dwysywd
Well-known member
Nice attention to detail.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT The **** Shack
- Thread starter bdbecker
- Start date
Workspaces between 485 and 705 squarefeet.
Wife was out of town this weekend, so it was just Stinker and I holding down the fort. Stinker wanted to go on an "adventure" on Saturday to see animals. I wasn't about to pay full price for a day at the local zoo when 2/3 of exhibits were still closed for the season, so I had to get creative. I took her to Petco and PetSmart to see the cats, rodents, reptiles, fish, and birds. I also took her to Bomgaars to see the chickens and pheasant chicks. All this and we managed to not come home with a new pet (although there was an adoption cat that seemed pretty cool, but they didn't know how she'd react to dogs and I didn't want to risk it).
That adventure took up most of Saturday, but Sunday afternoon I did manage to get outside and enjoy the spring weather. I've been fighting volunteer mulberry bushes, maples, and willows on our backyard property line since we moved in. Last summer, the volunteers won the battle. This year, I'm determined to win the war.
Armed with a bottle of stump killer, a reciprocating saw with a demo blade, and bucket of Fiskars best pruning tools, I made my first attack of 2019. No before pics, but here's the after. I still need to clean up the leaves and remulch, but having all the trees cut and pulled out really cleaned things up. You can see all the hostas are starting to pop up already.
View media item 91664
I broke out the BundleMaker 3000 to get everything ready for pickup. The spools of twine are setup to be about a third of the way in on each end. The plywood base is 4' long, which works as a guide for the max bundle length the city will pick up. The frame is sized to make a bundle diameter around 18", which corresponds with the max diameter for pickup. The rig actually works pretty well considering I slapped it together out of scrap after a storm a few years ago.
View media item 91665
I ended up with 6 bundles when everything was said and done (only 4 in the pic). I think Norma Jean thought she'd hit the jackpot for awhile and was a little sad when I took her stick pile to the curb.
View media item 91666
All in all, a great weekend, despite not spending any time in the garage.
That adventure took up most of Saturday, but Sunday afternoon I did manage to get outside and enjoy the spring weather. I've been fighting volunteer mulberry bushes, maples, and willows on our backyard property line since we moved in. Last summer, the volunteers won the battle. This year, I'm determined to win the war.
Armed with a bottle of stump killer, a reciprocating saw with a demo blade, and bucket of Fiskars best pruning tools, I made my first attack of 2019. No before pics, but here's the after. I still need to clean up the leaves and remulch, but having all the trees cut and pulled out really cleaned things up. You can see all the hostas are starting to pop up already.
View media item 91664
I broke out the BundleMaker 3000 to get everything ready for pickup. The spools of twine are setup to be about a third of the way in on each end. The plywood base is 4' long, which works as a guide for the max bundle length the city will pick up. The frame is sized to make a bundle diameter around 18", which corresponds with the max diameter for pickup. The rig actually works pretty well considering I slapped it together out of scrap after a storm a few years ago.
View media item 91665
I ended up with 6 bundles when everything was said and done (only 4 in the pic). I think Norma Jean thought she'd hit the jackpot for awhile and was a little sad when I took her stick pile to the curb.
View media item 91666
All in all, a great weekend, despite not spending any time in the garage.
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Sounds like you gave Stinker a good animal show without breaking the bank!
Surprised you have hostas already given your colder weather. Yard cleanup looks good. I have 2.5 acres that weren't maintained very well prior to my ownership, so I completely understand your fight against invasives. My big battle is grapevine.
Dude. Awesome contraption.
Surprised you have hostas already given your colder weather. Yard cleanup looks good. I have 2.5 acres that weren't maintained very well prior to my ownership, so I completely understand your fight against invasives. My big battle is grapevine.
Dude. Awesome contraption.
I'm not a huge proponent of herbicides. That being said, selectively used they are awesome at eliminating otherwise invasive or difficult to deal with plants. Just use them when push comes to shove and not as an act of laziness.
This guy is awesome: Crossbow. Use it on woody plants (like the mulberry, maple, and willow stumps) and they won't come back.
This guy is awesome: Crossbow. Use it on woody plants (like the mulberry, maple, and willow stumps) and they won't come back.
I'm not a big fan of indiscriminately pouring chemicals on the ground either. I used Bonide Vine and Stump killer.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XNM535Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20
It was available locally and I specifically looked for a product I could brush onto the stumps so I could minimize exposure to the hostas. This is my first time using anything on the stumps, in the past I just kept cutting them back a few times a year. That strategy has not been successful, so I decided to give this a try. Hopefully it does the trick.
Here are a few more pics of the BundleMaker 3000 in case anyone is interested in borrowing its design. The plywood gets screwed to the sawhorses, the frame gets screwed to the plywood. The biggest thing to remember is to pull the twine out before you start to pile sticks into it (I screwed that up twice the other day). It only takes a few minutes to setup and saves a whole bunch of messing around when you need to clean up sticks. If I used more than once or twice a year, I'd probably make a few improvements to the design, but it meets my needs in its current configuration.
View media item 91422
I use a few screws and a piece of scrap board to tie it together for storage.
View media item 91420
Yes, I did actually name it the BundleMaker 3000 when I initially built it a few years ago. I mainly wrote that on the plywood so I'd remember to not use that piece for a different project.
