Family Update

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Visiting Ones Childhood Home

Mom, Dad, and the kids

We had a rare family reunion on Thursday in Jackson. Usually, one of us kids is home, or maybe we have our families with us. But to have the Original Bruey Five together in one place? Priceless!


Some Musical Stylings

K and his fellow violins play the ancient
piece Too Ning.

M and the Jazz Band jazz it up in their
final performance of the season.

A Few Pictures From The Great Outdoors

The bee isn't really in focus, but his shadow looks pretty cool.

Baby swans! Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww...

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Some Links
On the topic of photography, what happens when you x-ray cameras? This guy found out.

Tired of carving figures and shapes into small pieces of wood? Try a whole tree.

Pictures of auroras from NASA.

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Post 351: The Sequel to the 350th Post

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SpongeBob celebrates more than seven years and 350 posts of mostly family stuff, a lot of links, and boatloads of related words, pictures, letters, and numbers taking up space on a Google server somewhere.

This Is My 351st Post
I know almost none of you are counting at home, but my last post was the 350th time I've posted something for public consumption on The DEB Log. We'll celebrate this momentous occasion by moving on to post #351. Keep reading.

Men In Black
J and I went to a costume party a few weeks ago dressed as agents from the movie "Men In Black". The Men In Black protect the universe from aliens, who (as far as the movie is concerned) live among us in relative anonymity. In the movie, the agents have devices called neuralizers that flash like a camera, causing nearby people to lose their memory of any alien activity they might have witnessed.

As part of our costumes, I made two neuralizers out of toilet paper holders, a light, a battery, and a switch. Here is the finished product, followed by some of the parts.





Fun Links
This guy is off the charts of skill and creativity. This video is a must-watch for anyone who works with wood.

This is a changing measuring spoon. And it's a snap to clean.

If assembly is required, check out Assembly Magazine.

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New Eyeballs!

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Isn't it amazing and wonderful that we live in an age where doctors can slice your eyes open and fix 'em up?

Don's New Drill

Can you tell which is the big, heavy, old drill, and which is the new, lighter, and more powerful drill?

My old drill, which I've had for 19 years, has finally called it quits. So, after way too long comparing features and prices, I bought a new drill and impact driver set by DeWalt. They're small and fast, and I'm looking forward to doing something with them. Does anyone have any holes they need drilled? Let me know.

Links
The person who makes this book has a very clear and creative mind.

This Free Key system is pretty nice. I keep hurting my fingernails on the old kind of key ring.

I love these plaster architectural models.

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Lots of Little Things

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Dremel Router Base Project


I got a new Dremel tool for Christmas and I'd like to use it for a project or two where I need to cut recesses in wood. I don't have a router base for it, which is necessary, so I looked around the internet and found some people making their own. The ones I found online are nicer than this, made of metal or plexiglas, but I think this one, made out of wood, will work fine. I made it from scrap wood and a few dollars' worth of nuts and bolts from ACE.

There are several commercial router bases available (here, here, here, and
here), including one that Dremel makes, so I may find myself eventually graduating to one of those offerings. The reviews I've read of the Dremel brand base are not good, but the others get good reviews.


Getting Out of the House

I went to the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor a few weeks ago to see a band, Spiraling Suns. Two of the three band members are coworkers of mine in Dexter, and it was fun to see them playing. They're normally quiet and unassuming, but when they get going, they really belt it out.

Science Olympiad
The Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad event schedules are out, the culmination of quite a few hours of work. This year we'll have 38 schools in the tournament, like last year, and we expect well over 2,000 students in grades 2-5. The fun never stops!

Fun Links
These miniature cities take the "ship in a bottle" genre to a whole new level: test tubes.

Since my eyeballs are getting older, I'm craving one of these. I already have a magnifying lamp that I use all the time. But who couldn't use a little more magnification?

The batteries for my cordless drill keep conking out immediately after they're charged. I've had the drill and batteries for 18 years, and I think it's time for a new set. Maybe this set would work. Cordless drills are so much lighter than they used to be.

Stay warm, everyone!

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Turkey is Coming Soon

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The cats in their new, bigger cat bed. The little blue-green toy next to Mesko is known to us as a "mouse loaf". It's a strange little toy.

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey, Some Other Stuff, Then Pie...
Next week will be a big Turkey Day celebration. Should be fun for all. We're hosting again this year and expect the company to be especially wonderful. By then, the snow that's fallen here should be melted by the rain that's forecast for this weekend. And who knows what weather we might have next week? Oh, the joys of living in Michigan.


