Todays shop time.

[BukitCase]

"course I never put any personal parts under them"

Exactly, Rick - that's part of that "healthy dose of pessimisim" I referred to; I've used cranes rated at up to 100 TONS, sometimes to move things that only weighed a few HUNDRED pounds, 'cause they serviced the area I needed to move that load to. STILL never had any personal parts under ANYTHING ('course, any crane in that shop over 5 ton was radio controlled, so you didn't even need to be under the bridge ) ...Steve

 

[Big Barn]

I finally got around to finishing the floor locks I modified to make adjustable. I now have one on each corner of my (4'x8') welding table.

Not only is the table locked in place but I can easily fine tune for level.

 

[Big Barn]

I recently picked up a Power Vertex exercise tower from a rehab clinic that closed up. They had the 24"x24" X half inch steel plate base bolted to the floor but I KNEW I would NEVER have it in the right spot

The manufacturer wanted $200 EACH for four stabilizing legs so I went ahead and made my own out of 1/2"x4" flat bar.

 

[daugen]

'course, any crane in that shop over 5 ton was radio controlled, so you didn't even need to be under the bridge

Hmmmm. Let's see, a fully loaded F350 ought to go about four tons.
Ya know, I don't think I want to be under that either when something slips off and lets loose.

Having been a fireman and having helped get folks out of cars with a Porta Power, my respect for being crushed by things
is very high. Nervous as a cat getting under my mowers to change blades. Belt and suspenders all the way, everything doubled but...
This comes from thirty years in the insurance business reading about how people hurt themselves, mostly at work, but some of you are skilled enough,
seriously skilled actually, to bring "work" equipment home. So the same issues apply, the bulldozer weighs the same, the beam over your head just as deadly.
Safety First. Being second is bad news.

I remain basically in awe of some of the tools and equipment a few of you can make out of steel.
You would have been my heroes in high school shop class.
But let's face it, every pro at work has to come home somewhere...

I think a lot of this information flow has been enabled only with digital cameras. It makes it so much easier to share.
And pictures are of course more instructive than most words.

As a woodworker of low talent, I learned to stick weld this summer, so now I'm a welder of very low talent.
I think getting into metal fabrication is above my pay grade. A metal fabber of low talent worries me, primarily concerns about safety,
much less what it looks like. So I'll happily watch the pros at work. RSWyan in the Good Morning thread has been building all kinds of
neat tools and mods. There is also a thread on Lifting Safely that addresses some of these concerns.

One of our Texas TBN members got fatally crushed under a mower last year. This sure doesn't just happen to the other guy.
As you think about just how good your safety glasses are...or whether you want your full face protection on.
Or the extra hold down clamp.
None of this amazing creativity is fun if you get hurt.
pretty sure I'm preaching to the choir here but it bears repeating occasionally.

 

[BukitCase]

Daugen, that was very well put - "monday morning quarterbacking" is NOT something you do with SAFETY, no matter WHERE you are. And just to clarify, my comment "so you didn't even need to be under the bridge" did NOT, WILL not EVER mean "under the LOAD" even those "smaller" cranes had a long enough control pendant to allow the operator to be WELL CLEAR - my last 34 years in the (heavy industry) work force REALLY brought that, and other safety concerns, to the forefront.

We were required to attend safety meetings on average at least once a week - subjects ranged from ladders, cranes, fork lifts, man lifts, electrical, chemicals (we probably used all but a small handful of the nastiest ones known), lockout-tag out, stored energy, where NEVER to put your hands/other body parts, PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) for EVERY likely scenario, and probably a few I've skipped (but tend to come to mind if/when I go to DO something) -

One of the subjects that was repeated OFTEN was LADDERS - I'm 6' tall and 180 pounds, and to this day, I won't buy one with more than a couple rungs unless it's 1-A rated (at least 300 pounds) - I have step ladders in 6', 8' (2), 10' and 12', and they're ALL 1-A rated non-conductive fiberglass (but with aluminum rungs) and ALL are kept out of the sun except when in actual USE (solar degradation can weaken fiberglass) -

To me, "talent" means something you're NATURALLY good at - where "skill" is something you can learn, hone, and somewhat "forget" if you don't DO it often enough - I consider fabrication, whether wood, metal or otherwise, a SKILL that's doable if you're willing to learn (and have, or can get, the resources) - and you're right, studying what OTHERS have done is one of those resources. (As is TBN, top of my short list of BBS's morning and night :thumbsup:

Analyzing the how/why (or in some cases, how/why NOT) is an important part of that learning. Constant AWARENESS is one of the best "safety tools" you can develop, as long as you don't allow it to make you so paranoid that you don't do ANYTHING... Steve

 

[4570Man]

I turned a few bowls for Christmas presents. This one had a rapid redesign These were already rough turned and it still makes a pile of chips.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Those look great.