View media item 91421
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XNM535Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20
It was available locally and I specifically looked for a product I could brush onto the stumps so I could minimize exposure to the hostas. This is my first time using anything on the stumps, in the past I just kept cutting them back a few times a year. That strategy has not been successful, so I decided to give this a try. Hopefully it does the trick.
Here are a few more pics of the BundleMaker 3000 in case anyone is interested in borrowing its design. The plywood gets screwed to the sawhorses, the frame gets screwed to the plywood. The biggest thing to remember is to pull the twine out before you start to pile sticks into it (I screwed that up twice the other day). It only takes a few minutes to setup and saves a whole bunch of messing around when you need to clean up sticks. If I used more than once or twice a year, I'd probably make a few improvements to the design, but it meets my needs in its current configuration.
View media item 91422
I use a few screws and a piece of scrap board to tie it together for storage.
View media item 91420
Yes, I did actually name it the BundleMaker 3000 when I initially built it a few years ago. I mainly wrote that on the plywood so I'd remember to not use that piece for a different project.
View media item 91421
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rattle_snake
Well-known member
haha you forgot the TM and (R)
Good to see I'm not the only one that gives funny names to random objects.
I have a push stick for my table saw labeled as the 'Finger Saver 10000+ Pro'
Good to see I'm not the only one that gives funny names to random objects.
I have a push stick for my table saw labeled as the 'Finger Saver 10000+ Pro'
Naming things is half the fun! I've found that the trick is not to force a name onto something - it should come naturally and in the moment. Ol' Bessy is a 3' long chunk of schedule 80 I use as a cheater pipe. The name is definitely not a reference to someone I knew years ago who had a reputation for finding a new boyfriend before breaking up with the current one. Pork Chop is my cheap grinder that I used back when I was cutting up motorcycles (Harley - hog - pork, chopper - chop). Close Enough is my little metric tape measure from work that got decommissioned after it was no longer able to pass its annual certification. I couldn't stand to see that little guy tossed in the trash after all our years together, so even though its a little off, it's good enough for the type of work I do at home.
Those are great names!
That reminds me of one of my old part time jobs, filing papers in an office. I took the liberty of labeling the staple remover with liquid paper, Jaws. A bit on the nose, I know. The ladies in the office didn't care for that so they ended up tossing it and getting a new one. I couldn't resist but name that one Jaws II.
That reminds me of one of my old part time jobs, filing papers in an office. I took the liberty of labeling the staple remover with liquid paper, Jaws. A bit on the nose, I know. The ladies in the office didn't care for that so they ended up tossing it and getting a new one. I couldn't resist but name that one Jaws II.
Dan in Pasadena
Well-known member
rixtrix1
Well-known member
I'm copying your Bundle-maker 3000 idea, as I just pruned our front tree, for my own use, of course!
Woke up early to get a couple pork butts on the smoker. Enjoyed an hour or so of listening to the birds wake up by the fire pit sipping on coffee. Yes, this is a good morning...
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BigSteve63
Well-known member
After I got the smoker going and had a very good start to the weekend with some quiet coffee sipping by the fire, things took a bit of a turn in the wrong direction and I ended up burning up most of the morning replacing a weak GFCI outlet in the house. I don't know about you, but I tend to prefer my boxes be held in place by something more than just the faceplate. I swear if I ever figure out who did all the "upgrades" to this house, I'm going to smack him upside the head. Anyway, after three trips to the hardware store, I had a new box and outlet installed (first trip was for a new outlet, second was for a new box, third was for a faceplate after I dropped a screwdriver on the old one and it just happened to shatter, go figure).
After that, I was able to finish up the insulation and get a good start on hanging OSB on the west wall. Taking apart and moving the workbench ended up being a lot easier than I anticipated using my floor jack and a pair of moving dollies. I don't have everything set back in order yet, but the big work is done for now.
View media item 91750(You can see that new set of pry bars is coming in handy - the bottom two drawers on the file cabinet like to open when I move it around)
Next step is to get the rest of the OSB up on the west wall. After that, it'll be the north wall, which will mean moving the whole bench. I also want to add windows to that wall, so it might be a little while before the budget lets that happen. In the meantime, the shack is starting to feel a little full of ****, I think some spring cleaning and another purge is in order.
If I learned anything this weekend, it's that I need to stop letting the next step intimidate me into procrastination. I was honestly not looking forward to taking apart and moving the bench. I also wasn't sure how I was going to deal with the electrical. Neither ended up being a big issue at all. My only regret is that I didn't do this months ago. I need to keep this lesson in mind moving forward.
Oh yeah, and the pork butts turned out really well...
After that, I was able to finish up the insulation and get a good start on hanging OSB on the west wall. Taking apart and moving the workbench ended up being a lot easier than I anticipated using my floor jack and a pair of moving dollies. I don't have everything set back in order yet, but the big work is done for now.
View media item 91750(You can see that new set of pry bars is coming in handy - the bottom two drawers on the file cabinet like to open when I move it around)
Next step is to get the rest of the OSB up on the west wall. After that, it'll be the north wall, which will mean moving the whole bench. I also want to add windows to that wall, so it might be a little while before the budget lets that happen. In the meantime, the shack is starting to feel a little full of ****, I think some spring cleaning and another purge is in order.
