A Roll-Around Tool Tray

My next door neighbour is moving out, and he gave me this item for free.

It's made by POWERBUILT. As far as I can discover, POWERBUILT is a Taiwanese tool-making outfit. If this tool tray is any indication, they make pretty good stuff.

The tray is ruggedly built and good looking. (I think the colour may be off because of much time out in sunlight.) The only thing about it that puts me off a bit is the extreme outrigging of one 'foot'. Just how tip-proof does a roll-around toll tray really have to be?

The outrigger is fastened in its position by a single M10 x 20mm long screw w/washers. like so.

There's only that one position for fastening the outrigger in place -- there are no adjustment options. I'd be happy to have the outrigger collapsed, like so.

The tray would still be plenty stable enough for safe work with it.

To obtain a fastening position for that, I'd have to drill and tap another M10 hole in the outrigger's slide-pipe. That's doable -- I just need to have the unit on a nice, flat floor surface first so I can mark the hole location correctly. That's something to do for later.

- - -

A Priority Alteration

That outrigger was really bugging me, so I've brought the tray from outside into my workshop to deal with it. Even though it's not high on my list of priorities, I'd really like to have this tray in good order, and ready for use.

[One of the perks of retirement is that you can jerk things around to suit yourself, instead of being jerked around by things.]

- - -

Now I Get It!

Getting the tray inside the workshop somehow made me see what most of the real problem with the outrigged foot is -- the tray was installed 90° around from its correct placement. If you look at the first photograph in this post, you'll see it.

The tray is asymmetrical lengthwise. The tray's longer end is supposed to extend out over the outrigged foot -- not off to one side as it does in the photo. With the tray's orientation corrected, the outrigging is less objectionable, though it still strikes me as extreme. I'm still going to go ahead and collapse the outrigger, and I may provide it with an intermediate position as well.

Outrigger Extension Adjustability

I've drilled and tapped two more M10 x 1.5mm pitch screw holes to give the outrigger two additional positions. (Note that you can see the original colour in this photo at the end of the slide-pipe.)

That was actually easier to do than I thought it would be. It's mild steel, and the slide-pipe's walls aren't very thick.

Now the outrigger will have three possible positions:

• Extreme (Factory position)
• Collapsed
• Midway

The extremely extended factory outrigger position was probably due to the factory playing it safe with respect to safety. With the outrigger collapsed, the tray is definitely easier to tip if you're trying. A forceful load at either corner at the outrigger end of the tray will start to tip it, but in normal use, such a condition is unlikely to arise.

Missing Corner Bumper Fasteners

The tray's corner bumpers are missing two black nylon, snap-in fasteners; one each at two corners. Here's a view of one such corner.

The holes in the steel tray that accept the original fasteners are about 5.6mm diameter -- not something I'm likely to find a standard, small headed fastener for.

I went with a couple of M4 x 6mm pan head screws that look pretty good, and installed the screws with hex nuts and blue threadlocker. The screws are just barely long enough, so all that really intrudes on the interior of the tray is the two nuts. Here's how it looks in the same view as above.

Tilted Tray

When the tool tray's casters were on a level surface, the tray had a perceptible tilt to it. I installed two 5/16" SAE flat washers as shims where the tray attaches to the top of the post, and that improved the condition quite a bit. It's still not perfect, but it will do. I could make a career out of mucking about with it until I got it perfected, and I really don't feel like doing that.

So, there we are. I've got myself quite a nice roll-around tool tray with the bugs worked out of it, and for a very attractive price indeed.

A Parting Word About The Use Of Roll-Around Tool Trays

Tool trays like the one outlined above are not just an auto mechanic's assistant -- I find them invaluable for use on any project, anywhere. They help you keep your tools and components corraled and readily at hand. They keep you from mislaying things, and wasting time searching for where you put whatever. They're a great help in developing good work habits that save time, and spare you aggravation.

# # #

FEEDBACK

# # #

Hose Reel Cart Leader Hose Replacement

Preface -- TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 2018

Since writing this post, I've discovered that automotive heater hose can't reliably withstand the pressure of a domestic water supply for much over a year. Leaks eventually break out, and the hose has to be replaced.

 * * *

 This elderly Ames ReelEasy hose reel cart has a leaky leader hose.

(A 'leader hose' is the short length of hose on a hose reel cart that connects to the water supply.)

The leaking leader hose on this cart is not the original. It's a vinyl replacement that I installed years ago, and is now almost as stiff as rigid pipe.

A slight complication is that the cart's water connection right at the cart itself is a nipple that's meant to take 5/8" hose, and I don't have any 5/8" garden hose that I can get a short length from -- only 1/2"

When I long ago installed the leader hose you see in the photo above, I got around that problem by heating one end of a 1/2" vinyl leader hose to soften it, and forcing it onto the 5/8" nipple on the cart. That actually worked out ok, and that hose connection is not leaking, it's the female hose fitting end of the leader hose that's leaking.

