Finishing up my garage table project.

I still needed to add the horizontal bracing and casters to my table. I also decided to remove the large metal shelf unit that I had just installed. I didn't have as many extra shelves as I thought I did, so it didn't serve my purposes. I will replace it with my smaller mobile table. That will allow me to turn the locker sideways so that I can still access the tools stored inside. This table easily rolls out of the way.    

I thought that I should add the cross bracing before I flip the table on it's side to install the casters. 

These metal strap braces will beef up the connection with the table side rail

I went to Harbor Freight and picked up a couple more of these clamps. They come in very handy to mock up the components and  hold everything in position while they are screwed in place.

Here you can see the metal brace being held in position.

This 2x4 was cut down to 7ft. before it was attached. I hope that this single cross brace will be adequate.

Now for the casters. I chose to use four revolving, locking casters. This will allow me to position the table more easily and securely. 

I attached the casters with short lag bolts.

I installed a short backstop to prevent items from being accidentally pushed off of the table, where it would likely fall onto the hood of one of my car.

There's still a lot of work to be done trying to organize his space. Working on the garage might have been a way to avoid working on my cars. Maybe, but I can only delay things for so long.

 Waterless car washes, 

Keeping your car clean responsibly during a drought. 

California seems to face a drought every year now. Even with the Winter snow and rain the reservoir levels never to fill up to the point that restrictions are lifted. This year doesn't seem to be any different. 

Commercial car washes recycle their wash water, this reduces their consumption of municipal water. 

Home car washing, even with a turn off nozzle, uses quite a bit of water. The run off usually just goes down the driveway into gutter and into the storm drain. The only thing that is worse than this, is the practice of washing down the driveway and walkways with a hose, using a broom or power blower works even better and wastes no water. 

Vintage car owners don't really embrace the idea of pouring a deluge or aiming powerful streams of water at their car. This usually results in water insidiously finding its way through worn and tired weatherstripping and into all the hidden nooks and crannies. Places where rust is just waiting to take hold.

Normal rainfall does not pose as great a threat. It just fall down lightly and runs down the car, instead of blasting through the seams. The occasional "gully washer" is another case.

One strategy for the old car aficionado is to find ways to avoid having to wash your car in the first place. 

If you can keep your car garaged when it's not being used, that would be the ideal. The environment is rough on your car. Dust, dirt, bug and bird splatter is always lurking. Rain washes the dirt out of the trees and directly onto your car, as well as roadway splash. 

A  garage or car port, and covered parking at work is not always available. So what are we supposed to do? 

Properly waxing your car at least once a year is a good start. Once a year would be considered a bare minimum. 

A car duster  is great for removing dust as it starts to accumulates. Best done right away once the car has cooled in the shade. If not dusted off, this light dirt will combine with moisture overnight and form a film on your paint that will build up over time. 

Yes it is just a smaller version of the dust mop we use on the floor.

Using a car cover routinely keeps not only dirt off the finish, but protects from ultra violet light damage.

I had some experience with water less car wash years ago. 

I found that it was quite effective, though I would hesitate to apply it to a real grimy surface. I decided to revisit these solutions. 

It would make sense for me. If I can cover my car consistently, use the car duster to remove light dirt, then I can use the water less cleaner to maintain the cleanliness of the surface.

On most of my cars I don't have a real problem with running them through the local car washes, occasionally.

Then my task is to maintain them as well as possible. With my old cars like my '70 Mustang, my 'XJS,  and especially something like my '51 Jag, I would prefer to never point a high pressure water hose at those cars. The weather stripping is old, worn, cracked, and missing in spots.. That's not going to keep out a lot of water. 

The first car that I tried it on was my '97 XJ6. This car still has nice shiny paint and I've waxed and polished it in the last year. The car was still fairly clean under the cover. I dusted it off and applied the water less cleaner as per the instructions. It did a fair job cleaning off small stains as well as laying down an additional layer of wax protection. It still looks good even after a few weeks, but I usually keep this car covered also. 

There are a lot of people who prefer not to cover their cars at all, because any cover is going to retain a certain amount of dirt and grit within it's fabric. Especially after its been in use. The better quality covers will be more effective in keeping the dirt from penetrating the surface. The cheap ones allow a lot of dirt through them after a heavy rain. Especially if you park the car under a large tree during the first really heavy rain of the season. The one that flushes all the dirt from the branches onto your car. 

Then it's time to run the cover through the washing machine. I was successful in doing that at least once with my cheap car covers. I let the cover air dry draped over a bench and table. 

