Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Factory 59
- Thread starter bdbecker
- Start date
Workspaces between 485 and 705 squarefeet.
What a body shamer!
Right? I'm tired of having to hold myself to these unrealistic expectations. Women don't have to look like Barbie, but I have to look like the GI Joe version of myself? It's not fair..
(satire, of course)
The Dad Force One GI Joe card is absolutely awesome! I love every bit of it, especially "researches obscure topics for 3 hours to save $12".
Get back to the gym if you can fit it in. I decided to do something about the dad bod and have been working out 3-4 times a week since March. The results already show. I like lifting a lot but not so much cardio. It helps that my work has a gym in the building. I think we're about the same age.
Get back to the gym if you can fit it in. I decided to do something about the dad bod and have been working out 3-4 times a week since March. The results already show. I like lifting a lot but not so much cardio. It helps that my work has a gym in the building. I think we're about the same age.
Not making excuses, but setting up the home gym hasn't been the highest priority on the project list since we moved last summer. I just need to temporarily setup the rowing machine and the dumbell rack in the basement and start using it again. It literally is that simple, I just haven't done it.
If anything, the house projects have kept me pretty active and in a good spot in regard to fitness (relatively speaking). That, combined with a much better approach to nutrition and cutting out my daily beers, has me walking around at around 270 these days without really trying. That is only 30lbs off of where I'd like to be, and a good 60lbs down from where I was during the "work from home and constantly grazing" days of covid. There is a difference between a 'fat 240lbs' and a 'jacked 240lbs'. I'm aiming for the latter. I've been there before, I just need to get back to it.
Haha, been there done that!
I'm finding it much harder to put on muscle than when I was younger.
Have you had your t-level checked? If not, talk to your doc. My doc has me on a supplement (zinc, B6, D, and some other stuff) to help with maintenance. Not a replacement or boost, but just giving my body what it needs to stay in the normal range. I'm only a month or so in, so it's probably a bit too early to notice a difference physically, but I will say that I've generally been in a better mood the last few weeks, so maybe it's working.
I'm sure that's not a bad idea. I avoid doctors due to the high cost.
Switching gears. Are you aware of Home Assistant? A friend/coworker introduced me to it last week and my mind has been blown. Home automation on your private local network without creepy 3rd party surveillance. It is my current rabbit hole. You can repurpose an old computer or cheap Raspberry Pi to act as a controller to automate smart devices. It has a well thought out interface. Definitely requires a lot of manual configuration, but I mean that's part of the fun. Not quite type 2 fun, but maybe 1.25
I've had about a 50/50 reaction on my friends excitement level. They've either found it awesome or stupid, no in between.
Home Assistant
Home Assistant Wikipedia
I am aware of Home Assistant and do appreciate their approach in keeping the controls local. That platform would be my personal preference if I decided to pursue a home automation platform. While I can certainly see myself diving into the home automation rabbit hole someday, I haven't done enough research on the topic to speak intelligently about it. I have been casually keeping tabs on the subject through reading posts here on GJ and watching a YouTube video every now and then. I like where it is heading, but I am not going to jump into it until the products have matured a little more.
If you haven't seen his build thread, @nicholam77 has done a bunch of cool stuff in his house.
Nick's Two-Car Detached Vdub Garage
Hey all, I'm a new first-time homeowner, car lover, VW enthusiast, and aspiring DIY guy. I have an Mk7 GTI which is my baby and I've lightly modified, but lately I've been spending more time "modding" my house and garage than I have my car. Once I found this forum and all the cool builds on...
www.garagejournal.com
nicholam77
Well-known member
@burger I have written about it a fair amount of times in my thread, especially in the last few years, and about home automation in general. I would also check out Dennis's @Denwood thread! Lot's of interesting and niche automations and he just switched over to Home Assistant.
That sounds about right. I do believe it adds real convenience and value, but it takes a good amount of effort to implement something complicated enough to feel 'magical' and not just a party trick. I've been chipping away at my setup for 10 years, first on SmartThings, then Hubitat, and now Home Assistant. I have over 100 devices and over 100 automations, some of them fairly complicated. So feel free to ask questions as you dive in. Also, Home Assistant has come a long way especially in the past few years, and A.I. has made it much easier to tinker with things as a non-programmer. But... you're gonna get a glazed over eyes reaction from anyone who isn't interested in tech.
