Tooling (Re)Organization

[joshdc91]

I really enjoy following your work, and gain lots of inspiration from your build.

I've been thinking about picking up some CA glue and finally ordered some tonight. Was looking at the fastcap, but decided to go with the titebond that you've been using. I haven't done much as far as cabinets go, but I think you've inspired me to give a go at building some garage cabinets. I've been trying to find a local supplier of baltic birch ply. Not sure I'll be able to find it prefinished though...

A couple of quick questions about your latest post. Is there reason the shelves aren't at the same level? I see that your jig has three holes in it. Is the multilevel shelves intentional?

 

[joshdc91]

Also, I tried to find your account on Instagram. I wasn't able to track it down. I'm new to instagram, so it may be user error on my end, but I was wondering if maybe it was a privacy setting you had in place.

 

[lilscorpion]

I really enjoy following your work, and gain lots of inspiration from your build.

I've been thinking about picking up some CA glue and finally ordered some tonight. Was looking at the fastcap, but decided to go with the titebond that you've been using. I haven't done much as far as cabinets go, but I think you've inspired me to give a go at building some garage cabinets. I've been trying to find a local supplier of baltic birch ply. Not sure I'll be able to find it prefinished though...

A couple of quick questions about your latest post. Is there reason the shelves aren't at the same level? I see that your jig has three holes in it. Is the multilevel shelves intentional?

I've not tried fastcap's CA glue but, from what I've been told, it's the same stuff. Next time I run out I plan to buy some and see for myself.

As for pre-finished vs regular (unfinished) baltic birch - where do you live? From what I understand, the pre-finished stuff can be special ordered into normal box stores. Since I haven't tried I don't know if there's a minimum purchase quantity (like a pallet) or not. May want to try your local Home Depot, Eagle, or Lowes like store. Go to the Pro counter and ask for pre-finished. Next time I'm in I'll do the same and report back. Otherwise, google the terms "hardwood supplier" and your city. When I do that for Denver here's what I get -

From personal experience in Denver, the top 2 are the two largest and both carry pre-finished ply. If I didn't have experience, I'd check out their websites first and then call if I couldn't tell from their websites. Give the query a shot in your area and see what comes up.

You don't need pre-finished for garage cabinets. In general, pre-finished is more expensive and shop cabinets don't even really need to be finished so it's up to you to justify the additional expense. I choose it because I'm have just enough practice building cabinets that I can (almost) plan once, measure once, and cut once...and the internet enables me to hide ALL of my mistake by simply deleting the proof before I upload pictures and post. That being said, I'd recommend using the nicest plywood you can buy from your local box store and start with that. The cost savings allows you to make a few mistakes here and there without feeling like you're throwing away money. Allow for mis-measurements and mistakes by planning to buy a few extra sheets just in case. Accept cutting a board to short...remember, it's the journey not the destination.

Shelves not being the same level question - I get what you're asking. The fixture I made is really a mistake of mine adapted to work anyway. The center holes were the original holes designed to be used with a spring loaded shelf pin bit like this:

The fixture/jig's center holes are the same diameter as the outer housing on the shelf pin bit. After using it a few times I realized that the jig prevented wood shavings/chips from leaving the hole thus jamming the drilling operation (read as not working well). To overcome that I decided to move the holes up 1/2-inch off centerline from the actual center and size them to match the actual drill bit that's true to the hole diameter. In this case, a 1/4-inch brad bit.

The drill bit works better because the flutes of the drill bit allow chip evacuation out of the hole. Why are there two pairs of offset holes? When flipping the fixture between sides the holes that used to be offset 1/2-inch to the bottom become offset 1/2-inch on the top. The result would be shelf pins that aren't, as you suggest, level (actually off by exactly an inch). To overcome this I had to drill holes 1/2-inch offset to both sides. All you have to do to get it right is use the same orientation on both sides. Drill the bottom set on the left then you need to drill the bottom set on the right to end up with a pair at the same level/height.

Now your observation is also true. If I were to drill both sets of holes on both sides (left and right) then I'd have a two pairs of holes aligned on both sides which are 1-inch apart. This though was not the original intent, just a side effect of my solution to the above observed problem.