If I learned anything this weekend, it's that I need to stop letting the next step intimidate me into procrastination. I was honestly not looking forward to taking apart and moving the bench. I also wasn't sure how I was going to deal with the electrical. Neither ended up being a big issue at all. My only regret is that I didn't do this months ago. I need to keep this lesson in mind moving forward.
Oh yeah, and the pork butts turned out really well...
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dwysywd
Well-known member
Analysis paralysis! Been there, printed 43 t-shirts and wear only half. LOL. Figured it was worth a goofy analogy.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
oldironfarmer
Well-known member
Great progress, and I still love your fire pit.
Have you considered framing in your windows and covering them, then going back later to put them in? Just removes a reason for procrastination (procrastination being one of my better developed skills)
Have you considered framing in your windows and covering them, then going back later to put them in? Just removes a reason for procrastination (procrastination being one of my better developed skills)
I don't think it was analysis paralysis - I've done a pretty good job of keeping that in check the last few years. I knew what I had to do, I had a pretty good idea of how I was going to do it, I just thought it was going to be way more difficult than it ended up being and kept finding excuses not to dig into it. When I finally tore that little band-aide off, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. I wonder if being really frustrated with that outlet beforehand made this seem easier?
Now that spring has officially sprung we've finally had a chance to use the fire pit a number of times - we still love it too!
Pre-framing the windows would be a sure bet I'd never get it done! No, I'll have to do it in one shot or it won't happen. Now that I know moving the bench isn't difficult, I'm not worried one bit about finishing the north wall. I've already done a ton of research on how to frame it (actually have a Libre CAD drawing of how it will look) and I've got the windows picked out (well narrowed down to two options at least, but they're the same rough opening).
The house project list is starting to shift from "needs" to "wants". I have a couple of "needs" to take care of, but after that, Wife encouraged me to make the garage the next priority. The other budgetary constraint is that we're going to Alaska in June, so any extra cash we have is getting funneled into that fund. So right now, my goal is to spend the next two months getting the house projects done and my garage re-decluttered so that once we get back from vacation, it'll be go-time for the garage.
rixtrix1
Well-known member
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That's great! I'm glad I could help in some sort roundabout-internet way!
Looking at your setup, we should probably call your version the Bundle-Maker 2000 since it doesn't have as many options as the 3000 series. Still a nice upgrade from the 1000 series which is just two pieces of twine laying on the ground.
GREAT looking black Lab. Reminds me so much of my long departed best friend Dudley
Sorry I missed your comment Dan. That's the worst part about having furry friends - they can't be with you forever. Norma Jean is getting old and I'm not sure how many years she's got left. I try not think about that too much and just enjoy each day I have with her. She's got a big heart and one of the sweetest and most patient temperaments I've ever encountered in a dog.
After typing that out, now I'm going to have to give her a big belly rub and an extra treat when I get home this afternoon... I love that dog.
rixtrix1
Well-known member
That's great! I'm glad I could help in some sort roundabout-internet way!
Looking at your setup, we should probably call your version the Bundle-Maker 2000 since it doesn't have as many options as the 3000 series. Still a nice upgrade from the 1000 series which is just two pieces of twine laying on the ground.
Haha, too kind, giving it a name! The ideas that bounce around here are great!It will only get used once a year, so the wood blocks in the lower corners hold it in place on the body stand. Repurposed the home made base to my original Portaband saw table after I got one from SWAG.
kjdhawkhill
Well-known member
2/3rds of my kids know the difference between dinner beer and garage beer. One shatters when it hits the already cracked pad and one merely dents and spills.
.
I'm more of a blue bucket guy, myself, but that comes from 10 years of living 14 miles closer to a blue bucket store than the orange bucket store.
Way nicer than the plastic **** I can't wait to ditch.
Cargo shelf looks great. Solid and easy enough to pull back out if need be.
My 4 year old who has sometimes browsed this forums photos with me loves peg board displays, but quotes me: 'We don't say "hate" but I hate peg-board.' Something about cheap hooks falling when trying to clean up bothers me, but he's fascinated by it.
Just found this one for the first time. Its a great read, and I do love the salt-of the-earth-repair skills - who fixes [nah, improves] a Harbor Freight hitch cargo platform?
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Lol... totally going to borrow that.
It has worked well so far. No rattles or durability issues to speak of. If anything could have been done differently, I wish I would have made the lower level a touch taller. I could go back and modify it, but if I do that, I'll find the next thing that doesn't quite fit and want to modify it again.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Apparently I do, but I'm not sure if that's something to be proud of.
Making cold beers out of lemons...
If anyone would ever ask me what my opinion of Centurylink is, it would be like throwing a handful of gunpowder into a campfire. The newest issue I'm dealing with is that whenever I try to watch YouTube, it crashes my router. Netflix, Prime, basically all other apps run okay, its just YouTube. The worst part is that it's inconsistent. Just when I think the issue is gone, it pops back up again. There's a whole other history that I'm not going to get into here that fuels my disgust of that company, so we'll leave it there.
Anyway, I promised a positive turn on my first world problem of not being able to keep up with my favorite YouTubers. That is that I've found a way to get an extra 2-3 hours a week of QST. I live about 5 minutes away from my job, so I come home each day for lunch to let the dogs out and take a little break from the stressors of the day. Typically, I watch whatever new videos have been uploaded to YT. Since I haven't been able to do that anymore, I've started heading out to the garage.