There's also this thread, which seems dead, but we could revive it!
I know there's a handful of us (@Denwood @cccoltsicehockey @iced98lx @ArcReactorKC and I believe @loganb is at least HA-curious
)
iced98lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Heck'yea, come to the fun side, home assistant (and the rest of the open home foundation products) are awesome. (I'm biased!)
I followed the exact same arc as @nicholam77 (smart things, hubitat, home assistant) and Hubitat is still an A-OK place to be based on what I can see.
I followed the exact same arc as @nicholam77 (smart things, hubitat, home assistant) and Hubitat is still an A-OK place to be based on what I can see.
Denwood
Well-known member
Same exact arc here. Still have all my devices on Hubitat but Home Assistant and ESPhome are expanding my horizons. ChatGPT along with Home Assistant are much more accessible now IMHO as ChatGPT can do yaml code and therefore complex automations in seconds. Hubitat requires you to build rules in the GUI which makes it much harder to just cut/paste code.
@burger I have written about it a fair amount of times in my thread, especially in the last few years, and about home automation in general. I would also check out Dennis's @Denwood thread! Lot's of interesting and niche automations and he just switched over to Home Assistant.
That sounds about right. I do believe it adds real convenience and value, but it takes a good amount of effort to implement something complicated enough to feel 'magical' and not just a party trick. I've been chipping away at my setup for 10 years, first on SmartThings, then Hubitat, and now Home Assistant. I have over 100 devices and over 100 automations, some of them fairly complicated. So feel free to ask questions as you dive in. Also, Home Assistant has come a long way especially in the past few years, and A.I. has made it much easier to tinker with things as a non-programmer. But... you're gonna get a glazed over eyes reaction from anyone who isn't interested in tech.
There's also this thread, which seems dead, but we could revive it!
I know there's a handful of us (@Denwood @cccoltsicehockey @iced98lx @ArcReactorKC and I believe @loganb is at least HA-curious
I'm gonna argue the tech gods and wish bad juju on my house with this ....
But yes, I'm HA curious....so curious I've bought the gear and have it running....and pretty sure If I turned off the computer it's running on nothing would change.....as I don't think there is a single automation running on it right now lol
I'd like to get back into it and learn more, just haven't made the time for it
Guys, awesome! I know what I'm reading tonight. I don't want to hijack Brad's thread any further, so I'll post my questions on the Home Assistant thread or start another one. Really looking forward to reading about your experiences and seeing what you've done. My first interest is lighting scenes activated by voice command.
It’s been a minute. I’m still alive and (mostly) well. Stupid poison ivy… literally the one time I’ve worn shorts this summer and I find a patch of it. I’m on the mend now, just a few spots remain on my left leg. Far better than the giant patch that covered most of my shin on my right leg a few weeks ago.
The shed still needs trim on two sides. The last four weekends have been a bust for working on it. Whatever… it’ll be a funny story someday when it’s done. I’m shifting gears for the next few weeks and focusing on getting my woodworking equipment out of the garage and into the basement. We are having the electrical panel replaced in a few weeks and they want to have room in the garage to work. While not my preferred timing or sequence of events, it’s good motivation to get this done, with the added bonus of getting dedicated 240v drops in the garage and basement shop. I suppose being able to park inside will be nice too.
I honestly haven’t been feeling all that ambitious the last month and half. I recently took over managing the maintenance department at work in addition to the responsibilities I already had. It’s been a lot of ‘work, eat, sleep’ the last six weeks while still trying to make room to be a husband and dad. It’s all good though… I’m starting to find a groove again.
The shed still needs trim on two sides. The last four weekends have been a bust for working on it. Whatever… it’ll be a funny story someday when it’s done. I’m shifting gears for the next few weeks and focusing on getting my woodworking equipment out of the garage and into the basement. We are having the electrical panel replaced in a few weeks and they want to have room in the garage to work. While not my preferred timing or sequence of events, it’s good motivation to get this done, with the added bonus of getting dedicated 240v drops in the garage and basement shop. I suppose being able to park inside will be nice too.
I honestly haven’t been feeling all that ambitious the last month and half. I recently took over managing the maintenance department at work in addition to the responsibilities I already had. It’s been a lot of ‘work, eat, sleep’ the last six weeks while still trying to make room to be a husband and dad. It’s all good though… I’m starting to find a groove again.