I'd rather not use vinyl hose for a leader hose again -- vinyl hose is dreadful stuff, really. I find that it stiffens within a season. It dawned on me that 5/8" is a standard size of automotive heater hose, and that can be had by the foot. Then it dawned on me that I might have a spare length of that stuff in a drawer. I went and checked, and sure enough it was there. I went and checked my spare hose fittings bin, and I found a female hose fitting for 5/8" hose. I had everything I needed on hand -- I didn't have to go out to buy a thing to repair the cart.

(I've been having a string of good fortune lately, and it's beginning to worry me. Am I being set up for a disaster?)

Anyway, on with removing the old, stiff leader hose.

The Cart's Connection Nipple

This is the one that I had force fitted a 1/2" hose onto. Note the pronounced bulge.

I'll try heating it up again with a heat gun to get it to come off. I'd rather not cut it, and risk scoring the nipple. Here goes.

- - -

That was easy.

I'll salvage the female hose fitting and the hose clamp, and discard that wretched bit of stiff hose.

The Leak Explained

I asked for it by using a salvaged, pressed metal female hose fitting without proper barbs on it, like so.

I won't do that again.

The Replacement Leader Hose Installed

Here we are with a slightly longer, rubber leader hose.

That should far outlast a vinyl hose. Now to try it out.

- - -

And here we are with everything connected and the hose fully pressurized.

No more little water fountain effects.

So the lesson is, "When you need a leader hose for your hose reel cart, go to the auto supply for heater hose."

* * *

A Mystery Leak -- MONDAY, MAY 28, 2018

I suspect that a young raccoon may have chewed the hose; those critters will test anything to see if it might be food. I had the same thing happen years ago to a barbeque's fuel supply hoses.

I'll just shorten that leader hose by a couple of inches to get rid of the leak. Hopefully, the raccoon has learned that rubber hose is not edible.

For whatever it's worth, here's a view of what the toothy creature did to the leader hose.

- - -

Whoops! -- TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 2018

I was wrong. The leaking leader hose wasn't the result of raccoon vandalism; it was hose wall failure. Since repairing the first leak, I've had more leaks develop.

So it appears that automotive heater hose is only good for one full season in this application, then it can no longer withstand the pressure of a domestic water supply.

I have more heater hose on hand, so I've replaced the old leader hose entirely with a new six inch length, and I should be ok for the summer.

If I could get proper 5/8" water hose by the foot, I could do a permanent repair, but I can find no such hose. So, I'll just have to keep periodically replacing my leader hose with automotive heater hose. That's not too difficult to do.

# # #

FEEDBACK

# # #

An Ashtray Perch For The Table Saw Stand

I may be finally getting the hang of this retirement gig -- the approach to take is even if you have 'better', more pressing things to do in the workshop, just go ahead and do whatever damn well pleases you at the moment; it's liberating and fun.

In that spirit, I present my table saw stand ashtray perch.

Some explanation is perhaps in order.

The lilliputian 'office' portion of my workshop, where I write these things, is right by the front of my table saw. I've been putting my ashtray on top of the table saw, where it's reasonably handy to me just off to my left. But my table saw's table is fairly high (39" -- it's a bit of a reach up from my chair), and I have to relocate the ashtray whenever I need to use the saw.

So, in the interest of sound ergonomics, I made a perch for the ashtray that's mounted lower, at the front of the machine's stand. A bonus is that the ashtray is no longer in the way when I need use of the saw.

The perch is just a softwood disc that I turned on the lathe. It has a recess in its top that accepts the base of the ashtray securely. A 5/16"-18 tee-nut in the centre of its top recess fastens it to a threaded rod stud, like so.

It's quite a sturdy little arrangement that suits me fine

# # #

FEEDBACK

# # #

Wire Wheel Machine Enhancements

A long time ago, I wrote about the first wire wheel machine that I built for my workshop, and a second machine that I had meant to give to my son. It turned out that my son had no place at his home where he could possibly fit in a wire wheel machine, so I still have that machine, and need to either sell it or give it away.

In order to make the machine reasonably attractive to a potential buyer, I came up with a stand for it, and added a safety feature -- a belt guard for the front end of the v-belt and its pulley. here's a view of the machine on its stand without the belt guard.

And with the belt guard.

Now I need to paint the deck and the belt guard. The stand has rails at roughly the mid-point of the legs. Those rails could easily support a deck, to lend storage space to the stand. I'll see if I can scrounge up material for that.

A Mid-Point Deck

I happen to have a plank that I glued up from maple flooring long ago. It was something that didn't work out as planned, so the plank has been taking up space ever since. Fortunately, I can put it to good use here and be rid of it.

