What are you up to?

[Dave]

Got any projects on the go/planned? Been/going to visit an interesting place or event? Enthusiastic about a new toy to play with? Anything else?


Been working in my attic workshop now the weather is a little cooler. Got a 1m square piece of MDF, 20mm thick, and fitted a 2"x2"  batton down the middle on the underside. That will be held by my Workmate bench, making a larger working surface with pleanty of overhang for clamps and clamp-on vices etc.

Then I drilled a matrix of holes in this and fitted 8mm "T-nuts" from the underside. T-nuts are a steel tube, threaded internally with a flange with spikes at one end. As you use a bolt to pull the T-nut in the spikes dig into the wood to hold it firmly in place enabling things to be bolted down, like my drill press stand and other things, where ever I need them. Or remove it all for a clear, flat surface.

Also made a foot operated mains lead to plug stuff into. Gives safer control over bench mounted power tools, both hands free, just lift your foot to cut the power.

Tomorrow, my new toy should arrive, a 550W rotary multi-tool that drills, routs, saws, grinds, engraves, sands . . . . Next job is setting up a cyclonic dust extractor - got ideas for that . . .

[hermes2015]

Congratulations, Gloucester. What about some photos of your setup? I would love to see it, although your description is excellent and I can picture it.

I think this thread will be a good one to show off anything we've been creating.

[No one]

I can not confirm or deny my involvement in any affairs at this time.

[Tom62]

I'm currently working on a new version of FNProg2PDA. The program should be ready by the end of July. Major difficulties: getting my wife out off my working room, before she turns it into another craft room and 2. the warm weather (I rather sit outside on the terrace, drinking a cold beer than working on my computer).

[Claireliontamer]

Which rotary tool are you getting? I have a dremel which is the perfect size for me to handle and does far more than I'll ever use it for.

[Arturo]

I was trying to study for exams but the online practices are...crap lol. So I came back home and just went over the practice test lol

[Dave]

Which rotary tool are you getting? I have a dremel which is the perfect size for me to handle and does far more than I'll ever use it for.

VonHaus 550W 230V Deluxe Rotary Multi Tool Spin Saw / JigSaw / Router Action with 287-Piece Accessory Kit - Multi-Purpose Power - DREMEL Compatible

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XFH177V/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It probably won't get terribly heavy usage so I went as much for price as anything and it got quite good reviews elsewhere than Amazon. Just nice to have the tool for the job when you need it. Got a small craft tool for delicate stuff but some jobs need a bit of beef and ordinary drills are a bit heavy and cumbersome.

[solidsquid]

What am I up to?  About 67 inches or about 170 cm for those on the metric side of things....

Well...I registered for the fall semester.  I'm taking Organizational Development and Ethics and Leadership.

I just cleaned up from eating dinner.  I made bacon wrapped asparagus and hamburger steaks with cheese and sauteed mushrooms and onions.

I recently bought a new router, I upgrade from an old N600 (dual 300) to an AC1900. A great deal of difference from the old one - faster and doesn't get bogged down with multiple devices connected.  So, that's exciting.

My father has been giving me a bunch of stuff left over from a music store my parents used to run.  With all the tools and parts I may start doing guitar repair and modifications on the side for a few extra bucks.

My wife and daughter bought me a new guitar for Father's Day, a Schecter C6 Plus - sounds great and plays really well.



Started reading a textbook I had on quantitative methods for business - trying to build up my skill set in that area to eventually accentuate my degree and traditional research experience to obtain a more lucrative job later on, that's the hope anyway.

I've been trying to think about content for a YouTube channel I've neglected as well as a blog.  Maybe over this upcoming long weekend I'll get something done...hopefully.

Other than that, usual every day stuff...

[xSilverPhinx]

Not much...

[Dave]

My little project in the workshop is not going well. There was possibly a clue in the price of that piece of MDF I was using. With further work on it, involving holes fairly close together, it turns out it is more like Medium Density Fluff than Medium Density Fibre.

So I am using a smaller piece that was the "table" for my now defunct jigsaw (the saw was clamped on underneath with the blade above, gave it a similar use to a band saw - work well supported, with no fear of cutting the bench, and a fence easy to set up.) Also I have set the hole matrix at a larger pitch!

