Under The House
Feb. 15th, 2011 04:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catsittingstillSo I started out running a couple of errands. I took the table for the Shopsmith to the nice folks at Five Rivers Machine Shop in hopes they could bend it back straight, but no dice. I should explain that the table is slightly bent--my guess is the Shopsmith was knocked over at once point, possibly by the tractor the previous owner stored in the same shed with it, possibly without the owner's knowledge. This means that the table saw function of the Shopsmith is UNhappy. (At least when cross cutting 2x4s. I haven't tried ripping because I think it would be more likely to kick back, and kickbacks are dangerous.)
Alas, the guy I consulted was of the opinion that the cast aluminum table would probably break if they tried to bend it back straight, and that grinding it straight would cost five or six hundred dollars which is about twice what a replacement table would cost. Since the Shopsmith sanding wheel and drill press still work just fine, I am not minded to risk destroying the table. However replacing the table will have to wait for a few good months when nothing goes wrong.
In the going right department I went to price plywood for the Binturong mold and discovered that it was about half what I was fearing, so that's nice. I ordered one piece, which should be cut up for me this afternoon.
Then I went under the house. Regular readers may recall the need to spread plastic of the proper thickness under there. Which need is more obvious in February, because it is damp not just near the walls, but right out to the center of the crawl space. I know this because there was a tree root growing under there and I undertook to pull it out, and gave up near the center of the house (just cut it off with clippers near the wall and near the dirt in the center of the house, then coiled the whole mess up and dragged it out. While I was at it, I removed three garbage bags full of crud of various sorts (dibs and dabs of fallen insulation, cardboard I had missed during the fall clean-out, an old paint bucket, sheet metal scraps probably from the installation of the heating system, dead leaves that had blown or been dragged into a nest of sorts in one corner and so on.
AND, while I was down there I discovered a section of heating duct has disconnected itself and fallen. I have no idea when this happened--it's a part of the crawlspace that is hedged about with insulation-covered pipes so that getting in requires some caving-type maneuvers, and I've never gone in that close before, so I'm not sure whether this is a recent thing or whether it happened before we ever bought the house. In any case, I tried to put it back (carefully, so as not to pull anything else down) and couldn't, which means I should probably consult my friend Steve who knows all about houses, or possibly call Seal Heat And Air to come fix it. Steve will probably look at it for a brownie and a thank-you so I will start with Steve.
At the end of the garbage removal I was too tired and itchy to be interested in the plastic installation, which will probably happen Thursday. I'm going to call it a win anyway, based on how much work I did.
Alas, the guy I consulted was of the opinion that the cast aluminum table would probably break if they tried to bend it back straight, and that grinding it straight would cost five or six hundred dollars which is about twice what a replacement table would cost. Since the Shopsmith sanding wheel and drill press still work just fine, I am not minded to risk destroying the table. However replacing the table will have to wait for a few good months when nothing goes wrong.
In the going right department I went to price plywood for the Binturong mold and discovered that it was about half what I was fearing, so that's nice. I ordered one piece, which should be cut up for me this afternoon.
Then I went under the house. Regular readers may recall the need to spread plastic of the proper thickness under there. Which need is more obvious in February, because it is damp not just near the walls, but right out to the center of the crawl space. I know this because there was a tree root growing under there and I undertook to pull it out, and gave up near the center of the house (just cut it off with clippers near the wall and near the dirt in the center of the house, then coiled the whole mess up and dragged it out. While I was at it, I removed three garbage bags full of crud of various sorts (dibs and dabs of fallen insulation, cardboard I had missed during the fall clean-out, an old paint bucket, sheet metal scraps probably from the installation of the heating system, dead leaves that had blown or been dragged into a nest of sorts in one corner and so on.
AND, while I was down there I discovered a section of heating duct has disconnected itself and fallen. I have no idea when this happened--it's a part of the crawlspace that is hedged about with insulation-covered pipes so that getting in requires some caving-type maneuvers, and I've never gone in that close before, so I'm not sure whether this is a recent thing or whether it happened before we ever bought the house. In any case, I tried to put it back (carefully, so as not to pull anything else down) and couldn't, which means I should probably consult my friend Steve who knows all about houses, or possibly call Seal Heat And Air to come fix it. Steve will probably look at it for a brownie and a thank-you so I will start with Steve.
At the end of the garbage removal I was too tired and itchy to be interested in the plastic installation, which will probably happen Thursday. I'm going to call it a win anyway, based on how much work I did.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-15 10:19 pm (UTC)Hopefully this was recent and did not cost you a lot on heating bills over the years.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-15 10:40 pm (UTC)On the bright side, if it has been long term, fixing it should tend to reduce our heating and cooling bills.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-16 06:53 am (UTC)Sure sounds to me like you deserve to call it a win, all right. I admire your fortitude in tackling the crawl space at all; they squick me.
If you want a "scholarship" to fund the shopsmith table, let me know. Since I spent a lot of money getting instruments overhauled, and there's still plenty in the fund, I'd be pleased to see some of it allocated to such a use. It's "creative", in the sense of bringing-into-existence, which is within the scope of the original charter we discussed. At least, that's my perspective. So if you agree, let me know what's needed.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-16 11:02 pm (UTC)Though one of the reasons I want to get this dealt with this month is that the bugs are beginning to wake up...
Thanks for the thought about the "scholarship"--let me consider it a little. I don't actually *need* the table straightened for anything but the tablesaw, and I am likely to be able to get along without a tablesaw for some time. Martin is very good about helping me cut the strips, which is the main thing I would need a tablesaw for, and it's easier with two people no matter how good your tablesaw is. So I will probably hold off on getting the new table for a while, which gives me some time to save up for it.