Shop-Talk Sunday: What is “Enough Tools?

Earlier this week another “Tool Project” came home:  The radial arm saw.

To be sure, it will be a bit of work getting it into 100% to my standards of readiness.  There may be some paint, a few rust spots to be “cured” and lots of elbow grease.  Plus, a missing elevation crank has been ordered from eBay.  Thriving vintage tool market there.

While I was talking to the fellow I purchased it from, he asked in passing “What are you planning to build?”  “Got the kitchen, to begin with…”  I admitted this new acquisition wasn’t my only saw.  Thing is, when I told him this, there was what sounded like a bit of a smile in his voice.   “Lot of equipment….ummm….

He was absolutely correct – we have a ton of tools:  There’s just some… almost carving-level detail with a dado, for examle – that can be done so muchg easier with the right tool.  A radial arm rig, in this case.  You can see where the lines are. And the saw balde.  Make sure everything is just-so.  Yes, wear glasses.

The Dream Power Tool List

The importance of having a “tool for every need” was driven home Saturday as I was attaching the motor and fan housing to the new “industrial” dust collector.

The bracket was just a little bit off.  Which led me to “Apply some arm-strong.”  When the temp in the shop is up to 85-degrees (and humid because we’re in a Monsoon week in East Texas), “Armstronging steel brackets” is not nearly as much fun at these temps.  Like it is when the shop is bone dry and 58-degrees.  Which to my way of figuring is THE ideal working temperature.  Still warm enough to paint, but when you get manic, you don’t overheat, see?

There were several ways to approach the Saturday project:  I could have followed the assembly instructions, but I wanted to put the motor on the fan housing up on the bench. Easier to see. Old man on hands and knees is just not something with a high fun quotient, lately.

Eventually perspiration overcame all.  Perspiration aided by  a 3-pound dead-blow hammer on both offending sides of the bracket.  They promptly surrendered and the holes lined up as instructed.  I threatened a head lock, too…

The rest of the assembly went smoothly thanks to this little goody:

Recognize it?  This is a DeWalt right-angle impact wrench drive! 

It was about $20-bucks on Amazon and I have to say, on more than one occasion, it has saved my lazy butt.

Related hint: If you need even more room in a really  cramped assembly space?  Take off the deep-well socket and go to conventional shallow depth socket, right?

Let’s “Blue Sky” the Shop

It’s already obvious that I suffer from “normal” male serial addictions:  Boats, blondes, blues, booze, ham radio, studio, airplanes, Porsches, and tools.  What would the ideal shop be to cover all these bases?  I mean since I found one blonde who knows to ask “Which kind of screwdriver? Slotted, Phillips, or orange juice?”

I’ve divided up the shop very roughly into three sections:  Woodworking, 3D arts, and Metalworking.  File by pile but with a plan.

For several years I have patiently added to the collections.  Here’s where I am on the “big stuff” right now.  See what you can figure that I might use that I don’t have on hand:

Wood Main Semi Stationary Tools:

  • Tables saw #1  Sears (cheapo) 10-inch – mainly a crosscut and ripping machine.
  • Table Saw #2 – Sears (classic early alum table 8-1/4″) set up for tenon cutting with fence and two kinds of dado (stack set and wobble)
  • Radial Arm Saw (restoration in process)
  • Chop saw 12” HF compound/bevel
  • Shaper 1 – ½” bore  (found it new in box on eBay)  Toolkraft.  Have about 15 cutters for it.
  • Shaper 2 – ½” diam router-type bits (have set of 20-odd cutters, all carbide)
  • Bandsaw – 10” Rikon for Resawing
  • Delta  long bed jointer (6” width)
  • Thickness Planer:  Wen 13” width (great little machine when resawing!)
  • Lathe (wood)  Wen  About 43” (18”vari-speed with extension bed)
  • Mortising machine:  Wen with 3-sizes of mortising bits
  • Drill press (10”)
  • Scroll saw 16” (variable speed)
  • Belt and Disk sander (fixed) (also a handheld on, but why?)
  • Air handling (wood)  HF 1550 CFM (large) built-in vac. 4” ducts to chop saw, table saw, sander, planer, jointer

(Plus every hand power tool on earth)

  • Power planer
  • ½” big router
  •  ½” small router (signmaking)
  •  ¼” trim router with flush cuts
  • Dewalt Sawz-All type
  • 4-1/2” grinder with carving bit (chain type)
  •  Dremel with many accessories and carving stand
  • Air nailers galore: pin, 18 gauge up to 3-1/2″ framing nailer
  •  Hitachi impact and drill drivers with 4 ahr batteries and spares
  • Jig saws (*one going into a jigsaw table mount rattling around in my head)

For real woodworking

  • Dovertailing rig
  • Doweling jig with dowel pins
  • Biscuit joiner with biscuits
  • Squeeze and bar clamps for glue-ups
  • Lots of drills, accessories, good Porter Cable Forstner set
  • A great old Stanley #9 hand plane

Finishing:

  • Electric and air spray rigs
  • Small compressor and air brushing set (Elaine’s but she doesn’t use it)
  • Billions of HF chip brushes… tons of spar varnish etc
  • Air brushing rig (I don’t tell Elaine!  Shhhh…)
  • Fair paint rack for what we need out here.

