Mr. Tangent

9-bit info superhighway; wooden red clock stand

2007-03-19T06:09:18Z

My long-planned 9-bit home information superhighway is finally a reality, and I built a bed-side clock stand out of wood.

The display above the TV now shows whether the mail has come yet. The system knows when various doors open and close, too (I haven't figured out how this is useful, but at least it's fun).

For years, my bed-side clock has been perched on two empty-ish boxes. This bite-sized project will be a big improvement.

I cut the shelf grooves using multiple passes on the table saw. The trim router would probably have been faster.

I used screws and glue. I guess the screws aren't really necessary, but I'm still working on my trust of glue. Plus, the screws make great clamps.

The top and front edges are now rounded off.

Same color of red as before. That pint of paint goes a long way.

Woo hoo!

plumbers fix the DSL, and I build a red cart

2007-02-06T10:50:17Z

A couple of weeks ago plumbers fixed my DSL, and after that I built a drill-press cart and painted it Candy Apple Red.

The old pipes kept springing a new leak every few months. Plumbers had to open up the walls in about 20 places to replace them all.

On the second day, the DSL connection almost completely stopped working, though the phone line still sounded OK for voice.

It turned out to be a short caused by close encounter between a blowtorch and a section of phone wire routed behind a sink.—The plumbers did the grunt-work to repair the problem, using cat-5 wire and crimp-on splicers that I had handy.

In a previous episode, I bought a $70 drill press from Harbor Freight. I didn't have a great place to keep it. I saw a $65 cart for sale and was tempted. It had pegboard sides, but no shelves. I figured I could make a better one for less money.

These 12 pieces will provide the cart's structure. (I already had 2x4s, which are about $2.xx for 8 feet.)

Eight of them are for the top frame and bottom frame, which are the same.

These casters were $2.99 each from Harbor Freight.

At first, I didn't pre-drill any nail holes. I changed tactics when some small splits started to develop.

Two legs are long enough to reach the floor, and the other two are on the end with the wheels.

C.B. helped.

I rounded off the top edges using a 1/4" round-over bit in a $20 trim router. The top extends past all the edges, especially on the end opposite the wheels.

The quart of paint from Lowe's was called Candy Apple Red.

...and finally the drill press has a home worthy of being bolted onto.

Total cost? ~$10 for 4'x4' MDF, ~$10 for 4'x4' pegboard, $6 for casters, $8 for paint, $5(?) for a couple of 2x4s. About $40 (with plenty of paint and some scraps left over).

bandsaw cleanup, $70 drill press

2007-01-11T19:25:56Z

In December I coiled a bandsaw blade & cleaned the rust off the table. In January I got a $70 drill press from Harbor Freight.

After an hour on the receiving end of a medium "rust eraser" from Woodcraft, the table looks much nicer.

I fiddled with the blade for 15 minutes before I finally got it to coil. I still don't know quite what I did.

Sarah took me to Harbor Freight in Newark on Sunday. This five-speed drill press was $70.

To change speeds you have to move the belt. It's not too hard.

Dave's Garage

2006-12-03T09:57:18Z

I've been spending some time in the garage lately (57°F tonight). See my table saw, band saw, and electronics workbench.

I bought a used 10" table saw for $100. Works great! Today I used it to make the right size plywood rectangle to fit the xmas tree onto a small table. It wasn't as loud as I expected, and I still have all my fingers.

Sears was happy to sell me the owner's manual for $8.49. The manual was printed in 1980.

The bandsaw was also $100. Reliant 14" model DP-90, by Trend Lines. No manual. — I accidentally found a 1/4" blade at TAP Plastics for $11.

The two miter gauges work with both the table saw and the band saw. Cool. But I don't have a fence for the band saw.

Warning #2: Right, I will make sure to wait until the blade has "sopped." :-)

The garage is getting pretty full.

Latest changes: (1) Shiny new red drawers up top, (2) you can actually see the work surface instead of junk piled up. — From March 2006, there is a temperature-controlled soldering iron from CircuitSpecialists.com.

Fancy power connectors and "on" LEDs attached to all three large breadboards. — You can also see my COSMAC ELF 2000 kit at the top of the photo (I'll have to write a separate entry about that).