tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22722067000058251732024-03-13T12:33:41.333-05:00Dave's Workshop BlogWelcome to my tale of setting up and working in my regular guys workshop. Hopefully you will get something out of your time here! #Woodworking, #HomeImprovement, #Dustcollection, #Therapy, #ToolTimeDaves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.comBlogger198125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-53267022204268997342022-07-12T11:16:00.001-05:002022-07-12T11:16:18.074-05:00This REALLY sucks. My dust collection system is finally done. For now.<div>If you have been through the shop tour page, you know that our dust collection system consists of a modified old model green Harbor Freight "Central Machinery" 2 HP dust collector. It has been modified by swapping out the pitifully undersized 9" impeller, with a proper sized 12" impeller sourced from Wen tools, the part is the 3403-22 Turbofan. The dust spewing original so called filter bag was never installed, but instead the filter was replaced with a Wynn 35A MERV15 pleated filter, and to keep the filter as clean as possible while keeping air flow at a maximum I fabricated and installed a neutral vane. I am now pulling fast enough my anemometer can not read the air speed. That's not all that impressive as with the 5" inlet that means I am pulling over 1K CFM at the impeller inlet. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jop-BUuwkt0/Utx3-Rz1GYI/AAAAAAAACZk/C1nA0N3adWg/s751-no/20140119_191220.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="478" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jop-BUuwkt0/Utx3-Rz1GYI/AAAAAAAACZk/C1nA0N3adWg/w255-h400/20140119_191220.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>An old photo of the HF DC</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>I know I am a wierd one. MOST people run even sized dust collection ducting. 4 or 6 inch with the Harbor Freight 2HP dust collector. But even with the upgraded filter and impeller all of the experts I read tell me 6" is just too big, and 4" is too small. And, well 5.5" doesn't exist... <div><br /></div><div>Cross section of a circle as you may recall is A <span style="background-color: #dddddd; color: #444444; font-family: monospace, monospace; font-size: 16px;"> = π * r</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #444444; font-family: monospace, monospace; font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">2</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Thus.</div><div><br /></div><div>4" Duct 5" Duct 6" Duct<br /></div><div>12.566" 19.634" 28.27"</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFNqohpaMFgcbe6efV4-LADkeSuoN1WIF4UnJ6PvWnA281KOfcjk5inOaEVLMFfSCdB7l08DtQemgMOMNMANCip0xOeZ9bN1s3yFI7I71uXelSzWn4eD_Wn5dbidPaoOi3p56nmjqJclrPWiHQe4hpr9wtcLqAeMi1qaZCI8Is94cQiPWklmgX1r2V=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFNqohpaMFgcbe6efV4-LADkeSuoN1WIF4UnJ6PvWnA281KOfcjk5inOaEVLMFfSCdB7l08DtQemgMOMNMANCip0xOeZ9bN1s3yFI7I71uXelSzWn4eD_Wn5dbidPaoOi3p56nmjqJclrPWiHQe4hpr9wtcLqAeMi1qaZCI8Is94cQiPWklmgX1r2V=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>A visual comparison between 4" and 5" ABS fittings.</i></div><br /><div>So... long story short, due to limitations inherent to 2HP dust collection blowers, and contrary to very popular opinion including several dust collector manufacturers, which are notorious for overstating the capability of their equipment, I opted to play it "safe" and went with 5".</div><div><br /></div><div>Now 5" plastic hose is plentiful, with all those ribs and ridges, which would be coutner productive and I would have been better off with 4" performance wise. </div><div><br /></div><div>Long story short, which is a rarity for me, but I removed the floor level 4" run, and replaced it with 5" runs about 3' off the floor, and a run up the wall and accross the ceiling, where I have to pull dust up I reduce to 4" sacrificing volume hopefully for velocity.</div><div><br /></div><div>Components used in the system were bought over a long time of collecting when sales came up on the cheap, or literally castoff material from close by construction projects. But the pieces used at best prices I can find them now. Mind you, I AM going to post affiliate links where I have them, and would GREATLY appreciate you supporting my work by using them if you are doing this project, but with that in mind, I will make every effort to give you the best prices I know of available online. Very often this is NOT with anyone I have affiliates with. I appreciate your support, but I do what I do to share a budget approach to what can be a very expensive pursuit. I would rather save you a nickel than make $5.00 for myself. That might make me an idiot, but I am a firm believer into the if you bless someone, blessings will come back around to you one way or another.</div><div><br /></div><div>Harbor Freight 2HP dust collector. Current model is going for $249.00, I bought mine well over a decade ago for a lot less. https://<a href="http://www.harborfreight.com/2-hp-industrial-5-micron-dust-collector-97869.html">www.harborfreight.com/2-hp-industrial-5-micron-dust-collector-97869.html</a> If I were to do it again today, I would buy the Wen 3403 and call it good.</div><div><br /></div><div>Turbo Fan for Wen 3403 currently shows for $49.00 which is higher than the $35.00 I paid but still MUCH better than the $150.00+ for the Rikon impeller. <a href="https://wenproducts.com/products/3403-022-turbo-fan-for-wen-3403?_pos=1&_sid=f530916dc&_ss=r">https://wenproducts.com/products/3403-022-turbo-fan-for-wen-3403?_pos=1&_sid=f530916dc&_ss=r</a> The web site shows out of stock, which is no surprise as supply chain blah blah. Just keep looking. Again I would have just bought the 3403 if I were starting new.</div><div><br /></div><div>IF you want to go with the Wen 3403, it can be bought at Wen directly for $386.35 <a href="https://wenproducts.com/collections/dust-management/products/1500-cfm-16-amp-5-micron-woodworking-dust-collector-with-50-gallon-collection-bag-and-mobile-base">https://wenproducts.com/collections/dust-management/products/1500-cfm-16-amp-5-micron-woodworking-dust-collector-with-50-gallon-collection-bag-and-mobile-base</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Wen or Harbor Freight, or any other dust collector with bag filters, you REALLY need to upgrade your dust blowing bag filter, for a fine filtration pleated cartridge filter. The Wynn is considered the top dog in this game, but there are alternatives. Google Wynn 35a alternatives and you will come up with stuff from several vendors. Good reports on the Donaldsons, but you will need to figure out how to attach to the DC, again Wynn is the champ here... Spend a little bit more and remove the headaches.</div><div><br /></div><div>The neutral vane is simply a piece of, well pipe that you need to form with a special curve in it that forces incoming air into the dust collector to spin along the outer edge of the separator ring, causing the dust and shavings, mostly to drop out of the air stream before moving on to the filter, this keeps the filter clean longer and keeps it from clogging up. Periodic blow downs of the filter with a compressed air blowgun, or even a leaf blower is all the maintenance your filter will need at this point. Sawdustzone.org member LCHIEN posted up his template for making the Neutral Vane for the Harbor Freight dust collector <a href="https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/discussions/shop-setup-layout-and-design/36139-hf-neutral-vane-pictures-reposting">https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/discussions/shop-setup-layout-and-design/36139-hf-neutral-vane-pictures-reposting</a> and I believe this should also work / fit directly with the Wen as the only difference I can see between the HF and Wen units is the paint color, and the impeller... </div><div><br /></div><div>The branch wyes are from Wood River, which I believe is Woodcrafts house brand. Again prices on these have gone up a bit since I got ime a while ago, inflation and all, but currently at $16.49 that is way less than the nearly $30.00 each Amazon is getting for them, or nearly $50.00 each for the metal ones.</div><div><a href="https://www.woodcraft.com/products/5-inch-x-5-inch-x-5-inch-y-dust-collection-fitting?gclid=Cj0KCQiA09eQBhCxARIsAAYRiykYPrCOCy3WGLxUcPDZqS58Lw4FHAcrDjufkYQ95y2zBTpc0rjsZ0EaAiFfEALw_wcB">https://www.woodcraft.com/products/5-inch-x-5-inch-x-5-inch-y-dust-collection-fitting?gclid=Cj0KCQiA09eQBhCxARIsAAYRiykYPrCOCy3WGLxUcPDZqS58Lw4FHAcrDjufkYQ95y2zBTpc0rjsZ0EaAiFfEALw_wcB</a></div><div><br /></div><div>The lowest prices I could find on the aluminum HVAC tape, 5" snap lock duct, and 5" adjustable elbows was all local at Home Depot. I won't post links as your local store, say if you are in Alaska or Hawaii may have higher, or lower prices than mine. My ducting sheet metal parts are not all purchased at Home Depot either. Some of them were what you would consider scratch and dent from local construction sites, 5" seems to be a common branch size on a lot of the houses being built around here, including mine, so contractors tend to prefer to toss and start over on a $5.00 elbow VS. paying somebody $15.00 to straighten it out to use it. Look while driving through the newer neighborhoods, and if you see the stuff, don't be shy to ask!</div><div><br /></div><div>The 5x4 reducers. I wanted smooth flowing cone reducers. Amazon is looking for $14.40 a piece for the Woodstock International 5x4 cone reducers. Grizzly.com wanted $2.25 + cheap shipping. I went with Grizzly. </div><div><a href="https://www.grizzly.com/products/woodstock-5-x-4-reducer/w1037?gclid=Cj0KCQiA09eQBhCxARIsAAYRiynoPjZ5UfsqCVfhQoitqDA9IOQ7EfNkueLpxHC5w0zG51LexYeaACwaAkzaEALw_wcB">https://www.grizzly.com/products/woodstock-5-x-4-reducer/w1037?gclid=Cj0KCQiA09eQBhCxARIsAAYRiynoPjZ5UfsqCVfhQoitqDA9IOQ7EfNkueLpxHC5w0zG51LexYeaACwaAkzaEALw_wcB</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly and this is really a luxury, you CAN use cheap plastic duct strapping, but I opted for proper actual U clamps for my duct work to keep it secured to both the wall and ceiling. </div><div>2 Hole stainless steel 5-1/8" duct straps <a href="https://amzn.to/3sf4YNW">https://amzn.to/3sf4YNW</a></div><div>2 Hole stainless steel 4-1/3" duct straps <a href="https://amzn.to/3h7Bjj8">https://amzn.to/3h7Bjj8</a></div><div><br /></div><div>You will need the following items to complete the install.</div><div>I am assuming you have a rivet gun. If you don't Harbor Freight's $4.99 hand riveter is a great bargain and works fine. <a href="https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-riveter-set-38353.html">https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-riveter-set-38353.html</a></div><div>Along with that you will need an assortment of blind rivets. Again Harbor Freight has the best price on a good sized box of rivets. Many of which you won't need, but the quantity of the sizes you will need are cheaper than just buying a bag or two of just the sizes you need. $6.99 is hard to beat! <a href="https://www.harborfreight.com/500-piece-aluminum-blind-rivet-assortment-67668.html">https://www.harborfreight.com/500-piece-aluminum-blind-rivet-assortment-67668.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div>So aside from the remaining issue of trying to figure out how to properly collect the spewing dust off of the sliding miter saw. LOTS of research going on about that. I could design a custom hood for 3D printing, however I would want to sell something like that, and honestly there just isn't that much of a market for a cheap Harbor Freight single bevel sliding miter saw dust collection...</div>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-91876836046639484222022-07-11T23:10:00.002-05:002022-07-11T23:10:51.489-05:003D printing for Shop Safety.<p> At some point, not sure when or how, but the little plastic caps that cover the business ends of my mortiser chisels decided to take a permanent break and leave my shop. Most likely got sucked up by the shop vac and are painfully slowly decomposing in the local landfill. Now my mortiser chisel holder holds them in an upright fashion to prvent the auger part of the bit from falling out, right next to my air compressor with the tips of the bits just about forearm / wrist high. Making every single reach for the air compressor on / off switch a bit of an excersize in fear factor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not wanting to trade in what years I might have left on this earth for a Darwin award, I felt it best to replace these covers. Unfortunately it's not like these are just an every day thing I can just order on Amazon, oh no they want to sell me the whole chisel set...</p><p><br /></p><p>But... I DO happen to have a 3d printer, albeit a small cheap one, but guess what, it is perfect for whipping out this sort of thing.</p><p><br /></p><p>So I go looking on the various STL publishing sites, and sadly nobody has published any print files for these little plastic boxes, but I have calipers, I have Sketchup, and I know how to use 'em...</p><p><br /></p><p>Design #1. The measurement is there and works well, BUT, only for the 3/8" chisel which I allowed a tiny bit of slop. The 1/2 and 1/4" chisels that I set the inside dimension of the caps dead on to, well, that was dumb.</p><p><br /></p><p>Design #2. I upsized the 1/4" and 1/2" while keeping the 3/8" cap the way I had it. No joy. Let's try something different.</p><p><br /></p><p>Designs #3 - 7. Change template in Sketchup from woodworking inches to 3D printing mm. Whip the calipers out again and re-measure everything in MM, transfer the measurements to the drawing. I literally hit the 3/8 cap legth wise dead in the middle... Nailed the 1/2" on the first print, had to fudge around in tenths of a mm to get the 3/8 and 1/4 to fit right but I got it... tenths of a mm, that's not thousandths, but it is an ever so slight nudge...</p><p>Well after much trial, fitting, error, fixing, trial fitting blah blah blah, I got them to fit, finally...</p><p>I posted the design up on Thingiverse https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5430191/files so if any of you are up to 3D printing knock yourselves out, I am sharing it with a non commercial attribution license. So feel free to make stuff from it, but don't sell the same said stuff...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukMivfQ0w4HshxYe9teKCwQm9hcfPymS7SjZZuZGuZXlUgnyOy5FN0S66tbdExi3PFJyhjvnAH67q3DCflEPxLgXWc0tLXRp1lvhJ1G0vvdEYllZLsoLrkn2j8Oi-foWOtfrdi84nV9YUD5dYMBUfaA0kSyRi5s6DlMuBI3woBUR0LzGj62izUzP5/s4032/20220711_183337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukMivfQ0w4HshxYe9teKCwQm9hcfPymS7SjZZuZGuZXlUgnyOy5FN0S66tbdExi3PFJyhjvnAH67q3DCflEPxLgXWc0tLXRp1lvhJ1G0vvdEYllZLsoLrkn2j8Oi-foWOtfrdi84nV9YUD5dYMBUfaA0kSyRi5s6DlMuBI3woBUR0LzGj62izUzP5/w400-h300/20220711_183337.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The caps fresh off the printer...</i></div><div><br /><p>Popping them off of the raft is pretty easy, and again, not super tight, but definately a friction fit, at least with mine. Odds are good that chisel sizes may vary. Heaven knows the Central Machinery chisels are not super accurately machined....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1zbbAw0qY2TU2TD-4C0Me1OYIAqKJ3sq0728l153LTFnXelnf4jFQIrxDgXi3fB-bkYbGiwx7ojbFcio81gg98otT0PSa2mfNkFFfTLW2kfmNJsQg7bEeh3snvd4qLa7nGYFZH7hqh4Obbspeg2MNMiTTKFcOLmSRiNXtMPAgtm14sVYaXC46VNw/s4032/20220711_220352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1zbbAw0qY2TU2TD-4C0Me1OYIAqKJ3sq0728l153LTFnXelnf4jFQIrxDgXi3fB-bkYbGiwx7ojbFcio81gg98otT0PSa2mfNkFFfTLW2kfmNJsQg7bEeh3snvd4qLa7nGYFZH7hqh4Obbspeg2MNMiTTKFcOLmSRiNXtMPAgtm14sVYaXC46VNw/w400-h300/20220711_220352.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>No more gouging my arms, or losing the caps!</i></div><p><br /></p><p>So now that I have done this, I am posting this up hoping that maybe someone else can benefit from what I have done here....</p></div>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-53383185966693188382022-07-07T20:16:00.003-05:002022-07-07T20:16:52.532-05:00Some simple inexpensive and VERY useful fence clamps!For all the years I have been woodworking, I have always had to, well, kludge together a system to clamp things like sacrificial fences and stop blocks to my table saw rip fence, well that came to an end today.<div><br /></div><div>These were ordered from Amazon super cheap, </div><div><br /></div><div>The Milescraft 4009 Fence Clamps are at the time of this writing selling for $11.99 on Amazon. As is my habit, I offer to you my Amazon affiliate link if you'd like to support me here at no cost to you by simply using me as, well the referrer for your purchase. https://amzn.to/3ysc1o6</div><div><br /></div><div>The good, the bad, and the ugly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well there is no realy ugly, there is only good and could be a bit better.</div><div><br /></div><div>The good, </div><div><br /></div><div>The come in a pair to the package, and the finish on the aluminum block is typical for Milescraft, and I am starting to amass a bit of a collection of their stuff. Sadly it isn't the beautiful blue of Rockler, or other MFGs, but rather Milescrafts almost trademark hammered silver finish. Not unatractive in the least, but doesn't stand out color wise... </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkHgyATp0BrzbUxNevrjQIeatqN94uqXfiCG7svMbUjP9XbUaZNhK3lRMSbB0sNaQ-AGQ68Yk59JfbwDREFcDM7D2PRxnjABIUAqAGBBE9EC2-qh-tczpW5iR9viMLjyyne52aDBqRa0QMPQwagGa2uBLtRjIs2QaArLJXZKsoM4KzmwDbL_6n-IS/s4032/PairOfFenceClamps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkHgyATp0BrzbUxNevrjQIeatqN94uqXfiCG7svMbUjP9XbUaZNhK3lRMSbB0sNaQ-AGQ68Yk59JfbwDREFcDM7D2PRxnjABIUAqAGBBE9EC2-qh-tczpW5iR9viMLjyyne52aDBqRa0QMPQwagGa2uBLtRjIs2QaArLJXZKsoM4KzmwDbL_6n-IS/w400-h300/PairOfFenceClamps.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The fence clamps as just freed from the package!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>the castings are exactly what I expect. Threaded L hook in an aluminum block, that is machined for the threads, The casting, and machining are every bit what I expect for, well a hardware store L hook. Nothing special but it serves its purpose. The good thing is this hook in particular is nearly fully threaded until just before the bend, so it provides a LOT of range and solid bite to your fence.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEPAHJn06DYKn40G1DXRfdokRF6yDyeetvwLWBemzNJpZxAb-p9diSI4y0_a2vMWzhsfeZAhlSDenocm8S3z_2uxfOv5kXRn7mVFniz3QL8AANqVKNUhXUv0yVRUJxE1KcxDRKhqTf07M6ocra23tL2afR8ramLyRi45Ras75CmT4V2tSd8QeVCXL/s1008/Threads1024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEPAHJn06DYKn40G1DXRfdokRF6yDyeetvwLWBemzNJpZxAb-p9diSI4y0_a2vMWzhsfeZAhlSDenocm8S3z_2uxfOv5kXRn7mVFniz3QL8AANqVKNUhXUv0yVRUJxE1KcxDRKhqTf07M6ocra23tL2afR8ramLyRi45Ras75CmT4V2tSd8QeVCXL/w400-h300/Threads1024.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The L hook is nicely made, albeit simple.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The clamping rod / knob / pad are every bit as well done, and could just as easily been on a Jorenson or other high quality F bar style clamp were it not for the different knob / handle. The clamping pad has non marring pads that match standard woodworking clamps. Should one fail or get lost, these pads are available most anywhere that sells F bar clamps like Home Depot, Harbor Freight, Lowes, and Amzon. and the tightener is a simple plastic knob on the end that is most likely cast / injection molded in place.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cDI7CRZ6iGTitMOUSxWS5CA-OTxFwkJgVosRbPH5a660hQfeAXGsQrTe9kT0XO1CVreWGx8a93hpjYzVdAewL63JYHqpaNT0CsIvG_mkHQKNxN7ndJToQt6TddJAGWtQC23G59NOEk7vUZgzbfQ5Qlp1xwhsGciLhvxTGL7XcRwVNW3id8qDT7c3/s1008/ClampThreads1024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cDI7CRZ6iGTitMOUSxWS5CA-OTxFwkJgVosRbPH5a660hQfeAXGsQrTe9kT0XO1CVreWGx8a93hpjYzVdAewL63JYHqpaNT0CsIvG_mkHQKNxN7ndJToQt6TddJAGWtQC23G59NOEk7vUZgzbfQ5Qlp1xwhsGciLhvxTGL7XcRwVNW3id8qDT7c3/w400-h300/ClampThreads1024.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Should you need to replace the pads for your Milescraft fence clamps, OR standard F bar clamps, Amazon has the Jorgenson Pony clamp pads for cheap. https://amzn.to/3NKECL6</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Now these were a 2 pack, and both are not 100% identical. As is typical for machined threads, the furthest in threads of the L rod, in the actual aluminum block, on one of them, they aren't bad per se, but they could be smoother. I am sure over time running in and out they will smoothen up, but for now you can definately feel the burrs in the metal as you turn the L hook in and out in the last say 1/4". It's not super obvious but you CAN see it in the pics... I am fairly certain a good wash through with WD-40 and about 5 or 6 in / out sessions of the hook would clean / smoothen that right out!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBn3X3wZTumMqQ94xgH6P4snG3JEGfORqAe6BeIHMufQ7AbIPxeao5TXd_OjSZh4YhaVPbHO6BJHWWbOVEtyYOEExdkFN_YWPrpDRKTBu1Ihe4gmi47B1XHFI24z8QpevPCiRXZvFf2_nOe_hNl0LywsDow8scTpp4BtmniymgDGjSXjWWT57grbxy/s4032/BoreThreads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBn3X3wZTumMqQ94xgH6P4snG3JEGfORqAe6BeIHMufQ7AbIPxeao5TXd_OjSZh4YhaVPbHO6BJHWWbOVEtyYOEExdkFN_YWPrpDRKTBu1Ihe4gmi47B1XHFI24z8QpevPCiRXZvFf2_nOe_hNl0LywsDow8scTpp4BtmniymgDGjSXjWWT57grbxy/w400-h300/BoreThreads.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>If you look close enough you can see the slightly boogered thread.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>So... Are the perfect? Nope. I've yet to discover any product of any sort that is perfect. Are they good for what they are? You betcha! I've not laid hands on the Rockler units, but I suspect that blindfolded, if it weren't for the different knob types, I would be hard pressed to know the difference. And honestly, I think the style knob of the Milescraft lets you get a bit more torque on the clamp, probably a good thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Is it a good value? Well at $10.00 to the penny less expensive than a pair of the Rockler units, I think I will deal with these not being blue... </div>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-57547934772878353422022-06-02T20:50:00.006-05:002022-06-02T21:38:22.894-05:00My shop projects since November '21, and what is left to do...<h2>Some folks may already know the what, when where and why, but...</h2><h2><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">I laid low here, on the forums, my Youtube channel, and honestly in the shop for 4, almost 5 years as I had some life struggles with the family. and then with me dealing with it. </span></span></h2><h2><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Simply put starting in 2016, actually late 2015 but the impacts didn't start coming until 2016, close family members started ending up hospitalized, which wound up in 2018 my wife being long term hospitalized with stress related cardiac issues, and the two of us enduring the loss of 20 friends and family, both our Dads, one of her brothers, aunts, a niece etc…</span></span></h2><h2><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">It was honestly all I could do to keep going on my day job, and ocasionally put out a video here or there. </span></span></h2><h2><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">But last fall I guess I kind of clicked back into place… I can't explain it other than to say it was a God thing, and he just told me it's time to move on.</span></span></h2><h2><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the interim the shop suffered neglect, and honestly a bunch of long term projects that just got put on hold.</span></span></h2><h2><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well again, something clicked back in place and it was time to get back with it.</span></span></h2><h2><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">So I now present to you a pictoral of the various projects and upgrades I have done to the shop and its equipment since about October of 2021.</span></span></h2><h2><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">I know I have shown the Harbor Freight dust collector fitted with the Wynn filter somehwere here, it's the old green one and looks like the promo pics on the Wynn website, and the neutral vane is going to be VERY hard to photograph, but here is the Wen impeller during the install process. The install went super easy and was well worth the few bucks and little bit of time it took. What a HUGE difference in dust collector performance. No it is not in ClearVue territory but it picks up where the prior setup left a lot behind… I did get rid of teh Thien 55gallon side inlet barrel separator as it was a big CFM hit, adn the Neutral Vane so far is working well. I was leery of doing that, but after re-reading the Bill Pentz research, and some prodding from LCHIEN at Sawdustzone.org, I went for it.</span></span></h2><h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWZgLsvSkQkwsb1NAD3XK0S75AW1xFlBfyYuVJ7AVY1w0dv5vrGFNjQeyrOKKLZT-1K2dsLTrh2czUFEElkhsnfGYuk9kreC_ikbn6GIwvZjR0CrZkH-g8bKaXBy9FQ79aEw5ixZrlG0m2MVe52xDV0I2meQSdMVpaAKtKr3rLfo2BvR3bN55Gse8/s723/WenImpeller.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="659" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWZgLsvSkQkwsb1NAD3XK0S75AW1xFlBfyYuVJ7AVY1w0dv5vrGFNjQeyrOKKLZT-1K2dsLTrh2czUFEElkhsnfGYuk9kreC_ikbn6GIwvZjR0CrZkH-g8bKaXBy9FQ79aEw5ixZrlG0m2MVe52xDV0I2meQSdMVpaAKtKr3rLfo2BvR3bN55Gse8/w365-h400/WenImpeller.png" width="365" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next I installed the compressed air piping system that I got as a Christmas present. The manifold setup and filter / regulator / oil and water separators I have had for a while. As a reminder they allow me to plumb in 2 separate smaller compressors, both Central Pnuematic, an 8 gallon and a 29 gallon oil lubriceated compressor which gives me something like 14 CFM @ 40PSI. The regulator diaphragm sprung a leak and sounded like a whoopie cushion, I found a replacement that works so I am keeping the Central Pnuematic regualtor / filter in place as it works well. I did try a replacement but that did NOT work out.