Recent content by bob_mp

^ This. You want to a large antenna to collect signal power. Putting it higher increases the amount of signal you collect and reduces the level and frequncy selectivity of the mulipath. A low noise amplifier with a gain at least 15 dB greater than the loss of the cable means that the noise...

Thanks metaldad; copper it is. For the drip legs, I was thinking of the pneumatic float type drains along the following lines. Do these tend to leak or require a lot of maintenance? Thanks Bob

Gentlemen, I'm looking to add an air dryer in the shop and would appreciate suggestions and feedback on my proposed solution. Some background... I have a new Quincy 5 HP 80 gallon, 2 stage compressor. I'm looking to get dry air for my MQL (minimum quantity lubrication) system for my mill...

I generally agree that 100A is plenty for a garage. It’s not plenty if you want to run a large rotary phase converter. The inrush current of RPCs can be very high. My RPC trips a 100A breaker every once in a while when starting. It has for the last 18 years.

^this. I do not try to save money on taps. The OSG spiral point taps are my favorite for machine screws, Guhring Powertaps for the larger stuff. Union Butterfield and Brubaker are excellent as well. I view cheap taps as having negative value. A broken tap is, best case, a big hassle. The...

My copper mallet.

Great suggestions guys! I'll go with a moisture minder. I bought the Harbor Freight version of it and it was complete junk. The price should have been a clue. I'll plan on a dedicated cold air input through a muffler of sorts. For reasons unknown, all my friends seem to be riding a Ducatis...

Gents, I'm looking to put a new vertical 2 stage compressor behind the shop to reduce the noise in the shop and free up some space. I haven't purchased the compressor yet, but it will probably be a Quincy QT5, 5 HP, 60 gallon unless I can find a great deal on a larger compressor. The main...

If you plan on running a rotary phase converter (RPC) to power three phase tools, 100A is borderline. For a good sized RPC, the inrush currents when starting can be really high and can definitely trip a 100A breaker. I have 400A (320 continuous) service with a dedicated 200A main breaker for...

+1 I have 22 4' dual tube T5HO fixtures with diffusers spread out on three circuits in my 44' x 21' shop. The ceilings are 13' high. I'm quite happy with the arrangement. I'd view the diffusers as a must for 14' ceilings.

The current drawn from variable mutual-inductance (buzz-box) welder is a weak function of welding current. The inner product of current and voltage (power delivered) varies considerably, but the current doesn't. What varies is the angle between current and voltage. That you never weld with...

Excellent advice given in the above posts. I highly recommend reading "Tauton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Tablesaws," by Paul Anthony. It's a very good reference on how to safely use a tablesaw for all types of cuts. Equally important, it does a good job of building intuition about what's...

Are you planning on running a rotary phase converter for your knee mill? If so, you may want to consider up-sizing the conductors. The inrush current of some rotary phase converters can be stupidly high. I have a GWM 286 converter, which is based on a 30 HP motor. It won't start reliably...

I have outlets every 3 feet on 8 circuits. I have it wired so that adjacent outlets are always on different circuits so that if I'm working in one area of the shop and have a lot of things plugged in, the load gets distributed across the circuits. I'd consider getting a bigger panel - one with...

What I did is pretty flexible; it's been really handy when moving tools around. I installed 12" junction boxes in the walls that stick out beyond the sheetrock. Behind the sheetrock, I ran conduit from the junction boxes to 4 11/16" boxes for the outlets. I put boxes for outlets in...