Jayman17
Well-known member
Scott, what is the make/model of that red grinder on the stand? Looks heavy duty!
Jay
Jay
Above 1200 Sq/FT The Lone Beech Garage (60x46x16)
- Thread starter sbosecker
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
looks great, all that up and down would have my calves barking
LutzTD,
Thanks: It's definately a workout- I feel it more in my quads... HA!
It's times like these that I'm glad I bought those sections of scaffolding years ago. Since I'm not on a "rent clock", I don't feel a need to hurry. I can take my time... When I was a kid, growing up on the Lone Beech Melon Farm, the most horrific farm accident stories always seemed to start with, "...he was in a hurry...".
Best regards,
Scott
Jay,
It's an 8-inch Baldor. I think I finally determined that it is a model 8100W that was built around 1980.
Here's a link to the acquistion story.
Best regards,
Scott
Monday - October 10, 2022
Continued with the FastPipe installation today...
Rolled some stuff outside again to allow the scaffolding access to the area next to the Milling Machine. I also ran the Milling Machine's table as far to the left as I could.
I removed the 90 degree Elbow that had been at the termination of a full length of pipe. I added a coupling which allowed another foot or so of pipe to be added to the horizontal run. Then I installed a "T" fitting to take the pipe vertically up and down. A full length of FastPipe was added to go up the wall.
Up & Down the scaffolding a few times to get things cut to the proper length and fitted into the system. When it was all said and done, I had pretty much closed the loop of pipe. There's still a small section to be installed near the 2-Post Lift but the end is in sight.
Now I started working my way back the way I had come. I tightened all the high fittings and worked my way back along the wall. Before I moved equipment and "stuff" back where it had been, I cleaned up 6 years of spider webs and stuff off the floor and walls. I also lubricated the Garage Door Springs while the scaffolding was right there next to them.
I was expecting this part of the job to take more time than it did but moving the equipment back to where it had been wasn't too bad and cleaning up the spider detritus wasn't too time consuming either. Tightening the fittings generally was a pretty quick job.
I had now worked my way back to the last "open" section of the loop.
The loop has been completed! I still needed to move to the east wall and finish tightening the high fittings but the heavy lifting was done. A review of the project follows...
The East Wall. All the lower fittings still need to be tightened and various hook-ups and manifolds added.
The south wall... I'll be adding a manifold next to the Milling Machine.
The project looking north. Since I'm limited to 10 pictures per post, I skipped the west wall. Not too much to see there that you can't see in the other pictures. Big item remaining here is the connection between the FastPipe and the Hose Reel mounted on the 2-Post Lift.
I'm still on the fence as to what more to do. I now have the pipe to do a pretty extensive bit of plumbing into the Woodshop if I want to. I have time to think about that. The biggest issue I have at the moment is how to bring the FastPipe through the wall and into the Woodshop.
Scott
Continued with the FastPipe installation today...
Rolled some stuff outside again to allow the scaffolding access to the area next to the Milling Machine. I also ran the Milling Machine's table as far to the left as I could.
I removed the 90 degree Elbow that had been at the termination of a full length of pipe. I added a coupling which allowed another foot or so of pipe to be added to the horizontal run. Then I installed a "T" fitting to take the pipe vertically up and down. A full length of FastPipe was added to go up the wall.
Up & Down the scaffolding a few times to get things cut to the proper length and fitted into the system. When it was all said and done, I had pretty much closed the loop of pipe. There's still a small section to be installed near the 2-Post Lift but the end is in sight.
Now I started working my way back the way I had come. I tightened all the high fittings and worked my way back along the wall. Before I moved equipment and "stuff" back where it had been, I cleaned up 6 years of spider webs and stuff off the floor and walls. I also lubricated the Garage Door Springs while the scaffolding was right there next to them.
I was expecting this part of the job to take more time than it did but moving the equipment back to where it had been wasn't too bad and cleaning up the spider detritus wasn't too time consuming either. Tightening the fittings generally was a pretty quick job.
I had now worked my way back to the last "open" section of the loop.
The loop has been completed! I still needed to move to the east wall and finish tightening the high fittings but the heavy lifting was done. A review of the project follows...
The East Wall. All the lower fittings still need to be tightened and various hook-ups and manifolds added.
The south wall... I'll be adding a manifold next to the Milling Machine.
The project looking north. Since I'm limited to 10 pictures per post, I skipped the west wall. Not too much to see there that you can't see in the other pictures. Big item remaining here is the connection between the FastPipe and the Hose Reel mounted on the 2-Post Lift.
I'm still on the fence as to what more to do. I now have the pipe to do a pretty extensive bit of plumbing into the Woodshop if I want to. I have time to think about that. The biggest issue I have at the moment is how to bring the FastPipe through the wall and into the Woodshop.
Scott
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drivesitfar
Well-known member
Nice work on all that piping up next to the ceiling. Just and fyi I think GJ will allow a second or third post of just pics if you put in a few words so you’re not limited to just 10.
Good to see your still busy. I have sone catching up to do in your thread so I’ll do that when the drizzle season starts here again. Just hoping your little plane and partnership are working out too?
Good to see your still busy. I have sone catching up to do in your thread so I’ll do that when the drizzle season starts here again. Just hoping your little plane and partnership are working out too?
DrivesItFar,
Thanks for stopping by!
You're right; I could have added another post with that additional picture.
Yes I am busy and blessed to be so. I have gotten to fly the airplane to visit my dad in Indiana twice now. That's been great! I hope to do that again soon.
Having lived in the Pacific Northwest, I didn't think drizzle season ever ended. HA!
Best regards,
Scott
Thursday - October 13, 2022
A small bit of Quality Shed Time today...
I mounted a manifold near the sink area. I struggled for while trying to decide just how high on the wall would be best. I initially was thinking around 5 feet off the floor but then I realized that might be a little too close to "face high". I realized that cutting one of the full length tubes exactly in half would place the end of the tube at just under 4 feet from the floor...
...since I had two manifold locations that were being fed from the same horizontal pipe height, that would give me two identical lengths of pipe to place those manifolds at the same height off the floor.
The FastPipe was supposed to be 7-feet 6-inches long. I assumed that would be an exact value but, when I measured, I found out it was actually 5/8-inch longer than was advertised. I split the FastPipe exactly at the middle and placed the manifolds in these two locations..
Scott
A small bit of Quality Shed Time today...
I mounted a manifold near the sink area. I struggled for while trying to decide just how high on the wall would be best. I initially was thinking around 5 feet off the floor but then I realized that might be a little too close to "face high". I realized that cutting one of the full length tubes exactly in half would place the end of the tube at just under 4 feet from the floor...
