What did you do today?

[jdedmon91]

Made a mount for my deburing handles so they can be nearby on the lathe


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[J Tiers]

That's when you rotate the ram aound and use the slotting head on the part.

If you have that. Would be nice sometimes.

Not as much help if that part of the piece is under an "overhang" that is too small to allow a full stroke.

[PStechPaul]

Today I finally was able to schlep the MTD mower up the hill (with questionable "help" from Mr Tibbs), and I was able to mow a pretty substantial portion of the meadow. By mowing, I mean mostly cutting up weeds and leaves and scalping the soft earth. But hopefully there are enough grass seeds to germinate and regrow some actual turf. I might need to do some seeding. I didn't have my camera with me, so I used my cell phone. Images were only 1600x1200, so I reduced 50%.





Mr Tibbs was more than ready to go back down the hill:





I accidentally took some video with the phone:

http://enginuitysystems.com/pix/house/Mowing_0424181744-01.avi

[reggie_obe]

Today I finally was able to schlep the MTD mower up the hill (with questionable "help" from Mr Tibbs), and I was able to mow a pretty substantial portion of the meadow. By mowing, I mean mostly cutting up weeds and leaves and scalping the soft earth. But hopefully there are enough grass seeds to germinate and regrow some actual turf. I might need to do some seeding.

A turfgrass lawn might be a bit of a stretch, especially in an area with a tree canopy. A meadow planting would be less work to establish and maintain.

http://smartgrowth.umd.edu/assets/plsc.480.1.the_creation_and_management_of_meadows.pdf

[J Tiers]

You probably want to plant something up there, unless you want it all running downhill to visit you in a heavy rain.

Some tree types that have deep taproots are also good for stabilizing hills, although you obviously would want to plant them outside the open meadow area.

As for types of vegetation, you want a low light type, since the area is not large, and seems to be surrounded by significant tree cover, even if they are largely scrub trees. Once the area is more than about as wide as the trees are tall, then you get to more full sun grasses and other plants.

[AD5MB]

what I started to do was dress down the cables on the stunningly complex CATV / CCTV / PA system. dress down means anchor it at the far end, then pull the slack towards the workshop. Much back and forth on top of a ladder. I expected the first hornet sentry.the second got me nervous. I decided it was time to bail on the up the ladder job and do something inside. I decree a three hornet limit.

[J Tiers]

what I started to do was dress down the cables on the stunningly complex CATV / CCTV / PA system. dress down means anchor it at the far end, then pull the slack towards the workshop. Much back and forth on top of a ladder. I expected the first hornet sentry.the second got me nervous. I decided it was time to bail on the up the ladder job and do something inside. I decree a three hornet limit.

One valid use for WD40 is on hornets etc. A good hit and they fall out of the air.

[Ian B]

I made one of these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQJh7kDTYF4

There obviously had to be more machining content, so the tin can was replaced by a length of solid nylon bar skimmed to the right diameter. Instead of a plastic bottle, I used a 75mm diameter straight coupler and a 75mm to 40mm crossover. Held the elbow in the 3 jaw to get the hole nicely centred.

Does it work? Hell yes! Exactly as shown in the video.

Ian

[PStechPaul]

Yesterday I took apart the park bench that had been rotting away on the hill where I had been re-cutting some trails. The cast iron parts were OK, but the wood slats were badly rotted, and it came apart pretty easily. It took a couple trips to get the pieces down to the front lawn and the house, where I could work on it. I also brought down some pieces of composite deck boards that just happened to be the exact length (49") to match the original slats.



I cut the boards lengthwise to about 2-1/4" width and 7/8" thick, which is about twice the original slats. So I had to counterbore the holes to use the original screws, which seem to be bright nickel plated brass with rusty nuts and washers, although they were also usable.





I was able to finish the job (mostly), enough to sit on the bench. I still need to add two vertical pieces on the back, and a piece of strap iron under the center of the slats in the seat. Now the bench probably weighs 100 pounds or so, and I'll either have to leave it where it is, get help carrying it up the hill to its original location, or take it apart and re-assemble in situ.

