It’s been raining so minimal progress after work hours last night
What other projects are you working on?
- Thread starter Farmergreg
- Start date
Shed is down. Need to rake up the site and wait for my shed builder.
Next I tackle removing the decking (floor) from my deck. The old PT decking is done and i want to replace it with trex
We will go with the Trex Enhance Cinnamon Cove. Plan is for me to install the new decking, so a slower process it may be.
Next I tackle removing the decking (floor) from my deck. The old PT decking is done and i want to replace it with trex
We will go with the Trex Enhance Cinnamon Cove. Plan is for me to install the new decking, so a slower process it may be.
I did my deck in Timbertec, I thought the finished coating was a thinker.
Not quite working on it yet, but we ordered a 26'x26'x13' Versatube carport last night. It will be 3 sided and be used to park our truck camper, the Jeep, and any future machine/rig for my son. The front will just be open, we'll put a man door on the back corner with a walkway to the back man door of the garage. Plan to include a couple outlets for things like battery tenders and plugging the camper into 110 and a simple light setup.
No pix, but cut down the triple trunked palm tree in the front yard. It was killed by the deep freeze we had last January. Cut the whole thing down, and cut the three trunks into 24 inch-ish logs - all with my Milwaukee M12 "Hatchet", using only one battery.
One piece of technology I have really come to like is cordless power tools. I've got all sorts of them and they all work great. I love not having to deal with a cord.
The only one I wouldn't recommend is the cordless leaf blower. That thing eats through even the biggest batteries quite fast.
Yep, I've got the DeWalt 3/8" and 1/2". Arguably some of my favorite tools I own!
Damn things *are* addictive, aren't they? I'm waiting for an M12 1/2" impact to be on a deep discount...
I was flabberghasted that it cut down all 3 trunks, then sectioned them all on 1 battery. I thought I'd at least have to use part/most of a second (I have two).
I stepped outside and took this picture. The stack of remaining "wood" is most, but not all, of only one trunk. Granted, the palm "wood" is soft, but it was still an impressive feat for a little M12, 6 inch chainsaw!
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After spending last week in Colorado enjoying cooler weather, I spent the second week of my vacation finishing up the installation of a 1,500 gallon rainwater tank for our garden. I poured the footing piers about a month ago (see Post #884 for details), so on Monday, I sprayed concrete sealer on them, set the base for the stand, and installed an anchor for each leg. Then I set the I-beams on the stand, and finally put the top deck pieces on the I-beams to complete the stand.
On Tuesday, I emptied the tank and installed a level indicator, and then used forks on my front loader to set it on the stand. The final touch was plumbing - a pipe for filling it and a pipe for draining from it. I had water in other tanks and pipes, and I spent all day Wednesday transferring water to it. As it sits today, there are 800 gallons in it ready for use in the garden:
The aluminum foil on the outlet line is to protect it from the relentless sun down here. There's a ball valve there, and upstream of it is always wet, so it's got heat tape and insulation on that part because we've been having more frequent sustained-freezing events in recent years. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, the sun will destroy those things in no time; hence, the foil. I'll work on a more permanent solution later (probably a 3D-printed, replaceable cover.)
Today, I worked on clearing space for another 2,500 gallon tank in my tank house. Tomorrow, I'll drain it into the garden tank and move that tank into the tank house. Working all day when it's 100°F outside is not fun! I came inside to drink a quart of water and cool down, so I decided to post this while doing so.
And this is why my LJ build hasn't seen any activity for a few weeks...
On Tuesday, I emptied the tank and installed a level indicator, and then used forks on my front loader to set it on the stand. The final touch was plumbing - a pipe for filling it and a pipe for draining from it. I had water in other tanks and pipes, and I spent all day Wednesday transferring water to it. As it sits today, there are 800 gallons in it ready for use in the garden:
The aluminum foil on the outlet line is to protect it from the relentless sun down here. There's a ball valve there, and upstream of it is always wet, so it's got heat tape and insulation on that part because we've been having more frequent sustained-freezing events in recent years. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, the sun will destroy those things in no time; hence, the foil. I'll work on a more permanent solution later (probably a 3D-printed, replaceable cover.)