...since I had two manifold locations that were being fed from the same horizontal pipe height, that would give me two identical lengths of pipe to place those manifolds at the same height off the floor.
The FastPipe was supposed to be 7-feet 6-inches long. I assumed that would be an exact value but, when I measured, I found out it was actually 5/8-inch longer than was advertised. I split the FastPipe exactly at the middle and placed the manifolds in these two locations..
Scott
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Saturday - October 22, 2022
For the past week or so I've been waiting on various lengths of connecting hose, brass plumbing connectors and reducers to be delivered. Everything that I had ordered arrived this past week and I was able to spend a little time in the shop on the Compressed Air Distribution Plumbing as I did an oil change on my 2000 Ford F150 pickup.
Since the truck needed the oil changed I had to move some stuff that had been living temporarily near the Tornado Shelter since the FastPipe project began. With access to the Long Bay now achieved, I pulled the truck in and started the oil change.
Yesterday, as the truck emptied itself into the oil drain dolly, I pulled the hose down from the Hose Reel in preparation to add 5 feet to the hose that came with the reel.
It had been kind of a pain to locate 5 feet of (yellow) rubber hose but eventually I had found this item on Zoro.com. Since it had been difficult to find that length with those traits, my heart sank a bit when I looked back at my order later and saw that this paticular hose was now unavailable. Apparently I got the last one as it was delivered without delay.
That's not the way that usually works for me. HA!
The end of the hose is now a bit over 6 feet off the floor. Since I am a runt this clears my head easily and I can grab the end of hose without trouble. This would probably be a bit too low for some folks but I think it will be fine for my needs.
Today I began mounting a Manifold near the Milling Machine securely to the wall. I had previously positioned this Manifold but I had used the last of the appropriately sized Moly Bolts that I had in my hardware stash on the Manifold near the Shop Sink. I needed something to fasten the Manifold to the wall.
The Big Box Stores near me don't seem to stock Moly Bolts in the size I needed. As I stood in the aisle looking at all the bizarre possiblities available to me for this project, I finally selected the item in the picture above.
I drilled some 5/16-inch holes in the drywall and tapped those rascals home.
I then assembled the Manifold with Plugs & Quick Connect Couplers.
I mounted the Manifold securely to the wall.
This Manifold had the Moly Bolts to fasten it in place. I removed the Manifold and installed the Couplers & Plugs as I had done in the previous Manifold.
I've got one more Manifold to mount but I only bought enough of those plastic Hollow Wall Anchors to do one Manifold. I wanted to make sure they would work prior to purchasing additional Anchors.
Still plenty of busy work left on this project. I do hope to finish it before Holloween but we'll see if that happens or not.
Scott
For the past week or so I've been waiting on various lengths of connecting hose, brass plumbing connectors and reducers to be delivered. Everything that I had ordered arrived this past week and I was able to spend a little time in the shop on the Compressed Air Distribution Plumbing as I did an oil change on my 2000 Ford F150 pickup.
Since the truck needed the oil changed I had to move some stuff that had been living temporarily near the Tornado Shelter since the FastPipe project began. With access to the Long Bay now achieved, I pulled the truck in and started the oil change.
Yesterday, as the truck emptied itself into the oil drain dolly, I pulled the hose down from the Hose Reel in preparation to add 5 feet to the hose that came with the reel.
It had been kind of a pain to locate 5 feet of (yellow) rubber hose but eventually I had found this item on Zoro.com. Since it had been difficult to find that length with those traits, my heart sank a bit when I looked back at my order later and saw that this paticular hose was now unavailable. Apparently I got the last one as it was delivered without delay.
That's not the way that usually works for me. HA!
The end of the hose is now a bit over 6 feet off the floor. Since I am a runt this clears my head easily and I can grab the end of hose without trouble. This would probably be a bit too low for some folks but I think it will be fine for my needs.
Today I began mounting a Manifold near the Milling Machine securely to the wall. I had previously positioned this Manifold but I had used the last of the appropriately sized Moly Bolts that I had in my hardware stash on the Manifold near the Shop Sink. I needed something to fasten the Manifold to the wall.
The Big Box Stores near me don't seem to stock Moly Bolts in the size I needed. As I stood in the aisle looking at all the bizarre possiblities available to me for this project, I finally selected the item in the picture above.
I drilled some 5/16-inch holes in the drywall and tapped those rascals home.
I then assembled the Manifold with Plugs & Quick Connect Couplers.
I mounted the Manifold securely to the wall.
This Manifold had the Moly Bolts to fasten it in place. I removed the Manifold and installed the Couplers & Plugs as I had done in the previous Manifold.
I've got one more Manifold to mount but I only bought enough of those plastic Hollow Wall Anchors to do one Manifold. I wanted to make sure they would work prior to purchasing additional Anchors.
Still plenty of busy work left on this project. I do hope to finish it before Holloween but we'll see if that happens or not.
Scott
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drivesitfar
Well-known member
As the drizzle season starts again up here in the PNW it has me wishing I owned a big shop like yours.
Nice work on the air which is another system I don’t own and wish I did.
I bet temps in your part of the world are getting just about perfect now?
Keep up the good work snd thsnks as always for sharing your projects with us.
Nice work on the air which is another system I don’t own and wish I did.
I bet temps in your part of the world are getting just about perfect now?
Keep up the good work snd thsnks as always for sharing your projects with us.
DrivesItFar,
Thanks for dropping by!
It is a pleasent time of the year here in Georgia. The temperatures and humidity are now low enough to support human life without the aid of thermodynamic machinery running 24/7. The pollen count is down to single digits (low to medium range) which is a huge reduction from counts in the thousands 6 months ago.
HA!
No... it's quite nice here this time of the year.
Thanks for the kind words on the Compressed Air Piping. It's getting there but there's still a bit to do before it's ready for prime time.
Best regards,
Scott
Sunday - October 23, 2022
After church today I made a trip over to our local Home Depot to pick up some more of the hollow wall anchors that worked yesterday.
I built up another Manifold...
...and mounted it on the wall where it could serve the Blasting Cabinet.
The next bite of the apple was to hook the Hose Reel on the 2-Post Lift to the FastPipe plumbing. I had purchased a 4-foot section of 1/2-inch Flexilla Hose. I purchased some brass reducer fittings to convert the 1/2-inch fittings to 3/4-inch & 1/4-inch attachments.
I drilled a hole using a #22 drill bit which allowed me to tap the hole for a #10-24 threaded fastener.
One thing I learned today...
I have a used Tap & Die set that I acquired years ago. I've been using the various tooling in that set with good results since I bought it. As I was using the Tap in this hole (about 1/2-inch steel) it was getting a bit of a fight. I was being very careful and using plenty of Tapping Fluid but progress was slow and I feared I would break the tap.