 

[lilscorpion]

Also, I tried to find your account on Instagram. I wasn't able to track it down. I'm new to instagram, so it may be user error on my end, but I was wondering if maybe it was a privacy setting you had in place.

I just started using Instagram to share so it's kinda new to me too. There's two ways that you can follow my posts - search for #toolingreorg and you'll see all of my posts which I mark #toolingreorg.

What's cool about using #toolingreorg is you can also share you're organization efforts on the same thread by simply including #toolingreorg when you post. Creates a "ToolingReOrg" community of sorts.

 

[neilc]

I don't find anything on Instagram with #toolingreorg

 

[beelsr]

I don't find anything on Instagram with #toolingreorg

and i thought i was the one on the slow bike....

 

[lilscorpion]

Huh...there’s something I don’t get then. I’ll get my wife’s phone and see what she’s sees. I see 3rd one down. You don’t?

 

[lilscorpion]

Got me, I can find it on her phone and through the Instagram website (not app) too. You guys are typing #toolingreorg with the “#” on the front right?





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[beelsr]

yep.

even a google search doesn't find it, which is kinda weird. it usually finds these.

what's your account name? it should pull up at instagram.com/xxxxx without searching.

 

[beelsr]

thought: is your account set to private?

 

[FAEL0401]

I can't find it either.

 

[lilscorpion]

thought: is your account set to private?

It was. That explains why my wife’s phone could see it. Not sure when I switched that on. Bet you can find #toolingreorg now...lol

 

[EOC_Jason]

I was browsing around Menards one day (dangerous I know) and saw this Milescraft Cabinet Mate shelf pin jig. For ~$20 it was a worthwhile investment for my few projects. You can zip right along making the holes. It can kind of clog up like you were mentioning in your post #323, but I find that if drilling on high speed and once you get the right amount of pressure it seems to eject the chips fine.

 

[lilscorpion]

I was browsing around Menards one day (dangerous I know) and saw this Milescraft Cabinet Mate shelf pin jig. For ~$20 it was a worthwhile investment for my few projects. You can zip right along making the holes. It can kind of clog up like you were mentioning in your post #323, but I find that if drilling on high speed and once you get the right amount of pressure it seems to eject the chips fine.

Yeah, simple and gets the job done. I have the rocker version that’s just ok. It clears the chips like you said, with some speed. I liked the fixture a little but found that the bit tends to drill tight holes only when you get it perfectly perpendicular to the workpiece. I don’t think I’m good at free drilling perpendicular like it needs so my holes always seemed sloppy. It’s probably because Om just off a little.



To clarify my issue with the bit - this bit with my home-brew fissure didn’t clear the chips because the chip evacuation hole is buried in the jig (so essentially blocked). I know I didn’t explain that well.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Yeah, you would think they would put more than two small holes in the drill jig assembly. It could be engineered to work better...

 

[lilscorpion]

Nail Gun Module

Having the drills organized is nice. What isn't nice is my nail guns all stacked up in a drawer so a module to organize them is next. Here's the old storage strategy to correctly set context for the build.

This was the original design strategy:

• Fancy as hell
• Guns stored in hanging position made them easy to grab
• Ramp back into the cabinet retained the guns nicely into the cabinet
• Shelf below the guns made storage of consumables really easy and close to the guns
• Additional shelf below allowed for storage of other stuff

Lessons learned:

• Guns stored backward required me to grab the gun magazines to remove them from the rack
• Guns stored backward in the rack required me to use two hands to put a gun away. I'm always holding it by the grip so I have to grab it by the magazine with my other hand to put it away...but, when going to put it away it's always in my right hand so I have to shift it to my left to grab it by the magazine then back to my right to put it away because of how the cabinet opens. Think about the activity - gun in right hand, left hand pulls cabinet open, pass gun to left hand, pass back to right hand gripping the magazine, put away, left hand closes the cabinet. About as inefficient of a process I could come up with.
• Ramp back into the cabinet is just high enough that it takes effort to get the gun high enough to get over the peak.
• Shelf below the guns (where I store consumables) is about 2-inches higher than slight-line so I frequently need to go tippy-toes to get what I need. This makes finding something small a PITA.
• Addional storage shelf at the bottom is good in theory but it's shape isn't conducive to storing most things and it ended up being a catch-all for odds and ends.

