Good morning!!!!

[m7040]

good morning, 27 going to 45 sunny day

As time allow I work on the various projects in progress.

The trailer hitch that I installed for the ZT mower that consist of a large piece of angle iron with a hole drilled does not protect out far enough for the little dump trailer. So will scrounge to see what I can fabricate to extend out a little further.

Worked some on the lower part of the bank barn. Removed a section of the feeding crib that was pushing against the outside wall so now I can pull that wall into alignment with a come-along.
Decided to leave up about 20 ft of the feeding crib to use as storage for lengths of angle iron and flat bars etc. Very sturdy 2 by lumber should hold 100's pounds. Looking at paneling a wall with white roofing panels to make it better for visibility in the room and also more fire proof when welding or black smithing. Two walls are made out of stones so is fire proof

Wife wants to move out the large gas stove in the kitchen and replace it with a smaller unit.
It is big Wolf unit with 6 burners, two ovens and griddle. Not sure how to get it out since it is heavy and wide. Will have to come up with a plan.

The Tormek knife sharpener arrived. It has Diamond wheel and leather wheel and is easy to use for kitchen knifes.

Have used orthopedic inserts made from plaster molds for several years now. I wear them all the time and it has really helped my foot problems. If I change footwear I move the hard inserts over to the new ones.

D8 has started her interviews for the next position in the department. She is looking for a position with more responsibility. She managed to complete a major assignment and get it funded so she is now able to leave for Colombia tomorrow. She will link up with a lot of her friends from grad school at George Mason.

D9 is doing well after her job loss and has now recovered to the point she is starting to have some savings in the bank.

S1 is still in trouble and have court hearing today in PA

Still learning how to get along with rotator cuff injury to right shoulder. One of the things the surgeon warned against was using a hammer and or any impact moves with that arm. It is difficult to use a hammer with the left arm. Any of you able to switch arm and do it effectively?
Most of the things I do will have to be modified to not strain the right shoulder. Will have to do more work on retraining to the left arm

 

[Buppies]

You are one busy man m7040

Prayers for your son congrats daughters 8 and 9

 

[LouNY]

What’s wrong with that?

No idea, looks like it cleared "moderators"

On a nother vein looks like spring is in the air even with the cold snap,
the big turkey flocks are starting to break up and the Tom's are starting to strut;

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Good Morning!!!! 52F @ 5:30AM. Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 72F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.

Most map issues error in map that made software think no road there.

Good point, Bruce. I've lost track of the number of times the GPS guided me to somewhere that no longer existed. Like to a Chinese restaurant that was supposed to be an Italian one. Or to someone's home that was supposed to be a BBQ joint. Or that told me the business I was looking for was on the north side of the street when it was really on the south side of the street. Or to the top of a mountain ten miles away to get to a cul-de-sac to avoid making a U-turn. Or even to a boat ramp it told me was a through road! Like Ronnie Reagan said: Trust but verify!

Do you ever have trouble finding something you've dropped onto that epoxy coated garage floor, Don? I have that trouble with an uncoated concrete floor, and I can't imagine how much worse it would be with that speckled pattern. Just yesterday I found a wrist pin circlip that took flight several years ago hiding under the workbench I moved.

Insurance is a very difficult proposition since the property is in a high fire risk area. I'm insured now for $1,500/yr with a company that already pulled out of the CA market. If they cancel me, more likely since I filed a claim, replacing the insurance will likely be $5,000 per year.

That's exactly my situation, now in two homes in California. The wind damage claim I filed in December of '22 hasn't helped me at all, and between the two houses I'm paying over $7k for homeowner's coverage. Both insurance companies have moratoriums on issuing new policies in Kalifornia, so I expect to be cancelled when each one comes up for renewal. Hopefully before that happens at the old house I'll be able to sell it, but I worry about a potential buyer backing out of the deal because they can't buy a policy. And I worry about getting stuck with the so called California FAIR Plan, which sells fire only insurance for $4k/year, leaving me to find a "balance of coverage" policy for lord knows how much more. Probably should have moved out of state instead of staying.

Any of you able to switch arm and do it effectively?
Most of the things I do will have to be modified to not strain the right shoulder. Will have to do more work on retraining to the left arm

Between carpel tunnel and rotator cuff injuries, I use a lot more screws than nails these days.

Finished off the bathroom yesterday by hanging two large mirrors where the cheap-o medicine cabinets used to be. They each had those keyhole shaped holes in metal brackets on the back that are supposed to accept the heads of screws or nails in the wall, and that usually come with paper templates so you have a decent chance of getting the spacing of the screws correct. But seeing as these mirrors were used, there was no template. And whoever made the mirrors wasn't too particular about how far apart the keyholes ended up. So when I measured 16 5/8" on the first one, the holes lined up just fine and both screws engaged their respective slots. But because I didn't check the other one, the keyhole was off just far enough I had to monkey around a while to get the screws to properly engage. The eight bulb strip lamp I installed the day before used the same keyholes, but it came with instructions. In Changlish. But the instructions, along with the mounting hardware, fell out of the box onto the floor where I didn't find them until after I'd installed the light bar. Just as well, but a set of proper instructions could have kept me from totally disassembling the light bar and wasting an hour and a half.

