Two Weeks Later

 So what have I been up to, anyway.  This time I've not been away on holiday nor particularly laid up with my arthritic back,  I have been busy doing  those little things that would be so much more trouble without  shop space and some tools.

  

 The other day I put up another motion sensitive light, this time under the front porch overhang.  What is the best way to drill two holes into brick? A hammer drill and carbide drill bit.  I don't think a house hold should be without a hammer drill and bits. I have drilled dozens of holes in bricks and blocks for shelves, lights and all sorts of other stuff.  It also helps to have a proper five foot step ladder when doing this sort of job.

  

  Here is another goofy little project.  I call it grey leather, double thickness duct tape. In this case I put wooden ends into the "leather" pouch.  I made this to hold my various 'card' wallets together in my bag, or glove box, or where ever.  It was really nice to have work space and a very sharp knife to make this thing.  To make it slightly ridged I put several narrow pieces of veneer between the layers of duct tape. 

 

  Yesterday Kieran made a robot in the shop, one that shoots a torpedo .  Last time K was here he began using the jig saw, this time he got to paint using a "rattle can".  The paint job he achieved with the spray can was many times better than he has ever achieved with a brush.  Many of the bits and pieces are glued on using a hot glue gun, while there are holes drilled for the bolts.  K used the cordless drill with the key less chuck and drill bits to make holes of various sizes.  

  Wet season is coming.  I replaced a couple of broken dowels on my boot dryer, I made mine but there are several to choose from at thetoolstore.ca . Last year I bought the multi hole one for the grand kids. We don't get our boots wet much anymore, so two spots are enough.

boot dryer 

  Here are a two repairs for 10,000 Villages.  I had a bird with a broken neck and a lady with a broken arm.  This time neither repair will be invisible but when I am done the repair shouldn't to too obvious.  The bird fell and broke its neck because the base was way off level, I've wedged it and it glued the broken neck, I hope it finds a nice quiet home somewhere.

  These are my finished carvings for entry in the Rockton Worlds Fair next weekend. Lots of finish sanding and two coats of spray vanish. I hope they show well at the fair.

  There have been pictures to frame and walls to repair (we moved a bunch of pictures so had lots of holes to fill) as well as getting out in the lovely fall weather because you know it won't last.  Busy, busy and mostly loving it.

  cheers, ianw 

Its Hammer Time

  Yesterday I dropped over to David's house to do a very small job, with the right tool.  We all own a drill, many of us own several.  Now days most drills are cordless, but you should not discount corded drills and especially corded hammer drills. 

   The small job  was to drill two holes into their concrete block foundation.   A few years ago I bought a good hammer drill.  The hammer feature on that drill is a thing that I  only use a couple of times per year, but is a feature for which there is no really good substitute. We could have gotten along without the hammer drill, but..... having the proper tool available makes the job so much easier.

    I remember drilling a hole in cement before carbide tipped drill bits.  In fact I worked with my Grand Father to drill a hole in a house foundation with a star drill. 

star drill bit

 It took us a very long time to drive that star drill into the concrete, probably something nearing an hour and hundreds of hammer blows.  A modern hammer drill delivers hundreds of blows per minute so does the job much quicker.

  If you a planning on a job that requires a few holes in cement buy a cheaper hammer drill and then you'll be set for years.  If you have a big job in mind, rent a big, powerful rotary-hammer drill someplace, you can drill holes all day.  You can also rent large bits that will drill holes big enough for dryer vents and drainage pipe and things like that. 

  Hammer drill vs. rotary hammer 

Small Drill vs. a Big Drill 

  Aside from a bit of home improvement stuff this weekend I am working on three new cutting boards.  Cutting boards are low skill and another case where the correct tool makes the job easier.

cheers, ianw

    

Ninth Day Of Christmas

Nine Ladies Dancing with the Joy of the Season is a  wonderful image.

  For the Ninth Day I have another of those seldom used but really useful tools.

  The Hammer Drill can cost a little, or a lot.  If you use one now and then spend the money and buy a corded hammer drill like this one from King.

http://www.thetoolstore.ca/viewItem.asp?idProduct=4075

   This is a value priced tool, but one that will make putting those curtain rods in that new apartment so much easier.  I put up shelves against a poured concrete wall now and then and sometimes have to drill a hole in a brick wall for a railing or a trellis or....and a hammer drill and Tapcons make the job no stress.

   If you are going to be doing a tonne of work check out the whole spectrum of hammer drills.

CHEERS !!