We are gaining ground fairly quickly on the pack-rat "stuff" and I got to spend some time in the shop planning, fitting and arranging the shop. It is all coming together pretty well. The hard part now is moving the 3 heaviest pieces of the boot shop equipment into the basement. The biggest and heaviest item weighs about 1,200# and is 8' long. Not something to strap on an appliance dolly and head for the stairway.
The other 2 items are 800# each... When I picked them up out south of Davenport Iowa a few years ago I put each of them (the last 2) on a heavy steel appliance dolly and rolled them each out of their former home onto a loading dock and down a 3/4" plywood and 2 X lumber ramp 8 feet long and onto my tandem trailer by myself There was an about 18" elevation change between the dock and the trailer and one almost got away from me when the strap of my bib overalls got tangled on a lever on top of it going down. I was stronger then, I wouldn't try it like that now...
We (my son and I) moved them out of the former shop using a fair sized tracked Bob-cat with forks on it but that is not the best way to to get them to the basement. My son normally has access to a long reach boom truck that can handle them like feathers but it may be out on a job site somewhere.
A 4th piece is about 350# and I could dolly it but see no need to. Everything else is pretty easy to move.
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farmer
Francis Robinson
I did not equip with Shopsmiths in spite of the setups but because of them.
1 1988 - Mark V 510 (bought new), 4 Poly vee 1 1/8th HP Mark V's, Mark VII, 1 Mark V Mini, 1 Frankensmith, 1 10-ER, 1 Mark V Push-me-Pull-me Drillpress, SS bandsaw, belt sander, jointer, jigsaw, shaper attach, mortising attach, TS-3650 Rigid tablesaw, RAS, 6" long bed jointer, Foley/Belsaw Planer/molder/ripsaw, 1" sander, oscillating spindle/belt sander, Scroll saw, Woodmizer sawmill
You have time and space to arrange things and get ready for whatever comes next. I hate you! And you have two beautiful horses in the pasture who want to come into your WARM shop, where you have LOTS of room. But you won't let them. My wife hates you!
Well, not really, we both just envy you but we realize that envy is a BAD thing we wish you the best and that you have a Merry Christmas.
Keep the horses warm. Remember, horses are people too.
db5 wrote:You have time and space to arrange things and get ready for whatever comes next. I hate you! And you have two beautiful horses in the pasture who want to come into your WARM shop, where you have LOTS of room. But you won't let them. My wife hates you!
Well, not really, we both just envy you but we realize that envy is a BAD thing we wish you the best and that you have a Merry Christmas.
Keep the horses warm. Remember, horses are people too.
Actually that is 5 horses in the pasture plus 5 client horses that make money instead of costing money but I get to hug those too.
My big regret with the horses is that I waited so long to get any of them (I had to always be painfully practical back then).
Our horses do tend to cost a lot more than the cats due to hoof trimming, feed stuffs, meds etc. but we get great pleasure from them everyday.
The "baby" (Rosie Belle, a Belgian draft) that we got at 1 year old is now 3 and is the biggest horse on the farm. When I am working fences etc. she follows me like a puppy.
Client horses tend to come and go a lot. Many of our clients end up getting a place to keep their horses at home after a while. Regular care requires a lot of driving so being able to have them close is a common goal of clients. Our target client count is 15 horses and we had 13 at one time. A lot of new horse owners pretty much fizzle out over the first winter and sell their horses. It takes a lot of commitment to keep up with good daily care. Indiana winters are not always very friendly... Hay and feed prices are through the roof this year due to severe drought and pastures were badly damaged.
I do appreciate greatly what I have now especially decent health. I was 53 when I decided to start retiring so I could concentrate on the things I wanted to do. I sat a lot of income and lighter work load goals and it has generally worked out. We closed the store after more than 20 years in 1995/96 and just farmed. Then later I cash rented out much of the farm but kept the hay business. I retired from that early in 2011. This boot shop project is to make a few bucks for spending money for eating out and a little traveling.
I planned a lot of activities and projects for my retirement years so I wouldn't get bored. I'm 70 now and couldn't get to all of them if I lived another 40 years... No matter... I try to re-evaluate my priorities daily and spend my time on what is important to us.
Ramble mode off now...
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farmer
Francis Robinson
I did not equip with Shopsmiths in spite of the setups but because of them.
1 1988 - Mark V 510 (bought new), 4 Poly vee 1 1/8th HP Mark V's, Mark VII, 1 Mark V Mini, 1 Frankensmith, 1 10-ER, 1 Mark V Push-me-Pull-me Drillpress, SS bandsaw, belt sander, jointer, jigsaw, shaper attach, mortising attach, TS-3650 Rigid tablesaw, RAS, 6" long bed jointer, Foley/Belsaw Planer/molder/ripsaw, 1" sander, oscillating spindle/belt sander, Scroll saw, Woodmizer sawmill
sawmill wrote:I hope you don't have to take them down any stairs. If you do be very careful
The machines or the horses?