I had purchased some new taps recently but hadn't used any of them. I decided to replace my old tap with a new one.
What a difference! It was like cutting through butter.
Lesson learned: Use sharp tools. HA!
I tested my tapped hole with a 1/2-inch truss head screw that I would use to secure a 1/2-inch cushion-clamp.
This worked as I hoped it would.
We'll see what happens when we put compressed air to the system but, for the moment, this task is complete.
It would take quite a bit of shop Tetris to get the Scaffolding into the Long Bay near the Tornado Shelter. I thought I could avoid all that effort by using a couple of my step ladders and an expanding aluminum plank I have. I intend to put a second Hose Reel on the wall in this area.
While I may add compressed air plumbing to the Woodshop at some point in the future. For now, a Hose Reel in the location could provide compressed air to both work being done over the Tornado Shelter and in the Woodshop.
I spent a bit of time looking through the pictures I took during the framing of the LBG. That was very useful in determining how the studs were located in this part of the structure.
I cut a piece of scrap 3/4-inch plywood and then physically located the studs in the wall. I located where the holes for the Hose Reel's fasteners would be and also mounting holes to attach the plywood to the wall. The 4 outermost holes are to fasten the plywood to the wall and the inner are for the Hose Reel Bracket.
I drilled a Plywood Mounting Hole in the wall and used a single 3-inch long 3/8-inch Lag Bolt to secure the Plywood into position,
Continued in next post...
After church today I made a trip over to our local Home Depot to pick up some more of the hollow wall anchors that worked yesterday.
I built up another Manifold...
...and mounted it on the wall where it could serve the Blasting Cabinet.
The next bite of the apple was to hook the Hose Reel on the 2-Post Lift to the FastPipe plumbing. I had purchased a 4-foot section of 1/2-inch Flexilla Hose. I purchased some brass reducer fittings to convert the 1/2-inch fittings to 3/4-inch & 1/4-inch attachments.
I drilled a hole using a #22 drill bit which allowed me to tap the hole for a #10-24 threaded fastener.
One thing I learned today...
I have a used Tap & Die set that I acquired years ago. I've been using the various tooling in that set with good results since I bought it. As I was using the Tap in this hole (about 1/2-inch steel) it was getting a bit of a fight. I was being very careful and using plenty of Tapping Fluid but progress was slow and I feared I would break the tap.
I had purchased some new taps recently but hadn't used any of them. I decided to replace my old tap with a new one.
What a difference! It was like cutting through butter.
Lesson learned: Use sharp tools. HA!
I tested my tapped hole with a 1/2-inch truss head screw that I would use to secure a 1/2-inch cushion-clamp.
This worked as I hoped it would.
We'll see what happens when we put compressed air to the system but, for the moment, this task is complete.
It would take quite a bit of shop Tetris to get the Scaffolding into the Long Bay near the Tornado Shelter. I thought I could avoid all that effort by using a couple of my step ladders and an expanding aluminum plank I have. I intend to put a second Hose Reel on the wall in this area.
While I may add compressed air plumbing to the Woodshop at some point in the future. For now, a Hose Reel in the location could provide compressed air to both work being done over the Tornado Shelter and in the Woodshop.
I spent a bit of time looking through the pictures I took during the framing of the LBG. That was very useful in determining how the studs were located in this part of the structure.
I cut a piece of scrap 3/4-inch plywood and then physically located the studs in the wall. I located where the holes for the Hose Reel's fasteners would be and also mounting holes to attach the plywood to the wall. The 4 outermost holes are to fasten the plywood to the wall and the inner are for the Hose Reel Bracket.
I drilled a Plywood Mounting Hole in the wall and used a single 3-inch long 3/8-inch Lag Bolt to secure the Plywood into position,
Continued in next post...
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Continued...
A 3/8-Inch Transfer Punch was used to locate the center points of the remaining holes on the wall.
I rotated the Plywood around the single fastener and drilled the holes. After rotating the Plywood back into position, I torqued down the 4 Lag Bolts that secured the Plywood to the wall.
I think this will work nicely. I'll need to purchase some additional hoses and fittings like I did for the Hose Reel on the 2-Post Lift but I'll do that after I finish running the FastPipe to a location that will serve this Hose Reel.
In the meantime I've snaked a 50-foot hose from the Air Compressor to this Hose Reel. That will supply air for my various projects until I get the FastPipe distribution plumbing completed.
The last part of this puzzle - I think - is the actual connection of the Air Compressor to a Harbor Freight Air Dryer followed by the connecton to the FastPipe plumbing.
Should be interesting to see if this all works when I get it hooked up.
Scott
A 3/8-Inch Transfer Punch was used to locate the center points of the remaining holes on the wall.
I rotated the Plywood around the single fastener and drilled the holes. After rotating the Plywood back into position, I torqued down the 4 Lag Bolts that secured the Plywood to the wall.
I think this will work nicely. I'll need to purchase some additional hoses and fittings like I did for the Hose Reel on the 2-Post Lift but I'll do that after I finish running the FastPipe to a location that will serve this Hose Reel.
In the meantime I've snaked a 50-foot hose from the Air Compressor to this Hose Reel. That will supply air for my various projects until I get the FastPipe distribution plumbing completed.
The last part of this puzzle - I think - is the actual connection of the Air Compressor to a Harbor Freight Air Dryer followed by the connecton to the FastPipe plumbing.
Should be interesting to see if this all works when I get it hooked up.
Scott
LutzTD
Well-known member
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Scott, I like that extra five feet on your hose reel setup. I've done something similar but my short piece has a triple coupler setup on the end. When I was working on vehicles there seemed to be a lot of swapping of air tools but with a triple coupler I could have three attached at once.
This is a terrible setup if you connect air tools directly to the coupler but all of mine have HF whips on them. It lightens the tool because there's no coupler or hose donut next to the tool. Somehow I acquired quite a few cheap air tools and therefore have quite a few whips attached. This is just the sanding and grinding tools -- there's a bunch of nailers and impact wrenches as well. I'm a little embarrassed because this photo was taken in 2015 and there are now even more in the hoard.
This is a terrible setup if you connect air tools directly to the coupler but all of mine have HF whips on them. It lightens the tool because there's no coupler or hose donut next to the tool. Somehow I acquired quite a few cheap air tools and therefore have quite a few whips attached. This is just the sanding and grinding tools -- there's a bunch of nailers and impact wrenches as well. I'm a little embarrassed because this photo was taken in 2015 and there are now even more in the hoard.
jon72vega
Well-known member
Dang, Bob!
Bob,
I am shaken by your comments... Embarrassed... EMBARRASSED...?!? ...for having a lot of tools?!?
Great Caeser's Ghost man! What self-respecting GJ'er would say such a thing?!?
