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Being retired, I thought remodeling a house was a good plan, so I bought one!:Help: It really isn’t too bad. Not updated since the 70s, but maintained. Nothing urgent to fix, but modernizing and adding a bath and a half will make it a much more attractive property. There is a lightly insulated...

Expanding a planter for my wife and went to test fit the last board and it came up 3/4” short. Put the tape on it and it measured 9’11-1/4”. Saturday afternoon after the local lumberyard was closed of course. My understanding is that you should expect them to be at least the nominal length. Is...

I have a metal storage building for our RV. It has 16’ eaves and only the roof is insulated. I am planning to insulate the sidewalls. The building gets hot. I’d like to ventilate it, but I don’t want it open all of the time to avoid condensation during the shoulder seasons. Building is used...

My old reliable jigsaw still does a good job, but the U-Shank blades are not available locally anymore. I’m inclined to go with something newer so breaking a blade doesn’t shut me down for a couple of days. Many questions arose from my searching: How much do power and stroke length matter? My...

I’m making some bird traps, and need some 1/8” diameter shafts. Based on how previous versions held up, I’d like to go with stainless. Need to be able to make 90 degree bends as well as a 2” radius U shape. Kind of thinking TIG rods would be my cheapest option. Being as I’ve never TIG welded, I...

I found a set of what I would call Allen wrenches in a box of hardware I brought home from my father-in-law’s shop when he died 20 years ago. The label on the leatherette case starts with Allen Hollow Screw Junior Key Set. I had never heard the term “hollow screw” before and did a little...

I’d like to mount an outside light at the center of the gable end of my building over the large door. Problem is the king post of the truss is right there preventing a normal flush j-box installation. Shifting a little to either side of the king post puts me on a rib in the metal which isn’t...

Either my brain has failed or I’m working with morons. I’m doing some consulting work for a group that does some outdoor testing in a desert environment. Many of the devices they test and the equipment they use are mounted on fairly heavy tripod masts. They are having problems with alignment...

Being a certified old fart and having inherited tools from my grandpas, my wife’s diesel mechanic grandpa and my machinist father-in-law, I rarely come across a job for which I don’t have the right tool. About 8:30 last night it happened. Changing a seal on a 15’ mower and the castle nut was...

Home at the family farm trying to help get equipment ready. I really miss my coupler. Anybody know of a chain that carries them? Called a couple of local places that the company says are dealers, but no luck finding one.

I was doing some gate building today on sawhorses outside. Had to use flux wire and really was wishing I could use solid but it wasn’t going to work out. Thought occurred to me I could maybe build a frame out of EMT and hang welding blankets to make a shelter to stop the wind. Anybody done...

Drove past this a few weeks back and thought it was interesting. I can imagine someone who is big into old service station items would like having one for a "basement". No clue as the the structural integrity...

I have been looking for it for 6 months. It has a spot and is always put back in the spot to avoid this exact situation...apparently not this time. It rarely every moves further than the corner of my workbench to the toolbox drawer. Second small drawer from the top on the upper box, in the back...

I need a new shaft for a trailer jack on a gooseneck trailer. The shaft is 39" long, 1" ID round, with one end having a 3/4" hex internal diameter. The crank fits into the hex end. Contacted the manufacturer and was quoted $250 :shocking: So plan B is to get a piece of 1" ID steel tubing and...

Friend of mine with no internet access is trying to figure out a better way to make some parts for his farm equipment business. He currently makes a lot of brackets for farm equipment out of 10 gauge mild steel. Small pieces, 4" or so by 8" or so generally. Often needs a 3/4" to 2" lip bent on...

My neighbor is having some property timbered and I'll have access to all the firewood I could ever want. Been thinking about an easy way to use it to heat my shop. My insurance company won't cover any kind of solid fuel heater in any building, so I'm out of luck on a normal wood stove...

I have a need to torque some set screws with a 1/4" hex key to 40ft-lbs. I used a 1/2" to 3/8" drive adapter to connect a 3/8" drive 1/4" hex key to my torque wrench. Worked fine for two of the screws, but the other two are recessed about 2" in their holes requiring a longer key to reach. I...

Planning a new barn for storage, and I've already got the flat part of the property full. I was wanting to run 50ft length, but the lay of the land means I'll need 36" of fill at one end for a level floor. Some builders are saying I need a stem wall or to form a wall between posts to hold the...

It's an old Sand's 30" that still works well, but that isn't the point of the post, just the coolest part. It's virtually identical to https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0041NN86K/?tag=atomicindus08-20 minus the brightly colored vials and featuring many years of my grandpa's work related scrapes and...