Puget Dude’s creations and fabrications (Random project thread.)
- Thread starter PugetDude
- Start date
Had a tile crew out here today replacing the tile on the pool spillway- posted about the shoddy installation here. previously. We have been losing tiles one by one over the last year, the pool contractor kept sending the same tile guy out to replace them one by one. I am pretty sure he was using toothpaste to put them back...
I finally had enough, had a somewhat heated exchange with the pool contractor, told him I was sick of him nickel and diming me and wanted it all replaced under warranty. He wasn't happy, but eventually agreed.
We purchased new tile, he sent a different crew out yesterday to demo the old tile. The tile guy commented that it came off really easy...too easy.
He finished up the install this afternoon, it looks great. Pool is filling back up tonight, pictures tomorrow.
I finally had enough, had a somewhat heated exchange with the pool contractor, told him I was sick of him nickel and diming me and wanted it all replaced under warranty. He wasn't happy, but eventually agreed.
We purchased new tile, he sent a different crew out yesterday to demo the old tile. The tile guy commented that it came off really easy...too easy.
He finished up the install this afternoon, it looks great. Pool is filling back up tonight, pictures tomorrow.
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Spent a little time finalizing placement of the Texaco graphics above the facade wall. I was happy with position of the big TEXACO letters with the way they ended up centered above the red Fire Chief pump, but ended up reducing the angle on the "Scott's" text until my bride OK'd the placement. When we were both finally satisfied with them, I hit each letter twice with my 2" 18 gauge brad nailer to secure them before they moved (the double sided tape was only temporary, actually had two letters fall off last night, lucky they weren't damaged.)
Will touch up the wall paint tomorrow, I made a mess out of the wall removing double sided tape residue when I was moving the letters around. I am ready to quit climbing up and down the 10' aluminum stepladder and move on to something else...still lots of other details to wrap up.
More to come
Will touch up the wall paint tomorrow, I made a mess out of the wall removing double sided tape residue when I was moving the letters around. I am ready to quit climbing up and down the 10' aluminum stepladder and move on to something else...still lots of other details to wrap up.
More to come
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Tile looks a lot better this time around. I may change the grout line at the bottom to a dark gray so it isn't such a contrast with the Pebbletech.
Better make that decision before the water line gets back up that high... (the pool has been re-filling since Friday PM)...
Better make that decision before the water line gets back up that high... (the pool has been re-filling since Friday PM)...Spent a hour this AM with a roll of masking tape, a couple of cut-up Amazon boxes, a 1" HF chip brush with the bristles cut off to 1/2" long, a small kitchen sponge, and got two shades of gray grout around the perimeter of the new tile. Looks a lot better, according to my bride. I wisely concurred.
Pool still filling back up...the auto fill spigot is pretty small.
Now, back to my long-overdue memorial bench welding project...
More to come.
Pool still filling back up...the auto fill spigot is pretty small.
Now, back to my long-overdue memorial bench welding project...
More to come.
Finally caught up on the new garage the point where I could spend some time on a welding project i have been putting off for far too long- memorial bench for my friend that died last summer. This is shaping up to be the most complex bench build yet. By far.
Previously posted a picture of the Standard Oil torch that is going to be one of the bench legs, but will re-post a couple of fab pictures again here for context.
Had to modify it a bit today. It wasn't tall enough when I started mocking up the bench itself.
I started working on the 2" square tube frame members, had to do a cutout on the right rear corner for the 1.5" pipe leg. It measures 1.900" so I used a wobbly 1.75" hole saw
, it worked out well. Cut the excess material to slot the hole with my Ryobi 18V cutoff tool. It was perfect for this job. I really like this tool, it definitely has more ooomph than my M12 cutoff.
More to come.
Previously posted a picture of the Standard Oil torch that is going to be one of the bench legs, but will re-post a couple of fab pictures again here for context.
Had to modify it a bit today. It wasn't tall enough when I started mocking up the bench itself.
I started working on the 2" square tube frame members, had to do a cutout on the right rear corner for the 1.5" pipe leg. It measures 1.900" so I used a wobbly 1.75" hole saw
, it worked out well. Cut the excess material to slot the hole with my Ryobi 18V cutoff tool. It was perfect for this job. I really like this tool, it definitely has more ooomph than my M12 cutoff.More to come.zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Scott, I love the courtyard as well as the Texaco facade in the shop. Amazing place you've created. 
