jgaz

I came across these jaws a bit ago and decided that for the price I’d give them a try. i love them. Especially for $10! TRISENSE 4" Vise Jaws with Strong Magnetic, Universal Vice Jaws Covers, Multi-Purpose Protector for Any Metal Vice,2 pcs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DJD14HW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_nbaIDbYBJBVWY I’ve got some homemade wooden jaws I’ve cobbled up but don’t think I’ll be using them much anymore. The jaws are aluminum so there is a bit of soft jaw utility. Here I’m gripping a 1 3/4” dowel. Works like a charm

Looks good Kris. Since I believe you’re using 1/2” Baltic Birch I was glad to see you bought the type of pocket screw you did. I have the earliest plastic version of the Kreg jig. When drilling the pocket for the screw in 1/2” Baltic plywood using my old style jig, the recess isn’t quite deep enough to use the pocket screws with the washer head. Both styles are shown here. There is about .070” difference in the OD of the head between the two styles. In some applications that’s not a big deal but in my outer drawer box shown above I didn’t want the washer protruding into the interior. When I’ve run out of the smaller OD screw there have been times I’ve had to hit the washer head screws with a little angle grinder to flush them to the plywood. The issue I have with my Kreg jig may have been corrected with the newer models. I’m not sure you’ll ever run into this problem. I just thought I’d mention the possibility since you are new to using pocket screws. Also, I haven’t found a step drill that works as well as the drill bit Kreg supplies. Kreg used to offer a sharpening service but that’s been discontinued. I’m going to check tomorrow with Woodworkers Source to see if their sharpening service will sharpen these step bits. Their service did an excellent job on the three saw blades I had them sharpen recently.

I almost mentioned using Woodworkers Source in your post about pocket screws. Glad you found them. Class outfit.

Kris, I’m not sure if you can tell from my picture but there is a template that has been double sided taped to the plywood side. I did drill the larger radius corners with a hole saw but that cut was not my final edge. It was only to take out the waste within about an 1/8” or less from the edge of the template. I then connected the corner holes with a saber saw again leaving a small amount to clean up with the router. The router combined with the template makes for a nice, finished cut, that is really quite simple to do. The template is made out of 1/4 MDF, available cheap ($4 for a 2x2), from Home Depot. It’s really easy to shape with a sanding block and file to get the template the shape you want. Much easier than sanding 1/2” or 3/4” plywood. That router was my Dad’s. Its probably 40? years old. I like using it for that reason. You’re welcome to borrow it as well if you want. My Dad would like to know his tools are still being used.

Happy Birthday Chris

Yup. Pocket screws for the win! You can see my liberal use of them in this drawer box. They work well in place of clamps. Btw Kris, if you need some pieces run over the table saw on this project, (or any other), just give me a shout and we can use my saw.

Back in October of 2014 I started this thread about a kit of adaptors I made in order to make a standard bottle jack safer and more versatile. This is a shot of my original kit. Since the original thread I’ve used this kit as a “second hand” for a lot of things around my shop. Like many tools, the longer you use them, the more ways you can think to improve them. My first change was to add a recess and a hold down bolt in my original baseboard. Obviously this makes using the jack a bit more stable. But the really big improvement was the addition of a plastic collar that installs around the threaded post that screws out of the jack ram. This part is sold by SafeJack. They are the company from which I unashamedly “reverse engineered” my original kit. https://safejacks.com/ This collar, IMO, is essential when using my kit horizontally and also makes things easier when used vertically. The collar is the black piece that can be seen in this picture. In the picture above, using the collar, I have less than 1/8” droop when measured from the two collars to the steel rule that’s clamped parallel to the jack cylinder. I made my adaptors with approx. .005” clearance between the post and socket and used about 1 1/8” overlap. This was fine for the pieces I made but the 1 1/4” ID of my socket was a bit loose on the jack ram and would have waaaay more droop when used to push or spread horizontally. The SafeJack collar takes care of this issue. It’s too hot in the garage, so I thought I’d update things a bit. This post was also also an experiment to try out the new site. Posting pictures is waaaay easier.

Looks good Steve! Super clean

Great job! The Jeep is looking good!

Good stuff Kris! Thanks for posting that. Great detail on the distributor. I was hoping to see more of what they did to the carburetor. (The what and the what!!?)

Sweet! That trail would be a lot more difficult when it was snow covered. Did you go all the way to the Mesa?

Thank you Kris for bringing up the subject of buying quality when it comes to recovery gear. I have very limited recreational 4wd recovery compared to many members here so I was hesitant to offer advice that basically said, spend $. I can however offer some advice on shackles based on experience. Buy Crosby! Yes, there are other shackles available that are just as good, such as Van Beest green pins but Crosby are widely available. Here is a poor picture of rigging we did on regular basis in the last Dept where I worked before I retired. If the shackle didn’t say Crosby it wasn’t allowed in the shop. No exceptions, ever!!

A view from my “office” Saturday on the Bright Angel Trail......before things got crazy busy.

Excellent! Thanks for posting that Kris

Nice work Kris! With all your DIY experience I’m sure you’re aware of this Phoenix fabric store but I’ll post a link anyway in case others aren’t aware of the store. http://fabricdepotaz.com/ They have a huge selection of fabric and foam. My wife and I bought some closed cell foam (won’t absorb water) for an outdoor project earlier this spring. They had a nice selection of different foam then.