Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Welcome......To Odd Acres

[sawduststeve]

Evening Dan,

Just rub it in why don't you.
We're in the middle of a nice run of warm weather, maybe into the 80's come the weekend but I doubt the humidity will drop much lower than 45/50%. No wonder things rust at such an alarming rate.

Great work with the laundry remodel.

Steve.

 

[ap2002]

thank you very much for the reply! Hopefully I am getting the same model soon and was wanting a little bit more information, I think you are the first person I see to run a Mirage on the board. Believe it or not this brand is suppose the be the number one seller in Mexico, mini splits are very common down there. I got in contact with someone down there and to my surprise these units are fairly cheap down there compared to what the price is here in the U.S., the 2ton is the one im going with for a 3car garage at about 600-650sqft.,,,,

Thank you very much for the kind words and thanks for stopping by!

The mini split is a Mirage Magnum. It's rated at 24,000 btu (about 2 tons) which is good for about 1,000 square feet (93 sq. meter). I was told that it is made by Gree who makes the better mini splits out there. So far, so good.

Edit: This unit is a heat pump so winters will be warm if needed.

Cheers!

 

[bj383ss]

Holy ****! Thats amazing. I would love that humidity.

Bret

 

[Finallygotit]

Evening Dan,

Just rub it in why don't you.
We're in the middle of a nice run of warm weather, maybe into the 80's come the weekend but I doubt the humidity will drop much lower than 45/50%. No wonder things rust at such an alarming rate.

Great work with the laundry remodel.

Steve.

Hi Steve! I do what I can to help.

Thank you for the kind words.

thank you very much for the reply! Hopefully I am getting the same model soon and was wanting a little bit more information, I think you are the first person I see to run a Mirage on the board. Believe it or not this brand is suppose the be the number one seller in Mexico, mini splits are very common down there. I got in contact with someone down there and to my surprise these units are fairly cheap down there compared to what the price is here in the U.S., the 2ton is the one im going with for a 3car garage at about 600-650sqft.,,,,

You are quite welcome. You should easily be able to control the environment in your garage with a 2 ton unit. Just make sure to insulate well for efficiency.

Holy ****! Thats amazing. I would love that humidity.

Bret

Hi Bret, that's a little too low. It is good for the shop stuff but not so good for the noses. We have a humidifier going at night in our house and we're able to maintain ~30%. Our last house didn't have one and one day I walked up to the thermostat to change the setting and took it out. Man that hurt! Good thing it was black Friday and HD had a great sale on thermostats.

Thank you all for stopping by!

 

[Finallygotit]

Well, finally got the new bracket made for the mini lathe using the mill and the lathe to get it back together.

The new bracket is much more stout than the old one and does not flex.



Here it is assembled



I was so happy to finally get to this point. I plugged it in and turned it on............nada......

Seems like there is a problem with the motor itself. That really took the wind out of my sails. Decided to put it on a shelf for another day and then proceeded to clean up the shop for the next couple of projects.

Here's a before picture.



And after



More to come!

 

[jbmatth]

That cleaned up pretty well, too bad about the motor though.
JB

 

[Finallygotit]

Thanks JB! I'll get it sorted out, but not right now.

I'm getting a new mini split installed this Friday and I have to run a new 220 volt 30 amp service back there for him. Then I will have a comfortable work space to rebuild the head on the Bridgeport.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

[sawduststeve]

Evening Dan

Great job with the mini lathe, shame it doesn't run, yet.
If you're ever in London and feel the need to clean, I reckon I could keep you busy for a month or two. complete with endless cups of tea.

Regards
Steve

No mini splits required.

 

[Finallygotit]

Hi Steve,

I would love to visit London. My only visits though just seem to be stopovers in Heathrow. Change that offer of tea to coffee and you might have a visitor.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

[XabuJr]

Holy ****, what a set of projects. Read through all 19 pages! I sometimes wish I had ground that flat, or dry. haha.

Now I'm going to have to research that mill, as my neighbor has one and I never quite understood what it was used for. Seeing that bracket you made, makes me realize I need to study up quickly.