Truthfully, using a cover is a mixed bag. I'm willing to accept some micro abrasion of the surface in order to protect the paint and interior from the damage of UV light as well as preventing bird and insect splats. From past experience I know that these can really damage the finish. Keeping it constantly waxed should help reduce the abrasions. 

I've done even more aggresive covering utilizing tarps over a car cover to protect the car during the rainy season. It's important that the tarp be big enough to channel the water away from doors and windows. I had my XJS parked at the curb as well as in the side yard with that arrangement. That situation lasted a few years. It wasn't the ideal, and it wasn't what I would have preferred, but it was something.

It worked. After spending several Winters outside, no water ever found it's way into the interior. 

As an enthusiast you have to do something.  Slowing down the potential deterioration is the primary objective.

As I stated, I first used the car wash on the XJ6. Recently I wanted to try it on my truck. The truck was filthy, not only from sitting under the trees, but the heavy rainfall splashed water up from the gutter onto the wheels and lower sides. I wasn't going to try the waterless cleaner directly on that mess, so I ran it through the local car wash first. Then I used the waterless cleaner as a wash/wax product. It did lay down a shiny layer. It was quick and easy. The last time I had waxed the truck was during the Summer. It really needs to be waxed more often. I haven't used it's new car cover yet. I usually only drive the truck once a week, but it's going to be a hassle putting on and removing the cover. I'll probably wait until rainy season is over. 

I had also run the Flex through the wash. The black wheels didn't come out too clean. With all the spokes, and nooks and crannies I'm not too surprised. I hit them with the waterless cleaner and they came out great, this is the first time I cleaned them by hand since I bought it. It makes a huge difference. I used the product on the hood, this was a couple of days after I had it washed. It cleaned off some recent dirt and laid down some extra shine. 

The '96 Mustang went through the wash also. Then it went under the cover waiting for it's appointment with the waterless wash. It gets to sit inside the garage so it should remain clean. I'll dust it off then apply the cleaner. This will be a good indication of how well it will work. 

I ran three vehicles through the car wash, and even by choosing the cheaper options as well as using coupons, it still cost me 30.00 to wash them all. That doesn't include a couple of bucks apiece as a tip to the operator. Obviously with this many vehicles it's a lot of work and expense trying to keep them all clean, and to preserve them the best I can. Still the waterless system is easy, quick, and convenient, besides reducing household water usage. It smells good too.

The use of water less cleaner is one more option I can use to preserve the appearance of my cars. And as I have always said, preservation is much more important than future restoration. Cheaper too. A new car is designed to be out in the weather, have you ever seen a storage lot full of brand new cars waiting to be delivered to their dealers? Rows and rows of spanking new cars sitting outside exposed to the elements, usually covered in a thick coast of dust! 

Modern cars are painted in very durable finishes. The paint will, with minimal upkeep, continue to look great for many years. If you trade your car in every few years, you might never be concerned with paint damage. Once the car reaches the age of six or seven years you're past the "grace period" and gradual deterioration is going to accelerate. 

However, if you buy a ten year or older vehicle, you need to stop the deterioration, and reverse the process. 

The good news is that it is quite possible to bring most vehicles back to very good cosmetic condition. 

For the enthusiast it's worth the time and effort, the condition of a car tells a lot about the owner.

 Building a "park under" garage table. 

Those cryptic squiggles and numbers 
are the basis of my project.

As well as other garden and home projects. 

Another installment in my "Nothing to be proud of here!" series.

It's no wonder that I'm not doing much with my cars, these other projects are taking up too much of my time. Maybe that's my intention? 

In a bid to expand the versatility of my garage as a workspace, I've been wanting to build a table that would straddle the hood of my XJS. This would take advantage of some of the occupied space taken up by having the car parked inside.

This would also eliminate having my current smaller table positioned in front of the car, which reduces the access to the fridge and laundry equipment. The larger table could be used to fold laundry as well a work bench and project center when needed. 

I have lots of experience with simple carpentry, the circular saw is my friend! More specifically, fence building. I've built upon these rudimentary experiences and have improved my skill set. I've even fashioned some rather crudely built furniture. I have built a couple of sliding door wall cabinets to house a TV and one for my Wife's craft materials. I put together an odd sized set of shelves to fit an odd sized space in my Wife's studio. I even built a printer's drawer cabinet for my daughters antique printer's drawers. It held five drawers and was made from reclaimed wood. The terms "rustic" and "primitive come to mind. I may not know exactly how to do the job correctly, but I try not to let that stop me!

