The Tool Tote

I made a new box for some tools.

I have a nice 3/8" drive ratchet set, and it sure is hard to keep it all together.  So this tool tote was an idea to make life easier.

A friend from church gave me a nice solid chunk of walnut.  I milled it out, and finished it with a few coats of tung oil.  It turned out real nice.  It looks more like furniture than a tool box.

I kept a low profile so I can tuck it away in my big tool drawer (as seen on Sept 2011).  It had to be less than 3.5 inches tall to fit in my drawer.

Slots are milled in for my custom made socket holders.  I have three different holders - 12pt, 6pt, and metric.

Sockets don't wiggle around.

Tools are snug.

Testing

I haven't posted much over the past month because the Google programmers are getting crafty.  Rather than using Internet Explorer for their Google supported blog, I now have to use Google Chrome.

So I am now using Google Chrome, and am testing out things in my blog.  Let's see if I can download a couple of test pictures now....

Wow - That was substantially faster than old IE.  I'm impressed so far.

One Year Older

All my old stuff turns older for the New Year 2013. 

From youngest to oldest:

 

 

John Deere Lawnmower - 26 years old:

Backup John Deere Lawnmower - 29 years old:

House - 48 years old:

 

 

Chevy truck - 49 years old

Monster Chainsaw - 53 years old

Typewriter - 63 years old:

John Deere LA - 71 years old:

John Deere H - 74 years old:

(This is an old pic back at Dad's farm)

Favorite slide rule (Post) - 81 years old:

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.