Housebuilding in Finland

[His Divine Shadow]

Belt sander is mostly done now. Got a platen and a basic tool rest and the tensioning mechanism licked.

Here's the main component for the new tensioning mechanism:




Got some extra bolts, and replaced the tracking adjusting rod with a bolt and knob:


The tensioning mechanism works real nice and I calculated that I can take up to a 50x1000mm sanding belt. So this sander can take belts that are 790-1000mm long, a span of 210mm.


Because of this wide span of possible belt sizes, the upper and lower wheels will be in different positions depending on belt length. So I made the platen so it could be moved and adjusted for various belt lengths.



Platen is made from a piece of angle iron that I literally found rusting under my deck this summer (some of the house builders must've left it behind) and had forgotten about. Now to paint it, I am thinking black and yellow.

[Elheru Aran]

I've found some graphite garage-door lubricant to be extremely useful on platens. Helps keep it from binding and wearing down the belt, quite a bit.

[His Divine Shadow]

I should have some graphite stuff somewhere... I'll just wax it until then.

Making a new table as well, the wooden one was poorly thought out.

[His Divine Shadow]

My dad's offering me his old gas welding equipment. I remember he used to gas weld in the 80s or so.

This is what I found when I visisted, they aren't home right now (in egypt). He has more stuff elsewhere he has said. Hoses and such.


AGA X-11 torch, very old model, perhaps 60s, maybe early 70s. I know another more modern style was in use by 1978. Mainly it's the lack of threaded openings for check valves.



Buncha nozzles


Some unknown small parts


Acetylene regulator


Broken O2 regulator


A lot of this stuff is too old to safely use, mainly the regulators. The torch and handle need a good going over. I think I can fit check valves to the torch handle though, then flashback arrestors on the other end of the hoses before the regulators.

Here you can buy 10L gas cylinders (equivalent to a 35cu bottle in the US I think) and then exchange them for new ones when you need, the initial cost is steep, 700 euros for an oxy and acetylene cylinder, then I think it's 50 euros per new cylinder to swap in. At least from Air Liquide. Their bottles also come with built in regulators. You can also rent bottles but unless you are a big consumer that's not worth it.

I think it will come in handy for heating and soldering and brazing stuff. Not a high priority item on my list, but it'll be fun to learn another skill.

[Elheru Aran]

One of those unknown parts, the one on the left with the stem, I think that's for attaching a hose. You slip hose over the stem part and then use a hose clamp over it to hold it on.

All told that's pretty cool. I enjoyed welding a lot back in the day at school. Didn't use an oxy-acy torch for much beyond cutting and heating, but that was fun ^_^

[Borgholio]

One of those unknown parts, the one on the left with the stem, I think that's for attaching a hose. You slip hose over the stem part and then use a hose clamp over it to hold it on.

All told that's pretty cool. I enjoyed welding a lot back in the day at school. Didn't use an oxy-acy torch for much beyond cutting and heating, but that was fun ^_^

Did a bit of cutting in auto shop back when I was in high school. Blasting holes in steel with fire, having molten metal and sparks flying everywhere...I agree, that was the most fun I ever had in shop class.

[Elheru Aran]

I had to learn the hard way not to wear frayed jeans in that class, though. At least not when I was welding or cutting...

[His Divine Shadow]

I glass bead blasted the gas welding equipment today and I will have a closer look at it now that it looks clean.

Found an old AGA spark lighter, turned out like new after blasting.



The handle



Cutting torch



Various welding tips



I note one of them is different at the base.



Different tips for the cutting torch, one looks like it has halfway melted.

Took apart the handle but the camera battery died on me. Here's the inside of the oxy and acetylene regulator knobs, the acetylene side is sooty and black, I assume that's how it normally gets with use. Everything otherwise looks to be in top shape. I can't see that this design uses any gaskets or o-rings anywhere by the way... I thought the soot was an o-ring first.

[His Divine Shadow]

I think the part on the right belongs to the odd welding tips base in the latter pictures.

Some unknown small parts

[His Divine Shadow]

Made last week, oak head and rowan wood handle, for pounding meat, might make one surface indented later:

[His Divine Shadow]

GF arranged a trip to IKEA this weekend, essentially a busload of people hopped on the boat to Umeå, Sweden. Haven't been to Umeå since the 90s, their IKEA shopping center was huuuuge. But to be honest I looked around at all the sprawling people and shopping centers and thought does all this really make people happy, I doubt it. At least they had a good burger place though:

[Lord Revan]

Oh I remember that place (well sort of) though I've not been there since the 90s (or was even the 80s) when I went there with my family (my parents and my brother that is), though what I mostly remember of that trip was that the drive to Vaasa was rather taxing. No Ikea there back then as far as I can remember.

[His Divine Shadow]

Been busy working on several projects, designing a 5x5 meter storage shed, bit half done in the picture..