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farmer
Francis Robinson
I did not equip with Shopsmiths in spite of the setups but because of them.
1 1988 - Mark V 510 (bought new), 4 Poly vee 1 1/8th HP Mark V's, Mark VII, 1 Mark V Mini, 1 Frankensmith, 1 10-ER, 1 Mark V Push-me-Pull-me Drillpress, SS bandsaw, belt sander, jointer, jigsaw, shaper attach, mortising attach, TS-3650 Rigid tablesaw, RAS, 6" long bed jointer, Foley/Belsaw Planer/molder/ripsaw, 1" sander, oscillating spindle/belt sander, Scroll saw, Woodmizer sawmill
In keeping with my rule that everything in my shop but me has to be on wheels I bought a sheet of 3/4" BC exterior plywood yesterday to cut bases for castered platforms to put under the shoe machines. I also picked up the treated 2" X 12"s I needed to frame the new outside entrance to the basement shop.
Then we ran by Harbor Freight and picked up a dozen of these casters which are rated at 330# each. http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-cast-iron-molded-rubber-swivel-caster-38710.html
I'm planning to use a system similar to one we used to use in a plastics factory I worked in during the early 1960's. Some machines were mounted up off of the floor and a wood platform was placed in front of the machine to stand on while working. My wood platforms will have rubber mats on them to help ease the stress of standing. I quickly realized back then that stepping up and down on and off of those platforms actually helped keep my legs from getting stiff from standing. You don't work "around" these shoe machines like you do a table saw, you just stand in front of them. My platforms will be just cheap lumber and OSB. The standing platforms will not have wheels but will be light enough to just pick up and set aside when needed.
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farmer
Francis Robinson
I did not equip with Shopsmiths in spite of the setups but because of them.
1 1988 - Mark V 510 (bought new), 4 Poly vee 1 1/8th HP Mark V's, Mark VII, 1 Mark V Mini, 1 Frankensmith, 1 10-ER, 1 Mark V Push-me-Pull-me Drillpress, SS bandsaw, belt sander, jointer, jigsaw, shaper attach, mortising attach, TS-3650 Rigid tablesaw, RAS, 6" long bed jointer, Foley/Belsaw Planer/molder/ripsaw, 1" sander, oscillating spindle/belt sander, Scroll saw, Woodmizer sawmill
More on Rosie Belle.
I was doing some electric fence work the other day and as usual Rosie Belle (1200 pound + young draft horse) was following me around everywhere I went. Nova and Sophie Mae joined her and they got to "horsing around" (yes, horses really do horse around).
I crossed the fence into another lot and started moving a fence there so they had a little more grass. Rosie finally decided that I was staying over there so she galloped back toward the barn so she could get around the end of the fence for that lot and get to where I was. To get there she had to cross an open ditch that was about 10 feet across at the top and about 3 feet deep. They usually just walk down into the ditch on one side and back up the other. Rosie didn't have time for that... When she got to the ditch she just became air-born and sailed across it like it was nothing. She hit the ground still running just as smooth as a pro jumper.
I really enjoy seeing her make those jumps look so easy considering how big and heavy of a horse she is and how loud those saucer sized hooves are thundering across the field.
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farmer
Francis Robinson
I did not equip with Shopsmiths in spite of the setups but because of them.
1 1988 - Mark V 510 (bought new), 4 Poly vee 1 1/8th HP Mark V's, Mark VII, 1 Mark V Mini, 1 Frankensmith, 1 10-ER, 1 Mark V Push-me-Pull-me Drillpress, SS bandsaw, belt sander, jointer, jigsaw, shaper attach, mortising attach, TS-3650 Rigid tablesaw, RAS, 6" long bed jointer, Foley/Belsaw Planer/molder/ripsaw, 1" sander, oscillating spindle/belt sander, Scroll saw, Woodmizer sawmill
Farmer is a draft horse different than a Clydesdale or is the classification of draft horse just a grouping of all draft horses?
Bet her jumping that ditch was a site to be seen huh.
SS 500(09/1980), DC3300, jointer, bandsaw, belt sander, Strip Sander, drum sanders,molder, dado, biscuit joiner, universal lathe tool rest, Oneway talon chuck, router bits & chucks and a De Walt 735 planer,a #5,#6, block planes. ALL in a 100 square foot shop. .
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Bob
I didn't grow up around horses, but hearing you talking about her jumping that ditch reminds me of a horse ride I was on once where the horse I was on decided not to go through the 10-15 ft wide 4 ft deep ditch and jump it instead. Lets just say I was not attached to that horse by more than the reins in my hand! When that horse landed, I landed harder. At least I landed in the saddle! I looked back and one of the guys running the ride was watching me. It wasn't my fault!
I smiled reading about your horse jumping the ditch, and again thinking how glad I am that I was still able to have kids.
I wouldn't try it like that now...