I spent way more time than I should have trying to come up with a solution.

I oriented the guns in a variety of ways attempting to put them in a position where I could remove them from the cabinet with one motion (and in my right hand). I tilted the guns this way and that, balanced them against objects, and even flipped them up side down. What i kept coming back to was something I remember noticing during the last cabinet build. The guns all have inconsistent magazine rails in shape which makes them very difficult to organize. Finally frustrated I decided that this was not something I needed to solve. I have way too much left to do to spend half a day on a stupid nail gun rack. I needed a temp solution to get me by and I'll come back and be innovative later. Noting that the only consistent thing about the guns is the air chucks on the end, I decided to make a very simple block that I could drill to the OD of those air chucks so they could stand up on end. Then, if they needed support, I'd work one at a time to do so.

When dropping the guns in for the first time, I noticed that because the depths of the holes is deeper than the air chuck ends were long, the guns stood straight up. Only the narrow crown stapler needed a guide block to the rear to keep it straight. Otherwise, done?

My finish nailer was too big to stand up in the cabinet without wasting space. As you can see in the picture above, I created a simple slot for the magazine to lay in which, when just tall enough, balanced the gone nicely. It's the only gun that requires me to twist my hand forward to remove from the module. Otherwise, any of the guns can be easily removed by grabbing with my right hand, lifting up ~1 1/2-inches, and away I go.

Moving on, I need to get my vacuum pump off the floor before I damage it so, after measuring it's height, I added a shelf to the cabinets for it. Long term it won't be staying here, I have plans to move it over towards the MFT in the main garage where it will stay in the cabinet even when it's in use. The pump does mildly vibrate when on (like an air compressor) so I added some recessed holes to locate the feet.

When settled down in the holes, it stays put. It's also fairly difficult to get out of the recesses so this storage solution will only be good if it can be in the cabinet all the time. I'll probably flip the shelf over if the forward plan is to remove it from the cabinet before each use.

The cabinets are starting to come together. Progress should be steady now since each addition is now either a simple shelf or a module...or so I hope.

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Good Lord man, you even have the Festool vacuum pump? How many inches of mercury or -psi does that pump pull? I'm just starting to look for a vacuum pump for vacuum bagging composite layups and I don't really want to buy a HF unit. But I think I can get a really nice pump for the price of the Festool model.

 

[rvieceli]

Here you go Boilermakerfan:

https://www.veneersupplies.com/categories/Vacuum__Press__Items/Vacuum__Press__Parts/

Ron

 

[lilscorpion]

Good Lord man, you even have the Festool vacuum pump? How many inches of mercury or -psi does that pump pull? I'm just starting to look for a vacuum pump for vacuum bagging composite layups and I don't really want to buy a HF unit. But I think I can get a really nice pump for the price of the Festool model.

150mbar according to the catalog. It's strong enough to hang on to the board while I'm doing stuff to it. Works well 'cept it's difficult to setup when you keep it in the systainer between uses. I tend to just skip using it as a result. One of the goals of this redo in the shop is to figure out a way to make it much easier to setup. Maybe a module or something that bolts easily into a work surface that flips down when not in use. I have some ideas...probably a month or so out though.

The vacuum system does work sweet though. When I had to sand down the railing on my staircase the two vacuum clamps with the narrowest cups were able to hang on to the profile of just the railing which was about 14' long. It made the job so much easier than I thought it was going to be.

 

[lilscorpion]

Chaos Drawers

I did like the idea of having drawers beneath the shelves and I really like the idea of using them to store accessories and consumables for the items stored above them. Since I might end up adding doors to these cabinets I decided to in-set the drawers by 3/4-inch so they’ll put slightly inside of flush. Since the cabinets are 12-inches deep, I down-sized the slides to 10-inches and ordered half a dozen pairs. I started with installing a single set to build the drawer to.