Here's a view of the shelf in place.

That allows the use of a fair bit of space that would otherwise be lost in the stand.

Getting a shelf like that installed in a stand that tapers upwards like this one does is not so easy. One leg has to come off completely in order to get the shelf in place.

I've marked fastener locations from underneath for bolts to secure the shelf to the short rails. (The rails already have holes suited to just such a purpose.) I'll take the shelf out, drill bolt holes, and do one more trial assembly with the proper fasteners. Then I can take the shelf out again, fill its defects, sand, prime and paint it.

Done

I've painted the belt guard, the deck and the mid-point deck. Here are the photos I took for a Kijiji ad.

That's not a bad looking piece of machinery, if I do say so myself. We'll see what it fetches, if anything, ever.

# # #

FEEDBACK

# # #

How Not To Treat A Tool

I found this Freud FB-011, 1 1/2" Forstner bit in a neighbour's garage.

Oh my God. What a freaking mess. The bit must have been left out in the rain in its unsealed package, then put away unattended to.

I'll clean it up on the wire wheel machine as best I can, and try it out.

Here it is after a wire wheel treatment of the shank and the cutting head's periphery.

The inside of the cutting head just isn't accessible for rust removal. Using the drill should clean up that area somewhat.

Here it is having seen some action.

The rust has probably dulled the drill a little, but it drills to perfectly true nominal size.

Here's the Freud drill again next to a Busy Bee 1 1/2" Forstner bit.

The Busy Bee item drills slightly oversize, but it does have the virtue of being much more affordable. Freud's Forstner bits are not cheap.

Freud appears to have obsoleted the 'FB' series of Forstner bits, and replaced it with the 'FC' series. The 'FC' series is carbide tipped.

By the way, Benjamin Forstner was quite an accomplished gentleman. His invention of the drill bit that bears his name made him a wealthy man.

# # #

FEEDBACK

# # #

A 'Work-In-Progress' Shelf For The Workshop

Something I used to have in my workshop is a 'work-in-progress' (WIP) shelf. It was a 36" x 16" x 38" tall steel shelving unit, on which I'd keep the loose bits and pieces of items I was working on, so they wouldn't get misplaced and mislaid and lost.

The shelf got evicted when I had to make space for a bandsaw and an arc welder. It went to a storage room where it was no longer convenient to me, and I fell out of the habit of using it as I had.

I find now that I miss the old WIP shelf terribly, and I'd like to have one in the workshop again. The difficulty is that, on the face of things at least, there's no place left in my workshop to put one. I have 300 square feet, with no unoccupied wall space left.

Then the thought occurred to me that if I were to mount a shelving unit on a wheeled dolly, I could keep it in a seldom used spot by my paint bench, and just roll it aside when I needed to -- I'd have a WIP shelf again.

I have the makings of a rudimentary dolly, and Canadian Tire has a low-end resin shelving unit for $29.99. So I went to Canadian Tire this morning and picked one up. Here it is still in its factory banding.

Assembled, it's about 32" x 14" x 72" tall. For capacity, it should more than make up for the loss of my old WIP shelf.

I'll get going on the dolly, and maybe I'll have a WIP shelf again before the day is over. (Or not; no one's ever accused me of being speedy.)

The Dolly's Underside

I've got the dolly's base cut to size from an old hardwood plank I had on hand, and I've added cross-pieces at the ends to attach the casters to, like so.

(Those casters aren't fastened yet. I just placed them to show how it will look when done.)

Those cross-pieces are two inches longer than the base plank is wide, so the casters will be slightly out-rigged for the sake of stability.

Now I have to add similar cross-pieces on top, but with holes/sockets in them to accept the 'feet' of the bottom shelf, so the shelf can't possibly slide off the dolly.

The Dolly's Topside

And here we are with the topside's cross-pieces installed.

Those 'sockets' are 1 5/8" diameter holes bored clear through the cross-pieces with a Forstner bit. They're 1/8" oversize in diameter for what is nominally called for -- that gave me some wiggle room to compensate for the difficulty of laying out such an arrangement, and locating exact hole centres. It's turned out fine. Here's a view of the thing with a shelf parked on it.

That's pretty much exactly what I was after -- a way to positively secure the shelf from sliding off the dolly.

Now I just have to fasten the casters, and the dolly is done. I can assemble the shelving unit, mount it on the dolly and see how it all looks.

The Dolly Completed

There it is, all ready for an assembled shelving unit.

And here's the dolly with its shelving unit parked in its spot.

I think I'll have to forego the topmost shelf. The thing is a bit tall for my workshop, what with all the stuff I have suspended from joists.

That aside, I think this is going to work out ok.

The Topmost Shelf Removed

Here's the shelving unit without its topmost shelf.