XJSuperman
Well-known member
Heat index of 116F will do that to a guy. I've had absolutely zero interest in working outside lately. Gotta get my time in sparingly between heatwaves and storms.
You started the shed last November, which means after nine months, you’re only two weekends away from completing a one month project! I started my master bath remodel around the same time and have about the same amount to go, so we must wear the same shoes.
Success! All of my woodworking equipment is now in the basement. Nothing was damaged and nobody was injured in the process. I ended up anchoring off a tree in the backyard with a tow strap and using a pair of pulleys and some rope to make the process safer and easier. I strapped each piece to the two wheel cart, laid it on it's back on the top of the steps, and tied it off to the rope and pulley system. Wife kept tension on the rope as I eased the two wheel cart down each step. Even moving the safe was uneventful, which was my biggest concern. Wife was very skeptical at first, but by the end, she was impressed by system I came up with. Physics is fun!
A few more hours tidying things up and we'll be ready for the electricians on Thursday. Now I just have to put everything back together... I will say, good job SawStop for using pretty much the same two fasteners throughout the assembly.
A few more hours tidying things up and we'll be ready for the electricians on Thursday. Now I just have to put everything back together... I will say, good job SawStop for using pretty much the same two fasteners throughout the assembly.
Krfjkm
Well-known member
Absolutely love my SawStop!
What are you planning for dust control in the basement shop? Nick's thread has a ton on what he did. I'd like to implement a lot of that.
This website has everything you could ever want to know about dust collection:
Dust Collection Research - Home
This site is all about dust collection and protection. It shares the risks from fine dust exposure, how to measure your risks and how to effectively protect yourself and those close to you from airborne dust hazards. Fine dust is so extensively studied that researchers call it PM short for...
billpentz.com
Depending on the piece of equipment, you want to use either a dust extractor (basically a shop vac, but with a better filter) or a dust collector (those giant systems that are usually attached to ducts). The difference being that a dust extractor pulls air at a high speed, but at a lower volume, whereas a dust collector pulls air at a high volume, but at a lower speed. Dust extractors are best used on things like a miter saw or palm sander. Dust collectors are better for things like table saws and planers. So, in my shop, I’m planning on using both.
I’m planning on having a HEPA dust extractor (haven’t really decided on a make/model yet) that will live in my miter saw station. If I need it to run my track saw or sander, I’ll just roll it out of the cabinet and hook it up when needed. I’m also researching HEPA dust collectors.
Right now (subject to change, of course), my favorite option is this:
With the HEPA filter upgrade:
Not the least or most expensive option, and not really the most powerful either, but I really like the compact footprint, 71db sound rating, and that it is designed with a cyclone separator instead of it being an add-on. I do not plan on running an elaborate duct system in the basement. More than likely, one ducted line will be run through the ceiling and dropped down the wall to where the table saw will be used. The other port will be for other equipment like the planer or bandsaw and will be connected as needed using flex tube. While flex tube isn’t ideal for flow, it does give me the flexibility (no pun intended) to setup as needed for different projects. Keeping the duct runs to a minimum should also help make up for its middle-of-the-road CFM rating.
This will not happen tomorrow, or maybe even in the next year, so it still gives me time to plan and watch for deals. I’m really hoping to get to a point where I can take a break on the house projects and start focusing more on the shop. If anything, I don’t think I really appreciated how much I liked having a shop until I didn’t have one. I have made more cuts with a handsaw over the last year than I have over the previous 20 because my miter saw was either buried, or out in the shed, and it was just quicker to throw a board over a cooler in the garage and cut it manually.
madison069
Well-known member
Sorry, this made me laugh. If you’re like me, you just have to stop and put a couple of hours of shop time in through out the week. House projects will never end.
Oh, I know... there will always be house projects going on. I should have said said something along the lines of "I'd really like to get to a point where I can focus on setting up my shop instead of working on the house".
Starting over on a new house is more taxing than I thought it'd be. One example... all but one of the bathroom exhaust fans needed to be replaced. So I took a day and knocked them all out sometime last fall/winter. Now, the one that didn't need to be replaced is starting to make some unhappy noises, so I've got to dig into it. Once that's done, I shouldn't have to deal with exhaust fans for another decade or more. It's all those little fixes that I did in my last house that I now am dealing with again with the new place. Once done, I'll have some breathing room. I just need to get to that point.
