will allow themselves to be found again!
 
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