Klokwerk
Well-known member
Inspiring as always! And thanks again for sharing. It really does mean a lot to many of us.
Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Mid-Century Moto Mecca Makeover
- Thread starter sakurama
- Start date
Workspaces between 485 and 705 squarefeet.
Summer has been busy and I mistakenly suggested to the kids that we start a pizza popup for their summer job. 
We are still using the Roccbox but we picked up this Ooni to test a theory. It doesn't have the mass of the Roccbox but it has a larger surface and it has two long burners that cover two sides. Ironically the pizza we like the most at this point is from the recipe that I developed for our home oven which has convection broil. I'm not entirely sure what makes that better - the 1/4" steel, the convection or the lower temperature that is possible.
The Ooni can go lower than the Roccbox and I bought a 1/4" steel plate to replace the stone. This was our first test with it just stock but at a lower temperature - about 550-600F compared to the Roccbox's 650-750F. I'm convinced that steel is better for pizza than stone but I need to test the theory in a pizza oven. I know it works better in a home oven as I've tested various stones and also steel in thickness of 1/2", 3/8" and 1/4" and 1/4" is the sweet spot. It recovers fast and gives the heat quicker. Not sure why.
So next is to put a steel in the Ooni and see.
My other goal for the summer is to try to keep the kids off screens. It's a herculean task. I used to make them just leave the house to earn screen time but I discovered that if we all leave the house it creates an opportunity to talk and catch up. So every day we spend an hour or so just going on walks.
It's been pretty great actually. For all of us. As always my goal is to do nothing, to let them be bored but in the world. Going for a walk with no agenda creates the chance to explore, climb a wall or a tree and talk along the way.
For the pizza popup it's once a week at the local brewery Level Beer. Nadia came up with this pizza - a pickle pizza that she saw on youtube and that we tweaked. Surprisingly when we first tried it we sold 5 of them and ran out of pickles. I'm trying to let them run the business as much as possible.
They make the dough, I make the pizzas, Lucas cooks the pizza and Nadia is front of house. I try to get them to do the talking and socializing - it's like adult training. They're getting there.
As is typical for me I underestimated the amount of work involved. I sometimes think of what it would look like to run this as a real business and the numbers are hard. I realize that my actual job is pretty sweet, very easy and lots of fun. But it's harder and harder to find the clients and the work. It's like being the captain of a slowly sinking ship. But it's a nice ship.
I realize I've had some other work that I've not posted about and probably should. And some shop time.
Gregor
We are still using the Roccbox but we picked up this Ooni to test a theory. It doesn't have the mass of the Roccbox but it has a larger surface and it has two long burners that cover two sides. Ironically the pizza we like the most at this point is from the recipe that I developed for our home oven which has convection broil. I'm not entirely sure what makes that better - the 1/4" steel, the convection or the lower temperature that is possible.
The Ooni can go lower than the Roccbox and I bought a 1/4" steel plate to replace the stone. This was our first test with it just stock but at a lower temperature - about 550-600F compared to the Roccbox's 650-750F. I'm convinced that steel is better for pizza than stone but I need to test the theory in a pizza oven. I know it works better in a home oven as I've tested various stones and also steel in thickness of 1/2", 3/8" and 1/4" and 1/4" is the sweet spot. It recovers fast and gives the heat quicker. Not sure why.
So next is to put a steel in the Ooni and see.
My other goal for the summer is to try to keep the kids off screens. It's a herculean task. I used to make them just leave the house to earn screen time but I discovered that if we all leave the house it creates an opportunity to talk and catch up. So every day we spend an hour or so just going on walks.
It's been pretty great actually. For all of us. As always my goal is to do nothing, to let them be bored but in the world. Going for a walk with no agenda creates the chance to explore, climb a wall or a tree and talk along the way.
For the pizza popup it's once a week at the local brewery Level Beer. Nadia came up with this pizza - a pickle pizza that she saw on youtube and that we tweaked. Surprisingly when we first tried it we sold 5 of them and ran out of pickles. I'm trying to let them run the business as much as possible.
They make the dough, I make the pizzas, Lucas cooks the pizza and Nadia is front of house. I try to get them to do the talking and socializing - it's like adult training. They're getting there.
As is typical for me I underestimated the amount of work involved. I sometimes think of what it would look like to run this as a real business and the numbers are hard. I realize that my actual job is pretty sweet, very easy and lots of fun. But it's harder and harder to find the clients and the work. It's like being the captain of a slowly sinking ship. But it's a nice ship.
I realize I've had some other work that I've not posted about and probably should. And some shop time.
Gregor
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Gregor, when our two children (now in their 60s) were growing up we made them choose one day a week when they didn't watch TV. We called it "Rebirth of Culture" night. Our daughter learned the guitar, read books and taught herself calligraphy. Our son focused mainly on books and both are still avid readers. Of course the books are now audio books and play in the vehicle they drive to work.
Our nine grandchildren are all over 21 and have to be on their screens to survive. They have brought six great grandchildren into our lives and some of those have screens. Whenever we get together I start a conversation with as many of them as I can in an attempt to distract them and force them to interact with their mouths instead of their fingers. I am doing the same at hospitals and doctors offices, places I spend a fair bit of my time. Some seem annoyed but the majority respond and engage in GJ friendly discussions (no politics or religion).
My smart-*** phone resides on a stand next to my computer 99% of the time and occasionally resides in my pocket when I go shopping (to be reminded to buy things not on my shopping list). The phone next to the computer is requireed to retrieve the 6-digit codes I need to access our accounts.
I understand the work requirement to be accessible every moment of our lives but the arrival of Motorola bricks at IBM in 1986 was a change that helped me retire eight years later at 50. I knew we would miss out on a large pile of money from my prime earning years and might have accumulated a significantly bigger nestegg in the 15 years I gave up. On the other hand I suspect removing myself from what was becoming an astoundingly stressful environment was a better investment in our life (maybe not Liane's, whose routine was turned upside down). It may not be the only reason I have lived past 80 but I'm sure avoiding a whole lot of stress is a contributor.
I was tricked into going back to work at a fun place in 1995, six months after I retired. It was the early days of America Online and a six week contract turned into a four year gig with a shorter commute than most of the people who worked there -- my every other week Monday and Friday flights to and from South Florida and the DC Metroplex was five hours, the time some of my coworkers spent in traffic every day. I worked five days at AOL's office then nine days at my home office telecommuting using two land lines and four computers. My residence (motel) in Virginia was walking distance to my AOL desk. So I retired a second time at 55 when AOL broke my rule -- do not confuse me with someone who needs this job so the day working here stops being fun will be the day I quit.
I didn't understand the obsession with the phone because I didn't need it for work (I paid to use the Airphones on the airplanes I flew). My flip phone was to let Liane I arrived safely and warn her I was on my way home from the airport. Years later I used my handheld ankle montor to check my grandchildrens' activities. Suddenly I was bombarded with advertisements, pictures, stories and videos that felt like I was descending into Dante's Inferno. Look at one video and four hundred similar ones show up uninvited.