Gluing up a drawer for mom and dad. I clamped the sides of a small wooden box to the sides of the drawer as I was gluing them to keep them at a 90-degree angle.

Leftovers
I've been busy cleaning up "my" corner of the basement - things pile up and get disorganized on a regular basis where the workbench is, and having everyone over for the holiday gives me a good deadline to hit as far as cleaning. I have old paint to get rid of, boxes to break down, and ancient Diet Mountain Dew cans to return for deposits. It's possible some of them have been down there since before the deposit law was passed.

Some Links
Scroll through all the old calculating machines here. Amazing feats of mechanical engineering!

Model motorcycles from watch parts. I really wish I had a giant box full of watch parts right now...

Adam West talks about the old Batman TV show.

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Hallowe'en Hello

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A ghostly "hello" to all The DEB Log readers. It's a gusty, cold, snowy night in Ann Arbor, just perfect for all those ballerinas and princesses to wear their winter coats. The pumpkins, which usually like a cool, fall evening, are already asking to be brought back inside.

Dad's Next Project - Table!
My first reaction when I saw some of these tables was how much I like them. My next thought was that dad's next project should be a table. Weld some legs, find or buy a table top (the more rustic or interesting the better) and - poof! - instant table. Tables are nice to look at and useful at the same time, always a winning combination.

Without further ado...

How could you NOT want this table - it has a crank! When it's time to clear the dishes, you just turn the crank and pretty soon the table's clear.

A table with nice clean lines.

I love the gears in the base of this one. (check out all of Bruce Gray's sculptures here).

I really like this one and these.


A Few Non-Table Related Things
I would always know what time it was if I had this watch and was willing to wear it out of the house (it might get scratched or stolen or breathed upon).

All you need is a Sharpie or two. How hard could it be?

Get started with wood carving. Or finish that project you started three years ago that's sitting in a box under your workbench.

Who doesn't need an ejector seat every now and then? This one is available.

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The Fun is Over! Everyone Back to Work!

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The school mid-winter break ended today at about 4:00. I had Monday off for Presidents Day (let's call it Lincolnington Day), but Tuesday through Friday was work as usual. I even got some things done. J cleaned parts of the house within inches of their metaphorical lives, and the kids did something or other.

K's hamsters are having fun running on their little wheel and skittering aimlessly around their habitat. K tells me what he thinks the hamsters are thinking, and I tell him that he shouldn't anthropomorphize the hamsters because they really hate that. (It's a bad joke, I know, but I didn't make it up, so I can only take the blame for repeating it.)

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I know I said before that the greatest watch ever has been invented, and there's no need to even try anymore. I have to eat my words after seeing this watch. I'll wash down my words with a milkshake.

I love this car. I would only touch it if I were wearing white cotton gloves. It's way too nice to play with.


Sharpen your saw.

Go to this site and click on the instruments you want to hear. I especially enjoy the smoking percussionists.

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Pins and Chamfers

The pins are cut - here they are next to the tails

Here is one corner - the pins are a little looser than I wanted.

Getting ready to glue it up. I practiced putting it together a few times before adding the glue.

Glued and clamped. I used other pieces of wood to prevent the clamps from making marks on the box's sides.

While the glue was drying, I started the base of the box, which is 1/2" thick. I wanted to put a chamfer on the base so it would be more interesting than just a rectangle of wood. I drew lines 3/16" over and down from what will be the top edge. I used these lines to determine the slope and size of the chamfer.

Here is part of the base after removing the corner of the wood with a very sharp chisel. I practiced doing this on a smaller scrap piece of wood, and found that I didn't have a sharp enough chisel. When I cut the final piece, the one I want to use with the box, I actually stropped the chisel after I completed each edge. That probably wasn't necessary, but I didn't want to have the tear-out I had with my practice piece.

A few years back, I read that the ancient woodworkers of Japan used to take such pride in their work that they were known to hone their planes and chisels every three or four strokes. I'm not quite that nutty, but I would rather be sharp than dull.

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Miscellaneous Facts and Link Section
I heard today that Apple is trading at about $490 per share. That makes Apple worth about $450 billion. More than Microsoft, Google, and my 401(k) combined.

Dad sent me a link to these cool little "crate" boxes. So many ideas for things to build, so little time.