Can't wait to see all that you do there though! Great job.

 

[slodat]

I have two of the Pioneer 24,000btu mini split heat pumps in my shop. They do a great job of keeping 3500sq ft under 70F in the hot streak we are going through. They were quite inexpensive (about $1k/ea). I'm really happy with them. Heating stops around 40F outside.

 

[Finallygotit]

Holy ****, what a set of projects. Read through all 19 pages! I sometimes wish I had ground that flat, or dry. haha.

Now I'm going to have to research that mill, as my neighbor has one and I never quite understood what it was used for. Seeing that bracket you made, makes me realize I need to study up quickly.

Can't wait to see all that you do there though! Great job.

Hello Craig and thanks for stopping by our odd little corner of the universe.

Having a milling machine is nice . I just smile every time I walk in the shop and see it. I really do need to rebuild the head though. That's next!

I just remade the tool holder for the lathe tools and used the mill to pop the holes for the collets and the quick change bits in the wood. I need to post those pics. Turned out well IMHO for a quick little job.

Thanks again for stopping by and the kind words.

 

[Finallygotit]

I have two of the Pioneer 24,000btu mini split heat pumps in my shop. They do a great job of keeping 3500sq ft under 70F in the hot streak we are going through. They were quite inexpensive (about $1k/ea). I'm really happy with them. Heating stops around 40F outside.

What I came to realize with the mini split I re-purposed for the shop was that is was undersized. All of the paperwork that the PO left behind referenced a 2 ton (24,000 BTU) unit. While trying to work out there, the unit just couldn't get the temp down. I finally found the tag on the outside unit and it's only a 1 ton.

My shop is 750 sq. ft. with 13 foot ceilings. Square footage-wise, a 1-1/2 ton unit should do the trick but I figured that with the high ceilings and the fact that it's a metal building, I should up-size the unit. So, I had my friendly Carrier guy give me a quote for a 2-1/2 ton unit. That unit is getting installed today. Plus the fact that the old mini split was a 13 SEER and the new one is 20 SEER, I should be saving some on the electricity.

Anyway, long winded story for "I should have checked".

Thanks for stopping by!

 

[slodat]

I have some of the truly lowest electricity rates in the country, about $0.041/kWh. I bought the cheap mini splits two years ago to see how they work. Whenever they die, I'll upgrade to the Mitsubishi units that cool down to negative outside temps.

 

[Finallygotit]

Wow! That is cheap. We pay about $0.12 per KWH.

 

[Bob Heine]

Wow! That is cheap. We pay about $0.12 per KWH.

Dan, you just need to have this nearby (Grand Coulee Dam). That puppy produces 6,809 megawatts of electricity.

I believe power output from Hoover Dam produces 2,078 megawatts when Lake Mead is full.

 

[Finallygotit]

Holy moly Bob, that's a lot of mega watts!

Well, to report back, the new mini split is the bomb! On the first try it went from 92° in the shop to 74° in an hour and a half.

I also found out that my HVAC guy fat fingered the quote he gave me. The new mini split is a 24 SEER unit not a 20 SEER unit as was on the quote.

More to come

 

[rattle_snake]

Dan,

Because my shop is uncomfortably hot this time of year, and your new A/C system is the 'bomb', I'm going to go ahead and say, 'you ****'.

Jealous!

 

[Finallygotit]

Dan,

Because my shop is uncomfortably hot this time of year, and your new A/C system is the 'bomb', I'm going to go ahead and say, 'you ****'.

Jealous!

WOO-HOO!! My first "you ****"!

Thanks for that Justin. And trust me, I know how you feel out there. Been there, done that, have the sweaty T-shirts. But pretty soon we'll have nine months of gorgeous weather.

 

[slodat]

Of that 6800, I am responsible for protection and controls on ~4500MW of generation. We always have water to generate

 

[mwbailey]

Hey Dan,

I've enjoyed your postings -- had bumped into them a while back and was impressed that nothing seemed to phase you. Just do it, right? If the Cobra needs better protection, build it a garage; why not?