That's much less awkward; I can live with that. The loss of capacity is no big deal.

Tippyness

Empty, the shelving unit is quite light and easily tipped off the dolly. The dolly is fairly heavy. I think I'm going to have to fasten the bottom shelf to the dolly somehow. Then I'll have a relatively heavy-based assembly that will be much less prone to tip.


Securing The Bottom Shelf To The Dolly

I happen to have four of these little offset straps.

They may be just what I need here. Their holes will accept No. 6 screws. I'll be back shortly after I've installed these in the manner I have in mind.

- - -

And here we are.

There's one of those little straps at each corner of the bottom shelf; end of tippyness. My WIP shelf is ready to accept whatever I need it to.

- - -

Addendum -- SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2016

Here's a quick and dirty way to add an extra shelf to the unit.

That's a salvaged piece of slightly warped 15mm plywood, supported by corner braces and hose clamps that I've added to the tubular uprights. Here are two views of the details.

So the plywood plus four 1" corner braces, plus four 1 1/2" capacity hose clamps, plus four No. 8 x 1/2" flat head wood screws are all that's needed to obtain a securely fastened auxiliary shelf.

I've had the use of my new WIP shelf for two weeks now, and it's been a real boon to the workshop. It really helps me keep projects ticking along in an orderly fashion.

# # #

FEEDBACK

# # #

A Cast Iron Ornamental Bird Feeder

My wife got this damaged item for nothing from the plant nursery where she works.

The little white tag reads, "X-614 RUSTED BIRD FEEDER^[1]
UDL - MADE IN CHINA"

It obviously has a bit broken off -- I'll see if I can repair that satisfactorily with CA adhesive. The column is missing an M5 threaded stud that's needed to attach the bowl to the top of the column. That should be easy to correct, so I'll start with that.

Replacing The Missing Stud

It turns out that I have a 16 mm long M5 setscrew on hand. It's almost exactly what's needed here.

 I'll install it in the top of the column with blue threadlocker, with 6mm of the setscrew's length protruding for attachment to the bowl. That will be a near-perfect solution to the problem.

- - -

And here we are with an M5 stud right where it ought to be.

Trial Assembly

It went together fine.

It's quite a handsome little objet, really. It remains to be seen what the birds think of it.

Anyway, next up is to reattach the broken-off piece. That may prove to be a bit challenging.

Repairing The Break

Here's a view of the bowl with its broken-off piece fitted back into place, and propped up on a small block of wood.

The fit is good but not perfect. CA adhesive might work here. Although CA adhesive is not meant to be a filler, I've found that repeated applications to very small gaps will serve as a filler.

I've been advised to use J-B Weld for this, and I may yet regret not heeding that advice, but I'm going to go with CA adhesive, if only because it's so easy to use in a case like this. Just hold the parts together and apply the adhesive to the seam. Provided that the CA adhesive is fresh and runny, the adhesive will wick into the seam by capillary action, and bond the two pieces together. (At least, that's the theory.)

For this job, I'll hold the thing together upside down with my left hand, and apply the adhesive at the underside of the seam with my right. If I get lucky here, I may get a repair that's nearly invisible.

The Repair So Far

Here's a view of the repair from the underside, the side where I applied the glue.

And from the topside.

It's a good repair as far as it goes, but I'm a little disappointed that I don't see evidence of the CA adhesive having wicked through all the way to the top surface.

Although it will spoil the appearance a bit, I'm going to apply more CA adhesive, this time at the top. That should truly seal the repair interface, and should leave me with a repair that can withstand being left out in any weather.

The Topside Appearance Now

After two applications of CA adhesive.

The adhesive residue does call attention to the repair somewhat, but at least now the repair interface is well sealed topside.

Something I'd Overlooked

This had escaped my notice somehow; my wife pointed it out to me. There's a single hole near the perimeter of the bowl.

The hole is countersunk underneath, as though for a flat head screw. There's no doubt a piece missing from from this item -- a perch, probably.^[2]

I'm not going to pursue the matter. Anything I could fabricate by way of a perch would look mechanistic, and out of character with the bowl. The missing piece probably had a nice, sculpted appearance to it, mimicking a leafy branch, possibly.

Anyway, the repair is as done as it's going to get.

I think the thing would make a better candy dish than a bird feeder, actually, but it might be wisest to keep that opinion to myself around here.

- - -

Notes:

[1] This item looks to me a lot more like a bird bath than a bird feeder. I think others would agree. How a manufacturer can not even know the proper name of what it is that he's manufacturing is a mystery to me.


[2] A reader kindly clued me in to what the missing piece most likely is -- a bird, so it would look as though there's a bird already at the bath. If you google for images of 'cast iron bird bath', you'll find many examples.

# # #

FEEDBACK

# # #