OT.garage entry:

[Puckdropper]

Larry Jaques wrote in news: [e-mail]:

It lets us clear the art work off the table saw by putting it on the car.

*g*

Puckdropper

[sal]

Thanks for the input .Good range of solutions.

Sal

[Unquestionably Confused]

The unit I have is commercially made. If anyone's interested, I'll dig up the box and provide complete details. Bought it from one of those bargain outfits on the internet but pretty sure they are still available if you look.

Mine has a small power cube you plug in which powers a "control unit" which you stick on your opener with double faced tape. The little laser "pens" mounted on swivel sockets for aiming plug into it.

Set up is a no brainer. Mount the units, pull your car into the garage exactly where you'd like to land every time. Smack the opener to activate the laser and aim it into the interior of the dashboard or wherever.

When you open the door the laser illuminates for about 30-45 seconds, you pull in and wait until the bright red dot hits the screw (or whatever) on the defroster grill in front of the driver's position.

I don't believe I paid $20 for the setup which covers both sides of the garage. I've had mine about 4 years now and only re-aimed when I got a new car.

[krw]

One of these came with the opener I bought a few years (and a couple of houses) back. It was a Sears opener but I didn't see them when I bought my latest opener (for the new house). As you say, they work like a champ.

[clare]

You can buy the things ready made, and for DIY you can take the laser pen apart, bypass the switch, connect wires in place of the batteries to a small 3.5 V "wall wart" transformer and with an E26 cube-tap (threaded to blade adapter) plug the wall-wart into the one side of the garage door opener light. Make a little bracket to fasten to the garage ceiling and bend it to point the laser where you want it. Keep the bracket as short as possible so it doesn't move.

[clare]

For "precision"parking - both left to right AND fore and aft, you cannot beet the lazer. If you line it up to the center of the car you can tell if you are on-center when the laser hits the leading edge of the hood (center ridge if the hood has one)

And it is DEAD SIMPLE.

[Puckdropper]

"Mike Marlow" wrote in news:97d31$4fef8044 $4b75eb81$ [e-mail]:

It depends on what your tolerances are... I had little trouble pulling cars into the garage the few times I've done it, because my tolerances are a couple feet in both directions. Some people have barely enough room for the garage door to shut.

Puckdropper

[John G]

on 1/07/2012, Puckdropper supposed :

You must have a dedicated Garage and a Workshop somewhere else. Workshop will always expand to try and encroach on car space especially if it is HER space. :-Z

[krw]

That's unlikely to happen before "mine" is totally gone. It did in this house but that was an agreement before buying it. Now that I have my tools out, she has the garage back. ...and they have a 2000 sq.ft. basement.;-) Nothing set up and no power yet. :-(

[Keith Nuttle]

With hail, wind, and flying debris damage a little frustration of putting it into the garage is well worth the cost and hassle of getting the car repaired if it is not total because of the dents.

Yes I know the tree could fall on the garage, but I have seen cars and houses significantly damaged by hail.

There is also the security angle of putting a car into the garage.

[Kenefick]

HFT to the rescue again. They sell at least two items that will help you. One is a hanging tennis ball that touches your window and tells you to stop. The other may take some modifications. It is a driveway sensor. It is in their latest ad.

Mike > I would like to install some type sensor ,indicator that signals when I have

[Roger]

Local ad for Menard's had a Chamberlain with the laser pointer attached to it.

[Doug Miller]

Doug Winterburn wrote in news:4fef2627$0$45198$c3e8da3 $ [e-mail]:

Hang a second tennis ball three feet behind the first, at the same distance from the side wall of the garage, with both balls directly in line with the steering column. The vehicle is properly aligned port-to-starboard when both balls are in a direct line with the driver's eyes, and properly aligned fore-and-aft when the first ball touches the windshield.

Or you could paint crosshairs on the wall, and make a game out of it: maneuver the car so that the tennis ball is centered in the sights.

[Max]

Everything turns political. ;-)