You are doing a wonderful thing for your children and I know they will remember these walks for the rest of their lives.
Our nine grandchildren are all over 21 and have to be on their screens to survive. They have brought six great grandchildren into our lives and some of those have screens. Whenever we get together I start a conversation with as many of them as I can in an attempt to distract them and force them to interact with their mouths instead of their fingers. I am doing the same at hospitals and doctors offices, places I spend a fair bit of my time. Some seem annoyed but the majority respond and engage in GJ friendly discussions (no politics or religion).
My smart-*** phone resides on a stand next to my computer 99% of the time and occasionally resides in my pocket when I go shopping (to be reminded to buy things not on my shopping list). The phone next to the computer is requireed to retrieve the 6-digit codes I need to access our accounts.
I understand the work requirement to be accessible every moment of our lives but the arrival of Motorola bricks at IBM in 1986 was a change that helped me retire eight years later at 50. I knew we would miss out on a large pile of money from my prime earning years and might have accumulated a significantly bigger nestegg in the 15 years I gave up. On the other hand I suspect removing myself from what was becoming an astoundingly stressful environment was a better investment in our life (maybe not Liane's, whose routine was turned upside down). It may not be the only reason I have lived past 80 but I'm sure avoiding a whole lot of stress is a contributor.
I was tricked into going back to work at a fun place in 1995, six months after I retired. It was the early days of America Online and a six week contract turned into a four year gig with a shorter commute than most of the people who worked there -- my every other week Monday and Friday flights to and from South Florida and the DC Metroplex was five hours, the time some of my coworkers spent in traffic every day. I worked five days at AOL's office then nine days at my home office telecommuting using two land lines and four computers. My residence (motel) in Virginia was walking distance to my AOL desk. So I retired a second time at 55 when AOL broke my rule -- do not confuse me with someone who needs this job so the day working here stops being fun will be the day I quit.
I didn't understand the obsession with the phone because I didn't need it for work (I paid to use the Airphones on the airplanes I flew). My flip phone was to let Liane I arrived safely and warn her I was on my way home from the airport. Years later I used my handheld ankle montor to check my grandchildrens' activities. Suddenly I was bombarded with advertisements, pictures, stories and videos that felt like I was descending into Dante's Inferno. Look at one video and four hundred similar ones show up uninvited.
You are doing a wonderful thing for your children and I know they will remember these walks for the rest of their lives.
So one of my goals has been to just get back into the shop. For all the reasons. Working in the shop is a place where things make sense and taking things apart, making them better and putting them back together is satisfying in a way that few things are.
I've been shooting for most of my life and I've always enjoyed it. Machines are functional puzzles to me - there are all these different shaped pieces and they only fit together one way but unlike a traditional "puzzle" when the parts come together you have something useful. That can be a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle or in this case a gun.
I've competed in Bullseye for as long as I've been in Portland and I've enjoyed the people and sport of it. Most of my guns are either related to that or inherited from my father. I wasn't looking to get anything new until Oregon proposed a magazine capacity ban of 10 rounds. I didn't have a gun with more than 10 rounds but the idea of not being able to have one set me looking for something that had more. Not sure that was how the law was supposed to work.
Anyway, I ended up with a Sig P320 on a whim as I liked Sigs and it seemed interesting. While I was at the store the salesman showed me a CZ Tactical Sport 2 which was heavy, solid and built for competition. The Sig turned out to be a dud with a lot of malfunctions and so I went back and ended up with the CZ based on a club members advice. He shot practical pistol matches and they seemed interesting. Our bullseye season is only in the winter so I was curious. Besides, it's a competition gun and I love things built for competition.
I ended up trying out a practical pistol match and despite being good at bullseye I was downright bad at practical pistol. Humiliating. I hate being bad at things but I love getting good at things so this experience was fairly captivating. Also, I really loved this gun. I can't explain why but it sort of reminds me an old BMW motorcycle - well made, simple and extremely effective and reliable.
Which is just the sort of thing I want to play with and modify.
So of course the first thing I did was find some scrap aluminum and make a work stand for the gun. There are ones you can buy and making one breaks my "don't make what you can buy easily" rule but my larger goal was to spend meditative time in the shop.
I had sent the gun out to have the slide milled for the red dot. I contemplated doing the work myself but having not spent much time in the shop I was a bit concerned I might screw it up and that would scrap the slide. The place that does the work has a CNC that matches the dot profile perfectly.
The other part of this is that I've wanted to take my Pardini apart for a few years but there is zero information or guides and it's very complicated. The CZ is the opposite. There's a dozen YouTube videos that tear the gun down and it's a fairly simple design. I've never taken a gun completely apart before and I wanted to do that.
It was fairly straightforward and also very enjoyable. Unlike the rest of the world at the moment this all made sense. The other reason for taking it apart is that when the slide was milled they ceracoated it to protect the steel but they didn't mask off the rails. This made the gun tight and it malfunctioned a lot. I'd already sanded and smoothed the rails but I was still having some problems so I thought I'd go through it and basically blueprint it.
Also note that I'm using two of the hammers that I made for Lucas. Neither of them were right for the job... (that's foreshadowing)
After taking it apart and then putting it back together I decided I was ready to actually try to improve it. So the first thing I did was establish a base line trigger weight which was 2lbs 1.3 oz. Not sure why but triggers are generally weighed in english and not grams.
Then I cleaned the bench, gathered and organized the tools and colored on the parts diagram every place where metal touched metal and there could be friction.
Being careful to avoid the sear/hammer interface which controls how and when the gun fires I sanded and polished all the parts on a surface plate going from 400 grit to 1500 and then to the polishing wheel. Some of the deeper machining marks were left to make sure I didn't take off too much material.
I used a small dremel which was not adequate and that got me to finally fix the broken Foredom footswitch that had been gathering dust. But the dremel was small enough to get into the frame and smooth areas that contacted the trigger bar.
The aforementioned hammer and sear are the two parts that make up how a gun goes bang when you pull the trigger. There's a lot of warnings about not modifying them so of course I did. Not to change their geometry but just to polish their faces. I used sandpaper on a machined block to keep things square.
And I used the lathe/dremmel combo to polish all the pins where anything pivoted that might create friction.
It was incredibly satisfying to polish all the internals. It's low hanging fruit, things that aren't cost effective for the factory but that when taken together can make a noticeable difference in the overall feel of the action. Everything was polished to a mirror finish.
So without any spring or parts changes I took the trigger weight from 2lbs 1.3oz to 1lb 13ozs so a 4oz reduction and a much smoother trigger. And the trigger on this gun was already very good - but now it's better. It doesn't feel lighter and my other competition guns also have triggers around this weight so it doesn't feel light to me. It just feels smooth.
This was a super enjoyable project that was relaxing and satisfying and I'm looking forward to doing some more gunsmithing. Sadly the gun won't make me a better shot (only practice will) but at least I know it's not giving me any excuses.
Gregor
I've been shooting for most of my life and I've always enjoyed it. Machines are functional puzzles to me - there are all these different shaped pieces and they only fit together one way but unlike a traditional "puzzle" when the parts come together you have something useful. That can be a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle or in this case a gun.
