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- #181
Forgive my gratuitous snow photo but this is the first snow we have had since buying the place in 2020.
Retirement Shop
- Thread starter WarDamnEagle
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Very lovely Greg. Is that a new addition to the fleet I spy under new roof?
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- #183
1984 4Runner Michael. We bought it a few months old with around 6k miles. It was my wife’s work truck for a few years but has been at our place in south Alabama for hunting duty more or less for the last 20 years. Clutch slave cylinder froze on it last fall so I trailered it home for some TLC.
All 4 children learned to drive in it. Original color was parchment but number 2 son talked me into painting it bright yellow. Might change it back one day.
Crush 4
SILVER Star
Just read through your whole thread, great work. I did a shop six years ago and the lighting has always been an area that needed improvement which I’ll be doing this summer. Have you considered any kind of HVAC? I have heat and a portable AC unit, but the AC doesn’t keep up with the hot Michigan Summers
Final question it look like in the earlier photos. I saw something with a black car cover that could’ve been a Camaro? Did I I spy that again great work
Final question it look like in the earlier photos. I saw something with a black car cover that could’ve been a Camaro? Did I I spy that again great work
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- #185
Thanks; it's slowly but surely getting there. First post, second photo shows the HVAC plenum. It has a 4T heat pump which so far has done great summer or winter.
That is a 1969 COPO Camaro that a friend parked there while he sent off the transmission for some minor repair. There were only 69 produced and it's one of two painted yellow. He's won a lot of car shows with that Camaro.
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- #186
To my knowledge, we have never lost power in this house other than maybe a quick blip. We have a whole house, 50KVA propane generator and one of the first things I did after moving in permanently was to get a service contract with the installing company. House was built in 2004 and generator was put in at the same time. Long story short, I got all the paperwork with the house purchase and the company that installed it still had all the documentation as well. That was fortuitous as Baldor doesn't make generators anymore.
A couple of months ago they installed a new starter solenoid and battery and they must have done something wrong, maybe with the battery tender, because I noticed the panel was dead a few days ago. Of course I didn't call them and of course the power went out at 3:30 AM last night. Normally Alabama Power are pretty fast but as of early afternoon the power was still off. Now to be honest, even though I have an engineering degree, I've been a bit scared of this generator. The last time the tech was out though, I stayed with him and got a bit more comfortable that I wasn't going to burn the house down by running the engine in test mode.
Finally I got up enough courage to try to crank the thing. I tested the battery voltage and only got 3.4 volts. Obviously that's not good but I drove one of the Land Cruisers down and hooked up the battery cables. Panel immediately lit up - good sign. I reset everything, put it in auto and wonder of wonders it cranked itself. About 30 seconds later I heard a loud boom behind me and realized that the automatic transfer switch had switched. Immediate text from my wife, who didn't know I was doing anything, "power is back on".
So this is the first time that we have actually ran power into the house from the generator. I tested a couple of outlets and they are a steady 127 volts. There's a voltage adjustment on the control panel but for now I will leave it as is. Hopefully the automatic switch will work once the power is back on. If it doesn't automatically switch then I have to manually pull the transfer switch down. Really don't want to stick my hands that close to 400 amps.
A couple of months ago they installed a new starter solenoid and battery and they must have done something wrong, maybe with the battery tender, because I noticed the panel was dead a few days ago. Of course I didn't call them and of course the power went out at 3:30 AM last night. Normally Alabama Power are pretty fast but as of early afternoon the power was still off. Now to be honest, even though I have an engineering degree, I've been a bit scared of this generator. The last time the tech was out though, I stayed with him and got a bit more comfortable that I wasn't going to burn the house down by running the engine in test mode.
Finally I got up enough courage to try to crank the thing. I tested the battery voltage and only got 3.4 volts. Obviously that's not good but I drove one of the Land Cruisers down and hooked up the battery cables. Panel immediately lit up - good sign. I reset everything, put it in auto and wonder of wonders it cranked itself. About 30 seconds later I heard a loud boom behind me and realized that the automatic transfer switch had switched. Immediate text from my wife, who didn't know I was doing anything, "power is back on".
So this is the first time that we have actually ran power into the house from the generator. I tested a couple of outlets and they are a steady 127 volts. There's a voltage adjustment on the control panel but for now I will leave it as is. Hopefully the automatic switch will work once the power is back on. If it doesn't automatically switch then I have to manually pull the transfer switch down. Really don't want to stick my hands that close to 400 amps.