This week, I worked on finishing hanging OSB on the west wall. All I had to do today was cut the last little corner piece and I was done. Pretty cool to sneak an extra half day in during the week.
View media item 91929
I had to move the bandsaw to finish hanging the OSB. I've always just used my two wheel cart to move it around. It's not ideal, so I decided to resolve the issue by installing a set of casters on it. I really do like being so close to The Woodsmith Store, I can always find exactly what I'm looking for and their prices are pretty competitive to the big box stores. In this case, I got a set of Rockler casters for a similar price to what I would have paid elsewhere, but the quality on these is amazing. The mold they use for the wheels is so clean, I initially thought there was a clear plastic protective coating on them that I'd need to remove.
View media item 91931
I also had some good help. Stinker is taking an interest in spending time in the garage so I'm trying to make sure she gets to help whenever she wants. A little bit of a fake smile, but I'll take it...
View media item 91932
She really likes to play with my camera and insisted on taking a pic of me as well. No BS, it took her two tries before she got this pic of me. Not bad for a 3.5 year old.
View media item 91933(What a handsome devil)
While at The Woodsmith Store I stumbled upon the greatest tape measure I've ever found.
View media item 91934
No matter what hand you hold it in, you can read the measurement! This is life changing technology being sold at the low price of $12 each by FastCap.
View media item 91935
Finally, an Amazon shipment showed up today. F-ing Gregor...
View media item 91937
Gregor Halenda has one of the most epic build threads I've ever come across on GJ and I've spent the last month or so reading all 150+ pages. I've actually purposely avoided reading it for a few years now because I knew I'd have to read it start to finish and didn't want to commit to that kind of time. When I had the flu a few weeks back, I dug in and it did not disappoint. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. You can find it here: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=185104
I also made a quick sign to keep me focused while I dig into Purge 2.0. This was also inspired by one of Gregor's posts. No, I didn't write that on my wall, it's just a piece of scrap I hung over my toolbox.
View media item 91938
I spent the rest of the afternoon tossing and posting stuff up for sale on the classifieds. Actually made a nice dent and it feels good. More to come...
If anyone would ever ask me what my opinion of Centurylink is, it would be like throwing a handful of gunpowder into a campfire. The newest issue I'm dealing with is that whenever I try to watch YouTube, it crashes my router. Netflix, Prime, basically all other apps run okay, its just YouTube. The worst part is that it's inconsistent. Just when I think the issue is gone, it pops back up again. There's a whole other history that I'm not going to get into here that fuels my disgust of that company, so we'll leave it there.
Anyway, I promised a positive turn on my first world problem of not being able to keep up with my favorite YouTubers. That is that I've found a way to get an extra 2-3 hours a week of QST. I live about 5 minutes away from my job, so I come home each day for lunch to let the dogs out and take a little break from the stressors of the day. Typically, I watch whatever new videos have been uploaded to YT. Since I haven't been able to do that anymore, I've started heading out to the garage.
This week, I worked on finishing hanging OSB on the west wall. All I had to do today was cut the last little corner piece and I was done. Pretty cool to sneak an extra half day in during the week.
View media item 91929
I had to move the bandsaw to finish hanging the OSB. I've always just used my two wheel cart to move it around. It's not ideal, so I decided to resolve the issue by installing a set of casters on it. I really do like being so close to The Woodsmith Store, I can always find exactly what I'm looking for and their prices are pretty competitive to the big box stores. In this case, I got a set of Rockler casters for a similar price to what I would have paid elsewhere, but the quality on these is amazing. The mold they use for the wheels is so clean, I initially thought there was a clear plastic protective coating on them that I'd need to remove.
View media item 91931
I also had some good help. Stinker is taking an interest in spending time in the garage so I'm trying to make sure she gets to help whenever she wants. A little bit of a fake smile, but I'll take it...
View media item 91932
She really likes to play with my camera and insisted on taking a pic of me as well. No BS, it took her two tries before she got this pic of me. Not bad for a 3.5 year old.
View media item 91933(What a handsome devil)
While at The Woodsmith Store I stumbled upon the greatest tape measure I've ever found.
View media item 91934
No matter what hand you hold it in, you can read the measurement! This is life changing technology being sold at the low price of $12 each by FastCap.
View media item 91935
Finally, an Amazon shipment showed up today. F-ing Gregor...
View media item 91937
Gregor Halenda has one of the most epic build threads I've ever come across on GJ and I've spent the last month or so reading all 150+ pages. I've actually purposely avoided reading it for a few years now because I knew I'd have to read it start to finish and didn't want to commit to that kind of time. When I had the flu a few weeks back, I dug in and it did not disappoint. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. You can find it here: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=185104
I also made a quick sign to keep me focused while I dig into Purge 2.0. This was also inspired by one of Gregor's posts. No, I didn't write that on my wall, it's just a piece of scrap I hung over my toolbox.
View media item 91938
I spent the rest of the afternoon tossing and posting stuff up for sale on the classifieds. Actually made a nice dent and it feels good. More to come...
