What did you do today?

[dbhost]

Doing some computer / home network related stuff. We upgraded to Fiber internet last month, and that came with some pretty awesome new mesh WiFi routers that actaully cover the entirety of the inside, AND outside of the house. I have been running around switching networks from my old wifi network to the new one with all the Alexa devices, and security cameras.

My home automation hub is on a static IP address on the old network, I need to change it over to DHCP before I can shut the old router off. 5 years was a good run but I am done with it... Anyway...

Doing some 3D printing, mounts for the Echo Dots, for the Eero Pro 6 routers, and for my home automation hub.

I've still got cable internet as well, I wanted a redundant connection, and until home cellular internet is a thing here, cable is my only option. Comcast KNOWS they have competition now, so I got their cheapest plan that was at least 300mbps, which happens to be their 600 meg service for $39.99 since I own my own device. That means another tech project.

Tomorrow if I am up to it, I will set up a TP-Link Dual WAN router for failover. Basically should my fiber internet be unavailable, the router will shunt packets through cable. Not exactly a load balancer, but not exactly not either...

I need to replace the ceiling fan in my office as my wife insisted I buy myself a funky space themed ceiling fan, honestly it's because she wants mine for her office. It is an old funky Hunter that looks oddly like a cross between R2D2 and art deco. She got some awesome Star Wars blades for them. Yes she is a Star Wars fan... Pre Disney of course...

Still more time spent cleaning and organizing the shop. Got all the automotive tools put back up, all the loose doo dads like hammers, mallets, screwdrivers, levels and such that have been spreading through the house are put back up.

I've also got some issues with a KVM extender. I need to pull power from the network rack, AND the far end. So that will happen when I swap those fans...

Tomorrow is supposedly going to be extra hot, and the power company is asking us to go easy on electrical use. That means no AC in the shop for me. Hard pass in this weather.

[dbhost]

Got busy with blogger and spent some time writing up my initial impressions of the Milescraft Fence clamps. Pretty good buy, and while there was one minor flaw, it really isn't a deal breaker, especiallky at this price point.

https://www.daves-workshop.com/2022/...ry-useful.html

[dbhost]

More cleanup. It's HOT right now, tomorrow is supposed to be 100 deg F, even with AC the shop is going to be too warm to want to work in so I will avoid it, but for today I have...

1. Reinforced the shop vac shelf that was repurposed to cased automotive tools shelf, so the ball joint press, tie rod end tool, manifold gauges, vacuum pump etc... are all up there and secure.
2. Moved the bicycle hooks around. I now have my folding roller stands hung right in front of hte dust collector, I can easily get around them and turn the DC on / off, and maintain the bag etc..
3. FINALLY found my grease gun, and realized the 30+ year old hose is, well, not there... need to run to HF and get one of their 18" grease gun hoses, swap the grease fitting end around and get it going. Oh and put my new tube of grease in the thing finally.
4. Hurrying to get the router table cleaned off. I am going to go the router, well, route to get the dadoes for T track in my dovetail template jigs.
5. Located the perfect piece of volunteer lumber for that sacrificial fence for those fence clamps that should be showing up today...
6. I did mention more cleanup right? Got the socket sets, wrench sets, etc... put back together, and put back into the tool chest. Picking up bits and pieces of, well cutoffs etc... from the floor and sorting them. Keep, glue up and turn, or goes into the burn pile... Not a lot in between Actually my cutoff bin needs to be gone through again. I am itching to take the walnut and maple scraps and do a segmented glue up / turning...
7. More sorting, and head scratching. Realized if I do the planned lathe bench, I loose a spot for my floor jack, and likely jack stands.

[dbhost]

I've always had good results with Milescraft. They have 2 pairs for $20.00 as well, but I only needed one pair to get my planned project done. Pretty simple item I would think it would be difficult to mess up manufacturing them. Not impossible, but difficult...

[LCHIEN]

A pair for $12? Good deal if well made. Usually Milescraft stuff is OK.

[dbhost]

Putting up tools that have been spread all over the shop and house. It's amazing how many misc tools particularly hammers and screwdrivers I own...

I finally gave into the influence of LCHIEN and ordered a set of universal fence clamps. But sorry, no not fancy ones, just came across a deal on Amazon on a pair of Milescraft 4009s...

I boogered up the retaining ring on my impact wrench doing the shocks and struts last week, I managed to get the ring off straighten it out, get it back on, and then realize that Amazon sells multi pack sets of replacements cheap. Go figure... Well next time I guess. This is the first time in 10 years my impact has had an issue so might be a while...

I need to get the step stool out to the shop and move some bicycle hooks around to hang my folding roller stands.

[capncarl]

Allotted shop time?