</span></span></div></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qkZSaSVAjAie3rIQOLziFekGTx2z36c87GM4VL1M60owgnVbiIR6GgPMf16McRebgm4rpLbnPLmr2k8w6w0RDtdeErYEkO_4JgcP-SbvGVkH1vVRGa3BpUiiCirG3AuhN1kFKktGx9_wU1s8UTDo55RebtDHjPOdZPTxJikDEsy0S5qb9OGLwzGD/s4032/20220208_102819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qkZSaSVAjAie3rIQOLziFekGTx2z36c87GM4VL1M60owgnVbiIR6GgPMf16McRebgm4rpLbnPLmr2k8w6w0RDtdeErYEkO_4JgcP-SbvGVkH1vVRGa3BpUiiCirG3AuhN1kFKktGx9_wU1s8UTDo55RebtDHjPOdZPTxJikDEsy0S5qb9OGLwzGD/w400-h300/20220208_102819.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I also swapped out any fittings in the system that had 1/4” ID, and swapped in 3/8” ID for improved airflow, this meant swapping from Central Pnuematic fittings to Miltons. Worthwhile, but pricey… For now I have 2 of these outlet blocks. The only place I didn’t upsize is because I couldn’t, and that was at my Central Pnuematic hose reel</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfx0uYQRLTC0rwPZvydjYUUebWF8_lEmDH4S99DE_yu3TbzXLRrqbbJ6lh75TwLroeY01-Gfaji-66iBHgtS-3ZGLEVkdHOxoemoueQWWfGB_VuhHurWB1cTf4TG2pyThdB_vT6HDd5D8QM6Zf55veMesO9dXqhJ3euylilZV-p-aIPS0oTteeCthg/s4032/20220208_093034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfx0uYQRLTC0rwPZvydjYUUebWF8_lEmDH4S99DE_yu3TbzXLRrqbbJ6lh75TwLroeY01-Gfaji-66iBHgtS-3ZGLEVkdHOxoemoueQWWfGB_VuhHurWB1cTf4TG2pyThdB_vT6HDd5D8QM6Zf55veMesO9dXqhJ3euylilZV-p-aIPS0oTteeCthg/w400-h300/20220208_093034.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">While I did the install of the piping system, I moved the Central Pneumatic hose reel to the space between the overhead door tracks<br />I also converted all of the formerly T12 flourescent fixtures to LED ballast bypass tubes.<br />Also a larger project was the conversion from 4” dual runs to a single 5” main and 4” drops, this is resulting in a much better running system. This meant also that most of the runs are done with galvanized ducting instead of PVC, although the 5x5x5 wye fittings and the reducers are ABS plastic as the metal ones were very hard to find and incredibly expensive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHYqnv4DJpiRoDdGO6eAuXPxWnqgmfQjA-jrcgGZ7ly4eFTEAa0cxLSk0_Ss8XA4A4DJoCkNoKpJ-MkZeocoV3k4tjP9sBIP4aybR_NFh2u12eO0-AYL9_zpT1TnmokpJzfeU0CC_xeYr4UL33I02AUgNl2WPaDAS7ZXjg3oMzhE3eOZJz55cwHcj/s4032/20220104_203650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHYqnv4DJpiRoDdGO6eAuXPxWnqgmfQjA-jrcgGZ7ly4eFTEAa0cxLSk0_Ss8XA4A4DJoCkNoKpJ-MkZeocoV3k4tjP9sBIP4aybR_NFh2u12eO0-AYL9_zpT1TnmokpJzfeU0CC_xeYr4UL33I02AUgNl2WPaDAS7ZXjg3oMzhE3eOZJz55cwHcj/w400-h300/20220104_203650.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuYO2PlPxETa1I0yDIWDdVi6xzarxPDPozRn5HqPiuc1QbQA02m_e8Z0LU_-3J9a8eiP-5WRWQzgRJ4yr9mgY0Tw2xQxYg4Ic3UgZH8x6z-i0muGeus71NIh2ot9ir-O6vshY05f7Y0AInfsYVG9YFB8gA7OxZYlKdo-1MdVPljCxZo5uYiEUuwam/s1099/LEDConversionAndHoseReelMove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1099" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuYO2PlPxETa1I0yDIWDdVi6xzarxPDPozRn5HqPiuc1QbQA02m_e8Z0LU_-3J9a8eiP-5WRWQzgRJ4yr9mgY0Tw2xQxYg4Ic3UgZH8x6z-i0muGeus71NIh2ot9ir-O6vshY05f7Y0AInfsYVG9YFB8gA7OxZYlKdo-1MdVPljCxZo5uYiEUuwam/w400-h300/LEDConversionAndHoseReelMove.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I resized to fit one of my sister in laws pullout spice drawers after she had to redo her kitchen due to Hurricane Harvey, this went under the extension wing of the BT3100 and serves to house my table saw accessories, jigs, and safety items like push blocks etc…</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIY7BOw5TPmqW2ApOErwySi6EEAGrtFNmgOAplj2zXoakSOPeCDcKxii7mmLIZLNE24RJvtQej-RM0om7jm7Onps5bqdg25YU5Ot4czr-oWt3x4Kps8ISV14UHThqUvayY-KovNgGvi0IUAPKZUFd09taUpYK4nmm0JWYiUQZoudCyyxOOhUyFdN5f/s1280/ExtensionWingDrawerClosed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIY7BOw5TPmqW2ApOErwySi6EEAGrtFNmgOAplj2zXoakSOPeCDcKxii7mmLIZLNE24RJvtQej-RM0om7jm7Onps5bqdg25YU5Ot4czr-oWt3x4Kps8ISV14UHThqUvayY-KovNgGvi0IUAPKZUFd09taUpYK4nmm0JWYiUQZoudCyyxOOhUyFdN5f/w400-h300/ExtensionWingDrawerClosed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KprOOn7dI0GrI0-y8nFMdhipb86hEwP7tkhDE8jtqQPexoWfNEgB-9ujxsxn1VIJy00vip2jWWltZbZQe78ugPpTNePVEWH6FdawjOQ_52DxVwhYIBj3SpsSGggj7ujeT-Ah_it8rLaY9lgtVennz_l6EgVPqy1nika5Hj6JlZh4QEfxIuqD5fk8/s1280/ExtensionWingDrawer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KprOOn7dI0GrI0-y8nFMdhipb86hEwP7tkhDE8jtqQPexoWfNEgB-9ujxsxn1VIJy00vip2jWWltZbZQe78ugPpTNePVEWH6FdawjOQ_52DxVwhYIBj3SpsSGggj7ujeT-Ah_it8rLaY9lgtVennz_l6EgVPqy1nika5Hj6JlZh4QEfxIuqD5fk8/w400-h300/ExtensionWingDrawer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The band saw recieved its long awaited upgrades. out went the Cool Blocks, in went the Accura roller bearing guides for a MUCH smoother and more stable operation. The upper guide holder for the Accura that houses the micro adjuster for the thrust bearing did NOT fit the Central Machinery band saw, but the yoke that holds the side bearings is a direct fit replacement for the yoke that holds the blocks, so that is how I handled the upper guide. Lower was a direct drop in. The MLCS safety power switch was installed and located on the post, which happened to be drilled perfectly for the mounting screws. I sacrificed an outdoor extension cord to get a sufficient cord for the task at hand. The lower factory dust port was replaced with a larger Jet 2.5” port, and an additional 2.5” port was added to the lower shroud, urethane tires were added but not pictured here, and of course the Kreg Precision Fence has been installed and tested…</div><div><br /></div><div>And as Heaven as my witness, I have no clue where that miter gauge came from, but it can probably crawl back where it came from….</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course the previous mods of the G0555 tensioner, riser block, wheel brush etc… are still there…</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV7rZCV-tt1ydJTiHXq5J_q_8oTX8YOtpfIlpSwH3MAg8apHHo6thKALkAW7yHI3fEGVKEvQ1HQwBZB83l_l17OIvYECLe6lX8Ic9XEmK0gt5NTF0V7GlS0H7Td-v01u943PhSSQI7sqJ99EXSAOQHqqao75dNU20OcbPdtEwS8HaD2S4hhymgv8wE/s1099/AccuraRollerBearingGUides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1099" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV7rZCV-tt1ydJTiHXq5J_q_8oTX8YOtpfIlpSwH3MAg8apHHo6thKALkAW7yHI3fEGVKEvQ1HQwBZB83l_l17OIvYECLe6lX8Ic9XEmK0gt5NTF0V7GlS0H7Td-v01u943PhSSQI7sqJ99EXSAOQHqqao75dNU20OcbPdtEwS8HaD2S4hhymgv8wE/w400-h300/AccuraRollerBearingGUides.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Wul3gOLWoE3itkrqg20Oy2VCb5Pm-2PHGghu8kE5BM2N3QdX0kWKDxEF6CJUlznCKtuom-PRn9h3ebwFTGQK-ZfBx2gSKYm0z6SFuXqzvJNuAeMVcxoW5G81FN_VQj64rgZLQdKGMEtnAyzPywlazZ_rVV8aO8WcwYhzs6qmXRWuGPD2p2VjIC_-/s1099/BandSawModded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1099" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Wul3gOLWoE3itkrqg20Oy2VCb5Pm-2PHGghu8kE5BM2N3QdX0kWKDxEF6CJUlznCKtuom-PRn9h3ebwFTGQK-ZfBx2gSKYm0z6SFuXqzvJNuAeMVcxoW5G81FN_VQj64rgZLQdKGMEtnAyzPywlazZ_rVV8aO8WcwYhzs6qmXRWuGPD2p2VjIC_-/w400-h300/BandSawModded.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The drawers and support tables / production stop rig for the miter saw bench / mortiser bench has been done, and now in use… Some minor adjustment to the right side table to get it to line up correctly with the mortiser as the table is 1/16 proud of hte mortiser table. Looks like honestly the mortiser needs to come up…</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHsjpVV0SqhDhNTDQ2nL-qr4UhNr4a-PpUo34MV-BDmEj4wMiQ182TS_9xze9jrbwSP9FlTcGNPiySY3tSOmqbQttSq9ZzryzLa1eYX3YLPcX-H3ElVYFT92BY-DLQAv_0q9JbYRzkmOprd23e4iIdMmfWQpuNyz8xkJKIP_Q9djHFt44GOKybEZt/s4032/20220601_101910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHsjpVV0SqhDhNTDQ2nL-qr4UhNr4a-PpUo34MV-BDmEj4wMiQ182TS_9xze9jrbwSP9FlTcGNPiySY3tSOmqbQttSq9ZzryzLa1eYX3YLPcX-H3ElVYFT92BY-DLQAv_0q9JbYRzkmOprd23e4iIdMmfWQpuNyz8xkJKIP_Q9djHFt44GOKybEZt/w400-h300/20220601_101910.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFWmqsa1djT7B_iuFZjCTP8NRCnEA1ATHYCL76lTNut-rQjoThsn93HB9hJivPEdzi0VC6559mV4-xwPC20s7JxDXDU13ZAIpDlUmsPZYxL_Wmw9m53nJQuq61QeigtKkY4-oSo9znLAw995M9te5APpbxQP6pLu0yTJ81xs1E2Ipnh8ivhl-0nAI/s4032/20220601_101815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFWmqsa1djT7B_iuFZjCTP8NRCnEA1ATHYCL76lTNut-rQjoThsn93HB9hJivPEdzi0VC6559mV4-xwPC20s7JxDXDU13ZAIpDlUmsPZYxL_Wmw9m53nJQuq61QeigtKkY4-oSo9znLAw995M9te5APpbxQP6pLu0yTJ81xs1E2Ipnh8ivhl-0nAI/w400-h300/20220601_101815.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The wall stacker was killing my back and making me not want to spend shop time working with my equipment, so I built this pair of flip top stands for my bench top tools. The small bits and bobs from the Rigid sander live in a little pegboard hung basket on the side of the stand where I rabbeted in a pegboard side panel. These stands were built from mostly scrap / cutoff lumber and old Harbor Freight casters I had recycled from prior projects. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuuhSfNLjs01juumYH4XEe5N1JDLgkeb8R9syVKO7iXEUK59APg6IToaeKy0tbCwi6xamvcWZDdC1PJHxvK7DpTOkh2zbTxJLrc4QXEkFmhFUwBFnEefc2Nh3yq-8PrQrjsVTP9zSUS1-0Fwk-3bjp2AlKVmF5THsIXfkIDLRWgS59CvsLSOnvk2w/s1099/FlipTopStands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1099" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuuhSfNLjs01juumYH4XEe5N1JDLgkeb8R9syVKO7iXEUK59APg6IToaeKy0tbCwi6xamvcWZDdC1PJHxvK7DpTOkh2zbTxJLrc4QXEkFmhFUwBFnEefc2Nh3yq-8PrQrjsVTP9zSUS1-0Fwk-3bjp2AlKVmF5THsIXfkIDLRWgS59CvsLSOnvk2w/w400-h300/FlipTopStands.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>And at least for the glut that is now, the last item that has been done since November is the sharpening station, which I have since upgraded with a better platform that has a slit for a jig to hold plane irons / chisels and such for sharpening them and they have really helped me re-establish some badly chipped out Chinese made Stanleys...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaNeka23JnrxrzzlXx95uGAk1qNdF1pxQ6ycJ30N6gRNXLSy9jpX4CbzyclHj1rUZR1XiXBIdadXltjCtRttnhapgZsecrvO3cAaiPkevUL5OXYMwaqfaW5IpeRAyxkx1jiUavdhNXDD4Tin7lkPh0iolcFZP8DLP9q0iZXjYbVXj055Oe7MdBe1A/s4032/20211216_173145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaNeka23JnrxrzzlXx95uGAk1qNdF1pxQ6ycJ30N6gRNXLSy9jpX4CbzyclHj1rUZR1XiXBIdadXltjCtRttnhapgZsecrvO3cAaiPkevUL5OXYMwaqfaW5IpeRAyxkx1jiUavdhNXDD4Tin7lkPh0iolcFZP8DLP9q0iZXjYbVXj055Oe7MdBe1A/w300-h400/20211216_173145.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So now that is all done, what's left to do?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thankfully it is a short list, but it is still a tremendous amount of work...</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I have some wide 3 drawer Sterilite cabinets that fit my cased drills. Make a rolling stand that will straddle my mobile base for the drill press and attach the plastic cabinet to it. Yes it is a cheat, but I'll take it to get it done quick.</li><li>Build a replacement base for the lathe that integrates a MUCH stronger structure, ballast, and will use at least 4 more of the orphaned drawers my Sister In Law left in my shop...</li><li>Clean, clean, clean, clean. I did too many projects with the dust collection either turned off, or disassembled and the shop needs a thorough cleaning, sorting and puging of old junk.</li><li>Take down my clamshell cabinets and shop library, rework the french cleats so that they have a much stronger purchase into the studs and less of a tendency to pull out.</li><li>Rework the dust hood for the miter saw, change its drop from 4 to 5".</li></ul><p></p>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-68607978532490496292022-02-09T07:28:00.000-06:002022-02-09T07:28:04.181-06:00The last touches on the compressed air system.<p><br /></p><p>So my last few bits and pieces, some 3/8" MPT x 1/2" Push to connect unions came in today, and I already installed them. I have narrowed down what I have used in my system, and worked out a full parts list for anyone wanting to do an install like mine without making the mistakes I made along the way.</p><p><i><b><span style="font-size: medium;">So let's go!</span></b></i></p><p>As a refresher, I have a dual compressor system, both Central Pnuematic oil lubricated, 2HP models, one 29 gallon, and one 8 gallon. They are ganged together in a custom manifold that uses a Central Pnuematic 3/8 filter / regulator, FRL connection bracket, and a Central Pnuematic filter / dessicant dryer. </p><p>Harbor Freight is changing lines from Central Pnuematic to Merlin, and I can find no FRL bracket advertised as compatible with the Merlin setup, so if you want to go with Merlin instead of selecting one on say Amazon, just use a 3/8" close nipple.</p><p>I went with the dual compressor setup to be able to delivery just over 14cfm at 40psi, which is more than enough to drive anything I am likely to run in my shop, or around my house. Yes a big industrial compressor would be awsome, but that would require a dedicated 30 amp 220v circuit, and a LOT more space neither of which I have or have any interest in adding to my garage workshop.</p><p><br /></p><p><i><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Now with that being said, let's go through what we have and how we configured it shall we?</span></b></i></p><p><i><b><br /></b></i></p><p><i><b>Dual compressor input, regulator / filter / dryer / manifold assembly.</b></i></p><p>I run the dual compressor setup with one compressor, the 29 gallon, plumbed via the piping sytem to the manifold, and the other via a quick connect to the manifold. These connect through 1/4" NPT one way check valves preventing backpressure or leakage in the system or between the comrpessors. These are in turn assembled to 3/8" x 1/4" NPT bushings, and in turn assembled to a 3/8" FxFxM tee. This tee feeds into my Central Pnuematic 3/8" filter regulator, this in turn is connected via an FRL bracket to a Central Pnuematic 3/8" filter / dessicant dryer. The first filter does particulates, the second filter removes oil etc... These each are auto draining. On the output side, another 3/8 FxFxM tee, and from here we connect with the first 3/8" MPT x 1/2" push to connect union to get into the piping system, and on the other output, I use for now am using a Central Pnuematic industrial coupler with a 3/8 x 1/4" bushing. I will be upgrading to a Milton 3/8" MPT unit soonest possible.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTP7fPovm2kYLecRfN7_tacXg1UKzxtSOPGlY3YG-fNdJw4az396ernsT3wFCvRegDzTVwbuChdHun4Zxi47b3500cK5vfOp54_m8w-8FSIYb26fP-MUnJZYtyRHTW0XRjPNfDe2FNKt_UI2At9C1s1dtZF10vxWK_v4hOPBzeMOFDgtIjtl3Rj1SX=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTP7fPovm2kYLecRfN7_tacXg1UKzxtSOPGlY3YG-fNdJw4az396ernsT3wFCvRegDzTVwbuChdHun4Zxi47b3500cK5vfOp54_m8w-8FSIYb26fP-MUnJZYtyRHTW0XRjPNfDe2FNKt_UI2At9C1s1dtZF10vxWK_v4hOPBzeMOFDgtIjtl3Rj1SX=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>My regulator / filter / dryer manifold assembly. The main<br /></i><i>components are now discontinued and replaced with the Merlin<br /></i><i>brand at Harbor Freight</i>.</div></div><p><i><b>So here is the shopping list, and I am aiming for having some spares with best per unit price so adjust as necessary.</b></i></p><p><br /></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>First the brass tees. Yes I am linking a 5 pack even though I used 3. These are useful, and, well, it is cheaper this way per unit by a lot. GASHER 5PCS Metals Brass Pipe Fitting Barstock Male Branch Tee T Adapter 3/8" NPT Female x 3/8" NPT Female x 3/8" NPT Male 5pk. <a href="https://amzn.to/35RDzsl">https://amzn.to/35RDzsl</a></li><li>Milton S-217 1/4" NPT V Style Coupler and Plug Kit - 6 Piece. This will cover 2 hoses, and the secondary input should you opt to not run it in using the push to connect tubing and keep it mobile, <a href="https://amzn.to/3uATpSM">https://amzn.to/3uATpSM</a></li><li>Control Devices P2525-1WA Brass Ball Check Valve, 1/4" NPT Female x NPT Male. You will need 2 of these, 1 for each compressor input. These will require bushings. <a href="https://amzn.to/3B3PGyd">https://amzn.to/3B3PGyd</a></li><li>T TANYA HARDWARE 1/4" x 3/8" Brass Hex Bushing, Female Pipe x Male Pipe, NPT, Pack of 10. <a href="https://amzn.to/3rBRLOU">https://amzn.to/3rBRLOU</a></li><li>I used the now discontinued Central Pnuematic, now they have the Merlin 3/8" air filter with regulator. <a href="https://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-...tor-58178.html">https://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-...tor-58178.html</a></li><li>Again Central Pneumatic, the Merlin equivalent is.... 3/8" NPT (F) Dessicant Dryer filter. <a href="https://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-...ter-58180.html">https://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-...ter-58180.html</a></li></ol><p>Unlike the Central Pnuematic, the Merlin does not appear to have an FRL connection bracket available. If you can find a compatible unit, use it, if not, just connect them with a brass 3/8" close nipple. The FRL mount brackets were really nice on the Central Pnuematics....</p><p>The regulator / filter / dryer assembly can be had in a single coordinated assembly on Amazon for a few bucks more than the Harbor Freight units, but and this is goign to sound funny, this is one area that I know Harbor Freight makes a quality unit, I think you would be better off with theirs. But if you insist on going amazon, here is the lowest cost comaprable unit.... <a href="https://amzn.to/35Nk8Rs">https://amzn.to/35Nk8Rs</a></p><p>Now that we are out of the manifold assembly...</p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Let's move on to the Compressed air piping system.</i></b></p><p>My piping system is basically a knock off of the Rapidaire, however I looked at the Rapidaire which was considerably more expensive, and itself required lots of parts added to get the kit where I wanted it, not where they want to sell it... It is a 1/2" OD nylon tubing push to conneect set whcih came with plentiful fittings, 60 feet of tubing which is way more than I will use in my garage, and some just average couplers and plugs. </p><p>I opted for 3/8" MPT unions, and 3/8" MPT couplers to insure I had full flow from the manifold to the hoses. I know I am going to be restricted by the hoses / plugs, but that is something I am just going to have to live with. I wanted no restriction in the path. This also allowed me to eliminate the use of bushings and the added potential point of failure / leakage.</p><p>I run the tubing staight up the wall from the manifold, to the ceiling, and make my first bend transitioning to the ceiling. The tubing cut pretty easily with the included cutter, and the push to connect fittings were deemed to be well named by now as they make a good secure connection.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMxV7nRA_PAJbI8uVDwWocex2Z8zHC4uzFk5TJv7fV8cBynjR-dxQq3ATimeCOKYSElk685lE75G1t-HkV8PIAb0ol2EKVyANMlI1uStTYXJRZV4m-XjPnvoLvZZO2p5Nvu2TkyyXmD09vc8mWtSMott9wfnfc2XmmmRe0kq3kgtzZ4oVljOkZycZg=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMxV7nRA_PAJbI8uVDwWocex2Z8zHC4uzFk5TJv7fV8cBynjR-dxQq3ATimeCOKYSElk685lE75G1t-HkV8PIAb0ol2EKVyANMlI1uStTYXJRZV4m-XjPnvoLvZZO2p5Nvu2TkyyXmD09vc8mWtSMott9wfnfc2XmmmRe0kq3kgtzZ4oVljOkZycZg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>We travel somewhat diagonally accross the ceiling to between the overhead doors, where we tee into the line, and connect to my old Central Pnuematic 3/8" 50 foot self retracting hose reel that is mounted between the overhead door tracks for best coverage of the workshop, and driveway, while taking up minimal headroom. This is an old unit, and the original hose was getting old and started leaking. We replaced the original hose with a Goodyear replacement hose. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhcttxdPLdlOb_eKkOiMgPEGV8PHp8zpQrt2eSRSSRfPS0lsH-ZHE9mk9x3uAu4tN4OaxoAyE6M2yiMT9g5Hq_59T6oQBbqpkUEaOwi1hK6JoNPHmHkJPm3oP-9tBNrGB2wPfzBiREpCL1KUm1f7MW_AKl8Z0L7OjtCjsZwiSsC57p9DyIN1YJj_3k=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhcttxdPLdlOb_eKkOiMgPEGV8PHp8zpQrt2eSRSSRfPS0lsH-ZHE9mk9x3uAu4tN4OaxoAyE6M2yiMT9g5Hq_59T6oQBbqpkUEaOwi1hK6JoNPHmHkJPm3oP-9tBNrGB2wPfzBiREpCL1KUm1f7MW_AKl8Z0L7OjtCjsZwiSsC57p9DyIN1YJj_3k=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>We continued along the ceiling to the front wall, make our second bend to the front wall, and tee down to meet our first outlet block. Both outlet blocks are configured identically. They are Primefit outlet blocks, with the Primefit 3/8" MPT x 1/2" push to connect unions, 1/4" flush pipe plugs, 3/8" MPT Milton couplers, and 3/8" MPT forged ball valves for pressure dump. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5OKDMrU_A_7-ADFI5jr4yah4PbwbX_F2eiNZa3akt1hwl9oO8-wSIT-kmU-brnjvZAupmyR8hYk_4NBDRnyLNQ-PWuSdImt42OF21V9n8Hz-e6BSS0TppXo8P6theYBJgbTmRNAsAV6oCPP6eTEL0xcVC8vZFBz_EA1d-A0FnFAcvE-3lpjvnAqBG=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5OKDMrU_A_7-ADFI5jr4yah4PbwbX_F2eiNZa3akt1hwl9oO8-wSIT-kmU-brnjvZAupmyR8hYk_4NBDRnyLNQ-PWuSdImt42OF21V9n8Hz-e6BSS0TppXo8P6theYBJgbTmRNAsAV6oCPP6eTEL0xcVC8vZFBz_EA1d-A0FnFAcvE-3lpjvnAqBG=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>As the tee continues down the front wall to the other side of the overhead door, we make our final bend, to our second outlet block.</p><p>Bigatur 1/2" Air Piping System. <a href="https://amzn.to/3LgJIyx">https://amzn.to/3LgJIyx</a></p><p>Primefit outlet blocks. I used 2. <a href="https://amzn.to/3uAdFnd">https://amzn.to/3uAdFnd</a></p><p>Glarks 10pc brass 1/4" MPT hex flush pipe plugs. This will close off the unused 1/4" port on the back of the outlet block. <a href="https://amzn.to/3GCoNlU">https://amzn.to/3GCoNlU</a></p><p>Primefit 1/2" push to connect x 3/8" MPT straight union 4 pack. I used one. <a href="https://amzn.to/3oA2Uh3">https://amzn.to/3oA2Uh3</a></p><p>Antrader 4 pack forged brass 3/8 NPT male x female ball valves 180 degree action. <a href="https://amzn.to/3BkAFIB">https://amzn.to/3BkAFIB</a></p><p>Milton Industries S-767 HI-Flo V-Style -FeetA,M,V-Feet 3/8-Inch MNPT Brass Body, Single. I used 3. <a href="https://amzn.to/3HDwA4u">https://amzn.to/3HDwA4u</a></p><p>Central Pnuematic 3/8 x 50ft hose reel. Yes the fittings are 1/4 NPT. So are the hoses. But at least I have full flow up TO it... <a href="https://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-...eel-93897.html">https://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-...eel-93897.html</a></p><p>NOTE: Harbor Freight appears to be phasing out their pre existing house brands such as Central Pnuematic in favor of their newer lines such as the Merlin Brand, which is reportedly an excellent replacement, but at a higher price point. I am working on a blog post about that move but am not ready to publish it as I am still working out the ideas. The Merlin setup is still less expensive than anything on Amazon though.</p><p>Anywhere male pipe threads are, irregardless of factory pipe sealant, recieved several wraps of teflon tape to insure a propoer seal after experiencing multiple failed seal atempts with factory pipe sealed components. </p><p>A spray bottle with soapy water was made up, and once the system was pressurized, EVERY SINGLE JOINT was tested, thoroughly. There are at the time of this writing, ZERO leaks in my compressed air system. </p><p>I still have too many air hoses to think about. both 1/4" and 3/8" ID. The 3/8" ID reinforced polyurethane hoses are far and away my favorites as they are, and stay nice and flexible, are not prone to kinking like hybrid hoses are, and are not super heavy and prone to cracking like rubber hoses are. The disadvantage to the reinforced urethane is that they are not all that abrasion resistant, which is why you never see them in a self retracting hose reel. For use out in the driveway / automotive uses, I pretty strictly use traditional reinforced rubber hoses.</p><p>At least in my experience, the hybrid hoses I have tried have simply been the worst of all possible worlds. Poor abrasion resistance, VERY kink prone, very crack prone, the only thing going for them that I can tell is they are lighter than rubber. In my opinion the hybrid air hoses should be avoided at all costs.</p>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-8929025288822180942022-02-06T18:59:00.003-06:002022-02-06T18:59:45.211-06:00Thinking about what hasn't worked as well as I had hoped. What to avoid in your shop setup.<p>So you've seen the shop tours, you've watched countless brag videos on how this or that thing is the best thing since sliced bread...</p><p><br /></p><p>This is not one of those posts.</p><p>On the contrary, this post is to tell you what failed, or at least didn't live up to my hopes. A lot of it is being changed over now, but let's dive right in and hopefully we can get somewhere with this...</p><p><br /></p><p>#1. My compressed air distribution system. The ganged / dual air compressor setup works great, gives me good max CFM to drive everything I need. The regulator / filter / dryer assembly does what it is supposed to do, how it is supposed to do it. The issues I had were my distribution system relied on, after the output tee of the regulator / filter / dryer setup, I went from 3/8" NPT fittings, to 1/4" so at every fitting we introduced effectively a bottleneck / venturi which is great if we wan to increase speed and atomization of a liquid immediately after, but lousy if I want to maintain volume. The air was distributed with old fashioned rubber hoses that are prone to drying out and cracking, and the overhead hose reel itself was mounted too far back in the shop near the back wall by the comrpessors.</p><p>I fixed this by replacing the hoses with a 1/2 push to connect compressed air piping system. Although honestly since pipe is measured in ID and tubing is measured in OD, and this stuff is 1/2" OD they should call them tubing systems. I replaced the 1/4" MPT x 1/2" push to connect fittings with 3/8" MPT x 1/2" push to connect fittings. Sadly the fittings themselves are necked down with a plate that has a 1/4" hex hole in the middle. It took some VERY careful drilling to drill out the plate to 3/8" but my setup NOW has fully 3/8" ID end to end. At the outlet block likewise I upsized the couplers from the standard 1/4" MPT couplers, to 3/8" MPT Milton couplers. They cost a couple of dollars more a piece, but the quality and air flow are worth it.</p><p>#2. My old T12 flourescent shop light fixtures were failing. Blowing tubes left and right, flickering, buzzing, and just being a pain. Yep the ballasts were going out.