Unless... ...you wouldn't say that... ...would you? Of course not.
Is there someone there with you? Are you in danger? That was a coded message for help wasn't it? Of course it was: That's the answer!
Here's my response: The Microfilm Is In The Watermelon.
That's code for I'm dialing 911 and the police will be arriving at your place shortly. They will save you from the peril you apparently are confronting.
Thanks for the kind words and for stopping by.
Best regards,
Scott
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Scott, no worries. I told the Popo it was a misunderstanding.
I was embarrassed by the paltry display of pneumatic tools. I know there are more hiding in the bottom drawers of the Costco stainless stack and hanging on the side of a cabinet next to the compressor. It's also embarrassing the Milwaukee M12 and M18 tools see more use than the pneumatic stuff. The paint shaker and abrasive blasting tools are hiding down in the shed.
I was embarrassed by the paltry display of pneumatic tools. I know there are more hiding in the bottom drawers of the Costco stainless stack and hanging on the side of a cabinet next to the compressor. It's also embarrassing the Milwaukee M12 and M18 tools see more use than the pneumatic stuff. The paint shaker and abrasive blasting tools are hiding down in the shed.
Bob,
I was laughing pretty hard regarding "...the Popo"...
For many years my wife worked as the office manager for a single practitioner psychiatrist. She came home one day and told me - while still observing all HIPAA requirements - about a message that had been left on the answering machine after hours. The person leaving the message hadn't been following the doctor's advice nor taking her medicine as directed. Despite that, the message indicated that the patient thought the good doctor hadn't been doing right by her. A lengthy litany of complaints and accusations culminated in a remark regarding "... the po-po had come to her house...".
Not being into Hip Hop, that was my spouse & I's amused introduction to that bit of slang.
I was delighted when I read this in your explanation.
I was also delighted to hear that I had misunderstood your embarrassment.
Best regards,
Scott
Tuesday - October 25, 2022
A bit of FastPipe work today...
Not a lot but this small bit of plumbing helped me to nail down what bits I need to purchase to attach this Hose Reel to the Compressed Air Distribution System.
I should be able to order the items I need tonight after I finish this post.
Scott
A bit of FastPipe work today...
Not a lot but this small bit of plumbing helped me to nail down what bits I need to purchase to attach this Hose Reel to the Compressed Air Distribution System.
I should be able to order the items I need tonight after I finish this post.
Scott
Saturday - October 29, 2022
While working up high on the scaffolding as I installed the FastPipe on the ceiling, I was often positioned adjacent to the 2-Post Lift. While up there I noticed the following...
On top the 2-Post Lift's cross member, the power cable to the safety switch had some issues. The Strain Relief Clamp was not secure and one of the "sticky" cable organizers had lost its adhesion.
Similarly, the "sticky" cable organizer under the post had lost it's adhesion and the cable was adrift in among the moving parts.
A couple of days ago, while waiting on parts to arrive so I could continue the FastPipe installation, I started to address the wiring issues on the 2-Post Lift. Here's a view of the Lift's Safety Switch from below. I tripped the circuit breaker to the Lift and began my work.
I took the lower cover off and saw that the clamping ring was completely off the Strain Relief Clamp. I was hoping I could just re-thread the Securing Ring back onto the Clamp but I could not gain adequate access due to the position of the Safety Switch. The Switch would have to come out.
I oriented the top-side of the Strain Relief Clamp so that it wouldn't interfere with the nearby cable.
I then secured the Strain Relief Clamp and reinstalled the Safety Switch.
However, when I reinstalled the Safety Switch's cover, it was just barely interferring with the bar that trips the Safety Switch. I tried adjusting things but finally just came down from the scaffolding and ground a bit of the cover off to prevent the interference.
I still had the touch-up paint that BendPak sent with the 2-Post Lift.
After the paint dried I installed the cover and this part of the repair was done.
Continued in next post...
While working up high on the scaffolding as I installed the FastPipe on the ceiling, I was often positioned adjacent to the 2-Post Lift. While up there I noticed the following...
On top the 2-Post Lift's cross member, the power cable to the safety switch had some issues. The Strain Relief Clamp was not secure and one of the "sticky" cable organizers had lost its adhesion.
Similarly, the "sticky" cable organizer under the post had lost it's adhesion and the cable was adrift in among the moving parts.
A couple of days ago, while waiting on parts to arrive so I could continue the FastPipe installation, I started to address the wiring issues on the 2-Post Lift. Here's a view of the Lift's Safety Switch from below. I tripped the circuit breaker to the Lift and began my work.
I took the lower cover off and saw that the clamping ring was completely off the Strain Relief Clamp. I was hoping I could just re-thread the Securing Ring back onto the Clamp but I could not gain adequate access due to the position of the Safety Switch. The Switch would have to come out.
I oriented the top-side of the Strain Relief Clamp so that it wouldn't interfere with the nearby cable.
I then secured the Strain Relief Clamp and reinstalled the Safety Switch.
However, when I reinstalled the Safety Switch's cover, it was just barely interferring with the bar that trips the Safety Switch. I tried adjusting things but finally just came down from the scaffolding and ground a bit of the cover off to prevent the interference.
I still had the touch-up paint that BendPak sent with the 2-Post Lift.
After the paint dried I installed the cover and this part of the repair was done.
Continued in next post...
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Continued...
Today I finished the repairs...
I drilled and tapped a hole from above...
...and installed a cable clamp below to keep the power cable clear of the moving parts.
Likewise I drilled and tapped another hole here.
Another plastic cable clamp was installed. That should keep all the cables clear of all the moving parts.
I turned the power back on for the 2-Post Lift and called it a night.
Scott
Today I finished the repairs...
I drilled and tapped a hole from above...
...and installed a cable clamp below to keep the power cable clear of the moving parts.
Likewise I drilled and tapped another hole here.
Another plastic cable clamp was installed. That should keep all the cables clear of all the moving parts.
I turned the power back on for the 2-Post Lift and called it a night.
Scott
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Sunday - October 30, 2022
I'm still waiting on the deliveries of items to connect the 2nd Hose Reel to the FastPipe plumbing. I expect those bits to arrive tomorrow or Tuesday.
I ran over to a big box store this afternoon and got a few fittings for the items that did get delivered in the past couple of days.
Installed the couplers on this 10 feet of air hose.
That will get compressed air from a Manifold to the Blasting Cabinet.
This 6 feet of Air Hose was added to the 2nd Hose Reel. I removed the Coupler I had installed some time ago and replaced it with a 1/4-inch FNPTxFNPT fitting. The existing Coupler was then installed on the end of the new hose.
I need to come up with some sort of "retainer" above the Fire Extinguisher to keep the end of the hose from flopping around.