The memorial bench is finally coming together, got stuck on how I was going to integrate the buffalo into the stretcher design (his widow took the steel buffalo cutout off the wall in his shop and dropped it off at my house when I told her I was doing a bench - which was well past the design stage at that point....) but finally figured it out and moved forward.... rolled a 12' long stick of 5/8" x.065" wall square tube with my little homemade ring roller, cut it into two arc segments and used them to support the 14 gauge buffalo cutout- which originally had a wide oval border all the way around it that just didn’t work for me. Zipped the border off with my trusty Ryobi 18V cutoff tool, and just used the buffalo...turned out to be a simple and unobtrusive solution...(IMHO) 
I still have to fit the Trex slats, drill the mounting holes in the slat supports, add a couple more small details and it's ready to go to powdercoat. Hopefully finish it up tomorrow.
More to come.
I still have to fit the Trex slats, drill the mounting holes in the slat supports, add a couple more small details and it's ready to go to powdercoat. Hopefully finish it up tomorrow.
More to come.
Jayman17
Well-known member
You are quite the artist with these custom benches, well done! 
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
You are quite the artist with these custom benches, well done!
^^Agreed. Pure artwork.
Finished up the bench this afternoon and got it dropped off at the powdercoater.
My friend was one of the smartest men I have ever known, he was a high level executive who spent most of a very successful career at Standard Oil, so the Standard Oil torch went on one end of the bench.
He was also an avid reader and well regarded academic, in fact he was on the Board of Regents for two major Midwestern Universities. So, I decided to have Academia support the other end of the bench. Fabricated a ballpoint pen out of 1-1/2" pipe and a stack of books out of 1/8" plate and 12 gauge sheet. I used diamond plate ( you knew that was coming) for the top book, sanded most of the raised diamonds off, left just enough to add some texture, and turned it into a Bible with a cross on the spline.
The books were a lot of work, they bolt together with hidden 1/4"-28 socket head cap screws and bolt to the bench with 3/8"-16 bolts through a steel strap underneath the Trex decking.
He had named his retirement wood shop the Buffalo Workshop (" We make chips" ) so I incorporated a buffalo into the stretcher design.
Lastly, he had a registered brand from his ranch in Idaho so I used it as his memorium instead of a separate plaque. Fabbed that out of 3/8" diameter cold rolled. That little brand took almost as long to make as the basic bench structure...
Seating surface is Trex, bolted down with 1/4" stainless carriage bolts through a continuous 1/8" x 1" strap that is stitch welded to the frame. I pre- drilled everything before sending it off to powdercoat, that's why the boards are all numbered with orange painters tape.
Now you know why this took so long. A lot of design decisions and detailed fabrication... right in the middle of building the new shop.
More to come.
My friend was one of the smartest men I have ever known, he was a high level executive who spent most of a very successful career at Standard Oil, so the Standard Oil torch went on one end of the bench.
He was also an avid reader and well regarded academic, in fact he was on the Board of Regents for two major Midwestern Universities. So, I decided to have Academia support the other end of the bench. Fabricated a ballpoint pen out of 1-1/2" pipe and a stack of books out of 1/8" plate and 12 gauge sheet. I used diamond plate ( you knew that was coming) for the top book, sanded most of the raised diamonds off, left just enough to add some texture, and turned it into a Bible with a cross on the spline.
The books were a lot of work, they bolt together with hidden 1/4"-28 socket head cap screws and bolt to the bench with 3/8"-16 bolts through a steel strap underneath the Trex decking.
He had named his retirement wood shop the Buffalo Workshop (" We make chips" ) so I incorporated a buffalo into the stretcher design.
Lastly, he had a registered brand from his ranch in Idaho so I used it as his memorium instead of a separate plaque. Fabbed that out of 3/8" diameter cold rolled. That little brand took almost as long to make as the basic bench structure...
Seating surface is Trex, bolted down with 1/4" stainless carriage bolts through a continuous 1/8" x 1" strap that is stitch welded to the frame. I pre- drilled everything before sending it off to powdercoat, that's why the boards are all numbered with orange painters tape.
Now you know why this took so long. A lot of design decisions and detailed fabrication... right in the middle of building the new shop.
More to come.
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steves_001
Well-known member
Simply amazing! That is pure art if I have ever seen it. I’d be honored to sit there.
bugnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Scott that looks great!
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Amazing workmanship and what a memorable tribute.
readhead
Well-known member
The fabrication is top notch and the thoughtful design is very impressive. You are a great friend.
manwithtools
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Bravo Scott! Super cool and full of remembrance...
stinkity stoink
Well-known member
Wow, I am blown away. The attention to detail and the design is simply incredible. I wish my brain could work like that.
larry4406
Well-known member
Very thoughtful remembrance for your friend and excellent craftsmanship as usual.
