jgaz

“Ask and you shall receive” If this isn’t an example of a great forum I don't know what is. Ask a question and get excellent advice from an admitted new trailer user and a very experienced “old hand”. No flaming, no wise ass remarks. Just solid advice given in two well written posts.

A couple weeks ago I found this light at Home Depot on the clearance rack (open package, missing charge cord) for <$13.00 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-300-Lumen-LED-Flip-Light-K60241/306862598 I bought it to use for more light at my bandsaw. It works great Hopefully I’d never need it but I might pickup another to use as a roadside work light. The magnet is plenty strong enough to stick to a fender for a nighttime tire change. It is USB rechargeable, recharge is kinda slow from dead. My full charge lasts over 2 1/2 hours on high output.

Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing Kris. I would assume that this is one of those times when sleeping in the rig came in handy

Great job Kris. Very nicely produced video.

Given the number of people that didn’t seem know about alternatives to Home Depot plywood, I thought I’d mention a product that I’ve found to be very handy. I use it to make templates or patterns to use when making identical holes, cutouts, or pieces. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Medium-Density-Fiberboard-Common-1-4-in-x-2-ft-x-4-ft-Actual-0-216-in-x-23-75-in-x-47-75-in-354221/202093850 The product is 1/4” thick MDF (medium density fiberboard). It’s a very flat, stable material, with no voids. It’s easy to sand to exact shapes. Working with it is much easier than trying to machine a piece or multiple pieces of 3/4 material. I just use double sided tape to secure the template to my material and cut close to the edge with a band saw, saber saw, and/or hole saw. I then finish cutting out the holes or the shape I want with a pattern router bit. The 1/4” thick material makes a great surface for the router bit bearing to ride against. Here it’s being used to cut holes in a drawer box The finished product, well the holes are completed. A pattern makes it so easy when you want two or more panels the exact same size, especially if there are angles involved. The finished toy box So, short story long, keep this inexpensive material in mind when you have a project.

Did you already have the crimping pliers for the band clamps on the new boot? If you bought them online do you have one of your famous links? My pliers seem to be MIA since I retired. I keep thinking about replacing them before I need them and have to use a “field expediency method”.

I use a Garmin In Reach. I got it at the insistence of my wife due to some of the remote and sometimes solo hiking that I do. I seriously considered one of the “oh shit” beacons because there is no monthly subscription required. Two real world, InReach SOS activations by a friend more than convinced me to buy the Garmin. My very experienced friend required assistance, once for his daughter and once for himself, on back to back Grand Canyon trips. (I know, right!) In his experience the ability to communicate via text with the responding personnel was priceless. I purchased my InReach on sale at Costco for $229.99 about 18 months ago. My plan including taxes costs $13.44 a month. It is the basic plan that I leave active all year. Given my year round hiking in AZ and the remote places I find myself visiting in the Grand Canyon I find year round easier then stopping and starting a plan. YMMV. As far as using it for a GPS, I have almost no experience using the device that way. Given the reviews of others I’m not sure it’s the best choice for that purpose. I typically use a map and compass to navigate. When I explore with a friend we will sometimes use his really old GPS. I found this comprehensive review that may interest you. https://hikingguy.com/hiking-gear/in-depth-garmin-inreach-explorer-review/ One thing I would recommend if you buy the Garmin is to sync it with your phone. This will allow you to text much easier and quicker then just using the Garmin itself. You don’t need a cell signal, you are just using the phone to compose your message. I seldom pay to text with mine as I’ve configured the three preloaded text messages for my own purposes. These three can be used an unlimited number of times for free. I do like the feature that gives your text recipient your GPS location where you sent the message. It’s useful so that my wife knows where I parked to begin my explorations. Ive been on the rescuing side of a PLB activation. The ability for someone at dispatch to communicate with the injured party saved me (boots on the ground) a long, hot, potentially dangerous, hike during the hottest part of the day. Once again, I’ll say the ability to communicate with the injured party is PRICELESS. Id be happy to discuss this more with you in depth or try to answer questions if you have any.

Very “clean” installation. A lot of thought went into this project, as usual

Very clean installation Kris.

I figured I get a good hike in today before the rain rolls in. I hiked up into the Tonto National Forest north of Cave Creek. Found this really nice Petroglyph boulder. This less preserved example was right next to the trail I was on. I wonder how many others like this I’ve walked right by and missed. Of course maybe it was because my attention was divided watching for more like this guy or his cousins! I covered about 9 miles or so. All in all a great day to be out.

Thanks for posting those Kris

Lol! Good eye Steve!

I noticed something in the @theksmith post about making JK door pockets out of Kydex. I didn’t want to total derail his original thread but I thought I’d make a suggestion for a clamp I’ve found very useful. In the picture below I noticed Kris has a series of holes in his butcher block bench top. I can’t tell if these holes are 3/4” or something smaller. If they are 3/4” diameter I have an idea for cheap, handy clamp. . If you are familiar with this clamp, or if the holes are smaller, please disreguard. I bought some cheap Harbor Freight “F” clamps a few years ago and modified them as shown below. I have three different lengths, all useful for different projects. First you remove the rivet holding the fixed clamp head to the bar. Then you add a small piece of metal that is fastened snuggly but is still able to swivel. To use you just pass the bar of the clamp thru the hole in the bench top and swivel the tee to grab the bottom of the bench Ive found them a great help to hold various projects in place in my bench top. I have a buddy in Michigan that uses this same idea on his welding table for lighter work.

Nice product review and an even better “how to” lesson. i was wondering about using a press as well, but using the Jeep to help make its own parts was priceless!

Happy Birthday Kris