I’m now starting to run al little low on scrap plywood so I ended up making the drawers out of a combination of 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch ply for the sides and 1/4-inch ply for the bottoms. I used a 1 1/4-inch forester bit cut @ 50% overlap at the edge for a “finger pull”. This is what will allow me to get the drawers open.


Bada-Bing, bada-boom.




with the dimensions set, I built one deep one to hold my assortment of nails for my nail guns


and then one that I think I might move some of my electrical tools into (still largely undecided).


and a second thinner one for under the drill drawer to hold drill bits and hex bits. Here's a place I'm looking forward to 3D Printing some parts when I get around to it. Hex and drill bit organizers mostly but I have some ideas..


From a distance I can now begin to visualize the shop coming together. I can also see how useful some smaller drawers are for organizing the smaller stuff (even when the "stuff" isn't really organized that much yet).

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Here you go Boilermakerfan:

https://www.veneersupplies.com/categories/Vacuum__Press__Items/Vacuum__Press__Parts/

Ron

Thanks for that link Ron. I have some older vacuum bagging info from one of the main bag/membrane suppliers from a few years ago, but that site makes it easy to put together a kit.

And I can build an entire system to fit a 2'x4' or even 3'x5' area for less than just the Festool pump. So it would double as a vacuum clamping system as well.

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Re: Chaos Drawers

From a distance I can now begin to visualize the shop coming together. I can also see how useful some smaller drawers are for organizing the smaller stuff (even when the "stuff" isn't really organized that much yet).

It looks amazing man. Have you tracked how many hours you have invested in the construction of all the cabinets, drawers, frames, etc?

 

[lilscorpion]

It looks amazing man. Have you tracked how many hours you have invested in the construction of all the cabinets, drawers, frames, etc?

Why on earth would I do that?!? I think it’s fair to say a lot.

There’s something about a complete workspace build that is crazy creative for me. The initial idea that’s only about 20% baked leads to more ideas. Some don’t work but learning from them leads to better ideas. Man, it’s the junk that carries me through the work week. Right this moment I have dozens that I’m planning to incorporate in the build. I’m impatiently waiting to get to them.

BTW - it may not be clear by the posts but one of my weaknesses is I bounce all over the place...I have 3 or 4 builds going all the time I just post sequential picks when they’re finished. In many cases I’m waiting on parts, materials, or a cutter if some sorts. The game keeps me on my toes.

 

[On-Wheel]

I know a little about learning from what's not quite right also.lol
Geez there's a lot to think about in this post.I'll just say I'm a fan of big wide draws.

 

[blatterjr]

My problem is sorting through all the junk tools that were one-offs to figure out what items really need to be organized and what needs to be tossed. Too many projects, too little time... love your thread though! Fantastic work and it's nice to see someone else struggling for space! =P

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Why on earth would I do that?!? I think it’s fair to say a lot.

Some guys do. I was just curious.

Years ago when I was laid off I built a small chicken coop. Even at $10/hr unemployment rate, that coop would have cost over $1K just in labor.

 

[lilscorpion]

My problem is sorting through all the junk tools that were one-offs to figure out what items really need to be organized and what needs to be tossed.

Totally hear you. A drawer FULL of 18V Dewalt tools with no batteries. Drawers full of harbor freight wrenched, pliers, screw drivers, etc. I felt like a pack rat.

Now that I’m about half way done I know I’m going to be much happier and have much more space. Now if I could just manage another 6x4 space for a CNC router table. Vicious circle it is.


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[lilscorpion]

Some guys do. I was just curious.

Years ago when I was laid off I built a small chicken coop. Even at $10/hr unemployment rate, that coop would have cost over $1K just in labor. [emoji3]

Ok, point taken, it might just be entertaining. I’ll bet I have about 60 hours per month for 3 months and 2 weeks straight between jobs over the holidays - say 100 hours. That’s 280 hours. Maybe round up to 300.

Materials - Probably 20 sheets of 3/4 pre finished Baltic birch ply, 4 sheets 3/4 in finished Baltic birch, 8 sheets 1/2 pre-finished, 4 sheets of 1/4 inch pre-finished, and some maple s4s (really no idea how much). For plywood let’s average the cost at about $55 per sheet. So maybe $2k.