Not much for updates on the garage from this last weekend since I was back home visiting my folks. One of my Dad's friends recently bought an old building to setup his own tractor repair business, so we went and took the nickle tour. It was originally built as a concrete block factory back in the 40's or 50's (I can't remember if he said '49 or '59) and has housed a number of businesses and has been added onto a number of times over the years.
Most of the building is pole barn construction, and he got a heck of a lot of space for what he paid. Unfortunately, the original concrete block factory area is too far gone to save and will be demolished this summer. Anyway, one of the things I had to take a picture of was this epic concrete workbench from that area. The thing was 10-12' long on both legs, about 3' deep, and around 5" thick! Sorry for the crappy pics, the lighting was terrible in this part of the building.
View media item 92193
View media item 92194
Like I mentioned before, he's starting up a tractor repair business. He has a pretty interesting niche market that I think will make for a pretty good business once he gets established. His focus is on repairing equipment for the smaller operators in the area. He used to work at a big implement dealer and noticed that places like that all but ignore the guy who only buys a piece of equipment every 5 or 10 years and thinks there is an opportunity to cater to that type of customer. He's not putting all his eggs into this basket though, he now works for a construction company maintaining their equipment. It works out well because that is a seasonal job, leaving the winter open to repair anything that broke during the fall harvest. Along with that, he's renting out most of the space for camper, boat, and equipment storage, which is really helping with paying for the building improvements that need to happen.
Also, I'm going to document this now so I have a record of it - $5 says my Dad goes and works for his buddy once he retires in a few years.
Finally, I noticed this while perusing a local hardware store this last week. We may have a serious crisis on our hands. It seems like the 10mm socket gremlins are shifting their focus to the 10mm wrenches as well.
View media item 92195
Most of the building is pole barn construction, and he got a heck of a lot of space for what he paid. Unfortunately, the original concrete block factory area is too far gone to save and will be demolished this summer. Anyway, one of the things I had to take a picture of was this epic concrete workbench from that area. The thing was 10-12' long on both legs, about 3' deep, and around 5" thick! Sorry for the crappy pics, the lighting was terrible in this part of the building.
View media item 92193
View media item 92194
Like I mentioned before, he's starting up a tractor repair business. He has a pretty interesting niche market that I think will make for a pretty good business once he gets established. His focus is on repairing equipment for the smaller operators in the area. He used to work at a big implement dealer and noticed that places like that all but ignore the guy who only buys a piece of equipment every 5 or 10 years and thinks there is an opportunity to cater to that type of customer. He's not putting all his eggs into this basket though, he now works for a construction company maintaining their equipment. It works out well because that is a seasonal job, leaving the winter open to repair anything that broke during the fall harvest. Along with that, he's renting out most of the space for camper, boat, and equipment storage, which is really helping with paying for the building improvements that need to happen.
Also, I'm going to document this now so I have a record of it - $5 says my Dad goes and works for his buddy once he retires in a few years.
Finally, I noticed this while perusing a local hardware store this last week. We may have a serious crisis on our hands. It seems like the 10mm socket gremlins are shifting their focus to the 10mm wrenches as well.
View media item 92195
dwysywd
Well-known member
racingtadpole
Well-known member
Thanks for that....now I have to find time to read Gregor’s thread
And that tape would be more life altering if it were metric...
Life altering indeed:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GFHABG/?tag=atomicindus08-20
They actually have several clever tape measures (along with a bunch of other pretty innovative products) on their website:
https://www.fastcap.com/product/procarpenter-tape-measure
I want to eventually do some built-in cabinets in the house, so I'll probably pick one up when that project comes around.
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rattle_snake
Well-known member
haha left handed tape measures...
I accidentally bought a 'center scale' tape (one side a '1/2 measurement' to calculate the center point). Of course it's for those backwards right handed people so the 1/2 scale is right side up/readable.
I accidentally bought a 'center scale' tape (one side a '1/2 measurement' to calculate the center point). Of course it's for those backwards right handed people so the 1/2 scale is right side up/readable.
haha left handed tape measures...
I accidentally bought a 'center scale' tape (one side a '1/2 measurement' to calculate the center point). Of course it's for those backwards right handed people so the 1/2 scale is right side up/readable.
I'm convinced the person who invented the tape measure was left-handed and having the scale upside down for the right-handed people of the world is just his way of getting back at everyone. I also have one of those divider tape measures (not from FastCap) as well - it's super handy for certain applications, but not handy most of the time.
nicholam77
Well-known member
A little update on my lunch and evening projects from this week...
A few months ago, I wasn't sure if I'd ever mow the yard again after we kept getting hammered with snow. Well, it warmed up, the snow piles finally melted, and the grass started growing. Looking at the yard the other night, I decided it was time to get the mower ready for the year. The garage is currently in shambles as I've been going through my second big purge, so had to resort to using my saw table as a work surface. Because this is Garage Journal, I used now fewer than four jack stands to prop the mower up for draining the oil.
View media item 92202
I have a friend that gets his mower blade "professionally sharpened" a couple times a year and it baffles me. A $7 file, a $5 balancer, and 10 minutes of time are all it takes to get a blade cutting like new. I even offered to show him how to do it last summer but he wasn't interested. That old saying about leading a horse to water comes to mind.