Drink beer like Homer Simpson, who once raised a glass and said "To alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems."

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Worst. Winter. Ever.

A few practice dovetails, surrounded by proud chisels and a wheel marking gauge.
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I guess Winter is going to mostly pass us by this year. Yes, we've had a little snow and some ice occasionally. But nothing like I'm used to. It's OK, though - I'm sure the snowstorm of the century is right around the corner.

Family Updates
M had his sixth grade band concert last week. I was impressed - I wasn't expecting the depth and difficulty of the pieces they played. The auditorium at the middle school is so small, they have the band parents listen to the band, then everyone has to leave to make room for the choir. Then everyone has to leave to make room for the orchestra. When I was in middle school, we took over the gym for these things, and everyone had to sit through everything whether they liked it or not.

Science Olympiad practices have started, and this year we have 95 students and over 30 coaches and assistant coaches guiding our children through their enrichment activities. The competition is April 21 at Pioneer High School.

Woodworking
I've been doing some woodworking lately, including some practice for dovetails and box joints. I thought it would be a good idea to look around on the web again for advice and techniques for better sawing and chiseling, and I found some good ideas out there. There is a lot of junk on YouTube, but every once in a while, a gem can be found.

Sawing the tails. You can see the lines I drew, and how close I got with the saw. After doing many of these, it's still a little hit or miss, but I'm consistent.

The tails are clean - I removed the wood where the pins will eventually fit with chisels and a knife.

A Few Links
Turning a toolbox into a boombox. If that guy doesn't want that nice toolbox, I'll take it!

I'm considering buying some Red Wing boots and wrecking them just so I can have the factory do this. I love it! (More Red Wing repair here.)

A homemade guitar effects box. From the comments, it appears this design has some drawbacks. I'll wait to build it until they work them out.

And last, but not least, the gift for the man, woman, child, or small gorilla who has everything: the bullet-proof polo shirt. When you need to play tennis in a dangerous neighborhood.

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Happy New Year!

Two sides and two ends of a box for a magic wand.

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Happy New Year
It's now 2012, and some people believe the world will end this year. Evidence is thin, but someone on TV said it, and there are some websites that support it. What more do you need? If someone on TV says it, it must be true. TV also tells me that Taco Bell is open very late at night in case I need a taco. Isn't TV great?

Resolutions
I don't normally make New Year resolutions, but I've decided on a few this time around.
* I resolve to strike while the iron is hot. Striking while it's cold just makes dents and hurts my hands.
* I resolve to remove the songs from my iPod that I haven't listened to in more than a year.
* I resolve to clean the basement workshop area a few weeks ago and keep it clean through today. (Done!)
* I resolve to continue avoiding using the word "so" as the first word in a sentence when that sentence is not a direct continuation of a previous thought.
* I resolve to answer the door when UPS, the neighbor kids, or opportunity knock.
* I resolve to nag my kids more. They're going to want someone to blame for their problems when they get older, and I am determined to be there for them when the time comes.
* I resolve to choose the winning PowerBall numbers for the March 23, 2012 drawing.
* I resolve to actually buy a PowerBall ticket, which, despite the overwhelming odds of losing, one is required to purchase if one expects to win.
* I resolve to finish the semi-secret electronics project I started in 2011. Let's just say it is off the ground floor.


A Few Links
Open letter to watch manufacturers: The greatest watch ever has been designed and built. It's over. Your industry has peaked and will soon be in decline. Sell your tiny tweezers on eBay, hang up your magnifying eyepieces, and take early retirement. Behold this masterpiece of timekeeping.

Look at these rayguns. Just look at them.

Robots! I might have posted this before, but it's been a while, so go back and take another look.

Plans for a Stirling engine. A fun little weekend project.

Low Tech Magazine, ironically hosted on a web page. But you have to do what you have to do.

Smithy is an Ann Arbor company that makes machine shop tools. If I could POSSIBLY think of something to make with this combination lathe/mill, I would take out a loan and buy one. This place is not far from my house, so I could avoid the $329 shipping charge. With savings like that, how can I afford NOT to buy one? And it's so pretty, you could just pull up a chair and stare at it for hours.

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Plane Rehab, Plus A Few Links

A Millers Falls plane, cleaned up and ready to smooth.

Planes (the woodworking kind, not the other kind)
Dad found a few planes at a thrift store and handed them off to me to see if I could do something with them (thanks, Dad!) I started with the most promising one, a Millers Falls model 14B, which is very similar to the more common Stanley #5 smoothing plane.

