Recent content by Grimly

Just picked this up today. A KS micrometer 75-100mm from the former GDR. It seems to be in fine shape and accurate. What I wasn't expecting was the strong odour of Baltic Birch from the box when I opened it.

I became uncomfortably aware a couple of years ago that if I ballsed up putting the heavier bikes on the ramp and ended up on the floor with the bike on top of me, my goose might be cooked. To avoid that, I added a ramp to the side wings, which makes getting the bikes up and down a breeze. I...

There have been a few minor upgrades but nothing really worthy of note. Seeing the recessed bike ramps has got me thinking, though. My existing bike ramp would lose too much height if I recessed it, so I'll have to start looking for one that will give me at least the same working height even if...

Excellent shop and living space idea. I did similar and didn't think I'd find one at a reachable price, but eventually did. About a third of my building is living space and two-thirds is my garage /workshop. I'm not finished yet, not by a long way, but it's great to see someone with the same...

It's interesting to read of the longevity of 14.4V tools on 18V. I'm in the same position - I have several good old Makitas that normally take Ni-Cads and NiMHs of 14.4V, but I also have a universal charger that will charge 18V Makita Li-Ions, so I've been wondering for some time if it's worth...

I acquired an 8x4' trailer from a neighbour, it had pine boards in it originally, which were all rotted out. I put a sheet of rough-grade 3/4" shuttering ply in the bottom, covered (both sides) with a mix of used motor oil and copper sulphate (sold in the farm store here as 'bluestone' as an...

It's a choke and capacitor power filter, for cleaning up the 12V DC supply to a radio in a car.

I have an Evolution 10" mitre saw with the carbide blade. It zips through 2x2" box and that's about all I use it for, but if I were buying again I'd go the next size up. Cutting wood, it doesn't change its tone, it slices wood as if it isn't there. The whole thing is umm... adequate and has a...

It's true what has been said about MIG being the easiest to learn, at least to some standard of things not falling apart. In about 1982 I'd never used MIG, and as one poster observed, nobody had one at home, and the only places you came across them were in industry. Luckily enough, I was...

Picked up an old Kenwood amp and Rotel tuner on ebay, and wired in a selection of door speakers to the walls (literally, in the walls). With some attention paid to the cavity volumes of the mids and base units, it sounds good. Perhaps not audiophile good, but I no longer (if I ever did ) have...

Nice old Hitachi. Only thing I can say is, it won't be ****.

Yep. For years I was using cheapy flexy goggles, which were ok when new, but rapidly got scratched and beat up, no matter how careful I was with them. They were also awkward to put on / take off. I'd used faceshields back when I was working in industry and liked them, but the price of them back...

Love the steel Quonset design. I had a close encounter with several Miracle Span buildings this side of the pond 30 years ago and was always impressed with the ease of building and the relative cheapness and longevity of them. It wasn't uncommon for one man and his dog to put up a small one. If...

No, they're still working fine. I treat them with a bit of care though, as they're not tough enough for industrial mishandling. Eventually the guides will wear and perhaps the roller centres, as the bolt just goes through a nylon/plastic bore. No matter if they do, as they're going to last a...

A couple of winters on, and it's proved to be really worthwhile, being draught-tight and contributing to the insulation value of the walls. Definitely worth doing.