This time around the mini-split caught my eye. I have one, not sure of the capacity, in a loft above my workshop. It seems to cool just fine, but apparently because it is almost at the top of a peak, the heating leaves a lot to be desired. I believe you mentioned that you have moved yours from another area (and I don't think you've had a winter with it in your workshop). How was the heating before, and, of course, I'd be interested to know how it heats this coming winter.

Keep on keeping on.

 

[Finallygotit]

Hello mwbailey and thank you very much for those kind words and stopping in.

Regarding the mini split, the original unit that came with the house in the converted garage was never able to function in there. I later found out that whoever installed that unit did not wire it correctly. Surprised something didn't get damaged. I just recently was able to get it charged up and working in the shop but with it being 95 plus degrees outside, I wasn't too worried about its heating capability. And like I said in a previous post, that unit was undersized for the space.

I'm sure that this new unit will have more than adequate heating capacity this winter. I will report back on how well it works (or not) when the need requires. If you don't hear from me, pester me.

In the meantime, the old mini split will be relocated once again and this time it's going to live in the Cobra garage. At 320 square feet, it should keep me comfortable while I work on the little car.

I hope I answered your question.

Take care

 

[mwbailey]

Yep, sure answered question -- as far as you can go with current temperatures. I'll check back and pester if I need to, Finallygotit.

Thanks.

 

[Hutchinsonkw]

Hey, I really enjoyed your transformation. I just read though all 20 pages. While I don't have to deal with the heat you do, I have the winter. I never considered a metal. Holding like that but it may be a good option with the insulation. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Finallygotit]

Hello Hutchinsonkw and thank you for stopping by and the kind words.

I have a couple of small projects to make shortly (wood working and such) and then I need to tear into the head on the mill. That will be fun and messy.

Still have to run the electric out to the Cobra garage but I'm going to wait until the temps drop a bit to dig a trench. They're predicting 100° for this weekend. But the temp IN the shop will be a nice 73° for little projects.

More to come.

 

[Jack84]

Went through all pages, kinda jealous of the space you have. My garage isn't even big enough to hold your little car.
Thanks for sharing, really enjoyed reading your thread.

 

[Finallygotit]

Thanks for the kind words and stopping by Jack.

I started making a list of projects this afternoon that need to get done. Emphasis on started.



Holy moly I'm going to be busy.

Thanks for stopping by folks!

Cheers

 

[Finallygotit]

Well, the time has come for old faithful to be retired.

This combo box has served me quite well for over 45 years. But now it just can't hold everything I need and what is in there takes some digging, at times, to find the right tool. That was frustrating me.

So, I decided it was time to upgrade.

Meet Big Red

It's going to take me a while to figure out where I want to put things. It's also going to take quite a while to find things once they are in there. Right now I can find tool drawers by braille if need be. That's no longer going to be the case. I also have to rearrange the shop a bit to fit this beast.

Cheers

 

[sawduststeve]

Morning Dan

This list of projects to be started you made, I take it #1 on the list was,
BUY STUFF. Big Red looks good, to nice to use almost.
Looking forward to what you have planned, I always enjoy your posts.
Keep cool.

Regards
Steve.

 

[Bob Heine]

Dan, when you say retire do you mean get rid of or re-purpose. I don't recall seeing a tool chest in the Cobra garage so maybe keep enough tools in there so you don't have to walk outside to the main shop (then again, a connector between the two buildings might be just as handy!).

Another possibility is to use the old chest for Bridgeport and Atlas tooling.

Tool storage has always been a luxury for me so the only time chests have been retired they were gifted to grandchildren (someday they will replace them with the fancy ones with ball-bearing slides like I did after I retired).

 

[Finallygotit]

Hi Steve! As I start to sort things out, the need to store things has been an issue. This new tool box will go a long way in that regard. And thanks for the kind words, much appreciated.

Hi Bob! Thanks for stopping by. Quite honestly, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with old faithful. I already have a Gerstner and Kennedy box for my metal working tools. Although, with the acquisition of the mill and the lathe, they came with a bunch of spare parts and auxiliary equipment that needs a home. Dunno....