[madwilliamflint]

About 3 years ago I moved from upstate NY, where I had an admittedly modest shop, into a little apartment in downtown Nashville. But I's had all I can stands, I can't stands no more. I've gotta make stuff out of steel.

- Got my little Grizzly lathe out of the back of my truck (it'd been in storage for a few years.)
- Bought a 8"disc + belt sander
- Bought the crappy little benchtop drill press from Horror
- Started cleaning out space in my apartment
- Dedicated a new shop notebook
- Begun sketches for a couple stock-removal knife jigs.

Considering a taig mill against an LMS hi-torque micro.

[jdedmon91]

Projects from this week. I mounted the yard sale shelf behind the lathe for extra tool storage. Drilled up one of my scrap aluminum rectangle pieces to hold my reduced shank drills. I have both purchased and some was shop modified drills. The last picture is knurled screws to mount both the Tapping machine and portable bandsaw stand to my bench plate.


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[PStechPaul]

Today is my birthday (#69) so I mostly took it easy. But I decided to fix the storm door on the back of my house, on a rough 8' x 12' addition. It has become ever harder to open and close as the framing opening is rather short, and some of the mud sills have rotted so the wall has dropped a bit. Also, one of the hinge pins is missing. So I removed the door, and I decided to try shortening it by about an inch. It's a PVC door and I figured I could just use my circular saw to cut an inch off the bottom. All was going well for a bit but then it started sparking and finally the blade jammed. There seems to be a square steel tube in the bottom of the door, and I was cutting it in half!







On the far side, I tried cutting with the blade depth at just 1/4" or so, to miss the steel piece. It was getting dark so I couldn't see very well, so maybe tomorrow I'll have a look to see how to proceed. It looks like it was cutting the steel pretty well until it jammed. I got about half way. Maybe I'll use my sabre saw or reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade. I also need to replace the mud sill with some pressure treated lumber.

[Stepside]

I took my Sid Pileski 1.5 x 1.5 "steam engine" and my Gary Martin Shaper to a local High School metal shop class. There were some questions and it got into a discussion of Hobbies as well as careers. It was time well spent.

Pete

[darryl]

Today I worked on an 'open' sign for a local pub. The old one had fallen apart and the first time it gave a shock to the manager it went flying. New one in the works- anyway I have it made to the point where the 8 3 watt leds in it need to shine through colored cellophane to light up the translucent letters. Because I wanted at least 6 colors and I didn't have those colors in leds, I chose to go this route. A strip of laminate is set in a track that lets it slide 2 1/4 inches back and forth. Windows cut into the laminate allow 6 cellophane strips 3/8 wide to sit side by side within each window. Every time you slide the laminate strip by 3/8 inch, you line up a different color in front of the leds.

To fasten the small pieces of cellophane, which are 3/8 x 5/8, I first laid a strip of clear tape across all the windows in the laminate strip. Turning the strip over, the glue side of the tape is now exposed in each window. Carefully lining up the first color piece, I then press it down to contact the glue and it's held in place. Because the laminate has some thickness, the colored pieces must be bowed downwards to contact the glue. I'm able to line them up before they come into contact, so it made what might have been a nightmare into an easy job. All the pieces are long and require trimming, but before trimming I use the edges of the last color to line up the next color. Trimming is done after all the colors are added and pressed down well. Wasn't as tedious as I thought it might be, and it worked out well.

For now you can pull the strip back and forth to set what you want the sign to look like. If I can find those turntable motors I saved from scrap microwave ovens I'll automate that.

[Dave C]

[QUOTE=PStechPaul;1173821]Today is my birthday (#69) so I mostly took it easy. But I decided to fix the storm door on the back of my house, on a rough 8' x 12' addition.
Happy Birthday Paul. Don't you just love surprises?