Insentricity

I need my own lumber mill

Last Friday I woke up to find 3 large branches had been torn off my maple tree during the big storm that had happened. Looking out the window they didn't seem that big, but when I got out next to them, they were huge!

I don't think the damage to the fence is too severe since it's just a wire fence. But the branches are much much too big for me to drag away. They will need to be cut up before I can move them. I'm hoping I can find a way to slab the bigger parts and save them for woodworking projects.

Just for fun I looked at the free stuff on Craigslist the next day, and it was just full of "Free wood" ads. Lots and lots of trees had been blown down. And not just fir trees, lots of hardwood. Makes me wish I had one of those portable lumber mills so I could go harvest all that free lumber!

Pizza Protector

I made this shield to protect the crust of my pizza from drying out too much while cooking. In the past I've used aluminum foil to protect the crust, but it's a lot of work to prep the pizza, and it tends to stick to the cheese and I end up with aluminum bits or else tearing off big chunks of the pizza. For a few years I was able to do without shielding since the Freschetta 8" pizzas didn't cook for as long. Unfortunately Freshetta discontinued their 8" pizzas, and I'm stuck with the DiGiorno which isn't quite as good.

The DiGiorno pizzas require a much longer cooking time or else you end up with a pizza that's still cold (or even frozen) in the middle. But the long cooking time ends up drying out and making the outer crust rock hard. With the shield in place the crust comes out cooked but nice and soft.

To make the shield I cut two 8.5" disks out of 3/4" and 1/2" wood and stacked them together. I then wrapped them with a 2.75" wide strip of aluminum and secured the ends together. I screwed the aluminum to the side of the disk and then hammered the whole thing over so it was flattened on the top of the disk. Presto, a pizza shield!

Who wants a Coke?

I just got the two narrow slots working on my Pepsi machine. I fabricated the cams out of tempered hardboard. I used 3/16" not because I wanted it to be stronger but because I had small scraps if it around and I didn't feel like getting out an entire 4'x8' sheet of 1/8" and cutting off a piece.

The cam doesn't actually move any of the machinery, all it does is click the switches at the right time. Because of this I was able to make it out of wood. As it turned out, cutting the spurs was actually quite easy, once I made myself a circle cutting jig. All I had to do was use my bandsaw to cut out a circle at the radius of the spurs, then notch the spurs and cut a smaller radius so that the spurs were left behind.

Getting the relationship of the spurs to the rod was trickier, and required a bit of trial-and-error and I had to shift one of the spurs slightly and re-make the cams. Getting the screw holes in the right place was also tricky, but I used one of the existing cams to mark the position.

I think most of the work went into making the circle cutting jig. I had to make a jig that would let me slide it into the saw so that I could cut around the spurs. I also needed to have the pin completely adjustable so I could get the radius just right. I made the jig from some melamine and routed a long slot in it perpendicular to the blade. I cut a 3/4" wide slot 1/4" deep on the top and bottom, and a 1/2" wide slot through the center.

To keep the jig aligned with the table I put plywood runners that ride against the edge of the table. I didn't bother with making something ride in the miter slot. For a stop I just clamp something to the back of the table. I did it this way so that I could use different sized blades and always be able to make sure the jig would line up with the leading edge of the blade.

For the pin I drove a finish nail through a 3/4"x1/4" piece of scrap, stuck another scrap the same size on the bottom, and drove a 5/8" wood screw down from the top. This lets me loosen the screw, slide the pin where I want and then tighten it from the top without having to move the jig. If I were to make it again I might do it a little bit different, but this works really well and will likely last a long time.

Oh, and in case you're wondering why I said "Coke" in the title and not "Pepsi," it's because I put the Coke in one of the narrow slots.

Moving the great pyramid... by myself

Ok, so it's a Pepsi machine and not a great pyramid. But it must weigh at least half as much. Did I mention that soda machines are really, really heavy?