Drawer slides. 22 pair on the main bench. 15 pair on the Tooling bench. 24 more sets you guys don’t know about yet. . Maybe $15 per set so about $1k.

Probably a $500 hundred in hardware (considering the drop table top brackets in there) and zero dollars in tools (it’s a first and yes I too am shocked).

Now to compare to the alternative - I was looking at $3k - $5k tool boxes. Even if I forgot to include $1k somehow my whole build to date is still less than one of those big deal tool boxes...unless you count the time. If I use the $10/hr then add $3k. According to Google, the average hourly rate of a carpenter is $40-$80/hr. Let’s use the low end at $40/hr. That means I have $12k in labor.

Materials = $2k + $1k + $500 = $3500
Labor = $12k
TTL = $15,500

...and I’m probably only 1/2 done as of right now.

Since it’s therapy for me I probably need to deduct that from the bill. Google says the average Mental Health Therapy hourly rate is $28.66/hour. Since I get stuck and occasionally throw stuff I can’t really charge 100% of the time for therapy so let’s say about 60% - so 180 hours * 28.66 = $5158.

TTL Materials and Labor = $15,500
Less Mental Health Therapy @ $5158
Grand TTL = $10, 342

So I either need to figure out how to make more of the time in the garage therapeutic, use cheaper materials, or stop counting my time.

 

[EOC_Jason]

If it's "therapy", isn't that tax deductible?

 

[lilscorpion]

If it's "therapy", isn't that tax deductible?

It might be. Since I do my own taxes I can probably write off not only the deduction for therapy but the time it will take to write it off as another deduction.

Keep the ideas coming. At this rate I might just have enough data to prove to my wife shop time actually makes us money!



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[blatterjr]

Totally hear you. A drawer FULL of 18V Dewalt tools with no batteries. Drawers full of harbor freight wrenched, pliers, screw drivers, etc. I felt like a pack rat.

Now that I’m about half way done I know I’m going to be much happier and have much more space. Now if I could just manage another 6x4 space for a CNC router table. Vicious circle it is.


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Agreed, in full. I designed and built a 30 x 54 CNC router table; fully custom gantry/rails/etc. and an 80/20 frame; it was great... just WAY too big for my workshop (image on the 3D printer thread). So I sold it and downsized to an X-Carve. I miss the industrial quality of my first build, but am working my way around upgrading the current machine.

 

[lilscorpion]

Agreed, in full. I designed and built a 30 x 54 CNC router table; fully custom gantry/rails/etc. and an 80/20 frame; it was great... just WAY too big for my workshop (image on the 3D printer thread). So I sold it and downsized to an X-Carve. I miss the industrial quality of my first build, but am working my way around upgrading the current machine.

Went and checked out the pics. Cool machine. Can’t believe you got rid of it but I understand the rationale. I’ve looked into the xCarve’s and they’re just too light duty and, I’ll bet they won’t handle the kind of use I’d subject one to. Did you document your build by chance?


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[blatterjr]

Went and checked out the pics. Cool machine. Can’t believe you got rid of it but I understand the rationale. I’ve looked into the xCarve’s and they’re just too light duty and, I’ll bet they won’t handle the kind of use I’d subject one to. Did you document your build by chance?

Yes, I miss it sometimes, but playing with the X-Carve and may make another at some point. I dabble in too many places to be really good at any of them... woodworking, fabrication, welding, electronics... getting into machining a bit now as well.

I didn't formally document it anywhere besides just taking some photos; I had a friend do most of the machining, ergo my interest in another hobby/skill that will be a huge money sink. I probably have 50+, but here are a few images of it.

 

[madison069]

Here I am happy to find some free cabinets this morning on the side of the road and you're building these custom units!

I dig all of the work you're putting into these cabinets. I haven't made the jump to building cabinets yet since I'm still just getting a feel for how I will work in the garage.

 

[lilscorpion]

Yes, I miss it sometimes, but playing with the X-Carve and may make another at some point. I dabble in too many places to be really good at any of them... woodworking, fabrication, welding, electronics... getting into machining a bit now as well.

