Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

Mo is limping. Don't know why, but I can't help feeling he wouldn't be limping if he had not insisted on going out at 3:30 this morning! I am going to keep a good eye on him until I see an improvement. I hope he does not need to go to the vet. Poor Mo. Old Dotty or Buddy would have been whisked to the vet immediately, but poor Mo has to live with a daddy who does not have the resources to look after him properly. 

Made this bowl, but I'm not pleased with it. It's OK but the finish is not what I would want, and some of the lamination lines are not clean. 

Maybe someone will like it.

3 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

When is your next doctor appointment?

No idea. I went to the hospital on the 15th and was told they would call me with the date & time of the biopsy. Or anything else they wanted to see me about before the biopsy. Since then, nobody has called me.

I have to see Dr. Kristi in the early part of next week to get a prescription. Last month she was away, and Dr. Gabby gave me a script for one month only. I will ask her if she has heard anything - which I doubt she will have - and if she thinks it seems a long time, she can call and chivvy them along.

But long delays are the norm when you have universal health care. I went to hospital once and they recommended I see a specialist. They told me there would be an eight-week wait to see him on the national health scheme, but if I was willing to see him privately (and pay) I could see him the next morning.

To be honest, I am feeling very low today. Like it's all hopeless. The reason I feel like this is because of the bandsaw. I've been struggling for 2½ years now, to keep my head above water, pay all the bills and Fred feed myself and my puppy. And I've managed so far, by the skin of my teeth. But I'm just bailing the boat as fast as I can, while waiting for the whole bottom to drop out. I drive as little as possible because gasoline had gone up again, and the car hasn't been serviced for years. At any time the engine could blow up, the table saw could seize up, the bandsaw could melt down, the computer could die, the lathe could self destruct... Everything is hanging by a thread.

And if course, now the bandsaw has melted down and I can't afford to fix it...

The big, annual expenses that nearly killed me last year? That I burned up the last of my resources to cover? Things like car insurance? Well, I told myself that in a whole year, surely some progress would be made by the lawyers and life would get a little easier? But no. Nothing has happened. Almost a full year has passed and those expenses are coming due again. Except I don't have the resources I did last year to help deal with them. 

Sales have been generally poor at Brighton, and the experienced hands are telling me that it will only get worse and worse between now and September, before things slowly pick up as Christmas approaches. I'm not sure I cam make it to September. When they start shutting off my utilities and my gas cylinder runs out, and the larder is bare and the bank grabs my pension to pay off the credit card leaving me with no money for rent...

So I feel like putting a blanket over my head and waiting for the end. For the axe to fall. Because I firmly believe that the legal issues with the family will not be resolved. Mum's will will not be probate in my lifetime. Of course, if I died today, it would all be finished by the middle of next week! 

And now, I need Mo.

Edited May 31, 2023 by Netfoot

[andidante]

9 hours ago, Netfoot said:

To be honest, I am feeling very low today. Like it's all hopeless. The reason I feel like this is because of the bandsaw. I've been struggling for 2½ years now, to keep my head above water, pay all the bills and Fred feed myself and my puppy. And I've managed so far, by the skin of my teeth. But I'm just bailing the boat as fast as I can, while waiting for the whole bottom to drop out. I drive as little as possible because gasoline had gone up again, and the car hasn't been serviced for years. At any time the engine could blow up, the table saw could seize up, the bandsaw could melt down, the computer could die, the lathe could self destruct... Everything is hanging by a thread.

The big, annual expenses that nearly killed me last year? That I burned up the last of my resources to cover? Things like car insurance? Well, I told myself that in a whole year, surely some progress would be made by the lawyers and life would get a little easier? But no. Nothing has happened. Almost a full year has passed and those expenses are coming due again. Except I don't have the resources I did last year to help deal with them. 

So I feel like putting a blanket over my head and waiting for the end. For the axe to fall. Because I firmly believe that the legal issues with the family will not be resolved. Mum's will will not be probate in my lifetime. Of course, if I died today, it would all be finished by the middle of next week! 

And now, I need Mo.

I'm so sorry Netfoot! I sincerely hope things get better for you and the legal issues will be resolved soon. I wish I could do something for you. 😟

[Netfoot]

Not my best day, let me tell you that. Feeling very depressed all afternoon. Not by any sort of clinical definition, but just feeling low and hopeless. 

Just come back from Garden Patrol and I spent most of the time watching how Mo walked. Earlier today he was limping and favouring his right fore, but this evening it's hard to see anything wrong with his gait at all.

There is a footpath right outside our garden wall. The ground outside is higher than on our side so when people walk along, their heads are visible from inside.

Mo does not appreciate people using that footpath without his permission. He runs down to the opposite end of the garden, sprints back and leaps five feet in the air, to hit the wall with this front paws, a foot from the top of the wall. This gets him briefly within a few inches  of the passer, who he barks shrilly at. Then he crash lands on the grass and runs down to the other end of the garden to repeat the process. It is an incredible site and it goes on until the passer by has, uh, passed by. Most passers who don't know what to expect freak a bit when an angry puppy appears at their shoulder, for a split second, barking his head off.

Sometimes he hits that wall so hard he hurts himself. I think that's what he's fine here. 

I recall when Dr. Kim, Dotty's vet was alive, I asked her what to give him for occasional pain. He was arthritic in his old age and some days he was obviously in pain. She told me that it was fine to give him an occasional Panadol so long as I didn't make a habit of it. I was going to give Mo one but google said I should never medicate my pet with human medication. 

Phone going to have the faulty switch-block replaced tomorrow. Hope it works out. Mean time I'd like to stop the phone from auto-logging in to everything. Amazon, YouTube, Chrome, Gmail.... Everything. If I could just log out of everything and stop the phone from automatically logging back on. Google says to do a factory reset on the phone. Lose all data, photos, emails, messages... But I do expect I'll want all of those things when I get the phone back, so simply deleting everything on the phone seems like an excessively radical plan!

Did little today except sit around binge-watching Survivor S44. Not a huge fan but got into watching years ago. I don't know, but the players in the more recent seasons seem weak and insipid compared to earlier times. 

I have a list of things I want to try making but I just can't seem to get to it. Someone suggested dice, and that was do long back I don't remember who it was suggested them. And I've actually gone and cut out the six different sides on two separate occasions! But the dice  remain unbuilt. Then, the toaster tongs. Just don't seem able to get going on these things. 

Got to go lay out meds for the next few days. Then I will lock up and come to bed

36 minutes ago, andidante said:

I'm so sorry Netfoot! I sincerely hope things get better for you and the legal issues will be resolved soon. I wish I could do something for you. 😟

Thanks for your kind concern. But I'll be OK. I am feeling a little low spirited due to some recent circumstances. The melt-down of the bandsaw, Mo limping, and so forth. I'm sure I will feel better in a day or two.

As for Mo, he was just here and his apparent limp didn't stop a particularly forceful game of Tummy Trampoline. And the very same paw was vigorously used to do some clawing at me as well!

[andidante]

I stopped watching Survivor a few years ago as it got really boring to me. I do like the Amazing Race! I still have to watch the last season though. 

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, andidante said:

I stopped watching Survivor a few years ago as it got really boring to me. I do like the Amazing Race! I still have to watch the last season though. 

TAR is my last remaining "Must Watch" TV show. I never liked Survivor much, and more recently even less. The competitors all seem to be a bunch of entitled nincompoops. I find it hard to find anyone to "root" for, and episode by episode I am only hoping that the most irritating of the remainder to be voted out. They are all irritating, but each episode someone stands out and I am hoping they get the boot come Tribal Council.

And you know, throwing more and more "twists" at the game and draping immunity idols over every branch of every tree really does not improve matters.

How I got into watching was I had a grand niece who, as a young girl, was a fanatical watcher and knew everything there was to know about every player, and could discuss their strategies at length. I began watching so I could converse with her about it. Now, she is a grown woman, married (and she didn't even inform me about the marriage far less invite me) and I have not spoken to her in years. But I still find myself watching, despite the game appealing less and less every season. 

But enough about Survivor!

Mo seems to be fine again, walking even running evenly on all feet and using the supposed injured foot (that he was favouring yesterday afternoon) to claw me out of bed this morning. The little faker!

Took my phone over to have it fixed. They are probably having a field day making Amazon purchases. They will call when it's ready for collection. "Maybe this afternoon!" Meanwhile, just tried an unusual technique on the lathe and ended up with a little three-legged bowl. I only used a piece of rough, old pine and it was splintery as hell. So, nothing to put up for sale, but it proves the idea will work. Went to take a photo and send it to you, but I suddenly realized the phone (with camera) is not here any more. 