Shared Resources: 

  • Air Compressor 25 gallon, 1.5 HP
  • Manifold with air hoses to:  Main bench, 40-foot retracting reel, and drill station

Metal Side of the Shop:

  • Metal Lathe 1:  9 X 23 Jet gear head with tooling
  • Metal Lathe 2:  Taig Mini (with risers and tooling)
  • Vertical Mill:  HF Mini mill (about a 7″ X 16″ bed)
  • Plasma Cutter:  Lotos ½” clean cut with tooling and spares
  • (Gas) Welding/Cutting  Campbell Hausfeld (Victor) type with cutting torch – oxy-act.
  • Welding (stick)  Cheapo 180 amp stick rig with assorted sticks
  • Welding (Mig)  Lincoln SP-135T with extra argon bottles, tips, FluxCore 0.030 and 0.035.

Sheet metalwork: 

  • Air nibblers. air shears, die grinders, etc.
  • 36”  Box and Pan brake.
  • Burnishing machine  (it’s like a grinder with a right-angle drive)  Surfacing rust-eating animal!
  • Assorted metal tools:   air saws, air-powered files, air hammers, needle scaler, etc
  • Air impact and ratchet wrench sets.

3D Design/Printing

  • Creality 3D printer  9X9X13 build volume
  • CNC Router (3018 series SainSmart)
  • With interchangeable 5.5 watt laser cutter head for the CNC
  • Laptop with “Blender” design software
  • Library of open source printable designs (prepping stuff)
  • Fair supply of PLA, ABS and PTE filament to print
  • 3D air handling: HF 1 HP 650 FPM vented outside for the plastics area (so can print ABS and styrene…)

Miscellaneous

  •  Two 6-inch grinders:  3-stone types and one wire brush
  • Circular saw sharpener (electric)
  • Chain saw sharper
  • Sharp stones, leather hone/strop
  • Knife-making 1″ belt sander
  • 1/2 HP Buffer (2 wheels) on stand

In the Wings

  • Backyard Metalcasting furnace
  • Refractory to complete.
  • Green sand.  Need to build a cope and drag in woodshop…
  • Have two crucibles but need charging tongs, lifting/pouring tongs
  • Have 250 pounds 6061-T6 scrap for melting.
  • Need to plumb this into the 500 gallon propane tank…

The Big Question

What power/stationary tools have I missed?  Anything big you can think of?

Electric honing machine is a maybe but wouldn’t be used hardly at all.  I want to add mor pipe clamps for doing more/larger laminations and glue-ups.

I didn’t keep the sail repair kit from our sailboat.  But maybe a couple of sail needles, some bits of canvas and leather would be good to have around?

Always a Project

While it’s grand to have worked your ass off and gotten a small parcel of land free and clear, its not really so much YOU own the land as it is “The Lands Owns You.”

Another farmer saying is “When you own the land, everywhere your eye lands is a project that needs doing…”

That saying was proven again just before the Monsoons brought up nearly 2-inches of rain this week.

The front gate fell apart.

Let me show you how Lazy George fixes a 12-foot wide metal fence that as been pulled out of an aging cedar fence post.

I removed the rusted pin.  Gave the screw-in part a quick once-over with a wire wheel.  Then I grabbed a couple of tubes of self-mixing 5-Minute Epoxy, and filled in the hole. (Pretended I was a dentist and making beau coup bank…)  Then for good measure, glopped some on the fence hinge pin, too.

Then I reassembled, blocking up the far end on some 2-by’s to set the heighth where I wanted it.  Then off to breakfast.  By the time breakfast was over, warm weather and 5-Minute Epoxy has done their magic.  Works like a charm.

Almost disappointingly, so.

You see, here’s the thing:  When you have a real capable  shop – even if I’m not the greatest at any of these tools (save the computer?) even the village idiot (oye) can cobble up something that would fill the bill.

As I brought the 2-by “blocking” back to the shop, I had imagined an ornate waterproof plywood and cedar rebuild.  No?  How about bending up some inch-and-a-half by 3/16th’s bar stock and making a “hinge ring”?  Then cut the pin down to an inch and a half and weld it onto this strap ring…and then put that into the post with long heavy deck screws all around….

See all the choices?

Learning moment:  1-Minute Epoxy is great for some jobs, but the strength when done runs around 2,400 PSI.  5-minute epoxy pays off patience with 3,600 PSI.  So there are some differences in epoxy’s to be aware of.  And yes, it is vastly superior to Super Glue in many applications, particularly when porosity is involved.

One Last Farm and Yard Hint

We never used Round-Up, but here lately the 20% vinegar you can buy on Amazon is working well at keeping under the fenceline trimmed up without so much effort on the weed eater.

This is almost 3-months since last application and 6+ weeks without the trimmer coming out.  As soon as the rain passes this week (the Fourth, rain, right?) then I’ll make a low pass with the trimmer, give it a few days, and then hit it again with more vinegar.

Got the idea from my buddy  the Major who is Mr. Strack when comes to his grounds.  He uses a gallon of regular vinegar and then melts a cup of Epsom salts to a saturated solution (a minute in the microwave gets more dissolved) and a teaspoon of dish soap to cut surface tension.