[twistsol]

Saturday we finally had some calm dry weather so I was able to get the interiors of the office cabinets sprayed. Sunday helped the neighbor framing deck stairs after setting the last four posts. Monday built the base for the cabinet boxes to sit on and got them moved into place in my office. Today I sorted through my giant stash of reclaimed birch for stock to make the face frames and just started rough cutting when the power went out. By the time the power came back, my allotted shop time had expired.

[dbhost]

Installed the hose reel stop ball thing. Now my hands stink. What is what that Chinese rubber smell? It's not like tires, or American automobile bushings, it's, well its own smell...

[dbhost]

Some more hauling out / organizing. Took the old particle board book cases out and chucked them on the curb. 3 guesses what I have up my sleeve with that new shelf pin jig?

Tore the jigs out of their respective packaging, and got them into their, well temporary housing for now. Once the rolling cart for the drill accessories is done, and the drill accessories populate it, the then devoid of drilling accessories drawers will become jig and cabinet bits drawers...

Went to Texas City Buccees to get replacement lids for our 40oz stainless steel tumblers. The little lid flaps keep falling off and I like to be able to close them up...

Went to Harbor Freight and got the set of casters for the drill press storage cabinet mobile base. Also got a pair of pivot pad locking clamps. Same thing as the Kreg clamps with smaller but still very workable pads to hold the jigs in place while in use. And NO I did not get the 11" whoppers, I just don't see them as useful...

More sorting, chucking out pretty much anything I find with particle board. I need to find my plans book for kitchen and bathroom cabinets. I have somewhwere around here a book full of standardized plans for kitchen and bath cabinets from B&D, easily a 20 year old book and it is high time to put it to use after setting the SIL up with her cabinets. I also need to do some custom RV cabs in the next couple of seasons. Will go into detail on that later...

[dbhost]

The cat knocked the ONT (Fiber Internet version of a modem) off of the shelf the installers put it on. Spent WAY too much time on the phone with support, they are sending a tech, Thursday. :-(. Still had my cable modem, called up Comcast and got signed up for their lowest cost service. Ordered a dual WAN router that can be configured for failover. Not terribly expensive so there's that. Got the cable internet set up. I was planning on getting a failover configuration set up but this just rushed me into it...

Spent my morning in the video booth recording the morning services.

My new jigs came in, as did the ratcheting handles. Replaced the 5/16 nuts with 5/16 ratcheting handles on the router fence faces... Easy peasy...

More cleaning and stowing...

I need dig down some of my 5" insulated flex duct from the attic, I want to see if I can cover the hot line from the portable AC in the shop. The lowest I can get the shop any more is 75. Not bad, and it does keep it dry...

[leehljp]

I went to a church missions conference about 30 years ago in SC. Missionaries from many different states and one from Massachusetts. Beans and peas of all kinds. When the guy from Mass. got to the vegetables, he stopped, looked and looked again. Then he moved along. I sat a few seats down from him and he raised a question: "What was all of those small beans of different colors. Someone across from him replied: Black-eyed peas, field peas, lady cream peas and maybe another. The guy replied, I never heard of any kind of peas other than sweet peas. We all laughed.

[capncarl]

Went to a picnic sponsored by wife’s old friend on her old family farm. It’s a yearly event for friends, neighbors and family. Tables were set under the largest Pecan tree I’ve ever seen, it’s limbs droop to head height and covers about 1/4 acre! We got our fill of fried chicken, wild hog bbq, 2 batches of chicken and dumplings, butter beans, field peas, creamed peas and plenty of homemade biscuits. 10 layer caramel cake, blackberry cobbler and homemade strawberry ice cream for dessert! It don’t get any better than this.

[dbhost]

Took the car into NTB to get a 4 wheel alignment, they only seemed to have adjusted the toe. NOT happy with them. Need to have a discussion with the shop MGR about that. Fresh shocks, struts, tie rod ends and all they could adjust was the toe? No effort at all on Camber or Caster. WTF?

I digress...

At least I know the new tires won't be scrubbed to death and honestly Camber and Caster are off by around .1 deg each from spec... Just lazy mechanic. Probably needs camber / caster kits but they didn't want to go to the effort...

Loaded up a bunch of our surplus for my BIL, the old Rigid vac, some spare guitar string sets etc... He's kind of dead broke and I have extra so...

Heading into Houston to deliver the stuff and take BIL out to the Tacqueria for dinner. You notice I am here typing right? In no rush to get over there. Especially since storms are bubbling up over me...

[dbhost]

Not sure if this should go here, or in my shop improvements thread, but been working, and putting stuff back where it belongs, to the point of still creating where stuff belongs. Does that part ever end?