I've competed in Bullseye for as long as I've been in Portland and I've enjoyed the people and sport of it. Most of my guns are either related to that or inherited from my father. I wasn't looking to get anything new until Oregon proposed a magazine capacity ban of 10 rounds. I didn't have a gun with more than 10 rounds but the idea of not being able to have one set me looking for something that had more. Not sure that was how the law was supposed to work.
Anyway, I ended up with a Sig P320 on a whim as I liked Sigs and it seemed interesting. While I was at the store the salesman showed me a CZ Tactical Sport 2 which was heavy, solid and built for competition. The Sig turned out to be a dud with a lot of malfunctions and so I went back and ended up with the CZ based on a club members advice. He shot practical pistol matches and they seemed interesting. Our bullseye season is only in the winter so I was curious. Besides, it's a competition gun and I love things built for competition.
I ended up trying out a practical pistol match and despite being good at bullseye I was downright bad at practical pistol. Humiliating. I hate being bad at things but I love getting good at things so this experience was fairly captivating. Also, I really loved this gun. I can't explain why but it sort of reminds me an old BMW motorcycle - well made, simple and extremely effective and reliable.
Which is just the sort of thing I want to play with and modify.
So of course the first thing I did was find some scrap aluminum and make a work stand for the gun. There are ones you can buy and making one breaks my "don't make what you can buy easily" rule but my larger goal was to spend meditative time in the shop.
I had sent the gun out to have the slide milled for the red dot. I contemplated doing the work myself but having not spent much time in the shop I was a bit concerned I might screw it up and that would scrap the slide. The place that does the work has a CNC that matches the dot profile perfectly.
The other part of this is that I've wanted to take my Pardini apart for a few years but there is zero information or guides and it's very complicated. The CZ is the opposite. There's a dozen YouTube videos that tear the gun down and it's a fairly simple design. I've never taken a gun completely apart before and I wanted to do that.
It was fairly straightforward and also very enjoyable. Unlike the rest of the world at the moment this all made sense. The other reason for taking it apart is that when the slide was milled they ceracoated it to protect the steel but they didn't mask off the rails. This made the gun tight and it malfunctioned a lot. I'd already sanded and smoothed the rails but I was still having some problems so I thought I'd go through it and basically blueprint it.
Also note that I'm using two of the hammers that I made for Lucas. Neither of them were right for the job... (that's foreshadowing)
After taking it apart and then putting it back together I decided I was ready to actually try to improve it. So the first thing I did was establish a base line trigger weight which was 2lbs 1.3 oz. Not sure why but triggers are generally weighed in english and not grams.
Then I cleaned the bench, gathered and organized the tools and colored on the parts diagram every place where metal touched metal and there could be friction.
Being careful to avoid the sear/hammer interface which controls how and when the gun fires I sanded and polished all the parts on a surface plate going from 400 grit to 1500 and then to the polishing wheel. Some of the deeper machining marks were left to make sure I didn't take off too much material.
I used a small dremel which was not adequate and that got me to finally fix the broken Foredom footswitch that had been gathering dust. But the dremel was small enough to get into the frame and smooth areas that contacted the trigger bar.
The aforementioned hammer and sear are the two parts that make up how a gun goes bang when you pull the trigger. There's a lot of warnings about not modifying them so of course I did. Not to change their geometry but just to polish their faces. I used sandpaper on a machined block to keep things square.
And I used the lathe/dremmel combo to polish all the pins where anything pivoted that might create friction.
It was incredibly satisfying to polish all the internals. It's low hanging fruit, things that aren't cost effective for the factory but that when taken together can make a noticeable difference in the overall feel of the action. Everything was polished to a mirror finish.
So without any spring or parts changes I took the trigger weight from 2lbs 1.3oz to 1lb 13ozs so a 4oz reduction and a much smoother trigger. And the trigger on this gun was already very good - but now it's better. It doesn't feel lighter and my other competition guns also have triggers around this weight so it doesn't feel light to me. It just feels smooth.
This was a super enjoyable project that was relaxing and satisfying and I'm looking forward to doing some more gunsmithing. Sadly the gun won't make me a better shot (only practice will) but at least I know it's not giving me any excuses.
Gregor
WoodsTruck
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2013
- Messages
- 1,028
Gregor,
I'm sure I'm not the only one that tears things down and lose small fasteners as they bounce off the work surface and find their way to who knows where. Would there be any disadvantage to having a magnetic work surface like your tear down pad to hopefully catch small fasteners before they take their one-way trip?
I'm always fascinated with your interactions with your daughter. I have two of my own and they are distinctly different and take different approaches to reach them. Keep up the good work.
I'm sure I'm not the only one that tears things down and lose small fasteners as they bounce off the work surface and find their way to who knows where. Would there be any disadvantage to having a magnetic work surface like your tear down pad to hopefully catch small fasteners before they take their one-way trip?
I'm always fascinated with your interactions with your daughter. I have two of my own and they are distinctly different and take different approaches to reach them. Keep up the good work.
lilscorpion
Well-known member
Curious, what kind of 1/4” steel are you using for the Ooni? You said it recovers better. What are your thoughts on why it’s better than the stone? Does it seem to cook the crust better because it gets hotter?
I find this interesting too. I had always heard that the porous nature of pizza stones was what made them work so good, that and their heat holding qualities. The porous stone is supposed to let give the steam a place to go so the crust gets crusty, but considering it's Gregor and all, you DO got to wonder. Experience trumps theory often enough.
BobL.
BobL.
I recently was changing a carbide insert on a lathe tool holder. I was doing above the open drawer containing the lathe parts and inserts and it fell without me seeing it land. It's been three days now and I've moved everything in that area, swept with a magnet and a broom, looked in all the boxes nearby and have now given up.
My guess is that about 70-90% of my shop time is looking for a part or bolt I've dropped and your idea of a magnetic mat made me think maybe I should invent a magnetic shop apron. Just a regular apron but with about a 100 rare earth magnets sew all over the front. Sure, I would most likely be maimed or killed the first time it ***** me into the Bridgeport but if I managed to catch just one lathe insert bolt... it might be worth it.
I've now spent two days moving my single M3.5 x 8 tapered head insert holding screw from the aluminum insert to the stainless insert while waiting for an order of 10 of them to come in.
Just mild steel - A36 I think. I bought a sheet from a metal wholesaler but I've not cut it to fit the Ooni yet.
In the home oven I started with a stone because that's what everyone says to do. Which is probably because pizza ovens are made of stone so that has to be best right. I think that stone is slow to give off its heat.
I'm going to cut that sheet to fit the Ooni and then bake several pizzas both ways and see what happens.
It might **** moisture out of the crust but I've not experienced that. The steel seems to put the heat into the crust fast which makes it crispy. I'm not an engineer so I couldn't tell you why 1/2" seemed to not work at well as 1/4" - maybe it's a balance of thickness to recovery? To be scientific you'd really need to test all this changing one variable at a time.
Fast_Ed
Well-known member
It's all about thermal conductivity and thermal mass.