You’ll want to apply this with a sprayer a day or two after rain and when it won’t rain for 3-4 days, at least.

A further caution here:  My Amazon cheap sprayer pump (Chapin) failed after I left the plunger sitting in 20% vinegar for a few weeks.  So use what you mix, then rinse out the pump and maybe yours will last longer than mine….  The small 1-gallon size pump fits several sizes.  And I didn’t see where I could buy the pump portion, by itself. Naw, that would make too much sense….

OK…ride ’em lanmower!  Yee Haw!  Bet if YOU were to start mowing at 6:15 AM on Sunday the cops would come.  Not out here, bubba…there’s a tiny part of America that’s still relatively free.

Write when you get rich,

George@ure.net

40 thoughts on “Shop-Talk Sunday: What is “Enough Tools?”

  1. Bigger bandsaw.
    Electric nailgun.
    Serious pipe and beam clamps
    Block plane
    spokeshave
    bigger air compressor
    (dedicated spray paint line with regulator/filter/water trap)
    heliarc?
    quality cordless impact

    I got a couple sets of tongs, with a cast iron crucible and other goodies off eBay for a couple bucks (+$14 shpg.) It was in the “collectibles” area, not the “tools” area — just sayin’

    Chapin is a top brand. You can buy a $10 Chapin or a $140 Chapin, and about 6 grades in-between. Once you get up above ~$80 you start finding the ones that’re made in USA and have quality, replaceable/repairable parts.The acetic acid in vinegar will probably destroy any of ’em…

    • thanks for a thoughtful list, Ray. I didn’t put all of the tools in the list – mainly the big and power tools.
      On your specifics:

      bigger bandsaw. >> Yep, no matter how big, until you have a whole wood mill, I guess it’s never enough. BTW, the Foley-Belsaw book on how to run a sharpening business (comes up on eBay now and then) is a goldmine on technique for sharps – if you ever run across a copy…

      Electric nailgun. >> Have a couple of small ones (glorified electric staple guns) but they will do tiny brads for trim. Mostly I prefer air but I promise to look into this – any suggestions?

      Serious pipe and beam clamps >>> Got a selection of both, but only a pair of the pipe clamps at 4 ft or longer. Will look into more because of big projects coming along… solid thinking. TiteBond II addict – got a gallon, or so… glue spreaders should go on the list…

      Block plane >> Only have one plane – a few more is a good idea…

      spokeshave >> Already in my “sharps drawer” – also the matching draw knife. Most people (commoners) can’t tell the difference…

      bigger air compressor >> I keep thinking about that. Every so often they come up on eBay or C/L but the problems “knock-on” You see, already at the limit for 110V power when this one kicks on, so to run bigger would involve running a 220 line over and you know how that goes. If I run 220 v than I will want a bigger table saw and bigger…

      (dedicated spray paint line with regulator/filter/water trap) Have good regulation, filter, and trapping already (the plasma machine gets cranky with water in the air, lol). For now, I have an outside workbench, since I don’t like to paint in the shop. Always too many spark sources. A paint “shed” would be nice….a good idea…

      heliarc? I have a few sticks of special high flux aluminum sticks for the welder, but I can’t think of using enough heliarc to justify. Don’t get me wrong – love the “pose factor” of heliarc and all…
      BTW for “non-welders” if you shop around eBay you can find 2″x2″ x 3/16ths “Welder Coupons.” These are small squares or oblongs of steel that welders send or show prospective employers… great for practicing technique (or, in my case, lack thereof). A $50 box will get you a ton of welding practice and the more you weld the better you get. I tried that in marriage, too… #3 is what I had (perhaps foolishly?_ thought #1 or #2 would be, lol.

      quality cordless impact ?? GREAT IDEA. On the shopping list!!!

      I got a couple sets of tongs, with a cast iron crucible and other goodies off eBay for a couple bucks (+$14 shpg.) It was in the “collectibles” area, not the “tools” area — just sayin’ >> Ure is On the Case!

      Thanks again, Ray. – solid thinking, as always.

      Anyone else got shop tool ideas? Especially power tools that may “go missing” due to trade wars? what OTHER “INVESTMENT” CAN YOU PLAY WITH??? OK, Porsches, Phil, lol…

      • “bigger bandsaw. >> Yep, no matter how big, until you have a whole wood mill”

        “Sawmill” is on my list. A clean Powermatic bandsaw with a 20″ maw sold in Lansing a couple hours ago, for $275. I already have a 14 incher and I’m not sure PM makes one that’s larger than mine, that’s not 3-phase only. I can only do 3-phase off the genset, so I don’t consider tools that big as “sustainable.”

        “Electric nailgun. >> …any suggestions?

        Bostitch.

        I’m guessing the top-shelf brands (DeWalt, Makita, Bosch) are awesome as well, but I haven’t played with any of ’em. They are graded by “wire” (the diameter of the load they can shoot) and “depth” (how long a load it can sink below surface) but I don’t know if manufacturers are honest, and calibrate them with oak, or sleazy, and calibrate them with soft pine or balsa. YMMV…

        “dedicated spray paint line”

        I run a Milton microfilter and coalescing filter out the compressor. The paint run gets a Milton regulator, the shop run gets a lubricator. I also use one of those toy “globe” disposable filters and a microregulator/gauge on my gun. It’s been a year since I used it though, so ‘lessen yer gonna do auto body work on the side, this really IS a “toolslut” setup.