View media item 92201(That was an "in process" photo - I did work that blade a little more to get the edge more consistent)
The 12+ year old WalMart special MTD YardMachine has served me very well over the years. My folks bought it for me as a housewarming gift and my Mom still can't get over the fact that it still runs. I suppose it’s a bit of a testament that even a cheap mower can be reliable with a little bit of basic maintenance. I keep it simple – towards the end of the mowing season, I put fuel stabilizer in the tank and mow with it a few times to make sure it gets through the carb. In the spring I change most of the oil (you can never seem to get all of it out), sharpen the blade, clean the plug, and put a new air filter on it. 90% of the time it starts on the first pull, even after sitting all winter. The other 10% are usually when I forget to pull the choke knob. I've thought about replacing it a few times with a bigger, better model, but at this point, I'm going to keep running it until it dies or it rusts away.
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There's a children's book titled "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" that I read to Stinker every now and then. If you're not familiar with the story, it basically is a story how a simple act of giving a mouse a cookie leads to a series of unanticipated activities and events. My lunchtime projects this week have been a Garage Journal version of that story…
If you give a Brad two extra batts of insulation, he’ll want to find a place to hang them. He’ll find a place to hang them behind his storage shelf between the man door and the garage door. In order to hang the batts of insulation, he’ll need to move the shelf first. Before he can move the shelf, he’ll need to empty the contents onto his workbench. Once the insulation is hung, he’ll move the shelf back into its old spot. When he goes to put the contents back on it, he’ll decide he wants to sort and organize everything first. When he’s sorting and organizing, he’ll decide to build small wooden boxes to keep everything straight.
View media item 92203
View media item 92205
As I was building my little boxes out of scrap 1x6, I was thinking about what to name them. The first thought was ‘sh*t boxes’ because this is The **** Shack after all. Then I got to thinking about lilscorpion’s wall of Festool Systainers and came up with the official name of my simple little boxes – I’m going to call them ‘Sh*tstainers’. I banged out the last few boxes over lunch today and am pretty happy with how they turned out. They are not perfect, but they do their job perfectly. Right now, they’re mostly full of PPE. I think there’s opportunity to build more, different size boxes… sorry… Sh*tstainers to house other items and to better use this shelf because it’s in a perfect spot for quick access items. All because I wanted to hang two batts of insulation…
A few months ago, I wasn't sure if I'd ever mow the yard again after we kept getting hammered with snow. Well, it warmed up, the snow piles finally melted, and the grass started growing. Looking at the yard the other night, I decided it was time to get the mower ready for the year. The garage is currently in shambles as I've been going through my second big purge, so had to resort to using my saw table as a work surface. Because this is Garage Journal, I used now fewer than four jack stands to prop the mower up for draining the oil.
View media item 92202
I have a friend that gets his mower blade "professionally sharpened" a couple times a year and it baffles me. A $7 file, a $5 balancer, and 10 minutes of time are all it takes to get a blade cutting like new. I even offered to show him how to do it last summer but he wasn't interested. That old saying about leading a horse to water comes to mind.
View media item 92201(That was an "in process" photo - I did work that blade a little more to get the edge more consistent)
The 12+ year old WalMart special MTD YardMachine has served me very well over the years. My folks bought it for me as a housewarming gift and my Mom still can't get over the fact that it still runs. I suppose it’s a bit of a testament that even a cheap mower can be reliable with a little bit of basic maintenance. I keep it simple – towards the end of the mowing season, I put fuel stabilizer in the tank and mow with it a few times to make sure it gets through the carb. In the spring I change most of the oil (you can never seem to get all of it out), sharpen the blade, clean the plug, and put a new air filter on it. 90% of the time it starts on the first pull, even after sitting all winter. The other 10% are usually when I forget to pull the choke knob. I've thought about replacing it a few times with a bigger, better model, but at this point, I'm going to keep running it until it dies or it rusts away.
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There's a children's book titled "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" that I read to Stinker every now and then. If you're not familiar with the story, it basically is a story how a simple act of giving a mouse a cookie leads to a series of unanticipated activities and events. My lunchtime projects this week have been a Garage Journal version of that story…
If you give a Brad two extra batts of insulation, he’ll want to find a place to hang them. He’ll find a place to hang them behind his storage shelf between the man door and the garage door. In order to hang the batts of insulation, he’ll need to move the shelf first. Before he can move the shelf, he’ll need to empty the contents onto his workbench. Once the insulation is hung, he’ll move the shelf back into its old spot. When he goes to put the contents back on it, he’ll decide he wants to sort and organize everything first. When he’s sorting and organizing, he’ll decide to build small wooden boxes to keep everything straight.
View media item 92203
View media item 92205
As I was building my little boxes out of scrap 1x6, I was thinking about what to name them. The first thought was ‘sh*t boxes’ because this is The **** Shack after all. Then I got to thinking about lilscorpion’s wall of Festool Systainers and came up with the official name of my simple little boxes – I’m going to call them ‘Sh*tstainers’. I banged out the last few boxes over lunch today and am pretty happy with how they turned out. They are not perfect, but they do their job perfectly. Right now, they’re mostly full of PPE. I think there’s opportunity to build more, different size boxes… sorry… Sh*tstainers to house other items and to better use this shelf because it’s in a perfect spot for quick access items. All because I wanted to hang two batts of insulation…
racingtadpole
Well-known member
I have moments like that fairly frequently, sometimes I just have to dismiss the cookie that starts it because it will likely bring everything to a grinding halt for weeks
I see you lock garage doors from the inside the same way I do..
