Welcome to Breakfast in America
My photo journal is an eclectic mix of things; there’s no guiding theme or topic. It is whatever happens to catch my attention, what I’ve been thinking, doing, and whatever my current obsessions are. At the moment, they are clearing some of the backlog on my ‘honey-do’ list, backpacking and hammock camping.
Recent posts
-
Taking Lanie’s car for its fortnightly spin
Taking Lanie’s car for its fortnightly spin. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Lanie’s been in Europe since December. It’s been my job to give her car a run out every now and then while she’s gone. One has to do these things in style … 🙂
Bonus picture:
Taking Lanie’s car for its fortnightly spin. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Table saw cart — completed (for now)
Table saw cart — completed (for now). Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. That’s another job finished. As I hoped, the dust collection seems to work well. I also made a zero clearance saw blade insert, which hopefully forces the air to be drawn in places where the dust was being sprayed out. Extended use will show if this was actually a good idea.
Using the table saw as a milling machine was not the best method of making the blade insert, but it was the easiest way to do it, and it was remarkably effective. I found a store that stocked metric nuts, bolts, and machine screws so I could secure the insert, now to make some spares.
Table saw cart (back) showing the dust port and power lead. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Building my table saw cart
Table saw cart — the full concept revealed. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. By fitting a countertop on the table saw, I can have extra workbench space when needed. Unfortunately, the worktop I put aside for this task is bowed, so I’ll have to find a replacement. At least I have been able to prove the concept will work.
The cart is more sturdy than necessary, but I’ve been using up lumber left over from making the folding photography table. I may make a few changes before I’ve finished. 🙂
Since I took this picture, I’ve bolted the saw to a plywood base and added a dust port. I’m very pleased with how well the dust extraction has worked in my initial tests. The saw lifts out on its base so I can swap it for a different tool. I’m now thinking about adding a router table into the mix.
The adjustable legs work well, I can wind them up and down using my cordless drill! The bench can be leveled anywhere in the garage (garage floors slope towards the center and the door), and also level it to my workbench when needed. That’s exactly what I wanted.
I’ve still to fit a back, sides, and bottom shelf. There’s a power strip to be added and thinking ahead to using the cart as a router table, I’m fitting an additional power shut off switch.
Quick test, and I needed to use the table saw! Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
New workbench storage
New workbench storage. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I have finally updated the storage area above my workbench. There used to be five plastic cat litter boxes on the shelf. They have worked well for many years, but they were open at the top, and the dust and dirt collected in them, and, to be honest, I didn’t like the look of them.
New workbench storage. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. A recent tidy-up produced a load of scrap wood we were going to burn. Going through the scrap, I realized I had enough to make a set of boxes to replace my cat litter containers. And that’s what I have done. I made all five boxes in an afternoon, so the finish isn’t furniture level, but they fit the space well and look much better.
You can see the old cat litter boxes above the bench in this picture. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Hitachi C10FR Table Saw — My next project
Hitachi C10FR Table Saw — My next project. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It’s a very well-used worksite jobbing saw I’ve had for a few years. I’ve spent time setting it up, so it is accurate enough for my purposes. However, it is time to make some improvements.
I’m going to replace the base with a wheeled cart with adjustable height to match my workbench. The saw sprays sawdust around when it is running, so, most importantly, I’ll be adding dust collection.
Hitachi C10FR Table Saw — My next project. Bonus color version. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Hibiscus — Hollywood
Hibiscus — Hollywood. Our hibiscuses have generally been a bit ‘Meh’ this year, so this one stood out. The blue tinge is due to reflected skylight, not coloring. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Doorstop
Doorstop — another test shot to get a feel of the workflow with the new storage and table. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Knife
Knife. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. A quick test of the new photography table. Jim gave me the knife a few months ago, I’m not sure where he got it from. It’s more for decoration than anything else. It’s very heavy and made, I’m told, from surgical steel. I suspect it’s from India (the maker’s mark has been removed).
The piece of driftwood was sent to us by a friend of Ginger’s in Sweden. It was washed up on the Baltic coast and is amazingly lightweight.
-
Set up for a quick test
Set up for a quick test — I used a small hand-held fill in light for the test pictures. It has finely adjustable color temperature and brightness. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Sparkle Zone Storage Center, Stage Two
Sparkle Zone Storage Center, Stage Two, almost complete — Some final adjustments to the bottom doors to be made. There is still some minor work and finishing touches to be completed. Apart from that, all done. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Now with added ‘Small Product phototable.’ For small quick shoots it can be pulled out with a small surface, just over a foot deep. For larger items it can extend up to 36-inches. The whole unit can be moved around to make the best use of the light or to put it where it is needed. Now to find out if it improves our photography workflow.