Your 1/4" plate will heat up to desired temp quicker, recover quicker, and is likely transferring more heat to the crust.
In theory the 1/2" will hold the heat longer. In practice you're probably in a rush to get it hot and start slinging pizzas. I know I would be!
(is an engineer, but not for pizzas)
Your 1/4" plate will heat up to desired temp quicker, recover quicker, and is likely transferring more heat to the crust.
In theory the 1/2" will hold the heat longer. In practice you're probably in a rush to get it hot and start slinging pizzas. I know I would be!
(is an engineer, but not for pizzas)
So I teased that I needed a hammer. I've made a few for Lucas and the small ones were too small to be useful. They couldn't easily knock out the pins on the CZ.
Those are probably 1/2" 304 stainless. So I wanted to make something new and I wanted to make the faces changeable. It had to be larger and a bit heavier and I wanted to try to make it a dead blow. Mostly because I went down a rabbit hole of "machinist hammers" on Google and there were a few nice ones but no dead blows.
There's that third hammer - made from aluminum. It's both too light and too large. And the tiny one behind it - way too small. I need a goldilocks hammer. So in my stock bins I find a bunch of 1/2" and 3/4" 304 stainless. The 3/4 seems like the way to go. 3/4 is conveniently 19mm which is a nice number. Also a 12mm bolt has a 19mm head so I could just buy a few stainless bolts and turn them down. And I have a M12x1.75 tap and die already.
None of the machinist hammers I found on the inter webs are pretty or cool looking. In fact I don't think the ones I made are "cool" looking but I decide that this hammer should be the coolest looking machinist hammer in the world. Small achievable goals. So I decide to make the head 19mm and make it with tapers and chamfers so it feels a little modern.
At this point I realize that while I can buy a 12mm stainless bolt there are no Delrin or Brass 12mm bolts - at least at the hardware store. And while I could try to cut the threads with a die this was a good opportunity to single point the threads on the lathe. When I bought my lathe it came with a handful of gears but not the 127 gear which you need to cut metric threads. It took me over a year to find one. I have all the gears now.
A lathe is sort of a giant multi threaded screw. By changing the those three(four) spinning gears you can change the feed/speed of the carriage to be the same as the pitch of a screw. It's quite cool and fairly tricky to do. It's like "Lathe 301" to single point threads.
So the left hand side charts are the combos of gear, switches, levers and whatnot that make up the various screw pitches. That top chart was not on my machine. I found a photo of a lathe that had metric gears and I copied it and then remade the chart but with my own text in the small box below so each time I needed to do threading I could remember the process. I had it screen printed on an aluminum plate to match the stock one and tried to match the typeface too.
At this point I also realized my lower gearbox was low on oil...
I didn't take any photos of the thread cutting because I was attempting to shoot video (and next I'll attempt to edit it) and because I just about destroyed my flip up thread cutting tool because I forgot that brass, while "free machining" meaning it doesn't need lubricant to cut, is also sticky as a fly trap and if you don't take tiny little cuts you'll **** your tool in and break something. Which I did several times.
So I cheated and used stainless bolts and then single point threaded the delrin and the brass.
I don't have a taper turning attachment (that search has been running for 10 years now with no hits...) but I use a drill to spine the compound at a super shallow (4 degrees) angle and while not ideal it works. My thought for the dead blow was to drill through the entire head and then fill it with shot.
My knurling is always something I get lucky with. I never have a plan or do all the complicated calculations you're supposed to do. Your knurls need to be cut like threads so the carriage is moving in a way that the knurl doesn't smash itself. I do a few light passes and just mess with the levers until it looks like it's not doubling. Then I crank it down and feed it across and back without disengaging the feed meaning I reverse the knurl so it's also cutting backwards. This seems to keep it in place.
My first end cap I knurled in place so that it was a "hidden" cap but I decided to cut the knurls off and took it down to 18mm and then had to turn the head and faces to 18mm as well. This way the stainless end cap is another hammer face.
The knurl above is pretty good. It's not perfectly clean and part of that is because I wasn't flooding it with oil and simultaneously using the air hose to blow the chips away so they didn't get smashed back into the knurl which is why they look a little fuzzy. But they are sharp and triangular. The bottom "cap" is the steel head for the hammer. I have no idea what I would put inside but I'm thinking snacks.
I considered tapping the head/handle and screwing them together but there wasn't enough material. I've not welded stainless steel in a long time so my welds aren't great but they're burly enough.
I used scotchbrite to remove the heat coloring from the hammer even though I did consider keeping it for a bit.
At this point there are bunch of things I'd change if I were to do this over. I did drill out the handle up to the taper to remove weight. The balance point with the heads on is just forward of the knurling. If I were to make another I'd open it up a bit more to 14mm and then single point or tap the threads to M 1.00 pitch so I'd not need as much depth. I'd also do a deeper drill into the taper of the hammer.
I think we've talked about this before but 90% of the load is carried by the first three threads, and 99+% by the first seven. I think the first thread actually carries 70% of the load. So more threads means I need less depth. An M1.0 thread would only need 5-6mm of engagement/depth.
So my tricky idea was that I ordered tungsten shot instead of steel. It's much heavier so I need less and or can make it heavier in less space.
The whole hammer weighs 275 grams which is heavier than I'd like - not much but a little. The tungsten is 14g and I'd like it to be more. If I went to 14mm I could lighten the whole thing a bit and then also have room for more tungsten.
But I'm happy with it. I didn't expect that 14g of tungsten would have a very noticeable effect but it does actually keep the hammer from bouncing. So that's very cool. It transfers force much better so you need a lighter hit to knock out a pin so that's another win.
I really enjoyed making this and if I had a CNC and some drafting skills I'd consider refining it and then making a short run of them. I really need to find a job shop here in Portland that I could establish a relationship with. I'd love to start to make and sell a few things. If you know of a shop that might be a good fit let me know.
A second round iteration would make it perfect I think. Maybe I make another in one size up? A 1" or 25mm head/handle would be the ideal size for the mill and I don't like the soft blow I'm using currently. But is it the "coolest looking machinist hammer in the world?" Hmm, not sure, but it is exactly what I was hoping it would be and I like it better than any other I've seen so for me? Yeah.
Gregor
Those are probably 1/2" 304 stainless. So I wanted to make something new and I wanted to make the faces changeable. It had to be larger and a bit heavier and I wanted to try to make it a dead blow. Mostly because I went down a rabbit hole of "machinist hammers" on Google and there were a few nice ones but no dead blows.
There's that third hammer - made from aluminum. It's both too light and too large. And the tiny one behind it - way too small. I need a goldilocks hammer. So in my stock bins I find a bunch of 1/2" and 3/4" 304 stainless. The 3/4 seems like the way to go. 3/4 is conveniently 19mm which is a nice number. Also a 12mm bolt has a 19mm head so I could just buy a few stainless bolts and turn them down. And I have a M12x1.75 tap and die already.