        Harbor Fright sells a 10×17 “Shelter Logic knockoff” “portable garage” tent for less than $200 ( https://www.harborfreight.com/10-ft-x-17-ft-portable-garage-62860.html ) The material is photochemically-reactive, so it’ll disintegrate in the sun in a year or two, but the cover is also easy to strip & store — makes a dandy paint booth for about half the price of the SL 10×20…

        TIG does exceptional welds on everything — It’s not just for aluminum and stainless any more, and you already have a supply of argon…

        “quality cordless impact ?? GREAT IDEA. On the shopping list!!!”

        DON’T do HF for this one. Makita, DeWalt, perhaps Bosch — everything else is overrated and over-rated (even the other “brand names”), and won’t do the job. My Makita laughs at lug nuts that’ve been installed by a neanderthal with an air impact, and it works even if I don’t have a compressor in the trunk.

        • (The George and Ray ToolSlut Show continues…)

          Thanks for the dope on Bostich – on it. I have one of their mechanic socket sets and it has been as good as Craftsman when made here…before most others were born.

          Yeah – I do have a Hitachi impact driver, but a solid battery powered 3/8 “real” impact wrench, now that’d be the ticket.
          Good tip on the HF pain both clone…
          Since we put down new indoor/outdoor on the screen porch, all I allowed to take out there is vodka-water and not too much of the vodka for fear of stains, lol…

          The new HF dusto is amazing. I may be able to actually see my shop, yet…

      • Get a toilet paper air filter. We had a big plasma cutting table. Used two along with the air separator and worked great. Just change rolls based on how often you used cutter. Motor Guard M-30 1/4 NPT Submicronic Compressed Air Filter at amazon.
        Yes they want you to buy the expensive filters but the cheap single ply paper works well.
        Remember that the rule of what you plan for double it and it should last you a while. Works on tools to. In fact it universal. Ups just built a brand new facility in my former home town. When I saw foot print I told a UPS friend that they should double the size. He told them. 30 days after opening they had to bring in two portable package handling trailers and are already trying to figure out how to add on.
        I bought a 6ft NC press brake. We will never need anything bigger. Six months later I bought a 13 ft NC Brake. 33ton turret punch 9 months later the 45 ton punch was delivered. Bigger is ALWAYS better! If you can “justify” the extra bucks.
        Almost went to Switzerland to buy a 500K lazer cutter. Chickened out. Plus it was so fast it scared me.
        Last rule. If the tool you love shows up at a retail center never buy it because it is non-repairable. Buy the best industrial quality you can made in USA. I still have my Wiss bulldog snips I bought over 45 years ago. Still sharp and look used but very good. Take care of your tools and they will serve you for a lifetime. Still have my first multi-meter and nut driver set and my sheet metal hammer. You can never ever ever have too many tools.

      • I have several elec brad guns in the repair bin. When working, they sink up to 1 3/16″ finish nails into oak or maple if you lean on em. Old one is I forgot name, the newer one is badged Craftsman but is identical except for the safety catch on the nose. Old one probably has a short in the cord, Crapsman has a mystery problem that blows the fuse on the first nail. They are really nice and save the time of setting up a compressor and running hose in a hard to access site. The old one completed many wood edged counter tops and a hotel remodel (being used by minimal experienced labor), the newer one just the hotel and a few around the house trim projects. Each about $150, new. They don’t work with a light duty extension cord.

        If I needed a quick portable nail or staple gun I’d go with one of the butane explosive powered ones, they are more industrial strength. Quieter too.

        For an insulation/roof felt type stapler the Bostich is great, the plastic ones not so much, a return spring is foam rubber and dies when aged or oiled but they last for a single big job. The swing hammer types are great but take a little skill to not go through the material. Each of the 4 staplers take its own brand of staples and the store always only has the wrong one.

        For the metal shop, the rule that the accessories cost as much as the machine only applies if you spend at least $10k on each on the mill and lathe. You will need at least one of every accessory made. Or got to “littlemachineshop” and buy everything that fits your machines will save a little.
        A metal bandsaw; if you don’t need a fullsize, a portable that converts into a benchtop is handy. That’s on my list.

  2. BTW I hope you ordered an actual crank. Some of those saws had a “crank” which folded it into itself (I suppose to keep you from goring yourself on the knob) and they’re absolute junk…

    • Yeah – I had it with “folding cranks about 40-yea4rs ago and got the real McGoslin this time. thanks for remembering that fine point of life in the “so dangerous we must protect children from it” shop environs

      • Meh… I’ve got a Craftsman radial arm on my never-ending list of things to restore and sell. ‘Was studying it yesterday and noticed the folding crank — utterly stupid idea, and Sears used it as a selling point.

        …’Reminds me, the elevation guts are located under the bed. They were easy to remove (and quite rusty) so when I took them out, I also acid-washed and blued them (come to think of it, I also did this with the swing-arm guts, although they weren’t rusty), and lubed the gears with moly dust (look on eBay for Pinewood Derby racers. The pros use molybdenum or tungsten disulfide as lubricants, and they sell ounce vials of either for a few bux.)

