STUPID CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC

Some people talk for the sake of hearing their own voice, and choose to ignore what is being said by the other person, the following exchange is case and point.  The following happened about a month or so, ago.  The names weren't changed to protect anyone.

Background.  While driving back from Kamloops I picked up, what I suspected to be a recent guest at the local government facility (jail).  He sat in the front seat and idle chat commenced.  Every time I said something it was responded to with ' Yes, Sir', or 'No, Sir'.  Which is a good indicator he had a newly required respect for any type of uniformed figure presented to him.  The conversation went as follows:

Me:  'Don't call me Sir, that's what you would call my Dad'.  (Even though he has passed away over 10 years ago.)

Dumfk: 'Oh, ok.  What does your Dad do for a living?'  (Odd question since I'm in my 50s and dear ol dad hasn't been working since bout 1985)

Me: ' He is a decomposer'.  (Ok, if you are running an IQ of 40 or more you just saw what I had said, HE IS DEAD)

Dumfk: "Oh?  Classical?' (I figured he meant dear ol Dad worked in an orchestra HAHA)

Me: 'Nope,  Subterranian'

Dumfk: "Cool"

The conversation abruptly stopped, except for the laughing from the other passengers within ear-shot of the conversation.  I had one lady get off the bus and thank me for the laugh of the week.  A man got off and said "They live among us, and breed".  Personally, I thought THAT was funny.

MY GARAGE FURNITURE

WELCOME TO MY MAN CAVE

I get teased by my friends, neighbors and wife about the furniture I made in the garage, FOR the garage.  Tends to bite me in the butt whenever Denise wants me to make her something for the house.  I really don't know why.

THE ROUTER TABLE

 

This was my first overall project for the garage.  It was a replacement to the MDF router table I had years ago, and brought with me from Ontario.  That is birch plywood from RONA.  No, it isn't expensive, this is some Chinese made stuff where the outer layers are about .010" of an inch thick.  You get it right the first time, or, you end up with red (YES RED) glue showing through. NOTE: This stuff is 'buyer beware'.  I have purchased some of this plywood where Mao's buddies forgot to (or cheapened out on the amount of) glue between the layers, but its 20.00 dollars cheaper than 'real' birch plywood'.  

The dimensions for the table were not overly critical except for one, the height, EVERYTHING (and I mean EVERYTHING) in the garage had to  be 36" tall, while on wheels.  This allowed me to push a sheet of plywood through my table saw while using everything in my shop as a rest table for it, on its way.  Room is limited and I didn't want to have to take my table saw outside to cut a piece of plywood without it snagging on all the other 'furniture'.  As I mentioned, everything is also on casters so I can move it around while working on the bigger projects. Personally, I think its pure genius on my part.  HAHA

The drawer slides sure make up for the plywood.  These are Blum self closing drawer slides.  Get them close and they close by themselves.  Expensive?  Nope,  I bought 25 sets of these from Habitat for Humanity's RESTORE. NOTE:  For the record, I don't own HFHR, but I sure believe in what they do, I am a member, and, they have some fantastic deals if you are making things or building a house.  So I promote them whenever I can.  Want to guess where I got the solid brass drawer knobs?  

 One given, in the design was the use of a dust collecting guide.  I made this from .....  yeah... plywood. 

The lift table for the router is from Woodpecker.  I bought this at at wood show, and had it in storage until I actually had a garage to use it in.  This project was built around that and my DeWalt Router.

To keep the bits from rolling around, I made inserts for each diameter of the shaft.  I have tried a lot of bits, my favorites are FREUD.  Period.

THE STORAGE CABINET

This is the sister cabinet for the Router Table.

  This is the two cabinets together.  NOTE:  The finished Router Guide with Cherry inserts.  MAN, DO I LOVE WOOD.

 THE TABLE SAW

This is, without a doubt, my favorite machine. "This is my table saw, there are many like it but this one is mine".   It started life as a Delta with the cast table.  I personally loved it as is. However, I felt it needed a face lift to match the router table (which is a close second in the favorites category).

This was a bit tricky to make as it was to have a built in sawdust drawer, and side cabinet.  (Unfortunately, none of the pictures show the doors on it.  I ran out of wood (built from scraps from the other cabinets) and didn't want to buy a full sheet to finish the doors.  So I patiently waited until I acquired some from a future project.

The top drawer is actually fake.  I need that so I could get into the lower part of the saw for fine adjustments.  Want to guess what the height of the top of the table is?

THE TABLE SAW OUT TABLE

Even with all the furniture being the same height, I required some sort of out table for the saw.