As Master Yoda has said, " There is no Try, there is only Do."

I have to admit that I've got a thing for "reclaimed wood." Primarily old fence boards that I cut down and combine with new 4x4 fence posts and 2x4 stringers to rebuild my fences. I had used a lot of 2x4s to prop up a decrepit garden structure. When I tore it down last Summer, I put all the re usable lumber aside for future projects. 

I had also built a lean to shed last year, using some of the old 4x4s and 2x4s that had propped up the arbor. I used cut up fence boards as the deck for the roof of the shed, and used asphalt roofing shingles that had been left over from the construction of my two sheds. It actually came together rather well. 

It is a real challenge to make all the different dimension, warped, and weather hardened lumber work together to form a cohesive structure, but it is fun and satisfying. And it satisfies my need to be cheap. That old Douglas fir is like iron! Sometimes it's very difficult to cut, though this quest often leads to a mistaken satisfaction of false economy. 

After tearing down the old arbor we felt that we had a little too much exposure to our rear neighbors. That's why we, actually my Wife,  had made plans for me to erect a lattice privacy screen. We had bought the materials in advance and it only took several months for me to get started on the project. 

I will admit that using all new materials makes the work so much easier and faster, Did I have a set of plans or blueprints to follow?  No. Did I at least have an idea of how to build the thing? Yes. Did I have everything well planned out? Not really.

I thought that I should make a free standing portable screen, instead of a permanent replacement for the arbor. We really needed something right now, though I haven't given up plans of building a nicer structure... Someday. 

I had my ideas and figured out the design on the fly. Making the needed adjustments when necessary. The 8 ft.x 20 ft.  screen is supported by four, braced, 6 ft. long 2x4 out riggers. I built it in three days of part time labor. Now that I'm retired, there's no way you can get a full days work out of  me! 

My Wife is very tolerant of my methods and accepting of my efforts. I honestly think that she gives me too much credit. Of course this encouragement keeps me plugging away at my projects. 

After building the screen I decided to tackle a project that I'd been thinking and talking about for years. 

The photo at the top displays the scribbled notes and sketches that I hoped to turn into a finished project. 

First, I took some measurements to determine the height needed to clear the car's hood. 

I still had  a sizable quantity of re claimed 2x4s of varying lengths, dimensions and condition. My initial goal was to build the table completely with materials that I had on hand. I still had some 3 1/2" wood screws left over from the construction of the sheds, and a large box of outdoors Phillips wood screws that had been given to me by my Brother when he moved.  

I decided that I didn't want to use 4x4 legs, I would instead build two 2x4 end panels that would support the sides. My inspiration was to add an internal X cross member for bracing, this would be my artistic "Craftman's Touch."

There would be a top and bottom plate with 2x4 uprights. I've learned that a simple box design like that is not very stable without adequate cross bracing. Any lateral loads would result in the assembly deforming, so I decided to go with the internal cross member.

I plan to attach casters to the bottom of the end panels to make the table easily movable.

Luckily my Wife was available to help me figure out the angle cuts to the cross members by fashioning templates out of cereal box cardboard, I've got to learn to use a protractor!

After I fashioned the first cross member, I just repeated the process three times. I test fit each cross member after I completed it.

Voila!

After I built the other end panel I had to build the top connecting rails. I decided to notch the ends so they the top boards would have a level attaching surface. 

A table saw would have made a better cut. I had even considered using my little band saw, but thought that trying to maneuver a full length 2x4 would introduce "a greater opportunity for error!" I marked the cuts by presenting a section of cut 2x4, marking it, and tried initially to cut it with a jig saw. Poor thing, it was like trying to make it cut a steel beam! It was slow going and I decide that I didn't want to burn out the machine. I switched over to the circular saw and made 90% of the cuts. I only finished off the last bit with the jig saw. Is this how they would do it on "The New Yankee Workshop?" I certainly hope not.

Ben on the TV show Hometown, is right, you can never have too many clamps! You glean what wisdom you can from these shows. One problem is that they make any women's whim seem easily do-able. Sure it's easy when you have a full dedicated crew, and the corresponding budget. I find that I like these shows depending on the personalities of the couple. Ben and Erin are easy to watch, Chip and Joanna, not so much. I particularly like seeing what goes on in Ben's wood working shop. The sign about the clamps is posted on the wall inside.  

