SwampNut

Mick had posted some pics of his metalworking tools and some nice shots of his work. I've had access to a few such tools in the distant past, but never really learned how to use all of them. I don't even really understand the details of lathing vs. milling, though I have the very basic concepts. I looked at both yesterday (BIG CASH) and see a mill looks like a drill press with a complex and accurate sliding table arrangement. The lathe of course holds a bar and cutters engage it. Now...what do you do with each... Mick, if you've got some time, how about talking about some metal basics. For example, basic tools (you mentioned some in the other thread), and things you can make with them. Also what quality/feature levels are really necessary? Saw combo drill/mill machines for $250-600, and dedicated mills for $300-1000. Lathes from $200-1000. Also, any reason these can't also work with wood? IE, you buy a metal lathe, can it be used with wood?

Reminds me of the people I met at my first--and last--Mensa meeting.

Whoa, smoke your breakfast today? Damn it, now I'm going to have that song running through my head all day.

Thanks guys. It doesn't seem fast when you don't have a working shitter... :grin: Strangely enough, the new one is much more efficient. In fact I haven't had a double-flusher yet, and that's my normal standard. Must be in the design.

Heh, I'd probably put one in there, except remember I'm a speed-shitter. I take the Pocket PC in there, but I'm usually done by the time I open the browser. It's not quite that automatic. You give it a push and it lowers itself slowly. Yeah, I was thinking about that earlier. It would be a challenge for kids. Plus if you open the faucet too much, the curve of the bowl shoots the water back out the front. Oops, already forgot I made that section. Man, I'm tired. Two weeks of this has run me ragged.

All the major stuff anyway, just have to get shelving up and some other little details. Unfortunately, I don't have my digital camera right now and this borrowed one doesn't allow me to get decent shots in a small space. And I can't adjust the exposure, so it looks strange because the lighting comes from behind the mirror. The sink table is made from 4x4 hard maple. The top is granite with a light speckle, which just doesn't show in the pics. I had it cut with rough edges to give that real stone feel. It's held up from the table by 3/4" spacers I made from a chrome rod, same one I used to make the towel bar across the front. The sink is a clear glass bowl. The mirror is offset from the wall by an MDF frame with 9 mini-base 60 watt bulbs around it, so they can't be seen but backlight the mirror. I wanted to do this to bring out the character of the stone. The walls are natural American slate in random patterns and colors. Floors are tile and go up the wall for two tiles. I still need to put glass shelves inside the open space on the left wall, and probably some on the back wall. A TP dispenser is still a necessity, though I might just build one myself from the leftover stone. I love that stuff. I am also planning to put a shelf near the bottom of the table, but haven't decided what it should look like. Here's the old bathroom... And some of the destruction I had to go through... Hey, my new shitter is not only this cool all-in-one aerodynamic unit, it has a self-closing shock absorber lid: http://www.cbr1100xx.org/temp/nov/toilet.avi

Excellent! Only tried the "Lemon Yogurt Crunch" so far, but loved it. Big, crunchy, not too sweet, no fake taste at all. I think it was 99 cents at Wal-Mart.

Oooh...metalworking tools... I need some of those. What do you do with them? What do you think are the basic must-have metalworking tools?

Buncha broken pic links is all I see...

Oh, BTW, double-check your concrete for level in two directions before doing this. You never know if it was layed level or settled over time. A small off-level condition translates to a bigger error over the length of a post.

Yup, it really is that easy. They work great, too. Just buy the biggest you can to fit the holes in the posts. For this level of work you might want to also stuff the holes with glue (mostly to prevent water damage over the years). And get a carbide concrete drill bit. The hammer drill makes it easier.

My local dealer stocks them, around $2 I think. I bought a couple spares of each type when I did my last maintenance parts order.

I did it for about a week. That's how long I was in Miami with my parents, eating good (tasting) Cuban food. Though I watched my ratios a bit, of course I partook of the usual high-carb Cuban meals and desserts. And felt like shit. Good thing I didn't have to do anything at any particular times. Went back to needing 1-1.5 hours more sleep every night, and feeling sluggish. The sleepiness at 3 and 9pm came back. The "drunk" feeling after over-indulging in carbs came back. I used to attribute this to tiredness, but now that I'm paying attention I see it's completely different. It's a mental thing, as if I had been drinking, not really a tired feeling. I'd be better off driving drunk than in that state. I think I'm mostly back to normal now, took over a week.

Very nice. I looked at that one, but wanted portability. Plus the other one was at a special price. Hugo was here for the new toilet installation last night (no photos...yet...). Walls and tile are going in today on one side. Hopefully the countertop will be ready to pick up tomorrow, and my plumbing and sink came in Friday. Woodwork is nearly done, but has to be finished. I might have a fully functional bathroom this week.

Sorry, shoulda been a seperate topic, not a reply. :oops:

Do it.

Wow. Nice work. Nice shop. The drum sander is interesting, never seen a horizontal one or one that large. Seems like it would be similar to a planer?

A mild wobble at 40-50 is usually NOT balance-related. It just happens. It's a law of physics based on the geometry of the bike and a billion little variables. The best way to fix it is to not take your hands off the bars.

Nah, that's just dirt and mud and shit from riding it. From the Cody run. It's not yet due for the about-twice-a-year wash. I pointed the exhaust port on the saw towards the mini-van. It's dirt/dust/sawdust colored for a reason. I wash it less than the XX.

If you use it a lot, you'd be shocked how much nicer it can be to work with a better one. I knew it would be an upgrade, but didn't realize how different it would be.

Then you probably don't want to know how little I paid for it my local Lowe's... Clearance/return item, bribed a teenager to use his very generous employee discount, had a coupon, and returned something I forgot I had in the attic for a year still in the box. I kept thinking about that after I took off the guard/kickback teeth to cut some oversize wood. Since it's 1/4" thicker than the saw's cutting height, I could feed it with my hand on top of the wood. What a weird feeling that was. Something in the back of my mind refused to stop panicking even after my hand passed the blade. I wish it wasn't too late to go cut some more. I think my neighbors had enough of it though.

Here it is resting comfortable next to the other parking spot after a little use... Replaced this piece o' crap... Damn it cuts nice. And the precision...I've never owned a tool that measures in inches, millimeters, and "cunt hair." I was making half-millimeter adjustments as if it was a precision milling maching. No binding, no kick, no slow-downs like with my old saw. The table has some sort of surface that wood just glides over. It finds the natural feed speed almost automatically, no need to think about it. It was eating up 8/4 hardwood like my old saw did with 3/4" plywood. Problem: When you have a new saw like this, everything looks like it needs cutting.

I almost flipped the bike to the left cranking up on a wrench to tighten the axle nut. :shock: Now I always do the final tightening on the sidestand.

20% bleach was recommended by several experts. Actually that's on the high end, they said 10-20%. Luckily my room mate's girlfriend is a biologist, so I set her on the task of finding out details on the mold. We ended up exposing all of the areas that had gotten wet, and soaked down the area and framing with 91% alcohol on her recommendation. This not only kills the mold, it also accelerates removal of any remaining moisture. We've got fans on it now. I plan to leave one side exposed for a couple weeks, while I reinstall the bathroom side. Now...to find a granite remnant and hope UPS shows up with my sink today... This was supposed to be a fun little project, not building a new house. :roll: Thanks for everyone's advice!