Mine went off about same time but I'm on Tallapoosa River Elec Coop. Came back on at 7 so no real frustration. I was on AL Power for many years and I like TREC better. Longest I've been out since at new place was about 6hrs one night when a drunk took out a pole/transformer. From the news it sounds like AP still has a lot of outages. Given the wind when the front came through I thought for sure I'd have some damage but as far as I can see, only one dead pine finally fell.
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- #188
We have one tree down across the creek but oddly enough it didn't actually fall until around 10 this morning......with me watching. Now that doesn't happen very often. BIL just left our house and said Alabama Power crews were working nearby so hopefully we will be back online soon. I actually drove our main road in both directions and didn't see any downed trees and/or lines so not sure what the problem is/was.
Very nice to have that generator in the meantime.
I've been looking for a good deal on a commercial grade generator for years. Thought I had one locally a few weeks ago - 30kw powered by a Ford 460 but somebody else wanted it more than me. I made him pay for it though! Mostly just want it for a good deal and to tinker with more than really wanting a backup power source for the house. In the 40+ years I've been in this area the longest I've been without power was a couple of days after Hurricane Opal in 1995. Many others were out for much longer but I was lucky,.
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- #190
460 Ford for 30 KW sounds like overkill. My 50 KW is powered by a GM 5L V8 running off propane. It was not straining at all yesterday but I'm sure we weren't using anywhere near the full capacity of the gen set.
Alabama Power had us back on around 6pm yesterday so we were out for ~14 1/2 hours. My switchgear did not automatically switch back to line power - not sure if it's set up to do so. I know it's set up to automatically crank the generator and switch in case of power loss. All I had to do though was hit the Transfer switch on the switchgear control panel and it immediately switched back. Not sure how many milliseconds that transfer takes but it was fast enough that the digital clock on the oven didn't reset. I also had to manually turn the generator off via its control panel.
Again, very glad I didn't have to go into the panel and manually reset the transfer switch with the little metal handle that is clipped onto the side. That's way too close to those 400 amp cables and lugs.
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- Thread starter
- #191
I have been using my Clausing 15 drill press quite a bit lately to rebuild my FJ55 door hinges. The more I use it, the more I like it. Perfect size for my needs and probably more torque than I could ever use. It's extremely smooth raising and lowering the spindle and I feel like I have complete depth control even without using the stop. I'm sure there are plenty of similar sized, more modern drill presses that are as good or even better but for what I paid, this one was a bargain.
I lived for decades without a drill press, knowing I needed one. But due to lack of space I never bought one. Now that I have one in the shop, I use it frequently. Shop life is so much better with drill press. 
Enjoyed your entire thread this AM over my second cup.
Beautiful garage/facility. This is a formal request for more information concerning your essential wall mounted garage accessories.
Please see pics below.
Beautiful garage/facility. This is a formal request for more information concerning your essential wall mounted garage accessories.
Please see pics below.
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- #194
Enjoyed your entire thread this AM over my second cup.
Beautiful garage/facility. This is a formal request for more information concerning your essential wall mounted garage accessories.
Please see pics below.
Glad you enjoyed the thread. We are very fortunate to have found a house we both like with this shop conveniently already built. I have been keeping up with your thread as well. It's turning out to be a very nice place; next thing you know you and the
will be spending half your time there. Obviously that's all contingent on you getting the remaining plumbing finished. 
So you want to know about those Hard Rock Cafe sweat shirts? Well we were living in San Francisco in 1984 when they opened ........
Okay so I guess it's the deer you want to know about. Those two were shot in Southwest Texas on a private ranch in brush country near Encinal. I would have to look at the dates but somewhere around mid to late 1990s. I have a few other whitetails mounted from Alabama and Texas but those are on the upper end rack wise. One of the Alabama 10 points has a similar size rack and a much larger body. I would take a photo but somehow, during one of our stints out of the country, that mount made its way to our older son's house and hasn't found it's way home yet. The strangest things that children latch onto.
Thank you. I enjoy hunting stories and the events surrounding the experience. Or, maybe I just enjoy stories. Regardless, yours is a good one.
Although I’m afraid I can’t follow along my longer. You see, after reading through your thread and the threads belonging to @Michael B, @ceylonfj40nut, @TRDdrew, @Skreddy, @waiting for time, @knuckle47 and a host of others, I’ve developed an acute case of “garage/shop envy”. I fear it may be terminal.
In order to alleviate the symptoms, I’ve taken to reading through DIY ads/vids for kits and packages to sooth the physical discomfort and ease the psychological distress.
