Winter Projects

[ovrszd]

Awesome!!! I on the other hand am already heating to keep my shop warm.

In my World the secret is to never let the shop get cold. My building and the concrete under it are kept warm all season. Then it's sooooooo much easier to raise the temp a few degrees.

 

[4570Man]

I heat my house with wood and it works well since it's in nearly continuous use. I heat my shop with natural gas. It's a lot better suited for a couple hours of use and warms up a lot faster.

 

[downsizingnow48]

The red car sits just a few inches off the ground so working underneath is not easy. I don't like the idea of working underneath jack stands. I also don't like the idea of spending several thousand dollars on an automotive hoist. Looking through the Summit Racing website I came across these foam blocks. Never used to be anything like that, anyway new to me. They raise the car 12" which is plenty of room to work, and are very solid. And, they are made in Michigan with American-made raw materials.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Interesting on the blocks

 

[lostcreekranch]

The red car sits just a few inches off the ground so working underneath is not easy. I don't like the idea of working underneath jack stands. I also don't like the idea of spending several thousand dollars on an automotive hoist. Looking through the Summit Racing website I came across these foam blocks. Never used to be anything like that, anyway new to me. They raise the car 12" which is plenty of room to work, and are very solid. And, they are made in Michigan with American-made raw materials.

So ..... why are these safer than properly rated steel jack stands?

 

[4570Man]

So ..... why are these safer than properly rated steel jack stands?

I've seen some " properly rated jack stands " that I wouldn't trust a lawn mower on. I've got a set of 12 ton jack stands that I trust. I'd take his blocks over 98 percent of jack stands.

 

[downsizingnow48]

It is a good question one I have thought about too. Growing up we worked on cars a lot, and generally cribbed up under each tire with 2x and 4x lumber if we were going to do serious work underneath. That was completely stable and safe. Jack stands were OK for example when supporting an axle to do a brake job. I like these blocks because they are like cribbing except more convenient. Also, my jack stands (I have 4 sets) would be right at the top of their extended height to raise the car that much, probably not advisable. The blocks are rated for 1500 lbs each, the whole car only weighs 2300 lbs, so there is a good safety factor. And they cannot slip, bend or fall over. A couple weeks ago when planning the winter work I googled "jack stand failure" there is lots of bad news out there.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Got the tractor-mounted adjustable jib just about done. The whole thing is made from cut-off pieces of the old engine hoist. The only new parts are the two 5/8" bolts that hold the back brace, SSQA plate, and mast together. We are traveling to visit family for Thanksgiving, so will finish up when we get back. I will do a write up for Build It Yourself when it is done.

 

[turnkey4099]

My winter project is just the usual 'woodpile maintenance'. I have about 7 cord of rounds to split and stack. I put in an hour or more a day, weatehr permitting, manually splitting and stacking. I have a hydraulic splitter but it only sees the tough stuff, knots, forks, etc. Rest gets introduced the to X27 Fiskars, 6lb maul and 8lb wedge and sledge Rest of the time is spent in houses. No heat in the garage/shop.

 

[DrRod]

While I don't have heat in my outbuildings, I spend winter months doing clean-up and clean-out. The rustic garage is way out of control and needs a general reorganization with better use of wall space. The shed has a ton of stuff purchased at auction. The problem comes from mixed boxes where I buy the box to get something specific but it comes with a lot of other stuff. Sometimes I just want the box -- like wooden advertising boxes -- and they come with fan belts, big files, tin snips, and a tangle of hose clamps. If sorted out [so I can find it later] a lot of this is good stuff. But how many files or hedge clippers do I need. So I need to take some time and do the old "keep, sell/donate, toss" sorting exercise. Even if a little cold, its not too bad in the buildings providing the wind is quiet [unlike today].