Stack O' Shackles

Stack O' Shackles

Covey of Axles

I made it over to school yesterday after the gym to start on the axle project. I did a little measuring and scouting for material and then dived in. I got the shackles made up and was planning on making a couple of spring perches when I started hearing thunder and some type of severe weather alert on the radio so I packed it in and came home. Making the spring perches will be a piece of cake. I'll just tack them on so the springs will line up with the trusses and there I'll be. Two of the axles I'll cut down for a trailer project that was in the works last year but we didn't get around to. That's a pretty straight forward job as well. Just have to get them straight and put a little camber in them. It'll take a little time but I'm thinking it should work like a champ. I should know by the middle of next week.

If you look at the pile of shackles, you'll notice the layout lines. I punched all the holes rather than drilling them. If I was to drill them, I would have layed out only one piece and then clamped the others to it one at a time and drilled them that way. When you punch them, at least for small batches, you have to lay all of them out but the time saved by punching more than makes up for it. I'll have to see what I come up with when I make the beams for my lifting cradle. I might have to get another set of hands to help me out plus I'm not sure the throat on the punch is deep enough to do what I want to do. We'll cross that bridge next week.

I didn't go to Oklahoma with Jimmy due to the promoter's travel budget being a little weak but I'm set to go in a couple of weeks. Jimmy is fighting for some type of WBC title. Not a world title, mind you, but a US/North American title of some sort. He's going to be fighting outside, where it's been 100 degrees of late. The fight will be about 10:00 PM but it will still be hot. When I showed up at the gym this morning he was wearing the plastic suit and a sweat shirt to get himself ready for fighting in the heat. It should be a good fight. His wind is good, he's got the battle plan worked out, and he's ready mentally. He'll have to take it to the Comanche Boy right good and proper if he wants to get a decision. If he can land a couple of good clean shots, he won't have to worry about a decision. He's hitting harder than ever. You never know about the "Old Fight Game", however.