I sure hope that tech fixes it and doesn't return it saying "It can't be fixed" or even, breaking it worse!

[Netfoot]

Damn and blast it! I just knew the bank was going to rip me off with a late fee for payment on my credit card!

I had to make my payment for April, no later than the 2nd of May. Now if I hadn't paid until the 3rd of May, I would have got a late fee, because the 3rd of May is beyond the payment period for April by one day. In fact, I made that payment on 7th April so over three weeks early!

Now, April having been paid over three weeks early, I made a payment for the next month, May, on the 3rd of May. Since the 3rd of May is too late to be a payment for April, it must be a payment for May, right?

Wrong!

They print statements of the 4th of each month, so the payment on the 3rd was made a day before the statements were printed. (They don't actually print statements any more because paperless. But they "generate" the statements on the 4th of each month. So since the payment on the 3rd of May was before the statement was "printed", it doesn't count for either month! too late for April, too late for May. So they have charged me a late fee. 

Which will deplete my available credit so that the interest will push me over the limit and generate an over-limit fee of another $80! The bastards have robbed me of $160 this month alone!

Is it any wonder that some people buy a rifle and climb a tower?

 

[Netfoot]

Right. Back from the bank, where I had to wait 45 minutes to even speak to someone, and then spend another 45 minutes with them to explain what had happened and ask them to take action to reverse the unreasonable charge. I say unreasonable because it doesn't seem reasonable to charge me a "Late fee" because I paid early.

The majority of the time, the woman could not locate the three payments I made in May. I told her: I made payments on the 3rd, the 11th and the 29th but that didn't help. She found the one on the 3rd, she fopund the one on the 29th, but she couldn't find the one on the 11th no matter how hard she tried. I asked her if she wanted me to point it out on the screen but she said I was not allowed to look at the screen.

I wanted to ask why it took upwards of 30 minutes to find this transaction on the 11th when there were only two transactions on the 11th. And in fact, there were only 12 transactions of any kind, for the entire month. But I remembered that I am actually there begging for a favour rather than demanding that they correct their mistake. So I kept my trap shut.

To find the third transaction, she had to call the card center and get someone there to find it for her. So eventually, she confirmed what I'd been telling her, and agreed to submit a "request" that the late fee be reversed. I pointed out that if it were not, then come Sunday (4th) there would be interest generated which would push my balance over the limit, resulting in another fee. Which would be directly caused by the improper imposition of the first fee. 

While this is all going on, I noticed a message on the internet banking site which says "Effective 3rd July 2023, <the bank> will only process over-the-counter (OTC) transactions on an exception basis." So you won't be able to go in and line up for a teller any more. You will have to use "alternative banking channels - Instant Teller/Smart ABM, Night Depository, Online Banking and Mobile App" instead. This means I can't go in and cash a cheque. I must deposit it through the ABM, wait three days for it to clear, and then withdraw it through the ABM as well. And if the amount exceeds the limit for daily withdrawals, I will have to get the cash in dribs and drabs, a little bit each day. Or, I suppose, figure out how to initiate a visit to the teller on an "exception basis." And if I want to deposit a cheque for more than ten grand, I will have to do the same, because these days, if I deposit over ten grand the demand I tell them the "source of the funds". Which as far as I know, you can't say, when depositing via an ABM. On such occasions I like to say things like "Prostitution."  Or "High-stakes Poker." Or "It is a cash bribe from the chairman of this bank, so I won't make public what I know about him." But my favourite is "If you want to know the source of funds, look on the cheque, which should list the source bank, account holder name and account number."

And all of this put paid to my plans to make two dice today. They are now cut out and ready to be glued together but I have to drill the spots first. I was in the process of making a drilling jig when I had to down-tools and rush over to the bank before it closed. Now that I've returned and completed the jig, I won't be able to use it for at least another hour (while the glue dries). By which time it will be dark, so the dice won't be finished today, so they can't be painted today and left to dry thoroughly overnight. 

Telephone tech lady just called to say she was only just starting work on the phone and would I mind waiting until tomorrow before I came and collected it? I said that would be OK. Because the alternative was to say I wouldn't wait until tomorrow, implying that I wanted it back before it could be repaired. 

Baah!

I will have a cuppa and share a small pack of teatime biscuits with Mo.

Edited June 2, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Since I don't have a phone, I can't lie in bed and post. So, I will do it now and then go on Garden Patrol with baby-Mo. 

Not having the phone means not having the reminder to take my meds on time, the timer to cook my dinner (pasta) for the correct duration, or the alarm to wake up in the morning. I am trying an online Wake-up Call service but I've never used them before so I don't know if it will actually work or not. I guess if I wake up hours late tomorrow, I will know that it doesn't.

I just want the phone back and hopefully, out of SAFE Mode.  If the repair is successful, I won't have a sticky volume-down button so that the volume doesn't go to zero if you only so much as flick the phone with your fingernail and vibrate the button into action. I am not interested in fixing the wonky charging port which doesn't seem to like all USB cords. That isn't important because I have not one, but two Qi chargers that work perfectly well with this phone, so I don't need to plug it in to charge. 

It's hot again tonight, and for the first time in days (weeks?) I have remembered that the screens in the bedroom fan need cleaning out. I always remember when I'm in bed and the fan is hardly blowing any air. Next morning as I hop out of bed, I never remember to remove the screens and wash them to clear away the dust. But I've just remembered so I will put the driver on the bed then take Mo out on  Patrol. When I get back, the driver will remind me to remove the screens and wash them. I guess I can do that in the shower and there is no good reason I can't actually have a cool shower myself while I'm at it.

So I will do that now, and after Patrol, fan cleaning and a cooling shower, I will hit the sack.

[Netfoot]

Good Morning! I guess...

WhatsApp Web (which has been working all day yesterday without the physical presence of the phone) presented me with a "login" screen this morning. It displays a QR code on the PC, and I have to start WhatsApp on my phone and scan the code. This links the browser window on my desktop to my account and allows me to use WhatsApp on my desktop.

So for now, I'm only available via landline and Telegram. I don't know when or if Telegram will similarly log me out, but for now... (Incidentally, I prefer Telegram to WhatsApp but WhatsApp users far outnumber Telegram users, so I have to have both.)

Went to bed early last night and was awoken by Mo around midnight. The ass next door just arrived home and (again) was (apparently) too drunk to crawl from the vehicle to the house. Mo went out and told him off, but returned to bed. I locked up again. Got up this morning to find the front door open. Mo has the ability to open the front door when it's locked and bolted six foot from the ground! All you need to do is leave that bolt slightly retracted. By which I mean if you push the bolt all the way in, he can't open it. But if you are even an eighth of an inch short of full in, he can open it.

He's done it several times, and since figuring out how,  I am always careful to make sure the bolt is fully engaged. I guess that at midnight last night, with my eyes full of sleep, I failed to seat it fully, so the reason he didn't wake me for the remainder of the night and came a-snuggling several times, was because the door was open and he could come and go as he wished. As could any burglars who were misinformed enough to think there might be something worth stealing in my house! The only thing of real value I have is Mo, and he is outside a lot, so nobody would need to come in to steal him. In fact, at one point Buddy as a little puppy was stolen! He was so naughty they returned him the next day, but that is not germane.

Oooo! Forgot today was Friday! The club Telegram robot I wrote just suggested a Friday Cocktail! Wonder if I can include it here?

The BSMC Robot generates these using a JSON API to The Cocktail Database.  There are over 600 drinks therein and it's crowd-sourced so if your favourite isn't in there, you can add it. The robot will generate one of these on demand, but I have it set to generate two a week - on Tuesday and (of course) on Friday. Today's drink sounds like a lime daiquiri but made with gin instead of rum. It's a pity I don't drink any more, because these always make me feel thirsty.

The robot also generates a silly joke every morning, and a list of useful exchange rates every week-day morning. It can produce a random recipe (using an API to a different database) but I have not perfected that as yet, so recipes are not generated automatically. 

In other news, the two "International" Wake-up Call services I tried failed to work this morning so I guess if I don't get my phone back today I will have to stay awake all night so as not to miss my 4:30 AM Up 'n' At 'Em time for Brighton tomorrow. Pretty Please can I just get a working phone back? Landlord called this morning to ask where the cheque was. ("In your mailbox like every other month as far back as you can remember, dummy!") He called the landline and told me he had spent the day calling the cell yesterday. I explained and he said how much simpler it would be to buy a new phone. Ye-es but the options are 1) Fix Pixel 3 for $125 or 2) buy PoS Samsung for $499. He informed me that there are phones selling for $100 "all over town". Really? I've never found one. It's true you can get cheaper Android phones made by FlyByNite & Co, Ltd, but they last about 4-6 months and they are running Android GO. Android GO is a cut down version of Android for phones whose hardware spec is so pathetic they can't run regular Android. I made the mistake once, so take my advice: Never buy a phone that is so underpowered it comes with Android GO. 

