Let There Be Light

 

I rode my bicycle up town to the hardware store yesterday morning to get my supplies to hook up the new light. Beautiful day once again for a bike ride. I think yesterday was the sixth day in a row with temperatures in the seventies. That's a record for November and we set a couple of individual records as well. Seven mile trip and I was up and back before the wind picked up - a little breezy but no gusting like later in the day. It could stay like this all year long in my book. I think I'd have to move to Hawaii for that. 

I cleaned the lathe and started organizing some of the stock and cut-offs that are laying on, under and around it. I've got some stock standing up in the corner near by as well as in a corner by the band saw. I need to organize both of those along with some short pieces of angle and flats. That'll go on the list for a rainy day.

I got the milk cans cleaned up and painted. The paint was still wet or I would have thrown them in the photo. I painted them in the back of the shop where the light isn't the best so I might have to touch them up a bit when I see what they look like when I get them out in the sunlight. 

I cut the shafts to length that the rollers spin on for the slip roll project. I used one of the cut-offs for a piece I need for the handle. I'm going to change how the handle is attached to the bottom roller. The plans call for it to be pinned as well as pinched. I think I'm going to weld a boss onto the handle and then drill and tap it for a couple of set screws that'll make it easier to take the handle off. If I need to move the finished roll it will be easier without having the handle hanging down snagging on things. When I was at the high school, I used to take the handle off to prevent the little darlings from running things through it that shouldn't be. The shaft on that one was much larger and had a square milled on the end of it the handle slid over. The shaft on mine is only 1/2", so too small to square off like on the one at the high school. I think I will mill a small flat on the shaft for the set screws to bite into. I've got the set-up already to go on the mill so it won't take but five minutes.

Planning on working on the handle again today as well as continuing with a little cleaning. The shop's definitely ready for a deep cleaning but that too will have to wait for that rainy day. I want to finish the roll and bend the piece of tubing for the rear loop on the motorcycle project.