I see you lock garage doors from the inside the same way I do..
I just read that book to Little Human #1 last night!
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
JustinS
Well-known member
I use that pencil every day!
Yeah, I started doing that when the garage door opener started acting up. I'm sure the control wiring is all dickered up, but I haven't taken the time to dig into it - I just unplugged it and pulled the disconnect cord when the opener was being particularly fussy one day. That was probably 4 years ago and I've been opening it manually ever since. I'm not sure I need or want a powered opener at this point. I don't intend to ever park a daily driver in the garage, and not having an opener hanging down would be one less thing to smack when wrestling full length material around.
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Lol... I read Stinker "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" over the weekend (I think she likes that one more than the mouse/cookie version).
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I'm really falling in love with it. It seems so trivial, but being able to adjust the pencil so that just the right amount of lead comes out with each click is so stinking satisfying. I'm going to order another one so I can have one at my desk too. I also am going to pick up some different grades of lead for it. Now that I'm turning into a pencil snob, the "B" rated lead is just a bit too gray, I'm thinking 3B or 4B might be more suited to my taste.
Terracar
Well-known member
Brad, I just spent most the week reading through your thread. I have to say thank you. I only get time at breaks or lunch since I refuse to use the phone at home to read the forums (no comp at home). Your method and philosophy are refreshing. Now that I have finished your thread, I am admittedly a little heart broken. Either way I look forward to updates.
Thanks to you I have a few projects for my kids to work on since they have been begging to build stuff since I got them their own tool boxes. I have been scouring CL and the area for free pallets so we can have some inexpensive lumber for projects.
I have so much I want to comment on throughout your thread. I will probably add those next week since I am going to go cry in the corner about reaching the end of updates for the time being.
I agree - you are an inspiration for me to get off my ***, despite the analysis paralysis, and that I don't have a fancy garage to show case, yet.
Thank you!
-Terracar
Thanks to you I have a few projects for my kids to work on since they have been begging to build stuff since I got them their own tool boxes. I have been scouring CL and the area for free pallets so we can have some inexpensive lumber for projects.
I have so much I want to comment on throughout your thread. I will probably add those next week since I am going to go cry in the corner about reaching the end of updates for the time being.
I agree - you are an inspiration for me to get off my ***, despite the analysis paralysis, and that I don't have a fancy garage to show case, yet.
Thank you!
-Terracar
Thank you for the kind words Terracar - that made my week.
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So this last weekend was a complete blur and I didn't get anything done in the garage. I did check off one of the two remaining house projects I need to get done before shifting full focus onto the garage, so I suppose in a weird, indirect way, that is progress on the garage?
Anyway, as anyone who has read my previous posts on my home improvement projects may know, I'm not a fan of the quality of work the previous owner did on the house. Admittedly, I'm no pro and have probably made a few errors myself on projects, but I really try my best to research and find the right way of doing things. I drag my feet on some of the most seemingly simple projects because I know that every time I dig into something, it turns into a fiasco. This weekend's project was no exception. I'm not going waste any time on the details of what I found during this project because it's just more nonsense in the same vein of what I've mentioned before. And to be fair, a good amount of the issues I ran into on this project were self-induced because I just had to have a bigger washer and dryer.
A little background - the PO of the house had a front loading washer and dryer. Instead of purchasing the over-priced stands for them, he built a 2x6 platform topped with OSB to raise the units about a foot off the floor. In the rush to move in, I had installed my conventional units on the same platform and have been using them that way ever since. Being a decently tall guy, I found that I actually really liked having the units raised like that because I didn't have to bend over nearly as much when doing laundry (I do most of the laundry in our house and Wife does most of the dishes - its a good deal because I hate dishes and she hates folding clothes).
A few months ago, our washing machine died and we purchased a new, larger set to replace our old units. As soon as I did the first load of laundry in the new machine, I knew we had an issue. The new machine was significantly taller than the old one and I could barely reach the bottom of the basin to get the last few items out. Wife, being several inches shorter than me, had even more difficulty. So pretty much as soon as I had the washing machine installed, I knew I'd have to remove it and lower the platform. For that reason, I didn't install the new dryer right away. And for the afore mentioned reasons related to having to redo PO's work, I was dreading tearing into that platform and had successfully avoided doing it for the last few months.
Well this week is the annual spring junk cleanup for our town where we can get rid of stuff that's been accumulating all year. It also means we can avoid paying the special pickup fee for used appliances. The cheapskate in me beat out the procrastinator in me and decided it was time to cross this project off the list. I was originally going to try to reuse as much as the original platform frame as possible. But, to be expected, one thing led to another, and I ended up cutting the entire thing apart and putting it on the curb next to the old washer and dryer. I then built a new platform from scratch and installed it.
The next big roadblock was that the new dryer was significantly deeper than the old unit. I didn't realize this until after I had installed the new platform. I was then faced with the option of re-building my newly built platform, or cutting into the drywall to run the duct. I ended up cutting the drywall. The reason I did that was because the drywall on that wall was already dickered up from when the PO ran a vent into the adjoining bathroom, and because I didn't want the platform and dryer to protrude 4" into the doorway to the laundry room.