I have a die in process of being made. It's about 9" across and the pips are 1⅜" across, made by using a suitable Forstner bit to drill halfway through. The middle pip of the #5 face is drilled all the way through with a ½" bit, because i am considering leaving that face removable and using the ½" hole as a way to pull it off - stick your finger in the hole and lift. It turns out that is quite unnecessary. You can easily grip the edge of any pip and lift. Right now, I'm letting the glue dry. Afterwards the edges of the die will need rounding over with the router, and then it can be painted white and the pips darkened with black paint. I hate the router and I hate paint. A while ago a friend suggested building small stools for little kids to stand on so they can reach things like the sink to brush their teeth. I considered making 5-board benches in a suitable size, but maybe a suitably sized die would not only work for that, but potentially be a fun item for the bedroom? It could also be actually used to play any dice game that only uses one die. Or with a removable top it could contain treasures. Shelves could be added internally if required. The one I'm playing with now won't be for sale - I will use it as a prop for pother items to stand on is made of regular ½" ply, and I'm sure it would support the weight of an adult, but made from 12mm birch plywood they would be really tough. Different thicknesses could be used for different sizes, depending upon intended use. Don't know if the die will be ready for an outing tomorrow. Doubt it - not carrying anything that the paint isn't thoroughly dry on.

Got to go out today to collect something. Mo will go for the ride, of course. Hope to get a call later to go and collect the phone. 

[Netfoot]

The 9" die has has it's edges routed to a ¼" roundover and is all sanded but not painted. I will take it along tomorrow as a prop/stand for some of my other work, but I will paint it white with black pips during the course of next week. Might add szome magnets to help keep #5 in place.

Mo and I went out to collect some M5 grub screws. These are what the throat plate inserts that came with my tablesaw use to adjust the top of the insert level with the top of the table. But when I have made my own inserts, I have had to set the height by gluing on little pieces of wood under the insert intil it nis sticking up, then sand them slowlyu away until the insert comes level. If you sand off too much you have to stick on another little piece of wood and start sanding all over again. With these I can drill holes through the insert, drive in the grub screw, and adjust the insert with the appropriate Allen key. They came 30 to the pack which would allow 5 inserts to be made, assuming I used the maximum six screws per insert. And when an insert gets so beat up you have to make another, you can remove the screws from the old one and reuse them in the new.

Got a call from the phone tech. Wanted my password (presumably to go shopping with my account). Said she was testing the phone. The new switch-block had been put in to replace the sticky one, and the phone booted up perfectly normally, no SAFE Mode or anything. But! She had not yet screwed the phone back together, as she wanted to test everything first, in case she needed to tweak anything inside. This was at 3:00 PM.

I explained that I needed the phone today, very urgently. She said she didn't know if she would be able to finish it today since she was very busy. But she was working on my phone, right then! And they don't close until 8:00 PM! So she had five hours to test the phone out, screw it all back together, and call me. It's been 90 minutes already, but no word. So what is she going to do? Stop working on my phone so as to work on a different phone? C'mon, woman! Fix my phone and give me a call! Can't even take a shower, in case she calls while my head is under the water.

Finally got the bottom bandsaw wheel off, so I will take photos and show you what I've discovered. Eventually, I will take photos. When I get my phone back. Next week, if things continue at this pace!

Later: just returned from picking up my phone and it appears to be working fine. Playing Every Breath You Take by the Police. "Oh damn!" I hear you say. "Now we have to keep hearing uninteresting facts about ancient songs, musicians and bands!" Yes, you do!

Edited June 4, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

This little bugger:

us is why I put my phone away in 2019 and didn't fish it out until a couple months ago, out of necessity.

What we have here is three tiny switches; the three silvery rectangles with a black dot on them. The thing above that looking like a pole-necked gazoo with a square head, is the flexible board and connector (the head) that hooks these switches up to the rest of the circuitry. The switch on the left is power on/off and the others are volume up & down. The last one was the problem, because it was sticky. Had to replace all three switches because they come all together in this one unit.

New one installed and all seems fine now. Knowing my luck it will slip from my pocket tomorrow, directly into the path of a steamroller. But it should work OK until then.

It's after seven, and the late fee is still on my account. Since none of those lazy dogs will be working over the weekend, this guarantees an additional "Over Limit" fee when they compute interest on Sunday.

Really, sometimes it's hard to see how you are supposed to keep your head above water when a 17 billion dollar company has to screw you over for a couple hundred bucks. 

Going to get Mo his dinner. Had a hard time walking past Subway on the way home. Not eaten for the entire day and don't fancy cooking. Really wanted to go in and buy a sub and some chips fries or even just the fries. But with twenty six bucks in the bank... prolly a bad idea.

Edited June 3, 2023 by Netfoot

[andidante]

28 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Later: just returned from picking up my phone and it appears to be working fine. Playing Every Breath You Take by the Police. "Oh damn!" I hear you say. "Now we have to keep hearing uninteresting facts about ancient songs, musicians and bands!" Yes, you do!

 

 

I love your song facts, I learn something new each time. 

[Spunkygal]

11 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Good Morning! I guess...

WhatsApp Web (which has been working all day yesterday without the physical presence of the phone) presented me with a "login" screen this morning. It displays a QR code on the PC, and I have to start WhatsApp on my phone and scan the code. This links the browser window on my desktop to my account and allows me to use WhatsApp on my desktop.

So for now, I'm only available via landline and Telegram. I don't know when or if Telegram will similarly log me out, but for now... (Incidentally, I prefer Telegram to WhatsApp but WhatsApp users far outnumber Telegram users, so I have to have both.)

Went to bed early last night and was awoken by Mo around midnight. The ass next door just arrived home and (again) was (apparently) too drunk to crawl from the vehicle to the house. Mo went out and told him off, but returned to bed. I locked up again. Got up this morning to find the front door open. Mo has the ability to open the front door when it's locked and bolted six foot from the ground! All you need to do is leave that bolt slightly retracted. By which I mean if you push the bolt all the way in, he can't open it. But if you are even an eighth of an inch short of full in, he can open it.

He's done it several times, and since figuring out how,  I am always careful to make sure the bolt is fully engaged. I guess that at midnight last night, with my eyes full of sleep, I failed to seat it fully, so the reason he didn't wake me for the remainder of the night and came a-snuggling several times, was because the door was open and he could come and go as he wished. As could any burglars who were misinformed enough to think there might be something worth stealing in my house! The only thing of real value I have is Mo, and he is outside a lot, so nobody would need to come in to steal him. In fact, at one point Buddy as a little puppy was stolen! He was so naughty they returned him the next day, but that is not germane.

Oooo! Forgot today was Friday! The club Telegram robot I wrote just suggested a Friday Cocktail! Wonder if I can include it here?

The BSMC Robot generates these using a JSON API to The Cocktail Database.  There are over 600 drinks therein and it's crowd-sourced so if your favourite isn't in there, you can add it. The robot will generate one of these on demand, but I have it set to generate two a week - on Tuesday and (of course) on Friday. Today's drink sounds like a lime daiquiri but made with gin instead of rum. It's a pity I don't drink any more, because these always make me feel thirsty.

The robot also generates a silly joke every morning, and a list of useful exchange rates every week-day morning. It can produce a random recipe (using an API to a different database) but I have not perfected that as yet, so recipes are not generated automatically. 

In other news, the two "International" Wake-up Call services I tried failed to work this morning so I guess if I don't get my phone back today I will have to stay awake all night so as not to miss my 4:30 AM Up 'n' At 'Em time for Brighton tomorrow. Pretty Please can I just get a working phone back? Landlord called this morning to ask where the cheque was. ("In your mailbox like every other month as far back as you can remember, dummy!") He called the landline and told me he had spent the day calling the cell yesterday. I explained and he said how much simpler it would be to buy a new phone. Ye-es but the options are 1) Fix Pixel 3 for $125 or 2) buy PoS Samsung for $499. He informed me that there are phones selling for $100 "all over town". Really? I've never found one. It's true you can get cheaper Android phones made by FlyByNite & Co, Ltd, but they last about 4-6 months and they are running Android GO. Android GO is a cut down version of Android for phones whose hardware spec is so pathetic they can't run regular Android. I made the mistake once, so take my advice: Never buy a phone that is so underpowered it comes with Android GO. 

