New Camera

I bought myself a new digital camera the other day. The little pocket sized one that I used to carry all the time and used for most of the pictures here belonged to my former employer. After I returned it when I retired, I shot a few photos with my own digital but it's a little large and a little expensive to be using just for every day snapshot use. I was looking into buying a suitable replacement for the school's when I ran across one on sale at Menard's. It seems like a nice little camera with plenty of features and pixels - price was dirt cheap as well. Between Menard's, the Dollar Store and Harbor Freight, the Chinese keep me pretty well stocked up. Here are a few test shots I took on Friday. 

A shot of the power plant shortly after the sun came up. I like the look of the low lying fog and the clouds.

The barn that was recently moved. You'll notice they also moved the windmill and the milk house.

Taken just a few minutes after the power plant picture. Shot through the windshield while waiting for the light to change. Even though the bridge is on a state highway, it's now single lane traffic until it's replaced with a new one. Thanks Mitch. It's nice that we now have a budget surplus after taking money away from the schools and letting the infrastructure go to hell. 

Base for drill press made from 5" channel to give it some added stability since it can't be anchored to the floor. This project is what got me to thinking about a CAD program (which  my former colleague has made much easier for me by dropping off a couple of tutorials - thanks Kevin.).

Looks like the new little camera's a keeper. It didn't come with a manual. I need to hook it up to the computer and then download some monkey business to get all the dope. Can't really see that happening, however. I don't really need to set the clock. I bought a camera, not a watch, but I did see that it has a red eye feature. I'll keep that in mind next time I want to photograph my drunken friends. If it had something to take care of the hangover that always accompanies the red eyes, might be enough to entice me to down load the manual.

Workbench Plan

Workbench design

I'm still working on the porch railing but not for much longer. 'Bout got that job scratched off the list. But while I'm mining the woodworking vein, I want to build a workbench for the new woodshop. I drew up a plan the other day that should be cheap but strong and serviceable. I've got a couple of woodworking vises already, so just the expense of some construction lumber and a piece of thick particleboard and I'll be set. While I'd like to be seeing some progress on the 900 or the VW, I think getting the woodshop in order would be time well spent. I've got some other woodworking things to finish up inside the shack and I'll be more prone to finish those if I've got the shop in order. It would be nice to be able to get back on the boat project someday as well. I can only imagine having the VW, 900 and the boat all finished up by Spring. Nah, that'll never happen. I might be able to do two out of three, though. The 900 for sure.

The workbench sketch was done the old fashioned way - just a plain piece of paper, an oblique front view and a right side view. Top left is a material list, bottom right is the cut list for all the individual pieces. I don't have a drafting program on my computer, nor do I probably need one for what I'm going to be doing at home, especially any type of woodworking. However, I made a base for a drill press on my new job to give it some extra stability. The floor has hot water heating tubes in it so nothing can be fastened down to the concrete. I figured I'd need to run my idea past my boss who's normally at another campus, so some type of drafting program would be just the ticket instead of me sending him a sketch like the one above with a big shadow of the camera across the bottom of it. Plus we have a CNC plasma cutting set-up at the college. A guy just might want to make a fancy part for a motorcycle or Volkswagen some time. It would be nice to be able to draw something up that was easy to feed to the CNC, like a dxf file. Those darn computers just can't deal with a sketch drawn up on the kitchen table by hand.

The computer in the lab where I'm spending a lot of my time now has SketchUp on it. Surly told me about this program a couple of years ago but I didn't have the time or a pressing need to learn it then. However, now I've got the chance to pick it up on company time. Good things do come to those who wait! I usually have a little time every day to sit in front of the computer. This might be a good productive use of that time. I've been listening to The Science of Natural Healing from the Great Courses while doing my lab chores. I've got it loaded up on my MP3 player and normally there are no other distractions, so it's a good way to listen to the info. I've got a set on the Italian Renaissance I bought while laid up that I didn't get all the way through that I'm going to do next. So in addition to earning a couple of bucks on the part time job, I'm furthering my education. I was planning on signing up for an Italian class over the computer but I might just concentrate my efforts on learning a new CAD drafting program. Never too old to learn something new and it's nice to have the opportunity. Of course, I could just relax for a little while. I think they mentioned that in the stress management classes. At least I've got it narrowed down to one or the other and not both.

Picket's Charge

I worked on the railing for the porch steps yesterday. The progress was a little slower than I would have liked but I'm still getting the shop set up as I go and I watched most of the Bears game. I'm still working on getting the balance right between work and rest like they discussed in rehab, also. That's harder than building a porch it seems. I need to finish installing the pickets on the side you can see in the photo and pick up some more balls/finials for the top of the posts and that side will be done. Likewise, I need to get a few more supplies to make the railing on the other side but all the figuring and fixturing is done. 