  3. You know we have reached the top in the ‘tool market’ when the ‘Ultimate Tool Slut’ begs for ideas of “what else can I buy that I don’t already have?” LOL!

    Thanks for the vinegar/epsom tip. Will give it a try, but not optimistic about these tropical vine weeds that strangle fences here. Yep… everywhere I look the property cries for projects ‘to do’.

  4. The most frequently stolen or vandalized parts and pieces in the immediate suburban vicinity are entry gate parts. Fancy electric gate parts are a favorite. When anyone wants to steal what’s behind the gate, they take the gate down forcibly. In a suburban or rural setting, the main gate with county road access is your first line of defense against invaders. I have seen barbed wire fences breached with trucks, but there is possibility of the truck being disabled, so only a moron would try that within firing range of an occupied residence. After dark in Texas on posted property, invading felons beware.
    My recommendation for the main entry gate is a commercial agricultural welded steel pipe gate, hinged off a welded pipe fence, not wood. Pipe fences can be covered with panels or wire, just like any other fence. There are ways to install gates so that the hinges can’t be defeated, but if your hinges can possibly be beaten, bent or cut out of commission, you chain and lock the gate on the hinged sides as well as at the access point. I had someone beat one of my hinges half off before he realized the gate was chained too. You can’t stop someone from climbing your fence, at least not without calling undue attention to yourself, but the real damage gets done when they have a pick-up next to your house for easy loading.
    I still use a chain and a good German lock to secure the gate. One neighbor had his fancy electric operators/controllers stolen multiple times. In really cold winter weather, a cup of hot water is sometimes necessary to open the lock. Otherwise, a little spray lubricant keeps the lock working OK.

  5. I would have welded a chunk of all-thread onto the hinge pin and drilled the hole through, but I like to weld and will do so with the thinnest of excuses. My neighbors are a bit closer than I care for, I’m not against early morning mowing or chainsaw work while they try to sleep off the last nights partying.

    • Hell that’s more than half the fun of it – especially at a “defensible time” – like 7 AM while it’s still cool and you know the people get up before then to go to work during the week.

      • 7am might be defensible during the week, but not on Sundays. In rural areas sound really carries, so unless you own a few sections in all directions, staying cool with your neighbors is a good idea. I’ve still not figured out the best time to start skil-sawing sheet metal, but I figure noon on Sunday is safest.

        Regarding gates: I’d suggest a strong gate at the street – always locked. Metal with posts sunk into concrete, and possibly with a welded section connecting the posts underground or overhead. If people don’t call ahead, they don’t get to knock(legally) on your door. Another good idea is an inner ring of fence – and that doubles as an enclosure for those with dogs or other critters. Of course, it also has a strong locked gate – either pipe or some kind of decent tubing. There’s no way someone other than the fire dept. could justify tearing out the inner gate. There’s no reason not to have a camera or two on both gates. There’s also no reason to buy commercial if you have enough time, material, and a decent welder. The typical gate hardware is functional against good people and animals, but certainly not against thuggy types. The ideal support post would be steel – square or round tubing/pipe. I’m sure that there’s plenty of structural pipe available near oilfield country. Nothing can keep determined thugs out, but there are plenty of surprises that are still legal.

        Berms and/or ditches where you have barb wire only can make breaching the fence rather tough on someone’s truck.

  6. Tools that would be nice to have: A good metal cutting bandsaw with slow speeds and high torque. This can save an enormous amount of milling time and effort. A bandsaw blade welder(of course). A second drill press so setups can stay that way. An indexing table for the machine tools. A fire shop of metal and concrete for welding, cutting, blacksmithing and foundry operations. A shop with a lift(and/or pit) and crane for automotive or other vehicle work. This might share space in the fire shop but should stay as clean as possible.

    Tools are a strange attractor for those you’d rather not invite. Machine tools are less likely to be stolen, but smaller stuff grows legs really fast. Shop security matters!

    • George, NM Mike is right about the indexing table. In that same thinking a nice “angle plate aka 12″ sine plate” sure would be nice on your mill. Another really useful big tool is a precision surface grinder with an automated table that moves back on forth under the grinding wheel. I am talking a wheel 1″ wide and 12″ to 15″ in diameter.

      Here are some samples of what I am talking about on the angle plate:
      https://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tn/Clamping-Workholding-Positioning/Stationary-Fixturing-Stands-Mounts/Angle-Plates-Sine-Plates-Box-Parallels/Sine-Plates?navid=12108373

      Also see this video for making your own right angle plates. These would be very handy on a mill or surface grinder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hCtDdmshGvU

      • Holy crap!~ Roger, those since plates are 2-3X the cost of the milling machine!!!

        Remember the Ure Family crest? “We’re more McGregors than Machinists!”