I made an initial fitting of the frame by clamping it all together first. Didn't look too bad. Then I fabbed up the corner braces. I went out to the garage to measure the spot and realized that 8 ft. was going to be a bit too wide for my garage set up. So I went back and shortened the cross pieces by a foot.

The table, once assembled, would be too large to fit through the garage side door and too wide for the side gate, so I figured that I would just assemble it inside the garage in the spot that I planned to place it. It it ever leaves the garage it'll go through the big door. 

But first I went to Home Depot to buy a sheet of plywood. I got a nicely finished one, exactly like the one that I had bought when replacing the top of the Wife's craft table. Plywood is expensive, the sheet cost me 65.00 but it will make for a nice top surface. 

It will be much smoother and provide a more even surface then trying to make something with these reclaimed fence boards. Also, less chance of picking up splinters. Quality is Job One!

I backed both Cars out of the garage after freeing the Jag of it's burden of piled on stuff. I let the Jag have it's customary 30 minute run time, it gets fully warmed up by then. After the table was mocked up I attempted to put the Jag in place.

Once I was certain that the car could comfortably fit under the table I proceeded to screw it together and add the braces. Lag bolts may have been a better choice than screws for the connection with the end panels, but I used a 31/2 inch screw that was driven in by an impact driver, ( a present from my Son) that really makes some tight joints. 

Fitting the top panel was interesting, frustrating, and humbling. The plywood was cut on the big saw at the store, I'm assuming ( hoping)  that the cut was truly square. I'd been checking the framework for level and plumb and was happy to see that it was almost perfect. However trying to align the plywood revealed that the frame wasn't properly square and there was some nagging problems with aligning it satisfactorily. I figured that I would just have to split all the differences. My Wife came out to look at it and told me to concentrate on the parts that are most visible, which makes sense. Like I wrote years ago when discussing auto body paint prep and sanding; you just fiddle with it until you are sick and tired, and then just finish the job. To Hell with it! 

It looks good enough for me. I'm sure that it will become a treasured heirloom in my family. I plan to add my initials and the date: 2/22. 

It looks pretty tight, but I found that it is easy to gauge the available clearance when pulling the car into position underneath. 

The table still needs some side braces added, but it's already pretty stable. Once I add the casters I'll pick up a few inches more of height. If I was to park an older car with a higher hood in that space I can just place some 4x4 spacers under the bottom rail.

You can compare the situation before, with the little table placed in front of the bumper of the XJS, which intruded into the space in front of the fridge.

Making the most of what you've got.

This has clearly opened up a lot more space. The table will be counter height and the stool tucks neatly under the edge of the table. I still have some rethinking to do over the shelf and locker visible against the wall. The hardest job will be getting rid of extraneous "stuff." That's always the hardest part.

My Wife was very excited about the project, she hinted that I could build a long outdoor table for the patio. I told her that in that case, I would buy much better materials to construct it with. My Daughter uses a lumber supply in Mountain View that sells high quality lumber. It is much more expensive than what you would find at Home Depot, as well as drier, straighter, and with less knots and imperfections. If I do embark on this more demanding task I will have to step up my game. I'm not going to ruin that good wood! More precise measuring to begin with, I just picked up that combination square a Harbor Freight and will have to learn how to use it. More precise and more consistent angle cuts will be of paramount importance. I can't always "wing it" with the circular saw. I think that I will pick up a heavy duty miter saw and will also use a table saw. The need for more precision in making the cuts, and the need to constantly check that the assembly is square, should result in a higher level of craftsmanship, as well as much more satisfaction with the finished product.

This is not to disparage the current fruits of my efforts. I'm learning more all the time, and I'm satisfied with what I've accomplished so far. 

It beats looking at a pile of old wood!

 Hand drill powered workshop?

( Follow me down a hand drill powered rabbit hole!)

The handsome polished alloy power tools pictured in the above ad were the cream of the crop. A circular saw, jig saw, drill, and sander. Nice tools that any man would be mighty proud to own and use. The only problem was that they were expensive, not many guys could drop that much cash on a power tool, and their Wive's didn't want to spend too much on a gift for their Man's hobby.  You never know if he would eventually lose interest in his new woodworking hobby. What to do? 

Black and Decker had an idea.

Why not make a line of accessories that could be used with a basic hand drill? The drill was the "entry level tool " as well as the power source. If the novice became interested in more demanding wood craft activities he could expand his opportunities without breaking the bank! 

Black and Decker obviously wasn't making any apologies for this product.