None of the machinist hammers I found on the inter webs are pretty or cool looking. In fact I don't think the ones I made are "cool" looking but I decide that this hammer should be the coolest looking machinist hammer in the world. Small achievable goals. So I decide to make the head 19mm and make it with tapers and chamfers so it feels a little modern.
At this point I realize that while I can buy a 12mm stainless bolt there are no Delrin or Brass 12mm bolts - at least at the hardware store. And while I could try to cut the threads with a die this was a good opportunity to single point the threads on the lathe. When I bought my lathe it came with a handful of gears but not the 127 gear which you need to cut metric threads. It took me over a year to find one. I have all the gears now.
A lathe is sort of a giant multi threaded screw. By changing the those three(four) spinning gears you can change the feed/speed of the carriage to be the same as the pitch of a screw. It's quite cool and fairly tricky to do. It's like "Lathe 301" to single point threads.
So the left hand side charts are the combos of gear, switches, levers and whatnot that make up the various screw pitches. That top chart was not on my machine. I found a photo of a lathe that had metric gears and I copied it and then remade the chart but with my own text in the small box below so each time I needed to do threading I could remember the process. I had it screen printed on an aluminum plate to match the stock one and tried to match the typeface too.
At this point I also realized my lower gearbox was low on oil...
I didn't take any photos of the thread cutting because I was attempting to shoot video (and next I'll attempt to edit it) and because I just about destroyed my flip up thread cutting tool because I forgot that brass, while "free machining" meaning it doesn't need lubricant to cut, is also sticky as a fly trap and if you don't take tiny little cuts you'll **** your tool in and break something. Which I did several times.
So I cheated and used stainless bolts and then single point threaded the delrin and the brass.
I don't have a taper turning attachment (that search has been running for 10 years now with no hits...) but I use a drill to spine the compound at a super shallow (4 degrees) angle and while not ideal it works. My thought for the dead blow was to drill through the entire head and then fill it with shot.
My knurling is always something I get lucky with. I never have a plan or do all the complicated calculations you're supposed to do. Your knurls need to be cut like threads so the carriage is moving in a way that the knurl doesn't smash itself. I do a few light passes and just mess with the levers until it looks like it's not doubling. Then I crank it down and feed it across and back without disengaging the feed meaning I reverse the knurl so it's also cutting backwards. This seems to keep it in place.
My first end cap I knurled in place so that it was a "hidden" cap but I decided to cut the knurls off and took it down to 18mm and then had to turn the head and faces to 18mm as well. This way the stainless end cap is another hammer face.
The knurl above is pretty good. It's not perfectly clean and part of that is because I wasn't flooding it with oil and simultaneously using the air hose to blow the chips away so they didn't get smashed back into the knurl which is why they look a little fuzzy. But they are sharp and triangular. The bottom "cap" is the steel head for the hammer. I have no idea what I would put inside but I'm thinking snacks.
I considered tapping the head/handle and screwing them together but there wasn't enough material. I've not welded stainless steel in a long time so my welds aren't great but they're burly enough.
I used scotchbrite to remove the heat coloring from the hammer even though I did consider keeping it for a bit.
At this point there are bunch of things I'd change if I were to do this over. I did drill out the handle up to the taper to remove weight. The balance point with the heads on is just forward of the knurling. If I were to make another I'd open it up a bit more to 14mm and then single point or tap the threads to M 1.00 pitch so I'd not need as much depth. I'd also do a deeper drill into the taper of the hammer.
I think we've talked about this before but 90% of the load is carried by the first three threads, and 99+% by the first seven. I think the first thread actually carries 70% of the load. So more threads means I need less depth. An M1.0 thread would only need 5-6mm of engagement/depth.
So my tricky idea was that I ordered tungsten shot instead of steel. It's much heavier so I need less and or can make it heavier in less space.
The whole hammer weighs 275 grams which is heavier than I'd like - not much but a little. The tungsten is 14g and I'd like it to be more. If I went to 14mm I could lighten the whole thing a bit and then also have room for more tungsten.
But I'm happy with it. I didn't expect that 14g of tungsten would have a very noticeable effect but it does actually keep the hammer from bouncing. So that's very cool. It transfers force much better so you need a lighter hit to knock out a pin so that's another win.
I really enjoyed making this and if I had a CNC and some drafting skills I'd consider refining it and then making a short run of them. I really need to find a job shop here in Portland that I could establish a relationship with. I'd love to start to make and sell a few things. If you know of a shop that might be a good fit let me know.
A second round iteration would make it perfect I think. Maybe I make another in one size up? A 1" or 25mm head/handle would be the ideal size for the mill and I don't like the soft blow I'm using currently. But is it the "coolest looking machinist hammer in the world?" Hmm, not sure, but it is exactly what I was hoping it would be and I like it better than any other I've seen so for me? Yeah.
Gregor
Andrew S
Well-known member
Awesome.
A similar hammer is on my list once my lathe is finished.
Glad to help with the drafting portion when you're ready, Gregor.
A similar hammer is on my list once my lathe is finished.
Glad to help with the drafting portion when you're ready, Gregor.
jimkinney
Well-known member
"I think we've talked about this before but 90% of the load is carried by the first three threads, and 99+% by the first seven. I think the first thread actually carries 70% of the load. So more threads means I need less depth."
While this is true, with your head tight against the body almost none of the load goes thru the threads, as long as the head stays tight.
Nice hammer. I still have the one I made in HS shop class, and it has some of the same issues you ran into. My head was too light for the handle, so i hollowed is as much as I could. I never put a cap on it to hide my "snacks" in, nice touch.
While this is true, with your head tight against the body almost none of the load goes thru the threads, as long as the head stays tight.
Nice hammer. I still have the one I made in HS shop class, and it has some of the same issues you ran into. My head was too light for the handle, so i hollowed is as much as I could. I never put a cap on it to hide my "snacks" in, nice touch.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Nice hammer Gregor. My Grandson is still quite young, but I have been tossing around the idea of when he gets a little older doing a machining project with him and a hammer keeps floating to the top of my list as I think it would be something he could and would use long term that may have some sentimental meaning to him as he gets older. I like your design and may steal some of it when the time comes. Thank you.
Tried it yesterday on the CZ Shadow I have and it worked great. That gun is now completely apart. The only issue is that a few of the roll pins were pretty tight and while the hammer worked the punch that I had bent. I have a set of Starret punches and I pulled them out and it went fine. Why do we not use the good tools when we have them? Is that just me? Always saving the "good" stuff?
Thanks. I'd like to pursue that.
I honestly think about that sort of thing a lot. When my grandfathers passed I remember looking for something of theirs to keep as a way of remembering them. I think I found one old screwdriver which I've kept as a "punch" and pry bar and I'm glad I have. I don't really have anything from my other one. He had a few watches but they were cheap and so were his tools.
So yes. Make that hammer with him. A hammer is the most universally useful tool (outside of a Krammer) and it's easy enough make a good one that will last forever. Totally worth it!
You know I've been thinking about that! Would the shot react better than the slugs and springs? I absolutely want to try it.
G
I know right. I'm getting older and I'm using the good stuff, now, but you're right, why do we do that?
BobL.