      • I had one of these.. LOL what a waste of money for me.. I got it years ago.. my plan was to make inside spiral four poster beds.. LOL you can buy the beds for way less than the machine.. I never even took it out of the box.. It sat in the garage.. until the wife wanted to park in the garage, then I got rid of it….
        great machine.. if you use it..
        https://lwmcnc.com/cnc-mills/maverick/

        what I am looking for is an old machinist treadle lathe.. I am not sure if it will happen but once things expand and the noodle crumbles.. or tears apart.. because we have destroyed our industrial complex with the desire for a number on a computer screen.. and the virus takes hold and destroys the ability to purchase replacement parts.. we may have energy shortages.. and foot power will be needed rather than electrical power..
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3k0QL3kbDA

      • here is the one I want.. it is just a little to expensive for me though.. and not in my budget.. ( I use to have a thing for lathes.. I kept my mini lathe and an extension table LOL…at one point I have four lathes…

        https://www.ebay.com/itm/9-1885-SENECA-Falls-Star-Treadle-Lathe-Early-Rare-Piece-Great-Condition-Vintage/223871396738?hash=item341fc66b82:g:Oh0AAOSwGf5eKm1R

        I had a thing for routers to.. now I only have three.. the one I use and two other ones that I keep for special jobs LOL…
        I had the old sears ten inch.. but got this one instead that I can fold up .. I haven’t used my shaper table since I got it..
        https://www.toolnut.com/sawstop-jss-120a60-jobsite-pro-table-saw-with-cart-fence.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0t_jjYqn6gIVAr7ACh267wn0EAYYAyABEgIq2fD_BwE

      • I thought about buying an optic flat. The Square D factory in Peru Indiana shuttered some months ago. They had 14-15 granite flats ranging from 7×10 to 28×32, in quarter and 1/8th wave, and I don’t think any of ’em sold for more than $40 — Thing is, it’s been years since I scraped either a hunk of iron or a sleeve bearing, so I don’t even know if I could find my scrapers…

        (Dunno what this is? Search for “1/8th wave optical flat surface plate” and learn something…)

        LOOB, that’s an awesome lathe! I bought a treadle drill press a couple years back, but somehow a lathe never occurred to me…

      • “LOOB, that’s an awesome lathe! I bought a treadle drill press a couple years back, but somehow a lathe never occurred to me…”

        Ray I want that thing so bad I can taste it… LOL… its my ultimate dream.. I do have a hand cranked drill press.. and a couple of chest drills… my dads old cross cut saw for cutting trees down.. it is the only saw I kept of his.. the nice thing about that lathe is the flywheel.. dam that is a nice one to.. he has all the parts replaced but has the original.. of course I wouldn’t get it for an antique.. but to use..
        My insurance guy for over thirty years made everything on a lathe.. with a thousandth of an inch as his give or take.. a true crafts man..

  7. George
    I read everything, love the tool analysis, hoping when I retire I have room and money for toys like that. Thinking of adding some making tools this year.
    Meanwhile I got to thinking about some of the ‘news’ on this morning and came back to see your chart on the CV19 progress.
    Not there.
    Went back several days, couple of weeks: Didn’t see it.
    Did you take it down?
    Are you still keeping track?
    Can I (we) see it?
    I had a question and wanted to see what your data said.
    Thanks

    • I will put the latest run up tomorrow on Urban. On the June 13 Peoplenomics run https://peoplenomics.com/inside/nl20200613.htm we were calling for
      June 28 global cases 9,592,253 so we are running hot by 400,000 cases with actual over 10-million cases now.
      On mortality I was forecasting global deaths for today of 487,485 – so 13,500 low on that….but in the ball park.
      Had also forecast (for today June 28) 2,562,797 cases for the US vs actual of 2,520,984. ~40,000 off
      Forecast deaths today would be 168,802 vs. 125,588 (hospitals are working) and ~43,000 off, but with the lockdown roulette, it’s like forecasting a moving truck in hilly country…
      Over Labor Day, this forecast set predicted global cases would be 31,938,490
      Deaths by then likely at just about an even million.
      US cases of 8,545,146 and deaths of 267,780. This from an old (2-weeks plus back) forecast.
      As I explained to my son who has been involved in PPE training and the like for his fire department in Central Wa where he’s been one of the CV19 on point people: Problem with stats is we can get the big picture right (global) easier than we can get local or even national data right due to law of large numbers… zoom-ins can be really good or they can go to shit without warning…just the nature of data drill downs into such molten magma of life…

      • I think at this point the USA will go option 3… pretend it doesn’t exist and let the chips land.. after discovering the folly of their actions by going Option 2 give out a small consignment and letting the velocity of cash and collections run its course.. they are afraid to see what the inevitable would look like if they kept it up.. Not wishing to inflame the people that truly power the politicians by going option 1 and freezing the velocity of cash that are addicted to the number getting bigger on a piece of paper or computer screen..the only thing they can do is go option 3.. pretend it doesn’t exist.. Option 2 expedites the implosion of the Federal reserve.. Option 1 even though it keeps things frozen until the situation is resolved also freezes the rotation of the roulette wheel of numbers.. option 3 well let those that die die.. and those that get sick get sick.. when its all over no matter what the world will be a different place.. the numbers on a sheet of paper will just be that.. you might want to stock up on dollar bills or toilet paper for practical uses.. I hear you can use gold coins to scrape it away to.. but hey.. I think the proximity would be a little close to actually just using the fingers.. better to get a good stone or learn how to make paper..
        pulling the funding from the who and cdc was just stupid.. but I also see why that was done to..
        Worried about and EMP.. forget it.. not needed.. we see the implications of destroying our industrial complex and shipping all out manufacturing needs outside the USA.. without replacement parts.. we will become like cuba.. learning to make do with what we have..
        we dumbed down the youth of our nation..we failed to promote education and excellence.. we destroyed our industrial complexes out of the desire for the spinning wheel of numbers.. destroyed the health of our nation by the same reasons and making it so that we are now one of the lower levels of health of the population..
        War.. we don’t have to worry about war.. we don’t manufacture.. they own our butts if you ask me.. what would we do if they don’t give us the bullets to shoot.. throw rocks at them.. plane do we even have enough smarts to know if they have a code written in the controls.. they did land a top secret drone that way.. our guidance chips were discovered to have the same coding flaws.. and they turned on all the camera’s in the USA for a short time a few years ago.. excuse me if people don’t see that as a sign..
        Bill Engvall says it best..
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBjelRDKHUk

        god I must be in a mood…. LOL

  8. ahh, you have too many tools. stuff is just stuff. it’s a burden. you don’t own your possessions; your possessions own you. buying stuff will never make anyone whole.

    • Agreed… but it will make then a house and shop remodel, a bunch of fun-to-make furniture, and it justifies treecide.
      For our Making Whole, we write and phizzylosophize….
      Besides, you must be more pragmatic. Because when you say “You don’t own your tools” the Marxist clown posse will come along and hear only that part… This is why Seattle is being over property owners in their two-bit uprising…

    • Agreed but it will make then a house and shop remodel, a bunch of fun-to=-make furniture, and it justifies treecide.
      For our Making Whole, we write and phizzylosophize….

    • Organic.. there are never to many tools.. or to many books.. in my thoughts.. I went into a lumber yard.. and a young man came in.. I asked him for a ruler.. he gave me the most puzzling look ever.. what the heck is that.. LOL LOL oh that is just an invitation.. I of course said its a stick with numbers on it.. the next time it took me a while to find the kid.. but then asked him where his bastards were.. he shrugged his shoulders and said take your pick they are everywhere here.. LOL now that was almost thirty years ago and when he sees me coming.. he sends me to an old man that use to own a hardware shop LOL LOL…
      I had to downsize because I needed room in the garage for a car.. I still say you cannot have to many clamps.. and that is what I get for gifts to.. a clamp or two..
      My four year old wants his very own tool box.. I went shopping.. the first thing I got a small multi angle pocket square then two clamps and his tool box he already has a few of his own.. then a subscription to this.. https://www.kiwico.com/?utm_source=Google-g&utm_medium=SEM&utm_content=101933527397&utm_campaign=BB_NB_US_MKAG&utm_term=%2Bcraft%20delivery%20box&utm_ad=&utm_adset=b&utm_placement=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0oDVlJyn6gIVBL7ACh13cQxoEAAYASAAEgK8GvD_BwE .. he wants to be like papa..
      I did find my template for a fold-able solar oven.. I will have him copy the pattern off and we will make one.. then maybe later on make a solar still.. or an air well why people don’t make those is beyond me.. a great automatic air well.. a dehumidifier with a float switch that turns on a pump to pump the water collected through a filtration system into a water cooler or water storage tank.. simple and effective.. even where I live we get a good gallon out of the refridgerator if there isn’t any electricity.. then do the spider web air well.. in area’s where water is a challenge to get between plants the plants develop thorns as an air well…..
      http://solarcooking.org/plans/DATS.htm

      • possessions are feeling like a burden to me. i like to get rid of stuff. i live in a small place the size of a 35 foot sailboat. if i bring something “onboard” I have to jettison something else. i get more joy by getting rid of stuff than getting stuff.

        everything has an energy force. we are energy. does the stuff you have take energy or provide energy to you? if you worry about or think about your “stuff” whatever it is, your “stuff” is an energy vampire. i don’t want anymore than i need. “live slim” is one of my mottos.

        “you never realize how big your wok is until it is time to move.” mao lao tzu chang (784 IDEA)

        • I think you missed a philosophy class, or three.
          Think of it this way: We live our lives in order to figure out “How to create our own Heaven on Earth.”
          Now, to do that, we need tools, resources, people, dreams, goals and…did I mention THINGS?
          Now, maybe your time through this outback planet isn’t about learning to be an under-study, co-Creator with God, but there are some of us on that path and for us, the things are part of the trip. Part of the learning.
          Sure, some souls start with nothing and work on nothing to get connected and ground themselves and all. BUT there are others who totally get that “we are all little parts of the larger God/Universe” and thus, we need to study to become so we can help and co-create.
          Maybe this doesn’t make sense to some people, but it’s critical in that it gives us context and purpose. People who renounce their role/obligation/right to “study under the Master” are missing the grander part of the trip. One that is far more fulfilling than running around chasing “emptiness.”

        • Oh, and as Life is about polarities, having all makes having nothing much more enjoyable, too. Since there is no black without white, hot without cold, light without darkness. There is only contrast.
          \When I close my eyes, I have nothing. But, when I dream, I have all. When I open by eyes, I have all somewhere else.

        • BTW I lived on a 40-foot sailboat for more than 10-years…Seattle, San Francisco, and San Diego…should throw that in since you mentioned boats…
          :Left all but a few dishes and clothes for the next owners. Thus, no burden of moving! Stayed in Harmony!

