What We're Making

[Out-to-Lunch]

Built this ladder hoist for the barn. After seeing many "DIY" elevator designs on Youtube, I found this ladder hoist made by a roofer. Hoist is from Harbor Freight ($159) and the rest is wood, some small profile fixed casters from Amazon, and $40 for a 25' piece of 4 conductor wire to replace the 6' lead that came with the hoist (so you can control it from above or below). Capacity is 440lbs, but I doubt I will ever hoist anything that I can't lift off the floor myself.

Used it with DW yesterday to hoist storage bins and vintage car parts up there.

I didn't want to commit the floor space in the barn to a permanent elevator. So the very cool thing about this is that when I am done with it, I disconnect the hoist cable from the trolley, strap the trolley to a cross brace on the ladder frame, hook the hoist cable to a beam overhead up in the loft, hit the button and the whole thing hoists itself up into the loft and lays on the floor up there.

Cool! This design is very similar to one I built for my roofing project a few years ago. I am using the same HF hoist as you, I am pretty sure. In the first picture, it is set up to haul plywood up to the roof. In the second picture, I extended it and reconfigured it to haul clay tiles up to the peak of the roof.

 

[doneat54]

Cool! This design is very similar to one I built for my roofing project a few years ago. I am using the same HF hoist as you, I am pretty sure. In the first picture, it is set up to haul plywood up to the roof. In the second picture, I extended it and reconfigured it to haul clay tiles up to the peak of the roof.

Wow. Interesting brick house. Doesn't look like the US? Looks more like European architecture?

 

[aja8888]

Wow. Interesting brick house. Doesn't look like the US? Looks more like European architecture?

It looks like an old church.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Thanks for the comments. It's a normal house in a neighborhood in Milwaukee that was developed mostly during the 1910s and 1920s. My house is 1929. I think it would be fair to characterize my house as "Mediterranean Revival." The houses in my 'hood have a range of styles, from lots of Craftsman bungalows, to Tudors, Colonials, Cape Cods, Georgian revival, Dutch Colonials, etc. There is even a Frank Lloyd Wright house.

IMHO, 1920s houses are the best. Old enough to have craftsmanship, built-ins, and character. Young enough to have, e.g., a steel main beam and not to have plaster-and-lath walls.

 

[aja8888]

Thanks for the comments. It's a normal house in a neighborhood in Milwaukee that was developed mostly during the 1910s and 1920s. My house is 1929. I think it would be fair to characterize my house as "Mediterranean Revival." The houses in my 'hood have a range of styles, from lots of Craftsman bungalows, to Tudors, Colonials, Cape Cods, Georgian revival, Dutch Colonials, etc. There is even a Frank Lloyd Wright house.

IMHO, 1920s houses are the best. Old enough to have craftsmanship, built-ins, and character. Young enough to have, e.g., a steel main beam and not to have plaster-and-lath walls.

The arched windows and door of the lower floor got me thinking it might have been an old church at one time.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Looking at the pix in these pages, most of these homes could be found in my neighborhood:

https://12tomatoes.com/9-1920s-home-styles/

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/1920s-house-styles-36708588

 

[Jerry1]

My DD just bought a new build house. I was very happy to see that the neighborhood has a good diversity of styles. Nothing like the older homes in the above links, but none of the houses are identical and there is some space between them. A different type of character for sure, but at least there is some character to the neighborhood versus a bunch of houses that all look the same one right after another. Also, the neighborhood doesn't have very much straight road - again, a bit of character. Happy for her.

 

[street]

I'm making a few Ulu knives. This one is diamond willow that has been dead for many years. Not done with it yet I applied oil and will reoil than teak finish it.

 

[Jerry1]

Very cool looking wood, as always Street. Question, what would that knife be used for?

 

[street]

Very cool looking wood, as always Street. Question, what would that knife be used for?

Jerry, you can use a knife like that for just about any cutting you need to do. I use one with my meal if I need a knife.

They are a great knife for big game skinning and to cut up meat to pack out. I use one when I chop/dice vegetables etc. They can be used in a rocking motion or swiping action.

 

[Music Lover]

That would probably cut a pizza nicely.

 

[street]

Music Lover that is a great pizza cutter. I just had a small beef steak for supper and used an ulu.

 

[zinger1457]

I'm making a few Ulu knives. This one is diamond willow that has been dead for many years. Not done with it yet I applied oil and will reoil than teak finish it.

Very nice, never used one but seems to be a common knife used among native Alaskans for game, fish, etc.

 

[aja8888]

Jerry, you can use a knife like that for just about any cutting you need to do. I use one with my meal if I need a knife.

They are a great knife for big game skinning and to cut up meat to pack out. I use one when I chop/dice vegetables etc. They can be used in a rocking motion or swiping action.

What are the dimensions of that knife?

 

[street]

aja8888, blades outer edge points are 4 1/2 inches across. I will make a few holders also like this one pictured. I make them out of found wood on my place.

 

[aja8888]

aja8888, blades outer edge points are 4 1/2 inches across. I will make a few holders also like this one pictured. I make them out of found wood on my place.

Thanks, I couldn't get a feel for the size just looking at the photos. Nice work!

 

[OfficeSpace]

Solar panel rack and mounting in process at camp.

Finished solar system at the mancave. Well, at least until I get more bright ideas.

Nicely done! I bet that was a fun project. I learned a ton putting an array on my barn using surplus panels from a nearby solar farm and may build a terrestrial array like yours with those that wouldn't fit.

 

[street]

^ Looks great and I bet it has been an interesting project.

 

[OfficeSpace]

On behalf of Rube Goldberg, I repurposed an old hand truck to mount a 32" 16x9 LCD in our bedroom armoire sized for a 27" 4x3 CRT.

 

[Ronstar]

Lots of awesome projects!

Street - great knives! Do you have to heat the knife blade steel to harden it? Sorry if I asked this already.

 

[street]

OfficeSpace, very creative and useful project.

Ronstar, no I use old saw blades or old saws for blades. They actually keep a pretty good edge. They aren't prefect and are pretty crude, but I enjoy doing them and friends like the home-made items.

 

[Ronstar]

OfficeSpace, very creative and useful project.

Ronstar, no I use old saw blades or old saws for blades. They actually keep a pretty good edge. They aren't prefect and are pretty crude, but I enjoy doing them and friends like the home-made items.

Thanks - I’ve been searching for a knife with a bocote handle with no luck. I might have to make one.

 

[street]

Thanks - I’ve been searching for a knife with a bocote handle with no luck. I might have to make one.

You should make one and with your talents in making things it would be nice. I always enjoy using items I have made just very gratifying.

 

[OfficeSpace]

I just finished building a center channel speaker that matches my main speakers (never offered for sale, so couldn't buy) and mounting it behind the screen in my home theater. I retired 2 1/2 months ago and am having a blast learning and doing things I never had the energy to pursue while w*rking.

 

[zinger1457]

Wow, that's one hell of a audio/video setup, those tower speakers look impressive, I bet the sound is really good. IMO a good center channel speaker makes a world of difference, really makes the dialogue pop.