What did you do today?

[ohiofarmer 3,470]

2 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

 

Our friend that does truck fabrication has said they'll no longer fix a spring in most cases.

If the bushings are gone there's likely a crack too... but these are heavier rigs. 

 

The labor to cut burn chop press and all in reverse is more than just buying all new springs shackles hangers etc and torch cutting the whole thing off at the frame.  

 

 

If I would have had a little plasma cutter it would have been a snap. The tool that saved me most was a right angle grinder with a small cutting wheel.  Found it for short money at open bin tools at Harbor Freight 

[ebinmaine 80,176]

3 minutes ago, ohiofarmer said:

If I would have had a little plasma cutter it would have been a snap. The tool that saved me most was a right angle grinder with a small cutting wheel.  Found it for short money at open bin tools at Harbor Freight 

 

Gotta remember that. 

I'll be changing springs on my truck sometime.  

[sjoemie himself 3,172]

Walked around on stilts the better part of yesterday and this afternoon installing framework to mount ceilings to.

Bit wobbly at first but now I've got the hang of it I raised the stilts by about 10cm/4" (total height 70cm/~27") to make installation even easier.

 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 05:50 PM by sjoemie himself
Typo

[wallfish 20,457]

7 hours ago, sjoemie himself said:

Walked around on stilts the better part of yesterday and this afternoon installing framework to mount ceilings to

Some guys who did drywall when I was younger used those stilts everyday and then incorporated them into their Halloween costumes once a year. Pretty cool costumes when you can be 8 ft tall

Edited Monday at 01:31 AM by wallfish

[JCM 11,345]

On 8/26/2026 at 7:36 PM, SylvanLakeWH said:

Added safer beer holders to the back yard fire circle of knowledge... safety first! 

 

 

Just picked up a case of those on Friday. I put those in the freezer for 30 minutes. Problem is they go down a lot quicker. Not sure if that's good or bad. They taste better in the bottle but a pain to put in a carriage at the Packy. They are heavier to carry.

[ohiofarmer 3,470]

Can you cut off a door splinter free and smooth on the bottom with a beastly worm drive saw? Yes and here is how to do Actually a worm drive has jess blade runout than a sidewinder so I prefer it 

    I had a tight door that was rubbing the floor and with the addition of vinyl plank over the top I simply used two 7 mm thicknesses to set the elevation change plus a 7.mm gap. It was marked on masking tape by scribing along the floor. Do both sides if it is a veneer door but not needed on a solid door.

      The trick is to clamp a straight edge about a strong sixteenth of an inch above the scribed line and cut into the door with a sharp new utility knife blade. The wood will chip out but only to the cut you made with the knife. Do both sides for veneer doors.

    As I clamp a straight edge to the door I go back a bit low enough to leave the scribe line on and the wood will chip to a very slight ragged edge.

    The blade left a decent surface that a belt sander would take off but I used a flap disc and got by I used a cutting disc to bevel the edge , but again a sanding block for the less experienced might work with less risk. I finished it up with 220 sandpaper.

   An application of Tung oil to seal the bottom and repeat a few times is gonna seal that door nicely.

 

 

 

[CRF857 529]

Been doing that for years. Younger brother taught me that trick after he got started into carpentry.

He also would cover the area under the saw bed with masking tape, or paper to prevent any possible scratches. Most people don’t think about treating the bottom of the door.

[Handy Don 17,241]

3 hours ago, CRF857 said:

Most people don’t think about treating the bottom of the door.

Door treatments deserve a book!

When I paint a room I usually remove doors after noting any snug-fitting places. These get sanded or trimmed before the re-paint.

Bottom and top get sanded and re-painted.

If I’m in a very picky mood, I’ll remove the hardware rather than try to cut in around it. 

[Blue Chips 829]

The M37 project continues. While I'm waiting for some engine parts, I'm getting ready to assemble the transmission.

 

Here are most of the old parts that I'm replacing, either due to rust spots or minor damage, as mentioned in a previous post:

 

 

Most of the parts that are ready for assembly are shown below. All of the parts in the above image are being replaced with new or NOS parts. All of the old 'small' parts (things like clips/washers/screws, etc.) are also being replaced with new ones. This will end up costing as much as buying a rebuilt transmission, but I suspect that because of using so many new parts (and my OCD-like fussiness during assembly), it should be virtually new, and better than a typical rebuilt transmission.

 

The only gear I'm not replacing is the reverse idler gear, as it did not show any signs of wear or damage, and even that gear has a new bronze bushing, honed to fit the new shaft. All shafts are being replaced, and of course all of the seals, gaskets, springs, and bearings (with good quality name-brand bearings from reliable sources).

 

 

A few smaller parts (not shown) are soaking in solvent at the moment.

 

One small improvement I'm making is to replace the shift lever guide pin with one that can be more easily removed and replaced (or rotated when worn). The original pin had a peened end to hold it in place. My improved pin is secured with a nut and washer. I made it by cutting a high-strength shoulder bolt and turning it on my lathe. Here is one that I made shown above the old pin, which I removed by grinding off the peened end. Sorry, no coffee cup for scale. The new pin is about an inch long.

 

 

Our lawns are getting browner, and the tractors are getting dustier as they wait patiently for some green to reappear so that they can show their stuff and be appreciated.

 

 

[sjoemie himself 3,172]

Went to mow the (patches off) grass this evening with the 'new-ish to us' Stiga. Sadly lost drive halfway through and ran out of daylight so that's a job for future me.

Parked it in the stable for now.

 

 

[8ntruck 9,199]

Sitting here eating breakfast with my wife.  I'm reading Red Square, she is digging through her news feed.  She makes a comment about the 'stars' in the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars about how they look familiar but she can't place them until she reads about the TV rolls they played as teens. Says that those shows aren't that old.

 

I reply with a comment on that new Beach Boys song, Kokomo.  It's not that old - just almost 40 years.  She happened to be taking a drink of coffee at that moment - almost blew coffee out of her nose. 

[953 nut 68,307]

2 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

the 'stars' in the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars about how they look familiar but she can't place them until she reads about the TV rolls they played as teens.

I tell my wife that everything old will be recycled, especially one hit wonder actors attempting to resurrect their carrier. Same of these people show up on "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" or other CELBRIY anything game shows. My personal favorite is "Celebrity Jeopardy", questions are so easy even I can get them right.   

[Ed Kennell 46,857]

1 hour ago, 953 nut said:

everything old will be recycled,

Yep, just made my request to have my dust tilled in the garden with the roadapples.   Stand guard at the gate Jay.

[adsm08 4,939]

51 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

Yep, just made my request to have my dust tilled in the garden with the roadapples.   Stand guard at the gate Jay.

 

I want to be launched into the Sun.

 

I'm told it would be prohibitively expensive.

[8ntruck 9,199]

I've told my kids I want small amounts of my ashes spread in various places: Copper Harbor, off the middle of the Mackinac Bridge, backstretch at Indy track, Claybanks County Park, Greenfield Village, Daytona Beach, Beechbend Raceway, a flowerbed at the Museum of Science and Industry, in the I-70 Eisenhower-Johnson tunnel, and possibly Mt Serrat in Spain.  I'm sure I can think up some other interesting (incovient?) places as well.

 

Not sure those plans are leagal, though.  One of my sister in laws ran a funeral parlor.  When I mentioned those plans, she had a surprisingly strong negative reaction.