WoodsTruck
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2013
- Messages
- 1,028
So we are all dragging out the China for burgers tonight?
garfieldzzz
Well-known member
I figure a lot of times that i grab the ok tool to save the nice an good ones so i can feel this. Save the good for right occasion.. 
Edit, sorry for not adding some admiration for your hammers, yes they are Beauties.
Edit, sorry for not adding some admiration for your hammers, yes they are Beauties.
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hewey
Well-known member
Amazing how something as simple as a hammer can be an amazing piece of craftmanship. Thanks for sharing the process.
I've worked on a lot of guns for a lot of years, and those pistol mats are an abomination. They're OK for cleaning, not disassembly. For that we need a piece of carpeting. Doesn't need to be thick, and commercial carpet tiles are perfect.
Regarding the polishing: Mirror polishing can be counterproductive. What you need is a surface with that has very low friction in one direction; the direction of movement. The remaining roughness isn't relevant and holds lube.
And on the legal front - what percentage of the massive growth in AR rifle ownership can be attributed to the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban? About 90% in the first few years post-expiration? Makes you want to run out and buy a 10 round mag....
Regarding the polishing: Mirror polishing can be counterproductive. What you need is a surface with that has very low friction in one direction; the direction of movement. The remaining roughness isn't relevant and holds lube.
And on the legal front - what percentage of the massive growth in AR rifle ownership can be attributed to the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban? About 90% in the first few years post-expiration? Makes you want to run out and buy a 10 round mag....
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mschoo92
Well-known member
@sakurama What an incredible journey; I've read through all 150 pages of this thread over the past month or so, and I'm amazed at the various projects you've completed between the house, the motorcycle builds, and the machining/fabrication (not to mention some seriously epic cooking, I've saved that pizza recipe!).
So much has been accomplished in the time that this thread spans, and while I wish I was around for the great discussion between you and the members over the years I'm glad I can join in at this point to simply say thank you; you've got a new subscriber. I find your approach to projects and your photography/documentation to be very thorough and entertaining, and while part of it may be using this thread as anexcuse reason to get some Festool gear I've definitely found inspiration in here to get back to work on some of my projects. Looking forward to seeing what's next!
So much has been accomplished in the time that this thread spans, and while I wish I was around for the great discussion between you and the members over the years I'm glad I can join in at this point to simply say thank you; you've got a new subscriber. I find your approach to projects and your photography/documentation to be very thorough and entertaining, and while part of it may be using this thread as an
Thanks @mschoo92 - I see how big the kids are and all the things I didn't accomplish and I feel I didn't do a good job. The last few years have been especially difficult and it's nice to hear that I've had an effect. Sometimes it's helpful to go back and see what I have accomplished rather than concentrate on what I've not done.
G
G
Thanks Matt. I appreciate the note. I want to get back to the house but I feel like I'm always falling behind. Like the Golden Gate Bridge by the time they finish painting it's time to start over again - the house feels Sisyphean to me. The summer has come and gone without a single project. I'm in the middle of my big Oprah shoot right now so it's particularly messy which adds to the malaise. Well, that and the state of things in general.
I feel that I should be able to pull myself up by the bootstraps and get into some projects so hopefully after this wraps up in a few weeks I'll be able to do that.
Gregor
I feel that I should be able to pull myself up by the bootstraps and get into some projects so hopefully after this wraps up in a few weeks I'll be able to do that.
Gregor
tricksel
Member
Hi Gregor, if I may, I'd like to give you one heartfelt advice, as I recognize some stuff you're saying... Give yourself some slack. Really.
My guess is you always give and gave and do your best, which may well be different each moment new. I'm Dutch, and we have a -somewhat local- saying which is, loosely translated "Afterwards (or, from behind), you look a cow in the ***". Meaning, you always see what's wrong when it's -long- gone.
From what I've seen and read here, you're quite the dad. And, since we're here at GJ, one hell of a fabricator and photographer. And, I actually learn from what I read from you here, not only from the GJ perspective. You may have done "things wrong", but we're not perfect. At. All. But you sure as hell do the best you can, from what I see. Please know that. The fact that you see yourself you've done things "wrong" might even be the best thing. A lot of parents don't or actually don't want to see that.
And you may feel that you should be able to pull yourself together, but give yourself the slack, please. Do what you can, not what you think you "must".
Patrick
My guess is you always give and gave and do your best, which may well be different each moment new. I'm Dutch, and we have a -somewhat local- saying which is, loosely translated "Afterwards (or, from behind), you look a cow in the ***". Meaning, you always see what's wrong when it's -long- gone.
From what I've seen and read here, you're quite the dad. And, since we're here at GJ, one hell of a fabricator and photographer. And, I actually learn from what I read from you here, not only from the GJ perspective. You may have done "things wrong", but we're not perfect. At. All. But you sure as hell do the best you can, from what I see. Please know that. The fact that you see yourself you've done things "wrong" might even be the best thing. A lot of parents don't or actually don't want to see that.
And you may feel that you should be able to pull yourself together, but give yourself the slack, please. Do what you can, not what you think you "must".
Patrick
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Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Gregor, we must live the life we have, not the one we wish for or want. A day, week, month or year with little progress to show isn't great but being present is all you need to be. The day my life changed, regret, sorrow, pity and anger took over. The people around me helped morph my life into something I treasure and every five years I treat myself to a reminder party -- for being present. Two days ago was my 60th anniversary of the Luckiest Day of My Life. My wife, two children, nine grandchildren and six great grandchildren have filled my happiness bucket to overflowing. Of course my 1972 Corvette, to be known from this day forward as my Boulder, patiently waits for me to remove its cover and change something I've already 'done' to it.
bunks-tj
Well-known member
i agree. I have a set of cabinets in the garage to revamp my workshop. I have a 52 ford 8N that needs the cooling system gone through and last Saturday I laid in a hammock with my 5 year old reading a book instead. It was the best use of my time.
Its Fourier's Law (its been a while since college, but hey). Who basically said that the Heat Flux (so rate of heat flow per area (W/m2)) is inversely proportional to the materials thickness.
The thermal conductivity (k) stays constant for the material, regardless of the thickness. But the willingness for a material to allow heat to flow through it is (in and out) is impacted by its thickness.
Besides thickness, the other variable which greatly influences heat flow is the temperature gradient, but that is (roughly) the same in this case.
I have been waist deep in my annual Oprah shoot this past month. No time to ride, go to the gym or do pretty much anything for myself. But I wanted to share a parenting win. Judiaann and I agreed that the kids had to do a sport. Nadia had chosen cross country last year but didn't want to do it this year and Lucas didn't want to run either. I proposed mountain biking as I knew the school had a club and Lucas grudgingly decided that while he didn't want to do it it was at least better than running.
The day of first practice Nadia bailed and Lucas went but wasn't happy. He borrowed my full suspension bike which at 30lbs is not light and we learned that the team had been practicing for two months already. His first practice was hill repeats.
Brutal.
Subsequent practices had multiple falls. We bought him a XC bike that was 21lbs and that made a massive difference in his attitude and performance. He could now do the climbs. He continued to crash. Nadia got to practice her first aid class skills.