I have a die in process of being made. It's about 9" across and the pips are 1⅜" across, made by using a suitable Forstner bit to drill halfway through. The middle pip of the #5 face is drilled all the way through with a ½" bit, because i am considering leaving that face removable and using the ½" hole as a way to pull it off - stick your finger in the hole and lift. It turns out that is quite unnecessary. You can easily grip the edge of any pip and lift. Right now, I'm letting the glue dry. Afterwards the edges of the die will need rounding over with the router, and then it can be painted white and the pips darkened with black paint. I hate the router and I hate paint. A while ago a friend suggested building small stools for little kids to stand on so they can reach things like the sink to brush their teeth. I considered making 5-board benches in a suitable size, but maybe a suitably sized die would not only work for that, but potentially be a fun item for the bedroom? It could also be actually used to play any dice game that only uses one die. Or with a removable top it could contain treasures. Shelves could be added internally if required. The one I'm playing with now won't be for sale - I will use it as a prop for pother items to stand on is made of regular ½" ply, and I'm sure it would support the weight of an adult, but made from 12mm birch plywood they would be really tough. Different thicknesses could be used for different sizes, depending upon intended use. Don't know if the die will be ready for an outing tomorrow. Doubt it - not carrying anything that the paint isn't thoroughly dry on.

Got to go out today to collect something. Mo will go for the ride, of course. Hope to get a call later to go and collect the phone. 

You had me at Gimlet. 🍸

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

The 9" die has has it's edges routed to a ¼" roundover and is all sanded but not painted. I will take it along tomorrow as a prop/stand for some of my other work, but I will paint it white with black pips during the course of next week. Might add szome magnets to help keep #5 in place.

Mo and I went out to collect some M5 grub screws. These are what the throat plate inserts that came with my tablesaw use to adjust the top of the insert level with the top of the table. But when I have made my own inserts, I have had to set the height by gluing on little pieces of wood under the insert intil it nis sticking up, then sand them slowlyu away until the insert comes level. If you sand off too much you have to stick on another little piece of wood and start sanding all over again. With these I can drill holes through the insert, drive in the grub screw, and adjust the insert with the appropriate Allen key. They came 30 to the pack which would allow 5 inserts to be made, assuming I used the maximum six screws per insert. And when an insert gets so beat up you have to make another, you can remove the screws from the old one and reuse them in the new.

Got a call from the phone tech. Wanted my password (presumably to go shopping with my account). Said she was testing the phone. The new switch-block had been put in to replace the sticky one, and the phone booted up perfectly normally, no SAFE Mode or anything. But! She had not yet screwed the phone back together, as she wanted to test everything first, in case she needed to tweak anything inside. This was at 3:00 PM.

I explained that I needed the phone today, very urgently. She said she didn't know if she would be able to finish it today since she was very busy. But she was working on my phone, right then! And they don't close until 8:00 PM! So she had five hours to test the phone out, screw it all back together, and call me. It's been 90 minutes already, but no word. So what is she going to do? Stop working on my phone so as to work on a different phone? C'mon, woman! Fix my phone and give me a call! Can't even take a shower, in case she calls while my head is under the water.

Finally got the bottom bandsaw wheel off, so I will take photos and show you what I've discovered. Eventually, I will take photos. When I get my phone back. Next week, if things continue at this pace!

Later: just returned from picking up my phone and it appears to be working fine. Playing Every Breath You Take by the Police. "Oh damn!" I hear you say. "Now we have to keep hearing uninteresting facts about ancient songs, musicians and bands!" Yes, you do!

 

 

Every Breath You Take always spooked me. A stalky song. Off to make a gimlet now!

[Netfoot]

8 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Off to make a gimlet now!

LOL! Swap out the gin for a good rum (none of that Bacardi crap!) And you have a Lime Daiquiri!

In bed after a brief but congenial Garden Patrol. The moon is allllmost full. (Full will be tomorrow night at 23:42 local.) The fan is blowing a gale! Last night on my way into the shower I took off the front and rear screens and the fan itself for good measure. Inside the unit were the mummified remains of four mice. For some reason dozens and dozens of mice have committed suicide in this fan of or one like it, by wandering in and sticking their head in the spinning blade. Anyway, screens and fan blades washed clean in the shower and when they were reattached, the fan is blowing like a gale!

The stream of air makes for a cool experience when right out of the shower. Car packed, togs set out and EDC moved into them. Mo has been advised that tomorrow he will be "On Guard" and now I'm ready to wind down. Due to the absence of the phone last few days, my meds schedule is in a mess so I have to stay up until eleven to take my last dose tonight. Tomorrow's breakfast meds are in the new, little pill carrier on my keychain. Mo is godnozewhere and the back pain that had been bothering me has faded ever since I got my phone back.

Hope I get a few things sold tomorrow. I not only have to pay all the bills for this month, I have to pay the bank their ill-gotten gains, and try to put something aside for repairs on the bandsaw. And, starting next month insurance is due on the car, too. They have a weird system where you pay two months of insurance every month, and after six months you stop paying because the whole year is now paid for. 

Mechanical Animals from the album of the same name by Marilyn Manson. This album cover features Manson made up into complete androgenous weirdness. 

If I remember correctly, this album cover caused quite a stir for the naked (if sexless) figure it depicts. In Japan it also caused a stir. Not because of the creepy looking, nude body-form, but because apparently if you look closely you will see that the figures hands are  six fingered. Which is highly scandalous in the land of Nippon. 

Manson is weird. But I remember Vincent Furnier who never made it big until he changed his name to Alice Cooper, grew his hair long, painted his eyes black and started biting the heads off snakes on stage. But I like Manson's (and Cooper's) music. Manson can be a bit foul mouthed but I am a grown-up and have no parents left to control me. And as a protégé of Trent Reznor of NIИ (Nine Inch Иails) fame, the mouth can be understood, if not actually approved of.

I'm hungry and thirsty. I had nothing to eat until around eight this evening. I cooked up a small dish of chow mein noodles with onion & bully beef. I obviously cocked something up, because the meal was quite salty, which made me thirsty. I did drink a glass of water but despite being still thirsty, I am avoiding drinking. I know that if I just give in and try to quench this thirst I will be full of water to the point that my tummy gurgles. And after that comes diarrhea. Not something I want to deal with at the farmers market. So, no more to drink, thank you. 

I can hear Mo barking furiously at the front gate. Has the guy from across the road come home drunk again? Can I persuade Mo to come in and sleep? Oh, here he is now! Ooof! He just plunked himself down on my tummy. Good thing I'm not full of water, eh? 

Well I will play with him until eleven, take my meds for the evening, and then lock up. Mo can be in or out as he prefers. But if he stays in then wakes me in the night with his shrill barking with his nose pressed against my eardrum, while using those talons to scratch at my expensive, grafted skin, I will throw his butt back out again. And the next time I open it, I will be scooting off to Brighton with no time for more than a quick pat on the head as I pass him on the doorstep. 

Ok, time to out Friday (and Mo and myself) to bed!

Edited June 3, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I can't remember who it was suggested making dice, but I like the idea. And here is the one I made this week:

I am using it as a stand for other items, at the moment. It still needs a coat of paint. Or I could stain the pips dark and leave the surface light by giving it a coat of clear lacquer. Here it is in use:

Obviously, I have not worked out the best way to use it. The top face (#5) comes off to give access to the inside. I may add a couple magnets to help hold it in place.

Mo was extra snuggly last night, and didn't ask to go out even once. He's a sweet boy, between being a klepto and a demon. 

My back hurts when I sit and my foot hurts when I stand. We are looking at a 50%+ chance of rain, but so far no rain and no customers either!

There is a little fly that is making me miserable...

[Netfoot]

I mentioned a three-legged bowl I made. The technique is a bit unusual, so I made this to see if I understood it and could get it to work.

It is made from a block of splintery, old, dry pine I had knocking around for ages. It is cracked and chipped and ugly, but the technique worked. Here is the underside:

Standing upright on it's three feet, the rounded bottom dies not touch the table. You may be trying to figure out how it's made. I will give you a hint. After turning on the lathe, no other tools were used to complete the design. The blank was attached to the lathe, turned, and the shape you see emerged. Yes, one of the legs/feet had a large chip missing. There is a smaller chip missing in the top... right next to a large crack. But it was only a test piece. 

The narrow opening can be turned back, leaving a shallower bowl but with a wider opening.