Scott
I'm still waiting on the deliveries of items to connect the 2nd Hose Reel to the FastPipe plumbing. I expect those bits to arrive tomorrow or Tuesday.
I ran over to a big box store this afternoon and got a few fittings for the items that did get delivered in the past couple of days.
Installed the couplers on this 10 feet of air hose.
That will get compressed air from a Manifold to the Blasting Cabinet.
This 6 feet of Air Hose was added to the 2nd Hose Reel. I removed the Coupler I had installed some time ago and replaced it with a 1/4-inch FNPTxFNPT fitting. The existing Coupler was then installed on the end of the new hose.
I need to come up with some sort of "retainer" above the Fire Extinguisher to keep the end of the hose from flopping around.
Scott
Pressingonward
Well-known member
Nice work on the air system - looks great!
Pressingonward,
Thanks for the kind words!
I'm getting close to the point of attaching the stationary air compressor to the FastPipe system. I've gotten used to the extra capability of that air compressor so the thought of hooking it up to the new plumbing ...well, you know, Murphy's Law and all. I'm expecting that transition to go pear-shaped so I'm trying to set aside a couple of days of free time before I do that ...just in case. HA!
Hopefully it will be a non-event but even if it does have issues I've still got the smaller 30 gallon portable air compressor to provide support for most of my pneumatic needs if that's necessary.
Best regards,
Scott
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Saturday - November 26, 2022
Despite living within the city limits of Peachtree City, GA, I, like the few neighbors on my street, am fortunate to have a little acreage associated with my property. That information may be helpful to help visualize the story that follows.
Almost exactly a month ago, as I stepped outside to unlock my shop building, I could see a large number of vultures circling high overhead. Other than the numbers I was seeing, this isn't all that unusual. There is quite a bit of wooded acerage on my side of town and the wildlife takes advantage of that cover as it moves about. Sometimes, as this wildlife attempts to cross a road, it doesn't make it due to vehicular traffic. The resulting carnage attracts the vultures.
So I didn't think much about it until I came out of the LBG 30 minutes later and was startled to have several vultures flying no more than 15 feet above me. I could clearly hear their feathers whistling as they pumped their wings to gain a little altitude. I looked around my property and I could see at least 2 dozen sitting on the low hanging limbs of some of the trees on the north side of the LBG. Additionally there were many other circling overhead. I'd never seen such a gathering of buzzards.
I walked to my northern property line and attempted to see what might be attracting all these birds. In among my neighbor's wooded area I could see maybe a half-dozen vultures on the ground. However, the trees blocked the view of whatever was causing this commotion. I returned to the various chores that I needed to attend to that morning.
Late afternoon, just as I was preparing to leave the house to attend a church council meeting, my phone rang. The caller ID indicated it was the somewhat elderly neighbor to the north of my property. I quickly answered the phone.
Sure enough my neighbor Bruno needed my help. He had awakened from an afternoon nap to see the shadows of vultures passing by his windows. He had gone out to investigate and found an 8-point Whitetail buck dead in his woods. He was wondering if I could help him drag it out to the road right-of-way where the city "Bring Out Your Dead" truck would pick up the unfortunate animal the next day.
Perfect.
Despite me needing to leave for my meeting I told Bruno I'd be right over with my truck and a log chain. As I gathered my chain and threw it in the back of my pickup I realized that my clevis didn't really fit my truck well. I forced the clevis into a position that would allow it to work but I mentally noted the need for a better anchor point in the future,
I backed my truck into my neighbors woods and, despite the putrid smell and a pretty good swarm of Yellowjackets, wrapped the log chain around the base of the buck's handsome rack. A few minutes later the decomposing deer was out by the road. I quickly departed, cleaned up a little, and went to my church meeting. HA!
Later that week I started a project to give my clevis a proper anchor point on my truck.
I have quite a bit of (somewhat rusty) structural tubing acquired via Craigslist a few years ago. I selected a stick from that basement stash and brought it to the LBG.
I cut about a foot off the end.
That bit of tube and a couple of 3/16-inch thick washers I had scored at an Estate Sale were given some love in the Blasting Cabinet.
I used some layout fluid to place some locations marks on the tubing. I centered the tube in the Y-axis and locked down the table.
I stepped up drill bit sizes until I got the needed 5/8-inch hole.
I flipped the tube and repeated the process on the opposite side.
Then I used a somewhat large indexing Face Mill to create a recessed area. This Face Mill's radius nicely matched those two washers I had stacked and welded together.
I was happy with this fit.
Continued in next post...
Despite living within the city limits of Peachtree City, GA, I, like the few neighbors on my street, am fortunate to have a little acreage associated with my property. That information may be helpful to help visualize the story that follows.
Almost exactly a month ago, as I stepped outside to unlock my shop building, I could see a large number of vultures circling high overhead. Other than the numbers I was seeing, this isn't all that unusual. There is quite a bit of wooded acerage on my side of town and the wildlife takes advantage of that cover as it moves about. Sometimes, as this wildlife attempts to cross a road, it doesn't make it due to vehicular traffic. The resulting carnage attracts the vultures.
So I didn't think much about it until I came out of the LBG 30 minutes later and was startled to have several vultures flying no more than 15 feet above me. I could clearly hear their feathers whistling as they pumped their wings to gain a little altitude. I looked around my property and I could see at least 2 dozen sitting on the low hanging limbs of some of the trees on the north side of the LBG. Additionally there were many other circling overhead. I'd never seen such a gathering of buzzards.
I walked to my northern property line and attempted to see what might be attracting all these birds. In among my neighbor's wooded area I could see maybe a half-dozen vultures on the ground. However, the trees blocked the view of whatever was causing this commotion. I returned to the various chores that I needed to attend to that morning.
Late afternoon, just as I was preparing to leave the house to attend a church council meeting, my phone rang. The caller ID indicated it was the somewhat elderly neighbor to the north of my property. I quickly answered the phone.
Sure enough my neighbor Bruno needed my help. He had awakened from an afternoon nap to see the shadows of vultures passing by his windows. He had gone out to investigate and found an 8-point Whitetail buck dead in his woods. He was wondering if I could help him drag it out to the road right-of-way where the city "Bring Out Your Dead" truck would pick up the unfortunate animal the next day.
Perfect.
Despite me needing to leave for my meeting I told Bruno I'd be right over with my truck and a log chain. As I gathered my chain and threw it in the back of my pickup I realized that my clevis didn't really fit my truck well. I forced the clevis into a position that would allow it to work but I mentally noted the need for a better anchor point in the future,
I backed my truck into my neighbors woods and, despite the putrid smell and a pretty good swarm of Yellowjackets, wrapped the log chain around the base of the buck's handsome rack. A few minutes later the decomposing deer was out by the road. I quickly departed, cleaned up a little, and went to my church meeting. HA!