This was, to say the least, and experimental prototype.  I used 2x2 wood (NOTE:  My pet peeve: nothing is the size they advertise), some 1 1/2 inch wood dowel, and some PVC pipe.  I wanted this to be a simple roller table that was easy to push a sheet of plywood over, and it had to be portable, meaning, removable from the tablesaw.  If you look closely, you can see a piece of aluminum angle attached to the back of the saw.  This was attached using holes that were already in the table.  

This is a picture of the table, disassembled, and folded up for storage.  It can be hung on the wall, when not in use.  In the future, I plan on redoing this table to make it a bit smaller, and have it fold in several places to make it less bulky.  Other than that, it works great. 

THE TAPER JIG

Ever try to cut a piece of plywood on a tablesaw to 45 degrees?  Sucks.  So I made this fully adjustable Taper Jig that conveniently fits over the table saw guide bar.  You simply set up the angle to the blade, put in your piece of wood, and push the jig through, using the guide as a .....well....  a guide.

 

THE LATHE TABLE

Now what would a workshop be without a wood lathe?  Well, I guess it would be a 'Latheless Workshop'.  HAHA.  Not mine.  I got this lathe as a gift from my Inlaws (not the capital I).  They know how much I love working with my hands.

 
Since I didn't have a lot of attachments and accessories for the lathe, I opted to make the table into a screw and nail storage cabinet.  Again all my criteria were met, Chinese Birch Plywood (and No, the drawers were not Mao Tse Tung-in-groove) There, got that joke out of the way.  I used eight casters for the weight, 36" high, and brass knobs.  What is missing on this cabinet is the Blum drawer slides.  The RESTORE didn't have enough of them for this project.  Thats 21 drawers.

The first two levels of drawers have sections built into them to hold the various sizes of screws and nails.  In the end....  I think I need more drawers.

THE WOOD RACK

 What's a wood shop without a wood rack.  I didn't want it to take up the whole garage so I settled on this design.  The arms are removable, and are held in place with 1/2"  dowel pegs.  They can be removed to accommodate more or less wood as needed.  Each arm is about 12 inches long.  In the picture the top horizontal support board has holes every few inches, this allows me to move the vertical supports around as I see fit.  I hated the thought of having a permanent structure blocking my next machine purchase.

HOME PROJECT: AIR FILTER

MY HOMEMADE AIR CLEANER

I spend a lot of time working with wood in my small garage/workshop.  Even making a few cuts on the table saw will put a lot of dust in the air (No, I don't have a dust collector....yet).  I happened to be strolling through my absolute favorite store, Habitat for Humanity's RESTORE, and found a blower for sale, so I scooped it for $25.00.  This was the start of my air cleaner.  Now that the hard part was done, I bought a furnace filter to be used to catch all the dust in the air. 

 

I had no absolute dimensions for the size of the box, other than, it had to house the blower, and it had to fit a common sized furnace filter.  I had lots of scrap chipboard I 'acquired' at the local landfill site, when I was dumping branches, at the same time some carpenters were dumping almost full sheets of chipboard, so that was the foundation for the box.   NOTE:  The framing for the opening is inset.  This is to allow the filter to be flush with the outside of the box. Make sure you put some sort of framing in the center of the filter area, or the blower will suck the filter in.  

I then wired the blower to a pull cord to give me three different speeds.  The pull cord switch was purchased at Home Depot.

 

Next came the filter door.  I used a piano hinge that I had kicking around, and a simple latch to keep it closed.  Ok Ok, the hinge doesn't match the white, and steel motif of the filter, but I didn't have to buy one.  I then used a louvered vent cover to create the air return.

Eyebolts were then installed in the top of the cleaner box to mount it to the ceiling.  Make sure you put washers on them or the vibrations may eventually pull the nuts out of the box.  And no one wants their nuts pulled!!

The finished air cleaner mounted to the ceiling.  How does it work you ask?  The garage is 23ft by 13ft x 10ft high.  This will clear out the dust in the garage in about 2 minutes.  That is satisfactory for me, since I turn it on BEFORE cutting wood. Total cost, about 45 dollars.

DESPERATE TIMES IN MISSION BC

QUESTION: HOW DESPERATE DO YOU HAVE TO BE?

SOMEWHERE, IN MISSION, BC.  MAYBE HE NEEDED A QUARTER TO STEAL A SHOPPING CART AT THE SUPER STORE.

MY LATEST PROJECT - KNIFE SHARPENING JIG

KNIFE SHARPENING JIG

This, believe it or not, started off being a bench rest for target shooting.  See the similarity?  No?  Well there isn't any.  I had some maple and cherry already glued up for the project, but didn't like how it was progressing, so it sat for a few months.  Then, I looked at it from a different angle and decided it needed to be used in a project. The idea was planted.  Make a knife sharpening jig.