Today, I worked on clearing space for another 2,500 gallon tank in my tank house. Tomorrow, I'll drain it into the garden tank and move that tank into the tank house. Working all day when it's 100°F outside is not fun! I came inside to drink a quart of water and cool down, so I decided to post this while doing so.
And this is why my LJ build hasn't seen any activity for a few weeks...
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This thing hasn't ran in 4 years. Bought a new carb for it last year and it still wouldn't run. I decided today was the day. After 30min or so, I figured out the new fuel lines that came with the carb were made backwards 
. Swapped them around and she fired right up. Just have to take a few minutes to tune it a little tomorrow and she'll be back in service.
. Swapped them around and she fired right up. Just have to take a few minutes to tune it a little tomorrow and she'll be back in service. 
I watched a youtube video of a construction project done in 1982. My era of entering the trades. They were using mechanical screwdrivers, air driven drills and those awful Heavy worm drive saws. Electrical cords and air lines intertwined all over the place. As low man on the totem pole it was my responsibility to maintain the air compressor and make sure the air hoses and electrical cords were put back in the trailer at the end of the day. It really made me think how much more efficient cordless tools are in commercial construction.
Starting to get in the low 100s so I pulled out an old window swamp cooler I saved after butting in a central HVAC system in one of my rentals. It’s been sitting for over 10 yrs and I had 2 sets of pads. Everything needed to put it together was just stock sitting in the shop. No trips to the store needed. Drops the temp 20 degrees with our dry air.
Yesterday, I pumped about 300 gallons of water from the 2,500 gallon tank into the 1,500 gallon garden tank:
And then, before I moved that 2,500 gallon tank into the tank house (the building on the left in the photo above), I realized that now that I've emptied one side of it, I should finish insulating it. We built it (and I do mean we - Mrs. sab and I built that entire building ourselves, with a little help on a few tasks) over 15 years ago, but I only insulated about 10% of it. So, yesterday afternoon Mrs. sab and I headed off to Lowes to get insulation.
This morning, Mrs. sab helped me insulate the ceiling because it was a two-person job. She's not up to working in the heat, so at 9:30am, I was on my own to do the walls. Just finished up about 90 minutes ago:
After finishing the insulation, I cleaned up the mess and pushed the tank into its new home:
Wow, am I glad that's done now! I've been dealing with a bum right knee (had a few meniscus tears repaired about five years ago), and I definitely over-did it today to get that done. I'm sitting on the couch with ice on the knee right now. I probably shouldn't be drinking a Crown and Seven, but a man's gotta have some vices.
Just a whole bunch o’ plumbin' to do next...
And then, before I moved that 2,500 gallon tank into the tank house (the building on the left in the photo above), I realized that now that I've emptied one side of it, I should finish insulating it. We built it (and I do mean we - Mrs. sab and I built that entire building ourselves, with a little help on a few tasks) over 15 years ago, but I only insulated about 10% of it. So, yesterday afternoon Mrs. sab and I headed off to Lowes to get insulation.
This morning, Mrs. sab helped me insulate the ceiling because it was a two-person job. She's not up to working in the heat, so at 9:30am, I was on my own to do the walls. Just finished up about 90 minutes ago:
After finishing the insulation, I cleaned up the mess and pushed the tank into its new home:
Wow, am I glad that's done now! I've been dealing with a bum right knee (had a few meniscus tears repaired about five years ago), and I definitely over-did it today to get that done. I'm sitting on the couch with ice on the knee right now. I probably shouldn't be drinking a Crown and Seven, but a man's gotta have some vices.
Just a whole bunch o’ plumbin' to do next...
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I’m still screwing around with the 70s Herter’s Mini Trail mini bike. There is a constant reshuffling of projects at Chez Fromage and the scoot has finally worked it way forward. Or so I thought until the sand blaster said, “Not today”. Sunuva….