Yes, it's in the house now. Yes, I need to start keeping my eye out for sales on soda. Yes, I did it by myself. And no Mom, I didn't hurt myself.

This is definitely an exercise in the use of mechanical advantage and simple machines: wheels, ramps, and wedges. Before we get started though, let's take a moment to talk about shop safety. Whenever moving heavy objects, be sure to wear your steel toe boots. Trust me, your toes will thank you.

First off, let's talk about wheels. If I couldn't find a way to get it up on wheels, there was no way I was going to move it. I have a pair of dollies that I made for moving around long arcade cabinets, like Gauntlet or some of the 4-player Konami cabinets. With arcade cabinets I can grab the cabinet and lift while kicking the dolly under, then go around to the other end and do the same thing. The Pepsi machine however was much too heavy to do this.

I was able to gently tip the machine to kick under the first dolly, but in order to get the second one under I was going to have to lift nearly the entire weight of the machine. That wasn't going to happen. Instead I found that if I opened the front door, it acted as a counter weight and I could tip the machine forward slightly and kick a 2x4 under. Then I could go around to the front and do the same thing. After doing this a few times, first with the 2x4s flat and slowly working towards the outer edge, then with the 2x4s on edge, I got it up high enough that I could slide the dolly under.

Once I got it up on wheels I found it wasn't too hard to push around on the concrete.

Next comes the ramp. The ramp I've been using to get arcade and pinball machines in the house was a 3-foot long piece of plywood. Solid and sturdy enough, but somewhat steep. With pinball machines on a hand truck I had to sort of run at the ramp to get enough speed to make it up. Arcade machines on four wheels were a little tough and required lots and lots of effort to push. No way that was going to work for this job.

After taking some measurements and calculating a few angles, I decided to build an 8-foot ramp. At 8 feet long the angle would be 5 degrees. The ramp would have to be built in sections, a single piece would be much too heavy to move around. I also wanted to try to make it modular, just in case I needed to extend it. I also made it so I could use the top section alone as a 4 foot ramp at 10 degrees, which would be fine for lighter things.

In order to get the angle I put a 2x4 down where the ramp would go and used my large square to determine the rise and run. I would need the angle to cut bevels in the ends of the ramps so they would sit flush, as well as to cut the halfway support so the ramp sections would sit solid on it.

The ramp is made of a sheet of plywood with 2x4 edging. The 2x4s have a half-inch dado cut in them which the plywood is inserted into. I then screwed the 2x4 into the edge of the plywood. No glue, I might want to take them apart someday. The ends of the 2x4s were cut at 60 degrees so the top section would nest into the bottom one. I was originally planning to have some kind of system where the center support would have posts that would go into holes in the ends of the sections to keep them together, but it turned out to be too messy. Instead I temporarily screwed the sections together through the 60 degree miter.

I also put in a "safety" at the top of the ramp to keep the ramp from sliding out of the door when in use. The blocks are permanently attached to the sides of the ramp. I didn't want to get part way up the ramp and find the thing I'm pushing going nowhere while I walk the ramp right out from under it.

With the ramp built the next challenge was getting the first set of wheels up onto it. The ramp is 3/4" thick, and the wheels are only 1.5" in diameter. It took a bit of rocking and twisting, but I was able to get them up.

Now it's time for wedges. Before going any further with pushing the machine up the ramp, I made myself a couple of wedges that I could kick under the machine to keep it from sliding back down.

The wedges were extremely useful. I was able to push the machine a foot or so, then kick the wedges up to stop the machine from coming down while I repositioned to push it again. They held it so well that part way up the ramp I was able to stop and take a picture!

End of darkness

I just finished hanging the last of the new shop lights I purchased last week. What a difference! I hung 6 four-foot lights with 2 bulbs each. It's like a real workshop now!

