What did you do today?

[DennisCA]

One down, two to go.

[Cenedd]

Beautiful work Dennis.

Drove an hour home praying I wouldn't have to stop due to the clutch deciding it didn't want to clutch no more. Crash gear changes the rest of the way home. Stopped once at a roundabout when I'd managed to time it perfectly but a police car jumped the lights on an "emergency". Stuck for a while until I managed to persuade the clutch it wanted to play just once more. The irony being that we saw later the police car was responding to a broken down vehicle on the road.....and had unintentionally caused another in a far more inconvenient location.
Looks like it's either a hydraulic problem or the clutch release bearing. The latter is more expensive so I'm sure it'll be that! Definitely beer O'clock now we're home!

[Tim The Grim]

I bought an Ironton brand reciprocating saw from Northern Tool and a 9” Milwaukee pruning blade. I then cut this enormous root that has been growing from my tree and under the rock wall that separates my yard from the neighbor. The wall is cracking and lifting on his side and he very nicely asked me to solve the problem.
I have to think that excision of a primary root this big will kill the 14 year old Ash tree, but the Mrs. isn’t ready to to let the chain saw do it’s work.
I’m very pleased with the quality and performance of the saw and the blade too.

[J Tiers]

The difficulty with cutting roots up close to the tree is that they function to hold the tree upright. Nothing may happen for a long time, until a wind from the wrong direction hits.

My neighbors had that issue. Their neighbors to the east had a tree, which had to have a root or two cut when a garage was put in, as the root was where the foundation was to go. The tree was at the property line, on their side. The garage was just beyond it, and the cut roots were on the NE quadrant of the tree.

No issues for a long time. Then we had a freak wind from the NE (normal is from S, SE, or W). Tree, which had been "topped" some time before, and had grown back a bit, nevertheless flopped right over on my neighbor's property, and took out a deck.

[Tim The Grim]

Definitely a concern, and the other roots are mostly superficial due to the landscape plastic they put down when they were planted by the landscaping guys.
Leverage being what it is, I’m not sure that any sort of auxiliary tie down would be worthwhile. I’ve got some places I could put wires but it just doesn’t seem as though they would prevent the inevitable. The tree bloomed early this year and then we had a hard freeze and it suffered. It’s kind of sparse right now and this root cut certainly won’t help matters. It about 24 feet tall and 20 in circumference.
In the meantime, I need to get my 1980 Stihl Woodboss in ready shape.

[Cenedd]

Finally received my replacement air compressor. Returned one that was sold as 160l/m but plate stated only 45l/m....displacement (intake) at that! Quiet though....which isn't optional in my cupboard of a workshop!
New one is 8 litres (twice the tank size), a little over half the price, still as quiet and can keep up with a Fogbuster....which was the requirement. Admittedly this is at 100% duty cycle but I don't think my manual machining requirements should tax it too much. Held its own at 20psi and was just loosing ground at 30psi (max rated but beyond recommended) but the needle was dropping almost imperceptibly. Been an uphill struggle but happy now

[J Tiers]

Yesterday, not today..... finished up 3 days of 10+ work hour days on the property of my wife's aunt, who is a few years older than I am. Digging out things, moving bushes, etc, etc. Drove back last evening (4-5 hour trip one-way.

Not anxious to do much today, although I did have to fix a faucet that was leaking. Fortunately an old-style faucet, so it was actually fixable without replacing a "cartridge" or any other such new-fangled "labor saving" (but money-costing) nonsense. Grind seat a bit, replace washer and all good.

Machining content: I saw that I had at some point made several alignment bushings for the seat grinding set. I may need to make a couple more, but one of my previously made bushings fit this faucet.

[The Metal Butcher]

Machined all day... was rewarded with a car that won't start. Guess I'm spending the night.

[Arcane]

I went grocery shopping. The local grocery story is shutting down at the end of the month for about 6 months for a total revamp (so I've heard) and in an effort to clear the shelves everything is 30% off. Quite a few shelves are empty already but I'll go once more before then just to see if anything I might need/want is left.

[Arcane]

Today I helped a friend replace the axle bearings on his antique Ford car, the press on style.

[nickel-city-fab]

Wondered for the millionth time why this thread exists. At least the "Shop Made Tools" thread had something to do with the purpose of the forum, yet I don't see a particular person screaming about this thread. Hypocrite.

[Tungsten dipper]

Wondered for the millionth time why this thread exists. At least the "Shop Made Tools" thread had something to do with the purpose of the forum, yet I don't see a particular person screaming about this thread. Hypocrite.

Well at least you wrote this thread today....

[Cenedd]

Building work going on at home and a pair of steels being installed to replace part of an external (cavity) wall. Two I-beams with holes drilled in the web and one of them has square tubing tacked on as spacers and M12 threaded rod supplied to tie the two together.
I'd already duburred the rod and made sure the nuts would actually thread on - is my hobby starting to impinge on my everyday life too much?!
On one end there were no bolts installed because it "isn't possible" to install them with (very) limited access to one side. Challenge....... accepted!
The difficult part was finding the bluetack to stick the nut on the end of an open spanner! Had to scrounge it from a poster A slot Dremel'd in the accessible end of the rod and we're done. I shall be smug tomorrow

[J Tiers]

Out of town again.... at another house. Today was cutting down one tree, trimming others off a roof, cleaning the roof of leaves and elm seeds. And, of course, sawing up the slash to haul (it's in the city, so no burn pile).

Tomorrow is painting, taking the truck for an alignment, and hauling brush, followed by much cleaning inside.

[Tim The Grim]

I watched a guy make noodles by hand in a Vegas noodle shop and then ate them. Then I played the penny slots and enjoyed some time away from home for the first time in 2 years. Yesterday I spent a lot of time walking outside in 116 f temps. Not as bad as I thought it might be.