Designing Stuff

[Larry Jaques]

On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 20:06:53 -0400, the inscrutable Tom Watson spake:

You call those "reins"?

P.S: That should have been "C-less and I."

[Larry Jaques]

On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 21:10:15 -0400, the inscrutable WillR spake:

True, you didn't.

"What, I can't take my guns, knives, and rocket launchers into Canuckistan? Whuffo?"

[Larry Jaques]

On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 20:02:32 -0400, the inscrutable WillR spake:

I modified a pair of plans to fit whatever wood I had laying around, including the poplar branch food rest.

Almost. I escaped from Palomar Technology in '91, before they merged with SKF (the bearing people) and moved us down to Sandy Eggo into a cubicled, containerized Corporation company. That's when I started DIVERSIFY! I've been broke and happy ever since.

Is there anything else?

A gentleman never kisses and tells. (Yeah, the hottest.)

Projects inked on the whiteboard are A&C dictionary stand in QSRO, modernized A&C entertainment center in mahogany, A&C settle in jarrah, and at least a pair of tool cabinets in (maybe) maple.

I rethunk the ent cent after Tawm's last little talk but haven't penned any mods on paper yet. I'm on Rev.8 in the head now.

And there's always that bowsaur in teak I could finish up and give some of the Old Timers (old farts) here heart attacks.

?

[WillR]

Maybe you should publish a picture. I was thinking of doing one. I have several "plans" that I would not call plans (dimensions don't add up as usual) -- but the ideas are certainly there.

Congratulations. Sorry that you are running an NPO -- I've done that too. Unintentionally of course as I am sure is your situation.

That should take care of this life and the next in terms of time. :-)

I am adding drawers to my Lathe bench. Doing every drawer in a different style just for practice. But I am making the drawer (false) fronts of

1/2 Oak so it _looks_ consistent from the outside. Fool the unwary...

First drawer was 1/2 poplar plywood with finger joints. This one (today) is 3/8 birch with dovetails. Tomorrow? who knows. But the priority is to clean up the mess. It's just too darn hard to work with a mess in the shop. It destroys the creativity.

I think for me it will be a coffee table -- and then probably end tables. I am sure that when I build the coffee table it will be the same experience as the rest of the in-house projects. I will decide that the stuff I "matched" is crap and that it has to go go go! Hence the end tables -- which are local-box-warehouse-manufacturer-modern-machined-wood style -- inherited from a young'un that skipped the country and ran off with a foreign guy. LOL

I also have an empty sitting room that houses a lawn chair to be set outside again shortly, along with end tables and feet rest. Which ill deprive me of a "temporary" computer station.

These projects cascade you know.

Ent. Cent's are tough -- because technology changes -- meaning that the the contents can change dimensions every few years. I still don't see how to make the re-configurable enough to justify large expenditures -- unless you are part of the nouveau riche class of course. The last two we purchased were junked and we are on our third.

I figger the next one will have to be re-configurable with mechanical pull outs to accommodate cabling changes and feed issues -- assuming the world doesn't go to Bluetooth or something.

I wonder if a rotating base with a swing out back (maybe a simple door or doors?) would work? Hmmmm.. I won't even mention trailer hubs... But all kidding aside maybe it would work. Or maybe a stable base with cabinets -- but the parts that hold electronics rotate out for accessibility. Any thoughts?

Please no! I can't stand any more problems.

And of course I always have at least one Jewel Box and a carving on the go. They occupy my time when I run out of real projects.

[WillR]

Because. You just can't.

Politicians here are scared of things that go bang. Considering their competence and honesty they should be.

[Larry Jaques]

On Fri, 15 Apr 2005 08:40:25 -0400, the inscrutable WillR spake:

I did about 5 years ago, when it was first built. Ping me offline and I'll shoot you a pic. I don't do abpw any more.

It's not a NPO, but close. It's sure a whole lot less stressful than working for someone else. Being single and reclusive by nature helps.

At the rate I finish projects, it may be 3 to 12 lifetimes.

True. Half my mess is from having too many electrical, plumbing, and woodworking projects all going at once. Everytime I start one, three more come up and I have to finish them first, like the new water heater and then the new undersink shutoff valve which started leaking after reassembly. The fun stuff is always pushed back.

Condolences. (No, I meant re: the local-box furniture. ;)

Ayup.

I've decided to make mine in 4 pieces, one pedestal for the TV and

3 suspended, modular pieces with the CD racks on the sides. The center speaker will hang between the rack and the TV. The part I'm chewing on is how to give it a real A&C feel. They didn't have stereo or TV back then.

I'll always stick with a hardwired system, TYVM. Ditto for security systems.

My first thought was to anchor one side on a pole and rotate the other side out from the corner on a large caster for PLENTY of room to access the wiring. Instead, I'll hang it all and have it right in front of my face. A single "pipe" will route wiring down from there.

I've been wanting to get around to carving but I want to put some furniture together first. More energy would help, and maybe a bit more business to help fund the wood for new projects. Luckily, I have a large stock of both jarrah and mahogany now.

[your1joker]

I saw an Ent Cent on HGTV last night that had the electronics on a rack on a pull out rail which then rotated 90 degrees to get at the wiring. Looked like the wires then terminated at a bunch of connectors on the back wall of the cabinet. Looked pretty neat.

Jerry I

[Larry Jaques]

On Fri, 15 Apr 2005 23:02:34 -0400, the inscrutable "your1joker" spake:

I saw that, too. But I want the Ent Cent to be movable so I can get back there to dust and vacuum more often than once a blue moon. I get tired of coughing up dust buffaloes when working in places like that.