Good is subjective and comes with practice. The internet (and YouTube) make it easy to hide failures. All you gotta do is hit delete. If you continue you thirst for learning you'll find yourself in a really good place. About the only thing experience does is reduce (but not eliminate) waste. I still build junk (my phrase for not good) from time to time, it's part of the process.

I encourage you to get all the way into machining. It's awesome.

 

[lilscorpion]

Here I am happy to find some free cabinets this morning on the side of the road and you're building these custom units!

I dig all of the work you're putting into these cabinets. I haven't made the jump to building cabinets yet since I'm still just getting a feel for how I will work in the garage.

There's nothing wrong with repurposing cabinets for the shop. I don't share this stuff (mostly because I don't have a single picture to prove it) but my first shop was fitted with the old cabinets we had left over after a kitchen remodel in our last house. They worked well until the drawers started to fail. They had cheap bottoms in them that weren't even 3/16" thick which couldn't support the weight of tools let alone silverware. The worked for me for quite some time and I even started to modify them to better meet my needs. When I moved though, the garage cabinets were actually included in the offer...sure, have them. The first build started shortly before I posted the Tooling Organization thread...that was the beginning.

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Ok, point taken, it might just be entertaining. I’ll bet I have about 60 hours per month for 3 months and 2 weeks straight between jobs over the holidays - say 100 hours. That’s 280 hours. Maybe round up to 300.

Materials - Probably 20 sheets of 3/4 pre finished Baltic birch ply, 4 sheets 3/4 in finished Baltic birch, 8 sheets 1/2 pre-finished, 4 sheets of 1/4 inch pre-finished, and some maple s4s (really no idea how much). For plywood let’s average the cost at about $55 per sheet. So maybe $2k.

Drawer slides. 22 pair on the main bench. 15 pair on the Tooling bench. 24 more sets you guys don’t know about yet. . Maybe $15 per set so about $1k.

Probably a $500 hundred in hardware (considering the drop table top brackets in there) and zero dollars in tools (it’s a first and yes I too am shocked).

Now to compare to the alternative - I was looking at $3k - $5k tool boxes. Even if I forgot to include $1k somehow my whole build to date is still less than one of those big deal tool boxes...unless you count the time. If I use the $10/hr then add $3k. According to Google, the average hourly rate of a carpenter is $40-$80/hr. Let’s use the low end at $40/hr. That means I have $12k in labor.

Materials = $2k + $1k + $500 = $3500
Labor = $12k
TTL = $15,500

...and I’m probably only 1/2 done as of right now.

Since it’s therapy for me I probably need to deduct that from the bill. Google says the average Mental Health Therapy hourly rate is $28.66/hour. Since I get stuck and occasionally throw stuff I can’t really charge 100% of the time for therapy so let’s say about 60% - so 180 hours * 28.66 = $5158.

TTL Materials and Labor = $15,500
Less Mental Health Therapy @ $5158
Grand TTL = $10, 342

So I either need to figure out how to make more of the time in the garage therapeutic, use cheaper materials, or stop counting my time. ��

Oh man...

I only remember how many hours I had in the little chicken coop because my wife had suggested selling it at one point to upgrade to a larger one. I might be able to sell it for the materials in it... I have to replace the lid over the nest box soon, it's rotting away. I would have been better off just building with 2x4s and full size sheets of T11.

I have no idea how many hours I have in my basement workbench. It's still not done, but I don't get much time to work on projects from November to May. Between **** weather, NASP archery season (head coach), lacrosse (coach), and teaching on top of my day job I basically have zero free time for 7 months.

Our lacrosse season is ramping up now so I think we have games both days on the weekends through April. My son plays U12 and I'm the defense/goalie coach. I was the high school girls varsity head coach for two seasons so just being the defense coach for middle school boys is a nice change of pace. I have a lot more free time this year.

I know you mentioned your son is playing lacrosse, what age group does he play in? U12 or U14?


I would love to have a CNC router, but I want one that takes full 4'x8' sheets. Just toss a sheet on the CNC and hit GO. Fortunately I have access to one at the Uni, but haven't had a chance to haul any plywood out there yet to run off the parts for the boat. I also have no room to build the boat until the garage is cleared out.

 

[lilscorpion]

Oh man...