Later that week I started a project to give my clevis a proper anchor point on my truck.
I have quite a bit of (somewhat rusty) structural tubing acquired via Craigslist a few years ago. I selected a stick from that basement stash and brought it to the LBG.
I cut about a foot off the end.
That bit of tube and a couple of 3/16-inch thick washers I had scored at an Estate Sale were given some love in the Blasting Cabinet.
I used some layout fluid to place some locations marks on the tubing. I centered the tube in the Y-axis and locked down the table.
I stepped up drill bit sizes until I got the needed 5/8-inch hole.
I flipped the tube and repeated the process on the opposite side.
Then I used a somewhat large indexing Face Mill to create a recessed area. This Face Mill's radius nicely matched those two washers I had stacked and welded together.
I was happy with this fit.
Continued in next post...
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Continued...
I clamped the welded washers to the tube and put a couple of tack welds in place to hold everything in place.
Even for me this welding job was pretty rough but I was needing to get the job done and I'm pretty sure the welding is good enough for this task.
A test fit seemed to indicate the project would work.
The clevis also seemed secure. We'll call it ready for painting.
Secured to the "paint rack" with some bailing wire.
Primer...
...followed by some black paint.
This little project is now sitting in the barrel with the log chain. I wonder how long it will be - if ever - before I need to use it. HA!
Scott
I clamped the welded washers to the tube and put a couple of tack welds in place to hold everything in place.
Even for me this welding job was pretty rough but I was needing to get the job done and I'm pretty sure the welding is good enough for this task.
A test fit seemed to indicate the project would work.
The clevis also seemed secure. We'll call it ready for painting.
Secured to the "paint rack" with some bailing wire.
Primer...
...followed by some black paint.
This little project is now sitting in the barrel with the log chain. I wonder how long it will be - if ever - before I need to use it. HA!
Scott
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Wednesday - November 30, 2022
Towards the end of September I was working on putting together a "Tube Tamer" to straighten out the RapidAir MaxLine Tubing I had on hand from years ago. Using this previously acquired tubing would have allowed me to "close the loop" on the compressed air distribution plumbing.
LINK
As mentioned above, I was waiting on a backordered bag of Threaded Inserts from Zoro.com to complete the Tube Tamer when I came across the 2 RapidAir FastPipe Kits on FaceBook Marketplace. With the acquisition of those two kits at a very favorable price, I was able to "close the loop" with the FastPipe.
Eventually the Threaded Inserts did arrive. Since I had most of the work done on the Tube Tamer, I thought I might as well complete it even though the (immediate) need for this homemade tool had pretty much been eleminated.
The Threaded Inserts are not the easiest things to use. After a couple of fails trying to install them in some scrap, I came up with using a bolt with a couple of nuts as a driving tool. A Drill Blank inserted into my Drill Press applied pressure to the top of the driving tool as I used a wrench to screw the Insert into the MDF. This worked OK but the Inserts are not as "square" in their holes as I would like. However, I think they are good enough.
With the Threaded Inserts in place, I could start gluing up the various components. I used a set of Parallel Clamps to hold things in place as the glue set.
The "Upper Pressure Fixture" was glued up...
...and then the base was added to the vertical part of the Tube Tamer.
...and there we have a Tube Tamer rising to its full height ...but without its working wheels.
Here's the finished product...
...and how it would work to straighten the MaxLine Tube. Meanwhile I'll set the Tube Tamer aside. I'll either use it in conjunction with the MaxLine Tubing for some future project or, not needing any of it any longer, I'll include the Tube Tamer with the MaxLine Tubing and components when I sell them.
I'm not completely confident the glue joints are robust enough to handle any real rough-handling so I may add some small strips of MDF at the bases of the glued joints to give the Tube Tamer a little more structural integrity.
I'm having issues with the website loading a couple of additional pictures. I'm getting "Oops! We ran into some problems" when I try to upload them. They are essentually the same size as the others I've posted but...
Well I've gotten them uploaded but I had to change them to GIF files to get them to "stick".
Go figure.
Scott
Towards the end of September I was working on putting together a "Tube Tamer" to straighten out the RapidAir MaxLine Tubing I had on hand from years ago. Using this previously acquired tubing would have allowed me to "close the loop" on the compressed air distribution plumbing.
LINK
As mentioned above, I was waiting on a backordered bag of Threaded Inserts from Zoro.com to complete the Tube Tamer when I came across the 2 RapidAir FastPipe Kits on FaceBook Marketplace. With the acquisition of those two kits at a very favorable price, I was able to "close the loop" with the FastPipe.
Eventually the Threaded Inserts did arrive. Since I had most of the work done on the Tube Tamer, I thought I might as well complete it even though the (immediate) need for this homemade tool had pretty much been eleminated.
The Threaded Inserts are not the easiest things to use. After a couple of fails trying to install them in some scrap, I came up with using a bolt with a couple of nuts as a driving tool. A Drill Blank inserted into my Drill Press applied pressure to the top of the driving tool as I used a wrench to screw the Insert into the MDF. This worked OK but the Inserts are not as "square" in their holes as I would like. However, I think they are good enough.
With the Threaded Inserts in place, I could start gluing up the various components. I used a set of Parallel Clamps to hold things in place as the glue set.
The "Upper Pressure Fixture" was glued up...
...and then the base was added to the vertical part of the Tube Tamer.
...and there we have a Tube Tamer rising to its full height ...but without its working wheels.
Here's the finished product...
...and how it would work to straighten the MaxLine Tube. Meanwhile I'll set the Tube Tamer aside. I'll either use it in conjunction with the MaxLine Tubing for some future project or, not needing any of it any longer, I'll include the Tube Tamer with the MaxLine Tubing and components when I sell them.
I'm not completely confident the glue joints are robust enough to handle any real rough-handling so I may add some small strips of MDF at the bases of the glued joints to give the Tube Tamer a little more structural integrity.
I'm having issues with the website loading a couple of additional pictures. I'm getting "Oops! We ran into some problems" when I try to upload them. They are essentually the same size as the others I've posted but...
Well I've gotten them uploaded but I had to change them to GIF files to get them to "stick".
Go figure.
Scott
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Saturday - December 3, 2022
About 3 weeks ago I attended an Estate Sale. While there I came across a Paint Shaker sitting on a bench. It was quite stout and, when no one else was nearby, I plugged it in to see what would happen. The resulting movement and agitation was what one would expect from a paint shaker and no unusual noises or other concerns were noted. The price, for a working machine, seemed attractive (to me).
The common issue with a purchase at one of these sales is moving/transporting a heavy item. Usually the people runnning the sale take a hands-off approach to that problem ...and I get that.