[Netfoot]

I'm sitting at home, contemplating lunch. It's hot. The "RealFeel" temperature for today is supposed to reach 40°C (104°F). RealFeel is like Wind Chill except they take into account more than just the wind. It also uses humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation and elevation to come up with the final number.

Today was awful at Brighton, if you look at visitor numbers. Never seen it so bad. Again, everyone saying it will get worse through end of September/mid October before ramping back up for Christmas. Very few people came to talk about my wares, but I did sell a tamarind bowl for $75, so after setting aside $10 for next week's entry fee, I brought home $65. Not much, but considering that the bank account contained only $26 to begin with, I am happy to take what I got. 

I sat between Sally who sells hand-painted decorative pottery [I believe I should have said ceramics, but I'm no expert.] and Cathryn (Kathryn?) who sells focaccia. We got on well. Ahmed who sells honey and honeycomb tried to squeeze in with us, but that obnoxious bunch from the church at the end just made his life so miserable he packed up and moved down to share with Haley. I asked him why he put up with them and he noted that they come from Alison's church, so perhaps it wouldn't be wise for him to express how he actually felt.

My back was hurting all morning despite my taking a couple of Panadol first thing. And it's hurting now. I'm going into the kitchen and find something to eat then maybe take a long afternoon nap.

Edited June 3, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Oh, I wanted to show you this:

These are the two wheels off the bandsaw. The tires are supposed to have a slight crown on then them which, contra-intuitively helps the blade stay on rather than drift off the side.

The upper (right) wheel has a badly damaged tire, with the crown essentially gone and only a rough, flat surface remaining. In an emergency and with some effort, you might get this to work.

The lower (left) wheel by contrast is terrible! A deep, rough trench has been formed in the tire, and I doubt you could get this to work no matter how you tried.

So a new set of tires will be needed as well as two new 5mm steel balls. And it makes sense to replace the worn guides and bearings while I'm at it. Also replacing the broken locking-lever also makes sense. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to pay for those parts right now. Far less ship them here and give Customs their pound of flesh.

Edited June 4, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Last night, Mo TP'd the bedroom. He stole an almost expended roll of TP from the bathroom and did himself proud! Of course, I spoke to him sternly about it. And I out put all rolls of TP above his reach. 

First think thing I noticed on Garden Patrol is that he had TP'd part of the garden. My first question was how had he got the roll? Then I remembered an almost expended roll that I'd left by the bed a few nights earlier when I was sniffling in bed. Sure enough, that was now gone.

She's Gone by Hall & Oates. Never been a huge fan but some of their songs do press that nostalgia button. And this is one of them. When this was released I was in the lower sixth, wondering whether I would get into college and what I should study there. Up until then I'd assumed I would become a commercial airline pilot and was trying to decide between Hamble and Perth, the top flight-schools in Britain. But suddenly it was the height of "The Oil Crisis" and pilots we're getting laid off by the tens of thousands. So "Whatcha gonna be when ya grow up?" suddenly became hard to answer. I'd also recently met my first serious girlfriend so I was simultaneously in that headspace.

And a response to @Spunkygal's "stalkery" comment on Every Breath You Take; I'm not sure the term "stalker" was in common use when this song came out, which was prolly a decade before "stalking"was made illegal. So I'm not sure I felt the same as you when it was released, and I doubt they were going for that when they wrote the song. Probably aiming at intense love/emotion/etc instead. Of course, considering the lyrics with modern day knowledge and attitudes the "stalkery" implications are inescapable. 

Tomorrow, I want to get my Scroll Saw pulled out, and see if I can get it running. Shouldn't be an issue because it was running not that long ago - six or seven months. The real problem will be figuring out where to put it!

Going for a shower and then will lock up and go to sleep.

Edited June 4, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Pulled the scroll saw out from behind the lathe. Have a look at this photo:

The thin black line is a scroll saw blade. Look at the other two parts. They are essentially wing-bolts - similar to a wing-nut but a bolt instead of a nut.

The top one is used to hold a sort of safety mechanism onto the saw. It is an adjustable "foot" that pressed lightly on top of what ever you are cutting, so that on the up-stroke, the blade doesn't lift the workpiece.

The bottom one is used to secure the bottom of the blade to the oscillating mechanism, under the table. There should be an identical one for securing the top of the blade... But it's missing.

Fortunately, the screw for holding on the "foot" has a matching thread and will allow me to secure the blade top. 

Notice the difference in the screws? The bottom one (blade clamp) has a tiny extra protrusion on the end of the threads. That is the only difference between the top and bottom wing-bolts.

Oh, excuse me! I've discovered another difference. The top one costs US$4.41 to replace, while the bottom one costs US$15.66 and this is the one that needs replacing. Of course. ☹️🐾

[Lovecat]

On 6/3/2023 at 6:33 AM, Netfoot said:

can't remember who it was suggested making dice, but I like the idea.

That was me!  I was imagining something quite a bit smaller, to roll on a tabletop, but what you’ve built is super-cool :)

[Netfoot]

55 minutes ago, Lovecat said:

I was imagining something quite a bit smaller, to roll on a tabletop...

I also have this one cut and chamfered but with no pips drilled in yet. It's held together with tape:

(Notice Mo asleep with his head on my foot!)

This is a "Carpet Die", and can be used to play any game. This one will be completely glued together as opposed to the bigger one with the removable top. I'm considering putting in a bean or something so it rattles when shaken or  rolled. It's made of quality 6mm birch ply, not crap like the bigger one.

I did cut out an even smaller one, about 2" square, from 6mm birch ply but those pieces got lost. They may turn up later. But one realization I've had is that nobody is going to be interested in a die. What I have to start doing is making pairs of dice! Not sure if a pair of dice should mirror their colours or not. One white with black pips; one black with white pips.

Bank did not reverse the late charge for paying early. Then they computed interest which put me over my limit, so now I get a nice, little "over limit" fee as well. Don't know. Just don't know.

Edited June 5, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Just in from our Garden Patrol. Went to put the wheelie-bin out for collection tomorrow (it's mostly full of sawdust, all bagged because the dustmen complained about the dust. There was some minor excitement when I couldn't find the house keys. I have a comprehensive bunch in my pants pocket, but I have a smaller bunch on a much longer chain. This has keys for only house, car and gate. These so if I want to open the car or unlock the gate or something, I don't have to get my main bunch out of the pocket of my street shorts. Couldn't find them on the usual place they hang and really started to panic. With this bunch, you could open the house, load everything I have into the van, open the gate and drive off!

They don't usually leave home, but I did recall that when I rushed over to the bank on Friday, I discovered them draped around my neck. I figured I'd lost them in a very busy mall, or...  Searched frantically for over 20 minutes.

Finally found them draped over the  Dirty-Tee-Shirts-But-Not-So-Dirty-They-Can't-Be-Worn-Again pile, right over the shirt I was wearing Friday.

The entire garage is mass confusion. At one end the bandsaw sits with it's guts hanging out. At the other, the lathe, bench grinder and scroll saw are competing for the same space with an absolute ton of crap, plus a mountain of sawdust, my old table saw and a very nasty, plastic, router table.

When I look at that old table saw and remember what it was like using it, I give thanks for the flash of inspiration that prompted me to buy my G0690 cabinet saw. Anyway, I took it apart and removed the 13 amp motor. I hope some day to build a disk sander and possibly a belt grinder out of it. 

So the entire work area is a mess with machines higgly-piggly all over each other, ankle deep in sawdust and littered with off-cuts if wood that are too useful-looking to throw out. And up behind it all, my beat-up, junky, Adirondack chair. I will drag that out of there in the morning and see how much crap I can clean up. But I have to go carefully. 

When using a scroll saw, you have to undo one end of the blade to feed it through the hole you want to start your cut at, and when done, you have to undo one end of the blade again, to release the work piece. It would be natural to leave the wing-bolt loose, and the end of the blade free. I used this saw 6-7 months ago and it's not been meddled with since. The wing-bolt you'd use would be the easily accessible top one, which is the one that's gone missing. I'm thinking that it could be possible that vibrations from the lathe night have reached the scroll saw and caused that untightened wing-bolt to reverse out and fall onto the floor, to be lost amongst the shavings there. So tomorrow, I will sift through the shavings in the appropriate spot in the hope I will find that missing part! Fingers crossed!

I'm falling asleep as I type so I will douse the light and try to get some sleep. Have to see Dr. Kristi within the next few days. Need a prescription and a little chat about possible changes but she is so busy these days I hate to waste her time asking silly questions when genuinely sick people are waiting to consult her.