</p><p>I could have replaced teh fixtures, but at $20.00 each for cheap ones that I really didn't like, which meant at least $140.00 for new fixtures, or a sale at Amazon for a box of 20 T12 - T8 double or single end powered ballast Bypass conversion bulbs for all of $70.00, I figured I would save 50% and do the upgrade myself, keeping the fixtures I liked. What I wasn't prepared for is just how much brighter the light would be in there. Takes some getting used to.</p><p>#3. My dust collector and ducting. Wile many people are fine with 4" mains, I was going to push my DC to as close to Bill Pentz recommendations as possible without going into the ten grand budget territory. I also had my lower run to my workbench and table saw running across the floor causing a tripping hazard. </p><p>How I fixed that? Upgraded the impeller to a Wen 12", removed the Thien separator and using a Pentz neutral vane, long ago tossed the filter bag in favor of a Wynn 35a .5 micron cartridge filter. Upgraded my mains, or more specifically upgradING my mains to 5" and just keeping my final branch runs at 4", this allows me to have ports where I need them. I have a LONG way to go with this, and am basically tearing out the 4" segments that are going away now. I have the under the bench part moved UP and a vertical 4" running to the ceiling where it will meet up with a branch wye and go into the 5" main. Will likely do a full on post about the ducting once I have it all set up. Probably shoot a video on it.</p><p>#4. My tool stacker, just a set of heavy duty shelf standards, and brackets, holding up bench top tools mounted to 3/4" plywood bases meant that I had to lift from over my head for most of my tools, which are not super light, turn which usually meant at least SOME twisting, and then lug the thing to the work bench that put the work surface of the tool too high to actually use well.</p><p>My solution for this is also still in progress, and at least 2/3 of the way done. First was the build of the bench grinder / sharpeing station to hold the grinder and griding jigs up solidly and give me a great platform for sharpening my turning tools. The next step was to design and build a flip top tool cart for the bench top jointer, and lunchbox planer. This is already done and posted in several places. I learned a LOT building that. Thirdly is a second flip top tool cart. This one for the Rigid oscillating edge belt / spindle sander, and scroll saw. There were LOTS of lessons learned about rushing a job with the first one. On #2, I made certain the lap joints are clean, and tight. No need for screws, although I am planning on at least for the platform to the kick leg using 5/16" dowels, and screws to help secure it though the leg. I am not necessarily Anti Screw, I just want to minimze the amount of hardware for the build. Kind of a personal challenge</p><p>#5. My turning tools storage is abysmal. I am keeping them on a plywood platfor on the stand in thier shipping boxes. </p><p>I have some jetissoned drawers from wherever my sister in law dug them up from after Hurricane Harvey. The drawer fronts are really pretty, but the joinery is abysmal. I need to shorten them and am likely to just build out a basic box / cabinet to go above the lathe stands spreaders, and hold my turning tools and accessories. Most likely flock the interior of the thing.</p><p>#6. My drill press gobbles up floor space, and really only punches holes. No storage or antying like that. I know over simplified.</p><p>I have the Wood magazine plans for the drill press storage cabinet, the kind that rolls over the foot of and straddles the post of a drill press. Now my drill press is on a Harbor Freight mobile base. I need to modify both the base by narrowing it up, and using 2x6s as a platform for the drill press, AND modify the cabinet plans. I am hoping to be able to store all my drilling jigs, and accessories in there, including my hand held drills in their cases being hung from hooks on the sides of the cabinet.</p><p>#7. My table saw and router table parts and accessories are jammed willy nilly into a single tote making it very hard to find the right thing when I need it. </p><p>This is a ways down the road, but I am working on designing a proper mobile base / cabinet for the table saw, with a router enclosure, and organizer / storage drawers. And pull out blade organizers. This is not super high on the list, but it IS on the list... And will likely be done as 2 separate boxes. The box immediately under the table saw, and the box under the extension wing / router table...</p><p>Well that's is. I am sure there is more, but that is all I can think of to write about today. </p><p>I am making a video of my build for the flip top stand. Once I get that published I hope you will check it out on my youtube channel!</p>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-27178620788711620402022-02-05T12:06:00.003-06:002022-02-05T12:06:57.739-06:00Shop updates progress.<p><b>Shop updates progress.</b></p><p>So in late December, I gave a list of shop upgrades, where I was with them, and what was left to do. At that time, what was left pending I beilieve was...</p><ol><li>DC duct move / straightening. This is in progress.</li><li>Install the band saw tires.</li><li>Compressed air hard piping. I have all the stuff and have started installing the outlets.</li><li>Lighting. This is for safety and energy efficiency. I need to buy the bulbs.</li><li>Finish the miter saw cabinet drawers and doors.</li><li>Blown in insulation. I may have to farm this out, but it shouldn't be too terribly expensive.</li></ol><div>So let's handle the items one at a time and give you an idea of what is happening.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>DC Duct move / straightening. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>I've never been truly satisfied with the way my current dust collection piping setup is run, and I am in process of taking the parts down that bother me, and re-routing them. I am replacing the 4" main duct with 5" which is the maximum size my dust collector is made for, and running, at least for now, until I branch, so for example the workbench and table saw area have an upper, and a lower run. I am running the 5" duct overhead, and branching where the workbench / table saw extension table begin, in order to accomodate pulling from both lines at the same time. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPGaVElZgym1NMXb7fNgmIRKbe7Hb6PgBI2UTAYooPass_mPl1DDnnXxP4Y7gQVV5zzkXgMEgDiclg568u4Wksuz1vQJYbYWE5Cbf2Jw6iy0fdfitrwlC_2c42oQqzv1oiUeYssoEYey-rTRgyH16gqA_iT7Kvo37Ao4nxVmhf49ViRWPJXIjaKeAq=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPGaVElZgym1NMXb7fNgmIRKbe7Hb6PgBI2UTAYooPass_mPl1DDnnXxP4Y7gQVV5zzkXgMEgDiclg568u4Wksuz1vQJYbYWE5Cbf2Jw6iy0fdfitrwlC_2c42oQqzv1oiUeYssoEYey-rTRgyH16gqA_iT7Kvo37Ao4nxVmhf49ViRWPJXIjaKeAq=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The first section of 5" being run. I have since tightened up the</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>hanger and the angles are now correct.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdgcA76duR3e9IN9GTnqmC5yUlZW3ziix1yVyQs0W7k4FhHDCgUxY6psKWm0KnVVrQdBFrS6G_Gu2JE2xfGTMjBCUFIXpkosSe8Y-lZG0jJO_Jo-S7Dy8IzyYD-XSbI-k_XIIVdsfeWXeaL3P2N-gL5Qm7cUa2jotT1T4Qe8JKJj846fsGWLOl00_o=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdgcA76duR3e9IN9GTnqmC5yUlZW3ziix1yVyQs0W7k4FhHDCgUxY6psKWm0KnVVrQdBFrS6G_Gu2JE2xfGTMjBCUFIXpkosSe8Y-lZG0jJO_Jo-S7Dy8IzyYD-XSbI-k_XIIVdsfeWXeaL3P2N-gL5Qm7cUa2jotT1T4Qe8JKJj846fsGWLOl00_o=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The 4" being reconfigured, yes I know I am hard on my workbench</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The joints are locked together with pop rivets for semi</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>permanence but can be taken apart if needed.</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibOZ3OKoZA8cnueBnYxidAPtp3Lp1RiwMhDjx23yqsUtoqFuiNIw-t5Sy0QxlfYQNRvmNM96dcqtZKcme4cfUMflp8GSauKpvWs4rGXtJ0e8hr9PqsJDRsgADmb8MOpwC5DRF2_sDifr0BXzhND6diHNAKm8Wsbm8cNZlHUmkRlk7-sH4ssUNzOiKg=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibOZ3OKoZA8cnueBnYxidAPtp3Lp1RiwMhDjx23yqsUtoqFuiNIw-t5Sy0QxlfYQNRvmNM96dcqtZKcme4cfUMflp8GSauKpvWs4rGXtJ0e8hr9PqsJDRsgADmb8MOpwC5DRF2_sDifr0BXzhND6diHNAKm8Wsbm8cNZlHUmkRlk7-sH4ssUNzOiKg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><i>The run between the workbench and the table saw is DONE!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Due to working with what I have, and what is available on the market, I am using a mix of 4" DWV PVC, 2.5"m 4 and 5" ABS plastic dust collection fittings including <a href="https://amzn.to/3gtGnOB" target="_blank">5x5x5 ABS branch wyes</a>, and <a href="https://amzn.to/3rs7Vdk" target="_blank">5x4 ABS duct reducers</a>, and of course 5" snap lock duct and 5" sheet metal adjustable elbows.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am haing to cut down some of the DWV as I used to have it literally accross the floor, and needed to remove about 4 feet of pipe to make the configuration change. Cutting this on the miter saw without dust collection was honeslty a messy affair. </div><div><br /></div><div>The joints on the assemblies that need to be permanently connected, are being drilled and pop riveted. IF for any reason I do need to dissassemble, for example I sell this place and need to relocate, OR I finally build that outbuilding workshop by some miracle of finances, I will be able to drill out the rivets and be good to go.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sealing of the joints will take place when everything is in place and will be done with aluminum HVAC tape. The metal 5" run shown above has already been done, I honestly need more tape. I will also be taping the seam of the split lock to prevent air incursion from there.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Why did you go with 5" when there are people doing 6" upgrades with Harbor Freight 2 HP dust collectors and Cyclones?</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>I've worried myself to pieces over this, and had more than a few excitable debates with various fellow forum members on many woodworking forums about this. Many say just pitch the Harbor Freight unit all together, but a true full on proper cyclone and pipe it for 8". Those same folks don't ever volunteer donations to that end. But the other advice teeters between 5" to get the most out of what my collector was designed for, and upsizing including the inlet in the impeller housing to 6" as 6" will move more air, and that is absolutely true. 6" WILL move more air than 5", quite a bit more. Let me show you the difference between 4" and 5", and you might be able to guess how much different 6" will be...</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLB21QFjb-0O4QMar7T2orWwHPGA_0658BrbWwlY2rjmbHYesnfJUxQi_OWNlk5wyObedkuMi7HTuWese47JbReZjbIjBabmGO2bzQ5NVqGBT6W9xX0_9wjG617FxMwMBuoeJ8w6dBAiJJrIK0ONj0jqxLXrfSeRJjQXLHvp2A8FwVmicFImlSL2xr=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLB21QFjb-0O4QMar7T2orWwHPGA_0658BrbWwlY2rjmbHYesnfJUxQi_OWNlk5wyObedkuMi7HTuWese47JbReZjbIjBabmGO2bzQ5NVqGBT6W9xX0_9wjG617FxMwMBuoeJ8w6dBAiJJrIK0ONj0jqxLXrfSeRJjQXLHvp2A8FwVmicFImlSL2xr=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>4" x 2.5" ABS Branch Wye L, 5" x 5" ABS Branch Wye R.</i></div><div><br /></div>Lastly, the warnings I have seen RE: the loss in static pressure (vacuum) using 6" with a 2HP blower. And YES I know companies like Grizzly etc... have 6" ports on 1.5HP dust colectors, but I am honestly trying to do as much of the Bill Pentz approach as I can with what I have. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>A reminder of the modifications to the dust collector.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In order to accomplish the goals and go with the recommendations, from Bill Pentz I have done the following.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Remove and discard the terrible filter bag that just makes the dust collector a dust pump, and replace it with a Wynn cartridge filer. Mine is a MERV15 35A and is well over a decade old.</li><li>The Harbor Freight / Central Machinery 2 HP dust collector has a motor and impeller housing that will easily handle a 12" impeller, but they ship with a 9.75" impeller. I upgraded mine with a Wen 3403-22 Turbofan (impeller). The swap was quick and easy, although I have seen 2 reports on the Redditt woodworking subforum where owners managed to break the flange trying to pull the original impeller. I am assuming this is a casting quality issue with the OE impeller. They were both newer gray machines unlike my old green model. Be prepared to get creative to get the original out if the flange snaps. Once out though, the new one goes in easy...</li><li>Neutral Vane. This is basically a piece of duct extension in the inlet ring of the bag holder on the dust collector, it keeps the air moving in a cyclonic motion, and allows dust and chips to fall out of the air stream before it goes up to the filter, keeping the filter cleaner. It is nowhere near as effective as a true separate cyclone separator, or a Thien cyclone. I love the Thien cyclone, I am a big proponent of the Thien Cyclone, HOWEVER separators take a big hot on airflow, slowing your CFM down quite a bit. So I opted for the Neutral Vane Since it does not separate quite as well as a dedicated separator, I take my blow gun on the air compressor, and blow down my filter after every single use... So far so good. The plans for the Neutral Vane for the Harbor Freight or similar sized / cone ramped dust collectors can be found in <a href="https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/discussions/shop-setup-layout-and-design/36139-hf-neutral-vane-pictures-reposting" target="_blank">the post on Sawdustzone.org</a> by LCHIEN. Give him props for his fine work and sharing it please!</li></ol> </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Install the band saw tires. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>These were a Santa needing to be cost effective with his elves sort of Christmas gift, but desperately needed as my originals are cracking causing a bumping of the blade as it travels. These are inexpensive on Amazon, and a good upgrade to any of the cheap relatvely speaking, Chinese 14" band saws. But yeah, the install hasn't happened yet. I need to do it, but just have had other things going on. Definately go with <a href="https://amzn.to/3Gu5ATD" target="_blank">Polyurethane tires</a> as they are smoother, last longer and far less likely to end up cracking and causing bumping and / or tracking problems.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Compressed air hard piping.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Done.</div><div><br /></div><div>The system is installed and working. And I am loving it. Another Christmas gift upgrade. I have been wanting a piping system since I started building the shop. It makes air avaialble anywhere in the shop I want it without tripping over hoses. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggZIzSsv6Xvu5Z8UJBPFKC3mlER9gFNQV5CXUjfZDHdPgwX5zvhxkM8HXN0a_S3t1fxdPp70fmgtJGXeQ3LbtTEdiq3hZnb1ZwVB7Al0sGJ_UACnNwyzAUFpVP7srHShjkHP1iQAb6V-NzC0V93fRiAUZSC2J0ifSzdpUK1t2gXfYO7up1aAir2jYR=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggZIzSsv6Xvu5Z8UJBPFKC3mlER9gFNQV5CXUjfZDHdPgwX5zvhxkM8HXN0a_S3t1fxdPp70fmgtJGXeQ3LbtTEdiq3hZnb1ZwVB7Al0sGJ_UACnNwyzAUFpVP7srHShjkHP1iQAb6V-NzC0V93fRiAUZSC2J0ifSzdpUK1t2gXfYO7up1aAir2jYR=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The heart of the system is my Central Pnuematic 29 gallon compressor,</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I am piped straight out of the regualtor to the piping system with a ball</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>valve to cut off flow in case of a problem.</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggUepl1n_NqPe_D0t6rEBmIq6X2KTgoSEVTirDiUNqca4SMidGG6WLimGPc57M-39-lvM8TnP0gNgNM0_DeQMFdEpXQdoeAOn8pDwHDY9bIYdoORdHHcZe4DilJMJV6Fs5jZ3gQFK7kgRwCVv_55WcOr9uboy2l2jSk57c8M4Yd3r4_c-mUi2BY2-O=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggUepl1n_NqPe_D0t6rEBmIq6X2KTgoSEVTirDiUNqca4SMidGG6WLimGPc57M-39-lvM8TnP0gNgNM0_DeQMFdEpXQdoeAOn8pDwHDY9bIYdoORdHHcZe4DilJMJV6Fs5jZ3gQFK7kgRwCVv_55WcOr9uboy2l2jSk57c8M4Yd3r4_c-mUi2BY2-O=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I updated my connections to the mainfold setup with the secondary</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>regulator, filter / dryer, and I have updated since this photo, </i><i>to</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>3/8" MPT x 1/2" push to connect fittings to insure full air flow.</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjUTeu62EOmsm6oBs88HaokWx8YV-BKnCFaUlcIuomqzMg689UH6C8-W65otRuAFFkS_8Pnvlt6whdN5I_pNsIO0_G7i-FQZ_iUZE7JQORmjdrBgk8sLAsNPu1VHb_3dhCQXptJ1i5pX-24oZHRWoUOXGJ3fj7lMpv8JQEC6xqg-isnurN63_zwiZw=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjUTeu62EOmsm6oBs88HaokWx8YV-BKnCFaUlcIuomqzMg689UH6C8-W65otRuAFFkS_8Pnvlt6whdN5I_pNsIO0_G7i-FQZ_iUZE7JQORmjdrBgk8sLAsNPu1VHb_3dhCQXptJ1i5pX-24oZHRWoUOXGJ3fj7lMpv8JQEC6xqg-isnurN63_zwiZw=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Run up the wall, and accross the ceiling, I have since secured</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>the tubing with tubing clips.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjToIrnfEvj3WYj-YUaj5ytg4LclljACc_vd_WL-iu7cqNLRSBsc-MwlrlNSz-cM_oFIrIcuLVLrBJ1n_5fc0IQ5NrPUiUZpabp0M7aawprCpvmrTP6kDGh4AFU4JTMAb6ulpPYTkLUBUNVubPeIM52tzeiorW9SOQ0WUXihSskejQiqzgud60vPkn1=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjToIrnfEvj3WYj-YUaj5ytg4LclljACc_vd_WL-iu7cqNLRSBsc-MwlrlNSz-cM_oFIrIcuLVLrBJ1n_5fc0IQ5NrPUiUZpabp0M7aawprCpvmrTP6kDGh4AFU4JTMAb6ulpPYTkLUBUNVubPeIM52tzeiorW9SOQ0WUXihSskejQiqzgud60vPkn1=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>My previously existing overhead hose reel was moved all </i><i>the way</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>forward to between the overhead doors. Careful plumbing keeps</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>everything out of the way of the door tracks / hardware. Sadly this</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>hose reel, and ALL of them I could find only had 1/4" fittings. </i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijeJu0pTwRcJ5vsADKLl6Zqe3_3N4v2AHGQYP7Y0hQdHr5U4AhqhyKb75_S3SDmZbq7npY1JwiVu68LW38EroPrAD0pptfOdF-ZPqyyaKBh-nVahgt1_CG4K1WSkMXydkLMMXV-Chy41uSHbnLzIMuGg-OkNqJ2wSYi9TZc-JfT0i__N1-tUh9X-wu=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijeJu0pTwRcJ5vsADKLl6Zqe3_3N4v2AHGQYP7Y0hQdHr5U4AhqhyKb75_S3SDmZbq7npY1JwiVu68LW38EroPrAD0pptfOdF-ZPqyyaKBh-nVahgt1_CG4K1WSkMXydkLMMXV-Chy41uSHbnLzIMuGg-OkNqJ2wSYi9TZc-JfT0i__N1-tUh9X-wu=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The outlet block has been reconfigured since this</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>picture, again to insure full airflow, I got rid of the</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>bushings and 1/4" MPT pieces, and went with 3/8"</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>MPT parts, including Milton 3/8" MPT Type V,M,A</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>couplers. I LOVE my Miltons!</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>To do.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finish updating 1/4" MPT x 1/2" push to connect fittings to 3/8" MPT x 1/2" push to connect fittings. I still need one. The fittings came with a restrictor / baffle type plate that reduces the airflow to a 1/4" hex hole for some unknown reason. I managed to drill out 2 of them to 3/8" to return the fittings to full diameter and not be a restriction. However overdrilling and punching out the spring retainer and the plastic clip is WAY too easy. The fitting MFGs need to redesign these to insure they are made for full flow / diameter of the tubing. The 2 fittings I did manage to get right do not leak. I have another pack of them on the way.</div><div><br /></div><div>Both outlet blocks have the previously mentioned Milton couplers, and oh boy are they nice. I do however <a href="https://amzn.to/3gqP0cB" target="_blank">still need one</a> to upgrade the outlet at the manifold by the air compressor. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Lighting.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The 48" shop light fixtures were blowing T12 tubes, which are hard to come by nowadays, at a freakishly fast rate. I did a ballast bypass upgrade on all of the installed fixtures. These are double ended ballast bypass LED tubes. The amount of light they output is much higher than what the flourescent tubes put out.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Miter Saw Cabinet Drawers</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The miter saw cabinet drawers are kind of on hold. Not super important although I need to get it done, but just not super high priority.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Blown in insulation.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Nope. Not yet. This is a time and budget issue. I just don't want to move the stuff against that wall yet...</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Not on the prior list. What's been done, what else needs to get done.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Done.</div><div><br /></div><div>A post was already made on this, but I made a quick and ugly bench grinder / sharpening station, and a flip top tool stand. I have already started on the second. The thought process is I do NOT want to drag my bench tools on and off of, well, anything.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQpLFzjDNOG4ma8KfNWYolJLqSe2YQeUS8iQdcwb0OQJNgeCDxA0tL5l5u5O-D-QhAPoRXcxhdAcQNzxMTxBFH74MKy3mHK7JrnblCH_aL_eOSRKZFr3_ChrbyT6H-n-WcMbMFXgbE_Bts1N-kSL0K7jlHpUKmI7IG0SncNrqY6bW4_g7n39kAIoXR=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQpLFzjDNOG4ma8KfNWYolJLqSe2YQeUS8iQdcwb0OQJNgeCDxA0tL5l5u5O-D-QhAPoRXcxhdAcQNzxMTxBFH74MKy3mHK7JrnblCH_aL_eOSRKZFr3_ChrbyT6H-n-WcMbMFXgbE_Bts1N-kSL0K7jlHpUKmI7IG0SncNrqY6bW4_g7n39kAIoXR=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The sharpening station has been moved since this pic to</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>immediately at the overhead door. I like it better there...</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSt1wchmF8VvXaPbWKfHFPodUem16JgYyfNCbeUpO646RUu2rlFkHhPwu8lM3tPbiPDkFI49_8A5to8s_p7zrI3lRhcCavZ_aZFYB0WafD3-sgpMv_4v3M9sYrx2Ls4rhHTWUKjqRkr-C-5jX3gm359YyBWi1NxxCtNCoyEVmwm_NJIw91KJbT8_NO=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSt1wchmF8VvXaPbWKfHFPodUem16JgYyfNCbeUpO646RUu2rlFkHhPwu8lM3tPbiPDkFI49_8A5to8s_p7zrI3lRhcCavZ_aZFYB0WafD3-sgpMv_4v3M9sYrx2Ls4rhHTWUKjqRkr-C-5jX3gm359YyBWi1NxxCtNCoyEVmwm_NJIw91KJbT8_NO=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The flip top stand is a VERY basic 2x4 and plywood design.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I am in process of building a second one for my sander / scroll saw.</i></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>To do.</div><div><br /></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Finish up my second flip top stand. Need some more 2x4s, Too cold to go get it today.</li><li>Finish up the migration to 5" ducting for the dust collection.</li><li>Build a box to house 2 salvaged drawers as a lathe tool storage, and of course moun it above the spreaders on the base of the lathe stand, build and install a ballast enclosure under the spreaders with levellers, and retractable casters.</li><li>Build a base cabinet for the drill press that provides storage for my hand drills, drill bits, hole saws etc...</li></ol></div>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-53196454805780671842022-01-28T22:02:00.004-06:002022-01-28T22:32:15.482-06:00The green monster is alive. A flip top jointer and planer rolling cart.<div class="separator"><div class="separator">Like many, probably most older folks, I have creaks, groans and pains that have come through a life lived with the bumps and knocks of just living a life. In my case some pretty serious back pain that I mostly learn to live with.</div><div class="separator">Before it became painfully obvious that the pain was here to stay, I had set my shop up with a Tool Stacker system, made up of closetmaid heavy duty shelf standards and brackets, with 18x24 3/4" plywood mount boards for my bench top tools. </div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator">Those bench top tools are.</div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Dremel 16" scroll saw. VERY infrequently used.</li><li>Ryobi 8" bench grinder with Wolverine jig / skew platform / VariGrind. Used VERY frequently with the lathe. </li><li>Ryobi AP1301 13" lunchbox planer, used frequently with rough sawn lumber.</li><li>Sunhill SM-150B 6-1/8" benchtop jointer used frequently with rough sawn lumber.</li><li>Rigid EB4424 oscillating edge belt / spindle sander. Used frequntly but it is pretty light...</li></ol></div></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: #444444;"><b><span face=""segoe ui", "helvetica neue", Helvetica, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "fira sans", "droid sans", sans-serif" style="color: #383a3b; font-size: 15px;"></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiK2yIcM31uYQVZqbeG30t-U9BUkF2u4juMILluUrFK3yS01Gdn8PBcUIZtR375AV2e4cxzC_kMf0hl57-IgY9XAq5nUih6ESIeVv6C7MLX42rjujNMc_TxQzIyOlzL8q-8eKBWHF8Jwk1iKWIxx1uDXXDlVQDbf3uswsjDg-PaqQFT8CtFiPCZNSgW" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #383a3b;"><b><img alt="" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="1358" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiK2yIcM31uYQVZqbeG30t-U9BUkF2u4juMILluUrFK3yS01Gdn8PBcUIZtR375AV2e4cxzC_kMf0hl57-IgY9XAq5nUih6ESIeVv6C7MLX42rjujNMc_TxQzIyOlzL8q-8eKBWHF8Jwk1iKWIxx1uDXXDlVQDbf3uswsjDg-PaqQFT8CtFiPCZNSgW=w400-h225" width="400" /></b></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First things first, I had to get the grinder / sharpening jig squared away and kept close to the lathe so touch ups on my turning tools can happen RIGHT NOW. I took a cast off hunk of 4x4, some 3/4" pine legs for an abandoned valet project, and cobbled up a quick sharpening station / grinder stand, painted it green using Rustoleum brush on hunter green paint, there will be a theme with this stuff, stick with me here... Now my choice of a full speed grinder I know is controversial. I picked it because OneWay MFG, the folks that made the Wolverine jig recommended it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8gDOCq8p8OIA3lag9Dlk_91S_EwOVYxWcuTGI0Dn0CMlldpPE3UUaeik1U3UXxFw1oXvRr6pkou-OXFdfKPXxI9DcF4sBSfh1DI8by3yYM8-_qzfdk9ORPgM-mC2RRkECt75e9bCD-deXUouJwisUmltmfS8HaFfrnXI0Nq1dUCL7ucW0H7U4Kcqs=s3732" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #383a3b;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="3732" data-original-width="2156" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8gDOCq8p8OIA3lag9Dlk_91S_EwOVYxWcuTGI0Dn0CMlldpPE3UUaeik1U3UXxFw1oXvRr6pkou-OXFdfKPXxI9DcF4sBSfh1DI8by3yYM8-_qzfdk9ORPgM-mC2RRkECt75e9bCD-deXUouJwisUmltmfS8HaFfrnXI0Nq1dUCL7ucW0H7U4Kcqs=w370-h640" width="370" /></b></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So now I was down to 4 bench top tools, I have enough material to fully build one stand, so I need to chose the first two to be put on a stand.