At the bottom left you can see the drill attached to the mechanism. I picked up mine from an estate sale. The previous owner had used a lot of trim pieces to fair in the cabinets that he had installed in his garage. I found it to be pretty useful for cutting wood and I even used it to cut thin metal. It worked fine until the rubber drive wheel "tire" cracked and fell off! The tool sat for several years until I decided to see if I could fix it. I ended up cutting a strip of rubber mat and stapled the ends together. I made the band small enough that it had to stretch a bit to go on the drive wheel. I had already cleaned and lubed up all the bearing surfaces. My initial test was positive. I sliced strips off of a scrap of wood flooring then cut a wavy line, cutting it into two pieces. 

Several different manufacturers sold these drill press outfits. The hand drill is inserted in the jig and powers the drill press. Not a bad idea. It is sometimes difficult to drill a hole that is perfectly perpendicular to the surface, as well as to the desired depth by hand. It also makes it quicker to drill a series of holes. 

This is a more basic attachment that also functions as a drill press, but it also allows does more. Using this attachment, the drill can be used to make accurate diagonal holes. It also has a V block on the base to drill accurate holes in tubing or round stock. I had a Black and Decker branded unit that came in handy for several jobs.

     

This is one of the most basic set ups. The bracket attaches to the work bench and will hold the drill securely. Then sanding, buffing and even cutting wheels are chucked in the immobile drill. Now you have a bench grinder.

I'd really like to find one of these drill powered belt sanders. I wonder if it uses a standard size abrasive belt?

Now to something a bit more special. I'd never seen a circular saw conversion. Later I found a video demonstrating it's use. The saw used in the video did not have a protective rotating shield, it just spun the saw blade out in the open! 

At least this saw has the protective blade guard.

This has to be the high point of the collection. A hand drill powered wood lathe! 

I found a couple of videos. The first shows the actual set up and use of the lathe. The guy takes a rough piece of wood and turns it down into a file handle. It's hard to understand the presenter's English but use the closed caption option. The second video just displays the lathe components but not their set up and use. It looks a special chuck would hold the circular three jaw "lathe chuck." The lathe in the video looks brand new and never used. 

I found a third video where a guy turned a snowman on this type of lathe. 

After I graduated from high school I took a couple of semesters of technical night school. The subjects were basic machine shop procedures and welding. We did arc and gas welding. I have always been interested in machine tools and just recently I looked up a Smithy ad and ordered their catalog. Those little ads were in the back of the automotive magazines that I grew up reading. They proclaimed."Fix anything!" Their stuff is expensive, but it is probably better quality than what you would find at Harbor Freight. Of course there's no sense in having expensive, high capability equipment if you don't have a real need for it, or the knowledge and ability to actually use it. 

There was no end to the creativity of the B&D engineers. The above photo is most instructive. It looks like you could attach your circular saw under the metal table to end up with a totally unsafe, exposed blade, table saw! On the left it looks like a palm sander attachment. Under the circular saw we find a jig saw. There's even a hedge cutter attachment! Some of these are more than a little frighteningly looking. A hand drill is built to be used with two hands, there's usually a threaded fitting to attach a side grip. That orientation looks like it could make these hybrid tools quite a "handful" for the user. Especially until he gained familiarity with the set up. One hand always had to be positioned to squeeze the trigger. 

So was this stuff actually any good? Did it serve any purpose except to separate the customer from his hard earned dollars? 

A hand held drill is usually the first power tool that someone will buy. Naturally this will lead to buying basic attachments like drill bits, a sanding disc, a grinding wheel, a wire wheel and maybe a polishing pad. You have to hold the piece steady (somehow!) and bring the tool to the work. A vise, or even a couple of clamps can hold the piece in place. 

Note: Until recently electric drills were just drills. You couldn't drive power screws with them, you'd just burn them up. The modern drill/ driver was not available until the early '90's. Makita didn't offer theirs  until  1991. 

In the late '50's and early '60's most of these tools were made in the U.S. There wasn't a bunch of cheaply made foreign tools flooding the market. I don't know the pricing of home work shop power tools back then, but the inflation calculator tables don't tell the whole story. Back then the average working guy didn't make that much money, and was often the sole breadwinner. My Dad was UAW, a good union job working for General Motors. I found some of his old pay stubs from the mid 1950's I think that he only cleared around 70.00. Still he saved, worked overtime, sometimes even a second job, at the docks or cannery. As sole breadwinner, he was able to provide for our family, buy a house, and even an occasional new car. 

I think that this line of tools would have appealed to someone like him.