[Netfoot]

Did a little cleanup this morning, around where the scroll saw was. Started by pulling out that rough, old, crapwood Adirondack chair, then vacuuming carefully, I sucked up a half-tub of shavings. To double-check, I emptied the vacuum out into a bag for disposal, one handful at a time, feeling through the dust as it trickled through my fingers and watching for the missing clamp bolt in the shavings as they fell onto the top of the pile in the bag. Nothing to be found.

More vacuuming to come, but maybe lunch first. Not sure how to proceed getting everything rearranged. I know where I want each machine to go, but the each machine is sort of blocking the others. Plus there is other crap stashed here and there that will need to be shifted - if I can only figure out where to put it!

Did a little cleanup this morning, around where the scroll saw was. Started by pulling out that rough, old, crapwood Adirondack chair, then vacuuming carefully, I sucked up a half-tub of shavings. To double-check, I emptied the vacuum out into a bag for disposal, one handful at a time, feeling through the dust as it trickled through my fingers and watching for the missing clamp bolt in the shavings as they fell onto the top of the pile in the bag. Nothing to be found.

More vacuuming to come, but maybe lunch first. Not sure how to proceed getting everything rearranged. I know where I want each machine to go, but the each machine is sort of blocking the others. Plus there is other crap stashed here and there that will need to be shifted - if I can only figure out where to put it!

[Netfoot]

Here is my jig for drilling pips on die faces:

You register the face up against the two 90° fences, and adjust the jig so the drill is directly above the center of the face. Then you clamp the jig to the drill press table.

To keep all the pips equal in depth, you set the depth-stop of the drill press to set the depth hole you desire

At this point you can drill all the faces that get a center-pip (1, 3 & 5).

Next, the corner holes.

[Netfoot]

By adding two appropriately sized spacers, the faces of the die are offset, so without moving the jig, holes can be drilled in the corners. 

Two diagonally opposite pips (2, 3) and all for corners (4, 5, 6) and we're almost done!

Removing one of the spacers allow a 4-pip side to be drilled twice more, with the drill centrally in one direction and aligned with the corner-pips (6).

Easy and foolproof! Except.....

[Netfoot]

Using a rule and a combination square, I checked the alignment of the pips on each face.

For some reason, the pips often failed to line up!

Both perpendicular to the edge

and diagonally, 

The holes don't align! How is this possible?

It turns out, the table was not locked. ☹️So the table was free to move left & right around the column. Only a little movement is all it takes; far less than enough to be noticed. So the smaller die is spoiled.

You live and learn. Make sure the depth stop is adjusted and locked tight, make sure the table is level and locked. Make sure the chuck is properly tightened.

[Notabug]

3 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Using a rule and a combination square, I checked the alignment of the pips on each face.

For some reason, the pips often failed to line up!

Both perpendicular to the edge

and diagonally, 

The holes don't align! How is this possible?

It turns out, the table was not locked. ☹️So the table was free to move left & right around the column. Only a little movement is all it takes; far less than enough to be noticed. So the smaller die is spoiled.

You live and learn. Make sure the depth stop is adjusted and locked tight, make sure the table is level and locked. Make sure the chuck is properly tightened.

@Netfoot, instead of starting all over again, couldn't you just finish them and advertise them as crooked dice for crooked players?  Somebody might get a laugh out of it and buy them as a gag gift or something.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Notabug said:

couldn't you just finish them and advertise them as crooked dice for crooked players?

That's a clever idea! I could even weight the dice to favour a particular number!

What I will try to do is use a slightly larger Forstner bit and redrill a little deeper. This might correct the crooked pips. 

But I like the idea of the "Crooked Dice" angle. I just wonder if it means I have to try and make another one, so I have a pair that like to roll Sevens!

By the way, if you want to check a pair of dice to see if they are weighted, drop them in a glass of water. If they sink or float, either way, they will show whether or not they are "fair" dice. But I wouldn't recommend dropping dice in water if they're made of plywood...

Corner-loaded dice are more difficult to spot than side-loaded. So be watchful!

[Netfoot]

Iy y  :. n bed with aches and pains all over. Feet, calves, thighs, stomach, back and head. Don't know why. Mo lying against my front and back alternatively, and just now, he bump my legs into position and laid his head on my thigh. 

At lunchtime I had to run out again because it transpired there was no grub in the house for him. The bank followed the late fee with an over limit fee just as if feared so I've gone from $202 up to -$154 down.

Gotta get a prescription for meds by Thursday. Last month Dr. Gabby did it for me because Dr. K. was away. Now, she isn't travelling but she is suffering with a bad cough. Clauda said she is seeing as few patients as possible but she (Clauda) would call me in the morning if Dr. Kristi could see me. I said I would go to Dr. Gabby again, rather than keep her at work any more than she must be tomorrow, if I can

Will continue with cleanup and improving the layout of the shop tomorrow. But right now I must prize a sleepy puppy out of my butt and go lock up the house before I get so sleepy I can't move!

Edited June 6, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Trying to clear up a little bit of the chaos that my garage gas become. 

In case you didn't realize, I never laid out the garage as a workshop. I shoved some tools into it any old how and forgot about them while I was dealing with various issues like MG and then the CV19. Recently, when I started using them again, I essentially found myself using them where ever they were, no matter how badly arranged they were. Last couple of days I'm trying to get the lathe, grinder and (now) scroll saw arranged in a more reasonable layout. When that's finished I can work on the mountains of crap that has accumulated between the tools.

Today's cocktail, from the club's Telegram group:

This one's for you, @Spunkygal !!

[Netfoot]

If you look at this photo, you may be able to see what I'm doing.

On the left, stretching away from the viewer, is the lathe. To operate it, I stand on the right of it, facing left, towards the lathe. 

At the back you can see a shelving rack full of junk, and to it's right, the bench grinder on a yellow pedestal. The grinder is used frequently to sharpen lathe chisels. It used to be located on the opposite side of the lathe, far left, sort of where the green bag of sawdust is. To use the grinder, I had to step around the lathe, sharpen the chisel, and step back around the lathe again. 

In front of the grinder is the scroll saw. It has a yellow mechanism at the rear, and a large, silvery, teardrop table in front of it. (I am assuming everyone knows what a scroll saw is and generally how they look.) How it is positioned only served to partially block the grinder. 

To the right is a pile of crap, on top (and under) a "table" with a green cloth over it. There is so much dust on that green top you might have to search for it! That table is a rectangular piece of plywood laid across an old bin/drum. 

This table plus the crap it carries has to be eliminated. That would open up a space, where I could move the scroll saw to the right to where it no longer hinders use of the grinder. 

At the bottom, you can see a white, circular object with a joke hole in the middle. This is a stool I made from the center of a roll of newsprint. When I say I made it, I mean I painted it white. It is 24" tall and about 13" diameter. I use this stool when operating the scroll saw. Scroll saws are very flexible as to what sort of curves and shapes they can cut, but they are not fast. You need to sit down to operate them. Also, I have a foot-pedal switch for the scroll saw, so you can stop/start easily when repositioning your workpiece. The foot-pedal works best when you are sitting.

Left of the stool a brown circle is also visible. This is a section cut from a telephone pole. It is also about 13" wide but only 16" tall.bit It is an alternative stool for the scroll saw. It gets your face right down in the action but gives a more oblique view of the work which might make following a pattern more difficult

It also weighs 3.8x10²¹ metric tons. Now, if I had a real lathe, with 7-8" over the ways, I would turn it between centers and give it an hourglass shape. Which would not only be more pleasing aesthetically, but would reduce the weight by 70-80% as well. 

You can see the field is choked with sawdust and I need to do a cleanup before proceeding. But for some reason the dustmen came yesterday, emptied everyone else's wheelie-bins, and left mine full. Dunno why.

Also got to sort out electricity. On the front of the grinder pedestal, you can see a magnetic safety switch with a paddle to turn it off. There are two regular two-outlet plates on the back of that pedestal, controlled by the safety switch. The grinder itself, the lathe, the scroll saw and a long extension cord plug in back there. So in an emergency I can kick the paddle and kill all the tools in the circle.  I have to arrange power cord extensions, so I can get everything plugged in to that pedestal.

Edited June 7, 2023 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

Cheers, Netfoot! That Hemingway Special sounds mighty tasty! I’ve never had anything with maraschino liqueur in it. I’m visiting friends in another state and last night had a light, refreshing lemony drink that had hints of a lemon pie. I mentioned that to the bartender who said it had just a tad of a whipped cream vodka! Now I know there are many flavored vodkas now, but whipped cream? It was delicious! 

