{"id":39901,"date":"2022-05-05T09:00:44","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T16:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=39901"},"modified":"2022-05-04T13:19:59","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T20:19:59","slug":"having-a-really-bad-day-in-the-shop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/having-a-really-bad-day-in-the-shop\/","title":{"rendered":"Having a REALLY Bad Day in the Shop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got a tip to share? Tool to recommend? Tall shop tale to tell? A tip to bust? Please\u00a0share with the class<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Having a REALLY Bad Day in the Shop<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"badDay\"<\/p>\n

Something I wish we saw more of in maker videos is projects that go horribly, irredeemably wrong. On\u00a0Making Stuff<\/em>, Dave Picciuto had such a bad day in the shop and wasn\u2019t afraid to share all of the gory details with us. Bad measuring, tools breaking \u2014 a LOT of tools \u2013 and just a general undignified day at the office.\u00a0The video<\/a>\u00a0was\u00a0supposed<\/em>\u00a0to be about making some wooden mugs with stainless steel whiskey cup inserts. It turned into a lesson on how to roll with it when everything seems to go wrong. In the end, Dave invoked what I call the \u201cKenny Rogers Rule\u201d (knowing when to hold \u2019em, when to fold \u2019em, and when to walk away). He walked away. He\u2019ll revisit this \u201csimple and easy\u201d project some other day. In the end, he added up the cost of replacing all of the parts that broke: SawStop brake, table saw blade, band saw blade, drill press chuck, jointer cutter, and two of the four stainless steel cups that he bought. The cost for his \u201coff\u201d day in the shop? [cue cash register cha-ching] $510. Ouch!<\/p>\n

And the Winner is…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"tipsBooks\"<\/p>\n

On the\u00a0March 31 Maker Update<\/a>, Donald Bell announced a giveaway of my new tips book to commenters who shared a tip. We ended up getting over 80 entries. They were all good and it was hard to choose the winners. Below are the 5 winners of\u00a0Tips and Tales from the Workshop, Vol 2<\/a>. Please\u00a0email me<\/a>\u00a0your shipping address and I\u2019ll dispatch your book and other goodies.<\/p>\n

Brandi Weed<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 If you have a bunch of small tools (measuring cups, cleaning brushes, etc.) on a split ring, switch them to a D-ring or\u00a0carabiner<\/a>. This way, you can remove only the one you need without the others getting in the way and\/or needing cleaning because of residual debris.<\/p>\n

Federico Maracaglia<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Add\u00a0\/zip<\/em>\u00a0after the \u201cthing:number\u201d address of a\u00a0Thingiverse<\/a>\u00a0project to download the entire page contents [STL files, images, Read Me file -Ed.] as a Zip file has been one of the coolest tips I\u2019ve discovered recently!<\/p>\n

Edward Iglesias<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>\u2013 I\u2019m moving so am reminded of this Sherlock Holmes tip:<\/p>\n

\u201cA fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skillful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order.\u201d \u2015 Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet<\/em><\/p>\n

Shimmering Trashpile<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>\u2013 Always document your process. If you\u2019re making a gift, including the documentation makes the gift really personal and unique. Your documentation can be an invaluable resource for a friend making something similar. Also, documentation can be a wonderful memory enhancer when you look back on a project years later.<\/p>\n

Dylan Northrup<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>\u2013\u00a0<\/strong>10\u00a0<\/strong>Tips (because I couldn\u2019t decide on a single one):<\/p>\n

1) Remember to dream big, but scope realistically (especially when starting out).
\n2) Never be afraid to ask for advice. Conversely, always be willing to give advice when asked (but try to avoid giving unsolicited advice).
\n3) Decide if you\u2019re using Imperial or Metric on a project and stick with it.
\n4) If you decide some measurements have to be Imperial (e.g. gallons for liquid volume) and some Metric (e. g. milli\/centimeters for distance), make SURE the measurements are orthogonal to each other to avoid having to do unit conversion.
\n5) Efficiency is good, but doing it properly is better. Better to slowly do something once than quickly do it multiple times.
\n6) If nobody was hurt, no property damaged, and you can try again, it wasn\u2019t a failure, it was a learning experience.
\n7) You don\u2019t need expensive, feature-laden tools to do good work. Some of the best creativity comes from the limitations we have to work with.
\n8) Always follow proper safety rules and wear appropriate safety equipment.
\n9) You can exchange time for money and money for time, but remember it\u2019s possible to make more money\u2026 it\u2019s not possible to make more time.
\n10) Have fun and make sure others have a chance to have fun, too. We\u2019re all in this together.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