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Scott......very well done! I'm somewhat at a loss for words. 
Swanny1953
ALLIANCE MEMBER
What a great tribute to your friend! Very thoughtful and well thought out, not to mention great execution!!!
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Almost every project you post reminds me how NOT creative I am.lol
Well, another quick welding project that I recently completed.(well, not entirely, still needs paint and a stand....)
12 ton press brake. I used 1-1/2 x .250" wall square tubing for the posts, 1" x 3" flat bar for the platen, ram, and top frame. Bottom frame is two pieces of 4" channel sandwiching another piece of 1" x 3" flat bar.
Of course, I had to use diamond plate and rebar somewhere on this project so I used them as a structural truss on the top, the base plate, and the quick release knob.
The V die was $69 delivered from Amazon. It's bolted to the bottom plate and indexed into the bottom frame with 1" tube spacers. I can lift it out of the frame and replace it with a different forming die in the future if the need arises.
I was able to hide the return springs in between the posts, made for a much cleaner design with them out of the way.
The release knob was fabbed out of 3/8 rebar and a flattened piece of 3/4" x .125" wall round tube. It works really well, much better than the wrong end of the cheesy jack handle.
I deliberately mounted the jack with the handle parallel to the ram, instead of the normal perpendicular orientation. It's out of the way on the side and less likely to poke me in the face when I am working with it. It's secured with retaining screws in a pipe collar that screws into the ram with an 1-1/4" bolt.
It's currently sitting on the top of my weld cart, because:
A. It was the right height to slide it off my weld table. It's too heavy to just pick up and toss around.
-and-
B. It was about the only open space I had when I needed to move it.
I do have an unassembled Craftsman tool stand I planned to use, but I'm thinking I probably need to make a combination stand and incorporate my ring roller. It's also on a temporary roll around stand I built out of two discarded kitchen cabinets a dozen years ago.
More to come
12 ton press brake. I used 1-1/2 x .250" wall square tubing for the posts, 1" x 3" flat bar for the platen, ram, and top frame. Bottom frame is two pieces of 4" channel sandwiching another piece of 1" x 3" flat bar.
Of course, I had to use diamond plate and rebar somewhere on this project so I used them as a structural truss on the top, the base plate, and the quick release knob.
The V die was $69 delivered from Amazon. It's bolted to the bottom plate and indexed into the bottom frame with 1" tube spacers. I can lift it out of the frame and replace it with a different forming die in the future if the need arises.
I was able to hide the return springs in between the posts, made for a much cleaner design with them out of the way.
The release knob was fabbed out of 3/8 rebar and a flattened piece of 3/4" x .125" wall round tube. It works really well, much better than the wrong end of the cheesy jack handle.
I deliberately mounted the jack with the handle parallel to the ram, instead of the normal perpendicular orientation. It's out of the way on the side and less likely to poke me in the face when I am working with it. It's secured with retaining screws in a pipe collar that screws into the ram with an 1-1/4" bolt.
It's currently sitting on the top of my weld cart, because:
A. It was the right height to slide it off my weld table. It's too heavy to just pick up and toss around.
-and-
B. It was about the only open space I had when I needed to move it.
I do have an unassembled Craftsman tool stand I planned to use, but I'm thinking I probably need to make a combination stand and incorporate my ring roller. It's also on a temporary roll around stand I built out of two discarded kitchen cabinets a dozen years ago.
More to come
Attachments
larry4406
Well-known member
Nice press brake! Where did you get the male-V piece that the jack presses on?Well, another quick welding project that I recently completed.(well, not entirely, still needs paint and a stand....)
12 ton press brake. I used 1-1/2 x .250" wall square tubing for the posts, 1" x 3" flat bar for the platen, ram, and top frame. Bottom frame is two pieces of 4" channel sandwiching another piece of 1" x 3" flat bar.
Of course, I had to use diamond plate and rebar somewhere on this project so I used them as a structural truss on the top, the base plate, and the quick release knob.
The V die was $69 delivered from Amazon. It's bolted to the bottom plate and indexed into the bottom frame with 1" tube spacers. I can lift it out of the frame and replace it with a different forming die in the future if the need arises.
I was able to hide the return springs in between the posts, made for a much cleaner design with them out of the way.
The release knob was fabbed out of 3/8 rebar and a flattened piece of 3/4" x .125" wall round tube. It works really well, much better than the wrong end of the cheesy jack handle.
I deliberately mounted the jack with the handle parallel to the ram, instead of the normal perpendicular orientation. It's out of the way on the side and less likely to poke me in the face when I am working with it. It's secured with retaining screws in a pipe collar that screws into the ram with an 1-1/4" bolt.