I took it apart, cleaned up the rust, polished the metal parts, stripped the red stain off the handles, and restained and them. After a few coats of clear finish, the handles (also known as the tote and the knob) were back on, and it was almost ready to go. A little honing on what was already a pretty sharp blade, and I was in business.

There are two more planes in the set, and I am not sure if one of them can be saved - it has a lot of rust on the sole. But I'll give it a try and see what I can do.

"Family" Fun Night
M and I went to his school's Family Fun Night last night from 6:00 - 8:00. It is so named because family members of students are invited. Whether the middle-schooler has any desire to actually spend time with his or her family at the Family Fun Night is an entirely different matter. When we got there, we bought a slice of pizza for dinner, and I asked M what the plan was. His answer: "I'll meet you at the front door at 7:55." OK, then. I wandered around, talked to some other parents, introduced myself to some volunteer moms and dads that I didn't know, talked to one of M's teachers, and played basketball with a few sixth-graders I know from Lawton. I'm not sure if I avoided embarrassing M by being there, you'll have to ask him.

Soccer season for K has ended. He had a good year, and scored a goal in a game a few weeks ago. His team played very well again this year, winning all but one game, and most of the wins were of the lopsided ilk.

Links
The only reason I wouldn't buy an Electric DeLorean is, well, actually, I guess if I had the money, I'd buy one. They're cool!

David Malki, creator of Wondermark, provides a brief but important flowchart for internet users.

Jim Gaffigan asks his friends who are so eager to spend their days off work camping and hiking: "If it's so great outside, why are all the bugs trying to get into my house?"

Providing tools and materials to people who need them, and teaching them how to use them, is better than standing around wondering why they're not being productive.

I read this book, Banker to the Poor, by Muhammad Yunus, several years ago. It's about microloans in developing countries, and its concepts can apply in countries like the US as well. The idea that loaning even ten or twenty dollars to someone in a developing country can help pull them out of poverty doesn't make much sense to us, but it's real, and it works.

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Wooden Box, School, and Links

Making a box. No power tools here, just saws, planes, pencils and squares.

School
School starts for 3/4 of our family on Tuesday: M to a new school for sixth grade, K to his comfortable old school for fourth, and J to her middle school as the Media Clerk. Work starts for me on Tuesday the way it always does, with Diet Mt. Dew and deleting most of the email I've received since the last time I was at work.

Soccer practice started Thursday. Someday I won't be reporting on soccer practices any more, but I'm expecting a few more years.

We took a quick weekend trip to Pittsburgh to see J's grandmother, who doesn't come close to acting her age. At her house, 97 looks like 80 for most people. She'll bury us all.

Projects
I'm obviously working on a wood project - this one is a secret until further notice, but it is similar to some projects I've done in the past. It involves a wooden box (poplar), carving (basswood), and magic incantations. Oops, I've said too much.

My Arduino project is on hold for now because I'm working on the wood project, and I was also sidetracked by the software I wrote for the Run-a-thon. But soon I'll be back with it. In the meantime, I made good on my threat to buy the book Making Things Move, and I also purchased this ultrasonic sensor, which I plan to use to help determine the position of a certain moving object that will be controlled by the Arduino and some user input. Stay tuned.

A Few Fun Links
Jeff De Boer's creations are pretty cool.

You've officially run out of excuses for not constructing your own Saturn V rocket or Hubble telescope.

I haven't had a lot of time to look at this PDF more closely, but it's full of interesting ideas for hiding things.

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Workbench

I finally finished the workbench I started last winter. Click on the picture to see it in full.



It's small for a woodworking workbench, only 4' long. A more serious workbench would be 7' or 8' long and made of heavier and more expensive materials. This is one is made entirely from 2-by lumber from Lowe's. It's a common practice for people who don't want to spend the money on more expensive wood, like maple.

The vise jaws are cherry, which was bought at a local recycle/reuse shop for a few dollars, and the rest of it was paid for with Lowe's gift cards I received as gifts. The bench is 2' deep, which is pretty common. The top was glued and clamped together in pieces, and the joints for the legs and top are all mortise and tenon, reinforced with bolts. I wanted it to be disassembled and moved if needed, so there is no glue on any of the joints.

I enjoy working with hand tools, like planes, chisels, and hand saws and hope to start on a new project this winter. This bench should be a good start for those projects.