Sleeping

For a long time now, I've been wanting to make a collection of pictures of the funny ways our kids go to sleep.  It seems they always think of a new way to fall asleep.  Going through our many pictures, it seems I've accrued quite a few "poses".  This list is not complete by any means.  So let's start. 

Kids go to sleep...

 

... slumped over in the corner of the crib,

  

in piles of fluff,

all sprawled out,

in the jumperoo,

in the middle of the floor,

and again in the middle of the floor,

on top of blankets,

with cold hands,

with small blankies,

or near the bed,

with legs under the bed,

or head under the bed,

and, of course, fully under the bed.

On top of Mom,

or on top of a sleeping Dad.

Sleeping near a chair,

and on top of a chair,

and with legs wrapped around a chair.

They sleep in the kitchen,

or in the hallway,

in the closet,

and in the hamper.

 

 

Finally, here's the best one for last. 

Somehow, our Number 2 Kiddo fell asleep inside the bed. 

Here's a picture of him under the fitted sheet.

Lifting up the sheet, this is what I found. 
I'm not sure how he did it.

 

 

A Machine Shop Project

A few nights ago, I worked on a machine shop project after working hours.  I am thankful my employer allows me to use the shop for personal projects.  It is even encouraged, for I seem to learn alot when doing these types of projects.

Here, I am making an aluminum adaptor hub for a lawnmower project.  This hub will adapt a new engine to the existing drive shaft.

I started with a 4 inch diameter by 6 inch chunk of aluminum.  I started in the mill, and squared up the rough-cut end.  I had to make sure it was also perpindicular.

By doing that, I was able to mount it easier in the lathe.  Indicating in the Z axis shows runout within just 0.001 or 0.002.  It took a long while to get it centered.  A 4 jaw chuck can be challenging and frustrating.

I managed to face off the opposite rough end, and take the outside diameter to just 0.002 under 4 inches.  I also put in a hole for locating purposes later on.  Aluminum always leaves a real nice finish.

Over to my recently-restored monster bandsaw.  I chopped through this chunk like it was butter.

Back to the mill to square up my bandsaw cut, and take it down to specified thickness of 1.500.  I also indicated in and zeroed at the center for a radial hole pattern.

I started all my holes with a center drill.

Here's an example of my digital readout.  The X and Y axis were zeroed at the center of the workpiece, and now I can just move to the proper coordinates for each hole.  Pictured would be the 6 o'clock hole location.

Drilling holes generates alot of chips!  I have 4 through holes, and 4 blind holes.  I drill through into a planar piece of wood.

I started the blind tapped hole by hand.  I just use the chuck as a guide, and put the mill transmission in neutral.  This way the threads are started straight and don't veer off halfway through the hole.

The other 4 holes were counterbored for socket head cap screws.

Out of the vice, and onto the rotary table to make a big hole.  Since I don't have drill bits that are 1.5 inches in diameter for the center through hole, I use the rotary table, and mill it out with a smaller end mill.  First, I have to indicate in the center of the table for my zero point.

Then I clamp my part down.  Center of the part is directly over the center of the rotary table.

Then I simply move one axis to enlarge the hole.  Here I made a 1.500 through hole with a 0.500 end mill.  To do so, I simply move the X axis to the right 0.500 inch.

Also notice I made a ring of 1.875 inside diameter by 0.500 deep.  To make 1.875 inside diameter, I move my end mill to 0.6875.  Mill math is fun.  Lathe math is more fun.

And here's my final part.  This will get bolted to the flywheel of the engine with the counterbored cap screw holes, and then the drive shaft gets mounted to this hub with the tapped holes.

The 1.500 inch through hole and related larger groove is simply clearance for a big nut on the flywheel.

It was a fun project to work through for an evening.

The Last Mowing Session of the Year

A couple of weeks ago during the warm spell, I finished mowing the yard for the last time this year.  I was mowing the back yard with about 3 minutes left to go when I hit something with the mower deck.  I should say I hit something BIG with the mower deck, for all the guards shuttered off, and of course it sounded just terrible. 

It turns out that my Number 2 Kiddo planted a landscape rock in the yard, and it was beneath some maple leaves.  It was a huge rock - the size of 2 fists put together. 

I finished up my last 3 minutes of mowing, and pulled the deck off to inspect the blades.  They were in pretty bad shape.  This one is the worst - pretty big chunks out of the entire length of the cutting surface:

 

 This blade was pretty bad, too.  It had a nice chunk missing from the tippy tip:

And here is my guilty boy with the rock that did all the damage.  I'm not sure why the rock doesn't look worse.  And I'm not sure why the boy is making such an odd face.

 

I'm leaning towards buying new mowing blades, for grinding out that much metal will really be taxing.  I have the winter to think about it though.