Before

After

Closet Organizer

I just finished the first of probably several "cabinets" to hold "drawers." Their purpose is to help me organize the overwhelming number of computer and A/V related cables I have amassed. Being a pack-rat from a family of pack-rats, I never get rid of any of my cables, even if I don't use the equipment they go to anymore. I also have geek friends who somehow aren't pack-rats and often give me their unwanted cables.

The drawers are larger versions of the crates I gave at Christmas. They are 18" deep and wide enough to accommodate the bags I store all my cables in. Bagging the cables keeps them from tangling and makes it easy to flip through them to find what I'm looking for.

The cabinet is made of 6 rectangular frames made from 1x2s. The top, bottom, and back frames all have an extra support in the middle to hold the center frame. The cabinet can hold up to 12 drawers, but in practice it will likely hold only 4. The cable bags are quite tall and will require me to leave the 2 spaces above empty. Because of this I had to come up with a design that would let me avoid making a face frame.

Now I just have to make a bunch more and get the closet cleaned up.

No more sleeping on the floor!

It took 5 days, too much spent on wood and knock down hardware, a lot of hard work, and suffering in a cold garage. It still needs to be sanded, stained, and sealed, but who knows if I'll ever get around to it now that I set it up. Most of the work involved fixing goobers that my power tools caused when they tried to exert a will of their own.

Trying to get the holes made in exactly the right places to use the knock down hardware was also really difficult. It seems you need a CNC to do it. I made jig after jig and tested on scrap pieces, and never got the holes in quite the right place. But most were close enough that it went together.

The bed is actually a platform bed. There's no box spring, there's a large platform twenty inches off the floor that holds my air mattress. I made the frame large enough to take a California queen mattress. The plan is that I will probably replace the air mattress with a soft-side waterbed at some point. I'll have to build some kind of scaffolding in the center to support the weight of a waterbed, but I should be able to put those supports 8-12 inches away from the edge where it will mostly be hidden.

The height was determined by measuring several of my mid-tower computers. I wanted to make sure there was enough clearance to slide them underneath, just in case I decide to move them all into my bedroom to keep it warm for the winter. I probably won't because it's a big job, but you never know.

I actually only suffered in a cold garage for 4 days. The last day I used my dad's kerosene heater to warm it up. It did a great job. I was able to take off my sweatshirt and work in a t-shirt. When I fired it up at 9am it was 51 in the garage. When I turned it off at 3pm, it was up to 74. It did have a distinctive smell the whole time (smelled like camping), but when I was out there I couldn't tell. It was only when I came back into the garage from being in the house that I noticed the smell. When I turned it off it let off a black cloud for a second, but I didn't notice the smell being any stronger. Maybe because my garage is so large. The only bad thing was it burned through a gallon of kerosene.

Crazy Sacramento weather

The weather has changed instantly from highs in the 90s to highs in the 60s. I'm glad it's cooled off, now I can spend whole days working in the garage instead of just a few hours in the morning. Although I don't know why it has to be so sudden and drastic.

Now that it has cooled off so much, it looks like I'll be wanting to have fires again soon. Checking over the fireplace I realized I need a nice little stool to sit on that I will be low enough to peer into the fireplace while I stack wood in, poke at, and get lit.

The hole in the center makes it real easy to pick up. I made the whole thing with some 9/16" cabinet grade plywood I found on scavenge day last month. It was a big 4'x4' sheet, but it had been apparently allowed to get wet and the laminations had separated in one area. Whatever, free wood is free wood, and I knew I'd find a good use for such good quality plywood.

Ride 'em cowboy!

I made myself a nice set of knock-down fold-up sawhorses. These are modeled after a set my dad has had for a long time. He couldn't remember where he got them or who made them or anything, and after lots and lots of searching the internet to see if I could wrangle a pair for myself, I decided to see if I could make my own.

I have been using some crummy sawhorses that were made from 2x4s and those hinged metal brackets that you nail/screw into the wood. They worked but they never felt very sturdy and a good whack has made some of the screws rip right out. They also don't fold up and have been taking a lot of room in my garage. I wanted to replace them, but I also wasn't going to spend a fortune.