It was starting to drizzle some rain at this point so I didn't want to transport it in the bed of my pickup. I measured the footprint of the Paint Shaker and then the available area of the floorboard of the "jumpseat" area of my extended cab pickup. There was more than adequate space on the floorboard but the base of the Shaker would just barely clear some structural items associated with the seats of the pickup.
...then there was the weight ...coupled with the "how to grab it" problem. Eventually, after enquiring as to the location of the nearest Urgent Care facility, I embraced the thing and walked towards the open doors of my pickup. If the owner's manual I acquired later is correct - and I think it is - the Paint Shaker weighed 138 pounds. It certainly had some mass to it and my 67 year old legs were letting me know that.
Yet, I managed to get it onto the floor board without incident.
These springs are located under each corner of the Paint Shaker. They aren't fastend to the Shaker but the mass of the machine is enough to keep everything in place. Sharp-Eyed Readers will notice that one of the 8 rubber "feet" are missing. I acquired a replacement for that missing item via eBay.
Removing the Paint Shaker from the pickup was a non-event. The hydraulic lift cart was raised to the same height as the floorboard and I was able to slide the machine from the truck to the cart pretty easily.
Despite the information written on this machine, the folks at RADIA (formally Red Devil) indicated that it was a Red Devil Model 5100 which was last made in the mid-90's. These folks also sent me a PDF file of an Owner's Manual. Their response time to my request for support was outstanding. I was impressed!
The machine is missing its back cover.
Both of the "Paint Can Grippers" are fully functional ...which is a good thing as parts to repair them are unobtainium from RADIA.
Here's a video of the machine in operation ...without paint cans mounted!
VIDEO
It's somewhat amazing - to me - how well those springs dampen the very active agitation this machine produces.
I haven't tried it with a couple of gallon paint cans yet. I'll probably take it outside - well away from anything valuable - before I try that. HA!
Scott
About 3 weeks ago I attended an Estate Sale. While there I came across a Paint Shaker sitting on a bench. It was quite stout and, when no one else was nearby, I plugged it in to see what would happen. The resulting movement and agitation was what one would expect from a paint shaker and no unusual noises or other concerns were noted. The price, for a working machine, seemed attractive (to me).
The common issue with a purchase at one of these sales is moving/transporting a heavy item. Usually the people runnning the sale take a hands-off approach to that problem ...and I get that.
It was starting to drizzle some rain at this point so I didn't want to transport it in the bed of my pickup. I measured the footprint of the Paint Shaker and then the available area of the floorboard of the "jumpseat" area of my extended cab pickup. There was more than adequate space on the floorboard but the base of the Shaker would just barely clear some structural items associated with the seats of the pickup.
...then there was the weight ...coupled with the "how to grab it" problem. Eventually, after enquiring as to the location of the nearest Urgent Care facility, I embraced the thing and walked towards the open doors of my pickup. If the owner's manual I acquired later is correct - and I think it is - the Paint Shaker weighed 138 pounds. It certainly had some mass to it and my 67 year old legs were letting me know that.
Yet, I managed to get it onto the floor board without incident.
These springs are located under each corner of the Paint Shaker. They aren't fastend to the Shaker but the mass of the machine is enough to keep everything in place. Sharp-Eyed Readers will notice that one of the 8 rubber "feet" are missing. I acquired a replacement for that missing item via eBay.
Removing the Paint Shaker from the pickup was a non-event. The hydraulic lift cart was raised to the same height as the floorboard and I was able to slide the machine from the truck to the cart pretty easily.
Despite the information written on this machine, the folks at RADIA (formally Red Devil) indicated that it was a Red Devil Model 5100 which was last made in the mid-90's. These folks also sent me a PDF file of an Owner's Manual. Their response time to my request for support was outstanding. I was impressed!
The machine is missing its back cover.
Both of the "Paint Can Grippers" are fully functional ...which is a good thing as parts to repair them are unobtainium from RADIA.
Here's a video of the machine in operation ...without paint cans mounted!
VIDEO
It's somewhat amazing - to me - how well those springs dampen the very active agitation this machine produces.
I haven't tried it with a couple of gallon paint cans yet. I'll probably take it outside - well away from anything valuable - before I try that. HA!
Scott
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cvairwerks
Well-known member
Scott: I've got a model 30 stashed back, to restore. They are definitely built stout. Mine is about 125 pounds and only holds a single can.
There are a number of can adapters that you can get that will allow you to run as small as a pint can and up to half gallon ones. A couple even will let you run spray cans if I remember correctly.
There are a number of can adapters that you can get that will allow you to run as small as a pint can and up to half gallon ones. A couple even will let you run spray cans if I remember correctly.
cvairwerks,
I think the Model 30 is older than mine but I think there's a lot of DNA shared between the different models.
I will look for some adapters. I'm more likely to be wanting to shake Spray Cans so if I could find an adapter for that I'd be very pleased.
After I exercised the machine I needed to get it off the "Tornado Shelter's" grates so I could change the oil in one of my vehicles. When I moved the Shaker I discovered some oil on the steps below where it had been sitting. Although there may be other things that could have leaked there - the Harbor Freight Hydraulic Lift Cart comes to mind - I may have a seal that needs to be replaced or - maybe - there's too much oil in the reservoir. I'm not confident that the dipstick is correctly located vertically on the top of the machine.
Best regards,
Scott
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I know it's an optical illusion, but the ceiling fans look like they have Beta.Monday - October 10, 2022
Continued with the FastPipe installation today...
Rolled some stuff outside again to allow the scaffolding access to the area next to the Milling Machine. I also ran the Milling Machine's table as far to the left as I could.
I removed the 90 degree Elbow that had been at the termination of a full length of pipe. I added a coupling which allowed another foot or so of pipe to be added to the horizontal run. Then I installed a "T" fitting to take the pipe vertically up and down. A full length of FastPipe was added to go up the wall.
Up & Down the scaffolding a few times to get things cut to the proper length and fitted into the system. When it was all said and done, I had pretty much closed the loop of pipe. There's still a small section to be installed near the 2-Post Lift but the end is in sight.
Now I started working my way back the way I had come. I tightened all the high fittings and worked my way back along the wall. Before I moved equipment and "stuff" back where it had been, I cleaned up 6 years of spider webs and stuff off the floor and walls. I also lubricated the Garage Door Springs while the scaffolding was right there next to them.
I was expecting this part of the job to take more time than it did but moving the equipment back to where it had been wasn't too bad and cleaning up the spider detritus wasn't too time consuming either. Tightening the fittings generally was a pretty quick job.
I had now worked my way back to the last "open" section of the loop.