It's currently sitting on the top of my weld cart, because:
A. It was the right height to slide it off my weld table. It's too heavy to just pick up and toss around.
-and-
B. It was about the only open space I had when I needed to move it.
I do have an unassembled Craftsman tool stand I planned to use, but I'm thinking I probably need to make a combination stand and incorporate my ring roller. It's also on a temporary roll around stand I built out of two discarded kitchen cabinets a dozen years ago.
More to come
Ground an 85° bevel on a chunk of 1"x3" flat bar that I found in the scrap rack at American Metals in Mesa. They had two pieces about 3-4' long. Got them both for scrap price, they were about 50 cents a pound, IIRC.
I did break out the big 7" Angle Grinder to remove the bulk of the material, then finished up with a 4.5" flap disc and a 60 grit disc on my random orbit sander.
Used a straightedge, checked my grinding frequently to keep it straight and flat. Didn't really take that long.
Remember, when you weld like I do you necessarily develop high-level, world class, expert- level, grinding skills..
larry4406
Well-known member
The more you welder the grinder I am?Ground an 85° bevel on a chunk of 1"x3" flat bar that I found in the scrap rack at American Metals in Mesa. They had two pieces about 3-4' long. Got them both for scrap price, they were about 50 cents a pound, IIRC.
I did break out the big 7" Angle Grinder to remove the bulk of the material, then finished up with a 4.5" flap disc and a 60 grit disc on my random orbit sander.
Used a straightedge, checked my grinding frequently to keep it straight and flat. Didn't really take that long.
Remember, when you weld like I do you necessarily develop high-level, world class, expert- level, grinding skills..
Excellent free hand grind!
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
Badass detail in the bench! A great tribute for an accomplished individual.
Can any of you folks that have a macerating toilet tell me if there is much maintenance involved? I've read reviews from folks both positive and negative. I'm considering one for my shop.
Thanks,
Mike
larry4406
Well-known member
Spent the day today turning two ********* walnut slabs into finished lumber.
Neighbor and I used his Festool tracksaw (overpriced and underpowered, IMHO) to cut them to size, then we hauled them over to my deceased friend's shop and ran them through his 37" Laguna sander. They finished up at 16" wide x ~75" long x just under 2" thick.
The live edge slab is going to be the desk in my new shop office; the other is going to be a sofa table for another neighbor- which means I will be welding up a couple of sets of custom legs. (The design on those are still in the planning stages....but I am fairly certain sure she doesn't want rebar or diamond plate on hers... )
Bought both these slabs a few months back, just now getting around to working on them. Been too busy with other projects.
More to come.
Neighbor and I used his Festool tracksaw (overpriced and underpowered, IMHO) to cut them to size, then we hauled them over to my deceased friend's shop and ran them through his 37" Laguna sander. They finished up at 16" wide x ~75" long x just under 2" thick.
The live edge slab is going to be the desk in my new shop office; the other is going to be a sofa table for another neighbor- which means I will be welding up a couple of sets of custom legs. (The design on those are still in the planning stages....but I am fairly certain sure she doesn't want rebar or diamond plate on hers...
)Bought both these slabs a few months back, just now getting around to working on them. Been too busy with other projects.
More to come.
senlow
Well-known member
You need to find a way to hide a couple of pieces of your trademark materials in her table legs.the other is going to be a sofa table for another neighbor- which means I will be welding up a couple of sets of custom legs. (The design on those are still in the planning stages....but I am fairly certain sure she doesn't want rebar or diamond plate on hers...
Beautiful!Spent the day today turning two ********* walnut slabs into finished lumber.
Neighbor and I used his Festool tracksaw (overpriced and underpowered, IMHO) to cut them to size, then we hauled them over to my deceased friend's shop and ran them through his 37" Laguna sander. They finished up at 16" wide x ~75" long x just under 2" thick.
The live edge slab is going to be the desk in my new shop office; the other is going to be a sofa table for another neighbor- which means I will be welding up a set of custom legs. (The design on those is still in the planning stages.)
Bought both these slabs a few months back, just now getting around to working on them. Been too busy with other projects.
More to come.
Having access to that sander is a great perk.
Looking forward to this project.
Interesting comment on the Festool track saw.
I always appreciate unbiased, non internet influencer, tool reviews.
Slight thread derail. If anyone is in the Phoenix or Tucson area and is in need of a sander like that, Woodworkers Source will do a lot of the “heavy lifting“ on your project quickly and IMO reasonably.
Wide belt sander, straight line rip, resawing, etc.