The router set up is fully functional now and I got some parts to up grade my table saw. I worked on the band saw a little bit when I was making the caps and it could use a little more TLC as well. A guy gave me both saws a few years back and since I'm not really a woodworker, I haven't done much with them. Besides, I had a complete woodshop at my disposal. Since that's no longer the case, I'll get everything tuned up, talk to my mobile crane connection and get them moved into the top of the barn. I like doing the woodworking. I just never liked trying to do it with the set-up I had. Generating a lot of dust down the basement by the furnace never seemed like a good idea and trying to cut things in the dim lighting down there didn't seem real prudent either. My old man sliced the ends of two fingers on a table saw while working down the basement when I was a kid. I've always been a little leery of using a table saw, especially in poorly lit conditions, ever since. I'd like to avoid any more trips to the emergency room. I've made a few of those over the years. Don't need another one.

Have a good week.

Nothing In Particular

Somebody spent some time on the buffing wheel with this one. I like the look of the chrome tips on the exhaust pipes. There are some more shots of this beauty here.

Gina Lollobrigida on a Vespa - nothing more Italian than that. The four of us that went to Italy together are looking into another European trip. Saw one advertised at a local travel agency that does 17 days in Europe that will get us back to Italy as well as London, Paris and Vienna. How cool would that be?

Here's a place I could call home. I found this at Fouled Plugs - oodles and gobs of cool things with wheels under them at this site. Lots of inspiration to be had there. 

And in the I need to do one other thing before I can do the thing I wanted to do department, we have the new router. The Missus came up with the design she wanted for the railing on the new front steps. She brought a cap home from Menard's that was pretty nice but at eight bucks that was going to mean eighty for the job. Since I had made up a router table when I was in the Woodshop, all I needed was a router and a  bit. Just so happens my first installment of my pension showed up, so router it is. Actually, the bits and router were cheaper than the price of the caps. The cutter set was only $14.99. Carbide cutting edges on all of them and ball bearings on about half. Granted, not the world's greatest quality, but for a hacker like me that's only going to be doing the occassional woodworking project, they should be more than adequate. Don't know how you can turn a profit at that price, though. Even the slow boat from China has to have something to feed those big diesel engines.

As soon as I finish cutting the hole in the top of the router table I can mount the insert plate in the recess and commence routing. It won't take long to make the caps and then I can finish up the railing. And that, my friends, will take care of the deck until next Spring. I'm planning on getting rid of the part of the deck on the East side of the house, replace the deck boards that adjoin the new section, as well as make a new matching railing. It'll be good to see that big ass ugly thing gone off the house. Of course, that'll mean another set of steps but concrete/brick this time. 

Weekend's here. Enjoy!

Now That's A Hot One

This will keep you warm on the cold winter nights

Likewise, I'm sure

Pretty sexy heater, don'tcha think? I'm talking the Jungers Blufire single burner furnace not Sophia (it's her birthday today, BTW). The Missus found the Jungers heater at a yard sale and I stopped and picked it up after work yesterday. Not sure what we're going to do with it but it was dirt cheap and it looks like it belongs in the barn. It's got a nice grill on top to park your coffee pot. That's a big plus for a confirmed coffee drinker, like myself. I don't plan on working much on the ground floor of the barn, cold weather or not, but it wouldn't take much to hook it up - a 4" stack out the roof and a piece of cement board on the wall behind it.  If we decide not to use it, it would be just the thing for a Prepper. Stock up on kerosene and you'll be ready WTSHTF - no electricity required on this baby. 

My next move in getting ready for the cold weather needs to be getting the snowblower fixed. I know the Missus is going to be worried about me shoveling. It was down into the 30's yesterday morning when I got up. That, and the shorter days should herald the end of cutting grass every third day. That'll free up a little more time to devote to projects like the snowblower. Hopefully, we'll get a nice Indian Summer and I'll be able to get a little painting done outside and maybe go camping a couple of days. You never know with this crazy weather, however. 

Cars & Bikes

See something you like here? The whole shootin' match is going on sale in February. You never see a microcar here in America but this guy's got them by the hunnerts! However, he's closing his museum and putting everything in the house up for auction.

The fork leg I bought on eBay is a no-go. The people who were selling it decided it wasn't serviceable and gave me my money back. While I wish it was on the way, I really appreciate the fact they didn't try to pawn off some garbage on me. So the search continues but I've got lots of other things to occupy my time. 

Here's a photo of my nephew's bicycle. He was involved in an accident with it not too long ago, so this is the newly spruced up edition. It's now the Grumpy Unk model in honor of his dad/my brother who recently passed. Well done, kid.

Another three day weekend! I'm digging the semi-retirement thing. I got a bunch of work done around the shack, did a little welding and was able to watch a little football. Since the weather isn't going to be near as nice the next few days, I'm hoping to work on cleaning up the shop a little, start machining the piece for the VW steering column and work a little on the 900. A little here, a little there. Things'll be coming together.

Have a good week, all. 

Down The Road A Piece

Amos Wilburn playing Down the Road a Piece for the Traveling Pirate - another one that was able to burrow under the wire. Good luck with the new gig. Save a little of that big money - we're going to Paris.