Not meaning to sound too negative, a lot of things went pretty well during the install too. I put a temp controlled booster fan in the duct line to help the dryer run more efficiently. I'm right on the edge of having too many elbows and too long of a duct for the dryer - on big loads, the old dryer struggled to get the clothes dry in a reasonable amount of time. I'm sure its a combination of a new dryer and the booster fan, but loads are drying significantly faster than they have in the past. I also installed a secondary lint trap to help protect the fan and that seems to be doing a good job as well. Also, I do find running ducting oddly satisfying, maybe I'm in the wrong career?
Anyway, a lot of words and one blurry picture to sum up 10-12 hours of work, 3 trips to the hardware store, and dozens of trips between the house and the garage to grab additional tools and supplies spread across two days this weekend. But hey, the dryer is in and I didn't have to pay the special pick up fee for the old units.
View media item 92455
"Yet" being the key word in that sentence. We'll get there someday. Maybe not as soon as we'd like, but we'll get there. One step at a time...
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So this last weekend was a complete blur and I didn't get anything done in the garage. I did check off one of the two remaining house projects I need to get done before shifting full focus onto the garage, so I suppose in a weird, indirect way, that is progress on the garage?
Anyway, as anyone who has read my previous posts on my home improvement projects may know, I'm not a fan of the quality of work the previous owner did on the house. Admittedly, I'm no pro and have probably made a few errors myself on projects, but I really try my best to research and find the right way of doing things. I drag my feet on some of the most seemingly simple projects because I know that every time I dig into something, it turns into a fiasco. This weekend's project was no exception. I'm not going waste any time on the details of what I found during this project because it's just more nonsense in the same vein of what I've mentioned before. And to be fair, a good amount of the issues I ran into on this project were self-induced because I just had to have a bigger washer and dryer.
A little background - the PO of the house had a front loading washer and dryer. Instead of purchasing the over-priced stands for them, he built a 2x6 platform topped with OSB to raise the units about a foot off the floor. In the rush to move in, I had installed my conventional units on the same platform and have been using them that way ever since. Being a decently tall guy, I found that I actually really liked having the units raised like that because I didn't have to bend over nearly as much when doing laundry (I do most of the laundry in our house and Wife does most of the dishes - its a good deal because I hate dishes and she hates folding clothes).
A few months ago, our washing machine died and we purchased a new, larger set to replace our old units. As soon as I did the first load of laundry in the new machine, I knew we had an issue. The new machine was significantly taller than the old one and I could barely reach the bottom of the basin to get the last few items out. Wife, being several inches shorter than me, had even more difficulty. So pretty much as soon as I had the washing machine installed, I knew I'd have to remove it and lower the platform. For that reason, I didn't install the new dryer right away. And for the afore mentioned reasons related to having to redo PO's work, I was dreading tearing into that platform and had successfully avoided doing it for the last few months.
Well this week is the annual spring junk cleanup for our town where we can get rid of stuff that's been accumulating all year. It also means we can avoid paying the special pickup fee for used appliances. The cheapskate in me beat out the procrastinator in me and decided it was time to cross this project off the list. I was originally going to try to reuse as much as the original platform frame as possible. But, to be expected, one thing led to another, and I ended up cutting the entire thing apart and putting it on the curb next to the old washer and dryer. I then built a new platform from scratch and installed it.
The next big roadblock was that the new dryer was significantly deeper than the old unit. I didn't realize this until after I had installed the new platform. I was then faced with the option of re-building my newly built platform, or cutting into the drywall to run the duct. I ended up cutting the drywall. The reason I did that was because the drywall on that wall was already dickered up from when the PO ran a vent into the adjoining bathroom, and because I didn't want the platform and dryer to protrude 4" into the doorway to the laundry room.
Not meaning to sound too negative, a lot of things went pretty well during the install too. I put a temp controlled booster fan in the duct line to help the dryer run more efficiently. I'm right on the edge of having too many elbows and too long of a duct for the dryer - on big loads, the old dryer struggled to get the clothes dry in a reasonable amount of time. I'm sure its a combination of a new dryer and the booster fan, but loads are drying significantly faster than they have in the past. I also installed a secondary lint trap to help protect the fan and that seems to be doing a good job as well. Also, I do find running ducting oddly satisfying, maybe I'm in the wrong career?
Anyway, a lot of words and one blurry picture to sum up 10-12 hours of work, 3 trips to the hardware store, and dozens of trips between the house and the garage to grab additional tools and supplies spread across two days this weekend. But hey, the dryer is in and I didn't have to pay the special pick up fee for the old units.
View media item 92455
JustinS
Well-known member
Good on your for buying a top load washer, we switched two years ago. No more leaving the door open so it doesn’t smell musty.
polexican23
Banned
damn, was reading the washer/dryer debacle and thought maybe we shared the same PO. But in my case washer and dryers have gotten fatter over the years. They had a fullsize (back in early 2000 anyways) separate stacked unit. They built it into an old pantry space.
Well they were about 24" deep, good luck finding anything stackable with that depth.
So now I have to punk down like $30k for the addition that i wasnt ready for at all.
Well they were about 24" deep, good luck finding anything stackable with that depth.
So now I have to punk down like $30k for the addition that i wasnt ready for at all.