[Netfoot]

45 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

Cheers, Netfoot! That Hemingway Special sounds mighty tasty! I’ve never had anything with maraschino liqueur in it. I’m visiting friends in another state and last night had a light, refreshing lemony drink that had hints of a lemon pie. I mentioned that to the bartender who said it had just a tad of a whipped cream vodka! Now I know there are many flavored vodkas now, but whipped cream? It was delicious! 

Glad to hear you're having fun!

Ernest Hemingway lived in Havana and he liked his lime daiquiris without sugar, so this is the variant on the daiquiri that he drank. Also known as a Hemingway Daiquiri.

Note that it is more than 45% rum!

[Netfoot]

This thingy is from the scroll saw. The manufacturer calls it an "air hose" but I think of it as the "puffer nozzle". 

It's made of identical, hard plastic pieces, each of which has a ball on one end and a socket on the other. They snap tightly together to form a flexible pipe. There is a part of the saw that has a built in ball that fits into the socket at one end of the pipe. At the other end, we see a nozzle.

Inside the mechanism of the saw is a little bladder or a little piston; maybe something like a tiny bellows. Not sure which - never taken this apart. As the saw operates, it causes the piston (Bladder? Bellows?) To generate a series of tiny puffs of air, which are directed down the pipe, which blows any sawdust away, preventing a buildup around the blade.

The piece at the end where it snaps to the saw had cracked. Because of the crack the tube was not tightly connected to the machine. So the tube would droop and get in your way. And the stream of puffs would end up pointed the wrong place to help with dust. 

I removed the cracked section, replaced the tube (with considerable difficulty) and now the saw is fully functional, except I need to go and get that blade clamping screw replaced at some point.

There is only one problem. Well, truth be told, there are several problem, such as the blade being so fine I can barely see it. But the real problem is: I can't cut a straight line or follow a mark to save my life!

[Netfoot]

I've been cutting out parts for the micro-Adirondack chairs. The scroll saw is working well, despite my being apparently unable to cut in a straight line. (But I think I'm getting better.) Unfortunately, I broke the blade I have been using. It is a #5 blade and fortunately I have a few spares.

I think the problem is, I am impatient. Scroll saws can cut all sorts of intricate shapes

but it isn't fast. I tend to push the work into the blade hard, which will lead to premature blade failure.

I could really use a cup of tea right now, but I have decided to limit myself to one cup every three days. If my blood sugar is in the 4's. So only one cup in the last six days and this morning the BS was 5.3 mmol/L so nothing until Saturday. And if someone buys me a coffee or Toni showers me with irresistibly delicious pastries, then no tea until next Tuesday! 😕

So, boring woodworking photos out of the way, let us look at something much nicer:

Looking a little like he's been woken from a deep sleep, because I just woke him from a deep sleep! I looked around and couldn't see him anywhere, so I frisked the entire house and... suddenly he was standing right behind me. I dunno where he was but it's obvious he was sleeping. He does tend to sleep during the day - that's how he has the energy to carouse all night!

One thing about the scroll saw. It is a pain in the back, literally. Too much hunching over. But the same is true of the lathe, so...

[Netfoot]

Owwwwwwch!

Had a stinging feeling in my right calf, and when I looked:

Obviously, I pulled it out. It was stuck pretty firmly, but out it came in the end. But...

... where's the tip?!?? I had to go fetch a new #26 blade and a #4 handle and do some digging.  Finally...

there it was! Pain in the calf greatly diminished, thankfully. I'm rather glad that isn't stuck in my leg. I'd have been very upset when they were cutting off my leg thanks to gangrene! 

I've scrolled out the "shaped" pieces for up to four mini-chairs. 

Each piece you see is actually two pieces. I cut two layers at a time. That way, matching parts (say, the arms) will match. They may not be perfectly matched chair-to-chair, but the parts of each chair will match each other.

At the top: four pairs of arms, two different shapes. To the right, four pairs of seat supports. At the bottom, four pairs of lower back supports, and to the left, four pairs of upper back supports. In the middle, four pairs of arms braces. 

If you are thinking, you will conclude that each chair only requires one each of lower and upper back supports. This is true! The extras are spares which I can use should I decide to make more chairs. In that case, I don't have to cut out these parts because I already have them!

Of course, extra pieces will be needed. Tapered back slats, seat slats and two rear support struts. I'll have to get into cutting them this afternoon. Fortunately, these can be cut on the table saw. I will have to make a small tapering jig, but hopefully that won't be too difficult.

But back hurting, so I will relax a bit and sit here fantasize about having a cup of tea.

[Netfoot]

Ok, I cut the front legs for the chairs but then I went to cut the seat slats. 32 slats will be needed. I cut three strips the correct width, and was about to start cutting them down into slats the correct length when I stopped. 

Sometimes you need to cut something ling thin & skinny to length. If you want several, the thing to do is set up a "stop".

For instance, if you need a lot of parts 4" long, you can set the fence 4" from the blade. Slide the long strip up until it touches the fence, then slide the miter gauge forward until the cut I'd is made. Slide back, but the end of the strip against the fence again, and cut, rinse, repeat...

Very fast way to produce items the same length. One problem!  Each piece you cut off occupies the space between blade and fence, and it is a near perfect fit for the space. If a little vibration causes it to turn a little, the corners will touch the blade & fence simultaneously. If it does, it will get pinched between blade g fence. The blade will pick it up and throw it at you at 103 MPH. 

I was about to cut 32 seat slats. What chance I could cut them all and not have an exciting moment or two? A good chance, actually, because it happens rarely. But when it does...

The solution is simple. Don't use the fence directly as a stop. Instead, use a little block of wood attached to the fence. And I often do that - get a little block of wood and a clamp, and attach the block to the fence, several inches back from the blade. I adjust the fence (and the block) to the correct spacing, push the length of my strip against the block to set the length, and when I push the guide forward, the strip sides away from the block and through the blade, with plenty of space enough to prevent a pinch.

But searching the bin for a suitable piece of scrap to make a block, locating the right size clamp can be a pain. 

So today I took the time to do something I've been meaning to do for months. I made a permanent block that can sit on the fence at all times. If it interferes with a cut I'm doing, I can lift it off and set it aside until I'm done. And in the mean time the top of the block is actually a shallow tray that I can keep my Wixey, pencils, etc in. 

Lying in bed, wet from the shower on a really calm night. The fan is cooling me. Mo is looking out the window. 

All I Need (avec Beth Hirsch) from Moon Safari by Air. This is a French duo whose first album (this one) had a couple of interesting tracks. I really don't know much about the band, because, well, French. I think I only own two French albums. This one, and Installation Sonore by «rinôçérôse». Another duo, the two musicians are psychologists who work in an asylum by day and produce rock/electronic dance music by night. I understand they got the name from an inmate who drew a picture of a rhinoceros but didn't know how to spell the word. The musicians saw the incorrect label on the drawing and adopted the name.

Well, two days and I have not heard from Clauda or Dr. Kristi. I could hang on until next week, but if I didn't get a new batch of meds on Monday, I'd be in trouble Tuesday morning.  So I will call Clauda tomorrow and tell her to make me an appointment to get a new prescription from either Dr. K. or Dr. Gabby, which ever is most convenient. I am concerned about Dr. K. and it distresses me to think of her ill. 

Mo has gone out for a prowl. I will read a chapter of my book, then I will fetch him and lock up. When I say "fetch", I mean "invite him to come" which he almost always does. And if he decides on a warm night like tonight he's happier sleeping on the front steps, I just wish he'd make that known when I'm locking up. Instead of waiting until I've been down for an hour and just entering state of deep-wave sleep.

He's leaning against my back. I guess it's time to try for a lockup...

Edited June 8, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

The parts are all cut out. I sanded the 12 edges and 6 facets of the 8 front legs, and the same for the 33 seat slats (4x8 plus a spare).

Next the 7x4 = 28 tapered pieces; five for the fan/back and two for the rear struts. I recall the little chair I made for my great grand niece used different tapers for the back and struts, but I'm going with a common taper for these items. So I needed a suitable tapering jig.

A simple piece that slides along the fence skimming the blade. A smaller fence is glued to this at our desired angle. 

 

A rectangular blank sits on the jig with the unwanted piece overhanging the edge of the left. Pencil with eraser an essential tool for holding the blank in place while safeguarding fingers.

Edited June 8, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

As the jig slides along the fence and past the blade, the unwanted triangle is cut away, leaving a tapered part for use in the back/fan or a rear strut.

Here you see all the pieces made today. On the left, 33 seat slats, all sanded. On the right 8 front legs. All of these sanded. But in the middle 28 tapered strips, waiting to be sanded. 