------------------------------------------------------- "i" before "e", except after "c", what a weird society. ----

Dynamic Website Applications

[WillR]

I thought about this one before I replied. Your idea appeals to my sense of "neatness" -- we did this on mainframes (the ceiling to floor pipe), but as to "purity" in woodworking? I dunno. The efficacy of the idea will likely win I suspect.

What I thought of, was using the Lazy Susans from Lee Valley and having the individual cabinets rotate out. Your idea is probably neater, and almost no cable stretching issues and much less cable flexing. And the idea of housing curved cabinets simply so they can rotate out? Hmmm -- lottsa work.

The alternative is cabling troughs -- and that might work... But the pipe looks good. And better and better...

Carving is not that difficult if you have a good sense of depth. It takes time to learn the moves -- but it can be very peaceful. Ideal for a recluse. (Maybe you should also make an easel and take up painting.) :-) I got a flexcut starter set and handle - inexpensive and effective. When I finished the leaf and still had all my fingers, no wounds, and no blood on the carving -- I bought more knives. Oh -- and a carving glove. When I bought the extra knives -- the supplier said "I'm impressed, but you're buying a glove". It's a good investment.

Aside: I run into lots of people in the Wood business who want their web sites re-done for commercial ordering. I don't want to do that anymore -- the marketing work -- ok -- but technical stuff. -- much lower interest level.

You seem to be a MS provider so don't take offense -- but way too many bugs in IIS and a lot of them are on MS sites already with way too much work to pull out -- for their wallet to handle it. As soon as I look -- it seems there is too much work and no time for me to go further. No matter how busy I am -- or ain't.

I do keep up on the latest algorithms for cracking stuff. Shudder! Very little is secure these days. The multi-core systems and distributed algorithms will create a nightmare for the security side. The idea of possible liability as a commerce website developer bothers me.

They can have a link to your site from now on... :-)

[Larry Jaques]

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 08:42:58 -0400, the inscrutable WillR spake:

No, not curved housings: all nice boxy things.

I meant more like a flexible cable conduit in 3" (or better) size. It would be fairly hidden behind the "stack."

I do paint a bit and a clone of the Lobo easel is on my Hernia Edition of the Future Plans book. ;) I dabble in oil and acrylic.

:-) I got a flexcut starter set and handle - inexpensive and effective.

Get another one. Carving takes two hands. Which one holds the knife is determined by which direction you're going, so the other is always at risk. HF sold some with stickum on the face which works well in handling glass. I no longer see them on the website. HF is a great place for gloves. I have their nitrile, latex, leather work, vinyl, leather welding, and glass gloves. The large leather-palm work gloves are the only style which die early, but at $7 for 6 pair, it's not a bit loss.

I wonder how the Kevlar Mechanics Gloves would fare for carving.

Aside:>I run into lots of people in the Wood business who want their web sites

I don't do Multiple Sclerosis, thanks.

Thanks, though I'm wondering if there's a future in this any more, with Mom, Pop, Grandpa, Grandma, Little Suzy, Tiny Tim, and the folks in India, etc. all in the game nowadays saying "I'll do it for a dollar!" I'm heavily rethinking my income sourcing strategy.

========================================================= Save the Whales +

the whole set! + Website design and graphics =========================================================

[WillR]

Yeah I know. _I_ was originally thinking curves. Your idea is much better -- on reflection.

Works for me. May I steal it kind sir?

You are a gold mine of tips.

The knife only points to one hand. I borrowed SWMBO's one day and tried two. Couldn't feel the wood. Glove on left -- holding wood -- knife in right.

Carvers gloves seem to be a lot lighter.

Linux/ Apache? (LAMP?) Hmmm interesting to me -- but as I said many of these guys are on MS now.

It is an issue -- mostly that _everybody_ is in it now. Don't know if you have figured out how long I have been at this -- but I did some design work with An Wang (same projects) if the name rings a bell. :-) Talk about dating myself :-) If you don't know who I mean, that should tell you even more.

Another Aside: May have picked up some work and a sales house/gallery for my work this afternoon. We will both think on it for a few days and see if we still feel good about it.

Showed the fellow some of my work. Felt good when he kept fondling the piece and asking how I got that finish. Thinks it may be a bit upscale for his market --- told him I would bring him some "lower end stuff".

I think his stuff is better than he realizes. :-)

If this works out in may be the nail in the coffin for some of the other work I do.

[Larry Jaques]

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 18:31:55 -0400, the inscrutable WillR spake:

Not only from ease of construction, I want it to have a Mission feel. An occasional curve is OK; perhaps those which Ellis gave to the art.

Sure, just buy an extra 6' and send it to me. Got my address? ;)

The middle box (or bottom of the top boxwhich supports the center speaker can double as a holder for the 2 power strips so a single cable goes to the wall from each: the strips and the TV. Much cleaner.

Tendjewberrymud. I try to research my obses^H^H^H^H^Hhobbies.

I work with both hands interchangeably with most tools. I guess that was an added advantage of growing up left^H^H^H^Hcorrect-handed. It served me well early on, in auto mechanics, and now in wooddorking and art.

True, but the human body adapts quickly and well if needed.

I haven't yet installed Mandrake 9; yet another one of those never-gotten-'round-to projects. As a type-B personality, perhaps I should rethink my beaucoup-page list of projects. (Nah, sooner or later I'll finish 'em.)

Wasn't he the founder of Wang Computers? Rings an old, old bell. (googling...ah, Wang Labs, core memory, '51) You DO go way back, Sherman!

[abtruse reference to the Way-Back Machine]

Got JPGs? Give 'em up!

Most excellent! Break a leg, kid.

I need to get into the shop to see if I can produce the quality of products _for_others_ which will sell for goodly ducats. Then again, I tend to do better work for others and settle for less if I'm keeping the item. We'll see soon.

========================================================= Save the Whales +

the whole set! + Website design and graphics =========================================================