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The sander is light, and super easy to move around. So that one is out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The scroll saw is kind of heavy, but lighter than either the jointer or planer, and it doesn't get used a lot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The jointer, and planer, so related functions, AND are close in weight, they seemed to make the most sense for getting put on the first stand. So they are chosen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I mentiond, I needed a flip top stand, well actually two, but had materials to build one... And I have wanted to build these for well over a decade now, I just, well never thought of a simplified 2x4 construction grade lumber build... You always see cabinet grade plywood or better. Not my target for sure!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First go to Sketchup and knock out a design and make sure it all pivots and clears right. No problem... Honestly my build deviated in several key ways form the design due to materials I had on hand. Most notably the 2x4 corner braces were actually 2x6 triangles, the side fill panels that were to be rabbeted in are omitted as the 2x4 stock I had had a lot of, uh, live edge / bark inclusion and there was no way to make a clean rabbet. And the bases feature an additional brace running full width across the front and back between the casters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,onerror=redirect,width=1920,height=1920,fit=scale-down/https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/attachments/fliptopstanddesignoriginal-png.435259/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="736" height="335" src="https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,onerror=redirect,width=1920,height=1920,fit=scale-down/https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/attachments/fliptopstanddesignoriginal-png.435259/" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next get to building... Here is sizing up / cut the half lap joints in the 2x4s. No they are not clean, I cut them on the bandsaw WAY too fast and did not to test fits so the joints are sloppy. But they suit the need.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_cTRXom_DqqHnV39wyLLpE8ybI_XelJvLHN4H9SyTna70ikUVnK0j0cTXLniFZOyq0ofkMOQg0_kI2BwuwrC-m5edQo2IvWD1TIdAFJ0OdZbpmJUOBB-RuDoxWQKlhmuDZ6lJmtK6Qtbs6cBqZQF4PrcltxgZZvWc5HfXtJdpEFrkYdeBXpsq61nX=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_cTRXom_DqqHnV39wyLLpE8ybI_XelJvLHN4H9SyTna70ikUVnK0j0cTXLniFZOyq0ofkMOQg0_kI2BwuwrC-m5edQo2IvWD1TIdAFJ0OdZbpmJUOBB-RuDoxWQKlhmuDZ6lJmtK6Qtbs6cBqZQF4PrcltxgZZvWc5HfXtJdpEFrkYdeBXpsq61nX=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once the sides were cut out, joined together with glue and screws, and the kicker braces were cut, and joined to insure a 90 degree side. NOTE FOR NEXT BUILD. For my next build I will cut the half laps on the table saw and insure a TIGHT and FLUSH fit instead of the sloppy overlapping fit fo these. I will NOT use metal fasteners, but rather hardwdwood dowels so the only things in there are wood, and glue.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sized up the pieces for the platform. Filled the backer holes for the bolts with sawdust and a LOT of wood glue, sanded it smooth and set the 1/2" PVC bushing for the 1/2" all thread axle. Then glued up the platform. I know the pic shows Titebond 2, but I actually used Gorilla Glue waterproof wood glue on this build. I took the pic of the TB2 because I was THRILLED I could finally find some locally after the stuff being out of stock for months. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,onerror=redirect,width=1920,height=1920,fit=scale-down/https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/attachments/flipstandplatforms-jpg.435263/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="758" height="300" src="https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,onerror=redirect,width=1920,height=1920,fit=scale-down/https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/attachments/flipstandplatforms-jpg.435263/" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Trimmed the edges with the router / edge trimming bit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Set sides back to back, drilled holes for the axle, and the pivot lock pins A.K.A. 5/16 x 2.5</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">carriage bolts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lots of paint, assembly blah blah blah, and it's done.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Gas Machine tool Engineering Machine Toolroom</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdacnt1ojrwQF0B_aUVXN7N2TFr4UVhOsR8Nk_7p3ThoAJvtIU2y0Fql6zVRt8RE5n9VrsvF9f8AgO1uKSBWb5ccqZ-Z9WVtLPwRmQI0kSEw7yYl7wtVqeP2eP22Lsf9MLFp45Nh3ioDzNYJMqS4F9WJctdq0YvSAA1-JrtAbtlXroZARxyTlOFnbM=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdacnt1ojrwQF0B_aUVXN7N2TFr4UVhOsR8Nk_7p3ThoAJvtIU2y0Fql6zVRt8RE5n9VrsvF9f8AgO1uKSBWb5ccqZ-Z9WVtLPwRmQI0kSEw7yYl7wtVqeP2eP22Lsf9MLFp45Nh3ioDzNYJMqS4F9WJctdq0YvSAA1-JrtAbtlXroZARxyTlOFnbM=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSq8lBh7pkni9F7ZAkore7dAoEQlSyTfheLJUSdeZ9MjephcH_G5LKM1H9cHp6rwAAcWd1t1DF2BL6GK0XRH8V1i0tVU7n6idIPkbtpycLonpZ3e6jUnO33ZVOx56JuB09nkhtW2OBAUvFQQERLYrSZpuKqqXrStb7vB9ZJYjitFRg46nLSOOAhUZT=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSq8lBh7pkni9F7ZAkore7dAoEQlSyTfheLJUSdeZ9MjephcH_G5LKM1H9cHp6rwAAcWd1t1DF2BL6GK0XRH8V1i0tVU7n6idIPkbtpycLonpZ3e6jUnO33ZVOx56JuB09nkhtW2OBAUvFQQERLYrSZpuKqqXrStb7vB9ZJYjitFRg46nLSOOAhUZT=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The pivot works perfectly and it takes up less floor space than I would have thought. All in all a great project. I learned a few things in the build and am going to start on the build for the sander / scroll saw soon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Contrary to what people keep telling me to go with a floor model, I do want to upgrade my jointer, but I want to go with a Wahuda 10" Benchtop jointer. Unfortunately this will require me to build a new flip top stand with a 4" wider platform so the pivoting platform would be 24" x 22".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So no more lifting and twisting while carrying heavy benchtop machines... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I can now move on to my next project, which is actually continuing with an existing project. I need to source up some more 3/4" ply, and build new shelves for the linen closet in the master suite, bullnosed, and finish the drywall work in the dressing room and master bath after stripping out the 1980s wallpaper that just did NOT want to give up!</div></div>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-17631903171697373562022-01-20T20:54:00.003-06:002022-01-20T20:54:31.570-06:00Upgrading the shop lights to LEDs, how I wired my double ended LED tubes.So my old T12 2 tube shop light fixtures were starting to fail. Going through tubes quickly, and T12s are hard to come by these days, and the ballasts were buzzing loudly. I needed to either fix or replace these things...<div><br /></div><div>Now Costco HAD some really nice I think they were either Feit or Honeywell 2 tube LED fixtures, but unlike the majority of the LED fixtures I have seen on the market, these seemed to be simply flourescent shop light casings and keystones, just no ballasts, and LED tubes instead, and I REALLY liked them.</div><div><br /></div><div>While not a ton, shop light fixtures with their metal reflectors offer SOME, not much but some impact protection for the tubes, where the majority of the dedicated LED fixtures, the tubes themselves were structural members.</div><div><br /></div><div>But my costco membership expired during the first month of COVID lockdown, and I didn't want to get anywhere near the insane people trying to haord toilet paper. And Sams club didn't have them.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I started off going to Walmart, and tossed a box of T8 / T12 plug and play LEDs in the cart. To say these were a miserable failure would be to complement them. Searching the Walmart website and they no longer carry the ones I got. Good riddance!</div><div><br /></div><div>I knew the problem would keep coming back if I kept the ballasts, I had to do a ballast bypass.</div><div><br /></div><div>I started searching, and ended up on Amazon. FIrst landing on single ended, which means I had to replace the keystones as well and I did not want to do that. Mostly out of a desire to recycle as much of my original fixtures as I could. No need to toss more into the landfill, or the recylcers that really aren't recycling, especially since there are plastics involved.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I started coming across double ended. No need for new non shunted keystones, I could recycle the keystones AND the wire from the fixtures.</div><div><br /></div><div>The process is simple. Starting with an unplugged shop light fixture, preferrably on the bench take the fixture apart enough to expose the wiring and ballast.</div><div><br /></div><div>Coming in from the power wire / socket, there are 3 wires, the ground runs straight out of the plug wire to a ring connector screwed to the fixtures. I left that alone.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next is a long white wire that typically but not always ran to the far side of the fixture, it connected to and jumped between 2 keystones on one end. This is the neutral wire. I cut the other wires going to the keystones on this end as close to the ballast as possible. Strip the ends back about 3/8" ish... Cut the white wire at the same length, strip BOTH parts of the white wire and using an orange wire nut, wire nut these wires together.</div><div><br /></div><div>The other wire coming in from the power cord will either be, or be converted to a black wire somewhere in there. Cut the black wire as close to the ballast as possible. Likewise cut the remaining keystone wires as close to the ballast as possible. Strip the wire ends and wire nut those together. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unscrew the screw securing the ballast, slide it out and fully remove it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Insure all wiring connections are solidly made.</div><div><br /></div><div>They should be as follows.</div><div><br /></div><div>Green screw through ground wire ring termnal should have remained intact and untouched.</div><div><br /></div><div>White neutral wire should be wire nutted to the 2 keystones that originally were connected to the white wire, and this should be a good connection secure in the wire nut, and secured in the fixture.</div><div><br /></div><div>The black wire is your hot. This should be wire nutted / tied to the wires that feed the 2 keystones that are not tied together and were only connected to the ballast. Again the connection should be securely held in the sire nut, and if needed, secured in the fixture via electrical tape.</div><div><br /></div><div>Additional security for the connections can be done by using a couple of quick wraps of electrical tape tightly around the connection and wire nut.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now reassemble the fixture, and install the LED tubes. Mine had a big and small end. I like having the big end on the side with the power cord. Make sure the strip the LEDs actually mount to when the tube rotates in the pin socket, points TOWARD the reflector to keep the tube oriented the right way.</div><div><br /></div><div>With both tubes ready, and some leather gloves on, plug the fixture into your extension cord, ready to pull the connection should it somehow be bad. The result you expect to see is both tubes lighting up. You may have to fiddle with tube position, or even try a different tube. </div><div><br /></div><div>Out of my box of 20, I had one tube that was defective enough that it would light, but only upside down. Not exactly useful. Amazon gave me a credit for the tube so no harm no foul...</div><div><br /></div><div>https://amzn.to/353RjzT</div><div><br /></div><div>The brand was Hykolity, the cost was actually right around or maybe just a shave less than repalcement flourescent tubes, and certainly cheaper than buying new flourexcent tubes and ballasts.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now the end result?</div><div><br /></div><div>The Kill A Watt meter showed the fixture with 2 flourescent tubes / ballasts consuming 81w. WIth just the LED tubes, 36w, a more than 50% reduction in energy use. Being that my shop / garage is in Texas, the fact these LEDs run cool and thus don't add heat to my shop is a HUGE bonus, and....</div><div><br /></div><div>WIth the new LEDs installed, it is SUBSTANTIALLY brighter in my shop. There are 2 main reasons for that though. One is the actual brightness of hte tubes, the other is the pattern of light output.</div><div><br /></div><div>The light pattern for starters. The LEDs emit light in a pattern 200 degrees from their mount point. Or the strip that can be seen in the tube. Thus you are not shooting actual light directly at the reflector of the fixture. Like I said, my main purpose behind the reflector is to physically protect the tubes form impact. </div><div><br /></div><div>The flourescnet tube is just at ube of gas that glows when energized, sort of like Neon. It emits light 360 degrees, reflecting some of it, but losing effectiveness as it does so off the reflector. Maybe mirror polished diamond plate would work better but I wasn't going to go that fancy...</div><div><br /></div><div>The other reason for the difference is the actual light output of the tubes. </div><div>Not sure if I believe the numbers mind you, but I have seen product descriptions of the flourescent tubes I had been using for years, and they output something like 1550 lumens per tube, so 3100 lumens per fixture. That number is debateable, but since it is the one for the ad copy for the tubes I was running, I will go with that number.</div><div><br /></div><div>The LEDs are rated at 2400 lumens per tube, so 4800 lumens per fixture. </div><div><br /></div><div>And I have a total of 7 fixtures in the shop. </div><div>Flourescent 21,700 lumens.</div><div>LEDs 33,600 lumens.</div><div><br /></div><div>To say the least visibility IN the shop is MUCH better than it ever thought of being.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am NOT without shadows and certainly am going to need to add task lighting at some point, but for now, I think I have gone as far as I can with these fixtures.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you have old T12 or T8 4foot shop light fixtures you'd like to upgrade to LEDs, and would like to help me out, please consider buying from my affiliate link. Thank you.</div><div><br /></div><div>https://amzn.to/353RjzT</div>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-6486522069356868402022-01-04T18:44:00.002-06:002022-01-04T20:51:11.136-06:00I finally finished my compressed air system! Detailed install and parts list.<h1 style="text-align: left;">My compressed air distribution system is done!</h1><p>Okay I have written blog posts in the past regarding my compressed air system, including chasing down leaks, and other issues. It has taken over a decade, life happens you know, but I have finally finished my compressed air system to where I want it!</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">What was the goal I was trying to get to?</h2><p>Simply put, I wanted a compressed air system that would allow me a reasonable buy in cost, with the ability to move an air compressor around in a portable fashion, while providing a LARGE amount of airflow, thus a dual compressor configuration, and outlets distributed through the shop, 1 at the back wall, 2 at the front, either side of the right side overhead door, and a self retractible overhead hose reel mounted in as unobtrusive a manner as possible. I wanted it RELIABLE, and LEAK FREE. And I wanted enough hose paying out from the hose reel into the driveway that I can work anywhere, on any car in the driveway without having to add a second hose. This meant moving the hose reel to the front of the shop.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Why did it take so long?</h2><p>Honestly, Issues with the initial setup didn't become apparent until after years of use, nd I didn't know all the options. </p><p>I had intended for years, including a VERY long time Amazon Wish list to have copper pipe, and fittings to build the system out. But copper pipe and its fittings were EXPENSIVE, and involved flame soldering to make the connections properly. Not very adjustable once installed, and, not particularly reusable if I decided to, or was forced to by SWMBO into moving the shop into a dedicated outbuilding / shed.</p><p>I was COMPLETELY unaware of the Polyurethane compressed air piping / push to connect fittings systems on the market. The only options I knew were avaialble were metal pipe, which is expensive, and hard to work with, or PVC pipe whcih is cheap, easy to work with, and could potentially be deadly when a pipe fails and throws shrapnel all over the shop. Neither of which were a good option.</p><p>I had heard about Rapidaire systems, which were less expensive than copper pipe, but still several hundred dollars worth of material. Even their "Master Kit" only included a few paltry fittings, although they included at least 3 outlet blocks, but the other costs of getting enough fittings, the original outlay cost of the kit, etc... added up to about twice what I was comfortable with paying.</p><p>So in the mean time, I had used Goodyear rubber hoses to make my runs, and honestly even that was a bit costly so I kept them short with custom made lengths to get the hoses I needed. The problem is the rubber air hoses develop leaks after a few years of use, and overall are not really reliable.</p><p>Now mind you, a good amount of what I used to complete my compressed air system was carried over from what was already in my shop, what I had salvaged from other projects that were tear downs including a former automotive garage I worked at decades ago, they were tearing out the shop to put in a convenience store. So I did NOT actually have to pay for a lot of this stuff other than sweat equity to reclaim materials that otherwise would have gone to waste.</p><p>And then Black Friday / Cyber monday happened, and the opportunity to get the kit, and few remaining pieces to complete the setup for WAY less money than just the cheaper kit would cost normally hit, and my wife wanted to know what I wanted for Christmas. I've never been so happy to want something cheaper than a pair of inexpensive dress pants for Christmas! </p><p>So the components used were... I will link the least expensive versions of the items available online that I can find. Brands may differ from my actual used versions.</p><p>Central Pnuematic 29 gallon 2HP oil lubricated air compressor. https://www.harborfreight.com/29-gallon-2-hp-150-psi-cast-iron-vertical-air-compressor-61489.html I've had this about 10 years.</p><p>Central Pnuematic 8 gallon 2HP oil lubricated air compressor (discontinued, McGraw 10 gallon seems to have replaced it in the Harbor Freight Lineup) https://www.harborfreight.com/10-gallon-oil-lube-portable-air-compressor-58144.html I've had this maybe 12 to 14 years, don't recall...</p><p>Both compressors have had 1/4" street elbows, short lengths of brass pipe, and ball valves for tank dumping installed since 2014. This allows for dumping collected water from the tank and depressurizing without fishing around under the compressors...</p><p>Central Pneumatic automatic hose reel with 50' rubber air hose. Hose replaced in December 2021 with new Goodyear hose. https://amzn.to/3EUjdKU This was originally set up in the back of the shop in maybe 2012? Not sure... </p><p>Large assortment of Central Pnuematic Brass Industrial Quick Coupler Sets: https://www.harborfreight.com/brass-industrial-quick-coupler-set-4-pc-68241.html?_br_psugg_q=quick+coupler+set These have been acquired over the years, but the newest were bought in maybe 2014...</p><p>2 @ Control Devices P2525 one way ball check valve 1/4". https://amzn.to/3pSQbaf This was the manifold build in 2014</p><p>2 @ 1/4" FPT brass barstock tee, https://amzn.to/3pT4Gen This was the manifold build in 2014</p><p>3/8 x 1/4 brass hex nipples / reducers. https://amzn.to/3EWCyem This was the manifold build in 2014, and I believe these came from the service station tear down job when we dismantled the garage before they built in the c store...</p><p>Central Pneumatic 3/8" regulator with filter. https://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-nptf-air-filter-with-regulator-58178.html This was the manifold build in 2014</p><p>Central Pnuematic 3/8 Dessicant Dryer with Oil Removal Filter. https://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-nptf-desiccant-dryer-and-filter-58180.html This was the manifold build in 2014</p><p>Central Pnuematic 3/8" Connector Bracket. Discontinued, no replacement. Use a 3/8" brass close nipple instead. This was the manifold build in 2014</p><p>1/4x1/4 brass hex nipples. https://amzn.to/3pViwwU These were from the service station teardown.</p><p>Bigatur Air Piping System 1/2”. https://amzn.to/3HvP8Dd</p><p>Beduan Push to Connect Fitting, 1/2" Tube OD x 1/4" NPT Thread 10 pack. https://amzn.to/3pT5Vu3</p><p>Since the Bigatur kit didn't include them, 2 @ outlet blocks used up front are Primefit 3/8 Push To Connect outlet blocks. https://amzn.to/3313v3h</p><p>1 pack 4pcs 1/4” ball valves. https://amzn.to/31m0w58 These were from adding the dump valves to the compressors, so 2014 time frame.</p><p>1 pack 10pc 3/8 to 1/4 NPT brass bushings. https://amzn.to/3JEo32A I needed to order a fresh bag of these. I was down to one...</p><p>1 pack 10 pcs 1/4" MPT brass hex pipe plugs. https://amzn.to/3EPMN4o Fresh bag. I had none.</p><p>10' custom made rubber air hose to connect 8 gallon compressor to keep it portable.</p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Now with the parts set up, let's explain the plumbing setup.</h2><p><br /></p><p>First off, I need to explain the "Manifold Assembly", it features largely to collect, regulate and clean, and distribute the air</p><p>My entry for June 6 2014 explains the setup of the manifolds, tees, valves etc... and is available here.https://www.daves-workshop.com/2014/06/clearing-air.html BUT let me summarize it for you.</p><p>Quick connect into one, and push to connect 1/4 thread coupler into the other check valves. </p><p>Check valves into the first tee.</p><p>Tee into 1/4 x 3/8 nipple, and threaded into the inlet side of the regulator.</p><p>Regulator via 3/8 Coupler connected to the filter / dryer. Air coming out of this in theory will be clean, oil free and dry. Safe to use to spray finishes. </p><p>Output side of filter dryer assembly out via 1/4 to 3/8 nipple into second tee. One side (Down) gets our first outlet, a Quick connect. Second side gets a 1/4 push to connect fitting.</p><p>Now the manifold assembly is done being described. Lett me back up to the air compressor(s) </p><p>The 29 gallon compressor stays put, so the quick connect from its built in regulator is removed, after the regulated pressure is set to 100 psi. I never plan on exceeding 90psi, but want to fine tune at the manifold.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7Il5icoPMwAq9d0g3diUGdMhX0CCVsAt309csA-LWgAgO0HVReTQhMT1cPqqDIr12NLmuC0366ECWXHL8KU5k_MXgTdnAWdRbNlpfmPpalUEfRaM3hkLVPwvUpOuYPKhdoRKEeRWwf2cahF0viipYrgM21ZUi7K8Qbwx4WKtsSRJxe-iNd4R_p-VL=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7Il5icoPMwAq9d0g3diUGdMhX0CCVsAt309csA-LWgAgO0HVReTQhMT1cPqqDIr12NLmuC0366ECWXHL8KU5k_MXgTdnAWdRbNlpfmPpalUEfRaM3hkLVPwvUpOuYPKhdoRKEeRWwf2cahF0viipYrgM21ZUi7K8Qbwx4WKtsSRJxe-iNd4R_p-VL=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The Central Pnuematic 29 gallon air compressor with too much evidence that I haven't used my dust collector often enough! I need to fix that habit!</i></div><p>A 1/4" MPT push to cnnect is screwed into the output of the compressor, and then a piece of the 1/2" PU tubing is sized up and connected. There first connection done.</p><p>The 8 gallon compressor has a factory fitted quick connect, a shop made / reclaimed section of rubber air hose with a male, and a female quick connect setup, connects from the compressor, to the secondary intake of the manifold.</p><p>The advantage of this is I have compressor output of just shy of 16cfm at 40psi, well beyond what I will need, and at a FAR lower cost, and space hit than a giant 60 or 80 gallon compressor!</p><p>Of course the "Manifold assembly is in there, all adjusted up and happy. psi at the compressor, 90 PSI at the regulator / filter. Not shown is the input from the 8 gallon compressor. It is sitting coiled up and only connected when needed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7Ov7pPhCUaKtIRIeM4XrGOM9xIeOgLbiddS8TGMHAQAC5yFYguAy_KrHDP8P4Aa0s3R83Y2SfRqEp6IWLjEihc8rg5PxbvyjgdV1pvyNvsheV3DNqkJJd4en8FZdyCtpzKj7u_xeQ4YdRumtXy9ha7etJcZ3ym3-ibGfpQhHc-BQm0PEPsstffGjk=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7Ov7pPhCUaKtIRIeM4XrGOM9xIeOgLbiddS8TGMHAQAC5yFYguAy_KrHDP8P4Aa0s3R83Y2SfRqEp6IWLjEihc8rg5PxbvyjgdV1pvyNvsheV3DNqkJJd4en8FZdyCtpzKj7u_xeQ4YdRumtXy9ha7etJcZ3ym3-ibGfpQhHc-BQm0PEPsstffGjk=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The Manifold assembly. This took some time a long time ago to set up. Harbor Freight has discontinued these pieces in favor of a newer brand. By the time these die, they will likely be on to a different brand again.