Then I found out that the holes for mounting the drill press stand are not on the corners of a square, but the holes I drilled in the board are. New rotary tool toy, with its flexible drive and a metal working burr, had its first use turning those holes into slots! Lots faster and less effort than a round file...

Measure twice, check the diagonals as well as the x and y axes! Relearn old lessons!

[Sandra Craft]

I'm doing some proof-reading/editing for a friend who's hoping to put a book together (even getting paid for it!), and I'm nervously starting work on embroidering some roses on another friend's jeans.  First time I'll have attempted anything so intricate.

[Dave]

OK, Hermes, here are some pics of the developing Mk 2 project, one of my new toy and one of the working area in general. It is a bit cramped. no good at all for a 6ft 6ins person of, er, sturdy build. My 5ft 3ins and new slimmer shape fits well, but even I have had to learn to duck the roof struts!

Pics taken with phone, can't conttol focus point/depth.


Still awaiting bolts of the right type and length, several lengths needed, mostly hex or socket head plus some largish M6 washers.. Also need to cut more bench "pucks" and some narrower wedges plus some other bits and bobs for positioning and holding down. New ideas usually pop up about 5am...


The flexi-drive is fitted with the burr I used to slot the holes in the drill stand base. If I can't find and excuse to use the rotary saw function soon I might just play! Try something decorative. There is also a compass arm and a straight cut fence for it.


I have tidied up a bit I admit but getatable wall space is at a premium for hanging stuff. Guttering screwed to roof struts holds long stuff on both sides. The yellow thing on the floor is the mains foot switch. There is a board out of sight, leaning against a couple of struts, that holds saws and other tools. On the other side is a two draw filing cabinet for paper and PPE stuff.

[hermes2015]

Thanks for showing us. I am impressed with the way you've arranged the space.

You are so lucky to have a work space; I don't and have to limit myself to some pretty light jobs. Today I started adding filler strips to the doors that were cut by the previous owners to accommodate the carpeting. There are 50mm gaps under the doors, which I am reducing to 6mm. That kind of small job is possible for me to do, because I have a  4m x 5.5m room I use as an office. I was very happy when the carpets were lifted to discover teak parquet flooring in mint condition, which has now been sanded and sealed with 5 coats of a low gloss solvent-free polyurethane sealer. The place actually feels bigger now. Will post some photos some time.

[Dave]

Up to being knackered! This DIY to try to build upper body strength is hard work. Jobs that would have been child's play three years ago find the limits of my stamina now.

Two years ago one of the irreplaceable handles on the bathroom door broke and fell off. It would cost a small fortune to replace all the handles to match and, anyway, there is only 1/4inch of hardboard and wood to screw the handle plate to which had ripped- unless I went for the clunky industrial type that I replaced 20 years ago!.  A bit of glue on the spindle fixed that.

So, after some thought I drilled out the holes out to 1/4 and banged and glued in some plastic wall plugs. When the glue was set I sawed the plugs off almost flush with the surface. This provides a screwing insert far tougher than the hardboard/wood combo.

Then one of the grubscrews for a handle was missing, and it is an imperiial thread, nothing like it in the odds abd sods box - but a countersunk screw the right thread...  Not enough depth to countersink the handle. Ah, put drill into stand and screw into the chuck and, using a file, "turn" the head down to just under the inner thread diameter! OK, it's a slotted grubscrew, not as good as a hex-socket job but . . .

Need is the mother of bodging!

[Dave]

Last bit of trumpet blowing on my ongoing project! I had made some wedges from a bit of mahogany scrap but they were twice as wide as I wanted. By their nature wedges are not easy to hold on the sloping side in a vice whilst sawing down the length.

But, with my new rig I was able to hold the wedge steady on the flat. In the picture the thickness of the bit of wood marked "filler" at the bottom is actually near enough half the width of "wedge 1" and acts so as the saw guide as well as holding the wedge in place. If it had been a little too thin a piece of cardboard or some paper under it would work. "Wedge 2" and the clamp bolt/washer arrangement prevent any movement.

The Bosch reciprocating multi-tool, with saw blade fitted, can be laid flat on the lower "filler/guide" and slid along that as it cuts the wedge. The sawing forces actually tend to tighten the whole thing up. The saw blade is quite fine and the cut surface just needs a quick rub on fine abrasive paper for a nice smooth finish. Job done.

Took a few minutes to work out and set up but only seconds to swap the wedges ready to cut the other one!