It’s not drawing any media. Okay, it’s Horror Freight cabinet, so it’s got that working against it. I replaced the stock gun with a better quality one, along with a foot pedal to ease hand fatigue a couple months ago. Worked okay on and off. I spent the first quarter century of my working career building and testing spray paint systems. I’ve forgotten more about pneumatics than most folks know. High pressure air moving over an open hole creates a vacuum through said hole. A siphon. Back when I was young and had a full head of hair, when we lost the siphon there was a blockage down stream. To clear it, we’d hold a rag or a gloved thumb over the end of the paint nozzle and pull the trigger. The air has to go someplace, so it goes back through the siphon tube and back into the cup. If you were lucky, that cleared the blockage and didn’t force paint out of the cup and on you. We called it ‘blowing back’.
I tried ‘blowing back’ on the sand blast gun. Nada. Nope. Nothing. There is a serious blockage in the siphon tube. Time to get serious. I run 100 psi to the sand blaster. The garage system pressure is 150 psi. There’s regulators, driers, and drains in the entire system. I took the siphon hose off the gun and shot 150 psi into the siphon tube. Still nothing.
So now I have to pull the siphon tube from the cabinet. There’s 40 lbs of media in the cabinet and just the door on the right side that lets me inside for all the fun. I get the siphon tube out and plugging the inlet are the desiccated remains of a mouse. Little feet’s and a tail sticking out the tube. Wonderful. I figured that I should shift through the media…just in case. I found a mouse pelt, several corn kernels, and a couple of feathers.
All back together and working better than ever. I can probably drop the pressure to 75 psi now. I bought the cabinet, used, from a farm in Winnebago county, IL. The seller threw in a container of media and I never thought to check if it had a population center in it.
Anyway, back to the mini bike…I finished blasting the belt guard today and got it painted with bed liner. The surfaces are so pitted that bed liner is the best option. It’s supposed to rain the next few days, so the driveway repair and sealing is on hold. That will give me time to finish the gas tank and mounting the kill switch so I can get it out of my garage.
It’s not drawing any media. Okay, it’s Horror Freight cabinet, so it’s got that working against it. I replaced the stock gun with a better quality one, along with a foot pedal to ease hand fatigue a couple months ago. Worked okay on and off. I spent the first quarter century of my working career building and testing spray paint systems. I’ve forgotten more about pneumatics than most folks know. High pressure air moving over an open hole creates a vacuum through said hole. A siphon. Back when I was young and had a full head of hair, when we lost the siphon there was a blockage down stream. To clear it, we’d hold a rag or a gloved thumb over the end of the paint nozzle and pull the trigger. The air has to go someplace, so it goes back through the siphon tube and back into the cup. If you were lucky, that cleared the blockage and didn’t force paint out of the cup and on you. We called it ‘blowing back’.
I tried ‘blowing back’ on the sand blast gun. Nada. Nope. Nothing. There is a serious blockage in the siphon tube. Time to get serious. I run 100 psi to the sand blaster. The garage system pressure is 150 psi. There’s regulators, driers, and drains in the entire system. I took the siphon hose off the gun and shot 150 psi into the siphon tube. Still nothing.
So now I have to pull the siphon tube from the cabinet. There’s 40 lbs of media in the cabinet and just the door on the right side that lets me inside for all the fun. I get the siphon tube out and plugging the inlet are the desiccated remains of a mouse. Little feet’s and a tail sticking out the tube. Wonderful. I figured that I should shift through the media…just in case. I found a mouse pelt, several corn kernels, and a couple of feathers.
All back together and working better than ever. I can probably drop the pressure to 75 psi now. I bought the cabinet, used, from a farm in Winnebago county, IL. The seller threw in a container of media and I never thought to check if it had a population center in it.
Anyway, back to the mini bike…I finished blasting the belt guard today and got it painted with bed liner. The surfaces are so pitted that bed liner is the best option. It’s supposed to rain the next few days, so the driveway repair and sealing is on hold. That will give me time to finish the gas tank and mounting the kill switch so I can get it out of my garage.
When I was clearing out my tank house on Saturday before insulating it on Sunday, I picked up a box of PVC plumbing fittings, and a mouse jumped out, hit my chest, and dropped to the floor with me in hot pursuit stomping to try and dispatch it. No luck. On Sunday, I saw him again while hanging insulation. Dirty bugger. I need to set some traps...