Then there were the grease fittings I missed in the trailer axles that, if I had noticed them earlier, would have kept me from disassembling the hubs on one side of the trailer to get at the bearings. But then I would have missed all the "fun" of packing bearings by putting a big dollop of grease in one palm and scooping it into the bearing with the other hand, which I did for one bearing set. I was about to mangle the other old seal out of its seat when I noticed the grease fitting, and after pumping a bit of grease into it and seeing where it came out of the axle decided to use the grease fittings instead. But the grease gun had molly grease in it that wasn't rated for wheel bearings. I had to swap cartridges, but that was a lot faster and easier than taking everything apart on the trailer. And from the amount of grease that each one took, it was probably the first time those zerks had seen a grease gun since they left the factory. Been almost two years since I had my eyes examined, and I think it's probably past time I got 'em looked at again.

All that fun lasted until lunch, and I still had the van and trailer to pack and load. Looks like the kill switch on the Yamaha dirt bike is acting up, or maybe it's the starter switch, because the first couple of times I tried to use it nothing happened. Then it kicked off, and I kept it running until I'd walked it up the ramp and into the back of the van. So that makes nine out of nine motorcycles I have that all need some kind of work. Then I winched four roll away tool boxes up the ramp into the box trailer, followed by an eight foot workbench on a pair of Roll-a-Lifts. It looked like the DR mower would fit cross wise next, and it did with maybe an inch to spare, but I had to pick up one end of the mower and rotate it into place, which Mr. Back wasn't at all happy doing. But that got the trailer full, and all I had to do was pack whatever wasn't nailed down into a couple dozen boxes, or that wouldn't need a box, and get 'em into the van. And hitch up the trailer, which got me to about 7:30 PM. Long day, sore back, but in an hour or so I'll be on the road south with the seat heater and a couple cans of Coke to keep me goin'. Gonna be another long day...

 

[Buppies]

You gotta love long days RNG

 

[LouNY]

Good Morning!!!! 52F @ 5:30AM. Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 72F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.

Then there were the grease fittings I missed in the trailer axles that, if I had noticed them earlier, would have kept me from disassembling the hubs on one side of the trailer to get at the bearings. But then I would have missed all the "fun" of packing bearings by putting a big dollop of grease in one palm and scooping it into the bearing with the other hand, which I did for one bearing set. I was about to mangle the other old seal out of its seat when I noticed the grease fitting, and after pumping a bit of grease into it and seeing where it came out of the axle decided to use the grease fittings instead. But the grease gun had molly grease in it that wasn't rated for wheel bearings. I had to swap cartridges, but that was a lot faster and easier than taking everything apart on the trailer. And from the amount of grease that each one took, it was probably the first time those zerks had seen a grease gun since they left the factory. Been almost two years since I had my eyes examined, and I think it's probably past time I got 'em looked at again.

All that fun lasted until lunch, and I still had the van and trailer to pack and load. Looks like the kill switch on the Yamaha dirt bike is acting up, or maybe it's the starter switch, because the first couple of times I tried to use it nothing happened. Then it kicked off, and I kept it running until I'd walked it up the ramp and into the back of the van. So that makes nine out of nine motorcycles I have that all need some kind of work. Then I winched four roll away tool boxes up the ramp into the box trailer, followed by an eight foot workbench on a pair of Roll-a-Lifts. It looked like the DR mower would fit cross wise next, and it did with maybe an inch to spare, but I had to pick up one end of the mower and rotate it into place, which Mr. Back wasn't at all happy doing. But that got the trailer full, and all I had to do was pack whatever wasn't nailed down into a couple dozen boxes, or that wouldn't need a box, and get 'em into the van. And hitch up the trailer, which got me to about 7:30 PM. Long day, sore back, but in an hour or so I'll be on the road south with the seat heater and a couple cans of Coke to keep me goin'. Gonna be another long day...

Those grease fittings are handy, but I do believe that a well hand packed bearing is greased better then one relying on fresh grease from a zerk to fully grease a bearing.

That is one of the joys of riding older bikes isn't it, the little things that keep showing up when least desired.

 

[daugen]

Frits, a new Tormek knife sharpener? I'd be in the kitchen trying it out.
or perhaps for sharpening your hand adze?....

super sharp knives are really a joy in the kitchen.
I throw everything in dishwasher which isn't good for them but don't mind the occasional swipe on a sharpener.

 

[scott_vt]

Good Morning RNG,

Probably should have moved out of state instead of staying.

Did I read some where recently that Kalifornia is trying to pass an Exit Tax for any resident trying to leave the state ??

Thats Crazy !!

 

[daugen]

Good Morning RNG,

Did I read some where recently that Kalifornia is trying to pass an Exit Tax for any resident trying to leave the state ??

Thats Crazy !!

 

[scott_vt]

Good Morning TBS,
Here is a picture of my little electric hand held chain saw ! The blade is only about 4” so it’s limited to small branches etc ! But I did use it for trying to cut a 45 deg through 6x6 PT when I was doing my mailbox pole project ! This thing will cut !!