 

Aside from the brass guide rod that I had to thread 8 inches, all the rest of the materials I had in scrap bins in the garage.  Why did I use brass?  I couldn't find anyone who had a piece of 1/4" stainless when i needed it.   Those dots on the side are purple heart 1/2" plugs.  They do absolutely NOTHING, except make the jig match my home made work bench. (Maple top, cherry edging, and purple heart screw plugs.)  You can see the bench in the back ground.... barely.

The design is simple.  Put the knife in the jig, tighten it down.  Find the right angle of cut, by putting the brass guide rod in the hole guide (I'm making the names up as I go. DooFunckus, and Thing-a-ma-jig are all so so common).  Place the honing stone in the holder, tighten it down, now you are ready to hone that blade edge.  

Diehard old school sharpening guys will zero in on that stone right away, in the picture.  That is my beloved Black Hard Arkansas stone.  If I wanted something sharp enough to make whiskers scream before it hits them in the shaving process, the BHA came out of its Mahogany box, just for the occasion.  I never use it for sharpening chisels, since my Washita and Hard Ark will work just fine.  This baby only comes out for that final touch to the knife I am honing.  For the record, pulled the knife out of the sheath and had my finger a tad bit too close.  Took the tip to the bone on my second knuckle.  It is still attached, didn't require stitches, but man did it bleed.  WARNING: no hairs were harmed in the making of this blog. 

Here Piggy Piggy

THAT'S A LOT OF BACK BACON

PARKING IN MISSION, BC

WHAT DO ALL THESE VEHICLES HAVE IN COMMON??

THEY ARE ALL PARKED.

IS THIS CORPORATE DOWNSIZING?

NOW, I HAVE HEARD OF CUTTING THE NUMBER OF RUNS. BUT 'HEY' EVEN THE LOGO IS DOWN DOG SIZING.

ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL THE LOGO IS A CHIHUAHUA.

THE GREATEST PEEVE OF ALL

I'LL NAME THE NAMES:  RONA, TIM'BR MART, HOMEDEPOT, WINDSOR PLYWOOD AND ON AND ON AND ON

I HAVE MANY PET PEEVES, BUT NOTHING COMPARES TO GOING TO THE LOCAL RONA, TIM-BR MART, HOMEDEPOT ETC ETC ETC TO BUY A PIECE OF WOOD AND FINDING IT IS TOO SHORT IN WIDTH, AND THICKNESS, BUT THEY ALWAYS MANAGE TO GET THE LENGTH RIGHT.

PLEASE DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE DAMNED TREE AND HOW MANY PIECES OF WOOD THEY CAN GET OUT OF IT.  OR, HOW THE TREES ARE GETTING SCARCE DUE TO GLOBAL WARMING/ICE AGE/FLUCTUATIONS, GUN CONTROL, AND THE EAST HIMALAYAN PINE AARDVARK.  IF YOU CAN GET THE DAMNED 8 FT SIZE RIGHT, YOU CAN STOP SCREWING US OUT OF THE EXTRA 1/2 INCH IN WIDTH, AND THE 1/4 INCH OFF THE THICKNESS.

OH, AND ANOTHER THING...............CANADA IS FRIGGEN METRIC.  CAN'T YOU GUYS EVEN SCREW US IN  THE RIGHT SYSTEM????? (to 334 decimal places, please)

LOOK CLOSELY

IS IT AN OPTICAL ILLUSION?

SAME BUS, SAME LOCATION, SAME PARKING SPOT.  WHO PAINTED THE LINES?

SIGN OF THE WEEK

NOPE - I AM NOT KIDDING - FOUND ON A FORKLIFT

PEALSE RAED CAREFULLLY.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

AHHHHH  THE GREAT OUTDOORS. 

A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN GO TO BE AT 'ONE WITH NATURE'. 

A PLACE OF TRANQUIL BLISS, WHERE THE ONLY SOUNDS ARE THE BIRDS CHIRPING AND INSECTS BUZZING. (AND DRUNKS UNLEASH MAYHEM IN THE FORM OF SHOTGUNS, RIFLES, PISTOLS AND THE RARE SMG)

A PLACE OF PRISTINE TRACTS OF LAND,  WHERE NO HUMAN HAS GONE.  (EXCEPT TO DUMP THEIR GARBAGE, GROW-OP REFUSE, AND CHEMICAL WASTE)

 

WHERE EVEN THE LOCAL WILD LIFE FEELS SAFER IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE SYLVESTER ROAD TOURIST BOARD, MISSION, BRITISH COLUMBIA



SIGN OF THE WEEK

EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO THEIR OPINIONS

This would be a great sign whether you had firearms or not.

GUN CONTROL