Also wanting to add an outdoor kitchen behind the yard, I had another design earlier but I have altered it many times since:


For all these projects I will need a cement mixer, so I got this used one for 100 euros, made in Finland, 3-phase motor:


Had a broken handle but I got a welder so no problem


Also spring is time for cutting and chopping firewood so it can dry over summer, hence I needed a sawbuck:


I've had vacation a week now and spring hit just in time, great weather, all kinds of animals popping out


Also redesigned and painted my belt sander and put it on a wheeled table


Kids and animals have been enjoying the weather

[LadyTevar]

How's the hands coming on the twins? Will they need more surgery?

[His Divine Shadow]

They're getting better all the time I think. Daniels more so than Davids. David has all 5 fingers on his right hand but his thumb doesn't have the dexterity that Daniels pollicized index-finger to thumb does. But they did the best with what they could, he can use this thumb to sort of pinch against his index finger, or just use it for bracing when holding a bike handle or similar.

They will both have the same procedure that Daniel has had on his right on their left hands this autumn or so and based on how this went I am looking forward to it, very useful operation in retrospect and we're happy with how natural it looks and works.

[LadyTevar]

It's good to know they're adapting well, and that the hands look and work naturally for them. Just wait a couple more years until they're in full "Daddy's in the Shop! Have to be RIGHT THERE to HELP him!"

[His Divine Shadow]

Oh yeah they're in there now when I am there, I like to keep the garage door open when its summertime. But once the noise start they run away.

I also made a new table for the belt sander last night, with a slot so I can have jigs in it and sharpen things precisely and squarely:

[His Divine Shadow]

Reorganized my workshop today


Moved this bench from the far right corner of the workshop


So I could put this new bench there:




The whole town had this organized 2nd-hand event/thingy so we've been walking around peoples yards looking at what they got. Found it today and got it delivered by the seller for 70 bucks. About 2 meters long, a little less.

I dunno about the table saw, or the jointer/planer but they are on wheels so... I am gonna try to keep the router table in the middle of the room like that to also use it as an assembly table.

[His Divine Shadow]

Went to the hospital last night with the boys. Physiotherapist and neurologist visits, part of the checkups for prematures.

Physically the therapist classified them as "advanced for their age" even, very happy with how capable they are at their age when it comes to stuff like climbing, walking stairs, jumping on the trampoline, handling balls, and several things she did not see coming like opening locked doors and escaping, turning off all the lights, finding her notebook and drawing in it etc.

The neurologist said they where fine too but their play behavior is still a little "crush kill destroy" yet, so a bit behind but it's started coming too. They also locked a toy box at the neurologists office and and put the key inside the box so now it can't be opened anymore.

Also working on the bench, in the process of removing the old purple paint. Making some new parts for the shoulder vise, added dog holes last night, and tried an application of tung oil to see what it would look like.

[His Divine Shadow]

Workbench is finished, BLO+turpentine+tungoil with a little pigment added in for finish.





Found an old plane too, weird fence on it, turns out someone tried to make a rabbet plane from a dovetail plane.




After refurbing it:


Need to add a depth stop.


Boys visiting my parents and sleeping over, in the greenhouse where they work:


David we think got stung by a wasp or something, he got a big red welt on his cheek when sleeping outside and then it spread to his legs and he was scratching and scratching. We where on the cusp of going to the hospital when my parents got back with them to us, but they had disappeared by that time and he was normal. Still has the mark on his cheek though but it's not very swollen, probably a wasp or something that he had a reaction to. Going to buy Zyrtec for kids (antihistamine) today.

[Elheru Aran]

Sorry to hear about the kid. Stuff happens. I was talking with a friend of mine who has a 3-year-old and she was worried that a bruise on his face wouldn't fade in time for their family photo, but then she said something along the lines of 'well it would look fake if he didn't have SOMETHING like that...' so yeah. As long as he's okay now, though!

The bench looks awesome. I'm professionally jealous.

I have a very similar dovetail plane. Haven't gotten around to sharpening and tuning it, though. I think the blade is a replacement from somewhere as it looks like it's been re-ground.

[His Divine Shadow]

Well they're home from daycare now because they seem to have gotten a mild stomach bug, always something.

And yeah I'm pretty pleased with how the bench turned out myself, I think I will make some wooden bench dogs for it though.

Bought 3 bags of cement yesterday, hopefully I can start on casting a base plate for the outdoor kitchen soon. A sketch of what I am planning:

[LadyTevar]

That looks great!

[His Divine Shadow]

We got a trck load of soil a while ago:


Grass is starting to grow:


We thought there was too much gravel and not enough grass infront of the house. I also want to replace all the gravel still left infront of the house with concrete, which I plan to acid stain and seal thereafter.

And the boys are learning english after watching so much english youtube (they find it on their own, educational stuff for kids, alphabet and colors and whatnot), he's showing us black toys and say things like "black" and "black car", "black horse". Kid's learning english on their own.

[His Divine Shadow]

What do you do if you fear your child is a sith lord?