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Not looking for help per se, just looking to share experience. I had three z-wave smart switches that I installed many years ago, being controlled via Samsung Smartthings. Two of the switches died (I suspect due to a lightning event) so I replaced all three with Leviton wi-fi switches. (When I...

In an unrelated thread, @larry4406 requested more details on my RPU that appears in my avatar. So as not to completely derail that thread, I’m answering his request here. Here’s a picture of what it looked like on the day I bought it. I had been looking for a Model A pickup, preferably open...

Living here in the northeast, I‘ve been accustomed to automatic delivery of heating oil since my childhood. I’m well aware that oil companies use a “K” factor to correlate a particular account’s oil usage with heating degree days. I‘m even enough of a nerd to have plotted my daily usage (yes my...

For years I have struggled to find a proper solution to transporting and staging the tools I need at a worksite. (I‘m not a contractor, but do do a wide variety of building maintenance tasks at the multiple buildings at our place and for family and friends.) My preferred work style is to...

I have searched and searched, and even gotten bad answers from AI. For an outdoor lighting installation, I am considering using a short length of PVC Liquid-Tite to connect to rigid PVC tubing. Nobody seems to make a solvent weld to LFNC fitting. Is the only code compliant method to transition...

Last week I decided that I needed some custom anchors for the half-hood that’ll be going on my Model A RPU. I designed them in OnShape and then checked SendCutSend for a price. SendCutSend said I needed to use a larger bend radius, so I refined my model, then 3d printed a prototype to confirm...

Lost a leg of our power yesterday. House feed wire fatigued in the high winds where it was clamped to the feed wire from the transformer about 300 feet away. About 20 years ago a house was built in the (former) farm field across the street. The PoCo installed a new transformer on the pole in...

After having great success using my M12 ratchet to drive the bevel adjustment on my Craftsman table saw, I machined an adapter to use a socket to run the knee on my vertical mill up and down. (These are both situations that can require many revolutions when changing setups, and my old man...

I am machining a new emergency/parking brake mechanism to replace the worn out teeth on my early ‘28 roadster pickup. It seems to make more sense to cut each tooth in a single setup using a vee endmill rather than in two steps using a slitting saw. The cuts will be shallow, so a 1/4” endmill...

Yesterday I helped my wife’s uncle hook up a Jet metal lathe he had just purchased. Had to inspect the motor terminal wiring to determine whether it was wired for 120 vac or 240. After determining that it was wired up for 240 vac, I got it connected and working- except it rotates backward when...

The last time I used a rotary hammer to install a condensate line through a concrete foundation, it blasted out a chunk of concrete on the exit side, which I repaired with a concrete patching material. This made me think I should drill the hole in from both sides, like you would do with a spade...

Can anyone tell me what size thread is used on the locknuts for the motor on the step pulley (Series 1 J head, I believe) machines? I haven’t been able to find that info in any web searches. Reason I’m asking is I have a Bridgeport-like vertical mill on which previous owner(s) have cobbled up...

For those of you who aren’t earning a living from your shop/garage:

I commonly see contributors here in the HVAC forum refer to the evils of short-cycling caused by oversizing heating and/or cooling equipment. I am not convinced, though, that there is a common agreement on what constitutes “short-cycling.” When I do a web search, the most common result...

Several years ago, I entered the quagmire of video cameras to keep an eye on my property and outbuildings. It started with a Nest cam looking at my detached shop. I later added a couple more, and, compared to having none, I was very happy with having a few days of video history. Since the great...

This has been occupying space in one of my tool drawers for many years. Will it be worth big bucks someday :dunno: or should I just toss it in the trash?

My F250 just fits on my new lift. I have to fold in the mirrors to clear the posts, and when I do it interferes with my ability to see where the tires are tracking on the runways. (And they use every inch of width.) My first try at using a mirror in a fixed location suggested that it would be...

I’m considering installing a chain hoist on my 10’ wide by 9’ high sectional doors. The doors are well balanced, but I need to use a push pole to push them to the fully open position, or even enough to be confident my 4x4 truck will clear. My old man shoulders just don’t like those movements...

Has anyone here ordered and received Haas overhead doors since this COVID thing hit? Just wondering about real-world delivery times. I ordered mine at the end of May, so currently at 6 weeks. Dealer had told me typical time was 4 weeks, but advised times had lengthened lately. It’s...

I made some major progress this weekend towards improving the organization and usefulness of my shop. After about 30 years of equipment and tools acquisition, and many, many projects, I found that I was struggling for work space and have recognized the need to dispose of many "treasures" that...