</i></p><p>Now on to the output. At the push to connect I sized up a piece to go between the coupler, and an elbow to make a tight turn at the ceiling. A couple of screws through some straps into the stud at the corner secure the tubing up the wall and we now make our way across the ceiling, THROUGH the purpose drilled hole in the shop light mount, and we periodically attach via straps and screws into the studs securing the air line on its journey across the ceiling. I did have a temporary location where the hose reel WAS, so in order to avoid wasting air tubing, I used a coupler from the kit to connect and extend the tubing.</p><p>The hose reel and its 3/4" plywood mounting board was moved from the back corner of the shop, forward about 10 feet or so to the space on the ceiling between the overhead door tracks. The tubing is split with a tee from the kit, and is secured as much as possible, INCLUDING using a length of Gorilla Tape to keep it from getting hung up with the overhead door hardware. There is NOT a lot of clearance here, and I do not want to cause problems. This is securely fastened using 1/4" lag bolts directly to the rafters.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUS6465sV3y7zEVyij-Ejx6JdgdOrMqSZTmqQEm4-0szshWF5QIuhQ584uO7L3VqF-jT24gEvxTXib4us5VVLcBamDvatCNZxTgSvEsh8lQy6PIQb--Z6MH2X4mXt3C9O88f22YcTyK-E1p8DNdpXmqEU7WzgYiXWkQcuPDzVZijntkAXJ9UN4Uxkx=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUS6465sV3y7zEVyij-Ejx6JdgdOrMqSZTmqQEm4-0szshWF5QIuhQ584uO7L3VqF-jT24gEvxTXib4us5VVLcBamDvatCNZxTgSvEsh8lQy6PIQb--Z6MH2X4mXt3C9O88f22YcTyK-E1p8DNdpXmqEU7WzgYiXWkQcuPDzVZijntkAXJ9UN4Uxkx=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The old Central Pnuematic hose reel with a new Goodyear hose. This has been a GREAT item in the shop. Makes easy work of taking out and putting up the hose! The fit is close, but gives me a couple of inches of room for the door to operate.</i></div></i><p>We ran another segment of tubing from the tee, to the front wall, where we meet an elbow, and another Tee via short section of tubing. This elbow goes down to the first outlet block. Will describe the assembly further below as they are both the same.</p><p>The line at the tee was extended to the outside wall, and turned with a final elbow from the kit. Occasional clamps and screws along the wal, and turned down to the outlet blocks.</p><p>The outlet blocks have 4 holes in them. 1 1/4", and 3 3/8". The 1/4" is on what I consider the back side of them. I pipe sealed and installed a 1/4" pipe plug in there. The other three holes were filled with pipe taped 3/8 to 1/4 bushings. </p><p>The top hole got the push to connect fittings (see why I bought extra?).</p><p>The front hole got 1/4" hex nipples, pipe taped, and then the quick connect couplers. You could save some time and MAYBE money by going with 3/8" MALE threaded quick couplers, but I had the female ones already. The steel quick connects that came with the kit also are female threaded with no nipples to install which I found quite odd.</p><p>The bottom hole got outfitted with the 1/4" ball / dump valves.</p><p>The dump valves should NOT have any moisture trapped as the air should be clean and dry before it gets there, BUT it does help depressurize the system if the valve at the compressor is turned off. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQr8gl59HbnVUsY_d-vM-2aNwW4DzJ6Hud3rC7zXB-RFriVH1lZL0xL3dYrFrEw_jRyAbpAeWcS1kI96FmgKBjVUHHjitwZZo6t3FNmKctK7uqvyIt5WjxXRtKq0lXWQuwgt7auPSyfaUbR8Xdg5JH-CJebWDGBCnHXd1dRcWcQsibfWdHaFaNY4F6=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQr8gl59HbnVUsY_d-vM-2aNwW4DzJ6Hud3rC7zXB-RFriVH1lZL0xL3dYrFrEw_jRyAbpAeWcS1kI96FmgKBjVUHHjitwZZo6t3FNmKctK7uqvyIt5WjxXRtKq0lXWQuwgt7auPSyfaUbR8Xdg5JH-CJebWDGBCnHXd1dRcWcQsibfWdHaFaNY4F6=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The outlet block assembled and in use. That ball valve can easily and quickly dump pressure from the lines if needed. NO the drywall behind it isn't finished right. Nor do I care... It is a garage after all.</i></div></i><p>I have finished the connections and pressured up the system, compressor to 100psi, and manifold regulator to 90psi yesterday, there has been no drop whatsoever on either gauge in the last 24 hours.</p><p>I do need to add a couple more of the straps from the kit, with some drywall screws to retain the tubing to the ceiling / wall where it sags a touch, but it isn't any additional outlay of money, just some time, and it can happen after the rest of the shop gets finally cleaned up. </p><p>But in the mean time, I have a spot, more or less anywhere I am working in the garage to plug in an air hose, and I have WAY more than enough air hose to run it out to anywhere around any car in the driveway.</p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">What's next?</h2><p>Well, since I am still knocking my brains out trying to clean, and reorganize my shop, so that I can finish building stuff for finishing the home remodel, and I have (almost) all the parts, I will finish the re-routing of the 4" dust collection main. I have the wall brackets, and fittings I need to make it happen, and I want the run straighter, blast gates easier to get to, and a LOT less flex hose in the mix of things.</p><p><br /></p><p>The other Christmas present I got was a set of Polyurethane bandsaw tires for the Central Machinery bandsaw. I will be upgrading those AFTER the shop cleanup is done.</p>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-14639317010821718862021-12-29T19:44:00.000-06:002021-12-29T19:44:28.964-06:00Pending, or in progress worshop upgrades. New years resolutions?Like most likely many of you, my workshop is a disaster area. too many doo dads ending up all over the place with no real place to store them, so every horizontal surface got covered.<div><br /></div><div>In order to help get, and keep things organized, clean, safe, and efficient, I am in progress on, or am in the planning phase for the following shop ugrade projects.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Dust collection.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I am unsure of where I am with what I have said on my blog about the current configuration. So here goes.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have a Central Machinery 2HP 70 gallon dust collector. The older green model, not the current gray one. Updates to this dust collector in order to get it up to par, and as compliant as possible with the advice of Bill Pentz, the guy that poured years of engineering expertise into dust collection, I made the following upgrades.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Wynn 35A .5 micron pleated cartridge filter.</li><li>Wen 3403-22 "Turbofan" A.K.A. replacement impeller. The OEM impeller was 9.5", the new Wen impeller BARELY fits in the impeller housing, and is a full 12" diameter.</li><li>Neutral Vane. I used the pattern from LCHIEN at Sawdustzone.org. I simply had the pdf file printed out full size at Office Depot since it was bigger than my printer could do... Unlike lchien however, my neutral vane is secured via a short rivet, his floats. https://<a href="http://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/discussions/shop-setup-layout-and-design/36139-hf-neutral-vane-pictures-reposting">www.sawdustzone.org/forum/discussions/shop-setup-layout-and-design/36139-hf-neutral-vane-pictures-reposting</a></li><li>Removed the Thien 55 gallon external drum separator. Mind you, the separator works amazing, but it took a huge bit out of airflow performance to the system downstream. It was still more than enough to keep dust in suspension, but I wanted more airflow, more vacuum. IF separation is insufficient using the neutral vane, I will make and install a Thien baffle, IN the seprator ring in the dust collector. Simply put, I have zero interest in a secondary stage at this point, due to the risks from potentially sucking up sparks into a dust bin, and not seeing smolders, AND the reduction in airflow. You never know when you will hit a hidden nail you failed to catch with a metal detector right?</li></ol></div><div><br /></div><div>Once the external separator was removed, I removed the 5" flex hose. in favor of 5" HVAC elbows set to 45 degrees, and a segment of smooth 5" metal HVAC pipe, this is run to the 5x4x4 splitter that was OEM from the HF DC, and there are 2 4" mains, one at the floor, one across the ceiling. The 4" mains are a mix of DWV PVC pipe and fittings, with a few dedicated ABS dust collection fittings, and aluminum blast gates. To accomplish my reconfiguration goals, and to remove the bits of ribbed flex hose to make the connections, I need 4 more slip x slip 4 inch 45 degree elbows. Need a trip to Home Depot as I can buy all 4 I need for less than I can order 1 online...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2tuokTvt572FLptLEWl7tf-IgCoMjbYL4PTlGObdYEhD3zg0KG-8BNx9Qs_yGpHqWUfz8bn_iUgKziNgeB-le90jSJhJGNTumCKESVNraLaDfyioKhqIr8nLjeETdMrSqil9p0v7s8xQu7QEX6HXuP6dyJ_1GujXDgmXejkOe8xvfG7aFxE7y8_WG=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2tuokTvt572FLptLEWl7tf-IgCoMjbYL4PTlGObdYEhD3zg0KG-8BNx9Qs_yGpHqWUfz8bn_iUgKziNgeB-le90jSJhJGNTumCKESVNraLaDfyioKhqIr8nLjeETdMrSqil9p0v7s8xQu7QEX6HXuP6dyJ_1GujXDgmXejkOe8xvfG7aFxE7y8_WG=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The connections to the 5x4x4 are currently made with 4" flex hose. I am planning on making my connections to the mains using 45 degree elbows in order to make smoother transitions, and move the floor run up mid wall. I am pending delivery of 4" U clamps. So far even with the ducting as it is, air flow and suction and flat out awesome considering that it is a Central Machinery 2HP Dust collector.</div><div><br /></div><div>LONG TERM. I am reviewing data from several users that have done the math, and shown the speed drops at various distances, and am on the fence between going with 5" single main, OR a 6" single main. My entire run is around 20' and it is pretty straight... Either way I go, I am planning on using HVAC ducting / fittings as dust collection spiral stuff is astronomically priced.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Compressed air:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>After all these years, my cotton reinforced rubber hoses are cracked and leaking. I replaced the hose in the hose reel, but I need to pipe the workshop. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am using a Rapidaire knockoff system that I got for Christmas. I will keep the one quick connect port at the outlet of the manifold for use at the back of the shop, The quick connect on the hose that currently feeds the output to the hose reel will be reclaimed as I will hard pipe it in, as well as the input from the 29 gallon compressor. I will leave the 8 gallon more easily disconnectable in order to facilitate taking it around the property, or to a remote site for work as needed.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have removed the ladders and jettisonned them to the back yard, and will be moving the overhead hose reel to between the overhead doors. </div><div><br /></div><div>Coming out of the compressed air manifold, I will be going across the shop roof to a T fitting, with the leg shooting over to the hose reel where I will make a solid connection there, no quick connect. </div><div><br /></div><div>At the front wall, I will be connecting an outlet block with a quick connect, and a dump valve between the overhead doors, and at the overhead door on the wall sort of next to the lathe. </div><div><br /></div><div>This configuration will give me EASY hose accessibility to my pnuematic tools anywhere I need in the shop, along with an additional at least 14 feet of available hose from the hose reel out to the very end of the drivewall, all around the cars.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The bandsaw:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I have made the following modifications to my Central Machinery 1HP 14" 4 speed woodcutting bandsaw.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Central Machinery mobile base.</li><li>Central Machinery riser block kit for a total of 12" of resaw.</li><li>MLCS paddle safety on / off switch.</li><li>Grizzly G0555 tension release mechanism.</li><li>Carter Cobra Coil</li><li>Accura ball bearing blade guides. I originally go the Micro Adjustable set to fit the Delta, the upper guide post mount does NOT fit the post for the Central Machinery. I could get a nice bushing made, but instead the yoke turned out to be a perfect fit, so I took the yoke out of the CM upper guide, and swapped in the Accura yoke. So no micro adjust, BUT I have the bearing guides and it works awesome.</li><li>Carter wheel brush.</li><li>Jet lower blade guide dust port. The CM OE port was sized for like a 1.75" hose, whatever the tiny shop vac hose is, and it would NOT fit my 2.5" hose. I got the Jet unit that fits the 2.5 hose and mounts using the OEM holes. MUCH better pickup.</li><li>Lower wheel guard 2.5 inch dust port that collects dust immediately under the wheel brush.</li><li>Craftsman universal bandsaw fence. I HATE this fence, but it IS better than nothing.</li></ol><div>Pending upgrades to this band saw to get it 100% where I want it.</div></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Replace deteriorating OE tires with polyurethane tires. Recieved them for Christmas, just need to do the installation.</li><li>Replace the Craftsman Universal fence, with a Shop Fox 14" bandsaw resaw fence. This will in theory bolt into the OE fence mount lug holes. It is a serious pity that Harbor Freight / Central Machinery dropped their bandsaw fence, they offered one that I wanted when the saw was new, but they were back ordered, and never came back in. The Shop Fox is similar but has the flip up resawing tall fence guide...</li></ol><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Miter Saw workstation / storage bench.</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The miter saw station is structureally complete, however the following need to be finished to finish off the workstation.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Finish building the drawers. This requires plywood. The slides are simple tab and slot. Basically the sides of the cabinet have basically dadoes of sort made of 3/4 ply, that are 3/4 high. The bottom of the drawer needs to be a bit thinner material, but basiclaly it is a simple slide in / out of the base of the drawer. Ultra cheap, but ultra easy design. Just need plywood to finish this up.</li><li>Build some doors with european style hinges for the lower boxed tool storage compartments.</li></ol><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Tool Stacker replacement.</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Due to my back issues, I REALLY want to stop using the tool stacker, and instead build 2 flip top tool stands. I need plywood, casters, flip up levellers, and steel rod / hammer on locking caps, ring bolts to fit star knobs. I am currently reviewing other peoples builds, and looking for design ideas on how to make these take up as little floor space as possible in the shop, and make flipping back and fort as easy as possible. These items all use 2.5" dust port. I want to integrate one of my 4x2.5" branch wyes next to where these will be stowed / used to allow for a short run of 2.5 direct into the 4" for dust collection.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Stand #1 will house the Sunhill SM-150B benchtop jointer on one side, and the Ryobi AP1301 planer on the other side. It should be sized such that as little floor footprint can be used. Push blocks to be stored with table saw accessories in table saw extension table storage. </li><li>Stand #2 will house the Dremel 16" scroll saw one one side, and Rigid EB4424 oscillating belt / spindle sander on the other. Onboard storage must be designed in to house the loose pieces for the sander including throat plates, spindles, spindle washers, sanding belts, sanding sleeves. As flipping the sander with these on board the sander would make them all spill out all over the place. Keep the footprint as small as practical.</li><li>I have already taken the Ryobi 8" bench ginder, and wolverine jig and fabbed up a sharpening station / grinder stand, which has already been put to some heavy use sharpening things like hatchets, and fingernail gouges... I know there is no small army of folks that will tell me I am wrong using a full speed grinder, but I am sticking with this due to my experience, and the recommendation of OneWay MFG.</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKQa7ct1nBwWDprGYfTjnkPPUIeYKRWegfq1kYF_EamCyY_OFcJKr6wUdgmTlP7RCcW47ITYRQiFPk7KjKU54mxzuU59vCTiCdxJn7psoxXeD2WqKssPizAP5I1F24r4gjofx1VPvVdlCO88O2jyZsT_LUvV9VhvTF46fA0EgRaaxvJTOlfKUDjPEV=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKQa7ct1nBwWDprGYfTjnkPPUIeYKRWegfq1kYF_EamCyY_OFcJKr6wUdgmTlP7RCcW47ITYRQiFPk7KjKU54mxzuU59vCTiCdxJn7psoxXeD2WqKssPizAP5I1F24r4gjofx1VPvVdlCO88O2jyZsT_LUvV9VhvTF46fA0EgRaaxvJTOlfKUDjPEV=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div><b>Lathe storage and ballast:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>My lathe tools need a place to live. This is where some recycling comes in. I am reviewing some other Jet JWL1236 lathe copy owners projects. A simple box that will hold 2 reclaimed cabinet drawers will house all of my turning tools, and accessories. This will be mounted up just above the spreaders on the base. Below the spreaders will be a basic plywood enclosure that will hold 80lbs of whatever ballast I can come up with cheap, and will be placed / mounted to doubled up 3/4 ply mobile base with heavy duty levellers. Since the garage workshop floor is sloped, levellers are critical. This is yet another item that is pending sheet goods. If you've seen the price of plywood lately you will know why I am not done yet.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Drill press:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Just like the lathe, drilling accessories and hand drills need storage. Especially since I have 2 corded 3/8" drills, and a 1/2" corded hammer drill, plus a couple of large sets of forstner bits, and about 6 or 7 drill bit sets, pocket hole jig, dowelling jig etc... I am wanting to make the following updates to the drill press and related storage.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Replace the southern yellow pine spreaders on the HF mobile base, with 1.25" square steel tubing, keeping the current sizes.</li><li>Replace the wooden base attached to the spreaders with a jointed and glued up 2x6 platform fitted to the opening at the base of the mobile base, screwed onto the mobile base, with the drill press mounted to this. This keeps the spreaders from bowing, and load transferred to the levellers.</li><li>Build a rolling storage cabinet that would roll OVER the mobile base, AND straddle the drill press post. Side / back compartments to house the jigs. Side hooks to support the 3/8 drills in their blow molded cases, lower cabinet storage for forstner bit boxes, and drawers for drill bit, driver bit etc... sets. The intent here it to house all of my drills and drilling accessories on and around the drill press.</li><li>Source up and attach dust port for the drill press. None of the commercial offerings I have seen are worth a hoot. At least mounting wise. I need to rig something. Looking for design ideas or recommendations for an out of the box dust collection solution.</li><li>Clean up any / all indications of corrosion from the drill press, particularly the spindle, chuck, and column.</li><li>Replace the belts.</li></ol><div>Table saw extension table / router table. Adjust levellers. Remove simple under saw mobile base, replace with full width mobile base with levellers. Make sure work bench levelled up and shimmed to remain outfeed support for the table saw.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Climate / HVAC:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>My Royal Sovereign 12K BUT portable AC does a fair job, especially considering it is an inefficient portable, but it REQUIRES that I use an auxiliary fan to move air through the shop to get good cooling. I wan tot make the following completions / updates to the HVAC to insure it is a comofortable / safe place to work.Finish insulating the space. The remaining outside wall on the north side of the building has yet to be insulated. I do not want to re-sheetrock the garage, so I am considering just hiring out and getting blown in insulation done, I can patch the holes used for the blow in no problem.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Remove the portable unit. Replace the siding that has the ports for the hose ducting and finish the interior wall off.</li><li>Obtain and install a 12K - 16K BTU ductless mini split AC with heat.</li></ol><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Lighting:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>My current shop lighting is the old standard F40 T-12 electronic ballast shop light fixtures. 7 of them. Currently housing F32 T12 (32 watts instead of 40 each) bulbs. At least in 6 of them. 1, the one over the table saw has a bad ballast and is just consuming space at this point. I will be as soon as possible obtaining a box of 20, yeah 6 extra but that is the best price I could come up with, ballast bypass, double ended LED shop light tube bulbs. This means I simply wire hot to one ends pins, neautral to the other end, and keep ground where it is and chuck the ballast. Pretty easy, but money I don't have after Christmas, yay!</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Summing it all up:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>So yes, you see I still have a tremendous amount of work, and a bit of budget left to sink into the garage workshop. With any luck and no small part of blessing, I am hoping to wrap that all up in 2022, along with a good chunk of my remodelling projects in the house. At a minimum I know I need to finish up these...</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>DC duct move / straightening. This is in progress.</li><li>Install the band saw tires.</li><li>Compressed air hard piping. I have all the stuff and have started installing the outlets.</li><li>Lighting. This is for safety and energy efficiency. I need to buy the bulbs.</li><li>Finish the miter saw cabinet drawers and doors.</li><li>Blown in insulation. I may have to farm this out, but it shouldn't be too terribly expensive.</li></ol></div><div><br /></div><div>We will see what we can manage for the rest of it. </div>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-53852020110566953492021-12-28T09:48:00.001-06:002021-12-28T09:48:29.927-06:00Workshop updates that were rejected. What they were, why I considered, then rejected them.<p>If you watch my workshop page, you will know I have been cleaning up my workshop, and making the last of the updates to a couple of the major tools. Most notably the final mods wanted for the Central Machinery 14" band saw, and the Central Machinery 2HP dust collector. </p><div>Now I am not flush with cash, but there are some items I was considering saving up / selling off some stuff to be able to afford, but these updates were considered, and rejected. So here is what I was mulling over, why I thought it would be a good idea, and why I am rejecting the idea...</div><div><br /></div><div>#1. Selling off my Northern Industrial 13" 16 speed drill press and replacing it with a Wen 12" variable speed bench top drill press. Plain and simple, when I found the Northern Industrial on Craigslist more than a decade ago, the Ryobi DP121L was on clearance, I wanted one then, but the $179.00 clearance price was steep for my budget at the time when a used and needing some TLC floor model Northern Industrial could be had for $75.00. But I wanted a bench top model due to space concerns. I wanted to store my drill bits, jigs and hand drills in a cabinet underneath the drill press.</div><div><br /></div><div>After LOTS of searching for something that will work, I have decided to build a rolling storage cabinet that will straddle the mobile base of the floor drill press, AND have a notch / straddle the post. This way I have the under drill press storage I wanted so desprately, while mantaining the full length column. Now all I need to do is build it...</div><div><br /></div><div>#2. Selling off my Chicago Electric 12" sliding compound miter saw and buying a compact Metabo HPT 12" double bevel slider. I wanted a more compact slide with better dust collection, and double bevels.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Chicago Electric flat out is smack on accurate, with repeatable clean cuts at any angle. I wouldn't actually use the double bevel feature out of fear of lopping fingers off, and my bench is sized specifically for this saw, and my shop. I gain no space advantage with a smaller footprint saw, and actually get some serious disadvantage with the clearnace to the freezer.</div><div><br /></div><div>#3. Selling off my Sunhill SM-150B 6-1/8" benchtop jointer, and replacing it with a Wahuda 10" spiral cutterhead bench top jointer. This would give me a spiral cutter head, which is great, AND an extra nearly 4" of face jointing. On RARE occasion I need to face joint material wider than 6-1/8".</div><div><br /></div><div>The Sunhill does everything I want it to. Wider stock can be run through my planer on a jointing sled, which takes next to no shop space, so no real advantage to the width, and as long as I run clean, metal free boards through it, the knives last a good long time. Plus the $750.00 some odd dollar price tag is a bit of sticker shock for a bench top unit... Not to mention the 10" jointer bed does consume quite a bit more of floor real estate compared to the 6-1/8".</div><div><br /></div><div>#4. Selling off the Ryobi AP1301 13" benchtop jointer and splurging on a Dewalt DW735x. This would give me a cutter head lock, plus the dust blower to assist the dust collector. All in all an excellent machine.