      • “possessions are feeling like a burden to me. i like to get rid of stuff.”

        I get that OG… for me it was economics..
        Take the Garage door… I broke it..I could order a new one.. the cost with install 2500.00 .. BUT.. I didn’t have the 2500.00 laying around to purchase it.. what to do.. so I check to see what tools will be needed and what parts.. I get three or four bids on garage doors.. and the cost of purchasing one.. calculate the time and energy to do it.. add what I would be paid if I worked for a garage door company .. I even calculate what the companies costs would be IF they offered benefits.. then I deduct that from what the cost would be for buying one and having it installed.. depending on the savings I would have I then have to decide what is the best route to go where will I save money to get the same thing I need..
        afterwards.. since I do have the space or some of the space I would need to do all the things I would like to do.. I keep the tools..
        When I lived in the apartments.. the apartment came with a garage for twenty five dollars.. well they do a string circuit where it is taxed to the max.. but I had a generator that I had used during an ice storm so I wired it up built a dog house to muffle the noise and I had a fifteen by twenty four work shop.. put a few benches in it.. for the garage door.. well its like the cabinet industry.. they pay low wages but the talents of the laboring staff is still there and what they do eight to twenty hours a day.. many would go out and build cabinets in their garages and sell them.. until the company found out that they were selling the cabinets.. I never did that..I traded.. the stuff so he could build raised bed gardens for himself.. and I got my new door and installed he asked for forty dollars but I gave him a hundred .. of course because it is just what he does for ten hours a day it took him two hours.. no tools needed.. what he didn’t have I had so it was smooth sailing..
        He was talking about the problems he and his family were having with something and I offered a suggestion.. his eyes lit up.. the thing they needed done was going to cost about twenty five grand.. the way I suggested he do it.. gets him twice the service and will cost a couple of hundred.. give or take..his savings it twenty four grand of money he would have to get a loan for.. and he can do it with burger king lunch money..
        it is all in perspective.. what do you need what can you do.. if your living in an apartment or a camper van.. it depends on space. An apartment you have managers and maintenance so you don’t need anything.. tools are a waste of money then you do cigar box projects.. and in many bigger cities they don’t even know what a screwdriver is as a tool just the drink..
        when we made our emergency plans for a shtf scenario for the community this was taken into consideration.. EVERYONE.. is a genius in their own area.. for me putting in a new garage door would have taken several hours and I would have needed help putting it in etc.. where he does it so much it didn’t take that.. there are those that fish.. he is the master of his hobby.. some knit.. or sew some garden and grow.. everyone has a skill.. you may not have the tools but you have a skill that is needed in society..
        People put a lot of emphasis on IQ without taking the time to see what they have.. an iq doesn’t mean squat.. a rocket scientist he may have calculus skills.. and give you an insight on rockets and propulsion.. but he couldn’t raise a carrot if he tried.. he is dependent on those with that skill level .
        the covid 19 outbreak should have given everyone that view.. just how dependent on each other we are.. take my old boss that ran the cabinet company.. excellent and smart.. knew how to build the company and promote it.. looking outside the box.. but he tried to build a kitchen for himself.. LOL LOL LOL it was obvious he didn’t have a clue.. couldn’t read a tape measure didn’t know how the equipment worked.. it was a horror scene and very comical for everyone on the floor.. his skill level was in another place..
        the old industrialists of Reagans era knew that and after the depression they made sure their employees were taken care of. because they seen their value..
        through history it always plays out the same.. the ceo of a company gets to the point where they only see the value of the executives.. they hire part time and keep a skeleton staff of benefit employee’s that receive the benefits and bonuses.. then the correction and we start all over again..
        like the gent the other day that thought older americans on SS were leaches.. they forget the benefits.. the knoweledge.. instead my guess is he seen his age group as the only ones that mattered..
        we should take lessons from the Native americans..

      • “we should take lessons from the Native americans..”

        Unfortunately, except for the “Old Ones” the Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo occasionally tell about, they had all died out long before the crop of Indians came along, with which we are familiar.

    • “stuff is just stuff”

      Often, not always, but tools are not “stuff.” A tool is always more than itself, because with a tool, one can create, without a tool, one can not…

  9. To complete your metal working shop, you’ll need a forge (coal or propane or both), a sizeable chunk of steel to use as an anvil, and a selection of hammers to get started. You can make more hammers, tongs, punches, chisels, etc. as needed later.

    You may be overthinking the 3D printer vent. Printing ABS requires NO air flow across the build plate. If the smell bothers you, set it on the patio table in a homebrew enclosure. I lost a 37-hour ABS print yesterday because I left a small opening at the back of my homebrew enclosure. That corner of the print warped due to uneven cooling.

      • You don’t have an anvil!??

        Railroad rail makes an excellent anvil. It is HEAVY and incredibly difficult to cut! Molybdenum steel is amazing stuff (new rails are not hard, but moly steel takes a progressively harder temper every time a railroad wheel presses on it and becomes more-dense.) I’ve got a basic 54lb anvil bolted to a stand I made, but I also have my Dad’s RR rail anvil, which is both smaller and heavier than the commercial product, and impossible to dent by hand. Bought for salvage price, if you can cut it or get it cut, it is both the best and cheapest anvil you can acquire…

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