Projecting, tinkering, fiddle-farting around: whatcha building? (2 Viewers)

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Just exchanged another one at HD as it breaks yearly. It’s warrantied so pretty easy, but good idea for the future.
Revived a trench shovel too, for kicks. LOL, eager rookie mistake. Note first tacks I hadn't turned on the gas. BAHAHA ;)
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I’m doing to many projects even post anymore. I found my self taking tons of pics. Lol
 
In the back of my shop there is a cross that keeps the mezzanine strait.
There is a gap between the wall and the cross that keeps Me from making efficient use of that space.
I decided to make a cabinet that just fits between the Waal and the cross.
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You have no idea how much struggles I had getting that thing in there but it worked.
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Then I utilized the space under it for bandsaw storage.
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Aso found some cool hats.
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Started making holes in my welding table.
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This magnetic drill is awesome, takes 15 to 20 seconds to drill a 16mm hole through 10mm steel.
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I’m going to add holes in between with 12mm threads.
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In the back of my shop there is a cross that keeps the mezzanine strait.
There is a gap between the wall and the cross that keeps Me from making efficient use of that space.
I decided to make a cabinet that just fits between the Waal and the cross.
View attachment 3085915
You have no idea how much struggles I had getting that thing in there but it worked.
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Then I utilized the space under it for bandsaw storage.
View attachment 3085919
Aso found some cool hats.
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In California, we’d consider that good earthquake bracing. And I’d be sizing the shelves to store boxes that needed extra protection from falling, so that you’d have to always remove an easily accessible box to get one out that was behind a brace.
 
In California, we’d consider that good earthquake bracing. And I’d be sizing the shelves to store boxes that needed extra protection from falling, so that you’d have to always remove an easily accessible box to get one out that was behind a brace.
Luckily we don’t have that issue here.
 
I’m building a version of this mailbox. I bought an 8’ I-beam today. I need to figure out the easiest way to cut 3’ off. I think my plasma cutter will take to long. I may sell it and get a bigger one.

My mailbox will be bigger for packages.
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Last week Tuesday set up 3 Lithium batteries, 8 PV panels, charge controller and a low frequency 6000w inverter.
Since that day when working on the retirement house we haven't had to turn the generator on. This is a game changer and am incredibly excited with the result. Have logged over 3200 hrs on the genny.
Running Chop saws, air compressor with two nail guns, charging cordless batteries and misc tools.
Should have done this years ago........
 
Last week Tuesday set up 3 Lithium batteries, 8 PV panels, charge controller and a low frequency 6000w inverter.
Since that day when working on the retirement house we haven't had to turn the generator on. This is a game changer and am incredibly excited with the result. Have logged over 3200 hrs on the genny.
Running Chop saws, air compressor with two nail guns, charging cordless batteries and misc tools.
Should have done this years ago........
I’m interested in more detail so maybe I can copy. Any info you’re willing to share. 💪🏼
 
I'm a retired Air Traffic Controller (ATC), 24 year career (2 years at MKG and 22 at DTW). I retired in 2005. My last 13 years I was an operational supervisor in the tower cab at DTW. My daughter decided to 'follow me' into the career, and recently was selected as the tower manager at YIP. She had a 'project' for me which was to design/fabricate a flight strip board.

For those that have never been in a control tower (or any air traffic facility), computer generated/printed paper strips are inserted into those plastic holders. Sometimes, strips are 'handwritten' on blanks (mostly for VFR flights or missed approaches and 'go-arounds'). The strips show the aircraft registration number and various other flight route/altitude information. When I was at DTW, there might be 100+ strips in use. And that was for just the tower. The radar room (TRACON), might have double that for arrivals and departures (from other 'satellite' airports-not DTW). As a supervisor, you lived or died (a painful death) by the quality of your data. But that's another story...

Here's what I came up with:

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I used 1/2" birch plywood and 3/4" red oak. The strips ride on two 3/8" aluminum rods, which allows them to slide and be 'cocked' either right or left in the bay (it's an ATC thing...). This is set at a 30 degree angle (her preference).

She took it to work, and immediately the ground controller decided they wanted it (it was supposed to be at the tower control (local controller) position).

Soooo... Another request was made. But this time for a combination strip 'bay'. This one would hold both terminal strips, and enroute size strips. Enroute strip holders are shorter, but wider. They are not used in the terminal environment. But she wanted something larger so they could handwrite on them using dry erase pens. This would be for their VFR pattern traffic, etc. She also wanted it at a shallower angle. 15 degrees was what she decided on. I used the same plywood, oak, and aluminum rods. But just more of each.

Here's the finished product:

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The enroute strip holders have the black outline (and shorter length). My daughter used dry erase contact paper on them. They work great with the dry erase pen.

Oh... I did invoice both of them. The first bay took 16 hours to complete. The larger second one, took 25 hours.
 
Just turned the corner on wrapping up a project that got sidetracked in 2017. When I remodeled the house in front of my shop, the new bathroom made my wife jealous that it was nicer than what we had at home. So, as many husbands around here like @Chungas Revenge know all too well, I had to put the final touch, the glass door, on hold until our own home improvement projects were all brought up to date.
In 2018 I reroofed our house.

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Then I put a glass door on our old bathroom.

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2019 I gutted our bathroom, hired @tequila4x4 to repipe the house, straightened out some s***ty electrical routing that was done when the house was built, and put the bathroom back together.

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2020 was pulling the carpet off the hardwood floor, scraping the cottage cheese off the ceiling, and putting a new front door on the house.
 
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2021 was the start of the final phase of the living room/kitchen remodel that started in 2013, starting with a kitchen door (where there used to be a window -see my story on Malcolm for the karma on that😉)

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