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Ryobi was a Valentines Day gift from my lovely bride years ago, my concern over the lack of cutter head lock was due to snipe, but the more experience I get with it, the more boards come out of it with no, or next to no discernable snipe. Meanwhile I am seeing LOTS of people having sniping problems with cutterhead equippped planers, even the vaunted DW735x. Now in no small part there is the attachment value as this was a gift from my wife, so even if there was a noticeable difference in performance, I might just stay put anyway. </div><div><br /></div><div>#5. Selling off, or repurposing my Ryobi 8" full speed bench grinder, and replacing it with a Wen, or Rikon variable speed 8" bench grinder. LOTS of folks on the turning forums swear by low speed grinders for sharpening. They made me self conscious about sharpening my turning tools with a full speed grinder.</div><div><br /></div><div>First off, I own the Ryobi. It has the cool grinding white oxide wheels, and the sharpening jig MFG OneWay that built my Wolverine sharpening jig setup, recommends a full speed 8" grinder. I learned on a full speed grinder, and can get wicked sharp grinds using a full speed grinder. I need to learn what advice on forums is good, and what is just, going with the crowd... I figure OneWay with their expertise in the field, knows what they are talking about. And my practice, this thing has worked fantastically.</div><div><br /></div><div>#6. Selling off my Ryobi BT3100 table saw, and all its accessories, and buying a SawStop 3HP Professional Cabinet saw with the 52" fence, router table wing etc... HUGE safety improvement, huge performance improvement, etc...</div><div><br /></div><div>This has NOT been completely rejected, and I would absolutely NOT turn down a sponsorship from SawStop, or a donation of said saw, but the price tag is just way out of reach for me at over $4,000.00 for the whole setup. Here is hoping down the road sometime... Honestly as long as the saw stays reliable, and I have enough spares to make that happen, and assuming there is an aftermarket swap in blade brake that comes to common market that fits and works, no real need.</div><div><br /></div><div>All in all, I am happy with my shop equipment, although not 100% thrilled about my shop layout / configuration. But I suspect I am well on my way to getting there...</div><div><br /></div><div>Next up... Pending and in progress shop upgrades / updates.</div>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-66343750293044294732021-11-22T18:24:00.001-06:002021-11-22T18:24:18.868-06:00Central Machinery (Harbor Freight) 2 HP dust collector upgrades.<p> I talked about it in my last blog post, but I wanted to dedicate a post to this subject as I figure it will be easier to find that way.</p><p>My now old, circa 2009 Central Machinery 2HP dust collector that I bought from Harbor Freight on sale and with a 20% off coupon, has always worked okay, but I want more than okay. I wanted it to work well, if not great, and there are some simple modifications that go a long way to making this a much better unit.</p><p>The modifications to the dust collector are....</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Replace the 20 micron bag filter with a .5 micron cartridge filter. This actually filters the dangerous dust, AND provides superior airflow. I went with a Wynn Environmental 35a spun bond poly long ago, but there are newer less expensive options nowadays. </li><li>Replace the tiny stock impeller with an impeller that is basically the biggest impeller I can fit in the housing. There are 2 that I know of, one from Rikon that has been next to impossible to get, and when available costs almost as much as the dust collector, and one from Wen, the 3403-22 Turbofan. I went with the Wen. All of the online tests of this modification alone show increased CFM of at least 35%, and static pressure (vacuum) increases of at least 10%. There is an increased startup amp draw, but it is not huge. </li><li>Upsize the inlet flange from 5" to 6". For now I will use a 6x4x4 splitter, but long term idea is to rip out the dual 4" system, and run a single 6" main, and reduce to 4" or 2.5" as close to the tool as possible. </li><li>Set up a cyclonic separator of some sort. I am looking to save space, so instead of staying with my 55 gallon Thien separator, I am going to go with a Thein baffle in the separator ring of the dust collector.</li></ul><p></p><p>To do these modifications I will need / have the following materials.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>.5 micron Wynn 35a spun bond poly (washable) cartridge filter. This model is no longer available, and Wynn has gotten expensive recently. In lieu of the Wynn filter, the Donaldson P181038 filter is reported to be a direct equivalent to the Wynn 35a with a much lower price tag. https://amzn.to/3DMrJfs You may want to use Wynn's floating gear latches to secure the filter, or possibly come up with your own rig. https://wynnenv.com/products-page/woodworking-filter-pricing/fgl-l-4/</li><li>As far as I know, the current Central Machinery 2 HP dust collector is more or less the same as the old one, but with a different base, and paint color. https://www.harborfreight.com/2-hp-industrial-5-micron-dust-collector-97869.html?_br_psugg_q=dust+collector</li><li>The Wen impeller in November 2021 ran me $35.00 delivered. https://wenproducts.com/products/340...530916dc&_ss=r</li><li>I am using a Hydrofarm AC6F 6" flange that will need to be drilled to match the Harbor Freight mounting holes. This will upgrade the inlet flange to 6" allowing connection of course to a 6" ducting system. https://amzn.to/3nFicRJ</li></ul><p></p><p>Unlike most Harbor Freight dust collector upgrades, I am not going to use a separate cyclone or seprator, but instead use a Thien cyclone separator in the separtor ring of the cust collector. There is a good but now old write up on Phil Thiens forum regarding this specific modification. The standoffs the original poster used are a bit on the big side, but the idea is right there. http://www.jpthien.com/smf/index.php?topic=145.0</p><p>The process? Starting with the impeller and flange upgrade.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Unplug the dust collector, or at the very least, removing the safety key from the switch. We do NOT want the impeller to start moving while our hands are in there!</li><li>Remove the inlet hose from the flange.</li><li>Remove the attachment screws for the flange. I placed mine in a magnetic bowl while working to keep them from wandering off. The gasket may stick to the flange, or the impeller housing. Keep it on either for now. IF it stays on the impeller housing, just leave it there.</li><li>Using a 5mm allen wrench, loosen and remove the retaining screw turning clockwise. This is a counter threaded screw so righty loosey here! Keep the trust washer with the screw in the orientation it came off.</li><li>Using a 3 jaw puller, CAREFULLY attach the puller to the flange lip of the stock impeller. And run the puller pressure screw in, making adjustments to your puller to be sure you get a succesful pull all the way until the impeller comes off. </li><li>Rotate the motor shaft such that the keyway, and retaining key are pointed directly up.</li><li>Coat the inside of the bore and keyway of the new impeller with a light oil. I used air tool oil as it was right where I was working.</li><li>Align the new impeller bore / keyway to the key / shaft, and wiggle it a bit until it just barely starts to go in. You are going to need to drive it home though.</li><li>Using a rubber mallet, and a piece of scrap wood as a striking surface, drive the new impeller onto the shaft, striking the wood, and using the wood to push the impeller hub, until the impeller is fully seated.</li><li>Rotate the impeller several times insuring no operational interference..</li><li>Match original flange to new flange back to back. Using silver sharpie or similar, transfer screw hole locations.</li><li>Using center punch, and supported on an anvil of some sort like a machinists vice, dimple each screw hole location in the new flange, This will keep your drill bit from walking off.</li><li>Size up, and select the proper drill bit for drilling metal. Using proper PPE drill the holes. </li><li>Transfer the gasket if it is on the old flange, if not move to installing new flange on the impeller housing.</li><li>Replace safety key and / or plug dust collector back in. Turn it on and verify function.</li><li>Attach new ducting, or adapter to make it work with existing ducting. </li></ul><div>So the impeller is now upgraded, and the flange upsized. </div><div><br /></div><div>Moving on to the cartridge filter. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Remove the original bag filter, and support bar. These can go away now.</li><li>IF your filter does not have gasket material on the bottom, obtain some foam weatherstrip material and attach it. You NEED a gasket there!</li><li>Install filter per MFG instructions, or at the very least, using bungee cords, strap that sucker down. I linked the Wynn clips. My old 35A uses tiny turnbuckles on the inside to hold it in place.</li></ul><div>So now the cartridge filter is installed.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the Thien baffle, see the link above. Vaughn said it better than I can, not to mention his DC is Plum crazy purple with a giant Hoover sticker on it... </div><div><br /></div><div>Other mods that would be worth it?</div><div><br /></div><div>Side flip conversion that rotates the impeller housing, and eliminates the hose between the impeller housing at the separator ring. </div><div><br /></div><div>With a side flip, making a shorter Thien trash can separator.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, with my intended function, of eventually fitting into a much smaller workspace, and the need to keep the DC small, I felt this setup was as optimal as I was potentially going to get.</div></div><p></p>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-72816109224987735332021-11-20T17:51:00.002-06:002021-11-20T17:51:20.759-06:00Overdue shop cleanup, and updates.My shop is well overdue for some serious cleanup. My wife had decided the shop is a dumping ground for everything, and honestly I let it grow from there. This is after all my space, I could have simply jettisoned the unwelcome intrusions to my space, but I didn't.<div><br /></div><div>So I have spent time over the last week sorting, cleaning, and fixing. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am again finding tools I thought I had lost. I once again have a full set of Snap On deep well 3/8" drive metric sockets, and a full set of Snap On metric combination wrenches. In both sets the 15mm were missing, in both sets somehow they were behind the lathe. Not sure I want to know.</div><div><br /></div><div>I sorted my small parts bins, and found I have WAY too many and WAY too varied fasteners. But at least they are sorted now.</div><div><br /></div><div>My overhead hose reel, which I will have go to back in this blog itself to see how long ago I installed it, but probably at least 8, but maybe as much as 10 years ago. Well the hose started leaking. So I grabbed a new Goodyear hose and replaced the old one...</div><div><br /></div><div>I finally got fed up with the leaks in my existing air hose jumpers such as from the compressor to the manifold just prior to the regulator, dryer, filter, oil separator assembly. And it was being caused by the weight of way too much extra hose being left on the quick connect joints.</div><div><br /></div><div>So to alleviate this, I picked up a pneumatic ferrule crimp tool, and a box of ferrules, and went after making my hoses cut to length for this application. Sadly this turned out to be problematic as the first box of Ferrules I bought, advertised for 3/8" air hose do not actually fit 3/8" air hose, at least not 3/8" rubber air hose that has a measured O.D. of .62, so instead I returned the box of .5something ferrules and ordered the right size, which should be at my door tomorrow. Hope I don't need compressed air before then.</div><div><br /></div><div>As you know from my Workshop page I own a Harbor Freight 2HP dust collector that is fitted with a .5 micron Wynn Environmental washable filter, which in over 10 years has never needed to be washed due to my Thien cyclone. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well the suction / CFM of this thing has always lacked a bit. I always knew the factory impeller was garbage and massively undersized, but the only alternative I knew of, the Rikon impeller was expensive, and constantly unavailable. </div><div><br /></div><div>I found recently that the Wen impeller for their bag dust collector is a great match for the HF DC, and is reasonably priced. So I grabbed one, and I must say, I am impressed with the apparent build quality, not to mention the fit, and overall size of this thing. The change in airflow / suction is quite noticeable. Sorry I have no way of measuing it, but there are folks that have done this swap and measured it. I must say though, if you already have a Harbor Freight 2HP dust collector, GET THIS IMPELLER AND DO THE SWAP! It will behave like a totally different machine! </div><div><br /></div><div>I am finding a LOT of contradictory information out there, I know the OE impeller equipped HF DC just won't support 6" duct, but some folks say impeller swapped will, and some say it won't. I am leaning toward will, so my thought process is this...</div><div><br /></div><div>In the upcoming months pull the 2 4" runs, convert to a single overhead 6" with a single 4" branch to provide under cabinet for table saw, and router. The rest will have branch Y fittings and drop to 4<br /> as close to the tool as possible.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another mod that is coming is I am removing the 55 gallon drum Thien separator from the system, and instead using a Thien sparator in the separator ring in the dust collector, these reportedly work just as well, and should be much more space efficient, although I will have to empty a bag instead of a drum, no big deal...</div><div><br /></div><div>So back to the cleanup I guess.. Thanks for reading.</div>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-84181293061956915212021-06-09T21:13:00.000-05:002021-06-09T21:13:01.145-05:00Reply to 9 Hacks to Avoid Camp Kitchen Setup Disasters.<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My wife sent me an article posted on Outsideonline.com with a date of June 6 2021. 9 Hacks to Avoid Camp Kitchen Setup Disasters. </span><a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2423927/camp-cooking-fails-hacks" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.outsideonline.com/2423927/camp-cooking-fails-hacks</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4c0c56f7-7fff-e011-5d38-50c9fb2f4b94"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I thoroughly enjoyed reading the article with a chuckle. Most of it is good advice from a very specific perspective. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The writer, Joe Jackson interviews Lars Alvarez-Ross co owner of Bio Bio Expeditions with 35 years guide and camp cook experience. And while I admit I have not been a professional camper / guide for nearly that time, I have been camping for over 40 years, including living in a VW Bus for about a year which was effectively long term camping, working as a river guide in Oregon in my late teens, and working in the restaurant industry with an in depth knowledge of proper kitchen procedure and sanitation.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While Joe's article is well written, and Lars’ suggestions are good and can be beneficial, I find additional information will be very helpful. Instead of addressing each item in the list, I wanted to go over Camp Kitchen setup, and procedures to ensure everyone is well fed, and has an enjoyable trip!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first few problems Lars talks about in the article revolve around proper packaging of food, and preparation and usage of a cooler. And while there is a lot of science behind what seems such a simple thing like a cooler, let’s look at what we are trying to accomplish. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heat, being energy, wants to move from a space with a lot of that energy (hot) into and fill a space with less of that energy (cold). And by using the cooler we are trying to interrupt that process. We do this by having the coolers built with insulating material that slows the process down, pre-cooling the materials and contents as much as we can, and keeping it as well out of heats way as possible while in use. We also place items in the cooler that act as places for heat to go instead of our food. I.E. ice. As heat goes into the ice, this causes water (ice) to transition from solid to liquid states.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is the liquid state of our heat sink as it were, that we start to see a problem. The liquid, water, tents to intrude on our contents we are trying to protect. Meat, cheese, butter, lettuce etc… and mix the contents therein together, along with water, contaminating the whole lot.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lars solution of multiple coolers is only partially effective. We need a complete solution. And short of electrical refrigeration, we need to address the issue using ice. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For starters, we are going to keep our infrequently accessed items, such as food for meals in one cooler, and frequently accessed items such as drinks, and snacks in a separate cooler. All items need to be stored in properly sized, watertight plastic containers. Zipper bags are contrary to their advertising campaigns and marketing materials, NOT truly waterproof / leakproof. Years of sad experience show me that the claims are false. I use Rubbermaid food storage containers and am happy with the results. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now the food is packed, we need the heat sink / ice. Cubed, bagged ice will melt faster than larger solid pieces of ice, and in a bag will leak water all over the inside of your cooler. FAR less than ideal. Now Lars recommends ⅓ cooler capacity to be taken up by ice. I am telling you in my experience, with pre-freezing foods like ground beef, chicken etc.. that can be frozen and then packaged, you should account for at least ¼ of your cooler capacity for ice. If you can get more in, fine. Now my recommendation is to collect SQUARE quart size water bottles, fill them most of the way, squeeze out any remaining air so that the sides are sucked in and then freeze them. So say you have a 55 quart cooler, you want 14 of these quarts for these ice blocks.Load your cooler mixing food containers, with ice blocks close in and fill any remaining open space in the cooler with regular 16 oz frozen water bottles. The idea again is the get as much heat sink in there, and as little space for hot air to exist in the cooler.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your drink cooler will not last cold as long as your food cooler, and that is okay. This is where you will use bagged ice. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both coolers should be brought into an air conditioned space several days prior to the trip to cool off completely. 24 hours prior, fill them entirely with ice. And at load up / in time, discard the ice from both coolers, load the pre-cooled food and drinks into the appropriate cooler, as well as the ice blocks in the food cooler. Grab a fresh bag of ice on the way out for the beverage cooler.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another issue talked about in the article was forgetting important cooking items, of note were cooking oil and butter. Lars' recommendation was to have a dedicated camping bottle of cooking oil. Unless you camp weekly, this seems to me to be a sure fire way to eventually end up with Rancid cooking oil. Instead of that, just make a checklist of everything you are going to need for the trip, including a full grocery checklist. If you check off items as they are packed and loaded up, you aren’t forgetting them are you?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other problems mentioned included cutting board hygiene, and improper washing / sanitation of dishes and cookware. Common sense would tell you don’t chop veggies on a cutting board that you just cut chicken on without washing. Change your prep order to chop the veggies first, wipe clean with a bleach wipe and then a quick rinse, THEN cut up / prep the meat. And do we REALLY need to talk about the need to make sure you are washing your dishes and making sure food bits get off of the forks and spoons after eating? I mean seriously, if you think you can lick your fork clean you are probably too young to be handling a camp kitchen safely. Use biodegradable soaps to avoid fouling the environment, especially if you have no means of gray water collection, collect and burn or any food waste you can. Any you can’t pack it out.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another problem mentioned in the article is something I guess folks run into and don’t prep for. I don’t know if I have ever experienced a stove blow out but I can see how it can happen. I tend to set up my camp kitchen to not allow this…. Mostly because I end up in windy conditions being more concerned about contaminants being blown into my food, than the stove going out.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you using an EZ Up for a kitchen cover? Get shade wall accessories to protect from sun, rain, and more importantly wind. I set up using 2 Sun Walls with pockets. A third wall is me pitching my main tent close to the kitchen tent as a wind blocker, and the privy tent on the remaining wall covering 7 of the 10 feet, allowing a nice 3 foot easy walkway into the dining hall as it were. Using a screen room? Attach silver tarps to the sides to act as sun walls that will block the wind. Wind in the kitchen strong enough to douse a stove, is also strong enough to blow all sorts of dirt, and contaminants into your food. Are you using a tarp rig? Set up your pitch differently to act not just as a sun shade / rain block, but to block with wind as well. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even when I was VERY young, and VERY poorly equipped, we would set up with a spare sheet from home tied to sticks jammed into the ground to make a wind block at a picnic table to keep the wind off of my old single burner bottle top stove… </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With proper kitchen setup, even the cheapest camp stoves can easily and reliably work on all but the windiest days.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am not sure how this is considered a problem. But Lars mentions cooking and cleaning in the dark. I have yet to see anyone camping without some sort of light source. Liquid fuel, propane, or LED lantern, Mag light set to lantern mode, or whatever gear you’ve got that makes light. Use it. One thing I should mention is I have seen many campers try to wash dishes with cold water. Don’t do that. You will not sanitize your dishes. Use a basin, and a big pot on the stove to heat up water, and wash your dishes in hot water like you would at home. Rinse in cold is fine, but wash in hot.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lars mentioned people burning themselves. I have not experienced that in camp cooking, but just like at home, I use hot pads, long tongs for cooking on the campfire, etc… Basically bring and use proper PPE for what you are doing…</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And lastly, Lars talks about people not helping out in the kitchen. Now unless you are hiring an outfitter / guide to do the cooking, and cleaning for you, not helping out in the camp kitchen is a complete jerk move. Make the arrangements before heading out. You want to eat? You help make the food and clean up afterwards. Most of my friends and family are Christian, and to them I quote 2 Thessalonians 3. “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”. I’m open to encouragement I can give to those that are not Christian in this regard! Cut up the veggies, tend the fire, wash the dishes, something. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now something Lars does NOT talk about, but I want to bring up here. As much prep work that you can do PRIOR to the trip, means you have that much less prep work and cleanup to do in camp. I’ve recently done several videos covering at home prep of staple supplies / foods we use in our camp cooking. Due to family history, and us being Texans we tend heavily toward Tex Mex style cooking. It is far easier to prepare, and pack a big batch of Pico De Gallo at home than it is to do that in camp with the veggies right there. And I am NOT going to do an all day slow cook of pintos for refried beans when I can do an instant pot refried beans at home and just reheat in camp!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lastly, and something Lars didn’t mention, food protection from pests. I am travelling and live in Texas where the only bears are in zoos, so my primary concern is protecting from bugs, squirrels, raccoons, and the occasional coyote. For food storage, I highly recommend the 5 gallon buckets with the Gamma seal lids approach. I have 2 of them, and honestly that is overkill. One of them is perfect for a trip up to around a week in duration. For food waiting to be eaten and presented on the table, use some food nets like what Coleman and Coghlans, and I am sure others sell. Nobody wants roasted corn on the cob campground flies have been all over… Now back to the issue of bears. I am not now claiming to be an expert in protecting yourself, or your foodstuffs from bears. I am aware that there are products on the market intended to be if not bear proof, at least strongly bear resistant. My Lifetime 55 quart high performance cooler is just such a device. Many campgrounds in bear country such as the Mazama Campground on the way to Crater Lake in Oregon are outfitted with Bear boxes that campers are required to store their food in. HOWEVER, if you are in bear territory and no bear box is available, you need a container that is incredibly hard for a bear to get into. For backpackers the bear canister is a usable idea, but for family campers they just aren’t large enough. The gamma seal lids on 5 gallon buckets are certainly a good option as far as the bear not understanding how to unscrew the lid, however a couple of big bear bounces off of the bucket sides may be enough force to pop the lid smooth off of the bucket. In such cases, it might be beneficial, although not super space efficient, to bring along a dedicated extra bear resistant cooler to store things like bread and other refrigeration not required foods. I wouldn’t think you’d have to worry about canned goods, but anything in a plastic bag, box etc…. Like bread, cereals, oatmeal etc… could be at risk, and putting you at risk.