With Nadia quitting and hard practices I was pretty convinced he was going to bail but he didn't. He kept going to practice. His first race was in Klamath Falls and Judiaann, Nadia, Lucas and I all went together. He wasn't excited about the race and didn't really want to go. My promise to him was that I'd pay him $100 per race finish. Not starts - finishes. He was motivated, not excited.
Look at that enthusiasm! His prerace sighting lap the day before did not go well. The course was steep, loose and long at 3.5 miles. If he managed to do two laps under an hour he'd be allowed to stay on course to complete the third lap for full points. I did not want him to know about this because I was afraid he'd intentionally go slow to be able to quit early.
The team desperately wanted Nadia to join because girls get more points through a weighted system and because they want to build their girls team. She was adamant that she was not doing it. The coach is amazing and is always gently nudging her, "Hey Nadia, what do you think? Is today the day? We have a bike for you - why not just go ride half a lap?" (Truly a brilliant move since you can't ride half a lap without having to ride the other half coming back. If she completed one lap her points would move the entire team from 6th to 4th overall.)
I volunteered to take some photos for the team and I offered to pay Nadia to be my second shooter for the day. She enjoys photography so this was a good chance for us to hang out together.
The race starts and Nadia and I shoot the riders coming through which is about 15 minutes into the course where we are. 20 minutes, no Lucas, 25 no Lucas, 30 minutes and we're seeing the fast kids on their second lap. No Lucas. Finally, way at the end without a care in the world at a pace that could only be described as casually unhurried comes Lucas...
He was smiling! He got the team jersey that morning and I was surprised he wanted to wear it. We cheered him on and moved to a new spot on the course.
His second lap the smile was gone. This was now the most distance he'd ever ridden in one go. You could see the exhaustion.
By the end he was clearly wiped out.
He finished dead last. But he finished.
Post race Lucas, "That was the hardest thing I've ever done. I only got two laps which is a bit disappointing..."
No, you got two laps which is fantastic and you finished your first race. Those are huge wins.
"I had more energy at the end, I could have gone faster. Next time I'm going to get the third lap"
Who was this? Was this the same kid who wanted to quit a month ago?
Also, funny story, he couldn't figure out why people all over the course were cheering his name. "Who are these people? I don't know them, how do they know me? Did dad tell them to cheer for me?" Then, after the race was over he saw that his name was printed on his number plate and a huge smile came over his face.
Post race portrait. Pink socks are a team thing.
Last week Lucas and I went to practice but got the location wrong. We ended up at Rocky Point on the wrong day and so, with no one else there, we rode a lap together. "Dad, I think this is the first time in like two years we've ridden together" He crushed me on the climb. We had fun.
This past weekend was his second race at Mt. Bachelor. His goal was to get his second lap under the hour. Oh, and not crash. That's our goal every time we get on the bike. "To finish first, first you must finish!" I tell him. He's a long way from finishing first. The longest actually of anyone.
Just as we did at his first race we blast Cake's "The Distance" as we drive to the course.
Reluctantly crouched at the starting line
Engines pumping and thumping in time
The green light flashes, the flags go up
Churning and burning they yearn for the cup...
This isn't his class - his was much larger but it's what I caught while flying the drone.
We get out on the course and this time Lucas isn't the very last.
He's putting in some measured effort. He's having fun.
We kept waiting for him after his second lap hoping he made the cut off to get a third lap and then my phone rang and we saw Lucas calling us from the parking lot.
He got his two laps in 54 minutes but the cutoff in this race was 48 so he got pulled again. He's vowed to get the third lap at the next race. He ended up 57 out of 65 to which he said, "I'll take it!"
After his race we were walking through the pits and Lucas says, "You know, I never had a "thing" before. Some people play basketball, or do band or whatever but now I have a thing. I'm a mountain bike racer"
Yes, he is. He loves it, he loves seeing improvement and he loves being part of a super supportive team. This is exactly the best case scenario that we could have wished for. His post race portrait looks very different this time. He's different.
"Next year I want to start training in May."
I could not be happier.
Gregor
The day of first practice Nadia bailed and Lucas went but wasn't happy. He borrowed my full suspension bike which at 30lbs is not light and we learned that the team had been practicing for two months already. His first practice was hill repeats.
Brutal.
Subsequent practices had multiple falls. We bought him a XC bike that was 21lbs and that made a massive difference in his attitude and performance. He could now do the climbs. He continued to crash. Nadia got to practice her first aid class skills.
With Nadia quitting and hard practices I was pretty convinced he was going to bail but he didn't. He kept going to practice. His first race was in Klamath Falls and Judiaann, Nadia, Lucas and I all went together. He wasn't excited about the race and didn't really want to go. My promise to him was that I'd pay him $100 per race finish. Not starts - finishes. He was motivated, not excited.
Look at that enthusiasm! His prerace sighting lap the day before did not go well. The course was steep, loose and long at 3.5 miles. If he managed to do two laps under an hour he'd be allowed to stay on course to complete the third lap for full points. I did not want him to know about this because I was afraid he'd intentionally go slow to be able to quit early.
The team desperately wanted Nadia to join because girls get more points through a weighted system and because they want to build their girls team. She was adamant that she was not doing it. The coach is amazing and is always gently nudging her, "Hey Nadia, what do you think? Is today the day? We have a bike for you - why not just go ride half a lap?" (Truly a brilliant move since you can't ride half a lap without having to ride the other half coming back. If she completed one lap her points would move the entire team from 6th to 4th overall.)
I volunteered to take some photos for the team and I offered to pay Nadia to be my second shooter for the day. She enjoys photography so this was a good chance for us to hang out together.
The race starts and Nadia and I shoot the riders coming through which is about 15 minutes into the course where we are. 20 minutes, no Lucas, 25 no Lucas, 30 minutes and we're seeing the fast kids on their second lap. No Lucas. Finally, way at the end without a care in the world at a pace that could only be described as casually unhurried comes Lucas...
He was smiling! He got the team jersey that morning and I was surprised he wanted to wear it. We cheered him on and moved to a new spot on the course.
His second lap the smile was gone. This was now the most distance he'd ever ridden in one go. You could see the exhaustion.
By the end he was clearly wiped out.
He finished dead last. But he finished.
Post race Lucas, "That was the hardest thing I've ever done. I only got two laps which is a bit disappointing..."
No, you got two laps which is fantastic and you finished your first race. Those are huge wins.
"I had more energy at the end, I could have gone faster. Next time I'm going to get the third lap"
Who was this? Was this the same kid who wanted to quit a month ago?
Also, funny story, he couldn't figure out why people all over the course were cheering his name. "Who are these people? I don't know them, how do they know me? Did dad tell them to cheer for me?" Then, after the race was over he saw that his name was printed on his number plate and a huge smile came over his face.
Post race portrait. Pink socks are a team thing.
Last week Lucas and I went to practice but got the location wrong. We ended up at Rocky Point on the wrong day and so, with no one else there, we rode a lap together. "Dad, I think this is the first time in like two years we've ridden together" He crushed me on the climb. We had fun.