 

[Big Barn]

Those will make terrific Xmas gifts, 4570Man!

 

[Peter 315]

"Let there be light"

I had a double head ceiling mount dentist light fixture that I finally got around to mounting. I separated the units and fabbed up new wall mounts.

View attachment 528885

View attachment 528886

Truck driver and dentist nice combo

 

[BukitCase]

About a week or so ago, I noticed our water pump was cycling 'way too fast - IME this ALWAYS means the pressure tank has lost its air pad - it also means you either FIX it or start saving for a new PUMP :thumbdown: - About 12 years ago I'd replaced the pressure tank and re-plumbed everything with valves ANYWHERE I thought I might want one, and they've come in handy more than once since -

Anyway, I valved off the tank inlet, which leaves the pump/pressure switch isolated from the rest. This keeps the pump from cycling like a crazy guy in spandex :laughing: - then closed the valve to the house and drained the water ('nuther valve) out of the tank -

Checked the air pressure (exact same tubeless tire stem as car tires) - had SQUAT. Brief self-congratulations, interrupted by REALITY - after it took several minutes, I got the air pressure back up to 30 (pressure switch is on @ 40, off @ 60, air needs to be LESS or NOTHING works right) -

Heard a small hiss, spit in the valve stem, sure 'nuff - replaced the core - no hiss. turned water valves back on, pump comes up to pressure, HISS IS BACK - turns out the SECOND leak was 'cause the rubber on the valve stem had separated from the brass threaded part - squeezing it made it (sorta) stop -

Couple wraps with electrical tape, small lawn-mower type spring hose clamp, no more hiss -

Til the next morning when it was doing its "spandex" thang again

Oh, and I woulda replaced the stem the FIRST time, but "ya can't GET there from here" - without un-plumbing the whole tank, emptying it, removing the (sealed up) water bladder so you can get to the INSIDE surface of the tank TOP to insert the NEW stem....

Google NOT being my enemy, I typed in "how to replace tubeless tire stem WITHOUT dismounting tire" - ignored all but a couple of the "64,337,291 results in .00057 seconds"

And ordered THIS
Amazon.com: AME 5125 Quick Valve Change Tool: Automotive

One reviewer said it sucked, wasn't worth a nickel, couldn't, yada yada - but everybody HERE knows "that guy" and won't even CONSIDER loaning him tools, he'll just BREAK 'em and SUE ya - The rest were a bit more "real world" - yeah, kinda hard but doable, etc...

It's 'sposed to rain again here about Friday, so I wuz REALLY hoping for delivery SOONER - it showed up TODAY.

If you read the info on that link, you see the kit consists of an "Egyptian embalming hook" on steroids, a threaded tube you screw onto the new valve stem, a fairly comfortable handle for the OTHER end of that tube, a TAPERED tube and a couple valve stems - most comments (and the directions) recommended copious quantities of lube, such as vaseline, dish soap, etc - I opted for the dish soap, offered up a prayer to the pump god and went for it -

"That guy" wasn't entirely wrong; it's a good thing the embalming hook is sturdy, 'cause the old stem was fairly happy right where he wuz - then, even with those copious quantities of Dawn I wasn't sure who was gonna WIN - I weigh 190, and I was REAL CLOSE to putting all my weight on that "fairly comfortable handle" before the new stem finally gave up and popped in...

Aired the tank back up to 30, water valves back on, pump came up to pressure and shut off, TOTAL SILENCE from the "hissy fit department" - heat lamp's back on, all covers back on, my feet are thawed out (it's been 25-30 nights here, up to 40's days)

Think I'll call it a win.... Steve