Oh, and I finally figured out how to work with Flickr. Those last two pictures are from their website. Now I can start the process of migrating my pictures to them and tell PB to kiss my ***. I can't wait to take their survey.

More to come!

 

[skrap metal]

cool

 

[Finallygotit]

Thanks for stopping in skrap metal!

Decided that I really needed to go out in the shop and make something. I've been feeling pretty down lately and I know doing something out there would take my mind off things.

A few weeks ago I was using an old plastic headed hammer that my dad gave me a few years ago; I really like this hammer. As I was using it, the plastic head broke and I was just tapping with it. So I was looking at the hardware store and online for a replacement then it dawned on me, you dumb **** you can make one.

Here's the hammer with busted up head.


So I dug out a chunk of round plastic (acetal) that I had laying around and mounted it on the lathe.



Mind you, I'm cutting up a BIG chunk-o-plastic for a smallish hammer head but at this point I don't care.

So I face the front and turn down the OD.



Now it's time to part it off.



Flip the part around, face the new side and center drill.



Drill small pilot hole then drill larger hole.



Now time to bore out the hole just slightly undersize for a nice press fit.



A couple of little chamfers.....



A little pressure with the arbor press and presto, my hammer is in business again.



Now I feel better on a few levels. It's the small things.........

Thank you all for stopping by, means a lot to me.

More to come!

 

[56vette461]

Dan,
Ain't it funny how a little time with something most would see as piddling around can be so rewarding on so many levels. Turning a big chunk into something is just what we need sometimes. Great fix on your part.

 

[C_F]

Nice work on the new hammer head, how does it whack?

If I were a few hundred miles closer to you, I'd offer to take your old faithful tool box off your hands. But it's probably just as well, I'd have to clean up my garage to fit it in, anyway. Can't do that!

 

[Finallygotit]

Hi CF

Yes, the new hammer head whacks and whacks good! So good that I proceeded to knock out an armature in a motor housing that I'm rebuilding and ever so brilliantly landed that sucker on that web of skin between my thumb and forefinger and the motor housing. After dancing around the shop yelling expletives that probably could be heard for blocks, I now have a wonderful blood blister to remind me how freakin' stupid I was.

Now about old faithful, I'm having second thoughts about retiring it. Bob is right, I don't have a box in the Cobra garage and I have a few extra tools I can throw in there so I don't have to wear a path between the garage and the shop. That box has a lot of sentimental value, now that I realize it.

More to come.

 

[Finallygotit]

Dan,
Ain't it funny how a little time with something most would see as piddling around can be so rewarding on so many levels. Turning a big chunk into something is just what we need sometimes. Great fix on your part.

Thank you and you are so right!

 

[C_F]

Man, if I had a dollar for every time I've given myself a blood blister in much the same way...actually, I'm probably overdue for one. Great, now I probably just jinxed myself.

 

[jimreed2160]

Hi CF

Yes, the new hammer head whacks and whacks good! So good that I proceeded to knock out an armature in a motor housing that I'm rebuilding and ever so brilliantly landed that sucker on that web of skin between my thumb and forefinger and the motor housing. After dancing around the shop yelling expletives that probably could be heard for blocks, I now have a wonderful blood blister to remind me how freakin' stupid I was.

Now about old faithful, I'm having second thoughts about retiring it. Bob is right, I don't have a box in the Cobra garage and I have a few extra tools I can throw in there so I don't have to wear a path between the garage and the shop. That box has a lot of sentimental value, now that I realize it.

More to come.

My dad would, in a droll voice, say, "I think you hit the wrong place, son."

As for the tool chest, I agree with Bob. Once you start looking for extra tools, my guess is that the box will fill up pretty quickly.

 

[sawduststeve]

Evening Dan

Good work with the hammer head, sometimes a little concentration on something that may or may not be too important can certainly lift the spirits when finished.
Old faithful retired, no, just gone part time.

Chin up,best regards
Steve.