Container Weld Shop build -

[Oldpath05]

You’re more than welcome to borrow mine but same problem. Wrong coast. View attachment 557737

Yep you have the one I need or did need, darn wrong coast but it's the thought that counts.

A Harbor Freight near you?

Titanium Coated High Speed Steel Step Bit Set 2 Pc

Wellllllllllllllllllllllll, depends what you call near, I'd say 10 miles is near but Rockland at 30 miles, not really near more like near-ish, I did think of going in but I know it would've spoiled 3 hours so I thought that I could drill 1/2 hole and with a die grinder bring up to 7/8 and that's what I did this afternoon, after sawing some lumbah.

One thing I did learn in this 55 gal steel barrel hole making job, dont measure from the bottom outside lip for the hole. The in side bottom is up higher than I thought, after I got the hole up to 7/8 I had no room for the inside flange nut. Rather then try the re-weld patch do over routine on thin metal I got a long round heavy rod and banged the bottom down just enough so the nut would go on.

Other issue was the spicket tightens down to 1/16", the barrel is a little thinner so had to add washer on inside and with plenty of black gooey gasket stuff I was ready to put the spicket on, but then another problem, does anyone know how hard it is to put a nut on the inside of barrel and hold the outside spicket at the same time, after ten minutes I couldn't figure it out and then my son stop in for a second, what good timing that was. The only thing I can figure out is one must need a special 4' long wrench to hold the spicket so one can crawl inside with the flange nut, I think I seen something like this done on the Three Stooges show. Now I'll wait for rain to see if the spicket leaks, what a ordeal just for a rain barrel.

 

[Oldpath05]

I looked it up - there's a couple within 20 miles, at Waterville and Rockford... Steve

More like 25 and that's if your a crow, of course they have to put these stores in the middle of town with all the stop lights and stop signs just to make it much more of a headache, hoorah for ebay, on the east coast.

 

[dragoneggs]

More like 25 and that's if your a crow, of course they have to put these stores in the middle of town with all the stop lights and stop signs just to make it much more of a headache, hoorah for ebay, on the east coast.

But, but, but, think of all the other cheap stuff you will come home with!

 

[BukitCase]

Man, this coulda turned into a full-on North-American joint operation - Big Barn (canada, just barely) had the step drill you wanted, DragonEggs (Washington, the western one) cheered you on (pom-poms, short skirt, nice legs ) Me (If I'd collected all the precip that fell on MY roof today I coulda FILLED your barrel), and the "Maine-iac", (now gearing up for a rain dance so you'll know if your barrel leaks) - all we're missin' is Bubba (Watch this; here, hold my beer)

OK, goin' to my room now, sulking ... Steve

 

[Oldpath05]

"(now gearing up for a rain dance so you'll know if your barrel leaks)" <<<<<<<<I have great news, so far my rain barrel is not leaking, but it hasn't rain yet either, humm is that thinking positive....... I'm already planning on adding a second barrel hooked into that one, I took this picture showing where the barrel setup is, not far from wife's small garden.


Now on to this big auto power in reel lock no lock controversy, as stated earlier in the statement of facts post section, there is no need for a locking reel but that could be an east coast thing where gravity is our friend and the magnetic poles have not yet shifted like on the west coast. To further prove this shocking revelation I did several test this past weekend and all test came out and in the 99.999% range, well above satisfactory in my book of satisfactory results, in other words the cords wound all the way back in, or darn close to it.

And now without furter adew, I made a short video of my auto swivel reels with some of my house and garage scenery, it sure is hard trying to walk and video at the same time, as you can or might see, I dont have much of a view, trees everwhere have to go 1/2 mi up the road for a view, it's a little shaky but watchable, if it uploaded.
Auto Power and Air reel demo - YouTube

 

[BukitCase]

Lookin' good, now ya need a feed from the BIGGER half of the roof :thumbsup:

Your power cord DEFINITELY works better than mine, I think they tried to cram too long a cord in mine - the HF air reels would probly go in like that, they don't seem to be all that snug - I'm just afraid that if I let 'em snap in fast, they'll come apart quicker (they ARE HF, BTW )

Looks like it might be dry enough manana to murder weeds again, then back to projects - need to wrap up a couple so I can continue to NOT build a weld shop (quite yet, anyway... Steve

 

[GLyford]

I think if I make another rain barrel, it will be an IBC tote, just on princicple.

The last one I made I used a close top barrel. Put it on a 2x4 stand (cross braced) and threaded a pvc adapter into the top bung, to a 2" elbow, to a 4" adapter. Drop a sink strainer screen into the adapter (keeps out the skeeters) and run the shed roof downspout into the adapter. On the bottom I use a regular plastic drum spigot, but they don't last very long before the plastic starts dying.

I have a couple of other screw top barrels I bought already set up with spigot, inlet screen, and overflow. They are sitting up on stacked 4x8x16 concrete blocks, but they can get annoying because they still aren't up enough to get a bucket under the spigot completely upright.

 

[Oldpath05]

"Lookin' good, now ya need a feed from the BIGGER half of the roof"<<<<<<<<Yes I was going to do that by now but the 100.00$$$$ for the extended gutter work keeps getting used for something else. As is now the 16x38 roof gets a fair amount of water from a light rain, more than I thought I get, fill that barrel up in no time.

 

[Oldpath05]

I think if I make another rain barrel, it will be an IBC tote, just on princicple.

The last one I made I used a close top barrel. Put it on a 2x4 stand (cross braced) and threaded a pvc adapter into the top bung, to a 2" elbow, to a 4" adapter. Drop a sink strainer screen into the adapter (keeps out the skeeters) and run the shed roof downspout into the adapter. On the bottom I use a regular plastic drum spigot, but they don't last very long before the plastic starts dying.

I have a couple of other screw top barrels I bought already set up with spigot, inlet screen, and overflow. They are sitting up on stacked 4x8x16 concrete blocks, but they can get annoying because they still aren't up enough to get a bucket under the spigot completely upright.

I'm not sure what principle, but the barrel was given to me, water is coming off my roof beat the band, wife keeps using well water to water the garden. I'm thinking well water is costing more than roof water for garden water so that's the princable I was going on. I made a 32"x60" wooden platform so theres enough room for one more FREE barrel.

The one I have now has a screen over the top to keep out acid rain from the west coast and when it gets full I just screw on the garden hose and drain the clean water on the dirty ground and eat the wifes cucumbers on a cucumber sandwich, no 5 gal bucket required.

 

[GLyford]

The principle of using an IBC is that it doesn't actually take a lot of rain to fill a barrel or two, so a bigger container stands a better chance of collecting most of what falls.

But free is definitely good. You can buy a lot of hoses and connectors to chain free barrels together for what most of the guys are asking for a tote.

Having the barrel above the garden is key. In this case, since your downspout is uphill from the garden, it sounds like the barrel is acting mostly as a delay, holding some of the water back during a wet spell for use later when it is getting dry, then simply letting it go again in the same spot without much fussing or carrying...sounds just about perfect.

Our garden is on the high ground, so it is always easier to just turn the valve on the end of the hose and let the well pump do the work than it is to tote buckets and watering cans uphill (not a big slope, just too much to for water to run). If our storage was above the garden we would probably do something like run a drip line or soaker hose.