On the plus side, all the things I learned from working on the last house make these projects much less intimidating, and I can complete them much more quickly because I have a pretty good idea of what I'm doing. I don't need to spend an hour trying to figure out what is going on, how to fix it, and where to find replacement parts before actually starting the work. Toilet making a funny noise? That's just sediment in the refill valve. If a light tap doesn't fix it, I need to replace it. No big deal.
Going down the dust extractor research rabbit hole a little more, as it turns out, the Festool CT 15 turns out to be a pretty good value when you start comparing specs and prices.
www.festoolusa.com
Who would have thought? I also like the compact size, which will make integrating it into the miter saw bench easier. I don't know that I need all the fancy upgrades the CT MIDI offers, at least not for the additional markup. I can get a CT 15 and a second hose (for when I need to disconnect from the miter saw and use it on other tools) and still be under the cost of a CT MIDI. I think I have my decision made for now.
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In other news, the new electrical panel is installed and live. Full transparency, Wife took the lead on this project. With all I've had going on at work over the last few months, I just didn't have the bandwidth to deal with yet another electrical project. Siemens PN or SN (I can't remember at the moment) series, 200 amp panel. Regardless of the series, it'll be a nice upgrade from the old Pushmatic panel we had. Electricians will be back out today to knock out a few projects Wife wants done, including my 240v drops in the garage and basement.
Dust Extractor CT 15 HEPA CLEANTEC
www.festoolusa.com
Who would have thought? I also like the compact size, which will make integrating it into the miter saw bench easier. I don't know that I need all the fancy upgrades the CT MIDI offers, at least not for the additional markup. I can get a CT 15 and a second hose (for when I need to disconnect from the miter saw and use it on other tools) and still be under the cost of a CT MIDI. I think I have my decision made for now.
-----
In other news, the new electrical panel is installed and live. Full transparency, Wife took the lead on this project. With all I've had going on at work over the last few months, I just didn't have the bandwidth to deal with yet another electrical project. Siemens PN or SN (I can't remember at the moment) series, 200 amp panel. Regardless of the series, it'll be a nice upgrade from the old Pushmatic panel we had. Electricians will be back out today to knock out a few projects Wife wants done, including my 240v drops in the garage and basement.
Keep an eye out at Festool Recon. They only sell one item at a time (top left), but it shows you the queue of what is next. VERY RARE, but they will occasionally open it up to purchase anything on the site. Seems to happen when there is a backlog of 3+ pages of items. I got a domino and a CT36 and saved some dough.
That site seems dangerous (to my wallet)... thanks for the tip!
Haha, with the above link and then all the tangential research projects, it took me several days to process your post! I'm on about the same timeframe as you, that I'd like to get my woodshop setup in hopefully 2027 but more likely 2028. At this point I'm in my research phase. Then I'll spend some time hunting Marketplace for deals.
Thank you, but I did not need to know about that site.
nicholam77
Well-known member
I have the CT15 and love it. Got mine a handful of years ago when they were *only* $350. Honestly a great value in the world of 'dust extractors'.
I did add the hose garage from the MIDI (you can buy that separately), but same as you, I wasn't interesting in spending the extra MIDI money for bluetooth and anti-static hose when the actual vacuum is the same.
I know you said you made your mind up already, but some things I can tell you to sell you on it further:
— build quality is great
— the filter and bag mechanism is genius, the bag is super efficient (gets packed completely full), and the main HEPA filter stays super clean
— the variable suction is game changing for sanders and tasks like vacuuming car carpets
— on the lower suction levels, it's sooooo quiet
— the flat top makes it perfect to set stuff on (like track saw or sander) between cuts
— it's small and compact and easy to store
— it has an accessory outlet for tool-controlled auto on-off... super convenient
Because it is quieter than a normal shop vac (especially if you turn down suction), it's great for indoor use.
I'll also add that if you need another hose, you do not need to spend $120+ on one of Festool's anti-static hoses. I'm sure they are quite good, but I've been perfectly happy with this Bosch VAC005 that fits:
Heck yeah... even better! Thanks Nick!