I only remember how many hours I had in the little chicken coop because my wife had suggested selling it at one point to upgrade to a larger one. I might be able to sell it for the materials in it... I have to replace the lid over the nest box soon, it's rotting away. I would have been better off just building with 2x4s and full size sheets of T11.

I have no idea how many hours I have in my basement workbench. It's still not done, but I don't get much time to work on projects from November to May. Between **** weather, NASP archery season (head coach), lacrosse (coach), and teaching on top of my day job I basically have zero free time for 7 months.

Our lacrosse season is ramping up now so I think we have games both days on the weekends through April. My son plays U12 and I'm the defense/goalie coach. I was the high school girls varsity head coach for two seasons so just being the defense coach for middle school boys is a nice change of pace. I have a lot more free time this year.

I know you mentioned your son is playing lacrosse, what age group does he play in? U12 or U14?


I would love to have a CNC router, but I want one that takes full 4'x8' sheets. Just toss a sheet on the CNC and hit GO. Fortunately I have access to one at the Uni, but haven't had a chance to haul any plywood out there yet to run off the parts for the boat. I also have no room to build the boat until the garage is cleared out.

I’ll bet the weather is hard on a coup. Smi can’t remember seeing one that looks new. Probably have to keep it up every year.

Very similar situations. My son is now playing in high school as a freshman so my days of coaching and involvement are over. I coached from U9 - U12 and U-15. Also coaches D though when I played back in the day, I was a midi and LSM. For those 5 years my son and I did nothing but lacrosse for about 9 months out of the year so I know first had how little time you have.

Archery coaching? Cool. We dont have that here (or near us anyway).


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[BoilermakerFan]

I’ll bet the weather is hard on a coup. Smi can’t remember seeing one that looks new. Probably have to keep it up every year.

Very similar situations. My son is now playing in high school as a freshman so my days of coaching and involvement are over. I coached from U9 - U12 and U-15. Also coaches D though when I played back in the day, I was a midi and LSM. For those 5 years my son and I did nothing but lacrosse for about 9 months out of the year so I know first had how little time you have.

Archery coaching? Cool. We dont have that here (or near us anyway).


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I never got to play lax. We had the little foam sticks and gradually upgraded for years before my daughter played her sophomore through senior years. I was an assistant coach her first year. My son is using my boys stick that was a birthday gift a few years ago. He prefers to play D, but also plays Midi. He's already asking for a D pole... and he hasn't played a game yet.

I still use my women's stick. It's easier for me to throw and I have a lot more power with it. My pocket was ************ so I can catch just fine with it. We give it to the boys to use to help learn to cradle since it's a lot harder to cradle with a women's stick. Our high school teams are still coached by parents. The sport is growing, but it's still not popular enough here to be sanctioned or draw the staff from the schools to coach it. That's a good and bad thing. My daughter and I went to watch the high school girls play when she was home over spring break. That was frustrating to watch. I stayed quiet, but I wanted to scream to the coaches how to change the line up and the defense... I wouldn't do well sitting in the stands after coaching for so many years.

I've been a NASP (national Archery in Schools Program) archery coach for five years. Started coaching when my son was in second grade. Back then it was just our Catholic school and the east side high school. Now all the Catholic schools in the area have teams and our middle school is the only public school to have a team. But the archery has grown like crazy in SW Indiana. And they are very good, several Top 10 teams in the nation over the years. The middle school team at our previous school (my son went there for elementary) finished Top 3 in the state for Indiana and won the 3D shoot two years in a row. This year that school didn't even finish in the top 5 at state. I started the team at my son's middle school this year. Building a team with only one shooter having previous experience was a new experience. So I'm working to get the feeding elementary schools involved and I'm working to get the high school we feed to start a team too.

 

[blatterjr]

I encourage you to get all the way into machining. It's awesome.

No doubt... always desired from a distance and have been looking at mills/lathes for a long time, it just never came to fruition. There is a real dearth of availability in my area. Now I'm at the point of forcing it, buying something on which I can start the adventure.

Lifetime learner...

My oldest is in law school and I have two highschoolers, so my time, like yours, has limits. That said, I'm going to make the jump and start making my 'junk' and honing some skills.