The "shaped" parts which I've shown previously meed to be fettled a little, and they are in this green tray.

Now, I've got to go sand some tapers!

[Netfoot]

This Is Hardcore by Pulp. Front man Jarvis Cocker "is not Jesus, though he had the same initials." I know only a few things about him. He once rose from the audience and ran up on stage to mock Michael Jackson in the middle of an excessively self-absorbed & narcissistic concert Jackson was performing in Britain. Cocker was thrown out of the concert for his pains. I think this was around the time Jackson had a 50' tall statue of himself floated down the Thames and through London. But what impressed me about JC most was when in the early days of his career he fell out of a window trying to impress a girl by doing a Spiderman impersonation and had to perform for the next few concerts in a wheelchair. (History is silent on whether his impersonation met with any success vis-à-vis the girl.)

It's late and Mo and I are already buttoned up in bed. Despite tonight being nearly as calm and still as last night, it is quite cool, and I will need my cover sheet. Unfortunately, Mo has made himself a nest out of it, and is ensconced like a king in his castle! 

Having a bit of a problem with the seat slats. They need to be rounded over but I don't have a ⅛" or 3mm round-over bit for the router. Doing it with sandpaper is going to take forever.

Since Monday I've been begging Clauda to arrange a prescription for me. Dr. Kristi or Dr. Gabby, either one. She keeps promising to call me back to let me know it is ready, but tomorrow is Friday and the last day the pharmacy will be open  before Monday. I want to get a new stock before the weekend.

Sent Dr. K. a photo of a puppy and she sent a short voice message back. She was notable gravelly and coughed at least twice. I told her to go and boil some bush-tea. Bush-tea is in the province of an Obeah woman so it was a tease to suggest she ignore her training and boil bush-tea. 

Anyway, it's late and I'm off to sleep.

[Netfoot]

Nothing like some cardio, first thing on the morning!

[Netfoot]

I built a box to sit over my table saw fence. 

It sits snug but is easily lifted off if it gets in the way of a particular cut.

It's already full of stuff that normally lies on the table top when I'm working on a job. And I've already started thinking of ways to improve it.

The sides of the box don't touch the table. But you can see two small plates glued at each end of the closest side. These are stop-blocks I can use when cutting dowels or other long parts to length. The larger block would be used for this purpose and the smaller one is there so when removed from the fence, the unit sits level and does not wobble.

Used the disk sander to round the edges of the seat slats. With parts as small as these, this is a good way to end up sanding your fingers. This presents as a burning sensation and annoyingly, every time you try to stick your finger in your mouth, you find out you're wearing an N95!

Making jigs to help assemble little chairs. Don't know I'll get one done in time for tomorrow. Might be easier if I had CA (super glue) but whereas I used to pay US$16 for 4+ ounces from Amazon, I locally pay $10-$12 for a tenth of an ounce.

What can I have for lunch? How about mashed potatoes and corned beef? I had rice with carrots and corned beef for lunch yesterday, but I forgot to add the corned beef!

Got my prescription this morning and filled it at the poly-clinic. Didn't see Dr. Kristi who was with a patient (but I heard her voice; still croakey). She sent the prescription out with instructions to return for a checkup in two weeks. Clauda came out and spoke to Mo.

Ok. Foooood!

[Netfoot]

As regretfully expected, no chairs finished. It's approaching nine and I am nowhere near ready for bed. But it was time to stop. 

I got only this far, which is only the very start of the assembly process:

The glue joints between leg and seat support are drilled and pinned with toothpicks for extra strength. Closest piece still has the toothpicks in place. When the glue holding the toothpicks dries I will be able to snip then close and cut/sand the ends amooth. CA glue would complete each joint in 30 seconds or less, but using TiteBond, each joint takes 45 minutes minimum. 

Got some fuel for the van when I went out for meds this morning, but I now have to have a good shower/shampoo, select my togs for tomorrow and transfer the EDC, and I have to set out meds for the next three days too. 

Then I can go to bed. After Garden Patrol of course - we have not missed a single night since Mo came home as a tiny puppy who was afraid of the dark.

So I will leave you begin the process...

[Netfoot]

Just finished our Patrol. It's a warm night, with rain predicted tomorrow at near 50% chance between 3:00 & 8:00 in the morning.

Going to have a thorough shower now, then straight to bed!

Nearly forgot, @Spunkygal !!

Friday's cocktail from club Telegram group:

[Spunkygal]

Ugh, sambuca and root beer together sounds horrendous to me! Shame on whoever thought that one up……however, I have had a “drink” that had potato chips in it! Way way back in my young days, we went to a “morning after Halloween party” breakfast at some friends house, got out the board games and the host started making blender drinks. He was just throwing in a tad of this booze and a tad of that fruit in the blender and the second batch he had thrown in some potato chips! Gotta say, it wasn’t that bad! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Netfoot, I think we’re giving people the wrong impression of me! My party days are much tamer now! 

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

I have had a “drink” that had potato chips in it!

That's a new one on me!

I went to a house party that a friend was throwing for some visitors from Canada, and he had the blender going all afternoon, making daiquiris. First banana, then pineapple, then fruit cocktail from a tin... one guy got very plastered and came back to the bar insisting he have another daiquiri, and when John said he was out of fruit, the guy started to make a fuss. So John made him a daiquiri out of tinned baked beans! I didn't try it but everyone who tried a sip said it wasn't that bad!

(The guy who insisted ended up in the garden with his head under the leaves of a plant in the flower bed. Didn't move for hours. His GF would go out to check on him periodically, and kept reporting back, "He's not dead, but he wishes he were...")

No sales at Brighton this morning. It was deader than ever. They say next weekend will be better because of Father's Day. I am skeptical but we'll see. I was looking forward to seeing Toni but she wasn't there so I was partnered with Natasha who sells brownies. (Is it the tummy? They always partner me with someone who makes food!)

Two weeks ago Toni gave me a loaf of coconut bread which she made and it was delicious! So today I went to Marva/Betty (who is famous for her coconut bread) and told her I wanted to buy a small loaf, but would come later to collect it. Then Toni showed up briefly (she couldn't source containers for her pastries, which is why she didn't set up today, but she brought her kids up for a while) and she went and bought me one of Betty's coconut breads and gave it to me!

Blood sugar was 4.0 this morning, and nothing from Toni the Temptress, so I can eat some of that coconut bread with a cup of tea!  So, I will go and do that now.  Frankly, Marva/Betty will have her work cut out to better Toni's, and Toni doesn't even bake coconut bread very often!

Edited June 10, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Betty's coconut bread was delicious! But... As is often the case with Bajan coconut bread, as I was eating it, I couldn't help feeling that it would benefit from a smear of butter. Toni's coconut bread was moist and delicious. I wouldn't tell Betty this, but I prefer Toni's. And not just because I liked Toni!

A while ago, when Buddy was still with me, I set up a camera in the van and filmed a short trip to the gas station. In a video that was just short of 5 minutes, Bud jumped from the front seat to the back seat (or vice versa) 61 times. I'm pretty sure I posted it here; you may have seen it. That was just Bud's way in the car: he would jump from front to back repeatedly, along the journey.

I went looking for that video today, and can't find it. I know it was in his photo album, but it isn't there now. I am very upset/annoyed that it has disappeared.

I've posted a couple screen-grabs of cocktails posted to our club's Telegram group by our robot. I'm looking at doing the same for recipes. Since recipes are rather long, I was thinking I'd generate a web page with the full recipe, then on the group I'd post the name and a photo, and a link to the web page.

I've got the pages being generated in very basic form. They need to be beautified and polished a bit. And I'm not sure how to handle those web pages. They can't last forever, so I am thinking to generate a page and save it based on the name of the day of the week. So something like "recipe-Monday.html" which will be overwritten next Monday. So there are never more than seven recipes retained. 

They're very basic in layout and formatting, but I have generated three recipe pages which you can go look at: these three links to see what I'm talking about. ⁴

One of the issues I'm trying to clean up is in units and quantities. Sometimes they say 0.25 cups. But sometimes it's ¼ cup. Sometimes they say "tablespoon" but sometimes it is "tbsp" sometimes it's "tbs" and sometimes "Tbs"...

Anyway, this is not really a priority so I am working on it when I have a moment free. 

Considering a nap.....

Edited June 10, 2023 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

Netfoot, that first link doesn’t work. But the other two sound great, especially the casserole. 

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

Netfoot, that first link doesn’t work. But the other two sound great, especially the casserole. 

Mea culpa! Typo. Fixed now.