The loop has been completed! I still needed to move to the east wall and finish tightening the high fittings but the heavy lifting was done. A review of the project follows...
The East Wall. All the lower fittings still need to be tightened and various hook-ups and manifolds added.
The south wall... I'll be adding a manifold next to the Milling Machine.
The project looking north. Since I'm limited to 10 pictures per post, I skipped the west wall. Not too much to see there that you can't see in the other pictures. Big item remaining here is the connection between the FastPipe and the Hose Reel mounted on the 2-Post Lift.
I'm still on the fence as to what more to do. I now have the pipe to do a pretty extensive bit of plumbing into the Woodshop if I want to. I have time to think about that. The biggest issue I have at the moment is how to bring the FastPipe through the wall and into the Woodshop.
Scott
AZpilot,
HA! At least they haven't feathered.
Thanks for stopping by.
Except for routine maintenance on some of my vehicles and such, life (holidays, etc.) has kept me from doing anything significant in the LBG.
Hoping to get back to it soon but I see more obstacles to that on the horizon as well.
Best regards,
Scott
I know about life in the path of projects. My wife works when I am off. But my German Shepherd stares at me until I play ball with him. He is not subtle about it. Then the honey do list. I am behind just getting out of bed. Good luck with your projects.
AZpilot,
Thanks! All I have to do is look at the calendar on our kitchen fridge and I can see that it's probably hopeless until mid-March or so.
February is always clobbered... taxes, an annual ski week with Navy buddies, wedding anniversary (45th this year!), son's birthday all happen in February.
I did manage to get one little "spouse project" in recently... that follows in the next post.
Best regards.
Scott
Sunday - February 5, 2023
A year ago my dad gave me 3 Bluebird Houses that he had made in his woodshop. I mounted them on some trees at various locations in our yard. While each birdhouse had been occupied at some point, a disaster of one kind or another had befallen the eggs inside.
My bride had done some research and I had recently been given specifications to follow on placing posts at precise locations on our property. My task was to dig a posthole for each and place a 4x4 post into each hole. The birdhouses were to be taken down from their previous location on the trees, cleaned out and given new homes on the posts.
About 2 weeks ago I started taking down the birdhouses. My wife was going to do the interior cleanup after I took them down. I got the first couple removed and then started for the last one.
As I approached the birdhouse I could see that something was amiss. The 3-D printed "predator protector" had been broken off and some gnawing had taken place at the entrance. I could also see there was quite a bit of "nesting material" inside. I suspected that something other than a bird may have made a winter home of this birdhouse. I banged on the sides and flipped the top of the house up and down a couple of times.
Peek-a-boo! He/she/they/them took a quick look out to see what was going on and then retreated back under the nesting material.
Eventually I got the rodent out of the birdhouse. It was a flying squirrel and it climbed up the tree the birdhouse had been mounted on.
The birdhouses were now where they could be cleaned out and prepared for this season's residents.
My wife took care of that chore while I searched for some 4x4 pressure treated pine in my house basement. I located 3 items that I thought would work.
These were leftovers from a deck project 8 years ago. Too twisted to be used by the framing crew then, I had put them in my lumber rack. The twist would not affect their ability to be used for this project.
One of the posts was 8-1/2 feet long and the others were 12 feet. I would use the shorter one as is and cut the long ones to match the shorter one. This afternoon I had time to do that.
Two of the posts are near the LBG. This one on the east side...
...and this one on the west side. I knew this posthole was going to be fun to dig. During site preparation for the construction of the Lone Beech Garage, the elevation of this part of the building site had been lowered a bit. I was going to be dealing with Georgia red clay subsoil with my posthole digger. I was also pretty sure that there was going to be some crushed rock here as well. That aggregate would be an artifact from pouring the concrete pad and driveway.
Those obstacles were encounterd but the crushed rock wasn't in too thick of a layer and I eventually overcame the subsoil. In the above picture I had just set the post into the hole and hadn't got it plumb yet.
Within a very short time of the houses being mounted on their posts this afternoon, Bluebirds started checking them out.
My wife was very pleased.
Scott
A year ago my dad gave me 3 Bluebird Houses that he had made in his woodshop. I mounted them on some trees at various locations in our yard. While each birdhouse had been occupied at some point, a disaster of one kind or another had befallen the eggs inside.
My bride had done some research and I had recently been given specifications to follow on placing posts at precise locations on our property. My task was to dig a posthole for each and place a 4x4 post into each hole. The birdhouses were to be taken down from their previous location on the trees, cleaned out and given new homes on the posts.
About 2 weeks ago I started taking down the birdhouses. My wife was going to do the interior cleanup after I took them down. I got the first couple removed and then started for the last one.
As I approached the birdhouse I could see that something was amiss. The 3-D printed "predator protector" had been broken off and some gnawing had taken place at the entrance. I could also see there was quite a bit of "nesting material" inside. I suspected that something other than a bird may have made a winter home of this birdhouse. I banged on the sides and flipped the top of the house up and down a couple of times.
Peek-a-boo! He/she/they/them took a quick look out to see what was going on and then retreated back under the nesting material.
Eventually I got the rodent out of the birdhouse. It was a flying squirrel and it climbed up the tree the birdhouse had been mounted on.
The birdhouses were now where they could be cleaned out and prepared for this season's residents.
My wife took care of that chore while I searched for some 4x4 pressure treated pine in my house basement. I located 3 items that I thought would work.
These were leftovers from a deck project 8 years ago. Too twisted to be used by the framing crew then, I had put them in my lumber rack. The twist would not affect their ability to be used for this project.
One of the posts was 8-1/2 feet long and the others were 12 feet. I would use the shorter one as is and cut the long ones to match the shorter one. This afternoon I had time to do that.
Two of the posts are near the LBG. This one on the east side...
...and this one on the west side. I knew this posthole was going to be fun to dig. During site preparation for the construction of the Lone Beech Garage, the elevation of this part of the building site had been lowered a bit. I was going to be dealing with Georgia red clay subsoil with my posthole digger. I was also pretty sure that there was going to be some crushed rock here as well. That aggregate would be an artifact from pouring the concrete pad and driveway.
Those obstacles were encounterd but the crushed rock wasn't in too thick of a layer and I eventually overcame the subsoil. In the above picture I had just set the post into the hole and hadn't got it plumb yet.
Within a very short time of the houses being mounted on their posts this afternoon, Bluebirds started checking them out.
My wife was very pleased.
Scott
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Jayman17
Well-known member
Hi Scott, just wanted to say hi and see if everything is well. It's been awhile since you posted an update to your awesome shop thread.
Are you enjoying your retirement?
Are you enjoying your retirement?
gilr
Well-known member
Any updates??
gilr
Well-known member
Checking for updates again, hope all is well there.