This past weekend was his second race at Mt. Bachelor. His goal was to get his second lap under the hour. Oh, and not crash. That's our goal every time we get on the bike. "To finish first, first you must finish!" I tell him. He's a long way from finishing first. The longest actually of anyone.
Just as we did at his first race we blast Cake's "The Distance" as we drive to the course.
Reluctantly crouched at the starting line
Engines pumping and thumping in time
The green light flashes, the flags go up
Churning and burning they yearn for the cup...
This isn't his class - his was much larger but it's what I caught while flying the drone.
We get out on the course and this time Lucas isn't the very last.
He's putting in some measured effort. He's having fun.
We kept waiting for him after his second lap hoping he made the cut off to get a third lap and then my phone rang and we saw Lucas calling us from the parking lot.
He got his two laps in 54 minutes but the cutoff in this race was 48 so he got pulled again. He's vowed to get the third lap at the next race. He ended up 57 out of 65 to which he said, "I'll take it!"
After his race we were walking through the pits and Lucas says, "You know, I never had a "thing" before. Some people play basketball, or do band or whatever but now I have a thing. I'm a mountain bike racer"
Yes, he is. He loves it, he loves seeing improvement and he loves being part of a super supportive team. This is exactly the best case scenario that we could have wished for. His post race portrait looks very different this time. He's different.
"Next year I want to start training in May."
I could not be happier.
Gregor
I've signed up to be a coach but Coach Doug has been too busy to get me the invites and links to do all the study and training. I'm really impressed with how much effort they put into just getting kids on bikes. The competition aspect is secondary for sure and honestly that's fantastic. Kids can pursue that when they feel the need but most importantly they should just be off screens and interacting.
Gregor
hewey
Well-known member
That's awesome to see him getting into it Gregor. And with your family's love for travel and adventure, there's so many amazing places a mountain bike can take you too. I've been mountain biking since the 90s, just as suspension and V brakes were starting to come in on affordable bikes. I need to get back into it more again though. It's also great to see how you guys as separated parents are working together to support your kids.
Horror Business
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2014
- Messages
- 511
Excellent update!!!!
Good to see the van is still alive too!
Good to see the van is still alive too!
iron block
Well-known member
Lucas will remember this summer for the rest of his life. With increasing pride in himself and fondness for his Dad. Well done, Gregor!
Gregor,
My son rides mtb for PICL. I love the vibe of the sport. One of the fun things about his practice is that I bring my bike and spend the two hour practice riding the trails on my own. He’s really getting into it this year and has made it into their fastest class. He was not into it at first much like your son, but then really got enthusiastic once he got better at it.
Ed
PS- The photos I’m sharing are **** compared to yours. I bet Nadia’s basically a pro by now.
My son rides mtb for PICL. I love the vibe of the sport. One of the fun things about his practice is that I bring my bike and spend the two hour practice riding the trails on my own. He’s really getting into it this year and has made it into their fastest class. He was not into it at first much like your son, but then really got enthusiastic once he got better at it.
Ed
PS- The photos I’m sharing are **** compared to yours. I bet Nadia’s basically a pro by now.
Attachments
Same.
While I'm not yet a coach (there's a lot of training and classes) the other coaches have started to refer to me as "coach" as I'm around a lot. Last night I was going to go ride on my own but the team did two practices - a hard session of laps at Rocky Point (above) and an easier practice at Luscher Farms where they normally practice. I took Lucas to Rocky and Judiaann took Nadia to Luscher. At Rocky they were down on coaches so I pitched in riding sweep.
It was a pretty epic ride. I did two laps and was winded. Lucas did 6 and brushed it off. I really thought I'd have an edge on him for at least a year. Nope. In traditional type 2 fun they stayed out later and finished riding out in the dark. This was the place where I learned that you need to have lights so last night I brought two just in case. Only one other coach had a light so I rode sweep, Lucas took my helmet light and the other coach rode in front. It was quite the adventure getting out and kids were hysterical cracking jokes the whole time.
On the way home Lucas said, "You know, since I've started riding I've hardly played any video games. I might play some this weekend but I've promised to teach August how to ride a bike and I'm going to go ride with Noah too and maybe another kid. And then I think I'll go do laps on that big hill down by the park."
I could never have imagined a transformation so complete, so fast.
Nadia had agreed to go to practice this week but on Tuesday they just put her in a group that went and did hill repeats for her first time. She struggled the whole time and finished in tears. I talked to a coach to find a way to make it fun for her and she agreed to go back yesterday.
They picked one girl that had already spent time talking to Nadia and they went out together and just played around and had fun. No pressure, no workout, just girls riding bikes together. When Nadia came home she was talking about what she wanted to change on her bike before the next practice. Again, a massive win. She was noticeably happier and she and Lucas spent the night talking about bikes.
The last year has been really hard. Trying to get the kids off screens, to get them to do things outside, to get them happier and involved. I'm hoping Nadia sticks with it and can find the thrill that Lucas has but even if all she does is go play at practice it's a win. I don't think I could have imagined one program could make such a difference in such a short amount of time.
And honestly it's exactly what kids need right now - physical exercise outside, team support and a community they can be part of that supports them. It's all that and more.
There's one more race and I won't be able to go because I got tickets months ago to Nadia's favorite performer that weekend. I won't miss the chance to hang out with Nadia and have a fun weekend with her. I'll be sad to miss Lucas' race but because he'll have done three he now gets to compete in the state championships. Nadia can finish the season with no pressure and just have fun hanging out. It's a perfect way to finish out the season.
We're talking about trying to pull another Moab trip for Thanksgiving - a redo of last years disaster. It would be amazing if my brother's family went and we all rode together.
Gregor
Grant Gunderson
Well-known member
Gregor, that’s awesome your son is getting stoked on biking. I’ve found with my son 8, and step daughter also 8, that the key to getting kids into biking and then getting them to stick with it is two fold, the right bike with good geometry makes all of the difference in the world. So many times I see friends that are avid riders with stupid expensive bikes try to take there kids riding and the kids hate it, but it’s almost always do to the parents not wanting to spend a few bucks to put the kids on the proper bikes. There are so many good used options out now too. The second part is to keep it interesting for them and that means riding with friends and pushing themselves a bit. The social aspect is a really good part of it for them. You should make a trip up here to ride with the kids on Galbraith.
The other really nice thing about getting the kids into biking is that at least for my son it really sparked his interest into mechanics. He loves working on his bike and doing shop projects with me.
That then translated to wanting to learn how to use the Bridgeport which has been an amazing way for him to learn math by actually using it. The kids still use their devices on road trips, but they now prefer to ride their bikes after school over screen time. I’ll take that as a win.
The other really nice thing about getting the kids into biking is that at least for my son it really sparked his interest into mechanics. He loves working on his bike and doing shop projects with me.
That then translated to wanting to learn how to use the Bridgeport which has been an amazing way for him to learn math by actually using it. The kids still use their devices on road trips, but they now prefer to ride their bikes after school over screen time. I’ll take that as a win.