And the Grand Prize of Tips and Tales from the Workshop,\u00a0<\/em>Vol 1<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>Vol 2<\/em><\/a>, and the\u00a0<\/em>Maker\u2019s Notebook Gift Set<\/em><\/a>\u00a0goes to\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Kristian Reinhart<\/strong> \u2013 Woodworkers and makers in general often (half-jokingly) quote \u201cYou can never have too many clamps.\u201d I\u2019d add some more pieces of wisdom in the same likeness: \u201cYou can never have too many ways to hold on to stuff\u201d\u2013 various tweezers, clamps, grippers, pliers, jigs, fixtures, and such are incredibly useful to securely holding your workpiece and preventing it from flying off, or injuring yourself or others. \u201cYou can never have too many ways to cut stuff\u201d \u2013 From different shapes of scissors and knives, chisels, saws, to powered tools like jigsaws, oscillating saws, etc. A variety of cutting implements is tremendously useful when encountering odd materials, angles, and such. Even when doing mundane things like removing supports from 3D prints, I use various pliers, tweezers, awls, and differently-shaped linoleum chisels. \u201cYou can never have too many lights\u201d \u2013 With how effective and cheap both LED and battery technology have become, it\u2019s now possible to get a whole bunch of different lighting solutions for any given situation. There\u2019s little excuse to strain your eyes with poor lighting when there are so many choices available.<\/p>\n

Maker Slang<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jargon, slang, and tech terms from the many worlds of making.<\/p>\n

DIWhy<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 A play on DIY; the questioning of a maker project of dubious merit. See also:\u00a0Regretsy<\/strong>\u00a0(said of bizarre Etsy offerings).<\/p>\n

Inspired object<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Something in your life that\u2019s so well made, so perfectly suited to its task that it actually inspires\/elevates you as you interact with it. Things you make yourself often take on this quality. Coined by Mr. Jalopy.<\/p>\n

In the sluice<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Term used by Adam Savage. Synonymous with\u00a0in the groove<\/em>,\u00a0in the zone<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Using UV Resin for Water Effects<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"uvresin\"<\/p>\n

UV resin<\/a>\u00a0has become a popular bit of kit within the tabletop game modeling and diorama communities. Using it, you easy to duplicate parts, create window glass, and other cool and realistic tabletop effects by simply depositing the resin and hitting it with a UV light for instant curing. In\u00a0this\u00a0Tabletop Time<\/em>\u00a0video<\/a>, they explore the idea of using UV resin to create water bases for sea-based miniatures.<\/p>\n

Life Hack: My Approach to Parking<\/strong><\/p>\n

As someone who has significant spinal arthritis, I don\u2019t like to walk far from where we park our car. Over the years, I\u2019ve been told that I have \u201cgood parking karma\u201d because I can often find a space close to where we\u2019re going. My method is simple, but it works. First thing is to drive to the exact address you\u2019re going. Don\u2019t decide it\u2019s going to be parked up and park blocks before it because you see a space there. Go to the location and make it your hover point. If you don\u2019t see a space on that block, add one more block to your search area. Circle that small area for a few passes and usually you\u2019ll catch someone leaving. If not, add another block and keep hovering. I\u2019ve rarely had to park more than an extra block from my destination and most often find a spot on the same block.<\/p>\n

Shop Talk<\/strong><\/p>\n

In response to the piece on\u00a0<\/em>making your own tool wraps<\/em><\/a>, Rex B writes:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSuggestion for the waxed tool wrap: Add some\u00a0lanolin<\/a>\u00a0to the\u00a0wax<\/a>\u00a0and it will keep those tools rust-free.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Reader\u00a0<\/em>Justin Derbes<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0sent me this message:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m building a studio in our back yard and came across this\u00a0Residential Nailing Schedule chart<\/a>\u00a0[PDF link] during a research phase.\u00a0I thought you might enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gareth’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales – Issue #119<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39904,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[2371],"tags":[2372],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39901"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39901"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39905,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39901\/revisions\/39905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}