</span></p><br /><br /></span>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-53058961380522267712021-04-04T18:47:00.000-05:002021-04-04T18:47:06.098-05:00DIY Home automation and security. I'm angry. Mostly at myself.I have built up an automated home with some DIY security that helps keep the honest people honest. Pretty much nothing short of altering a violent dishonest persons state of being will keep them honest, but at least I will have a leg up in that regard. <div><br /></div><div>My first attempt at the DIY setup was by using an Iris by Lowes system, full protection on all access points, full camera coverage and integration with my personal assistant of choice.</div><div><br /></div><div>And then as of February 2018 Lowes shut down the Iris cloud services effectively making my Iris by Lowes devices bricks... BUT Lowes had the decency to refund my investment in their system that they were turning off.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since it worked with at least some of my existing hardware, and was supported and had seucity monitored by 2 of the most recognized and in theory reputable names in Home Security and Automation, I opted to invest in an ADT Smartthings Security hub and sensors, setting my home security on the paid ADT services and again, moving on to a different camera setup due to compatibility issues with my old cams.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now here we are, April 2021, just a shave over 3 years after diving into ADT Smartthings, I get an email telling me that Samsung and ADT are turning off the cloud services for ADT Smarthings devices. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well that's a fine how do you do.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was never truly impressed with ADT Smartthings to be honest with you. I mean initially it worked well, but within 6 months, I would get frequent errors on sensors where they would report a "loss of supervision" error, I would call Samsung Smartthings support, they would refer me to ADT and we would go in circles neither side wanting to take responsibility for, or support the product. </div><div><br /></div><div>This experience has convinced me of something vitally important. And that is local processing / services for my hub and devices is an absolute MUST. Cloud services can, and I am now seeing for the second time, will be cancelled at the whim of the vendor. The vendors can NOT be trusted. </div><div><br /></div><div>And while Samsung is offering refunds to customers, they are only giving refunds to customers whose equipment is still under warranty. </div><div><br /></div><div>I made my purchase decision based heavily on a long established experience with Samsung products. I have specifically sought out and purchased Samsung optical drives and memory when building PCs in the past, bought Samsung TVs, and every Smart phone I have owned after my HTC Inspire has been a Samsung. And now I feel abandoned, and betrayed by a company that I had an established relationship with. I have 3 smart phones that are up for replacement soon. I will likely not even consider Samsung as a replacement.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now however, home automation and security wise that is, I am in a bit of a pickle.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have got to come up with a solution, and have it working before ADT and Samsung kill my functioning system, and I am torn because nothing fully meets my requirements.</div><div><br /></div><div>#1. Vendor independent. Whatever system I end up with MUST be able to keep doing what I need it to even if a vendor decides to turn their cloud services off. </div><div>#2. Independent of internet. Aside from making external calls that is, there should be absolutely no requirement for the system to remain connected to the internet for it to function, so if a contractor down the road rams a backhoe through the cables / fibers that provid my internet service, I still stay working. It's happened.</div><div>#3. Open source. This is where I run into issues. There are open source automation suites out there, but getting them to run on what hardware to provide the needed radios to work with home automation protocols instead of WiFi isn't super straight forward. </div><div><br /></div><div>It would seem my options are either straight forward, or not so straight forward. </div><div>#1. It hits all the marks except being open source, and that is Hubitat Elevation hub. They seem to have a good strong community, good support allegedly, and there are a large number of vendors for monitoring services that will make my insurance carrier happy.</div><div>#2. Any variety of home automation Linux distributions loaded onto a Rapsberry Pi and outfitted with Zwave and Zigbee dongles as there really is no room in a Pi for the radios for those functions.</div><div><br /></div><div>So at this point, I am fairly undecided how to proceed. I know Hubitat is basically a drop in kind of thing that just works. Whereas with a Pi based approach, I will need to decide on a distribution, grab a Pi, housing, dongles etc... and cobble it together, and heaven only knows if I can get monitoring.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have more research to do on this, but I must do it quickly.</div><div><br /></div><div>This will get to be a lot more pressing should we end up back in office, as for now working remotely really doesn't make it super important. But I am just ticked off that they are doing this and forcing their customers off of their platform...</div>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-1926075702243724442021-04-03T23:12:00.001-05:002021-04-03T23:12:05.777-05:00Powering a CPAP for camping, off grid living, or emergencies.<p> If you are like me, on CPAP therapy, and have had experiences where you couldn't do therapy either because you were off grid by choice say on a camping trip, or you were without power because your electrical grid operator decided to pull the plug on you due to, whatever reason, you know the terrible burden this leaves on you. For me, one night of no CPAP means a night worse than if I had just not slept, and an almost guaranteed migraine level headache. </p><p>Medical grade CPAP battery packs typically run as much as the CPAP itself or more, They are little more than a battery pack, a charging circuit, and a 12V output for most CPAPs. And even with efficient travel CPAPs these battery packs rarely last a user for 2 nights sleep, so for extended outages you absolutely MUST have a way to recharge off of 110V AC power. So i your budget is tight, and your CPAP can run off of 12v DC keep reading. I have a solution that will save you a mess of money, and provide you with much longer run time between needing to be recharged. </p><p>I have multiple reasons to run it, but I do have a small, and I mean tiny small generator, a Harbor Freight Tailgator, which is a little 900w peak 2 stroke generator that will easily handle my battery charger for this rig, or a small 5K BTU window AC etc... So I have a way to recharge, but honestly nobody wants to try to sleep while a generator that sounds like a chainsaw is running. I needed a better, more efficient solution to the problem. </p><p>In my last blog post, I described the materials that would be used for a build like what I was doing. Today I present my finished product. </p><p>The project didn't come off perfectly, and I will explain below, but overall I am VERY happy with the results.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M8jNBhn4nMQ/YGk3KsfugII/AAAAAAAAeds/m5-rr8JL9I8qDxcSNsHqw3XrSDOZUOBAgCPcBGAsYHg/s4032/20210403_181646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M8jNBhn4nMQ/YGk3KsfugII/AAAAAAAAeds/m5-rr8JL9I8qDxcSNsHqw3XrSDOZUOBAgCPcBGAsYHg/s320/20210403_181646.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1CoyBwE_n10/YGk3KgCjj7I/AAAAAAAAeds/pW2qT5xP8iQIuQ3-nPK44O0AhAod097ZACPcBGAsYHg/s4032/20210403_185904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1CoyBwE_n10/YGk3KgCjj7I/AAAAAAAAeds/pW2qT5xP8iQIuQ3-nPK44O0AhAod097ZACPcBGAsYHg/s320/20210403_185904.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p>So if you see my first photo with the box closed, you will notice that on the group on the left, the 12V outlet is positioned a bit too far left, apparantly I didn't have things measured out was well as I could have liked. Oops.</p><p>The charging circuit, I.E. bench top battery charger seen in the second pic leaves a bit to be desired, but it is sized so that I have no issues running it off of my Harbor Freight Tailgator generator, and topping the charge off quickly at 25 amps @ 14v output. (peak I believe). </p><p>I want an onboard charger but they are EXPENSIVE, and typically max out at around 10 amps. I may upgrade my workshop battery charger at home and figure out a way to mount this thing to the box, and add ring terminals to it... Yeah that's probably not going to happen.</p><p>Anyway Upon testing, I find the Deyooxi 3 in 1 works, but the voltometers are innaccurate, and they don't even match each other, but rather they both read high and are .1v apart from each other. At best they are a good guess. Good enough, but not perfect.</p><p>I found the face plates the 3 in 1 sets came with don't fit accross the raised sections of this battery box. No shock there, So I left them out. This really doesn't need them, and with the oops hole, well...</p><p>Now during my hurried testing after the Great Texas Ice Storm and power outage of February 2021, I found that this battery, and a 12V power outlet can and will EASILY power my Z2 Travel CPAP for 4 nights in a row without recharging. Upon setting up to recharge I measured the standing charge in my battery with my multimeter and it measured 12.4V DC, which was still at a very high level. Mind you the Z2 is freakishly efficient. I would have had no issues or concerns running my Airsense 10 with the humidifier turned off during that time on the battery either.</p><p>If you want a great off grid power box for items like a CPAP, or USB charging, or even running a 12v compressor fridge, look at my last post as well. I go into the nitty gritty of what I did. It's all bound up nicely, and built in honestly as professional a manner as possible for a hand crafted item. And on the plus side, the skills needed to build this thing are minimal at most.</p>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-78258400251093717192021-04-02T13:14:00.001-05:002021-04-02T13:14:28.105-05:00Off Grid power pack for CPAP users. Future expansion.<p> I assume for those that have watched my videos, or know me personally know that I am on CPAP therapy. I am also an avid outdoors enthusiast. And have found the 12v portable power packs typically pre designed and sold for use with CPAPs being $350.00 + and having extremely low run times of one night or less effective use before the battery is drained. </p><p>As you no doubt have heard, or even experienced personally, Texas suffered from an extended power outage in Mid February 2021. </p><p>In my experience, I was prepared, or so I thought. I had an Everstart 1100 amp peak jump starter / power pack. I had used it for a max of 2 nights while camping off grid. However during the power outage, and family members thinking this was going to be short enough they were charging phones on it. I didn't even get one hour of CPAP time on it.</p><p>I needed a solution. NOW, and I needed one with capacity. Plus I needed to be able to extend my run time off grid for more than 2 days.</p><p>While they were open prior to them being forced to close, I was able to run into my local O'Reilly auto parts and grab a group 27 Deep Cycle battery, on what charge they had it with, some crimp on alligator clips, and a 12V power outlet socket. I quickly grafted together a simple rig that had the alligator clips holding on to the positive and negative posts powering the port. This was a quick and dirty way to provide power to my CPAP for the duration of power outage. I did test with my multimeter, starting voltage was at 12.9v, ending voltage after 4 nights of usage of my Z2 CPAP (no humidifier) was at 12.4v. No more than 8 hours night use. The battery was the trick, but was not a permanent solution.</p><p>And I need a solution for camping, not just emergency prep, it needs to be portable.</p><p>To begin with, I know I needed weather protected ports. I wanted 2 12V ports that were switched. I found panels that provided that, AND a voltometer. HOWEVER, the switches wouldn't quite handle both 12v ports I wanted, so what was the solution? After reviewing, I am going with 2 of the 3 in 1 panels. They provide on / off switch, 12v outlet, 2 USB charge ports, with voltometers. There seem to be a LOT of brand names with the same thing. I opted for the <a href="https://amzn.to/3uiaYU0" target="_blank">Deyooxi branded one</a>, seems like the same thing in all with the same features.</p><p>I am fusing these using inline marine grade ATO fuse holders I already had in my toolbox grafted inline and tied together as a harness. I needed fuses, if I needed new holders I would have ordered the ATO / ATC 12 gauge marine sealed <a href="https://amzn.to/3sLw9Ob" target="_blank">holders and fuse kit</a> from Amazon. ATM fuses are available and smaller, but the fuse holders have insufficient wire for this project. you want 12 or 14 ga, not 16 or 18 ga.</p><p>I needed crimp connectors, for butt splices and ring terminals, I wanted heat shrink models. I opted for the <a href="https://amzn.to/31GYGIF" target="_blank">300pc bo</a>x from Amazon. It works, but quaility is spotty. But all of the options seemed iffy. I will link it here, but use at your own discretion. Metal thickness left me wondering how cheap they could get.</p><p>Now I have the stuff to put together, but I need a housing for it all. </p><p>I need a battery box, with enough space for a group 27 battery, AND the connectors in question. The only model I have found is the NOCO Group 27 battery box model <a href="https://amzn.to/3wmD6Hy" target="_blank">HM327BKS</a>.</p><p>Lastly, and since I can't find a fair deal on this online I am going to tell you about it. You will need a roll of electrical tape. Walmart has 3/4" x 60' rolls of electrical tape for $0.57 roll. </p><p>So the build and costs are like this.</p><p>Battery $99.00 + tax / core charge.</p><p>Battery box. $12.99</p><p>2 @ Deyooxi 3 in 1 output / switch kits. $16.99 each, $33.98 for both.</p><p>Fuse holders / fuses. $12.99</p><p>Heat shrink terminals / crimps. $16.22</p><p>Electrical Tape. $0.57</p><p>That gives me a total for this project of $175.75</p><p><br /></p><p>Any added length to your wires is going to be out of your inventory and /or buy wire. Again 14 ga wire or better to handle the amperage.</p><p><br /></p><p>The process I used was.</p><p><br /></p><p>Disassemble one of the Deyooki sets, use panel for sizing. Attach using masking tape to allow for positioning and holding while marking goes on. Select appropriate sized forstner drill bit, and mark hole centers on 3 device holes. Move to second side, repeat.</p><p>Next using sacrificial board line up starter holes and complete drilling device holes using forstner bit.</p><p>Assemble devices to panel, panel and devices to box on one side using second 3 in 1 and a guide.Secure using provided backing nuts. Reattach wiring using second 3 in 1 as guide for where wires go. Temporarily attach wires to battery and test function. Disconnect, repeat process for second 3 in 1.</p><p>Remove inline glass fuse holder for 3 in 1 power lead, graft in ATO fuse holder loaded with 15 amp fuse using 5/16" ring connector and butt slice, careful to keep length apropriate. Shrink heat shrink tubing on connectors.</p><p>Replace ground side ring connectors with 5/16" ring connectors. </p><p>Tape wrap grounds together, and positives together to split off to battery terminals, bringing them together quickly but not too tight. Wrap all wires as a bundled loom until they split out to each side, wrap wires as loom per side. This step protects the wires and keeps them from being just loose and messy in the box.</p><p>Make terminal connections for grounds, and positives to the appropriate posts. Not previously mentioned, but assumed you had 5/16" -18 nuts to secure on the threaded posts. Slip positive side ring terminals over positive post, and run nut down / secure, repeat process on negative side. </p><p>Test function on both sides.</p><p><br /></p><p>Expanding the art.</p><p>At some point down the road I am going to want to add a DC / DC charger, and terminal mount AC to DC charger (auto style battery charger with ring terminal attachment). To make this happen I do not want the charging side and the load side to be on the same post. I opted for lead <a href="https://amzn.to/3wn7H7N" target="_blank">top post to threaded stud marine terminal ends</a> for $1.99 each. </p><p>I am not aware of online sources for this, but I HIGHLY recommend getting the NOCO terminal anti corrosion spray which I got from Walmart Auto Department for something like $3.00, it included a pair of the anti corrosion terminal pads, and a small can or anti corrosion terminal spray. This should be in your auto maintenance took box / supplies to begin with... </p><p><br /></p><p>For the time being I am going to use my Black and Decker 25 amp (at 12v) output auto battery charger (max 4 amp at 110v AC) being powered by my Harbor Freight Tailgator 900w peak generator. This is NOT my ideal long term.</p><p><br /></p><p>LONG TERM GOAL:</p><p>I am wanting to eventually build in a 4 battery bank for a long term overlanding rig.. But for the mean time.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have not opted yet for a specific make or model, but I am looking into a DC to DC charger / charge controller. There are models on the market I am researching that will allow me to charge from both my vehicle alternator, AND solar power. I am not well versed enough in this to speak wisely at this point though...</p><p><br /></p><p>My pending choice for generator is a 2000 watt peak <a href="https://amzn.to/2R2IJuk" target="_blank">Aipower SUA2000IV</a> however that is beyond my budget at this time.</p><p><br /></p><p>With my long term desire for a proper 4 bank battery setup, I am wanting again, long term, to use the <a href="https://amzn.to/31Efos6" target="_blank">NOCO 4 bank onboard charger</a>.</p><p>At the point of the 4 bank system, I will want to add a 2KW pure sine wave inverter to produce clean 110v power. I have not selected a specific make or model. The idea is to power laptops, and some misc 110v devices while I try to provide most power via 12V.</p><p><br /></p><p>As you hopefully can see, I am trying to design my system so that it works for now, and most pieces can be repurposed in the future when a large upgrade in my off grid activity abilities will be made.</p>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-44908827046040506582021-03-11T18:17:00.003-06:002021-03-11T18:17:49.994-06:00Campfire cooking. Dutch Oven French Ranch Peppered pot roast.<p> Okay time to add another entry to the blog, and a recipe to enjoy. I will be adding this one to video soonest possible as well...</p><p><br /></p><p>This one uses our camp dutch oven, coals, and time. Use the dutch oven heat guide apps (LOTS available) or bring a printed guide to help you determine how to maintain heat. This works best if you are camping lake / riverfront, and will be fishing it all day close to camp so you can keep an eye on, and tend the fire and coals... NEVER leave a campfire unattended, so don't even think about doing this unless you can commit to being there the whole long slow cook time... This is a recipe that is honestly a crock pot recipe converted time and temp for a camp dutch oven. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ingredients.</p><p>2.5 - 3lb beef roast.</p><p>1 packet dry ranch mix. Hidden valley, store brand really doesn't matter.</p><p>1 packet Knorr French Onion Soup Mix</p><p>1 stick pasture / grass fed butter.</p><p>Pepperoncini peppers drained. About 6 to 8.</p><p><br /></p><p>Facility issue. You either need a cleaned up / ash removed fire pit, which you could be kind enough to do for the campground, or a dutch oven table. I don't have one of those. If the grate swings out of the way, you can use one of those campground standing grills as a dutch oven table pretty easily. Not all, or even the majority do this though. And do NOT violate any burn bans. I WILL not be responsible for any legal problems you get into for violating the rules...</p><p>Equipment.</p><p>You will need a camp dutch oven, the kind with a raised lip on the lid to keep coals from falling off, a hoop to catch the lid lifter on the lid, and of course at least 3 or 4 legs undernath to give you clearance for the coals. You want this pre seasoned, however this recipe will certainly help with seasoning it.</p><p>I am upfront about my Amazon affiliate links, but if they are not the best deals I won't post them. And in this case they aren't even close. Presently my local Walmart and I believe chain wide at least in the CONUS, have the Ozark Trail 5 quart cast iron camp dutch oven for under $18.00. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-5-Quart-Cast-Iron-Dutch-Oven-with-Handle/55208717 The least expensive one I can find on Amazon starts at over $40.00</p><p>Both Walmart and Amazon seem in the same range for thsese so here goes. Dutch Oven Lid Lifter. to help you lift the lid to rotate, and just, well open the thing up https://amzn.to/3qJ39EB</p><p>Cast Iron dutch oven trivet. This goes inside the oven and lifts the meat off the bottom to give, well a more oven experience to the contents. You want the kind that goes INSIDE the dutch oven, not the kind the dutch oven sets on. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lodge-8-inch-Cast-Iron-Meat-Rack-Trivet-Pre-Seasoned-L8DOT3/15836674 </p><p>Oven mitts, or something like an Ove Glove. You will want to pick up the dutch oven to rotate it by the bail handle.</p><p>Means of igniting charcoal. Do NOT use Match Light. I prefer to use a proper charcoal chimney but you CAN use lighter fluid. </p><p>BBQ tools including long stainless steel tongs to handle the coals.</p><p>Material:</p><p>Long burning hardwood charcoal. Kingsford or Royal Oak. Walmart's house brand I think it is called Master Grill seems to be rebagged Royal Oak.</p><p>Ignition source for the charcoal. In my case old newspapers. </p><p>A BBQ lighter.</p><p><br /></p><p>Procedure:</p><p>Pre heat number of coals given by your dutch oven temp guide in your chacoal chimney, + 4 or so coals until the top coals are grayed over. </p><p>Place the trivet in and the lid on the dutch oven.</p><p>Place the proper number according to your calcuator for the lid of the dutch oven.</p><p>Let this heat up for 10-15 minutes, allowing the cast iron to get fully hot, and the inside air of the DO to get fully hot.</p><p>Remove the lid of the DO and set aside on a clean heat safe surface.</p><p>Place the roast on the trivet.</p><p>Sprinkle the ranch powder on the roast.</p><p>Sprinkle the French Onion Soup mix on the roast.</p><p>Unwrap and place the stick of butter on the roast.</p><p>Place the peppers on the roast next to the butter.</p><p>Carefully place the lid back on the dutch oven.</p><p>Cook for 2.5 to 3 hours maintaining the 325 deg F. Every 15 to 30 minutes pick up Dutch oven and rotate 90 degrees clockwise, Rotate lid another 90 degrees clockwise. Replace coals every 30 minutes or so. Place partially spent coals in campfire. </p><p>At 2.5 to 3hr mark, remove from heat. Let rest for 10 min before serving.</p><p>Serve with your choice, but we like foil packet roasted veggies, grilled asparagus or similar greens, a couple of small roasted potatoes, and some crusty french bread.</p>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-23608453309782344202021-02-19T18:08:00.001-06:002021-02-19T18:08:43.357-06:00Blue Rhino Propane Exchange handing out massively OLD tanks!<p> So according to Blue Rhino and the US Department of Transportation, propane cylinders have a good for life of 12 years, and then can be followed up with recertification that MUST be affixed to the tank in the form on a sticker. </p><p><br /></p><p>During the massive ice storms and resulting power outage that clobbered Texas this week (Feb 15 on 2021) I used up my prior propane, and happened to be at my local HEB store when the Blue Rhino truck was there offloading, so I just went ahead and bought a new tank since nobody is certain we are out of the woods yet weather / power wise, and should I need to, I want to be able to run my Portable Buddy Heater to keep from freezing my kneecaps off.</p><p><br /></p><p>So I get the filled to only 15lbs of propane tank (why don't these exchange programs fill a 20lb tank with 20lbs of propane?) and I got to looking at it. Mostly because it looks like it was repainted by some kid in 6th grade shop class.</p><p><br /></p><p>Well looking at the safety collar of the tank, I see a manufacture date 02-03. Yes, that's right. February 2003. </p><p><br /></p><p>It's February 2021 folks!</p><p><br /></p><p>Okay so maybe, just maybe they recertified it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Yeah that would be a nice idea. </p><p><br /></p><p>No sticker, anywhere on the tank. Just the plastic sleeve Blue Rhino puts on them.</p><p><br /></p><p>Call Blue Rhino customer support maybe I am misreading the Safety collar even though I did propane tank refilling professionally, admitedly decades ago, but I know the process.</p><p><br /></p><p>I know they are trying to fill a MASSIVE backlog in fuel orders due to the storms. But why on earth did Blue Rhino keep this tank in circulation? </p><p><br /></p><p>Something is massively wrong here. I am not sure but it looks like Blue Rhino is selling massively expired, and non certified tanks to retail customers who don't know SQUAT about DOT regulations, from retail establishments, so in order to get them home these same customers MUST transport them, after Blue Rhino transports the filled tanks to the store. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ZQIRxpV2FU/YDBQ0zjB3kI/AAAAAAAAd-Y/iqTKvA3_DRgOA61HPkkID0XpyIJ-5VyvwCPcBGAsYHg/s4032/20210219_174647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ZQIRxpV2FU/YDBQ0zjB3kI/AAAAAAAAd-Y/iqTKvA3_DRgOA61HPkkID0XpyIJ-5VyvwCPcBGAsYHg/w400-h300/20210219_174647.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The fresh off the truck Blue Rhino Propane Exchange tank.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cr-Hw0aI0Ng/YDBRkbymOgI/AAAAAAAAd-w/4-bAF6RNi0EdAR5P57sLtvyqBZuojgnggCPcBGAsYHg/s4032/20210219_174659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cr-Hw0aI0Ng/YDBRkbymOgI/AAAAAAAAd-w/4-bAF6RNi0EdAR5P57sLtvyqBZuojgnggCPcBGAsYHg/w400-h300/20210219_174659.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Date stamp 02-03. Nothing else resembling a date stamp is on</i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>the Safety Collar.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yO7-9vQd-gU/YDBR8qsK6gI/AAAAAAAAd-8/y13OxOYfFDAjGUxC7ui6Vvdol7m7_E8QQCPcBGAsYHg/s4032/20210219_174709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yO7-9vQd-gU/YDBR8qsK6gI/AAAAAAAAd-8/y13OxOYfFDAjGUxC7ui6Vvdol7m7_E8QQCPcBGAsYHg/w300-h400/20210219_174709.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Not a recertification sticker to be found anywhere!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I haven't written a blog post in quite a while, but I am kind of driven to do this now mostly out of frustration. You see after making this discovery, I tried calling Blue Rhino customer service number, and found that the prompts I was faced with required me to be a commercial account customer, not a retail consumer. It would seem that unless I have the big truck pumping propane into my giant tanks at the shop, or farm or whatnot, they just don't seem to want to talk to us.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I will be sending them an email asking about this as I have concerns. I do NOT want to be legally liable for transpoting expired / no longer certified cylinders in violation of federal regulations. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am posting this mostly as tail coverage for myself to document that I am doing my due dilligence to get this corrected. My primary purpose for having bulk tank propane is for running camp appliances, thus transport is sort of a requirement for me...</div><p></p>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-18357888153615341242020-08-12T17:58:00.000-05:002020-08-12T17:58:44.336-05:00At home DIY during a pandemic. Things in the kitchen.<div>I know I was raised maybe a bit differently than many men of my gneration, Yes I do a lot of DIY stuff, that also includes things such as cooking and baking. Now most DIY bloggers / vloggers aren't also kitchen bloggers / vloggers so I would certainly understand if you seem a bit confused by my posting this.</div><div><br /></div><div>Recent posts I have seen elsewhere where so called kitchen experts report on what they think are useless kitchen gadgets and what works well, and with the advent of the COVID epidemic, and what that has done to of all things, production of otherwise shelf stable goods like pasta, has motivated me to do some blogging on the subject as, well I disagree with the so called experts...Here is my list, and my justification for why I disagree...</div><div><br /></div><div>#1. Kitchenaid stand mixer. The expert claims they don't like them because they rarely use it, takes up counter space, and generally speaking just collects dust. Fair enough, but NOT what is happening in my kitchen. Our Kitchenaid stand mixer is the <a href="https://amzn.to/31IZKeE" target="_blank">5qt Artisan series in Empire Red</a>, it's beautiful and VERY useful. My only complaint is that the power of the motor at 375 watts sometimes, not often, but sometimes leaves a bit to be desired. It has a drive hub for a myriad of accessories that extends its usefulness, and with us cooking most meals at home now, the mixer gets used at least once a week, which is a little bit less than our blender, but still more than enough to justify its existence... Since they are related, I am going to talk about the accessories next..</div><div><br /></div><div>#2. Spiralizer. My wife had me buy a Vegetti, the handheld one, we loved the result but hated using it, it is a handheld gizmo you spin over the vegetable to make long stringy spirals of veggie "pasta. Using it is a royal pain in the hands. So she saw the "Vegetti Pro" on the shelf at our local grocery store, this one is honestly a little better, it took a little bit to set it up initially, and then it was a hand crank gizmo that spun the veggie, but it was made of mostly plastic, and just, well I am afraid to use it for fear of cranking it and breaking the plastic. So that is a big nope from me. Now if you have seen my youtube channel you know I have a pretty serious weight problem, and I am working on that. Reducing simple carbs is a MUST for me, and I am working with our dieticiain on that. I can buy pre spiralized veggies at the grocery, for 4+ times the cost of regular, and they tend to go funny quickly, no thanks. I found a knockoff brand for the Kitchenaid spiralizer, the deluxe 7 blade set with a peeler, and it while not cheap, wasn't too expensive when factored into how expensive pre spiralized veggies would be over a year... It has blades for multiple size spirals, plus thick slices, and coreing, so overall not a bad tool. The item is the <a href="https://amzn.to/3fQQxpQ">X Home Spiralizer</a> and costs considerably less than the actual Kitchenaid unit. Not that I have anything against the official one mind you, my budget just barfed at that idea. The tool is easy to use, not too bad for setup / take down once you do it a few times, and is pretty easy to clean with a nylon brush. Now mind you, I do these, and I do paleo recipes for actual pasta, which requires...</div><div><br /></div><div>#3. Electric Pasta maker. Now the kitchen "experts" were talking about a dedicated countertop machine, and I am too cheap, and in love with multi function machines to even consider that, but they also recommended a manual crank pasta roller and cutter. I am too lazy to do that. Instead I opted for a rather unique Kitchenaid accessory. The <a href="https://amzn.to/3fPbAZB">Antree 3 in 1 pasta roller / cutter</a>. Most of the Kitchenaid pasta rollers and cotters require you swap them out between functions. This one just requires you install it once to use it, and use the right slot. I am experimenting wiht various recipes for paleo freindly, low or no carb pastas and I think I have come accross a really workable recipe. You will be seeing VERY soon here a quick slap together pasta trying tree project to support this... And the driving force behind me wanting / needing to make my own pasta is availability. The only pallateable low carb pasta on the market that I have ever come accross is Dreamfields, which since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic has been missing off of our local store shelves, and my Amazon subscribe and save has failed to deliver twice. And I want my grilled chicken fetuccini marinara!</div><div><br /></div><div>#4. <a href="https://amzn.to/33So0xx">Meat Grinder</a> / sausage stuffer. The claims are they don't get used often enough, and I must admit, okay this does NOT get a lot of use, but once hunting season is over, I can pay extra to have the processor grind up the less desireable bits, or I can ram it through a grinder with some fatty pork cuts to keep it from being too dry, and some spices and make pan sausasage, bratwurst, or a lovely jalapeno cheese venison sausage. We also use it when chuck goes on stupid cheap sale to make and freeze ground chuck. Same happens with turkey as we can often get free turkeys around thanksgiving, debone and grind up the turkey for ground turkey, chicken etc... There are 2 size grinding plates so I can make a grind for regular ground meat, or chunkier for a chili grind... And the one we chose was made by Antree, again compares favorably to a Kitchenaid, works perfectly with the mixer, and decently priced. Yes it is more work in the kitchen, but labor from my hands in the kitchen is a LOT less money paid to the butcher for ground meat if I shop right, which brings me to the next item on the list. </div><div><br /></div><div>#5. Vacuum food sealing system like a Foodsaver, or Seal a Meal. The complainers say they aren't useful, the would rather just use zipperbags. Well sorry, but if used correctly, the vacuum sealed system prevents freezer burn, and when we use it with our harvest, or cheap buys, allows us to save a LOT of money on the meats we want in our diet. Our unit is a FoodSaver, and while it is not the model I am going to link to, it is the older version, and when I say older, it was a wedding present kind of older, but has most of the top end features. You really don't need this fancy of a machine. Just a simple one will do the trick but if you want to go fancy with a vacuum sealing system, then <a href="https://amzn.to/2DPIZqj">check this out</a>!</div><div><br /></div><div>#6. Garlic press. Now I am not going to bother with the link here, You can find a garlic press at just about every single grocery store kitchen gadget aisle, and yes you CAN smash garlic cloves with the side of a knife, but if you have any experience with using that method you know they bits are never really small enough, and you never really extract the full flavor from the garlic that way. My Dad made his Chili pressing garlic in with an old garlic press, and that is the way I am going to do it. Sorry not going to change for someone who says I am doing it wrong. </div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>#7. Food processor. Okay I sort fo agree, and sort of disagree, you see we have the older Original Ninja Kitchen System with Auto IQ that came with the bullet blender bottles as well as a food processor attachment, and we use the tar out of that food processor attachment. Mind you, we gifted our original Cuisinart food processor to a family member who never had one. They make FAST work of slicing and scredding veggies and cheeses. They are a bit of a nuisance to clean, but again, not something that is an undue buren. We find it easy to prep, dump contents, hand over to the other person in the kitchen to quickly wash it out and hand it back while we are doing other prep with different tools. We tend to do holiday dinners at our home and cook the whole nine yards. I have tried it using a top quality chefs knife and no food processor, ended up with blisters. No thanks. IF you can find the Ninja that has the food processor attachment, I HIGHLY recommend it instead of a dedicated food processor. We love our Ninja blender, and the accessories make it one of the most used small appliances in the house...</div></div><div><br /></div><div>#8. Lemon juicer / squeezer. Sorry but if you don't use yours not my fault. We've got one of those squeeze the handles together citrus juicers that we use on oranges, lemons, limes, you name it. I don't care if you are going to brag you squeeze your orange juice by hand, I want to extract the juice, not bragging rights! This should be another grocery store find.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Now some areas where I totally agree with their so called experts.</div><div><br /></div><div>Professional quality chefs knives. My wife got on a Pampered Chef kick as a freind of hers was a distributor for a while, and while many of their items just don't hold up over time, the knives have been wonderful. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cast iron cookware. Unfortunately my home is all electric and we have a sealed induction cooktop which scratches easily by cast iron, but I do have cast iron that we use camping and it makes cooking on a Coleman gasoline stove easier than cooking at home!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-31454513516478788372020-06-21T13:37:00.001-05:002020-06-21T13:37:28.872-05:00DIY, in the kitchen. A guys approach to the best instant pot refried beans.I know, I know, I have been away from the blog for quite some time. Sorry about that. I've had far too much life going on, and what not work, or family time I have had wrapped up, has been invested in my Youtube channels, so the blog got neglected. Heck even my channels got kind of neglected. <div><br /></div><div>Anyway, my Fathers Day treat as it were, is for one of my favorite meals, however my wife is terrified of the pressure cooker, so I figured since I was doing that, I would share with you the recipe and some thoughts. Enjoy!</div><p class="MsoNormal">Having been raised with a serious DIY ethos, it should come
as no shock to anyone that my DIY includes cooking as well. And I am actually
known to be a very good cook by my friends. I often get asked for certain
dishes once folks try them. Yes I have had some duds, but I also have had some
real winners. And some of them, not all of my secrets, I will share with you
here.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of my biggest issues over the years has been just the
amount of time and effort some dishes take to prepare, so I tend to be a fan of
time and labor saving devices in the kitchen. Enter the Instant Pot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I bought ours a few years ago honestly, with
the main intention of being able to jam a whole frozen chicken in it with some
broth, sprinkle some easoning on the outside and cook the thing for dinner
should we forget to prepare or even thaw anything for dinner…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have been struggling with various Instant Pot recipes,
many of the recipes I find online are either horrid, or I am just too dumb to
get it right, so I often end up with wasted food (money) or just a
disappointing meal. It would seem that many folks just aren’t all that forthcoming
with good recipes, or they are just bad cooks that share lousy recipes. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The BEST Instant Pot Refried Beans (I have found yet).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My beautiful wife and I are Texans, her a native, and myself
blessed by God to be here in my adult life, and as such we tend toward Tex-Mex
cooking. One of the items that used to be a shortcut for us was always a let
down, canned refried beans. Even the best of them are just, meh…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now with most of the Tex-Mex dishes we love, substandard
refried beans won’t do, and we have tried so many different recipes, with so
many miserable failures, that when we found one that was “close enough” and
modified it to our tastes, the results ended up being delicious and more
importantly, repeatable!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We use these as
a side dish for Tamales, and while we know not authentic, in tacos and fajitas,
and on weekends, with Migas con Barbacoa… I’ll post up a recipe about Migas
later.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">IMPORTANT! <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Before I give you my recipe, I need it to be clear, I am
assuming you know how to safely operate an instant pot, a hand / immersion
blender, and know what the consistency of refried beans should be. It is very
difficult to describe in writing, so I am trusting you just know this. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now do you want to get on with the recipe?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Prep Time. 5 min.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cook time. 45 min.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Post cook processing time. 15 min.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Total. 1hr 5 min.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yields approximately 4.5 cups.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Serving size .25 cup<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Calories per serving. 21.3<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tools and equipment needed.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Hot pads or oven mitts.</span></li><li>Instant Pot, you can use other brands, but I don’t
know the controls on them, make your own adjustments. I have written this with
the Instant Pot IP Duo 60 6qt model in mind, make your adjustments accordingly.(
NOTE: If I did not already own the IP Duo 60, and was in the market for an
instant pot, I would give the 8 quart DuoCrisp some serious consideration as it
adds air fryer, and with the right accessories, dehydrator functionality https://amzn.to/3ehvMDD)</li><li>Immersion Blender. Otherwise known as a hand
blender, or stick blender. You can use a handheld potato masher as well,<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">the idea is to smash the beans smooth and mix
with the remaining liquids.(</span><span style="text-indent: -24px;">https://amzn.to/3hKaiS9)</span></li><li>Measuring cups and spoons.(https://amzn.to/3hNBK1d)</li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">House power, generator, solar power with
inverter, whatever it takes to reliably power your instant pot. (For those of you new to my Blog, I deal with Camping a lot. This recipe can be done in the camper, IF you have power).</span></li><li>5qt stainless steel mixing bowl and a stainless
steel colander that fits inside of that.</li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Clean fork.</span></li><li>Sealable glass bowls to serve and store. The 2
cups of beans when done will slightly more than double in volume when done.
Consider storing in a 4 cup container and using the rest when they first come
out!</li></ul>Ingredients:<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>2 cups dried pinto beans sorted and rinsed.
(sorted means to insure there are no bad beans, and no foreign matter in their
midst that sometimes happens).</li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1 tsp natural sea salt.</span></li><li>3 Tbsp Fiesta Brand Extra Fancy Pinto Bean
Seasoning. (https://amzn.to/3enncmW)</li><li>3 Tbsp strained bacon drippings.</li><li>7 cups water</li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">3 – 4 bay leaves</span></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Instructions:</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>T<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">ake the inner liner from the instant pot and
fill up with fresh, cool water to the 7 cup line. Return liner into Instant
Pot.</span></li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Using the colander if not already rinsed, rinse
the sorted beans, shake dry and pour into instant pot.</span></li><li>Add pinto bean seasoning, bacon drippings, salt,
and bay leaves.</li><li>Put lid on instant pot, and set vent control to
the pressure / non venting setting.</li><li>Plug in instant pot, and set it on the Bean / Chili
setting. Adjust the cook time to 45 minutes.</li><li>Let the instant pot go through its cycle, and
come down on pressure on its own. I believe the manual calls that naturally depressurize.</li><li>Once depressurized, typically at the 55 minute mark,
remove the lid, and with a clean fork pick out the bay leaves.</li><li>Take the mixing bowl, place colander inside.</li><li>Using the hot pads / oven mitts, CAREFULLY
remove the liner with the beans / liquid mixture and pour into the colander.
Replace the instant pot liner.</li><li>In one motion, lift, let the liquid drain just
so that it isn’t pouring out, dripping is okay, move the colander to the
instant pot and pour the beans back in. This should have retained just enough
liquid, but set the mixing bowl with the liquid just in case you need some to
thin the bean mix out a touch.</li><li>Using the immersion blender, blend beans until
smooth and creamy texture. If the final mix is too thick, slowly add no more
than ¼ cup of liquid if not less at a time and mix until you come up with the right
consistency.</li><li>Serve with your favorite Tex-Mex dish as an
ingredient, or as a side dish itself with maybe cheese and onions…</li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13138754483432150359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-64380217770802275952019-05-15T20:32:00.001-05:002019-05-15T20:32:44.244-05:00Helping secure home with Alexa<p dir="ltr">I am well into the remodeling and part of that is redoing the switches for the house mostly because the 35 year old original switches are literally falling apart and causing some serious concern for safety.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Given that and the price difference between some of the lower price point smart switches in high quality dumb switches we are doing a smart home project. And a key component of this smart home project is voice integration. Now I looked at the various voice platforms the leading contenders are Alexa from Amazon assistant from Google Bixby from Samsung and Siri from Apple. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I am not trying to start a flame war here so please forgive me ahead of time if anything I say here you disagree with these are my personal opinions and a for me and I would like to triple underlined me because I know it works well for other people but for me I am just not a big Apple fan so Siri isn't a choice for me. My Galaxy note 9 features Bixby and it tends to translate my voice commands to something roughly halfway between American English and Korean. Not gonna work.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So the 2 remaining competitors Alexa and assistant are really all that was left for me to choose from.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> After reviewing the features the costs and the benefits of each including compatibility with 3rd party products the answer was quite clear. Amazon Alexa was my clear choice.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> With solid voice integration and an ever expanding group of skills and they demonstrated solid commitment to 3rd party integrations which Google is killing off from their platform by removing the works with nest program we went and grabbed several echo devices on deep sale. For starters we wanted to get rid of our Satellite TV and go entirely streaming to save money and be able to better control what we are watching. We opted for fire TV sticks and purchase them as a bundle on sale around Christmas time with echo dot's. And a more recent acquisition was a full on echo that was picked up on Mother's Day sale.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Now there is a new feature that was fully opened up to us echo users as of May 14th 2019 which is called Alexa guard. This feature allows the echo devices to listen for sound patterns such as breaking glass or smoke alarms and then send an alert to your phone or mobile device. If you have very specific professional monitoring services most notably ADT pulse or Ring monitored alarm services then these alerts can be reviewed by your monitoring service and calls to emergency services can be placed then.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> This is a feature I've been anxiously awaiting since it was initially announced in fall of 2018. When the initial early Beta was released it only supported 2nd generation Echo and 3rd generation Echo Dot devices. With the full release as of May 14th 2019 all generations of Echo devices are now compatible.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> So as we continue to go through our build process we have to add a couple more echo dots to have a listening device in every area where there is glass. This will give us a full coverage and allow us better protection while we are out of the house.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> I know there are privacy concerns with these smart speakers but I am not all that worried about them at this point and to me the benefits outweigh the risks</p>
Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-85928988070140772472018-06-10T21:58:00.002-05:002018-06-10T21:58:22.205-05:00Refinishing medicine cabinets, and fixing poor quality installs....My house was built in 1984, and sadly the guy that did the install of my medicine cabinets, well he most likely has gone on to other endeavours, or is in a box.... So no chance I can get him to fix his screw ups....<div>
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It would appear that when the medicine cabinets were installed there were 2 problems....</div>
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#1. There were no pilot holes drilled. THe screws sere simply run into the studs.</div>
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#2. The original installer, or someone else along the life of my house, stripped the screw head on the lower left screw on the cabinet on the right.... I had no choice but to use a plug cutter to remove the material the screw was still attached to, and remove the cabinet, cut the screw flush tot he stud because even with vice grips, it wasn't going anywhere, ever.... </div>
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So I could have gone to Home Depot, bought a new cabinet that would actually match these old ones, yes they still make, and sell the same lousy cabinets. But in true Dave's Workshop fashion, I just HAD to fix what I had.... Even if it included having to buy a new tool which, you know breaks my heart... Or not.</div>
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So anyway, here's the video on how I fixed it, and how I refinished the cabinets with white chalk paint, going for that rustic look... </div>
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Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272206700005825173.post-60636947644971904972018-06-03T18:28:00.002-05:002018-06-03T18:28:32.658-05:00DIY 20u + Server Rack build. The videos...Part 1, Design finalized, and shopping for the supplies.<br />
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Part 2. Parts cut, and making space to work. What a mess!<br />
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Part 3, Sanding and Painting.<br />
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Part 4, assembly and loading it up!<br />
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And the completed rack ready to slide into place!<br />
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<br />Daves Workshophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459287409212767684noreply@blogger.com0