Many years ago, at our first house, our pooch chased a chipmunk into a downspout. Mrs.Cheesy is having a cow because chipmunk is in the downspout and pup is trying his damnedest to fit his head in there, too. She collared the dog and I gave the downspout a kick. The kick must have been enough to motivate the chipmunk but instead of down and across the grass, the little poop shot up the downspout and did a perfect arc...landing right on Mrs.Cheesy's shoulder. She screamed and collapsed on the ground. I was on the ground, too, but I was laughing my ass off. I paid for my laughing at for quite a while but it was worth it.
When I was about 12 my dogs were chasing a squirrel. It ran right towards me and because I was the only high ground it climbed up on me. I tried to grab it and it bit me on the hand right between my thumb and finger. I slammed it on the ground and killed it. Went to tell my Mom and all holly hell broke out. She rushed me to the ER with the squirrel in a bag. Tetanus shot for me and threats of needing more shots for Rabies. The squirrel was sent to a lab to check for Rabies and thankfully it came back clean. One of those things you remember for a lifetime.
Mrs.Cheesy got back at me a month or so later. Our neighbor had gotten a new Weber grill and the lot of us were ‘christening’ it with burgers, brats, and hot dogs. To wrap up the celebration, we were roasting marshmallows. Mrs.Cheesy is not a fan of the little lumps of sweetness but she partook to be neighborly. Her marshmallow caught on fire so she shook it instead of blowing on it to put out the flame. The marshmallow and the stick parted company, with the marshmallow heading my way. I swear to this day that the flaming glob of melted marshmallow roared like a meteor before splatting, sticking, and still flaming, on my bare shoulder. My neighbors are yelling “Holy Shit” while I’m yelling “Owowowowow”. Mrs. Cheesy is standing there, looking like ‘what da fug just happened’ and then threw a glass of water on me.
I know it wasn’t intentional to fling a mass of flaming sugar at me but I do believe there was a ‘Gotcha’ smirk on her face when things calmed down.
I know it wasn’t intentional to fling a mass of flaming sugar at me but I do believe there was a ‘Gotcha’ smirk on her face when things calmed down.
Earlier this summer I upgraded the motorhome to 330ah so I had this extra 2 year old LiFeP04 100ah with probably under 50 cycles on it. So in order not to waste it I built a power station. I started with an Apache 4800 case which were 40% off recently. I saw so many on You Tube where they build them in plastic totes, or just used double stick tape and stuck everything on the battery 
, I didn't see anyone ventilate theirs either, they just open the tote up when in use or when charging 
I wanted mine to be nice and as compact as possible, functional when closed and easily transportable with one hand.
I cut 2 intake vents into the apache case, one behind the inverter and one alongside the charger. Then I installed 2 PC fans to draw the air in and across the units. I switched the fans independently to conserve power since they are not needed when using the 12 volt ports. The charger and the inverter are both installed with spacers so the cooling air can flow completely around each unit.
I dry fitted everything then mounted it. The battery is held in with 2 brackets and 2 strips of Nano Tape, it ain't budging! The charger is mounted to a piece of plastic cutting board and held in with wing nuts in case it is needed elsewhere. I put in a multi-USB port, a 12 volt lighter socket, a 120 volt outlet and a 120 volt inlet (to connect the charger). I also installed a shunt with a display. Everything is fused. Been working on it all week and finished it today. Continued in next post.........
, I didn't see anyone ventilate theirs either, they just open the tote up when in use or when charging I wanted mine to be nice and as compact as possible, functional when closed and easily transportable with one hand.I cut 2 intake vents into the apache case, one behind the inverter and one alongside the charger. Then I installed 2 PC fans to draw the air in and across the units. I switched the fans independently to conserve power since they are not needed when using the 12 volt ports. The charger and the inverter are both installed with spacers so the cooling air can flow completely around each unit.
I dry fitted everything then mounted it. The battery is held in with 2 brackets and 2 strips of Nano Tape, it ain't budging! The charger is mounted to a piece of plastic cutting board and held in with wing nuts in case it is needed elsewhere. I put in a multi-USB port, a 12 volt lighter socket, a 120 volt outlet and a 120 volt inlet (to connect the charger). I also installed a shunt with a display. Everything is fused. Been working on it all week and finished it today. Continued in next post.........
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