Back issues and shop cleanup, still.

[dbhost]

Not sure if anyone remembers, but before Thanksgiving last year I threw my back out something fierce, cumulative damage from not doing the PT that kept it in check whcih was aqua therapy, and the Colitis kept me out of the pool too long...

So lots of life stopped, particularly anything that involved stooping.

Meanwhile my shop somehow seemed to attact all sorts of junk that took an express trip to the shop floor.

Now this is going to seem old fogey ish to folks but I am not too proud to admit ifi it involved much stooping, it was NOT going to happen. I needed a solution.

I was looking for one of thoe long handled grabber things. And yes they are marketed for the elderly. Well I DO qualify for AARP so I guess I count even if I am not quite ready for Social Security yet...

I must be unpacking things and throwing the packing material in the shop in my sleep or something, but...

Using this...


https://amzn.to/4aI2g7e

I have so far been able to clean up 5 large contractor bags of various trash... I can now walk from the roll up doors to the table saw without having to step over stuff...

Ran out of daylight for today, and even with this helper my back still gets offended after a while, so I am hanging it up for today. Will tackle more of it tomorrow.

Right now I need to play some bit of Tetris in the shed, and make room for surplus car parts still in the shop...

[LCHIEN]

I own three of the Harbor freight grabbers - two in the shop and one in the kitchen/pantry
36 inches and three bucks.

https://www.harborfreight.com/36-in-...ool-61413.html

great for dropping stuff that rolls away in the shop and reaching stuff on the shelves without resorting to a stool.

[leehljp]

I have had a couple of the HF ones but they didn't hold up well or grippers didn't clasp together well enough. Once, when I REALLY needed one a couple of years ago, I had total frustration with its flimsy grip (misaligned and loose grippers) - and after LOML had tried to get the item behind a heavy chest. After that, I ordered three from Amazon at a higher price and still have them today. Much tougher and more precise. I will admit, this is probably one of those items that are iffy at HF - one good batch, one bad batch.

[cwsmith]

I too use the grippers from HF. While they are not the best, they so far have served the purpose and I keep one in the garage, one in the shop, and one down here in the basement workroom. They're great for when something falls behind a bench or under a table.

The other things I use is one of those flexible spring-like shafts with the prongs, to pick up very small objects and of course the telescoping magnet, which is a favorite for picking up screws and other small hardware.

CWS

[dbhost]

I haven't used the HF ones, but the ones from Amazon are quite good. 36", good grippy rubber ends, seems to be well made. At 3x the cost of the HF ones I am curious how well the HF ones work. I am seriously considering the Loring approach and have one in the shop, and a couple in the house... It really helps with the cleanup.

[dbhost]

Another couple of hours spent in the garage / shop cleaning stuff up allegedly... I have taken one huge tote, approx 36" long and separated the stuff out into Electrical general stuff, and a separate tote for Citizens Band radio stuff. Old antenna mounts, radios, microphones, coaxial cables etc... I am still on CB, just not using my 1990s Radio Shack radios any more. Upgraded to modern AM / FM / SSB radios now...

If you haven't seen my video on the new radio install in the camper van...
https://youtu.be/FcJI9Kt-khk?si=AMkHf1T2ZlRKjcrQ

[dbhost]

So over the last 10 days, 4 more totes of crud cleared out, Getting the bits and pieces back where they belong, and finding the floor again. I have a hand truck / flat cart ready to go from the garage / shop to the shed.

I am finding some oddities.

First and foremost, one of my old / continuing hobbies has been CB Radio, Been into it since my teens, and in my process of cleanup, I am finding a huge amount of salvaged mostly antenna parts. including at least half a dozen antenna mount HD barrel springs for 102" whips, 2 102" whip antennas, and 3 matching Radio Shack AM / SSB CBs from the early 90s.

Plus an obscene amount of low voltage electrical bits and bobs as it were...

Still dredging out auto parts, and chemicals. 2 halfway full totes of that stuff waiting to be hauled over. Mostly small bits and parts that will end up in the 26" Craftsman rolling tool cabinet drawers in the shed. Hey I repurposed the stuff...

realized I need to finish up with the drawers for the miter saw cabinet. Hes I designed the drawers like an idiot so they work funky. Long story don't want to admit to too much stupidity...

I guess functional is better than pretty... And this likely will use recycled pallet wood just to get it done on the ultra cheap.

Aaaand now one more just down the the dregs in the bottom of the tote. 2 more PL239 studs in this one... And a large assortment of automobile battery hold down hardware.

I had to stop though. I have an evening appointment with some friends from out of town tonight, former colleagues that are visiting NASA so I will be meeting them and a large assortment of other colleagues from back in the day as it were, mostly social, but need to see if I can shake the professional network tree regarding job opportunities not being publicly listed.

[dbhost]

More on the cleanup, and I now have a 1/4 of the way cleaned off table saw. My wolverine jig and associated stuff is all boxed up, and my shop floor is almost clear enough that you can walk around the table saw.. Progress. I'll take it.