Although I’m afraid I can’t follow along my longer. You see, after reading through your thread and the threads belonging to @Michael B, @ceylonfj40nut, @TRDdrew, @Skreddy, @waiting for time, @knuckle47 and a host of others, I’ve developed an acute case of “garage/shop envy”. I fear it may be terminal.
In order to alleviate the symptoms, I’ve taken to reading through DIY ads/vids for kits and packages to sooth the physical discomfort and ease the psychological distress.
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- #196
Maybe I can add a little salve to help alleviate your symptoms, metaphorically speaking. I call this the unfinished corner. It's the corner I normally go to great pains to keep out of the shop photos. It will ultimately be a water closet in the corner with a shop sink between the bathroom wall and the blue cabinets. There will be some combination of refrigerator, counter space, and perhaps even a TV between the bathroom and the door on the right. In the meantime, it's where I throw things that need "temporary" storage.Thank you. I enjoy hunting stories and the events surrounding the experience. Or, maybe I just enjoy stories. Regardless, yours is a good one.
Although I’m afraid I can’t follow along my longer. You see, after reading through your thread and the threads belonging to @Michael B, @ceylonfj40nut, @TRDdrew, @Skreddy, @waiting for time, @knuckle47 and a host of others, I’ve developed an acute case of “garage/shop envy”. I fear it may be terminal.
In order to alleviate the symptoms, I’ve taken to reading through DIY ads/vids for kits and packages to sooth the physical discomfort and ease the psychological distress.
And in the opposite direction, I probably risk adding to your suffering one day in the coming weeks; apologies in advance. Stay turned for a new thread, probably titled "The Cook Shed". So far it's just a cleared and level sight but the heavy timbers have been ordered.
Here’s a hunting story: I live on a long dirt road and there are hundreds and hundreds of acres that will like keep getting eaten up by developers and deer are being pushed of their land for the last 40 years.
It is raining heavily last night but…the Chinese food order beckons. To the right side of the warm and dry truck I see an eye reflection from the headlights. Over the last 48 years you learn that these deer strikes do much damage so drive slowly. I stopped and sat in the road as the pickup time was 7:30.
As she pokes her head out from the trees a very large doe steps into the road followed by 3 bucks… 6 points each on the first 2 and 4 point on the third. Quickly I reach for the iPhone camera and it falls to the floor.
Anyway, the Chinese was satisfying but by 9;00, I was hungry again….
This was in the front yard a few years ago. Once before about 10 yrs ago, there were 7 huge bucks clustered in the backyard about 5 feet from the rear deck..6-8 pointers. I’ll find that photo
It is raining heavily last night but…the Chinese food order beckons. To the right side of the warm and dry truck I see an eye reflection from the headlights. Over the last 48 years you learn that these deer strikes do much damage so drive slowly. I stopped and sat in the road as the pickup time was 7:30.
As she pokes her head out from the trees a very large doe steps into the road followed by 3 bucks… 6 points each on the first 2 and 4 point on the third. Quickly I reach for the iPhone camera and it falls to the floor.
Anyway, the Chinese was satisfying but by 9;00, I was hungry again….
This was in the front yard a few years ago. Once before about 10 yrs ago, there were 7 huge bucks clustered in the backyard about 5 feet from the rear deck..6-8 pointers. I’ll find that photo
Ref: The cook shed.
Feeling better already. Like where this is going!!!
I squirreled this interpretation away a few weeks ago. It’s “Meade-ish” to a fault. I’ve been smoothing out the dirt and sharpening my stick in anticipation.
Feeling better already. Like where this is going!!!
I squirreled this interpretation away a few weeks ago. It’s “Meade-ish” to a fault. I’ve been smoothing out the dirt and sharpening my stick in anticipation.
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- #199
Now who's setting the high bar? I only take solace in knowing that those chairs are placed directly under the roof dripline.Ref: The cook shed.
Feeling better already. Like where this is going!!!
I squirreled this interpretation away a few weeks ago. It’s “Meade-ish” to a fault. I’ve been smoothing out the dirt and sharpening my stick in anticipation.
View attachment 4065817
I'm afraid ours won't be quite as fancy but it will certainly be old fashioned. That pile of concrete blocks in my photo are the remnants of our BBQ pit. You know the type, fire box, smoke chamber, and chimney. Cooked as many as 9 briskets at a time on it. The Cook Shed started out as simply a new, improved, and permanent cook pit. That thought led to the need for a concrete slab which morphed over a brief span of time into shelter. And we both know once you get to "shelter" things spiral out of control quickly.
AI doesn’t pick up on the nuances of reality..
My reality will probably be enough over head cover to keep my picnic tables and stainless grill out of the elements.
Looking forward to your design/thread/execution…!!!