In the past I've thought my dad's sawhorses would be fairly simple to reproduce, except for the exotic hardware his use for the hinges. When I stumbled upon a set of table leg spreaders at the hardware store, I decided that was really the only tricky bit I needed. I could make the other hinge myself.

You can see the design is quite simple. The legs sit in dados in the cross-beam, and the spreaders force them to pinch together which lets you pick up the entire sawhorse and move it around without it falling apart. The cross-beam was the easiest part to make, which is good since if/when it needs to be replaced it will be very easy to do.

The hinge at the top is made from a 5/16 hex bolt and lock-nut through 3/4-inch plywood. I cut a 1-inch dado in each leg for the plywood which is glued into place. The cross-beam rests on the plywood. The whole setup is quite solid and strong. The spreaders were kind of pricey ($7 for a pair!) so if I ever made another set of sawhorses I might see about making my own spreaders too.

How to quiet your HD with popsicle sticks and an old sock

Yes, that's right, you can make your hard drive a lot quieter with a couple of popsicle sticks and a sock. The popsicle sticks will be used to isolate the drive from the case, the sock will be used to absorb the high frequency whine.

First thing, go to the grocery store and get yourself some popsicles. Get a flavor you like and then eat at least enough to get as many sticks as you'll need (2 per drive). If you get the more expensive ones, you might even get the ones that have jokes on the sticks. Be sure to memorize the jokes so you can impress your nieces, nephews, and cousins at your next family gathering. Or not, the jokes are pretty bad.

After you've eaten the popsicles, the easiest way to clean the sticks is to throw them in a pot of water and bring it to a boil. Let it boil for a few minutes stirring occasionally, then pour out the hot water and spread the sticks on a towel and let them dry.



While the sticks are drying you'll need to go to the hardware store and get some 6-32 screws that are 3/4" long, some matching nuts, and some vinyl tubing. You'll need 8 screws and 4 nuts per drive.



Grab a 3.5" hard drive and hold a popsicle stick next to the mounting holes on the side of the drive. You'll notice that the popsicle stick is exactly long enough to reach the 2 outermost of the 3 screw holes. Mark the stick where you want to drill holes. Now using a 5.25" drive like a CD or DVD drive, put the stick next to it and center the stick on 2 of the screw holes and mark them.



Using a 5/32" drill bit, drill the holes. Don't try to use a power hand drill for this, you'll just split the stick. If you have a hand crank drill you might be able to use that, or do what I did and hold the bit in your hand and twist it to drill the hole. The stick is thin and soft so it doesn't really take that long.



Next attach 2 nuts to each stick. Place the nuts against the inner set of holes and thread the screws into them a few turns to make sure they are lined up with the holes. Glue them in place, or if you're impatient like me, just tape them. Remove the screws once the nuts are attached to the stick. The nuts only need to hold their position while you mount the hard drive. Once the screws are installed tension will keep the nuts in place.



Cut off 4 pieces of vinyl tubing around 1/2" long. Put 2 screws through the outer holes of the popsicle stick, slide a piece of tubing over each one, and screw the stick onto the hard drive. Repeat for the other side.



Mount the hard drive in the case. You'll need a case where you can install screws from both sides. If you've got one of those funky ones that uses sliding clips, well, it's not going to work. Try to get the hard drive centered as well as you can. Be careful not to over tighten the screws, you'll bend the popsicle sticks, or possibly break them.



Take an old (clean!) sock and fold it in half and place it in front of the hard drive. Try not to have it lay on top of the hard drive, those hard drives get pretty hot. Once it's in place, snap the face plate back, hook up the HD, and you're done!



I've had a sock in front of an 8gig UW drive 24 hours a day for the past 5 years. The drive is still working just fine, so at least on that computer the sock isn't creating too much heat buildup.

Oh yes, one more thing: What do you do with a green monster? Wait until it ripens!